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Why am I receiving this proxy statement?
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You are receiving this proxy statement from us because you were a stockholder of record at the close of business on the record date of October 5, 2018. As a stockholder of record, you are invited to attend our annual meeting of stockholders (“Annual Meeting”) and are entitled to vote on the items of business described in this proxy statement. This proxy statement contains important information about the Annual Meeting and the items of business to be transacted at the Annual Meeting. You are strongly encouraged to read this proxy statement, which includes information that you may find useful in determining how to vote.
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Who is entitled to attend and vote at the meeting?
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Only holders of record of shares of our common stock at the close of business on October 5, 2018 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of, to attend, and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting.
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How many shares are outstanding?
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On the Record Date, 68,607,394 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding and held by approximately 154 holders of record, which does not include stockholders holding our stock in “street name.” Each share of common stock outstanding on the record date is entitled to one vote. In addition, holders of the Series A Convertible Preferred stock are entitled to vote at the rate of 9 votes per share. There are currently 4,531,394 Series A preferred shares outstanding.
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How many shares must be present or represented to conduct business at the meeting (that is, what constitutes a quorum)?
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The presence at the Annual Meeting, in person or represented by proxy, of the holders of at least a majority of the shares of our common stock, issued and outstanding on the record date and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If, however, a quorum is not present, in person or represented by proxy, then either the chairman of the Annual Meeting or the stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting may adjourn the Annual Meeting until a later time.
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What items of business will be voted on at the meeting?
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The items of business to be voted on at the Annual Meeting are as follows:
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To elect Irach B. Taraporewala as a Class II Director and James Sapirstein, as a Class I Director, each for a two-year term expiring at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal and re-elect Stanley Glick, CPA as a Class III Director, for a two-year term expiring at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is duly elected and qualified or until his earlier resignation or removal (Proposal 1). Of these nominees, Dr. Taraporewala is currently the CEO of the Company and is not considered an independent director. James Sapirstein and Stan Glick are both considered independent directors. Mr. Glick is currently a Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee;
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To approve the Company’s Executive Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal 2);
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To approve an award of warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock to Dr. Eugene Seymour in connection with his separation of employment.
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To approve an award of 525,000 shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to Dr. Anil Diwan in connection with the extension of his employment as the Company’s President (Proposal 4).
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To ratify the appointment of EisnerAmper LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019 (Proposal 5); and
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting, including to consider any procedural matters incident to the conduct of the Annual Meeting, such as the postponement of the Annual Meeting in order to solicit additional proxies to vote in favor of the matters presented at the Annual Meeting.
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What happens if additional matters are presented at the meeting?
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The only items of business that our Board of Directors intends to present at the Annual Meeting are set forth in this proxy statement. As of the date of this proxy statement, no stockholder has advised us of the intent to present any other matter, and we are not aware of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting. If any other matter or matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the person(s) named as your proxyholder(s) will have the discretion to vote your shares on the matters in accordance with their best judgment and as they deem advisable.
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How does the Board of Directors recommend that I vote?
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Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares “FOR” the election of each director nominee, “FOR” the approval of the Company’s Executive Equity Incentive Plan, “FOR” the approval of the equity compensation awards to Dr. Seymour and Dr. Diwan, and “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Eisner Amper LLP
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What shares can I vote at the meeting?
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You may vote all of the shares you owned as of October 5, 2018, the Record Date, including shares held directly in your name as the stockholder of record and all shares held for you as the beneficial owner through a broker, trustee or other nominee such as a bank. Some of our stockholders hold their shares through a broker or other nominee rather than directly in their own name. As summarized below, there are some distinctions between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.
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Stockholders of Record. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc., you are considered, with respect to those shares, the stockholder of record, and these proxy materials are being sent directly to you by us. As the stockholder of record, you have the right to vote in person at the Annual Meeting or direct the proxyholder how to vote your shares on your behalf at the Annual Meeting by fully completing, signing and dating the enclosed proxy card and returning it to us in the enclosed postage-paid return envelope.
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Beneficial Owner. If your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a trustee or another nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, and these proxy materials are
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being forwarded to you together with a voting instruction card by your broker, trustee or other nominee. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, trustee or nominee to vote your shares as you instruct in the voting instruction card. The broker, trustee or other nominee may either vote in person at the Annual Meeting or grant a proxy and direct the proxyholder to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting as you instruct in the voting instruction card. You may also vote in person at the Annual Meeting, but only after you obtain a “legal proxy” from the broker, trustee or nominee that holds your shares, giving you the right to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting. Your broker, trustee or nominee has enclosed or provided a voting instruction card for you to use in directing the broker, trustee or nominee how to vote your shares.
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How can I vote my shares without attending the Annual Meeting?
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As discussed previously, whether you hold shares directly as the stockholder of record or as a beneficial owner, you may direct how your shares are voted without attending the Annual Meeting by completing and returning the enclosed proxy card or voting instruction card. You can vote by proxy over the Internet by following the instructions provided in the Notice, or, if you requested to receive printed proxy materials, you can vote by mail, telephone or the Internet pursuant to instructions provided on the proxy card provided to you with your printed proxy materials. If you provide specific instructions with regard to items of business to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, your shares will be voted as you instruct on those items. Proxies properly signed, dated and submitted to us that do not contain voting instructions and are not revoked prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted “FOR” each nominee for director set forth herein, “FOR” the approval of the Company’s Executive Equity Incentive Plan, “FOR” the approval of a grant of warrants to Dr. Seymour, “FOR” the approval of a grant of Series A Convertible Preferred Shares to Dr. Diwan, and “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Eisner Amper LLP.
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How can I vote my shares in person at the meeting?
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Shares held in your name as the stockholder of record may be voted in person at the Annual Meeting. Shares held beneficially in street name may be voted in person only if you obtain a legal proxy from the broker, trustee or nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. You should be prepared to present the Admission Ticket attached to the proxy card and photo identification for admittance. Please also note that if you are not a stockholder of record but hold shares through a broker, trustee or nominee, you will need to provide proof of beneficial ownership as of the record date, such as your most recent brokerage account statement, a copy of the voting instruction card provided by your broker, trustee or nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership. The Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. (local time). Reception and check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend that you also complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card or voting instruction card and return it promptly in the accompanying postage-paid return envelope in order to ensure that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to, or are unable to, attend the Annual Meeting.
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Can I attend the meeting via the Internet?
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Stockholders may also attend our Annual Meeting via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/NNVC2018. Stockholders of record and beneficial owners as of the close of business on October 5, 2018 may also submit questions while attending the meeting via the Internet. Instructions on how to attend and participate at our Annual Meeting via the Internet are posted at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/NNVC2018. To demonstrate proof of stock ownership, you will need to enter the control number received with your Notice or proxy materials to submit questions and vote at our Annual Meeting via the Internet. We have retained Broadridge Financial Solutions (“Broadridge”) to host our virtual annual meeting and to distribute, receive, count and tabulate proxies.
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Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy?
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You may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting. If you are the stockholder of record, you may change your vote by granting a new proxy bearing a later date, which automatically revokes the earlier proxy, by providing a written notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary prior to your shares being voted, or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not cause your previously granted proxy to be revoked unless you specifically so request.
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You may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting. If you are the stockholder of record, you may change your vote by granting a new proxy bearing a later date, which automatically revokes the earlier proxy, by providing a written notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary prior to your shares being voted, or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not cause your previously granted proxy to be revoked unless you specifically so request.
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If you are a beneficial owner, you may change your vote by submitting a new voting instruction card to your broker, trustee or nominee, or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from your broker, trustee or nominee giving you the right to vote your shares, by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.
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Is my vote confidential?
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Proxy cards, voting instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed, except as required by law to Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc., our transfer agent, to allow for the tabulation of votes and certification of the vote, and to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation.
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How are votes counted and what vote is required to approve each item?
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Each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote per share on each matter considered at the Annual Meeting. In addition, each Preferred Series A Share votes at the rate of 9 votes per share. Stockholders are not entitled to cumulate their votes in the election of directors or with respect to any matter submitted to a vote of the stockholders.
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Proposal No. 1
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The election of directors requires a plurality of the votes cast for the election of directors and, accordingly, so long as a quorum is present, if each director nominee receives a majority of affirmative “FOR” votes at the Annual Meeting, he will be elected to serve as director.
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You may vote either “FOR” or “WITHHOLD” your vote for each director nominee. A properly executed proxy marked “WITHHOLD” with respect to the election of a director will not be voted with respect to the director indicated, although it will be counted for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum.
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Proposal No. 2
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Our Board of Directors is submitting the Executive Equity Incentive Plan to our stockholders for approval. To comply with the requirements of the Exchange, we are requesting the approval of the Executive Equity Incentive Plan by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast. You may vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” approval of the plan, or you may abstain. A properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the ratification of the plan will not be voted with respect to such ratification, although it will be counted for purposes of determining both whether there is a quorum and the total number of votes cast with respect to the proposal and will thus have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the proposal.
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Proposal No. 3
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Our Board of Directors has approved an award of warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of our common stock to Dr. Eugene Seymour in connection with his separation from employment with the Company. We are required to submit the proposal to our stockholders for approval under Exchange rules. You may vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” approval of the award, or you may abstain. A properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the ratification of the award will not be voted with respect to such ratification, although it will be counted for purposes of determining both whether there is a quorum and the total number of votes cast with respect to the proposal and will thus have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the proposal.
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Proposal No. 4
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Our Board of Directors has approved an award of 525,000 shares of the Company’s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock to Dr. Anil Diwan in connection with his Employment Agreement. We are required to submit the proposal to our stockholders for approval under Exchange rules. You may vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” approval of the award, or you may abstain. A properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the ratification of the award will not be voted with respect to such ratification, although it will be counted for purposes of determining both whether there is a quorum and the total number of votes cast with respect to the proposal and will thus have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the proposal.
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Proposal No. 5
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Stockholder ratification of the appointment of EisnerAmper LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, is not required by law or by our governing instruments. However, our Board of Directors is submitting the selection of Eisner Amper LLP to our stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance and practice. The ratification of the appointment of Eisner Amper LLP requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast. You may vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” ratification of the appointment, or you may abstain. A properly executed proxy marked “ABSTAIN” with respect to the ratification of the appointment will not be voted with respect to such ratification, although it will be counted for purposes of determining
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both whether there is a quorum and the total number of votes cast with respect to the proposal and will thus have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the proposal. If the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, our Board of Directors will reconsider whether or not to retain that firm.
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What is a “broker non-vote”?
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Under the rules that govern brokers and banks who have record ownership of our shares of common stock that are held in street name for their clients such as you, who are the beneficial owners of the shares, brokers and banks have the discretion to vote such shares on routine matters. For non-routine matters, brokers and banks do not have such discretion, resulting in a broker non-vote.
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How are “broker non-votes” counted?
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Broker non-votes will be counted as present for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business, but they will not be counted in tabulating the voting result for any particular proposal.
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How are abstentions counted?
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If you return a proxy card that indicates an abstention from voting on one or more proposals, the shares represented by your proxy will be counted as present for the purpose of determining both the presence of a quorum and the total number of votes cast with respect to a proposal (other than the election of directors), but they will not be counted in tabulating the voting results for any particular proposal. As a result, an abstention will have the same effect as a vote against a proposal (other than the election of directors).
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What happens if the meeting is adjourned?
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If our Annual Meeting is adjourned to another time and place, no additional notice will be given of the adjourned meeting if the time and place of the adjourned meeting is announced at the Annual Meeting, unless the adjournment is for more than 30 days, in which case a notice of the adjourned meeting will be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting. At the adjourned meeting, we may transact any items of business that might have been transacted at the Annual Meeting.
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What should I do in the event that I receive more than one set of proxy materials?
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You may receive more than one set of these proxy solicitation materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. In addition, if you are a stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you may receive more than one proxy card. Please complete, sign, date and return each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive to ensure that all your shares are voted.
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Who is soliciting my vote and who will bear the costs of this solicitation?
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The enclosed proxy is being solicited on behalf of our Board of Directors. We will bear the entire cost of solicitation of proxies, including preparation, assembly, printing and mailing of this proxy statement. In addition to solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and employees may also solicit proxies in person, by telephone, by electronic mail or by other means of communication. We will not pay any additional compensation to our directors, officers or other employees for soliciting proxies. Copies of the proxy materials will be furnished to brokerage firms, banks, trustees, custodians and other nominees holding beneficially owned shares of our common stock,
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who will forward the proxy materials to the beneficial owners. We may, at our discretion, reimburse brokerage firms, banks, trustees, custodians and other agents for the costs of forwarding the proxy materials. Our costs for forwarding proxy materials will not be significant.
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Where can I find the voting results of the meeting?
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We will publish the final voting results in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file within four business days after the meeting.
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
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Amount and
Nature of Beneficial Owner(1) |
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Percent of
Class |
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TheraCour Pharma, Inc.(2)
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 9,419,170 | | | | | | 13.7% | | |
Anil Diwan(2)(3)
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 2,005,367 | | | | | | 2.9% | | |
Irach Taraporewala(4)
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 0 | | | | | | 0% | | |
Mukund Kulkarni
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 46,234 | | | | | | 0.06% | | |
Stanley Glick
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 50,875 | | | | | | 0.07% | | |
Meeta Vyas(5)
1 Controls Drive Shelton, CT 06484 |
| | | | 147,021 | | | | | | 0.21% | | |
All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (6 persons)
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| | | | 11,668,667 | | | | | | 17% | | |
Other 5% Holders | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Milton Boniuk(6)
1111 Herman Drive, Unit 29E Houston, TX 77004 |
| | | | 7,824 | | | | | | 11.4% | | |
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Fiscal 2018
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Fiscal 2017
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Audit Fees
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| | | $ | 162,000 | | | | | $ | 156,000 | | |
Audit Related Fees
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Tax Fees
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All Other Fees
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Total
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| | | $ | 162,000 | | | | | $ | 156,000 | | |
Director
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Audit
Committee |
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Compensation
Committee |
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Nominating
Committee |
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Anil Diwan | | |
—
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—
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—
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Stanley Glick | | |
Chairman
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| | | | Member | | | | | | Member | | | |||
Mukund Kulkarni | | | | | Member | | | |
Chairman
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Chairman
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Name
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Age
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Position
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Anil Diwan, PhD. | | |
59
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| | President, Chairman of the Board of Directors | |
Irach B. Taraporewala | | |
62
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| | Chief Executive Officer | |
Meeta Vyas | | |
59
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| | Chief Financial Officer | |
Name and Principal Position
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Year
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Salary
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Bonus
($) |
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Stock
Award(s) ($) |
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Option
Awards (#) |
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All Other
Compensation ($) |
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Total
($) |
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Eugene Seymour,
Former CEO & Director(1) |
| | | | 2018 | | | | | $ | 631,250 | | | | | $ | 118,750 | | | | | $ | 121,008 | | | | | | 250,000 | | | | | $ | 63,500 | | | | | $ | 934,508 | | |
| | | 2017 | | | | | $ | 372,917 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 297,266 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 745,183 | | | ||
| | | 2016 | | | | | $ | 345,833 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 309,344 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 655,177 | | | ||
Anil Diwan
President, Director |
| | | | 2018 | | | | | $ | 397,917 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 267,143 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 740,060 | | |
| | | 2017 | | | | | $ | 372,917 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 810,250 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 1,258,167 | | | ||
| | | 2016 | | | | | $ | 345,833 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 309,344 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 655,177 | | | ||
Meeta Vyas
CFO |
| | | | 2018 | | | | | $ | 129,600 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 75,381 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 204,980 | | |
| | | 2017 | | | | | $ | 129,600 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 98,964 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 228,564 | | | ||
| | | 2016 | | | | | $ | 129,600 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 123,656 | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 253,256 | | | ||
Irach Taraporewala
CEO(2) |
| | | | 2018 | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | — | | |
Name and Principal Position
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Number of
Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable |
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Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable |
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Option
Exercise Price ($) |
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Option
Expiration Date |
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Number of
Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested |
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Market
Value of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested |
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Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested |
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Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested |
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Eugene Seymour, Former CEO and Director(1)
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Anil Diwan, President and Director
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Milton Boniuk, MD
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Mukund Kulkarni
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Stanley Glick
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Meeta Vyas
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Irach Taraporewala(2)
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| | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | $ | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |