424B5 1 a2020decemberbiohavenprosp.htm 424B5 Document

Filed Pursuant to 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-232167
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of each class of
securities to be registered
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)
Amount of
Registration Fee(2)
Common Shares, no par value per common share$400,000,000 $43,640.00 
____________
(1)The proposed maximum aggregate offering price is being used to calculate the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(2)The filing fee is calculated and being paid pursuant to Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act, and relates to the Registration Statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-232167) filed by the registrant on June 17, 2019.



Prospectus Supplement
(To Prospectus dated June 17, 2019)
prospecuscover1a1.jpg
Up to $400,000,000
Common Shares
We, Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., have entered into an equity distribution agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Piper Sandler & Co., SVB Leerink LLC, Canaccord Genuity LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Wedbush Securities Inc., and William Blair & Company, L.L.C., as our sales agents, relating to common shares offered by this prospectus supplement. In accordance with the terms of the equity distribution agreement, we may offer and sell common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $400.0 million from time to time through or to the sales agents, acting as our agents or principals.
Our common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “BHVN”. The last reported sale price of our common shares on December 22, 2020 was $91.61 per common share.
Sales of our common shares, if any, under this prospectus supplement will be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, in ordinary brokers’ transactions, to or through a market maker, on or through the New York Stock Exchange or any other market venue where the securities may be traded, in the over-the-counter market, in privately negotiated transactions, or through a combination of any such methods of sale. The sales agents may also sell our common shares by any other method permitted by law. The sales agents are not required to sell any specific amount of securities but will act as our sales agents using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with their normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between the sales agents and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust, or similar arrangement.
Under the equity distribution agreement, we may also sell common shares to the sales agents as principals for their own accounts, at a price to be agreed upon at the time of sale. If we sell common shares to the sales agents as principals, we will enter into a separate terms agreement with the sales agents, and we will describe the agreement in a separate prospectus supplement or pricing supplement.
The compensation to the sales agents for sales of common shares sold pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will be up to 3% of the gross proceeds of any common shares sold under the equity distribution agreement. In connection with the sale of the common shares on our behalf, the sales agents will each be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of the sales agents will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to the sales agents with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Investing in our common shares involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement before investing in our common shares.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Piper SandlerSVB Leerink
Canaccord GenuityMizuho SecuritiesWedbush PacGrowWilliam Blair
December 23, 2020



TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
Prospectus
We have not, and the sales agents have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information than that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. We are not, and the sales agents are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections of



this prospectus supplement entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”



ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering of common shares and adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part, the accompanying prospectus dated June 17, 2019, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or in any document incorporated by reference that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, before the date of this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement is accurate as of the date on the cover page of this prospectus supplement only and that any information we have incorporated by reference or included in the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date given in the document incorporated by reference or as of the date of the prospectus, as applicable, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any sale of our common shares. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since that date.
Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus supplement to “Biohaven,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar references mean Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. and our subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis.
This prospectus supplement contains references to our trademarks and to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement, including logos, artwork, and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
The industry and market data and other statistical information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the documents we incorporate by reference are based on management’s own estimates, independent publications, government publications, reports by market research firms, or other published independent sources, and, in each case, are believed by management to be reasonable estimates. Although we believe these sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information.
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
The following summary highlights and, in certain cases, updates some of the information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. Because this is only a summary, however, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should carefully read this entire prospectus supplement, including the information incorporated by reference herein, especially the matters discussed under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and the “Risk Factors” sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020, along with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, before making an investment decision. All references to “Biohaven,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” mean Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. and its subsidiaries, except where it is made clear that the term means only the parent company.
Company Overview
We are a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a marketed product, NURTEC™ ODT (rimegepant), for the acute treatment of migraine and a portfolio of innovative product candidates targeting neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including rare disorders. NURTEC ODT, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) on February 27, 2020, and became available by prescription in U.S. pharmacies on March 12, 2020. NURTEC ODT is the first and only calcitonin gene-related peptide (“CGRP”) receptor antagonist available in a quick-dissolve orally dissolving tablet (“ODT”) formulation that is approved by the FDA for the acute treatment of migraine in adults. Our other product candidates are based on multiple mechanisms —including CGRP receptor antagonists, glutamate modulators and myeloperoxidase inhibition—which we believe have the potential to significantly alter existing treatment approaches across a diverse set of indications with high unmet need in both large and orphan indications.
Risks Associated with Our Business
Our business is subject to a number of risks, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary and those described under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. These risks include the following, among others:
We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.
NURTEC ODT is the first product that we are commercializing and we may lack the necessary expertise, personnel and resources to successfully commercialize NURTEC ODT and any of our products that receive regulatory approval on our own or together with collaborators.
Clinical trials are very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to design and implement and involve uncertain outcomes. Furthermore, results of earlier preclinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of results of future preclinical studies or clinical trials.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under our existing and any future intellectual property licenses with third parties, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
We rely in part on third parties to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials and if these third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner, our business could be substantially harmed.
We currently rely on third parties for the production of our clinical supply of our product candidates and we intend to continue to rely on third parties for our clinical and commercial supply.
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We currently are developing our marketing, sales and distribution infrastructure. If we are unable to develop sales, marketing and distribution capabilities on our own or through collaborations, or if we fail to achieve adequate pricing or reimbursement, we will not be successful in commercializing our product candidates, if approved.
NURTEC ODT competes, and any product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete, with existing and new therapies that become available. Developments by competitors may render our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive or may reduce the size of our markets.
If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technology and product candidates, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.
An active trading market for our common shares may not continue to develop or be sustained, or be liquid enough for investors to resell our common shares quickly or at the market price.
We are dependent on licensed intellectual property. If we were to lose our rights to licensed intellectual property, we may not be able to continue developing or commercializing our product candidates, if approved. If we breach any of the agreements under which we license the use, development and commercialization rights to our product candidates or technology from third parties or, in certain cases, we fail to meet certain development deadlines, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.
You may have fewer protections as a shareholder of our company, as the rights of shareholders under British Virgin Islands law differ from those of shareholders under U.S. law.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated as a business company limited by shares organized under the laws of the British Virgin Islands in September 2013. Our registered office is located at P.O. Box 173, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands and our telephone number is +1 (284) 852-3000. Our U.S. office and the office of our U.S. subsidiary is located at 215 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510 and our telephone number is (203) 404-0410. Our website address is www.biohavenpharma.com. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and you should not consider any information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus supplement or in deciding whether to purchase our common shares.
Recent Developments
On November 30, 2020, we entered into a global collaboration and license agreement with Heptares Therapeutics Limited, a subsidiary of Sosei Group Corporation (“Sosei Heptares”). Under the agreement, we will receive exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize a portfolio of small-molecule CGRP receptor antagonists for the treatment of CGRP-mediated disorders. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we made an upfront payment to Sosei Heptares of $5 million in cash consideration and 54,617 of our common shares valued at $5 million. Sosei Heptares will receive research funding, and is eligible to receive additional development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments of up to $370 million. In addition, Sosei Heptares will be eligible to receive tiered royalty payments on net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.
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THE OFFERING
Common shares offered by us
Common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $400.0 million.
Common shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering

Up to 64,074,115 of our common shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 4,366,335 common shares in this offering at an offering price of $91.61 per common share, the last reported sale price of our common shares on the New York Stock Exchange on December 22, 2020. The actual number of common shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering.
Manner of offering
“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through our sales agents. See “Plan of Distribution” for more information.
Use of proceeds
We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash:
to advance and expand the development of our CGRP and glutamate modulation platform product candidates and to continue the development of our MPO platform;
to advance the commercialization of NURTEC ODT outside of the United States; and
for business development opportunities and other corporate purposes.
See “Use of Proceeds” for more information.
Risk factors
Investing in our common shares involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” for more information.
NYSE symbol“BHVN”
The number of common shares to be outstanding after this offering is based on 59,707,780 common shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020, and excludes as of that date:
7,946,120 common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $28.28 per common share;
106,751 common shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $54.29 per common share;
486,260 common shares issuable upon the exercise of restricted share units (RSUs) as of September 30, 2020;
1,451,481 common shares reserved for future issuance of stock option or RSU grants under the 2017 Plan, as of September 30, 2020 (of which subsequent to September 30, 2020 we granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 58,000 common shares, at a weighted average exercise price of $80.06 per common share, and granted 17,400 RSUs); and
1,665,544 common shares reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Employee Share Purchase Plan, or ESPP, as of September 30, 2020 as well as any automatic increases in the number of common shares reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan and the ESPP after the date of this prospectus supplement (of which subsequent to September 30, 2020 we issued 198,518 common shares under our ESPP).
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Unless otherwise indicated, all information contained in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise of the outstanding options, RSUs and warrants described above.
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RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common shares involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest in our common shares, you should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as general economic and business risks and the other information in this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020. The occurrence of any of the events or circumstances described below or other adverse events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and could cause the trading price of our common shares to decline. Additional risks or uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. Any of the following risks as well as the risks discussed in the documents incorporated by reference herein, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition and cause the trading price of our common shares to decline, which would cause you to lose all or part of your investment. When determining whether to invest, you should also refer to the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, including our financial statements and the related notes thereto. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us may also adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to This Offering
If you purchase common shares in this offering, you may incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your shares.
The offering prices per common share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common shares. Assuming that an aggregate of 4,366,335 common shares are sold at a price of $91.61 per common share pursuant to this prospectus supplement, which was the last reported sale price of our common shares on NYSE on December 22, 2020, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $400.0 million, then, after deducting estimated commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us, you would experience immediate dilution of $89.54 per common share, representing the difference between our as-adjusted net tangible book value per common share as of September 30, 2020, after giving effect to this offering and the assumed offering price. See the section titled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you would incur if you participate in this offering. Because the sales of the common shares offered hereby will be made directly into the market or in negotiated transactions, the prices at which we sell these shares will vary, and these variations may be significant. Purchasers of the common shares we sell, as well as our existing shareholders, will experience significant dilution if we sell common shares at prices significantly below the price at which they invested.
In addition, the exercise of any of our outstanding options or warrants or settlement of our outstanding restricted share units could result in additional dilution. As a result of the dilution to investors purchasing common shares in this offering, investors may receive significantly less than the purchase price paid in this offering, if anything, in the event of our liquidation.
The actual number of common shares we will issue under the equity distribution agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.
Subject to certain limitations in the equity distribution agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to request the sales agents to sell on our behalf common shares at any time throughout the term of the equity distribution agreement, and the sales agents will be obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to sell the common shares. The number of common shares that are sold by the sales agents after we request that sales be made will fluctuate based on the market price of the common shares during the sales period and limits we set with the sales agents. Because the price per share of the common shares sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common shares during
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the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of common shares that will ultimately be issued by us under the equity distribution agreement.
The common shares offered hereby will be sold in “at-the-market offerings,” and investors who buy common shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase common shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and therefore may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and number of common shares sold. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their common shares as a result of sales of common shares made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
We will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in “Use of Proceeds,” and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used in any certain manner. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our shareholders. Further, our management might not apply the net proceeds or our existing cash in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. Accordingly, investors in this offering have only limited information concerning management’s specific intentions and will need to rely upon the judgment of our management with respect to the use of proceeds.
Sales of our common shares through this or other equity offerings could trigger a limitation on our ability to use our net operating losses and tax credits in the future.
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 limits the annual use of net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in certain situations where changes occur in share ownership of a company. In the event we have certain changes in ownership, the annual utilization of such carryforwards could be limited. This or other equity issuances could trigger a limitation on our ability to use our net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards in the future under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code as enacted by the Tax Reform Act of 1986.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. We make such forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus supplement are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “potential”, “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
our sales and commercialization efforts for NURTEC ODT;
our ongoing and planned clinical trials for our development programs;
the timing of the availability of data from our clinical trials;
the timing of our planned regulatory filings;
the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates;
the clinical utility of our product candidates;
our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy;
our intellectual property position; and
our estimates regarding future revenues, expenses and needs for additional financing.
These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the headings “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020 and in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus supplement may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Moreover, except as required by law, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this prospectus supplement to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
You should read this prospectus supplement and the documents that we reference in this prospectus supplement and have filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We may issue and sell common shares having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $400 million from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions, and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. There can be no assurance that we will sell any common shares under or fully utilize the equity distribution agreement with the sales agents as a source of financing.
We currently plan to use the net proceeds we receive from this offering, together with our existing cash:
to advance and expand the development of our CGRP and glutamate modulation platform product candidates and to continue the development of our MPO platform;
to advance the commercialization of NURTEC ODT outside of the United States; and
for business development opportunities and other corporate purposes.
In the ordinary course of our business, we expect to from time to time evaluate the acquisition of, investment in or in-license of complementary products, technologies or businesses, and we could use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering for such activities.
This expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions, which could change in the future as our plans and business conditions evolve. Predicting the cost necessary to develop product candidates can be difficult and the amounts and timing of our actual expenditures may vary significantly depending on numerous factors, including the progress of our development, the status of and results from clinical trials, any collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our product candidates and any unforeseen cash needs.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, and investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds from this offering. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. Pending these uses, we plan to hold these net proceeds in non-interest bearing accounts, with the goal of capital preservation and liquidity so that such funds are readily available to fund our operations.
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DILUTION
If you invest in our common shares in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per common share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per common share immediately after this offering.
Our historical net tangible book deficit as of September 30, 2020 was $(256,468) million, or $(4.30) per common share. Our historical net tangible book deficit is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities, contingently redeemable non-controlling interests and non-controlling interests. Historical net tangible book deficit per common share represents historical net tangible book deficit divided by the 59,707,780 common shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020.
After giving effect to the sale of $400.0 million of our common shares in this offering assuming for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 4,366,335 common shares are sold during the term of the equity distribution agreement at a price of $91.61 per common share, the last reported sale price of our common shares on NYSE on December 22, 2020, and after deducting estimated offering commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2020, would have been approximately $132,532, or $2.07 per common share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $6.37 per common share to existing shareholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $89.54 per common share to investors purchasing our common shares in this offering at the assumed public offering price.
The following table illustrates this dilution on a per-share basis:
Public offering price per share$91.61 
Historical net tangible book deficit per share as of September 30, 2020$(4.30)
Increase in as adjusted net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering6.37 
As adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering2.07 
Dilution per share to new investors purchasing common shares in this offering$89.54 
The above table is based on 59,707,780 common shares outstanding as of September 30, 2020, and excludes as of that date:
7,946,120 common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $28.28 per common share;
106,751 common shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2020, at a weighted average exercise price of $54.29 per common share;
486,260 common shares issuable upon the exercise of restricted share units (RSUs) as of September 30, 2020;
1,451,481 common shares reserved for future issuance of stock option or RSU grants under the 2017 Plan, as of September 30, 2020 (of which subsequent to September 30, 2020 we granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 58,000 common shares, at a weighted average exercise price of $80.06 per common share, and granted 17,400 RSUs); and
1,665,544 common shares reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Employee Share Purchase Plan, or ESPP, as of September 30, 2020 as well as any automatic increases in the number of common shares reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan and the ESPP after the date of this prospectus supplement (of which subsequent to September 30, 2020 we issued 198,518 common shares under our ESPP).
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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR U.S. HOLDERS
The following is a summary of material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares by a U.S. holder (as defined below). This summary addresses only the U.S. federal income tax considerations for U.S. holders that are initial purchasers of our common shares pursuant to this offering and that will hold such common shares as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This summary does not address all U.S. federal income tax matters that may be relevant to a particular U.S. holder. This summary does not address tax considerations applicable to a U.S. holder of our common shares that may be subject to special tax rules including, without limitation, the following:
banks, financial institutions or insurance companies;
brokers, dealers or traders in securities, currencies, commodities, or notional principal contracts;
tax-exempt entities or organizations, including an “individual retirement account” or “Roth IRA” as defined in Section 408 or 408A of the Code, respectively;
real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies or grantor trusts;
persons that hold the common shares as part of a “hedging,” “integrated” or “conversion” transaction or as a position in a “straddle” for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
partnerships (including entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entities, or persons that will hold the common shares through such an entity;
certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;
U.S. holders that own directly, indirectly, or through attribution 10% or more of the voting power or value of our shares;
persons required under Section 451(b) of the Code to conform to the timing of income accruals with respect to our common shares;
U.S. holders that have a “functional currency” for U.S. federal income tax purposes other than the U.S. dollar; and
investors in this offering who are existing shareholders of our company.
Further, this summary does not address the U.S. federal estate, gift, or alternative minimum tax considerations, or any U.S. state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares.
This description is based on the Code; existing, proposed and temporary U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder; and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, in each case as in effect and available on the date hereof. All the foregoing is subject to change, which change could apply retroactively, and to differing interpretations, all of which could affect the tax considerations described below. No ruling has been or will be obtained from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, regarding the matters discussed herein, so there can be no assurances that the IRS will not take a contrary or different position concerning the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares or that such a position would not be sustained. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisers concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of acquiring, owning, and disposing of our common shares in their particular circumstances.
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For the purposes of this summary, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of our common shares that is (or is treated as), for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation, or other entity that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;
an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
a trust, (a) if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the substantial decisions of such trust or (b) that has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
If a partnership (or any other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our common shares, the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to an investment in the common shares will depend in part upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Such a partner or partnership is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations of acquiring, owning and disposing of our common shares in its particular circumstances.
As indicated below, this discussion is subject to U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to a “passive foreign investment company,” or a PFIC. In addition, U.S. holders that own (directly, indirectly, or constructively) 10% or more of our total combined voting power or value could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences pursuant to the controlled foreign corporation rules due to our ownership of one or more U.S. subsidiaries. Such prospective U.S. holders should consult with their tax advisors as to the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our common shares.
Persons considering an investment in our common shares are urged to consult their own tax advisors as to the particular tax consequences applicable to them relating to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common shares, including the applicability of U.S. federal, state and local tax laws and non-U.S. tax laws.
Tax Residence
Generally, for U.S. federal tax purposes, a corporation is considered a “domestic corporation” if it is incorporated or organized in the United States, and a “foreign corporation” if it is incorporated or organized in a non-U.S. jurisdiction. Because we are a British Virgin Islands incorporated entity, we would be classified as a foreign corporation under these general rules. Section 7874 of the Code, or Section 7874, however, contains rules that can result in a foreign corporation being treated as a domestic corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. Under Section 7874, a foreign corporation will nevertheless be treated as a domestic corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes if (1) the foreign corporation directly or indirectly acquires substantially all of the assets held directly or indirectly by a domestic corporation (including the indirect acquisition of assets by acquisition of all the outstanding shares of a domestic corporation), (2) the shareholders of the acquired domestic corporation hold at least 80% (by either vote or value) of the shares of the acquiring foreign corporation after the acquisition by reason of holding shares in the acquired domestic corporation (including the receipt of the foreign corporation’s shares in exchange for the domestic corporation’s shares) (the “ownership test”), and (3) the foreign corporation’s “expanded affiliated group” does not have substantial business activities in the foreign corporation’s country of organization or incorporation relative to the expanded affiliated group’s worldwide activities. For purposes of Section 7874, “expanded affiliated group” means the foreign corporation and all subsidiaries in which the foreign corporation, directly or indirectly, owns more than 50% of the shares by vote and value.
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On December 31, 2016, we entered into an agreement with the shareholders of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or BPI, to purchase all of the outstanding capital stock of BPI for an aggregate purchase price of $0.6 million, payable by the issuance of promissory notes to each BPI shareholder (see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions-Transactions with Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Inc.”). Although we and BPI had certain shareholders in common before December 31, 2016, based on the rules for determining share ownership under Section 7874, we believe the shareholders of BPI owned less than 80% of our shares. Accordingly, we do not believe that this transaction meets the ownership test under Section 7874 and therefore do not believe that we should be treated as a domestic corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes. However, the tax law in this area could be changed, including changed on a retroactive basis, and the application of Section 7874 to our acquisition of BPI could substantially increase our effective tax rate. The remainder of this discussion assumes that we are properly classified as a foreign corporation for U.S. federal tax purposes.
Distributions
Although we do not currently plan to pay dividends, and subject to the discussion under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations,” below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to treat the gross amount of any distribution actually or constructively received with respect to our common shares as a dividend to the extent of the U.S. holder’s pro rata share of our current and accumulated earnings and profits as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of earnings and profits generally will be non-taxable to the U.S. holder to the extent of, and will be applied against and reduce, the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common shares. Distributions in excess of earnings and profits and such adjusted tax basis will generally be taxable to the U.S. holder as either long-term or short-term capital gain depending upon whether the U.S. holder has held the common shares for more than one year as of the time such distribution is received. However, since we may not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, a U.S. holder should assume that any distribution with respect to our common shares will constitute ordinary dividend income.
Non-corporate U.S. holders may qualify for the preferential rates of taxation with respect to dividends on our common shares applicable to long-term capital gains (i.e., gains from the sale of capital assets held for more than one year) applicable to qualified dividend income (as discussed below) if we are a “qualified foreign corporation” and certain other requirements (discussed below) are met. A non-U.S. corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) generally will be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation with respect to any dividend it pays on shares of stock that are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Our common shares are, and we expect that they will continue to be, listed and readily tradable on the New York Stock Exchange, which is an established securities market in the United States. However, there can be no assurance that our common shares will be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States in later years. If they are, and subject to the discussion under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations,” below, such dividends paid by us will generally be “qualified dividend income” in the hands of individual U.S. holders, provided that a holding period requirement (more than 60 days of ownership, without protection from the risk of loss, during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date) and certain other requirements are met.
Any dividend income that a U.S. holder realizes generally will generally be treated as foreign source income for foreign tax credit limitation purposes and generally will constitute passive category income. However, if (a) we are 50% or more owned, by vote or value, by United States persons and (b) at least 10% of our earnings and profits are attributable to sources within the United States, then for foreign tax credit purposes, a portion of our dividends would be treated as derived from sources within the United States. With respect to any dividend paid for any taxable year, the United States source ratio of our dividends for foreign tax credit purposes would be equal to the portion of our earnings and profits from sources within the United States for such taxable year, divided by the total amount of our earnings and profits for such taxable year. There can be no assurance that no portion of our dividends will be treated as derived from sources within the United States pursuant to the rule described in this paragraph.
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Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of our Common Shares
A U.S. holder will generally recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common shares in an amount equal to the difference between the U.S. dollar value of the amount realized from such sale or exchange (i.e., the amount of cash plus the fair market value of any property received) and the U.S. holder’s tax basis for those common shares. Subject to the discussion under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations,” below, this gain or loss will generally be a capital gain or loss. The initial tax basis in the common shares generally will be equal to the cost of such common shares. Capital gain from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of our common shares by a non-corporate U.S. holder is generally eligible for a preferential rate of taxation applicable to capital gains, if the non-corporate U.S. holder’s holding period determined at the time of such sale, exchange or other taxable disposition for such common shares exceeds one year (i.e., such gain is long-term taxable gain and will be taxable at ordinary income rates if not long- term capital gain). The deductibility of capital losses for U.S. federal income tax purposes is subject to limitations under the Code. Any such gain or loss that a U.S. holder recognizes generally will be treated as U.S. source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the U.S. foreign tax credit in their particular circumstances.
Medicare Tax
Certain U.S. holders that are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which may include all or a portion of their dividend income and net gains from the disposition of our common shares. Each U.S. holder that is an individual, estate or trust is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the applicability of the Medicare tax to its income and gains in respect of its investment in our common shares.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations
We do not believe we were a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2019 and based on the current and anticipated value of our assets and the composition of our income, assets and operations, we do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects, and therefore we cannot provide any assurance regarding our PFIC status for any past, current or future taxable years. In addition, certain PFIC regulations have been recently finalized, and their impact has not been subject to authoritative interpretation. A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income; or (ii) at least 50% of the average quarterly value of its total gross assets (which may be determined in part by reference to the quarterly market value of our common shares, which may be volatile) is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. Moreover, for purposes of determining if a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC, if the non-U.S. corporation owns, directly or indirectly, at least 25%, by value, of the shares of another corporation or interests in another partnership, it will be treated as if it holds directly its proportionate share of the assets and receives directly its proportionate share of the income of such other corporation.
The determination of whether we are a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis applying principles and methodologies which in some circumstances are unclear and subject to varying interpretation. In particular, the characterization of our assets as active or passive may depend in part on our current and intended future business plans which are subject to change. In addition, for our current and future taxable years, the total value of our assets for PFIC testing purposes may be determined in part by reference to the market price of our shares from time to time, which may fluctuate considerably. Under the income and asset tests, our status as a PFIC depends on the composition of our income and assets which, in our current and future taxable years, we may not be able to control, for example, with respect to income and assets attributed to us from entities owned 25% or more by us. The
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composition of our income and assets is also affected by how, and how quickly, we spend the cash we raise in any offering, including this offering. Our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for our taxable year ended December 31, 2019, and also expresses no opinion with regard to our expectations regarding our PFIC status in the future.
If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder owns our common shares, the U.S. holder, absent certain elections (including the Purging Election, Mark-to-Market Election, and QEF Election, each described below), generally will be subject to special, adverse tax rules (regardless of whether we continue to be classified as a PFIC) with respect to (a) any “excess distribution” (generally, any distributions received by the U.S. holder on its common shares in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by the U.S. holder in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the portion of the U.S. holder’s holding period for its common shares that preceded the current taxable year) and (b) any gain realized from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of its common shares. Under these special tax rules (i) the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over a U.S. holder’s holding period for the common shares, (ii) the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we became a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income, and (iii) the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year. If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. holder owns our common shares, we will, absent certain elections, continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. holder owns our common shares, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above.
Certain elections may be available to a U.S. holder that would result in alternative treatments. If we are a PFIC at any time when a U.S. holder holds our common shares, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. holder for all succeeding years during which the U.S. holder holds our common shares even if we cease to qualify as a PFIC under the income and asset tests described above. However, if we cease to meet these tests, a U.S. holder can avoid the continuing impact of the PFIC rules by making a special election (a “Purging Election”) to recognize gain in the manner described above as if our common shares had been sold on the last day of the last taxable year during which we were a PFIC. Accordingly, a Purging Election may accelerate the recognition of income without a corresponding receipt of cash. In addition, for a U.S. holder making such an election, a new holding period would be deemed to begin for our common shares for purposes of the PFIC rules. After the Purging Election, the common shares with respect to which the Purging Election was made would not be treated as shares in a PFIC unless we were subsequently to qualify as a PFIC. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the potential availability of a Purging Election that would allow them to eliminate PFIC status under certain circumstances.
In certain circumstances, a U.S. holder of shares in a PFIC may alleviate some of the adverse tax consequences described above by making a “qualified electing fund” election (a “QEF Election”) to include in income its pro rata share of the corporation’s income on a current basis. Accordingly, a QEF Election would accelerate the recognition of income without a corresponding receipt of cash. However, a U.S. holder may make a QEF Election with respect to our common shares only if we agree to furnish such U.S. holder annually with a PFIC annual information statement as specified in the applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations. We currently do not intend to prepare or provide the information that would enable U.S. holders to make a QEF Election if we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, and prospective investors should assume that a QEF Election will not be available.
Alternatively, a U.S. holder of “marketable stock” (as defined below) in a PFIC may make a mark-to-market election (the “Mark-to-Market Election”) with respect to such stock to elect out of the tax treatment discussed above. A Mark-to-Market Election generally is effective for the taxable year in which it is made and all subsequent years and cannot be revoked without the consent of the IRS. An electing U.S. holder generally would take into account as ordinary income, for each year that we are a PFIC, the excess of the fair market value of our common shares held at the end of the taxable year over the U.S. holder’s
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adjusted tax basis in such common shares at that time. Accordingly, a Mark-to-Market Election may accelerate the recognition of income without a corresponding receipt of cash. The U.S. holder would also take into account, as an ordinary loss for each year that we are a PFIC, the excess of the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such common shares at the end of the taxable year over the fair market value of the shares at that time, but only to the extent of the aggregate of the amounts previously included in income as a result of the Mark-to-Market Election. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in our common shares would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the Mark-to-Market Election. Any gain from a sale, exchange or other disposition of the common shares in any taxable year in which we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary income and any loss from such sale, exchange or other disposition would be treated first as ordinary loss to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains previously included in income and thereafter as capital loss. If, after having been a PFIC for one or more taxable years, we cease to be classified as a PFIC, the U.S. holder would not be required to take into account any latent gain or loss in the manner described above and any realized gain or loss would be classified as a capital gain or loss. A Mark-to-Market Election will not apply to our common shares for any taxable year during which we are not a PFIC, but it will remain in effect with respect to any subsequent taxable year in which we become a PFIC. Such election will not apply to any subsidiary that we own. A Mark-to-Market Election is available to a U.S. holder only if the common shares are considered “marketable stock.” Generally, stock will be considered marketable stock if it is “regularly traded” on a “qualified exchange” within the meaning of applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations. A class of stock is regularly traded during any calendar year during which such class of stock is traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. We expect that our common shares will be marketable stock as long as they remain listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are regularly traded. There can be no assurance that our common shares will continue to be so traded. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the availability and advisability of making a Mark-to-Market Election in their particular circumstances.
Moreover, if we are treated as a PFIC with respect to any taxable year, to the extent any of our subsidiaries are also PFICs, a U.S. holder may be deemed to own shares in such lower-tier PFICs, and an election for mark-to-market treatment would likely not be available with respect to any such subsidiaries. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries.
If we are a PFIC with respect to a U.S. holder of our common shares, such U.S. holder will generally be required to file an annual information return on IRS Form 8621 with respect to our common shares and the shares of any of our subsidiaries that also qualify as a PFIC. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisers concerning annual filing requirements.
NO ASSURANCE CAN BE GIVEN REGARDING OUR PFIC STATUS FOR ANY PAST, CURRENT OR FUTURE TAXABLE YEARS. U.S. HOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE OPERATION OF THE PFIC RULES AND RELATED REPORTING REQUIREMENTS IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING THE ADVISABILITY OF MAKING ANY ELECTION THAT MAY BE AVAILABLE.
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
U.S. holders generally will be subject to information reporting requirements with respect to dividends on our common shares and on the proceeds from the sale, exchange or disposition of our common shares that are paid within the United States or through U.S.-related financial intermediaries, unless the U.S. holder is an “exempt recipient.” In addition, U.S. holders may be subject to backup withholding on such payments, unless the U.S. holder provides a taxpayer identification number and a duly executed IRS Form W-9 or otherwise establishes an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and the amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
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Foreign Asset Reporting
Certain U.S. holders (and to the extent provided in IRS guidance, certain non-U.S. holders) who hold interests in “specified foreign financial assets” (as defined in Section 6038D of the Code) are generally required to file an IRS Form 8938 as part of their U.S. federal income tax returns with information relating to such assets for each taxable year in which the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $75,000 at any time during the taxable year or $50,000 on the last day of the taxable year (or such higher dollar amount as prescribed by applicable IRS guidance). “Specified foreign financial assets” generally include, among other assets, financial accounts maintained by foreign financial institutions, and our common shares, unless the shares are held through an account maintained by a financial institution. Substantial penalties may apply to any failure to timely file a complete and correct IRS Form 8938. Additionally, in the event an applicable U.S. holder (and to the extent provided in IRS guidance, a non-U.S. holder) that is required to file IRS Form 8938 either fails to file or fails to report a relevant asset, the statute of limitations on the assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes of such holder for the related tax year may not close until three years after the date that the required information is filed.
Prospective investors are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible reporting obligations under these and other disclosure requirements in light of their individual circumstances.
THE DISCUSSION ABOVE IS A GENERAL SUMMARY. IT DOES NOT COVER ALL TAX MATTERS THAT MAY BE OF IMPORTANCE TO A PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO IT OF AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON SHARES IN LIGHT OF THE INVESTOR’S OWN CIRCUMSTANCES.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We have entered into an equity distribution agreement with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Piper Sandler & Co., SVB Leerink LLC, Canaccord Genuity LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Wedbush Securities Inc., and William Blair & Company, L.L.C., as our sales agents, under which we may offer and sell from time to time our common shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $400.0 million. The sales agents may act as agents on our behalf or purchase common shares as principal.
Sales, if any, of common shares under the equity distribution agreement may be made in ordinary brokers’ transactions, to or through a market maker, on or through NYSE or any other market venue where the securities may be traded, in the over-the-counter market, in privately negotiated transactions, or through a combination of any such methods of sale. The sales agents may also sell our common shares by any other method permitted by law.
The securities may be sold at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices, or at negotiated prices.
We will designate the maximum amount of common shares to be sold through the sales agents on a daily basis or otherwise as we and the sales agents agree and the minimum price per common share at which such common shares may be sold. Subject to the terms and conditions of the equity distribution agreement, the sales agents will use their commercially reasonable efforts consistent with their normal sales and trading practices to sell on our behalf all of the designated common shares. We may instruct the sales agents not to sell any common shares if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. We or any sales agent, with respect to itself only, may suspend the offering of our common shares by notifying the other party. The offering of the shares by the sales agents is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the sales agents’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.
The sales agents will provide to us written confirmation following the close of trading on NYSE each day on which common shares are sold under the equity distribution agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of common shares sold on such day, the gross sales proceeds, and the compensation payable by us to the sales agents. We will report at least quarterly the number of common shares sold through the sales agents under the equity distribution agreement, the net proceeds to us (before expenses), and the compensation paid by us to the sales agents in connection with the sales of the common shares.
We will pay each sales agent a commission of up to 3% of the gross sales price per common share sold through such agent under the equity distribution agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse the sales agents for certain of their expenses in an amount up to $175,000, in addition to an amount not to exceed $12,500 per each quarter thereafter.
Settlement of any sales of common shares will occur on the second business day following the date on which such sales were made (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading). There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust, or similar arrangement. Sales of our common shares as contemplated in this prospectus supplement will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and the sales agents may agree.
The offering of our common shares pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all of our common shares subject to the equity distribution agreement or (ii) termination of the equity distribution agreement by us or by the sales agents as provided therein.
In connection with the sale of common shares on our behalf, each of the sales agents may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to each of the sales agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts.
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We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to the several sales agents against certain liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act.
Selling Restrictions
European Economic Area and United Kingdom
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, or, each a Relevant State, no common shares, have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the common shares that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of common shares may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
(a)to any legal entity that is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;
(b)to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the sale agents for any such offer; or
(c)in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of common shares shall require us or any sale agents to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any common shares in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any common shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any common shares, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
United Kingdom
Each sales agent has represented and agreed that:
(a)it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or the FSMA) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the common shares in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to us; and
(b)it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the common shares in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
Canada
The common shares may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions, and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the common shares must be made in accordance with an exemption form, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
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Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this offering memorandum (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the sale agents are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Hong Kong
The common shares may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances that do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32 of the Laws of Hong Kong, or the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance) or that do not constitute an invitation to the public within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong, or the Securities and Futures Ordinance), or (ii) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances that do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, and no advertisement, invitation, or document relating to the common shares may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), that is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to common shares that are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” in Hong Kong as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made thereunder.
Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the common shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the common shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined under Section4A of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA) under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the common shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person that is a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, the securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation shall not be transferable for six months after that corporation has acquired the common shares under Section 275 of the SFA except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA), (2) where such transfer arises from an offer in that corporation’s securities pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, (3) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer, (4) where the transfer is by operation of law, (5) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA, or (6) as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore, or Regulation 32.
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Where the common shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person that is a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole purpose of which is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an accredited investor, the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable for six months after that trust has acquired the common shares under Section 275 of the SFA except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA), (2) where such transfer arises from an offer that is made on terms that such rights or interest are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction (whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets), (3) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer, (4) where the transfer is by operation of law, (5) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA, or (6) as specified in Regulation 32.
Japan
The common shares have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended), or the FIEA. The common shares may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of any resident of Japan (including any person resident in Japan or any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan) or to others for reoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the FIEA and otherwise in compliance with any relevant laws and regulations of Japan.
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VALIDITY OF COMMON SHARES
The validity of the common shares will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder, our special British Virgin Islands counsel. Certain other legal matters will be passed upon for us by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, New York, and for the sales agents by Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.
EXPERTS
The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2019 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC is available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and we have filed and will file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These reports, proxy statements and other information are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We also maintain a website at www.biohavenpharma.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus supplement.
This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website or our website, as provided above.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information from other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement. Information in this prospectus supplement supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement and the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is a part the information or documents listed below that we have filed with the SEC (File No. 001-38080):
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2020;
our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020, and September 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2020, August 10, 2020 and November 9, 2020, respectively;
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 30, 2020, January 31, 2020 (to the extent filed and not furnished), March 4, 2020, April 17, 2020, April 30, 2020, June 12, 2020 (to the extent filed and not furnished) and August 17, 2020; and
the description of our common shares contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on May 1, 2017 and any amendments or reports filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.
We are also incorporating by reference any future filings that we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus supplement.
Notwithstanding the statements in the preceding paragraphs, no document, report or exhibit (or portion of any of the foregoing) or any other information that we have “furnished” to the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act shall be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents either in writing to Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., Attn: Corporate Secretary, 215 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510 or by calling us at (203) 404-0410.
You also may access these filings on our website at www.biohavenpharma.com. We do not incorporate the information on our website into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus supplement or any accompanying prospectus (other than those filings with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus).
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement will be deemed modified, superseded or replaced for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement modifies, supersedes or replaces such statement.
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PROSPECTUS
prospecuscover1a1.jpg
Common Shares
Preferred Shares
Depositary Shares
Debt Securities
Warrants
Rights
Purchase Contracts
Units
From time to time, we may offer the securities described in this prospectus separately or together in any combination, in one or more classes or series, in amounts, at prices and on terms that we will determine at the time of the offering.
We will provide the specific terms of the securities to be offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. The specific plan of distribution for any securities to be offered will also be provided in a prospectus supplement. Prospectus supplements may also add, update or change information in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with additional information described under “Where You Can Find Additional Information,” carefully before you invest in our securities. This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell our securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of those offered securities.
We may offer and sell the securities directly, through agents we select from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers we select, or through a combination of these methods. If we use any agents, underwriters or dealers to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of those securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from that sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.
Our common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “BHVN.” Each prospectus supplement will indicate if the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.
Investing in any of our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please read carefully the section entitled “Risk Factors” on page 4 of this prospectus, the “Risk Factors” section contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and the information included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is June 17, 2019
No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement together are an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby and thereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement is current only as of its date.



TABLE OF CONTENTS



ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process.
As permitted under the rules of the SEC, this prospectus incorporates important business information about Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. that is contained in documents that we file with the SEC, but that is not included in or delivered with this prospectus. You may obtain copies of these documents, without charge, from the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov, as well as other sources. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.” Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Information We Incorporate by Reference.” Neither we nor any underwriters have authorized any other person to provide you with information other than the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus is accurate as of the date on its respective cover, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. We are not making offers to sell the securities described in this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation.
Unless otherwise indicated or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus to “Biohaven”, “we”, “us”, “our” or similar references mean Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.
Information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or prospectus summary may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “plans,” “anticipate,” “estimate” or “continue” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. The matters described throughout this prospectus and in any exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, constitute cautionary statements identifying important factors with respect to any such forward-looking statements, including certain risks and uncertainties, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), and we have filed and will file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These reports, proxy statements and other information are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We also maintain a website at www.biohavenpharma.com, at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website or our website, as provided above.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information from other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus. We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the information or documents listed below that we have filed with the SEC (File No. 001-38080):
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019;
our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on May 8, 2019;
our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019, April 8, 2019 and May 22, 2019; and
the description of our common shares contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on May 1, 2017 and any amendments or reports filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.
We are also incorporating by reference any future filings that we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus.
Notwithstanding the statements in the preceding paragraphs, no document, report or exhibit (or portion of any of the foregoing) or any other information that we have “furnished” to the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act shall be incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents either in writing to Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., Attn: Corporate Secretary, 215 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510 or by calling us at (203) 404-0410.
You also may access these filings on our website at www.biohavenpharma.com. We do not incorporate the information on our website into this prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus (other than those filings with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference into this prospectus).
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus will be deemed modified, superseded or replaced for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies, supersedes or replaces such statement.
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities offered by this prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, before purchasing any of our securities. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information” for information about how to obtain a copy of these documents. You should also carefully consider the risks and other information that may be contained in, or incorporated by reference into, any prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering of securities.
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BIOHAVEN PHARMACEUTICAL HOLDING COMPANY LTD.
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative, late-stage product candidates targeting neurological diseases, including rare disorders. Our product candidates are based on multiple mechanisms - calcitonin gene-related peptide, or CGRP, receptor antagonists, glutamate modulators and myeloperoxidase inhibition - which we believe have the potential to significantly alter existing treatment approaches across a diverse set of neurological indications with high unmet need in both large and orphan indications
Our principal executive offices are located at 215 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06510. Our main telephone number is 203-404-0410, and our website is www.biohavenpharma.com.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities for general corporate purposes unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL
The following descriptions are summaries of the material terms of our amended memorandum and articles of association. Reference is made to the more detailed provisions of, and the descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to, the memorandum and articles of association. Please note that this summary is not intended to be exhaustive. For further information, please refer to the full version of our memorandum and articles of association, which is included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is part.
General
We are a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on September 25, 2013, and our affairs are governed by the provisions of our memorandum of association and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the provisions of applicable British Virgin Islands law.
Authorized Share Capital
Our memorandum and articles of association authorize us to issue up to 210,000,000 shares, divided into three classes as follows: 200,000,000 common shares, no par value, 3,992 Series A preferred shares, no par value (the “Series A Preferred Shares”) and 9,996,008 preferred shares, no par value. Our board of directors may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred shares from time to time. As of June 13, 2019, there were 44,524,869 common shares issued and outstanding, held of record by 58 shareholders, 2,495 Series A Preferred Shares issued and outstanding, held of record by a single shareholder, RPI Finance Trust (“RPI”) and no undesignated preferred shares issued and outstanding.
Common Shares
Holders of common shares are entitled to cast one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, including the election of directors.
Holders of common shares are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor, subject to the preferential rights in respect of the Series A Preferred Shares or any other preferred shares. See “Dividend Policy.” Holders of common shares do not have any preemptive or other rights to subscribe for additional shares pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association.
All holders of common shares are entitled to share ratably in any assets for distribution to shareholders upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company, subject to the preferential rights in respect of any preferred shares.
The memorandum and articles of association permit the board of directors to authorize the redemption, purchase or other acquisition of the common shares. All outstanding common shares are fully paid and nonassessable.
Holders of common shares have no conversion or subscription rights and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common shares. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common shares are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred shares that we may designate in the future.
Preferred Shares
Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our common shareholders, but subject to certain matters reserved to the Series A Preferred shareholders, to issue up to 9,996,008 preferred shares in one or more other series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the rights, preferences and privileges of the shares of each wholly unissued series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon, and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any such series, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding.
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Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred shares with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common shares. The issuance of preferred shares, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us and may adversely affect the market price of our common shares and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common shares. It is not possible to state the actual effect of the issuance of any preferred shares on the rights of holders of common shares until the board of directors determines the specific rights attached to the preferred shares.
Series A Preferred Shares
In April 2019, we sold 2,495 Series A Preferred Shares to RPI at a price of $50,100 per preferred share pursuant to a Series A preferred share purchase agreement (the “Preferred Share Agreement”). The gross proceeds from the transaction were $125 million, with $105 million of the proceeds used to purchase a priority review voucher issued by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to potentially expedite the regulatory review of the new drug application (“NDA”) for the orally dissolving tablet (“ODT”) formulation of rimegepant and the remainder of the proceeds to be used for other general corporate purposes. Pursuant to the Preferred Share Agreement, we may issue additional Series A Preferred Shares to RPI in up to three additional closings for an aggregate amount of $75 million subject to the acceptance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of both NDAs with respect to the tablet formulation of rimegepant and the NDA with respect to the ODT formulation of rimegepant. Subject to the satisfaction of the applicable conditions under the Preferred Share Agreement, the issuance of additional Series A Preferred Shares is entirely at our option, and we are not obligated to issue any additional Series A Preferred Shares.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements
Under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, or the BVI, two or more companies may merge or consolidate in accordance with Section 170 of the BVI Business Companies Act, or the BVI Act. A merger means the merging of two or more constituent companies into one of the constituent companies and a consolidation means the uniting of two or more constituent companies into a new company. In order to merge or consolidate, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must be authorized by a resolution of shareholders.
While a director may vote on the plan of merger or consolidation even if he has a financial interest in the plan, the interested director must disclose the interest to all other directors of the company promptly upon becoming aware of the fact that he is interested in a transaction entered into or to be entered into by the company.
A transaction entered into by our company in respect of which a director is interested (including a merger or consolidation) is voidable by us unless the director’s interest was (a) disclosed to the board prior to the transaction or (b) the transaction is (i) between the director and the company and (ii) the transaction is in the ordinary course of the company’s business and on usual terms and conditions.
Notwithstanding the above, a transaction entered into by the company is not voidable if the material facts of the interest are known to the shareholders and they approve or ratify it or the company received fair value for the transaction.
Shareholders not otherwise entitled to vote on the merger or consolidation may still acquire the right to vote if the plan of merger or consolidation contains any provision which, if proposed as an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association, would entitle them to vote as a class or series on the proposed amendment. In any event, all shareholders must be given a copy of the plan of merger or consolidation irrespective of whether they are entitled to vote at the meeting to approve the plan of merger or consolidation.
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The shareholders of the constituent companies are not required to receive shares of the surviving or consolidated company but may receive debt obligations or other securities of the surviving or consolidated company, other assets, or a combination thereof. Further, some or all of the shares of a class or series may be converted into a kind of asset while the other shares of the same class or series may receive a different kind of asset. As such, not all the shares of a class or series must receive the same kind of consideration.
After the plan of merger or consolidation has been approved by the directors and authorized by a resolution of the shareholders, articles of merger or consolidation are executed by each company and filed with the Registrar of Corporate Affairs in the BVI.
A shareholder may dissent from a mandatory redemption of his shares, an arrangement (if permitted by the court), a merger (unless the shareholder was a shareholder of the surviving company prior to the merger and continues to hold the same or similar shares after the merger) or a consolidation. A shareholder properly exercising his dissent rights is entitled to a cash payment equal to the fair value of his shares.
A shareholder dissenting from a merger or consolidation must object in writing to the merger or consolidation before the vote by the shareholders on the merger or consolidation, unless notice of the meeting was not given to the shareholder. If the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the company must give notice of this fact to each shareholder within 20 days who gave written objection. These shareholders then have 20 days to give to the company their written election in the form specified by the BVI Act to dissent from the merger or consolidation, provided that in the case of a merger, the 20 days starts when the plan of merger is delivered to the shareholder.
Upon giving notice of his election to dissent, a shareholder ceases to have any shareholder rights except the right to be paid the fair value of his shares. As such, the merger or consolidation may proceed in the ordinary course notwithstanding his dissent.
Within seven days of the later of the delivery of the notice of election to dissent and the effective date of the merger or consolidation, the company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a specified price per share that the company determines to be the fair value of the shares. The company and the shareholder then have 30 days to agree upon the price. If the company and a shareholder fail to agree on the price within the 30 days, then the company and the shareholder shall, within 20 days immediately following the expiration of the 30-day period, each designate an appraiser and these two appraisers shall designate a third appraiser. These three appraisers shall fix the fair value of the shares as of the close of business on the day prior to the shareholders’ approval of the transaction without taking into account any change in value as a result of the transaction.
Our memorandum and articles of association include protections for the Series A Preferred Shareholders in the event that we wish to enter into a merger or consolidation which adversely affects the Series A Preferred Shares.
Shareholders’ Suits
There are both statutory and common law remedies available to our shareholders as a matter of BVI law. These are summarized below:
Prejudiced Members
A shareholder who considers that the affairs of the company have been, are being, or are likely to be, conducted in a manner that is, or any act or acts of the company have been, or are, likely to be oppressive, unfairly discriminatory or unfairly prejudicial to him in that capacity, can apply to the court under Section 184I of the BVI Act, among other things, for an order that his shares be acquired, that he be provided compensation, that the court regulate the future conduct of the company, or that any decision
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of the company which contravenes the BVI Act or our memorandum and articles of association be set aside.
Derivative Actions
Section 184C of the BVI Act provides that a shareholder of a company may, with the leave of the court, bring an action in the name of the company to redress any wrong done to it.
Just and Equitable Winding Up
In addition to the statutory remedies outlined above, shareholders can also petition for the winding up of a company on the grounds that it is just and equitable for the court to so order. Save in exceptional circumstances, this remedy is only available where the company has been operated as a quasi partnership and trust and confidence between the partners has broken down.
Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability
Under our memorandum and articles of association, we indemnify against all expenses, including legal fees, and against all judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement and reasonably incurred in connection with legal, administrative or investigative proceedings for any person who:
is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that the person is or was our director; or
is or was, at our request, serving as a director or officer of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another body corporate or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.
These indemnities only apply if the person acted honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests and, in the case of criminal proceedings, the person had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Anti-takeover Provisions in Our Memorandum and Articles of Association
Some provisions of our memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable. Yet, under BVI law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our memorandum and articles of association, as they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company and in accordance with directors’ duties under BVI law, which are summarized below.
Directors’ Fiduciary Duties
Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder
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and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, a director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.
Under BVI law, our directors owe the company certain statutory and fiduciary duties including, among others, a duty to act honestly, in good faith, for a proper purpose and with a view to what the directors believe to be in the best interests of the company. Our directors are also required, when exercising powers or performing duties as a director, to exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonable director would exercise in comparable circumstances, taking into account without limitation, the nature of the company, the nature of the decision and the position of the director and the nature of the responsibilities undertaken. In the exercise of their powers, our directors must ensure neither they nor the company acts in a manner which contravenes the BVI Act or our memorandum and articles of association. A shareholder has the right to seek damages for breaches of duties owed to us by our directors in addition to other relief.
Shareholder Action by Written Consent
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. BVI law allows for the same election to be made and we have eliminated the option for a written consent of our shareholders under our memorandum and articles of association (except for any class consent of the Series A Preferred Shares).
Shareholder Proposals
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings. Our memorandum and articles of association allow our shareholders holding not less than 10% of the votes of the outstanding voting shares to requisition a shareholders’ meeting. We are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings, but our memorandum and articles of association provide that at least one meeting of shareholders must be held each year and our memorandum and articles of association do permit the chairman of the board of directors, the chief executive officer or a majority of the directors acting by resolution to call such meeting. The location of any shareholders’ meeting can be determined by the board of directors and can be held anywhere in the world.
Cumulative Voting
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled on a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. As permitted under BVI law, our memorandum and articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.
Removal of Directors
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles of
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association, directors can be removed from office, with cause, by a resolution of shareholders passed by sixty six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the then outstanding common shares entitled to vote generally at a meeting for the election of directors at a meeting called for the purpose of removing the director or for purposes including the removal of the director.
Transactions with Interested Shareholders
The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware public corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting shares within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware public corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors. BVI law has no comparable statute. However, our memorandum and articles of association includes protections related to transactions with interested shareholders.
Dissolution; Winding Up
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board. Under the BVI Act and our memorandum and articles of association, we may appoint a voluntary liquidator by a resolution of the shareholders or by resolution of directors.
Variation of Rights of Shares
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our memorandum and articles of association, subject to certain exceptions, the rights of any class or series of shares may be varied with the consent in writing of all the holders of the issued shares of such class or series or by resolution passed by a majority of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class or series.
Amendment of Governing Documents
Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. As permitted by BVI, subject to certain amendments which would require the consent of the Series A Preferred Shares, our memorandum and articles of association may be amended by a resolution of shareholders passed by the holders of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the then-outstanding shares and by a resolution of directors, subject to certain statutory restrictions. Any amendment is effective from the date it is registered at the Registry of Corporate Affairs in the BVI.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common shares is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219.
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Stock Exchange Listing
Our common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “BHVN.” 
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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the depositary shares and depositary receipts that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will generally apply to any future depositary shares or depositary receipts we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any depositary shares or depositary receipts that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of deposit agreement that describes the terms of the depositary shares and depositary receipts we may offer before the issuance thereof. The following summary is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all provisions of the deposit agreement applicable to a particular offering of depositary shares or depositary receipts. We urge you to read any applicable prospectus supplement related to the depositary shares or depositary receipts that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete deposit agreement.
Description of Depositary Shares
We may offer depositary shares evidenced by depositary receipts. Each depositary share represents a fraction or a multiple of a share of the particular series of preferred shares issued and deposited with a depositary to be designated by us. The fraction or the multiple of a share of preferred shares which each depositary share represents will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
We will deposit the preferred shares of any series of preferred shares represented by depositary shares according to the provisions of a deposit agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company which we will select as our preferred shares depositary. We will name the depositary in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each holder of a depositary share will be entitled to all the rights and preferences of the underlying preferred shares in proportion to the applicable fraction or multiple of a share of preferred shares represented by the depositary share. These rights may include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights. The depositary will send the holders of depositary shares all reports and communications that we deliver to the depositary and which we are required to furnish to the holders of depositary shares.
Depositary Receipts
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to anyone who is buying the fractional preferred shares in accordance with the terms of the applicable prospectus supplement.
While definitive engraved depositary receipts (certificates) are being prepared, we may instruct the depositary to issue temporary depositary receipts, which will entitle holders to all the rights of the definitive depositary receipts and be substantially in the same form. The depositary will prepare definitive depositary receipts without unreasonable delay, and we will pay for the exchange of your temporary depositary receipts for definitive depositary receipts.
Withdrawal of Preferred Shares
Unless the related depositary shares have previously been called for redemption, a holder of depositary shares may receive the number of whole shares of the related series of preferred shares and any money or other property represented by the holder’s depositary receipts after surrendering the depositary receipts at the corporate trust office of the depositary, paying any taxes, charges and fees provided for in the deposit agreement and complying with any other requirement of the deposit agreement. Partial preferred shares will not be issued. If the surrendered depositary shares exceed the number of depositary shares that represent the number of whole preferred shares the holder wishes to withdraw, then the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt
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evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. Once the holder has withdrawn the preferred shares, the holder will not be entitled to re-deposit such preferred shares under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary shares in exchange for such preferred shares. We do not expect that there will be any public trading market for withdrawn preferred shares.
Dividends and Other Distributions
The depositary will distribute to record holders of depositary shares any cash dividends or other cash distributions it receives on preferred shares, after deducting its fees and expenses. Each holder will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by the holder. The depositary will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents. The depositary will add any fractional cents not distributed to the next sum received for distribution to record holders of depositary shares. In the event of a non-cash distribution, the depositary will distribute property to the record holders of depositary shares, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make such a distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, sell the property and distribute the net proceeds from the sale to the holders. The amounts distributed to holders of depositary shares will be reduced by any amounts required to be withheld by the depositary or by us on account of taxes or other governmental charges.
Redemption of Depositary Shares
If the series of preferred shares represented by depositary shares is subject to redemption, we will give the necessary proceeds to the depositary. The depositary will then redeem the depositary shares using the funds they received from us for the preferred shares. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the redemption price payable per share for the applicable series of the preferred shares and any other amounts per share payable with respect to the preferred shares multiplied by the fraction or multiple of a preferred share represented by one depositary share. Whenever we redeem preferred shares held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem the depositary shares representing the preferred shares on the same day, provided we have paid in full to the depositary the redemption price of the preferred shares to be redeemed and any accrued and unpaid dividends. If fewer than all the depositary shares of a series are to be redeemed, the depositary shares will be selected by lot or ratably or by any other equitable methods as the depositary will decide.
After the date fixed for redemption, the depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be considered outstanding. Therefore, all rights of holders of the depositary shares will then cease, except that the holders will still be entitled to receive any cash payable upon the redemption and any money or other property to which the holder was entitled at the time of redemption. To receive this amount or other property, the holders must surrender the depositary receipts evidencing their depositary shares to the depositary. Any funds that we deposit with the depositary for any depositary shares that the holders fail to redeem will be returned to us after a period of one year from the date we deposit the funds.
Voting the Preferred Shares
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of preferred shares are entitled to vote, the depositary will notify holders of depositary shares of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to the holders. The record date for determining holders of depositary shares that are entitled to vote will be the same as the record date for the preferred shares. The materials the holders will receive will describe the matters to be voted on and explain how the holders, on a certain date, may instruct the depositary to vote the preferred shares underlying the depositary shares. For instructions to be valid, the depositary must receive them on or before the date specified. To the extent possible, the depositary will vote the shares as instructed by the holder. We agree to take all reasonable actions that the depositary determines are necessary to enable it to vote as a holder has instructed. If the depositary does not receive specific instructions from the holders of any depositary shares, it will vote all shares of that series held by it proportionately with instructions received.
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Conversion or Exchange
The depositary, with our approval or at our instruction, will convert or exchange all depositary shares if the preferred shares underlying the depositary shares are converted or exchanged. In order for the depositary to do so, we will need to deposit the other preferred shares, common shares, or other securities into which the preferred shares are to be converted or for which it will be exchanged.
The exchange or conversion rate per depositary share will be equal to:
the exchange or conversion rate per preferred share, multiplied by the fraction or multiple of a preferred share represented by one depositary share;
plus all money and any other property represented by one depositary share; and
including all amounts per depositary share paid by us for dividends that have accrued on the preferred shares on the exchange or conversion date and that have not been paid.
The depositary shares, as such, cannot be converted or exchanged into other preferred shares, common shares, securities of another issuer or any other of our securities or property. Nevertheless, if so specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, a holder of depositary shares may be able to surrender the depositary receipts to the depositary with written instructions asking the depositary to instruct us to convert or exchange the preferred shares represented by the depositary shares into other shares of our preferred shares or common shares or to exchange the preferred shares for any other securities registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. If the depositary shares carry this right, we would agree that, upon the payment of any applicable fees, we will cause the conversion or exchange of the preferred shares using the same procedures as we use for the delivery of preferred shares. If a holder is only converting part of the depositary shares represented by a depositary receipt, new depositary receipts will be issued for any depositary shares that are not converted or exchanged.
Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the form of depositary receipt without consent of the holder at any time. However, if the amendment adds or increases fees or charges, other than any change in the fees of any depositary, registrar or transfer agent, or prejudices an important right of holders, it will only become effective with the approval of holders of at least a majority of the affected depositary shares then outstanding. We will make no amendment that impairs the right of any holder of depositary shares, as described above under “—Withdrawal of Preferred Shares”, to receive preferred shares and any money or other property represented by those depositary shares, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law. If an amendment becomes effective, holders are deemed to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement if they continue to hold their depositary receipts.
The deposit agreement automatically terminates if:
all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed or converted or exchanged for any other securities into which they or the underlying preferred shares are convertible or exchangeable;
each share of preferred shares has been converted into or exchanged for common shares; or
a final distribution in respect of the preferred shares has been made to the holders of depositary receipts in connection with our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up.
We may also terminate the deposit agreement at any time we wish. If we do so, the depositary will give notice of termination to the record holders not less than 30 days before the termination date. Once depositary receipts are surrendered to the depositary, it will send to each holder the number of whole or fractional shares of the series of preferred shares underlying that holder’s depositary receipts.
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Charges of Depositary and Expenses
We will pay the fees, charges and expenses of the depositary provided in the deposit agreement to be payable by us. Holders of depositary receipts will pay any taxes and governmental charges and any charges provided in the deposit agreement to be payable by them. If the depositary incurs fees, charges or expenses for which it is not otherwise liable at the election of a holder of a depositary receipt or other person, that holder or other person will be liable for those fees, charges and expenses.
Limitations on Our Obligations and Liability to Holders of Depositary Receipts
The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary as follows:
we and the depositary are only liable to the holders of depositary receipts for negligence or willful misconduct;
we and the depositary have no obligation to become involved in any legal or other proceeding related to the depositary receipts or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other party, unless you provide us with satisfactory indemnity; and
we and the depositary may rely upon any written advice of counsel or accountants and on any documents we believe in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party.
Resignation and Removal of Depositary
The depositary may resign at any time by notifying us of its election to do so. In addition, we may remove the depositary at any time. Within 60 days after the delivery of a notice of resignation or removal of the depositary, we will appoint a successor depositary.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer in one or more series under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.
We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations.
The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you.
General
We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth in an officer’s certificate or a supplemental indenture. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet), including the following terms, if applicable:
the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);
the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;
the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities being offered and any limit on the aggregate principal amount of such series of debt securities;
whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees;
the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;
the interest rate, if any, and the method for calculating the interest rate;
the dates from which interest will accrue, the interest payment dates and the record dates for the interest payments;
the place or places where principal of, and any interest on, the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;
any mandatory or optional redemption terms;
any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;
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any dates, if any, on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of such repurchase obligations;
the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued;
whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;
the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be U.S. dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;
the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of the principal of, and any interest on, the debt securities will be made;
if payments of principal of, any interest on, the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to such payments will be determined;
the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, or any interest on, the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;
any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;
any addition to, deletion of or change in the events of default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;
any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;
any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents appointed with respect to the debt securities;
the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any series of debt securities, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, the securities or other property into which the debt securities will be convertible, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, at the option of the holders thereof or at our option, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange if such series of debt securities are redeemed; and
any other terms of the series of debt securities that may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.
We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon maturity or a declaration of acceleration of their maturity following an event of default pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Transfer and Exchange
Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the depositary, or a nominee of the depositary (we will refer to any such debt security as a “global debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificate as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth below, global debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.
Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange.
You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.
Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the depositary, and registered in the name of the depositary or a nominee of the depositary. Beneficial interests in global debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form unless (i) the depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for such global debt security or has ceased to be qualified to act as such as required by the indenture and we fail to appoint a successor depositary within 90 days of such event, (ii) we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities or (iii) any other circumstances shall exist, in addition to or in lieu of those described above, as may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless and until a global debt security is exchanged for certificated debt securities under the limited circumstances described in the previous sentence, a global debt security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.
Covenants
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities.
No Protection In the Event of a Change of Control
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.
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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets
Biohaven may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:
Biohaven is the surviving person or the successor person (if other than Biohaven) expressly assumes Biohaven’s obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and
immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Notwithstanding the above, any of Biohaven’s subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to Biohaven.
Events of Default
“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:
default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);
default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;
default in the performance or breach of any covenant by us in the indenture (other than defaults described above or defaults relating to a covenant that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee, or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;
certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of Biohaven; and
any other event of default provided with respect to a series of debt securities that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
No event of default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an event of default with respect to any other series of debt securities. The occurrence of certain events of default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.
If an event of default with respect to any series of debt securities at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing (other than an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization), then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an event of default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal amount (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal
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amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by written notice to us and the trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration of acceleration and its consequences if all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an event of default.
The indenture provides that the trustee will be under no obligation to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right of power. Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.
No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or the securities of any series or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:
that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default with respect to debt securities of that series;
the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request to the trustee to institute the proceedings in respect of such event of default in its own name as trustee under the indenture;
such holder or holders have offered to the trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by the trustee in compliance with such request;
the trustee has failed to institute any such proceeding for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity; and
no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the trustee during such 60-day period by holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series.
Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any interest on, that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security (or, in the case of redemption, on the redemption date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such holder.
The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture from our principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer. If a default or event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to the debt securities of any series and if it is actually known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each holder of the debt securities of that series notice of a default or event of default within 60 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such default or event of default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any default or event of default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities.
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Modification and Waiver
We and the trustee may modify and amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of one or more series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:
to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of a series or secure debt securities of a series;
to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;
to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of any series of debt securities;
to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;
to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;
to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;
to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;
to make any change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;
to conform any supplement to the indenture for a series of securities or the securities of a series to the description of securities for such series in the prospectus supplement or offering document with respect to such series;
to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;
to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee;
to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act; and
for certain other reasons set forth in any prospectus supplement.
We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:
reduce the principal amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;
reduce the principal of, or change the fixed maturity of, any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;
reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;
waive a default in the payment of the principal of, or interest, if any, on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a
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majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);
make the principal of, or any interest on, any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;
make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, and any interest on, those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment;
make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to waivers or amendments; or
waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security, provided that such redemption is made at our option.
Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series, by written notice to the trustee, waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture or the debt securities with respect to such series. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may, on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series, waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, or any interest on, any debt security of that series; provided, however, that the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration.
Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances
Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.
This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred.
Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:
we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and
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any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a default or an event of default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).
The conditions include:
depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, and interest, if any, on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and
delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
General
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which consist of warrants to purchase common shares, preferred shares, depositary shares, and/or debt securities in one or more series. Warrants may be offered independently or together with common shares, preferred shares, depositary shares, and/or debt securities offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from those securities.
While the terms we have summarized below will generally apply to any future warrants we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any warrants that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The specific terms of any warrants may differ from the description provided below as a result of negotiations with third parties in connection with the issuance of those warrants, as well as for other reasons. Because the terms of any warrants we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus.
We will issue the warrants under a warrant agreement, which we will enter into with a warrant agent to be selected by us. We use the term “warrant agreement” to refer to any of these warrant agreements. We use the term “warrant agent” to refer to the warrant agent under any of these warrant agreements. The warrant agent will act solely as an agent of ours in connection with the warrants and will not act as an agent for the holders or beneficial owners of the warrants.
We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement applicable to a particular series of warrants. We urge you to read any applicable prospectus supplement related to the warrants that we sell under this prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreement that contain the terms of the warrants and defines your rights as a warrant holder.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms relating to a series of warrants. If warrants for the purchase of debt securities are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, to the extent applicable:
the offering price and the aggregate number of warrants offered;
the currencies in which the warrants are being offered;
the designation, aggregate principal amount, currencies, denominations and terms of the series of debt securities that can be purchased if a holder exercises a warrant;
the designation and terms of any series of debt securities with which the warrants are being offered and the number of warrants offered with each such debt security;
the date on and after which the holder of the warrants can transfer them separately from the related series of debt securities;
the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;
the date on which the right to exercise the warrants begins and the date on which that right expires;
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federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants; and
any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the warrants.
Warrants for the purchase of debt securities will be in registered form only.
If warrants for the purchase of common shares, preferred shares, or depositary shares are offered, the prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, to the extent applicable:
the offering price and the aggregate number of warrants offered;
the total number of shares that can be purchased if a holder of the warrants exercises them;
the number of warrants being offered with each common share;
the date on and after which the holder of the warrants can transfer them separately from the related common shares or preferred shares or the related depositary shares;
the amount of common shares, preferred shares, or depositary shares that can be purchased if a holder exercises the warrant and the price at which those shares may be purchased upon exercise, including, if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price and in the securities or other property receivable upon exercise;
the terms of any rights to redeem or call, or accelerate the expiration of, the warrants;
the date on which the right to exercise the warrants begins and the date on which that right expires;
federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants; and
any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the warrants.
Warrants for the purchase of common shares, preferred shares, or depositary shares will be in registered form only.
A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase depositary shares or common shares or preferred shares are exercised, holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying depositary shares or common shares or preferred shares, including any rights to receive dividends or to exercise any voting rights, except to the extent set forth under “—Warrant Adjustments” below.
Exercise of Warrants
Each holder of a warrant is entitled to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or number of common shares or preferred shares or depositary shares, as the case may be, at the exercise price described in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the day when the right to exercise terminates (or a later date if we extend the time for exercise), unexercised warrants will become void.
A holder of warrants may exercise them by following the general procedure outlined below:
deliver to the warrant agent the payment required by the applicable prospectus supplement to purchase the underlying security;
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properly complete and sign the reverse side of the warrant certificate representing the warrants; and
deliver the warrant certificate representing the warrants to the warrant agent within five business days of the warrant agent receiving payment of the exercise price.
If you comply with the procedures described above, your warrants will be considered to have been exercised when the warrant agent receives payment of the exercise price, subject to the transfer books for the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrant not being closed on such date. After you have completed those procedures and subject to the foregoing, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver to you the debt securities or shares of common shares or preferred shares or depositary shares that you purchased upon exercise. If you exercise fewer than all of the warrants represented by a warrant certificate, a new warrant certificate will be issued to you for the unexercised amount of warrants. Holders of warrants will be required to pay any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with transferring the underlying securities in connection with the exercise of the warrants.
Amendments and Supplements to the Warrant Agreements
We may amend or supplement a warrant agreement without the consent of the holders of the applicable warrants to cure ambiguities in the warrant agreement, to cure or correct a defective provision in the warrant agreement, or to provide for other matters under the warrant agreement that we and the warrant agent deem necessary or desirable, so long as, in each case, such amendments or supplements do not materially adversely affect the interests of the holders of the warrants.
Warrant Adjustments
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, the exercise price of, and the number of securities covered by, a warrant for depositary shares or shares of common shares or preferred shares will be adjusted proportionately if we subdivide or combine our common shares or preferred shares, as applicable. In addition, unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, if we, without payment:
issue shares of common shares or preferred shares or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for common shares or preferred shares, or any rights to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any of the foregoing, as a dividend or distribution to all or substantially all holders of our common shares or preferred shares;
pay any cash to all or substantially all holders of our common shares or preferred shares, other than a cash dividend paid out of our current or retained earnings;
issue any evidence of our indebtedness or rights to subscribe for or purchase our indebtedness to all or substantially all holders of our common shares or preferred shares; or
issue common shares, preferred shares or additional shares or other securities or property to all or substantially all holders of our common shares or preferred shares by way of spinoff, split-up, reclassification, combination of shares or similar corporate rearrangement;
then the holders of common share warrants, preferred share warrants, or depositary share warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the warrants, in addition to the securities otherwise receivable upon exercise of the warrants and without paying any additional consideration, the amount of shares and other securities and property such holders would have been entitled to receive had they held the common shares or preferred shares or depositary shares issuable under the warrants on the dates on which holders of those securities received or became entitled to receive such additional shares and other securities and property.
Except as stated above, the exercise price and number of securities covered by a warrant for common shares, preferred shares, or depositary shares, and the amounts of other securities or property to be received, if any, upon exercise of those warrants, will not be adjusted or provided for if we issue
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those securities or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for those securities, or securities carrying the right to purchase those securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for those securities.
Holders of common share warrants, preferred share warrants or depositary share warrants may have additional rights under the following circumstances:
certain reclassifications, capital reorganizations or changes of the common shares or preferred shares;
certain share exchanges, mergers, or similar transactions involving us that result in changes of the common shares or preferred shares; or
certain sales or dispositions to another entity of all or substantially all of our property and assets.
If one of the above transactions occurs and holders of our common shares, preferred shares, or depositary shares are entitled to receive shares, securities or other property with respect to or in exchange for their securities, the holders of the common share warrants, preferred share warrants, or depositary share warrants then outstanding, as applicable, will be entitled to receive upon exercise of their warrants the kind and amount of shares and other securities or property that they would have received upon the applicable transaction if they had exercised their warrants immediately before the transaction.
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DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the rights that we may offer under this prospectus. We may issue rights to our shareholders to purchase our common shares and/or any of the other securities offered hereby. Each series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as rights agent. When we issue rights, we will provide the specific terms of the rights and the applicable rights agreement in a prospectus supplement. Because the terms of any rights we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus. We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of rights agreement that describes the terms of the series of rights we are offering before the issuance of the related series of rights. The applicable prospectus supplement relating to any rights will describe the terms of the offered rights, including, where applicable, the following:
the date for determining the persons entitled to participate in the rights distribution;
the exercise price for the rights;
the aggregate number or amount of underlying securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights;
the number of rights issued to each shareholder and the number of rights outstanding, if any;
the extent to which the rights are transferable;
the date on which the right to exercise the rights will commence and the date on which the right will expire;
the extent to which the rights include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities;
anti-dilution provisions of the rights, if any; and
any other terms of the rights, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the distribution, exchange and exercise of the rights.
Holders may exercise rights as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the securities purchasable upon exercise of the rights. If less than all of the rights issued in any rights offering are exercised, we may offer any unsubscribed securities directly to persons other than shareholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS
The following description summarizes the general features of the purchase contracts that we may offer under this prospectus. While the features we have summarized below will generally apply to any future purchase contracts we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any purchase contracts that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The specific terms of any purchase contracts may differ from the description provided below as a result of negotiations with third parties in connection with the issuance of those purchase contracts, as well as for other reasons. Because the terms of any purchase contracts we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, you should rely solely on information in the applicable prospectus supplement if that summary is different from the summary in this prospectus.
We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the form of any purchase contract that we may offer under this prospectus before the sale of the related purchase contract. We urge you to read any applicable prospectus supplement related to specific purchase contracts being offered, as well as the complete instruments that contain the terms of the securities that are subject to those purchase contracts. Certain of those instruments, or forms of those instruments, have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplements to those instruments or forms may be incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part from reports we file with the SEC.
We may issue purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and for us to sell to holders, a specific or variable number of our, or an unaffiliated entity’s, securities at a future date or dates. Alternatively, the purchase contracts may obligate us to purchase from holders, and obligate holders to sell to us, a specific or varying number of our securities.
If we offer any purchase contracts, certain terms of that series of purchase contracts will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following:
the price of the securities or other property subject to the purchase contracts (which may be determined by reference to a specific formula described in the purchase contracts);
whether the purchase contracts are issued separately, or as a part of units each consisting of a purchase contract and one or more of our other securities or securities of an unaffiliated entity, including U.S. Treasury securities, securing the holder’s obligations under the purchase contract;
any requirement for us to make periodic payments to holders or vice versa, and whether the payments are unsecured or pre-funded;
any provisions relating to any security provided for the purchase contracts;
whether the purchase contracts obligate the holder or us to purchase or sell, or both purchase and sell, the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract, and the nature and amount of each of those securities, or the method of determining those amounts;
whether the purchase contracts are to be prepaid or not;
whether the purchase contracts are to be settled by delivery, or by reference or linkage to the value, performance or level of the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract;
any acceleration, cancellation, termination or other provisions relating to the settlement of the purchase contracts;
a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the purchase contracts;
whether the purchase contracts will be issued in fully registered or global form; and
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any other terms of the purchase contracts and any securities subject to such purchase contracts.
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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
We may issue units comprising two or more securities described in this prospectus in any combination. For example, we might issue units consisting of a combination of debt securities and warrants to purchase common shares. The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the units that we may offer pursuant to this prospectus. The particular terms of the units and the extent, if any, to which the general terms and provisions may apply to the units so offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit also is the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. Units will be issued pursuant to the terms of a unit agreement, which may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately at any time or at any time before a specified date. A copy of the forms of the unit agreement and the unit certificate relating to any particular issue of units will be filed with the SEC each time we issue units, and you should read those documents for provisions that may be important to you. For more information on how you can obtain copies of the forms of the unit agreement and the related unit certificate, when filed by us in a future Exchange Act report or as an amendment to the Registration Statement that this prospectus forms a part of, see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
The prospectus supplement relating to any particular issuance of units will describe the terms of those units, including, to the extent applicable, the following:
the designation and terms of the units and the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;
any provision for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and
whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:
at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;
at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or
at negotiated prices.
Each prospectus will indicate if the securities offered thereby will be listed on any securities exchange.
Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.
If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.
Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.
The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their option to purchase additional securities, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions
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allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time. 
If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, underwriters or other persons acting as agents may be authorized to solicit offers by institutions or other suitable purchasers to purchase the securities at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement, pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in the prospectus supplement. These purchasers may include, among others, commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. Delayed delivery contracts will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities covered by the delayed delivery contracts will not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and agents will not have any responsibility with respect to the validity or performance of these contracts.
We may engage in at-the-market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of common shares, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of our common shares. In addition, we may loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.
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VALIDITY OF SECURITIES
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered and certain other matters of British Virgin Islands law will be passed upon for us by Maples and Calder, our special British Virgin Islands counsel, and the validity of the depositary shares, debt securities, warrants, rights, purchase contracts and units and certain other matters of New York law will be passed upon for us by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, New York.
EXPERTS
The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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prospecuscover1a1.jpg
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

Up to $400,000,000
Common Shares

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT


December 23, 2020

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC
Piper Sandler    SVB Leerink
Canaccord Genuity    Mizuho Securities    Wedbush PacGrow    William Blair