UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_____________________

Form 8-K
_____________________

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event Reported): June 2, 2020  

Aptose Biosciences Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Canada001-3200198-1136802
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)(Commission File Number)(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

 

251 Consumers Road, Suite 1105, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2J 4R3
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

647-479-9828
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 [   ]  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 [   ]  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 [   ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 [   ]  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Shares, no par valueAPTOThe Nasdaq Stock Market

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2). Emerging growth company [ X ]

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ X ]

 
 

Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

On June 2, 2020, Aptose Biosciences Inc., or the “Corporation”, held its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.  At the meeting, shareholders voted in favor of all items of business, as indicated below:

 

Proposal No. 1—Election of Directors

 

The Corporation’s shareholders voted to elect the following persons to the board of directors of the Corporation, each to serve until the 2020 Annual General Meeting:

 

 

Nominee Votes For % Votes For Votes Withheld %Votes Withheld Broker Non-Votes
Ms. Carol G. Ashe  31,350,450   99.84   49,262   0.16   24,436,643 
Dr. Denis Burger  27,579,743   87.83   3,819,969   12.17   24,436,643 
Ms. Caroline M. Loewy  31,350,772   99.84   48,940   0.16   24,436,643 
Dr. Erich Platzer  31,357,321   99.86   42,391   0.14   24,436,643 
Dr. William G. Rice  31,260,354   99.56   139.358   0.44   24,436,643 
Dr. Mark D. Vincent  31,358,492   99.87   41,220   0.13   24,436,643 
Mr. Warren Whitehead  31,358,562   99.87   41,150   0.13   24,436,643 

 

 

Proposal No. 2—Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

The Corporation’s shareholders voted to approve the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Corporation until the next annual shareholders’ meeting or until a successor is named.

 

Votes For% Votes ForVote Against% Votes AgainstAbstainBroker Non-Votes
55,511,35399.4288,7390.16236,2630

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit 99.1. Press release, dated June 2, 2020


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 Aptose Biosciences Inc.
   
  
Date: June 2, 2020By: /s/ Gregory K. Chow        
  Gregory K. Chow
  Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
  

EdgarFiling

EXHIBIT 99.1

Aptose Biosciences Announces Results of Annual Meeting of Shareholders

SAN DIEGO and TORONTO, June 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aptose Biosciences Inc. (“Aptose” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: APTO, TSX: APS), a clinical-stage company developing highly differentiated therapeutics that target the underlying mechanisms of cancer, today announced the voting results from the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders held today, June 2, 2020, in (the “Meeting”). A total of 73.21% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company were represented by shareholders present or represented by proxy at the Meeting.

The Company is pleased to announce that all of the nominees listed in the proxy statement dated April 24, 2020 were elected as Directors.  The results of the vote are detailed below:

NomineeVotes For% Votes
For
Votes
Withheld
% Votes
Withheld
Ms. Carol G. Ashe 
Dr. Denis Burger 
Ms. Caroline M. Loewy
Dr. Erich Platzer 
Dr. William G. Rice 
Dr. Mark D. Vincent 
Mr. Warren Whitehead 
31,350,450
27,579,743
31,350,772
31,357,321
31,260,354
31,358,492
31,358,562
99.84
87.83
99.84
99.86
99.56
99.87
99.87
49,262
3,819,969
48,940
42,391
139,358
41,220
41,150
0.16
12.17
0.16
0.14
0.44
0.13
0.13

Aptose shareholders also voted to re-appoint KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company.

Please refer to the Company’s management proxy circular available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or EDGAR https://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml for more details on the matters covered at the Meeting.  Final voting results on all matters voted on at the Meeting will also be filed on SEDAR and EDGAR.

About Aptose Biosciences

Aptose Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing personalized therapies addressing unmet medical needs in oncology, with an initial focus on hematology. The Company's small molecule cancer therapeutics pipeline includes products designed to provide single agent efficacy and to enhance the efficacy of other anti-cancer therapies and regimens without overlapping toxicities. The Company has two clinical-stage investigational products for hematologic malignancies: CG-806, an oral, first-in-class mutation-agnostic FLT3/BTK kinase inhibitor, is in a Phase 1 trial in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), who have failed or are intolerant to standard therapies; APTO-253, the only clinical stage agent that directly targets the MYC oncogene and suppresses its expression, is in a Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or high risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). For further information, please visit www.aptose.com.

For further information, please contact:

Aptose Biosciences Inc. 
Greg Chow  
Executive Vice President, CFO
858-926-2730 
gchow@aptose.com
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
Dan Ferry, Managing Director
617-535-7746
Daniel@LifeSciAdvisors.com

SMP Communications

Susan Pietropaolo
201-923-2049
susan@smpcommunications.com