Securities Registration: Employee Benefit Plan (s-8)
01 Juin 2021 - 10:11PM
Edgar (US Regulatory)
As filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission on June 1, 2021.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ACURA PHARMACEUTICALS,
INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its
Charter)
New York
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11-0853640
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(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)
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(IRS Employer Identification No.)
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616 N. North Court, Suite 120, Palatine, Illinois
60067
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2021 Restricted Stock
Unit Award Plan
(Full Title of the Plan)
Peter A. Clemens
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
616 N. North Court, Suite 120, Palatine, Illinois
60067
(Name and Address Of Agent For Service)
With a Copy to:
S Jason Teele, Esq.
Sills Cummis & Gross
One Riverfront Plaza
1037 Raymond Boulevard
Newark, New Jersey 07102
(973) 643-7000
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant
is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a small 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
x Smaller reporting company
x Emerging growth company
¨
If an
emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has not elected 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. ¨
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of
Securities
To Be
Registered
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Amount
To Be
Registered (1)
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Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Share
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Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
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Amount of
Registration
Fee
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Common
Stock $.01 par value per share, reserved for issuance
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2,500,000
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$
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0.37
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(2)
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$
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925,000
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$
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100.92
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(2)
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(1) The aggregate amount of securities registered
hereunder is 2,500,000 shares of Common Stock underlying Restricted Stock Units to be granted under the 2021 Restricted Stock Unit Award
Plan. Pursuant to Rule 416 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement covers such additional
shares of Common Stock to be offered or issued to prevent dilution as a result of future stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(2) The fee with respect to these shares has
been calculated pursuant to Rule 457(c) upon the basis of $0.37, the average of the high and low price per share of the Registrant's
Common Stock on May 26, 2021, a date within five (5) business days prior to the date of filing of this Registration Statement, as reported
by the OTCQB, and is based on the rate of $109.10 per million.
EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
We are filing this Registration
Statement to register 2,500,000 shares of our Common Stock for issuance pursuant to the Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2021 Restricted Stock
Unit Award Plan (the "Plan").
PART I
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
The documents containing
the information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to participants as specified by Rule 428(b)(1)
under the Securities Act. In accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”)
and the instructions to Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Commission either as part of this Registration Statement
or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act.
PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN REGISTRATION STATEMENT
ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
We hereby incorporate by
reference into this Registration Statement the following documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"):
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1.
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Our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the Commission
on March 31, 2021 (the “Annual Report”).
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2.
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Our
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 filed with the Commission
on May 17, 2021.
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4.
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The
description of our common stock contained in Form 8-A filed with the Commission under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") on January 31, 2008.
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In addition, all documents
and reports subsequently filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof and prior
to the filing of a Post-Effective Amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities
then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or
superceded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document
which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supercedes that statement. Any such statement so modified
or superceded shall not constitute a part of this Registration Statement, except as so modified or superseded.
ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
Not applicable.
ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Section 722 of the New York
Business Corporation Law (the "BCL") provides that a corporation may indemnify directors and officers as well as other employees
and individuals against judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses, including attorney's fees, in connection
with actions or proceedings, whether civil or criminal (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation, referred to as a
"derivative action"), if they acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct
was unlawful. A similar standard is applicable in the case of derivative actions, except that indemnification only extends to amounts
paid in settlement and reasonable expenses (including attorney's fees) incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such
actions, and the statute does not apply in respect of a threatened action, or a pending action that is settled or otherwise disposed
of, and requires court approval before there can be any indemnification where the person seeking indemnification has been found liable
to the corporation. Section 721 of the BCL provides that Article 7 of the BCL is not exclusive of other indemnification that may be granted
by a corporation's certificate of incorporation or by-laws. Article Ninth of the Registrant's Restated Certificate of Incorporation and
Article IV, Section 6 of the Registrant's Restated By-Laws require the Registrant to indemnify its officers and directors to the fullest
extent permitted under the BCL.
Set forth below is Article
Ninth of the Registrant's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended:
NINTH: The Corporation shall, to the
fullest extent possible permitted by Sections 721 through 726 of the Business Corporation Law of New York, indemnify any and all directors
and officers whom it shall have the power to indemnify under said sections from and against any and all of the expenses, liabilities
or other matters referred to in or covered by such sections of the Business Corporation Law, and the indemnification provided for herein
shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the person so indemnified may be entitled under any By-Law, agreement, vote
of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his/her official capacity and as to action in another capacity
by holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of
the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.
Set forth below is Article IV, Section
6 of the Registrant's Restated By-Laws:
SECTION 6. Indemnification.
It is expressly provided that any and every person made a party to any action, suit, or proceeding by or in the right of the corporation
to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he, his testator or intestate, is or was a director or officer of this
corporation or of any corporation which be served as such at the request of this corporation, may be indemnified by the corporation to
the full extent permitted by law, against any and all reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, actually and necessarily incurred
by him in connection with the defense of such action or in connection with any appeal therein, except in relation to matters as to which
it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such officer or director has breached his duty to the corporation.
It is further expressly provided that
any and every person made a party to any action, suit, or proceeding other than one by or in the right of the corporation to procure
a judgment in its favor, whether civil or criminal, including an action by or in the right of any other corporation of any type or kind,
domestic or foreign, which any director or officer of the corporation served in any capacity at the request of the corporation, by reason
of the fact that he, his testator or interstate, was a director or officer of the corporation, or served such other corporation in any
capacity, may be indemnified by the corporation, to the full extent permitted by law, against judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement,
and reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, actually and necessarily incurred as a result of such action, suit or proceeding,
or any appeal therein, if such person acted in good faith for a purpose which he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the
corporation and, in criminal actions or proceedings, in addition, had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
The Registrant maintains
director and officer liability insurance policies that, subject to the terms and conditions of the policies, provide coverage up to $2,000,000
in the aggregate (subject to a $1,000,000 retention for securities claims, $1,000,000 for claims arising out of merger and acquisition
activity, and $1,000,000 for all other claims). The policy reimburses the Registrant for amounts spent in lawful indemnification of a
director or officer or amounts provided by the Registrant to indemnify its directors and officers as required or permitted by law, subject
to policy conditions.
ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED
Not applicable.
ITEM 8.
EXHIBITS
See Index of Exhibits
on Page 10.
ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS
(a) The
undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) 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;
(ii) To
reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this 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 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration
Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
(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 paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment
by these paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section
13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities
being registered that remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose
of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned Registrant undertakes
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:
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(i)
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Any
preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule
424;
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(ii)
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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;
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(iii)
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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
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(iv)
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Any
other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
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(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any
liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s Annual Report pursuant to section 13(a) or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act) 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.
(h) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act 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 Securities 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 Securities 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-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the
City of Williamsburg, State of Virginia, on May 31, 2021.
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ACURA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
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By:
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/s/ Robert Jones
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Robert B. Jones
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President and Chief Executive Officer
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(Principal Executive Officer)
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POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person
whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Peter A. Clemens and Robert B, Jones, or either of them, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact
and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign
any or all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all Exhibits thereto,
and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents,
each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and deed requisite and necessary to be done in connection
with the above premises, and fully for all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and conforming all
that said attorney-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant
and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signatures
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Title
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Date
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/s/ Robert B. Jones
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President, Chief Executive Officer and
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May 31, 2021
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Robert B. Jones
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Director
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/s/ William G. Skelly
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Director
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May 31, 2021
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William G. Skelly
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/s/ Bruce F, Wesson
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Director
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May 31, 2021
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Bruce F. Wesson
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/s/ Immanuel Thangaraj
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Director
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May 31, 2021
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Immanuel Thangaraj
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/s/ George K. Ross
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Director
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May 31, 2021
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George K. Ross
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/s/ Peter A. Clemens
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Senior Vice President and
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May 31, 2021
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Peter A. Clemens
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Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
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INDEX OF EXHIBITS
Acura Pharmaceuticals (CE) (USOTC:ACUR)
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De Oct 2024 à Nov 2024
Acura Pharmaceuticals (CE) (USOTC:ACUR)
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De Nov 2023 à Nov 2024