def14aproxy.htm
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
PROXY
STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
(AMENDMENT
NO. _____)
Filed by
the Registrant [ x ]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the
appropriate box:
[
] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ]
Confidential, for Use of the Commission. Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
[X ]
Definitive Proxy Statement
[ ]
Definitive Additional Materials
[ ]
Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-12
DOR
BioPharma, Inc.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
N/A
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[ x ]
No fee required.
[ ]
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11.
(1) Title
of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)
Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
|
(3)
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was
determined):
|
|
(4)
Proposed maximum aggregate value of
transaction:
|
[ ]
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
[ ]
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.
(1)
Amount Previously Paid:
(2) Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3)
Filing Party:
(4) Date
Filed:
DOR
BIOPHARMA, INC.
29
Emmons Drive, Suite C-10
Princeton,
New Jersey 08540
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
June 5,
2009
To the
Stockholders:
The
Annual Meeting of Stockholders of DOR BioPharma, Inc., will be held at the
Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center, Meting Room:
Witherspoon C, 900 Scudders Mill Road, Plainsboro, New Jersey 08536 on June
5, 2009, at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, for the following purposes, each
as more fully described herein:
1. To elect
five directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until
their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified;
2. To
consider and approve an amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of authorized shares of our
common stock from 250,000,000 to 400,000,000;
3. To ratify
the appointment Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP as our independent auditors
for the year ending December 31, 2009; and
4. To
transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or
any adjournment or postponement thereof.
Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on April 14, 2009 are entitled
to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. A list of stockholders eligible
to vote at the meeting will be available for inspection at the meeting and for a
period of 10 days prior to the meeting, during regular business hours, at our
corporate headquarters at the address set forth above.
Information
concerning the matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting is included in the
proxy statement. Whether or not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting, your
vote is important. Please vote as soon as possible via either the Internet,
telephone or mail.
By Order
of the Board of Directors
/s/ Christopher J.
Schaber
Christopher
J. Schaber, Ph.D.
President
and Chief Executive Officer
Miami,
Florida
April 16,
2009
DOR
BioPharma, Inc.
29
Emmons Drive, Suite C-10
Princeton,
New Jersey 08540
Phone:
(609) 452-0001
PROXY
STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
We are
furnishing this proxy statement to stockholders of record as of the close of
business on April 14, 2009 in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our
Board of Directors for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on
June 5, 2009. This proxy statement and the form of proxy are being made
available to the stockholders on or about April 24, 2009. Our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 (which does not form a part of
the proxy solicitation materials) is being made available concurrently herewith
to stockholders.
Voting Securities; Proxies; Required
Vote
Voting
Securities
At the
Annual Meeting, each holder of record of common stock of the Company, par value
$0.001 per share (“Common Stock”), at the close of business on April 14,
2009 will be entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock owned on
that date as to each matter presented at the Annual Meeting. On April
14, 2009 167,070,944 shares of Common Stock were outstanding.
Proxies
You
cannot vote your shares at the meeting unless you are present in person or
represented by proxy. All properly executed and unrevoked proxies that are
received in time for the meeting will be voted at the meeting or any adjournment
or postponement thereof in accordance with instructions thereon, or if no
instructions are given, will be voted as follows:
1. "FOR" the
election of all of the named nominees as directors;
2. “FOR” the
approval of the amendment to our Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of
authorized shares of our common stock from 250,000,000 shares to 400,000,000
shares;
3. “FOR” the
ratification of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP as our independent auditors;
and
4. in
accordance with the judgment of the persons appointed as proxies with respect to
other matters which properly come before the Annual Meeting.
You may
revoke a proxy by written notice to us at any time prior to exercise of the
proxy. In addition, although mere attendance at the Annual Meeting will not
revoke a proxy, you may withdraw your proxy by voting in
person.
Voting
Your Proxy
Whether
or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you may vote your shares via
Internet, telephone or mail as more fully described below:
·
|
By
Internet: Go to www.voteproxy.com
and follow the instructions. Have your proxy card available when you
call.
|
·
|
By
Telephone: Call 1-800-PROXIES (1-800-776-9437) and follow the voice
prompts. Have your proxy card available when you
call.
|
·
|
By
Mail: If you have received a proxy card, mark your vote, sign your name
exactly as it appears on your proxy card, date your card and return it in
the envelope provided.
|
Required
Vote
1. The
affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the shares of Common Stock
represented at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy is required for the
election of directors.
2. The
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock
issued and outstanding is required to approve
the amendment to our Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the number of
authorized shares of our common stock from 250,000,000 shares to 400,000,000
shares
3. The
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock
represented in person or by proxy at the meeting is required for the
ratification of the appointment of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP as our
independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.
Stockholders
are not allowed to cumulate their votes in the election of directors. In voting
on the election of directors, abstentions and broker non-votes (which occur when
a broker holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular
proposal because the broker does not have discretionary voting power with
respect to that item and has not received voting instructions from the
beneficial owner) will be disregarded and not treated as votes cast and,
therefore, will not affect the outcome of the election. Abstentions and broker
non-votes will have the same effect as votes against the proposal to amend our
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to increase the
number of authorized shares of our common stock from 250,000,000 shares to
400,000,000 shares. Abstentions will have the same effect as votes
against the proposal to ratify the appointment of Amper, Politziner &
Mattia, LLP, but broker non-votes will not be counted as votes against such
proposal or as shares present or represented at the meeting.
Quorum
The
required quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting will be a
majority of the voting power of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on
the record date. Shares represented in person or by proxy (including shares
which abstain or do not vote with respect to one or more of the matters
presented for stockholder approval) will be counted for purposes of determining
whether a quorum exists at the meeting.
PROPOSAL
1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
The Board
of Directors currently has five members, James S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A., Christopher
J. Schaber, Ph.D., Evan Myrianthopoulos, Cyrille F. Buhrman, and Gregg A.
Lapointe, C.P.A., M.B.A., all of whom are nominees for re-election. Unless
otherwise directed, the persons appointed in the form of proxy intend to vote at
the Annual Meeting for the election of Messrs. Kuo, Schaber, Myrianthopoulos,
Buhrman, and Lapointe as directors to serve until our next Annual Meeting of
Stockholders or until their successors have been duly elected and
qualified. If any nominee is unable to be a candidate when the
election takes place, the shares represented by valid proxies will be voted in
favor of such substitute nominee as the Board of Directors recommends or to
allow the vacancy to remain open until filled by the Board of Directors, as
determined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors does not currently
anticipate that any nominee will be unable to be a candidate for election. Each
director elected to the Board of Directors will serve until the next Annual
Meeting of Stockholders or until his successor has been duly elected and
qualified, unless he dies, resigns or is removed from office prior to that
time.
The
following table contains information regarding the current members of the Board
of Directors.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
Director
Since
|
James
S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.
|
|
45
|
|
Chairman
of the Board
|
|
2004
|
Christopher
J. Schaber, Ph.D.
|
|
42
|
|
Director,
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
2006
|
Evan
Myrianthopoulos
|
|
44
|
|
Director,
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
|
2002
|
Cyrille
F. Buhrman
|
|
36
|
|
Director
|
|
2007
|
Gregg
A. Lapointe, C.P.A., M.B.A.
|
|
50
|
|
Director
|
|
2009
|
James S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.,
has been a director since 2004 and currently serves as the non-executive
Chairman of the Board. He has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of
Cordex Pharma, Inc. (formerly Duska Therapeutics, Inc.), a public
biopharmaceutical company, since June 2007 and has been Chief Executive Officer
since September 2007. From 2006 to September 2007, he served as Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Cysteine Pharma, Inc. From 2003 to 2006,
he served as founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BioMicro Systems,
Inc., a private venture-backed, microfluidics company. Prior to that time, Dr.
Kuo was co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery
Laboratories, Inc., a public specialty pharmaceutical company developing
respiratory therapies, where he raised over $22 million in initial private
funding and took the company public. He further has been a founder and a Board
Director of Monarch Labs, LLC, a private medical device company. Dr. Kuo is the
former Managing Director of Venture Analysis for HealthCare Ventures, LLC, which
managed $378 million in venture funds. He has also been a senior licensing and
business development executive at Pfizer, Inc., where he was directly
responsible for cardiovascular licensing and development. Dr. Kuo is also a
director of Adeona Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (formerly Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.),
a public company. After studying molecular biology and receiving his B.A. degree
at Haverford College, Dr. Kuo simultaneously received his M.D. degree from The
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his M.B.A. degree from The
Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D.,
has been our President and Chief Executive Officer and a director since August
2006. Dr. Schaber also currently serves on the boards of both the Alliance for
BioSecurity and BioNJ, Inc. Prior to joining DOR, Dr. Schaber served from
1998 to 2006 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of
Discovery Laboratories, Inc., where he was responsible for overall pipeline
development and key areas of commercial operations, including regulatory
affairs, quality control and assurance, manufacturing and distribution,
preclinical and clinical research, and medical affairs, as well as coordination
of commercial launch preparation activities. During his tenure at Discovery
Laboratories, Inc., Dr. Schaber played a significant role in raising in excess
of $150 million through both public offerings and private placements. From 1996
to 1998, Dr. Schaber was a co-founder of Acute Therapeutics, Inc., and served as
its Vice President of Regulatory Compliance and Drug Development. From 1994 to
1996, Dr. Schaber was employed by Ohmeda PPD, Inc., as Worldwide Director of
Regulatory Affairs and Operations. From 1989 to 1994, Dr. Schaber held a variety
of regulatory, development and operations positions with The Liposome Company,
Inc., and Elkins-Sinn Inc., a division of Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories. Dr. Schaber
received his B.A. degree from Western Maryland College, his M.S. degree in
Pharmaceutics from Temple University School of Pharmacy and his Ph.D. degree in
Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Union Graduate School.
Evan Myrianthopoulos has been
a director since 2002 and is currently our Chief Financial Officer and Senior
Vice President, after joining us in November of 2004 as President and Acting
Chief Executive Officer. From November 2001 to November 2004, he was President
and founder of CVL Advisors Group Inc., a financial consulting firm specializing
in the biotechnology sector. Prior to founding CVL Advisors Group, Inc., Mr.
Myrianthopoulos was a co-founder of Discovery Laboratories, Inc. During his
tenure at Discovery Laboratories, Inc. from June 1996 to November 2001, Mr.
Myrianthopoulos held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President
of Finance, where he was responsible for raising approximately $55 million in
four private placements. He also helped negotiate and manage Discovery
Laboratories, Inc.’s mergers with Ansan Pharmaceuticals and Acute Therapeutics,
Inc. Prior to co-founding Discovery Laboratories, Inc., Mr. Myrianthopoulos was
a Technology Associate at Paramount Capital Investments, L.L.C., a New York City
based biotechnology venture capital and investment banking firm. Prior to
joining Paramount Capital Investments, LLC, Mr. Myrianthopoulos was a managing
partner at a hedge fund and also held senior positions in the treasury
department at the National Australia Bank where he was employed as a
spot and derivatives currency trader. Mr. Myrianthopoulos holds a B.S.
degree in Economics and Psychology from Emory University.
Cyrille F. Buhrman has been a
director since June 2007. Mr. Buhrman is Chairman and President of the Pacific
Healthcare Group of Companies, a full-service marketing, sales, distribution and
regulatory affairs company based in Thailand where he has served for
approximately ten years. Mr. Buhrman is also a Director of International
Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a company focused on marketing niche pharmaceuticals and
other medical products in Thailand, Vision Care (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and Canyon
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotechnology company focused on the
commercialization of therapeutics to prevent and treat thrombosis and related
conditions. Mr. Buhrman is owner of Markle Holdings Ltd., an investment fund
specializing in biotech and pharmaceutical investments. Mr. Buhrman is also one
of our largest shareholders.
Gregg Lapointe, C.P.A.,
M.B.A., has been a director since March 10, 2009. Mr. Lapointe also
serves on the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceuticals Research and
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and is a member of the Corporate Council of the
National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD). He has served in varying roles
for Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Sigma-Tau”), a private biopharmaceutical
company, since September 2001, including Chief Operating Officer from November
2003 to April 2008 and Chief Executive Officer since April 2008. From May, 1996
to August, 2001, he served as Vice President of Operations and Vice President,
Controller of AstenJohnson, Inc. (formerly JWI Inc.). Prior to that Mr.
Lapointe spent several years in the Canadian medical products industry in both
distribution and manufacturing. Mr. Lapointe began his career at Price
Waterhouse. From his extensive background, Mr. Lapointe has significant
experience in the areas of global strategic planning and implementation,
business development, corporate finance, and acquisitions. Mr. Lapointe
received his B.A. degree in Commerce from Concordia University in Montreal,
Canada, a graduate diploma in Accountancy from McGill University and his M.B.A.
degree from Duke University. He is a C.P.A. in the state of Illinois and a
Chartered Accountant in Ontario, Canada.
Recommendation of the Board of
Directors
The Board
of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the election of all of the nominees
listed above.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership
Reporting Compliance
We are
required to identify each person who was an officer, director or beneficial
owner of more than 10% of our registered equity securities during our most
recent fiscal year and who failed to file on a timely basis reports required by
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”).
To our
knowledge, based solely on review of these filings and written representations
from the certain reporting persons, we believe that during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008, our officers, directors and significant stockholders have
timely filed the appropriate form under Section 16(a) of the Exchange
Act.
Corporate
Governance
Pursuant
to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (“Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), and By-laws, our business and
affairs are managed under the direction of the Board of
Directors. Members of the Board of Directors are kept informed of our
business through discussions with senior management, by reviewing materials
provided to them and by participating in meetings of the Board of Directors and
its committees.
The Board
of Directors has determined that Dr. Kuo, Mr. Buhrman, and Mr. Lapointe are
"independent" as such term is defined by the applicable listing standards of the
American Stock Exchange. The Board of Directors based this determination
primarily on a review of the responses of the directors to questions regarding
their employment, affiliations and family and other relationships. In
making this determination, the Board of Directors considered Dr. Kuo’s
relationship with Christopher Schaber, our President and Chief Executive
Officer, and Evan Myrianthopoulos, our Chief Financial Officer, at Discovery
Laboratories, Inc. The Board of Directors determined that this
relationship did not impair Dr. Kuo’s independence. The Board of
Directors also reviewed the relationship of Mr. Lapointe’s relationship as the
Chief Executive Officer of Sigma-Tau. Sigma-Tau, is our largest shareholder and
owns approximately 25% of the outstanding shares. The Board of Directors
determined that Mr. Lapointe’s position with Sigma-Tau would not impair his
ability to exercise independent judgment. However, he will not vote on matters
in which Sigma-Tau is involved.
The Board
of Directors held eight meetings in 2008. In 2008, each director attended all of
the meetings of the Board of Directors, except Mr. Buhrman who attended three of
the eight meetings. In 2008, Mr. Buhrman did not attend one of the five Audit
Committee meetings.
We
typically schedule a meeting of the Board of Directors in conjunction with our
Annual Meeting and expect that all directors will attend, absent a valid reason,
such as a scheduled conflict. In 2006, all of the individuals then serving as
directors attended the Annual Meeting in person.
The Board
of Directors has the following three committees: (1) Compensation,
(2) Audit and (3) Nominating. The Board of Directors has adopted a
written charter for each of these committees. These charters were filed as
annexes to the Company’s proxy statement prepared in connection with the
Company’s 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
The Board
of Directors has also adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies
to all of our directors, officers (including the Chief Executive Officer and the
Chief Financial Officer) and employees. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
is posted under the caption "Investors" on our website:
http://www.dorbiopharma.com. If, in the future, the Board of Directors amends
the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or grants a waiver to our Chief
Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or any future principal accounting
officer with respect to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, we will post
the amendment or a description of the waiver on our website.
Compensation
Committee
The Board
of Directors has a Compensation Committee, which is currently comprised of Dr.
Kuo and Mr. Buhrman. During 2008, the Compensation Committee was comprised of
Dr. Kuo, Mr. Buhrman and Mr. Lapointe. The Compensation Committee is responsible
for reviewing and approving the executive compensation program, assessing
executive performance, making grants of salary and annual incentive compensation
and approving certain employment agreements. The Board of Directors has
determined that Dr. Kuo, Mr. Buhrman and Mr. Lapointe are
"independent" directors, as such term is defined by the American Stock Exchange
listing standards. The Compensation Committee met one time during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2008. All of the members of the Compensation
Committee attended the meeting.
Nominating
Committee
The Board
of Directors has a Nominating Committee. Dr. Kuo and Mr. Buhrman have been
members of the Nominating Committee since 2007. During 2008, the Nominating
Committee was comprised of Dr. Kuo and Mr. Buhrman. The Nominating
Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the size and
composition of the Board of Directors, establishes procedures for the nomination
process, recommends candidates for election to the Board of Directors and
nominates officers for election by the Board of Directors. The Board of
Directors has determined that both Dr. Kuo and Mr. Buhrman are "independent"
directors, as such term is defined by the applicable American Stock Exchange
listing standards. The Nominating Committee did not meet during the fiscal
years ended December 31, 2008 or 2007.
In
considering candidates for the Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee
considers the entirety of each candidate's credentials and does not have any
specific minimum qualifications that must be met by a nominee. However, the
Nominating Committee does believe that all members of the Board of Directors
should have the highest character and integrity, a reputation for working
constructively with others, sufficient time to devote to Board matters, and no
conflict of interest that would interfere with performance as a director. In the
case of current Directors being considered for nomination, the Nominating
Committee also takes into account the director's history of attendance at
meetings of the Board of Directors or its committees, the Director's tenure as a
member of the Board of Directors, and the Director's preparation for and
participation in such meetings.
Stockholders
who wish to suggest qualified candidates should write to the Office of the
Secretary, DOR BioPharma, Inc., 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New
Jersey 08540, specifying the name of the candidates and stating in detail the
qualifications of such persons for consideration by the Nominating Committee. A
written statement from the candidate consenting to be named as a candidate and,
if nominated and elected, to serve as a director should accompany any such
recommendation. Stockholders who wish to nominate a director for election at an
Annual Meeting of Stockholders must otherwise comply with our By-laws regarding
stockholder proposals and nominations. See "Deadline for Stockholder Proposals"
contained herein.
The Board
of Directors has recommended that Gregg A. Lapointe be elected to the Board of
Directors, as required by the Collaboration and Supply Agreement with
Sigma-Tau.
Audit
Committee
The Board
of Directors has an Audit Committee, which is comprised of Dr. Kuo, Mr. Buhrman
and Mr. Lapointe (he was appointed on March 27, 2009). During 2008,
the Audit Committee was comprised of Dr. Kuo, and Mr. Buhrman. The Audit
Committee assists the Board of Directors in monitoring the financial reporting
process, the internal control structure and the independence and performance of
the internal audit department and the independent public accountants. Its
primary duties are to serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the
financial process and internal control system, to review and appraise the audit
effort of the independent accountants and to provide an open avenue of
communication among the independent accountants, financial and senior
management, and the Board of Directors. During the year, the Board of
Directors examined the composition of the Audit Committee in light of the
applicable listing standards of the American Stock Exchange and the regulations
under the Exchange Act applicable to audit committees. Based upon
this examination, the Board of Directors has determined that Dr. Kuo, Mr.
Buhrman, and Mr. Lapointe are "independent" directors within the meaning of such
listing standards and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder. The Board of Directors has determined that Dr. Kuo and
Mr. Lapointe qualify as an "audit committee financial expert" as that term is
defined in the applicable regulations of the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee
met four times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and five times
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.
Report of the Audit Committee of the
Board of Directors
The Audit
Committee submits the following report for the year ended December 31,
2008:
The Audit
Committee has reviewed and discussed with both management and the outside
auditors the audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year
ended December 31, 2008. The Audit Committee's review included discussion with
the outside auditors of matters required to be discussed by Statement on
Auditing Standards No. 61, Communication with Audit
Committees, as amended, by the Auditing Standards Board of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
The Audit
Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from the
independent auditors required by Independence Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees, as amended, by the Independence Standards Board, and has
discussed with the independent auditors matters relating to the auditors'
independence.
Based on
the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended
to the Board of Directors that the audited consolidated financial statements
referred to above be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008 for filing with the
SEC.
Submitted
by the Audit Committee,
James S.
Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.
Cyrille
F. Buhrman
Gregg A.
Lapointe, C.P.A., M.B.A.
Communications with the Board of
Directors
Stockholders
or other interested parties may communicate with the Board of Directors by
sending a letter to DOR BioPharma, Inc. Board of Directors, c/o The Office of
the Secretary, DOR BioPharma, Inc, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, NJ
08540. The Office of the Secretary will receive the correspondence and forward
it to the director(s) to whom the communication is addressed.
Executive
Compensation
The
following table contains information concerning the compensation paid during our
fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 to the persons who served as our
Chief Executive Officer, and each of the two other most highly compensated
executive officers during 2008 (collectively, the “Named Executive
Officers”).
Summary
Compensation
Name
|
Position
|
Year
|
Salary
|
Bonus
|
Option
Awards
|
All
Other Compensation
|
Total
|
Christopher
J. Schaber (1)
|
C.E.O.
& President
|
2008
|
$300,000
|
$100,000
|
$185,721
|
$24,844
|
$610,565
|
|
|
2007
|
$300,000
|
$100,000
|
$155,409
|
$47,798
|
$603,207
|
Evan
Myrianthopoulos (2)
|
C.F.O.
& Senior V.P.
|
2008
|
$200,000
|
$ 50,000
|
$ 66,033
|
$23,474
|
$339,507
|
|
|
2007
|
$200,000
|
$ 50,000
|
$146,938
|
$44,786
|
$441,724
|
Robert
N. Brey (3)
|
C.M.O.
& Senior V.P.
|
2008
|
$190,000
|
$ 20,000
|
$ 55,133
|
$18,405
|
$283,538
|
|
|
2007
|
$190,000
|
$ 15,000
|
$ 48,252
|
$18,325
|
$271,577
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Dr.
Schaber deferred payment of his 2008 annual bonus of $100,000 until February 28,
2009. Option Awards include the value of stock option awards of vested shares of
common stock as required by FASB No. 123R. Other Compensation for 2008 includes
$24,844 for insurance costs. Other Compensation for 2007 includes $19,000 for
insurance costs, $2,301 for transportation costs, $7,263 for travel expenses and
$19,234 for lodging costs.
(2) Mr.
Myrianthopoulos deferred payment of his 2008 annual bonus of $50,000 until
February 28, 2009. Option Awards include the value of stock option awards of
vested shares of common stock as required by FASB No. 123R. Other Compensation
for 2008 includes $23,474 for insurance costs. Other Compensation for 2007
includes $17,000 for insurance costs, $2,895 for transportation costs, $6,787
for travel expenses and $18,104 for lodging costs.
(1) Dr. Brey
deferred payment of his 2008 annual bonus of $20,000 until January 31, 2009.
Option Awards include the value of stock option awards of vested shares of
common stock as required by FASB No. 123R. Other Compensation for 2008 includes
$18,405 for insurance costs. Other Compensation for 2007 includes $18,325 for
insurance costs.
Potential
Issuance of Shares
On
February 28, 2007, our Board of Directors approved the issuance of 2,700,000
shares of our common stock to certain employees and a consultant to be issued
immediately prior to the completion of a transaction, or series or combination
of related transactions, negotiated by our Board of Directors whereby, directly
or indirectly, a majority of our capital stock or a majority of our assets are
transferred from us and/or our stockholders to a third party (an “Acquisition
Event”). Of the shares of common stock to be issued upon an Acquisition Event,
1,000,000 shares will be issued to Christopher J. Schaber, a director and our
Chief Executive Officer and President; 750,000 shares will be issued to Evan
Myrianthopoulos, a director and our Chief Financial Officer; and 300,000 shares
will be issued to James Clavijo, our Controller, Treasurer, and Corporate
Secretary.
Employment and Severance
Agreements
During
August 2006, we entered into a three-year employment agreement with Christopher
J. Schaber, Ph.D. Pursuant to this employment agreement we agreed to pay Dr.
Schaber a base salary of $300,000 per year and a minimum annual bonus of
$100,000. This employment agreement was renewed in December 27, 2007 for a term
of three years. We agreed to issue him options to purchase 2,500,000 shares of
our common stock, with one third immediately vesting and the remainder vesting
over three years. Upon termination without “Just Cause” as defined by this
agreement, we would pay Dr. Schaber nine months severance, as well as any
accrued bonuses, accrued vacation, and we would provide health insurance and
life insurance benefits for Dr. Schaber and his dependants. No unvested options
shall vest beyond the termination date.
Dr.
Schaber’s monetary compensation (base salary of $300,000 and bonus of $100,000)
remained unchanged from 2006. He will be paid nine months severance
upon termination of employment. Upon a change in control of the
Company due to merger or acquisition, all of Dr. Schaber’s options shall become
fully vested, and be exercisable for a period of five years after such change in
control (unless they would have expired sooner pursuant to their
terms). In the event of his death during term of the agreement, all
of his unvested options shall immediately vest and remain exercisable for the
remainder of their term and become the property of Dr. Schaber’s immediate
family.
In
December 2004, we entered into a three-year employment agreement with Mr.
Myrianthopoulos. Pursuant to this employment agreement we agreed to pay Mr.
Myrianthopoulos a base salary of $185,000 per year. After one year of service
Mr. Myrianthopoulos would be entitled to a minimum annual bonus of $50,000. This
employment agreement was renewed in December 27, 2007 for a term of three years.
We agreed to issue him options to purchase 500,000 shares of our common stock,
with the options vesting over three years. This option grant is subject to
shareholder approval. Upon termination without “Just Cause” as defined by this
agreement, we would pay Mr. Myrianthopoulos six months severance subject to set
off, as well as any unpaid bonuses and accrued vacation would become payable. No
unvested options shall vest beyond the termination date. Mr. Myrianthopoulos
also received 150,000 options, vested immediately when he was hired in November
2004, as President and Acting Chief Executive Officer.
Mr.
Myrianthopoulos’ monetary compensation (base salary of $200,000 and bonus of
$50,000) remained unchanged from 2006. He will be paid six months
severance upon termination of employment. Upon a change in control of the
Company due to merger or acquisition, all of Mr. Myrianthopoulos’ options shall
become fully vested, and be exercisable for a period of three years after such
change in control (unless they would have expired sooner pursuant to their
terms). In the event of his death during term of contract, all of his
unvested options shall immediately vest and remain exercisable for the remainder
of their term and become property of Mr. Myrianthopoulos’ immediate
family.
On March
27, 2009, the Compensation Committee approved the increase in salaries for: Dr.
Schaber from $300,000 to $350,000; Mr. Myrianthopoulos from $200,000 to
$230,000; and Dr. Brey from $190,000 to $200,000. Dr. Brey does not
have an employment agreement.
In
February 2007, our Board of Directors authorized the issuance of the following
number of shares to each of Dr. Schaber, Mr. Myrianthopoulos and Dr. Brey
immediately prior to the completion of a transaction, or series or a combination
of related transactions negotiated by our Board of Directors whereby, directly
or indirectly, a majority of our capital stock or a majority of our assets are
transferred from the Company and/or our stockholders to a third party: 1,000,000
common shares to Dr. Schaber; 750,000 common shares to Mr. Myrianthopoulos; and
200,000 common shares to Dr. Brey. The amended agreements include our
obligation to issue such shares to the executives if such event
occurs.
Outstanding Equity Awards at
Fiscal Year-End
The
following table contains information concerning unexercised options, stock that
has not vested, and equity incentive plan awards for the Named Executive
Officers outstanding at December 31, 2008. We have never issued Stock
Appreciation Rights.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
Name
|
Number
of Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised
Unearned Options (#)
|
Option
Exercise Price ($)
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
Exercisable
|
Unexercisable
|
Christopher
J. Schaber
|
2,083,343
|
416,657
|
416,657
|
$0.27
|
8/28/2016
|
|
506,250
|
393,750
|
393,750
|
$0.47
|
8/29/2017
|
|
700,000
|
2,100,000
|
2,100,000
|
$0.06
|
12/17/2018
|
Evan
Myrianthopoulos
|
150,000
|
-
|
-
|
$0.35
|
11/14/2012
|
|
50,000
|
-
|
-
|
$0.90
|
9/15/2013
|
|
50,000
|
-
|
-
|
$0.58
|
6/11/2014
|
|
150,000
|
-
|
-
|
$0.47
|
11/10/2014
|
|
500,000
|
-
|
-
|
$0.49
|
12/13/2014
|
|
375,000
|
25,000
|
25,000
|
$0.35
|
5/10/2016
|
|
309,375
|
240,625
|
240,625
|
$0.47
|
8/29/2017
|
|
300,000
|
900,000
|
900,000
|
$0.06
|
12/17/2018
|
Robert
N. Brey
|
10,000
|
-
|
-
|
$2.00
|
2/23/2009
|
|
9,000
|
-
|
-
|
$3.94
|
2/08/2010
|
|
562,500
|
37,500
|
37,500
|
$0.33
|
5/10/2016
|
|
125,000
|
75,000
|
75,000
|
$0.47
|
8/29/2017
|
|
200,000
|
600,000
|
600,000
|
$0.06
|
12/17/2018
|
Compensation of
Directors
The
following table contains information concerning the compensation of the
non-employee directors during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2008.
Director
Compensation
Name
|
Fees
Earned Paid in Cash ($) (1)
|
Option
Awards ($) (2)
|
Total
($)
|
James
S. Kuo
|
$16,000
|
$-
|
$16,000
|
Cyrille
F. Buhrman
|
$9,000
|
$-
|
$9,000
|
(1)
|
Directors
who are compensated as full-time employees receive no additional
compensation for service on our Board of Directors. Each independent
director who is not a full-time employee is paid $2,000 for each board or
committee meeting attended ($1,000 if such meeting was attended
telephonically).
|
(2)
|
We
maintain a stock option grant program pursuant to the nonqualified stock
option plan, whereby members of our Board of Directors or its committees
who are not full-time employees receive an initial grant of fully vested
options to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock, and subsequent
prorated annual grants of fully vested options to purchase 150,000 shares
of common stock after re-election to our Board of Directors. During 2008,
we did not hold an annual meeting. As a result there were no stock options
granted to the Board of Directors in 2008. Option Awards include the value
of stock option awards of vested shares of Common Stock as required by
FASB No. 123R.
|
Consideration
and Determination of Executive and Director Compensation
The
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of independent
directors. The Compensation Committee provides overall guidance on compensation
and benefits policy. In addition, the Compensation Committee approves and
monitors:
·
|
executive
compensation and benefits programs;
|
·
|
executive
employment agreements;
|
·
|
1995
Amended and Restated Omnibus Incentive Plan;
and
|
·
|
Amended
2005 Equity Incentive Plan.
|
The
primary objectives of the Compensation Committee are to ensure that the
executive compensation and benefits programs:
·
|
are
competitive with other growing companies of similar size and
business;
|
·
|
are
effective in driving performance to achieve financial goals and create
stockholder value;
|
·
|
are
cost-efficient and fair to employees, management and stockholders;
and
|
·
|
are
designed to attract, motivate, reward, and retain the competent and
talented executives needed.
|
To
achieve these objectives, the Compensation Committee meets at least once and
usually several times during each fiscal year to review the existing
compensation and benefits programs and to consider modifications that seek to
provide a direct relationship between executive compensation and sustained
corporate performance.
The
Compensation Committee makes executive compensation decisions on the basis of
total remuneration and seeks to create an integrated total remuneration program
structured to balance short and long-term financial goals. A significant amount
of total compensation is comprised of bonus provisions which are specified in
their contracts and which are intended to align executive interest with
stockholder interest.
The
Compensation Committee recommends to the Board of Directors a salary within a
designated band for the respective executives, which is based on merit,
performance and length of service. Bonus provisions for all executives are based
on increase (if any) of net incremental profit over prior year highest net
profit, subject to guaranteed minimum bonuses.
Non-executive
employees were granted stock options under the Amended 2005 Equity Incentive
Plan, approved by the stockholders, also in order to motivate, reward, and
retain them while meeting goals and allowing them to share in the
growth.
Stock
Performance Graph
The
following graph compares the changes over the last five years in the value of
$100 invested at December 31, 2003 in (i) our Common Stock, (ii) the Standard
& Poor's 500 Stock Index ("S&P 500 Index") and (iii) the American Stock
Exchange Biotech Stocks indices. The year-end values of each
investment are based on share price appreciation and the reinvestment of all
dividends.
Historical
stock price performance shown on the performance graph is not necessarily
indicative of future stock price performance.
Year
|
|
DOR
BioPharma, Inc.
|
|
S&P
500 Index
|
|
Peer
Group Index: BTK Index – BioTech on Amex
|
2003
|
|
100.00
|
|
100.00
|
|
100.00
|
2004
|
|
82.05
|
|
108.99
|
|
111.05
|
2005
|
|
34.62
|
|
112.26
|
|
138.93
|
2006
|
|
31.41
|
|
127.52
|
|
153.44
|
2007
|
|
21.79
|
|
132.02
|
|
160.48
|
2008
|
|
7.69
|
|
81.23
|
|
132.01
|
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT
The table
below provides information regarding the beneficial ownership of the common
stock as of April 14, 2009 of (1) each person or entity who owns beneficially 5%
or more of the shares of our outstanding common stock, (2) each of our
directors, (3) each of the Named Executive Officers, and (4) our directors and
officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable
community property laws, we believe the persons named in the table have sole
voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock held by
them.
Name
of Beneficial Owner
|
Shares
of Common Stock Beneficially Owned
|
Percent
of Class
|
Sigma-Tau
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (1)
|
41,666,667
|
25.0%
|
Biotex
Pharma Investments, LLC (2)
|
40,000,000
|
21.4%
|
Cyrille
F. Buhrman (3)
|
5,125,020
|
3.0%
|
Christopher
J. Schaber (4)
|
4,247,639
|
2.5%
|
Evan
Myrianthopoulos (5)
|
2,277,905
|
1.4%
|
Robert
N. Brey(6)
|
1,009,000
|
*
|
James
Clavijo (7)
|
950,691
|
*
|
James
S. Kuo (8)
|
630,000
|
*
|
Gregg
A. Lapointe (9)
|
300,000
|
*
|
Brian
L. Hamilton (10)
|
312,500
|
*
|
All
directors and executive officers as a group (8 persons)
|
14,852,755
|
8.9%
|
*
Indicates less than 1%.
**
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC.
Shares of common stock subject to options or warrants currently exercisable or
exercisable within 60 days of April 14, 2009 are deemed outstanding for
computing the percentage ownership of the stockholder holding the options or
warrants, but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership
of any other stockholder. Percentage of ownership is based on 167,070,944 shares
of common stock outstanding as of April 14, 2009.
(1) Includes 41,666,667 shares of
common stock. The amount does not include 1,546,870 shares of common stock held
by Paolo Cavazza, one of the principal owners of Sigma-Tau. The address of
Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is c/o Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 800
South Frederick Avenue, Suite 300, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877.
(2) Includes 20,000,000 shares of
common stock and warrants to purchase 20,000,000 shares of common stock within
60 days of April 14, 2009. The address of Biotex Pharma Investments, LLC is c/o
Biotex Pharma Investments, LLC, 220 West 42nd Street
6th
Floor New York, NY 10036.
(3) Includes 4,900,020 shares of
common stock and options to purchase 225,000 shares of common stock within 60
days of April 14, 2009. The address of Mr. Buhrman is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29
Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
(4) Includes
392,766 shares of common stock owned by Dr. Schaber and options to purchase
3,854,893 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14, 2009. The address
of Dr. Schaber is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New
Jersey 08540.
(5) Includes
224,780 shares of common stock owned by Mr. Myrianthopoulos and his wife,
options to purchase 2,053,125 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14,
2009. The address of Mr. Myrianthopoulos is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive,
Suite C-10, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
(6) Includes
options to purchase 1,009,000 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14,
2009. The address of Dr. Brey is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10,
Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
(7) Includes
88,191 shares of common stock owned by Mr. Clavijo and options to purchase
862,500 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14, 2009. The address of
Mr. Clavijo is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New
Jersey 08540.
(8) Includes
options to purchase 625,000 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase
5,000 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14, 2009. The address of
Dr. Kuo is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New Jersey
08540.
(9) Includes
options to purchase 300,000 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14,
2009. The address of Mr. Lapointe is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite
C-10, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
(10) Includes
options to purchase 312,500 shares of common stock within 60 days of April 14,
2009. The address of Dr. Hamilton is c/o DOR BioPharma, 29 Emmons Drive, Suite
C-10, Princeton, New Jersey 08540.
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
In
December 2005, our Board of Directors approved the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan,
which was approved by stockholders on December 29, 2005. In September 2007, our
stockholders approved an amendment to the 2005 Equity Incentive Plan to increase
the maximum number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under
the plan by 10,000,000 shares, bringing the total shares reserved for issuance
under the plan to 20,000,000 shares. The following table provides information,
as of December 31, 2008, with respect to options outstanding under our 1995
Amended and Restated Omnibus Incentive Plan and our 2005 Equity Incentive
Plan.
Plan
Category
|
Number
of Securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants
and rights
|
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price Outstanding options, warrants and rights
|
Number
of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity
Compensation Plans (excluding securities reflected in the first
column)
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders (1)
|
16,370,039
|
$
0.27
|
3,547,331
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
16,370,039
|
$0.27
|
3,547,331
|
(1)
Includes our 1995 Amended and Restated Omnibus Incentive Plan and our 2005
Equity Incentive Plan. Our 1995 Plan expired in 2005 and thus no
securities remain available for future issuance under that plan. Under the
amended 2005 equity incentive plan, we have issued 1,482,669 shares to
individuals as payment for services in the amount of $380,342 as allowed in the
plan.
[The remainder of the page is
intentionally left blank.]
PROPOSAL 2
AMENDMENT
TO OUR AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION
TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES
General
Our
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation currently provides for
250,000,000 shares of authorized Common Stock. Our Board of Directors has
adopted a resolution to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of Common Stock to
400,000,000, subject to stockholder approval of the amendment. No changes will
be made to the number of authorized shares of our preferred stock.
The
proposed amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will
be effected by amending the introductory paragraphs of Article IV thereof to
read in full as follows:
"The
total number of shares of capital stock of all classes which the Corporation
shall have authority to issue is four hundred five million (405,000,000) shares,
of which four hundred million (400,000,000) shares, of par value of $.001 per
share, shall be of a class designated "Common Stock," four million six hundred
thousand (4,600,000) shares, of a par value of $.001 per share, shall be of a
class designated "Preferred Stock," two hundred thousand (200,000) shares, of a
par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class designated "Series B
Convertible Preferred Stock," and two hundred thousand (200,000) shares, of a
par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class designated "Series C
Convertible Preferred Stock."
The
designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative, participating,
option, or other special rights and qualifications, limitations, or restrictions
of the above classes of capital stock shall be as follows:"
A copy of
the proposed amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
is set forth in Annex A attached hereto.
Purpose
of Charter Amendment
As of
April 14, 2009, we had 167,070,944 shares of Common Stock outstanding. In
addition, as of such date, 41,383,755 shares were reserved for issuance upon
exercise of outstanding warrants and 17,860,039 shares were reserved for
issuance upon exercise of presently outstanding options under the 1995 Amended
and Restated Omnibus Incentive Plan and options granted under the Amended 2005
Equity Incentive Plan. Based upon the foregoing number of outstanding and
reserved shares of Common Stock, we have 23,685,262 shares remaining available
for other purposes. We also have 2,047,331 shares available for future option
grants under the Amended 2005 Equity Incentive Plan and zero shares available
for future option grants under the 1995 Amended and Restated Omnibus Incentive
Plan.
The
proposed increase in the number of shares available for issuance under our
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is intended to provide the
Board of Directors with authority, without further action of the stockholders,
to issue the additional shares of Common Stock, from time to time in such
amounts as the Board of Directors deems necessary. Without limitation of the
foregoing, the additional shares may be issued in connection with (1) capital
raising transactions through the sale of Common Stock and/or securities
convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock in the private and/or public
equity markets to support a higher level of growth, respond to competitive
pressures, develop new products and services and support new strategic
partnership expenditures, and (2) strategic partnering or acquisition
transactions involving the issuance of our securities as well as to meet
long-term corporate objectives.
The need
to increase the authorized is primarily driven by our desire to have sufficient
shares available for possible merger and acquisition activities, rights
offerings, and other corporate development objectives that may occur over the
coming years. However, we have no present plans to engage in such
activities.
In the
absence of a proportionate increase in our earnings and book value, an increase
in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Common Stock caused by the
issuance of the additional shares would dilute the earnings per share (including
projected future earnings per share) and book value per share of all outstanding
shares of our Common Stock. If such factors were reflected in the price per
share of the Common Stock, the potential realizable value of a stockholder's
investment could be adversely affected. An issuance of additional shares of
Common Stock could therefore have an adverse effect on the potential realizable
value of a stockholder's investment. The holders of outstanding shares of Common
Stock have no preemptive rights to purchase additional shares.
The
proposed increase in the authorized number of shares of Common Stock could have
other effects on our stockholders. The increase could deter takeovers, in that
additional shares could be issued (within the limits imposed by applicable law)
in one or more transactions that could make a change in control or takeover of
us more difficult. For example, additional shares could be issued by us so as to
dilute the stock ownership or voting rights of persons seeking to obtain
control. Similarly, the issuance of additional shares to certain persons allied
with our management could have the effect of making it more difficult to remove
our current management by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of
persons seeking to cause such removal.
Recommendation of
the Board of Directors
The Board
of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the approval of the amendment to our
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
[The
remainder of the page is intentionally left blank.]
PROPOSAL
3
RATIFICATION
OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors appointed Amper, Politziner & Mattia,
LLP, independent certified public accountants, as auditors of our financial
statements for the year ending December 31, 2009, subject to the ratification of
such appointment by stockholders at the Annual Meeting.
A
representative of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP is expected to be
available at the annual meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement
if he or she desires to do so, and will be available to respond to appropriate
questions.
Recommendation of
the Board of Directors
The Board
of Directors recommends that you vote "FOR" ratification of Amper, Politziner
& Mattia, LLP as our independent auditors for the year ending December 31,
2008.
Fees
for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2008
December
31,
|
2008 |
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
fees |
$107,302
|
|
$82,311
|
Audit related
fees |
6,254
|
|
4,000
|
Tax
fees |
9,229
|
|
10,202
|
Total |
$122,785
|
|
$96,513
|
Audit
Fees
The
preceding table highlights the aggregate fees billed during the years ended
December 31, 2008 and 2007 by Sweeney, Matz & Co., LLC, our principal
accountants in 2008 and 2007 for services performed during the audit for each of
those years and reviews of our financial statements included in our Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q during those fiscal years. Although Amper was engaged for
the December 31, 2008 audit, our fees related to them will be incurred in
2009.
Audit
Related Fees
The
aggregate fees billed for audit related fees such as registration statements and
related services during the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 were $6,254
and $4,000, respectively.
Tax
Fees
Sweeney,
Matz & Co., LLC billed us $9,229 and $10,202 for tax compliance for the year
ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively. We have engaged Gentile, Pismeny
& Brengel, LLP as our new tax advisors. Our fees associated with our 2008
tax returns will be incurred in 2009.
Other
Fees
Our
principal accountant did not bill us for any services or products other than as
reported above during our fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and
2007.
Pre Approval Policies and
Procedures
The audit
committee has adopted a policy that requires advance approval of all audit
services and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent
auditor as required by the Exchange Act. The audit committee must approve the
permitted service before the independent auditor is engaged to perform
it.
The audit
committee approved all of the services described above in accordance with its
pre-approval policies and procedures.
OTHER
MATTERS
Deadline for Stockholder
Proposals
Under SEC
Rule 14a-8, stockholder proposals for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held in 2009 will not be included in the proxy statement for that meeting unless
the proposal is proper for inclusion in the proxy statement and for
consideration at the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and is received by our
Secretary at our executive offices, no later than December 25, 2009.
Stockholders must also follow the other procedures prescribed in SEC Rule 14a-8
under the Exchange Act, as well as our By-Laws, which contain requirements that
are separate and apart from the SEC requirements of Rule 14a-8. Our By-Laws
provide that stockholders desiring to bring business before the 2009 Annual
Meeting, including nomination of a person for election to our Board of
Directors, must provide written notice to our Secretary at our executive offices
no earlier than 75 days, and no later than 45 days, before the one year
anniversary of the mailing of this proxy statement. The written notice must
include the information required by Section 2.4 of the By-Laws: (a) as to each
person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a
director, all information relating to such person as would be required to be
disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of such nominee as a
director pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, and such person's
written consent to serve as a director if elected; (b) as to any other business
that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description
of such business, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and
any material interest in such business of such stockholder and the beneficial
owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (c) as to the
stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf
the nomination or proposal is made (i) the name and address of such stockholder,
as they appear on our books, and of such beneficial owner, (ii) the class and
number of shares of the Company that are owned beneficially and of record by
such stockholder and such beneficial owner, and (iii) whether either such
stockholder or such beneficial owner intends to deliver a proxy statement and
form of proxy to holders of, in the case of a proposal, at least the percentage
of our voting shares required under applicable law to carry the proposal or, in
the case of a nomination or nominations, a sufficient number of holders of our
voting shares to elect such nominee or nominees.
Householding
of Annual Meeting Materials
Some
banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may be participating in the
practice of "householding" proxy statements and annual reports. This means that
only one copy of our proxy statement or annual report may have been sent to
multiple stockholders in your household. We will promptly deliver a separate
copy of either document to you if you notify our Secretary at our executive
offices. If you wish to receive separate copies of the annual report and proxy
statement in the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like
to receive only one copy for your household, you should contact your bank,
broker, or other nominee record holder, or you may contact us at our executive
offices.
Financial
Statements and Exhibits to Form 10-K
Our
financial statements are contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 that was filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on March 30, 2009, a copy of which is made available with
this proxy statement. Such report and the financial statements contained therein
are not to be considered as a part of this soliciting material.
The Form
10-K made available with this proxy statement does not include copies of the
exhibits to that filing. We will furnish any such exhibit upon
payment of a reasonable fee by request sent to us, c/o Corporate Secretary, DOR
BioPharma, Inc., 29 Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, New Jersey
08540.
Other Matters
Management
knows of no matters that are to be presented for action at the meeting other
than those set forth above. If any other matters properly come before the
meeting, the persons named in the form of proxy will vote the shares represented
by proxies in accordance with their judgment on such matters.
The cost
of this proxy solicitation will be borne by us. In addition to the solicitation
of proxies by mail, our directors, officers and employees may also solicit
proxies by telephone, facsimile, e-mail or other forms of communication, without
special compensation for such activities. We will also request banks,
brokers, fiduciaries, custodians, nominees and certain other record holders to
send proxies, proxy statements and other materials to their principals at our
expense. We will reimburse such banks, brokers, fiduciaries, custodians,
nominees and other record holders for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of
solicitation.
By order
of the Board of Directors,
/s/ James
Clavijo
James
Clavijo
Secretary
ANNEX A
CERTIFICATE
OF AMENDMENT
TO
AMENDED
AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
DOR
BIOPHARMA, INC.
THE UNDERSIGNED, being a duly
appointed officer of DOR BioPharma, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation
organized and existing under and by virtue of the Delaware General Corporation
Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), for the purpose of amending the
Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended to
the date hereof (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), hereby certifies, pursuant
to Sections 242 and 103 of the DGCL, as follows:
FIRST: The
name of the corporation is DOR BioPharma, Inc.
SECOND: The Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the Corporation is hereby amended
by striking out the first introductory paragraphs of Article IV thereof, and by
substituting in lieu thereof, the following new introductory
paragraphs:
“The total number of shares of capital stock of all classes which
the Corporation shall have authority to issue is four hundred five million
(405,000,000) shares, of which four hundred million (400,000,000) shares, of par
value of $.001 per share, shall be of a class designated “Common Stock,” four
million six hundred thousand (4,600,000) shares, of a par value of $.001 per
share, shall be of a class designated “Preferred Stock,” two hundred thousand
(200,000) shares, of a par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class
designated “Series B Convertible Preferred Stock,” and two hundred thousand
(200,000) shares, of a par value of $.05 per share, shall be of a class
designated “Series C Convertible Preferred Stock.”
The designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative, participating,
option, or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions
of the above classes of capital stock shall be as follows:”
THIRD:
The Amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation herein certified has been duly
adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 228 and 242 of the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
undersigned has made and signed this Certificate of Amendment this
[ ] day of
[ ],
2009 and affirms the statements contained herein as true under penalty of
perjury.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name:
Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D.
Title: President
and Chief Executive
Officer
|
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
DOR
BIOPHARMA, INC.
29
Emmons Drive, Suite C-10, Princeton, NJ 08540
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS – JUNE 5, 2009
The
undersigned hereby appoints Christopher J. Schaber, Ph.D., the Chief Executive
Officer and President of DOR BioPharma, Inc, and Evan Myrianthopoulos, the Chief
Financial Officer of DOR BioPharma, Inc., or either of them, each with the power
of substitution, and hereby authorizes each of them to represent and to vote as
designated on the reverse side of this proxy card, all of the shares of Common
Stock of DOR BioPharma, Inc. that the undersigned is entitled to vote at the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel
and Conference Center, Meeting Room: Witherspoon C, 900 Scudders Mill Road,
Plainsboro, New Jersey 08536, on June 5, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.Eastern Daylight
Time, or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
THIS
PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED
STOCKHOLDER AND IN THE DISCRETION OF THE PROXIES ON SUCH MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY
COME BEFORE THE ANNUAL MEETING OR ANY ADJOURNMENTS OR POSTPONEMENTS THEREOF. IF
NO SUCH DIRECTIONS ARE MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE
NOMINEES LISTED ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THIS PROXY CARD FOR THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS AND FOR EACH OF THE OTHER PROPOSALS SET FORTH ON THE REVERSE
SIDE.
The Board
of Directors recommends you vote (1) "FOR" the election of all of the named
nominees as directors; (2) “FOR” the amendment to
our Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as
amended, to increase the authorized shares from 250,000,000 to 400,000,000
shares; and (3) “FOR” the ratification of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP as
our independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2009.
CONTINUED
AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
DOR
BIOPHARMA, INC.
June
5, 2009
Proxy
Voting Instructions
MAIL—If you have received a
proxy card, date, sign and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon
as possible.
-or-
TELEPHONE—Call toll-free
1-800-PROXIES (1-800-776-9437) from any touch-tone telephone and follow the
instructions. Have your proxy card available when you
call.
-or-
INTERNET—Access www.voteproxy.com and
follow the on-screen instructions. Have your proxy card available
when you access the web page.
You may
enter your voting instructions at 1-800-PROXIES or www.voteproxy.com up
until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time the day before the cut-off or meeting
date.
Company
Number:
Account
Number:
/Please
detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided IF you are not
voting via telephone or the Internet/
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND "FOR"
PROPOSALS 2, AND 3.
PLEASE
SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR
BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE /X/
1. To
elect five directors to serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or
until their respective successors have been duly elected and
qualified:
FOR
ALL NOMINEES
|
|
|
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY
FOR
ALL NOMINEES
FOR ALL EXCEPT (See instructions below
|
|
|
James
S. Kuo, M.D., M.B.A.
|
Christopher
J. Schaber, Ph.D.
|
Evan
Myrianthopoulos
|
Cyrille
F. Buhrman
|
Gregg
A. Lapointe, C.P.A., M.B.A.
|
*(INSTRUCTION:
|
To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark "FOR ALL
EXCEPT" and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold,
as shown here: /x/
|
2. To
approve the amendment to the Company’s
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, in order to increase the authorized number of shares
from 250,000,000 to 400,000,000 shares:
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
3. To
ratify the appointment of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLP as the independent
auditors for fiscal year ending December 31, 2009:
FOR
|
AGAINST
|
ABSTAIN
|
This
proxy when properly signed will be voted in the manner directed herein by the
undersigned stockholder and in the discretion of the proxies on such matters as
may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements
thereof. IF NO DIRECTION IS PROVIDED, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS
RECOMMENDED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
IMPORTANT
– PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN PROMPTLY
To change
the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new
address in the address space above. Please note that changes to the
registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this
method.
Note: Please sign
exactly as name appears on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder
should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney,
trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a
corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving
full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name
by authorized person.