As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2021
Registration No. 333-252715     
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Ocuphire Pharma, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
    
11-3516358
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
    
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

37000 Grand River Avenue, Suite 120
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
(248) 681-9815
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Mina Sooch
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ocuphire Pharma, Inc.
37000 Grand River Avenue, Suite 120
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
(248) 681-9815
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:
Phillip D. Torrence, Esq.
Emily J. Johns, Esq.
Honigman LLP
650 Trade Center Way, Suite 200
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49002-0402
(269) 337-7700

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b–2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer
☐
Accelerated filer
☐
Non-accelerated filer
☒
Smaller reporting company
☒
   
Emerging growth company
☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 (this “Amendment”) to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) of Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. is being filed solely for the purpose of replacing Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. This Amendment does not modify any provision of the prospectus that forms a part of the Registration Statement and accordingly, such prospectus has been omitted.

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth the estimated costs and expenses, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions, payable by us, in connection with the offering of the securities pursuant to this Registration Statement:

SEC Registration Fee
​
​
$23,162.76
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Filing Fee
​
​
(1)
Legal Fees and Expenses
​
​
(1)
Nasdaq Capital Market Listing Fees
​
​
(1)
Accounting Fees
​
​
(1)
Printing and Miscellaneous Fees
​
​
(1)
Total
​
​
(1)
(1)
The amount of securities and number of offerings are indeterminable and the expenses cannot be estimated at this time. An estimate of the aggregate expenses in connection with the sale and distribution of securities being offered will be included in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers in terms sufficiently broad to permit such indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement for expenses incurred, arising under the Securities Act. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides for indemnification of our directors, officers, employees and other agents to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, and our amended and restated bylaws provide for indemnification of our directors, officers, employees and other agents to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.

We have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and officers whereby we have agreed to indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law, including indemnification against expenses and liabilities incurred in legal proceedings to which the director or officer was, or is threatened to be made, a party by reason of the fact that such director or officer is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of Ocuphire Pharma, Inc., provided that such director or officer acted in good faith and in a manner that the director or officer reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interest of Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or officer of Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. regarding which indemnification is sought, nor is the registrant aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification.

We maintain insurance policies that indemnify our directors and officers against various liabilities arising under the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that might be incurred by any director or officer in his capacity as such.

The underwriting agreement(s) that the Registrant may enter into may provide for indemnification by any underwriters of the Registrant, its directors, its officers who sign the registration statement and the Registrant’s controlling persons for some liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted for directors, executive officers or persons controlling us, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.


Item 16. Exhibits.

Exhibit
Number
  
Description
1.1*
  
Form of Underwriting Agreement.
     
 
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Appendix G to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed on April 29, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 5, 2017, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 30, 2018 is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 12, 2019, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 6, 2020, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 6, 2020, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant, filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 6, 2020, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Form of common stock certificate of the Registrant., filed as Exhibit 4.3 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8, filed on October 28, 2005, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
4.2*
  
Form of Preferred Stock Certificate and Form of Certificate of Designation of Preferred Stock.
     
 
Form of Indenture.
     
4.4*
  
Form of Debt Securities.
     
 
Form of Common Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
     
 
Form of Preferred Stock Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
     
 
Form of Debt Securities Warrant Agreement and Warrant Certificate.
     
 
Form of Series A/B Warrants filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 1, 2020, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Form of Waiver Agreement, dated as of February 3, 2021, by and between Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. and the Holder(s) filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 4, 2021, is incorporated herein by reference.
     
 
Opinion of Honigman LLP.
  
       
 
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
  
       
 
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
  
       
23.3
  
Consent of Honigman LLP (reference is made to Exhibit 5.1).
  
       
 
 Power of Attorney
  
       
 25.1*+
  
 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee under the Indenture.
  
       
*
To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference, if applicable.
**
Previously filed.
+
To be filed separately under electronic form type 305B2, if applicable.

Item 17. Undertakings.

The undersigned registrants hereby undertakes:

(a)
To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
 
(i)
to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

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

provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form SF-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.


(b)
That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c)
To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(d)
That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

  
 
(i)
Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
 
(ii)
Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(e)
That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
 
(i)
Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
 
(ii)
Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
 
(iii)
The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
 
(iv)
Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(f)
That for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(g)
That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, (i) the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of the registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(l) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be a part of the registration statement as of the time it was declared effective; and (ii) each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(h)
To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.
(i)
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Farmington Hills, state of Michigan, on February 11, 2021.

 
OCUPHIRE PHARMA, INC.
     
 
By:
/s/ Mina Sooch
   
Mina Sooch
   
President and Chief Executive Officer


Signature
  
Title
  
Date
/s/ Mina Sooch
  
President, Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
  
February 11, 2021
Mina Sooch
  
         
/s/ Amy Rabourn
  
Vice President of Finance
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
  
February 11, 2021
Amy Rabourn
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
Sean Ainsworth
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
James S. Manuso
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
Cam Gallagher
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
Alan R. Meyer
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
Richard J. Rodgers
  
         
*
  
Director
  
February 11, 2021
Susan K. Benton
    

*By:
   /s/ Mina Sooch
    
Mina Sooch, Attorney-in-Fact