UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Filed by the Registrant [X]

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant [  ]

 

Check the appropriate box:

 

[  ]Preliminary Proxy Statement
 
[  ]Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
 
[X]Definitive Proxy Statement
 
[  ]Definitive Additional Materials
 
[  ]Soliciting Materials Pursuant to §240.14a-12

 

Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
 
[X]No fee required.
 
[  ]Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1)Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3)Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
(4)Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5)Total fee paid:
[  ]Fee paid previously with preliminary materials:materials.
 
[  ]Check box if any part of the fee is offset as providedFee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2)Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
(1)Amount previously paid:
(2)Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3)Filing Party:
(4)Date Filed:
0-11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106

Hanover, MD 21076

 

NOTICE OF ANNUALSPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD June 19, 2019ON NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 

NOTICE HEREBY IS GIVEN that the 2019 Annuala Special Meeting of Stockholders of Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will be held at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076, on June 19, 2019,November 14, 2023, beginning at 10:1:00 a.m.,pm, Eastern Time.

The meeting will be heldTime for the following purposes:

 

 1.Proposal 1 - To electapprove an amendment to the four nominees namedCompany’s Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or the Certificate of Incorporation, to effect a reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, at a ratio of not less than 1-for-5 and not more than 1-for-30, such ratio to be determined in the attached Proxy Statementsole discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors, without a corresponding reduction in the Company’s authorized shares, and to serve as directors untilbe effective upon a date determined by the 2020 Annual MeetingBoard of Stockholders;Directors no later than March 18, 2024 (the “Reverse Stock Split Proposal”).
 To approve the Processa Pharmaceutical, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan;
 2.Proposal 2 - To ratifyapprove adjournment of the appointment of BD & Company Inc. as the independent registered public accounting firm of Processa Pharmaceutical, Inc. for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019; and
To transact such other business as properly may come before the AnnualSpecial Meeting or any adjournments thereof. The Board of Directors is not aware of any other business to be presented to a votelater date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes in favor of the stockholders at the Annual Meeting.Reverse Stock Split Proposal or to establish a quorum (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) is not aware of any other business that will be presented for consideration at the Special Meeting. If any other matters should be properly presented at the Special Meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the Special Meeting for action by stockholders, the persons named in the form of proxy will vote the proxy in accordance with their best judgment on that matter.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote “For” both the Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal.

 

Information relating to the above mattersProposals is set forth in the attached Proxy Statement. StockholdersOnly stockholders of record at the close of business on April 1, 2019September 25, 2023 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the AnnualSpecial Meeting and any adjournments thereof.

We hope you will be able to attend the meeting, but in any event, we would appreciate your submitting your proxy as promptly as possible. You may vote by Internet as instructed in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and in the accompanying proxy. If you received a copy of the proxy card by mail, you may also submit your vote by mail. We encourage you to vote by Internet. These methods are convenient and save the Company significant postage and processing charges. If you attend the meeting, you may revoke your proxy and vote in person.

 

By order of the Board of Directors,

 

/s/ George Ng
Chief Executive Officer
Hanover, Maryland

David Young

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors

Hanover, Maryland

April 26, 2019

PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT AND 2018 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K. WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR PROXY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GENERAL INFORMATION 1
Purposes of the Annual Meeting 1
Solicitation 2
Voting, Record Date and Shares Outstanding 2
Quorum 3
Board Recommendation and Voting of Proxies 3
Vote Required 4
Revocability of Proxies 4
Other Business 4
Financial Information 4
PROPOSAL NO. 1 ELECTION OF DIRECTORS 5
PROPOSAL NO. 2 TO APPROVE THE PROCESSA PHARMACEUTICAL, INC 2019 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN 8
PROPOSAL NO. 3 RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM19
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 21
QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD 23
BOARD OF DIRECTORS VACANCIES 23
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF COMMON STOCK 24
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 26
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION 31
TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS AND CERTAIN CONTROL PERSONS 31
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS 32
STOCKHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 32
DELIVERY OF PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL REPORTS 33
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 19, 2019. 33
ANNEX A A-1

ii

PROCESSA PHARMACEUITICALS, INC.

 

7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106

Hanover, MD 21076

 

PROXY STATEMENT

2019 AnnualSpecial Meeting of Stockholders

to be held on June 19, 2019November 14, 2023

 

This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Processa,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”), for use at the 2019 Annual2023 Special Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual“Special Meeting”) to be held at the Processa’sour corporate offices,office located at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076 on November 14, 2023, beginning at 10:1:00 a.m. local timep.m., Eastern Time, and at any postponements or adjournments thereof. This Proxy Statement and the proxies solicited hereby are being first sent or delivered to stockholders of the Company on June 19, 2019.or about October 5, 2023.

 

GENERAL INFORMATIONIMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 14, 2023

 

PurposesWe are taking advantage of Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules that allow us to deliver proxy materials to our stockholders via the Internet. Under these rules, we are sending our stockholders a notice regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials instead of a full printed set of proxy materials. Our stockholders will not receive printed copies of the Annualproxy materials unless specifically requested. On or about October 5, 2023, we will mail to our stockholders who have not previously requested to receive materials by mail or e-mail a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. The notice contains instructions on how to access this proxy statement and our annual report online and how you may submit your proxy by Internet. If you received this notice by mail, you will not automatically receive a printed copy of our proxy materials unless you follow the instructions therein for requesting these materials. For directions to the Special Meeting, please contact our Chief Administrative Officer, Wendy Guy at wguy@processapharmaceuticals.com.

Purpose of the Special Meeting

 

The purposesBoard of Directors is soliciting your proxy for use at our Special Meeting because you owned shares of the AnnualCompany’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), at the close of business on September 25, 2023 (the “Record Date”), and, therefore, are entitled to vote at the Special Meeting are:on the following proposals:

 

 (1)1.Proposal 1 - To electapprove an amendment to the four nominees namedCompany’s Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, or the Certificate of Incorporation, to effect a reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, at a ratio of not less than 1-for-5 and not more than 1-for-30, such ratio to be determined in the attached Proxy Statementsole discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors, without a corresponding reduction in the Company’s authorized shares, and to serve as directors untilbe effective upon a date determined by the 2020 Annual MeetingBoard of Stockholders;Directors no later than March 18, 2024 (the “Reverse Stock Split Proposal”);
   
 (2)2.To approve adjournment of the Processa Pharmaceutical, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan;Special Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes in favor of Reverse Stock Split Proposal or to establish a quorum (the “Adjournment Proposal”).

Questions and Answers about this Proxy Material and the Special Meeting

Why did I receive these materials?

Our Board of Directors is soliciting proxies for the Special Meeting. You are receiving a proxy statement because you owned shares of our common stock on September 25, 2023, our Record Date, and that entitles you to vote at the Special Meeting. By use of a proxy, you can vote whether or not you attend the Special Meeting. This proxy statement describes the matters on which we would like you to vote and provides information on those matters so that you can make an informed decision. The Special Meeting will be held at our corporate headquarters, located at 7380 Coca Cola Drive Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076.

What is “householding” and how does it impact me?

With regard to the delivery of Proxy Statements, under certain circumstances the SEC permits a single set of these documents or, where applicable, one Notice, to be sent to any household at which two or more stockholders reside if they appear to be members of the same family. Each stockholder, however, still receives a separate proxy card. This procedure, known as “householding,” reduces the amount of duplicate information received at a household and reduces delivery and printing costs as well. A number of banks, brokers and other firms have instituted householding and have previously sent a notice to that effect to certain of our stockholders whose shares are registered in the name of the bank, broker or other firm. As a result, unless the stockholders receiving the notice gave contrary instructions, only one Annual Report and/or Proxy Statement, as applicable, will be delivered to an address at which two (2) or more stockholders reside. If any stockholder residing at the address wishes to receive a separate Proxy Statement or Annual Report, as applicable, for the Special Meeting or for future stockholder meetings, the stockholder should contact his or her bank, broker, or other firm in whose name the shares are registered or contact us directly. Direct your request by mail to Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 7380 Coca Cola Drive Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076 or by telephone at 443-776-3133. Similarly, a stockholder may use any of these methods if the stockholder is receiving multiple copies of a Proxy Statement or Annual Report and would prefer to receive a single copy in the future.

What information is contained in this proxy statement?

This proxy statement includes information related to the proposals to be voted on at the Special Meeting and the voting process.

What am I voting on?

You are being asked to vote on the following matters:

 1.
(3)Proposal 1 - To ratifyapprove an amendment to the appointmentCompany’s Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of BD & Company Inc. asIncorporation, or the independent registered public accounting firmCertificate of Processa forIncorporation, to effect a reverse stock split of the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019;Company’s outstanding common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, at a ratio of not less than 1-for-5 and not more than 1-for-30, such ratio to be determined in the sole discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors, without a corresponding reduction in the Company’s authorized shares, and to be effective upon a date determined by the Board of Directors no later than March 18, 2024; and
   
 (4)2.To transact such other business as properly may come beforeapprove adjournment of the AnnualSpecial Meeting or any adjournments thereof. The Board of Directors is not aware of any other business to be presented to a votelater date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of the stockholders at the Annual Meeting.Reverse Stock Split Proposal or establish a quorum.

 

Action may be taken on any oneWho is entitled to vote at the meeting?

Only holders of our common stock as of the foregoing proposalsclose of business on the date specified above forRecord Date will receive notice of, and be eligible to vote at, the AnnualSpecial Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. At the close of business on any date or datesthe Record Date, we had outstanding and entitled to which the Annual Meeting may be adjourned.

This proxy statement and the accompanying formvote 24,606,474 shares of proxy are first being sent or made available to our stockholders on or about April 29, 2019.common stock.

 

1 

 

SolicitationHow many votes do I have?

 

This solicitation is made by Processa, and Processa will pay the cost of soliciting proxies for the Annual Meeting. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, we may solicit proxies personally or by telephone, email, facsimile or other means of communication by our directors, officers and employees. These persons will not specifically be compensated for these activities, but they may be reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with this solicitation. We will not specifically engage any employees or paid solicitors for the purpose of soliciting proxies for the Annual Meeting. We will arrange with brokerage firms and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to forward solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record by these persons. We will reimburse these brokerage firms, custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with this solicitation.

Voting, Record Date and Shares Outstanding

Only holders of recordEach outstanding share of our common stock at the close of business on April 1, 2019 will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof. As of April 1, 2019, there were 38,674,265 shares of our common stock, outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote upon each matter to be presented at the Annual Meeting.

You may vote by mail or in person at the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in the name of your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee, then you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, and you should receive instructions from your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee that must be followed in order for your shares to be voted based on your instructions. Brokerage firms, banks and other nominees typically have a process for their beneficial holders to provide voting instructions online or by telephone.

Voting by Mail. If you are the record holder of your shares, you may vote your shares by mail. By signing the enclosed proxy card and returning it in the postage-prepaid and addressed envelope enclosed with these proxy materials, you are authorizing the individuals named on the proxy card (known as “proxies”) to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting in the manner you indicate. We encourage you to sign and return the proxy card even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting so that your shares will be voted even if you later find yourself unable to attend the Annual Meeting. If you receive more than one proxy card, it is an indication that your shares are held in multiple accounts. Please sign and return all proxy cards that you receive to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

Voting in Person at the Annual Meeting. If you are the record holder of your shares and you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, we will provide you with a ballot at the Annual Meeting. If your shares are registered directly in your name, you have the right to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. However, if you beneficially own your shares and you wish to vote at the Annual Meeting, you will need to bring to the Annual Meeting proof of your ownership of your sharesowned as of the Record Date suchwill be entitled to one vote for each matter considered at the meeting. There is no cumulative voting.

Who can attend the meeting?

Only persons with evidence of stock ownership as an account statement,of the Record Date or who are invited guests of the Company, as determined by the Chairman of the Board or the executive officers of the Company, may attend and a form of personal identification for admissionbe admitted to the Annual Meeting. You will also needSpecial Meeting of the stockholders. Stockholders with evidence of stock ownership as of the record date may be accompanied by one guest. Photo identification may be required (a valid driver’s license, state identification or passport). If a legal proxy from yourstockholder’s shares are registered in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, authorizing you to vote those shares. We recommend you vote bythe stockholder must bring a proxy even if you plan to attendor a letter from that broker, trust, bank or other nominee or their most recent brokerage account statement that confirms that the Annual Meeting. You can always change your vote at the meeting.

If you arestockholder was a beneficial owner of shares registered inof common stock of the nameCompany as of your broker, bank, orthe Record Date. Since seating is limited, admission to the meeting will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cameras (including cell phones with photographic capabilities), recording devices and other nominee, you may have received a proxy card and voting instructions with these proxy materials from that organization rather than from us. Simply complete and mail the proxy card to ensure that your vote is submitted to your broker. To vote in personelectronic devices will not be permitted at the Annual Meeting, you must obtain a valid proxy from your broker. Follow the instructions from your broker included with these proxy materials or contact your broker to request a proxy form.meeting.

 

2

QuorumWhat constitutes a quorum?

 

A quorum, consistingThe presence at the meeting, physically or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of all the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote at the AnnualSpecial Meeting must be present in person or by proxy before any action can be taken by the stockholders at the AnnualSpecial Meeting. Abstentions and withheldProxies received but marked as abstentions or broker non-votes, if any, will be included in the calculation of the number of votes are counted asconsidered to be present and entitled to voteat the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum.

How do I vote my shares?

You may either vote “For”, “Against” or “Abstain” from voting on both the Reverse Stock Split Proposal and the Adjournment Proposal.

 

If you are a stockholder on the Record Date (that is, you own your shares in your own name with our transfer agent and not through a broker, bank or other nominee that holds shares for your account in a “street name” capacity), you can vote at the meeting or by proxy. If you hold your shares beneficially in “street name” through a broker or nominee, you may be able to authorize your proxy by Internet as well as by mail, but you will need to obtain and follow instructions from your broker or nominee to vote these shares.

We urge you to vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the Special Meeting so that we will know as soon as possible that enough votes will be present for us to hold the Special Meeting. If you attend the Special Meeting, you may vote at the Special Meeting and your proxy will not be counted. Our Board of Directors has designated George Ng and Wendy Guy, and each or any of them or their designees, as proxies to vote the shares of common stock solicited on its behalf. You can vote by proxy by any of the following methods.

Voting by Internet. If you are a stockholder on the Record Date, you may vote by proxy by Internet. Proxies submitted through the internet must be received by 11:59 p.m. EDT on November 13, 2023. Please see the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or Proxy Card for instructions on how to vote by Internet.

Voting by Proxy Card. Each stockholder electing to receive stockholder materials by mail may vote by proxy using the accompanying Proxy Card. When you return a proxy card that is properly signed and completed, the shares represented by your proxy will be voted as you specify on the Proxy Card.

Can I change my vote?

Yes. If you are a stockholder on the Record Date you may revoke or change your vote at any time before the proxy is exercised by filing a notice of revocation with the Corporate Secretary or mailing a proxy bearing a later date, submitting your proxy again over the internet or by attending the Special Meeting and voting in person. For shares you hold beneficially in “street name,” you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, trust, bank or other nominee or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from your broker, trust, bank or other nominee giving you the right to vote your shares, by attending the Special Meeting and voting in person. In either case, the powers of the proxy holders will be suspended if you attend the Special Meeting in person and so request, although attendance at the meeting will not by itself revoke a previously granted proxy.

What happens if I do not vote?

If you are a stockholder on the Record Date and do not vote by completing your proxy card, through the internet or at the meeting, your shares will not be voted. If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name ofand do not instruct your broker, bank or other nominee, such shares may be voted by the broker on “routine” matters, which includes ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 3). All other proposals in this Proxy Statement are considered “non-routine.” Your broker will not be ableagent how to vote your shares, on non-routine matters being consideredbrokers and nominees can use their discretion to vote “uninstructed” shares. Accordingly, your broker or nominee may vote your shares for both the Reverse Stock Split Proposal and Adjournment Proposal even in the absence of your instruction.

What if I return a proxy card or otherwise vote but do not make specific choices?

If you return a signed and dated proxy card or otherwise vote without marking voting selections, your shares will be voted “For” both Reverse Stock Split Proposal and Adjournment Proposal. If any other matter is properly presented at the Annual Meeting unless you have givenmeeting, your proxyholder (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares using his or her best judgment.

What are “broker non-votes”?

As discussed above, when a beneficial owner of shares held in “street name” does not give instructions to yourthe broker prioror nominee holding the shares as to the meeting on how to vote your shares. Whenon matters deemed by applicable stock exchange rules to be “non-routine,” the broker does not obtain direction toor nominee cannot vote the shares. These unvoted shares are counted as “broker non-votes.” Both the broker’s abstentionReverse Stock Split Proposal and Adjournment Proposal are considered routine.

How is referredthe Company soliciting this proxy?

We are soliciting this proxy on behalf of our Board of Directors and will pay all expenses associated with this solicitation. In addition to as a “broker non-vote.” mailing these proxy materials, certain of our officers and other employees may, without compensation other than their regular compensation, solicit proxies through further mailing or personal conversations, or by telephone, facsimile or other electronic means. We will also, upon request, reimburse brokers and other persons holding stock in their names, or in the names of nominees, for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for forwarding proxy materials to the beneficial owners of our stock and to obtain proxies.

How many votes are needed to approve each proposal?

The following table summarizes the minimum vote needed to approve each proposal and the effect of abstentions and broker non-votes.

ProposalVoting OptionsVote Required
for Approval
Effect of AbstentionsEffect of Broker
Non-Votes
Reverse Stock Split Proposal - to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our issued common stock, at the discretion of the BoardFor, Against, or AbstainThe majority of votes cast on the proposal at the Special MeetingNo effectBroker non-votes are not counted as votes cast and therefore have no effect on the proposal.
Adjournment Proposal - to approve adjournment of the Special Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes in favor of the Reverse Stock Split Proposal or establish a quorum.For, Against, or AbstainThe majority of votes cast on the proposal at the Special MeetingNo effectBroker non-votes are not counted as votes cast and therefore have no effect on the proposal.

Other than the items in the proxy statement, what other items of business will be considered present for quorum purposesaddressed at the Annual Meeting.

So long as a quorum is present at the beginning of the Annual Meeting, the stockholders present may continue to transact business until adjournment, even if enough stockholders have left the meeting to leave less than a quorum, and even if any stockholder present in person or by proxy refuses to vote or participate in the Annual Meeting. If the Annual Meeting is adjourned for any reason, the approval of the proposals may be considered and voted upon by stockholders at the subsequent reconvened meeting. All proxies will be voted in the same manner as they would have been voted at the original Annual Meeting except for any proxies that have been properly withdrawn or revoked.

Board Recommendation and Voting of ProxiesSpecial Meeting?

 

The Board and management do not intend to present any matters at this time at the Special Meeting other than those outlined in the notice of the Special Meeting. Should any other matter requiring a vote of stockholders arise, stockholders returning the proxy card confer upon the individuals designated as proxies discretionary authority to vote the shares represented by such proxy on any such other matter in accordance with their best judgment.

What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?

You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement, proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. If you are a stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive more than one proxy card. Please vote your shares applicable to each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.

If I previously signed up to receive stockholder materials by mail and wish to access these materials via the internet or electronic delivery in the future, what should I do?

If you have previously signed up to receive stockholder materials, including proxy statements, by mail, you may choose to receive these materials by accessing the internet or via electronic delivery in the future. You can help us achieve a substantial reduction in our printing and mailing costs by choosing to receive stockholder materials by means other than the mail. If you choose instead to receive your proxy materials via electronic delivery, you will receive an email containing the proxy materials.

If your shares are registered in your own name (instead of through a broker or other nominee), sign up to receive proxy materials in the future by accessing the internet or via electronic delivery by visiting the following website: https://www.cstproxy.com/processapharmaceuticals/sm2023.

Your election to receive your proxy materials by accessing the internet or by electronic delivery will remain in effect for all future stockholder meetings unless you revoke it before the meeting by following the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials or by calling or sending a written request addressed to:

Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106

Hanover, Maryland 21076

(443) 776-3133

Attention: Wendy Guy

If you hold your shares in an account at a brokerage firm or bank participating in a “street name” program, you can sign up for electronic delivery of proxy materials in the future by contacting your broker.

Where can I find the voting results of the special meeting?

We will announce the preliminary voting results at the special meeting and release the final results in a Form 8-K within four business days following the special meeting.

PROPOSAL NO. 1

APPROVE AND ADOPT AN AMENDMENT TO THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO EFFECT A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF OUR COMMON STOCK, AT THE DISCRETION OF THE BOARD

We are seeking stockholder approval to grant the Board discretionary authority to amend our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (such amendment as shown in Appendix A) to effect a reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, such split to combine a number of outstanding shares of common stock at a ratio of not less than five (5) shares and not more than 30 shares, into one share of common stock at any time prior to March 18, 2024.

The amendment will not change the number of authorized shares of common stock, the terms of our common stock or the relative voting power of our stockholders. Because the number of authorized shares will not be reduced, the number of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock will materially increase and will be available for reissuance by the Company. The Reverse Stock Split, if effected, would affect all of our holders of common stock uniformly.

The Board unanimously approved and recommended seeking stockholder approval of this Proposal on September 18, 2023.

Even if the stockholders approve the Reverse Stock Split Proposal, we reserve the right not to effect the Reverse Stock Split if the Board does not deem it to be in the best interests of our stockholders. The Board believes that granting this discretion provides the Board with maximum flexibility to act in the best interests of our stockholders. If this Reverse Stock Split Proposal is approved by the shareholders, the Board will have the authority, in its sole discretion, without further action by the shareholders, to effect the Reverse Stock Split. If the Reverse Stock Split is not implemented by the Board before March 18, 2024, the Reverse Stock Split Proposal will be deemed abandoned, without any further effect. In that case, the Board may again seek stockholder approval at a future date for a Reverse Stock Split if it deems a Reverse Stock Split to be advisable at that time.

The Board’s decision as to whether and when to effect the Reverse Stock Split will be based on a number of factors, including prevailing market conditions, existing and expected trading prices for our common stock, compliance with the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market, or Nasdaq, and the likely effect of such results on the market price of our common stock.

The Reverse Stock Split is not being proposed in response to any effort of which we are aware to accumulate our shares of common stock or obtain control of the Company, nor is it a plan by management to recommend a series of similar actions to our Board or our stockholders. The Reverse Stock Split is not intended as, and will not have the effect of, a “going private transaction” covered by Rule 13e−3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

There are certain risks associated with a reverse stock split, and we cannot accurately predict or assure the reverse stock split will produce or maintain the desired results. See “Certain Risks Associated with a Reverse Stock Split.” However, our Board believes that the benefits to the Company and our stockholders outweigh the risks and recommends that you vote in favor of granting the Board the discretionary authority to effect a vote:reverse stock split.

Certain of our officers and directors have an interest in this Reverse Stock Split as a result of their ownership of shares of stock of the Company, as discussed in further detail in the section entitled “Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock” set forth below.

Reasons for the Amendment

The primary purpose for effecting the Reverse Stock Split, should the Board choose to effect one, would be to increase the per share trading price of our common stock. The Board believes that, should the appropriate circumstances arise, effecting the Reverse Stock Split would, among other things, help us to:

 

 FORMeet certain listing requirements and maintain our listing on Nasdaq;
Appeal to a broader range of investors to generate greater investor interest in the electionCompany; and
Improve the perception of eachour common stock as an investment security.

Nasdaq Listing Requirements

The last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq reported on September 22, 2023 was $0.2996 per share. On March 22, 2023, we received notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff of Nasdaq indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our common stock for the prior 30 consecutive business days, we were not in compliance with the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for continued listing on Nasdaq as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The notification provided us with an initial compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until September 18, 2023 to regain compliance. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of our common stock must be at least $1.00 or higher for a minimum of ten consecutive business days, and in such case, Nasdaq will provide us with written confirmation of compliance. We were unable to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement by September 18, 2023. The Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff has since extended the date by which we must be in compliance until March 18, 2024, and it is the Board’s intent to implement a reverse stock split prior to such date if necessary to regain compliance. If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance periods, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, we may be subject to delisting. If Nasdaq decides to delist our common stock, we will have the right to appeal to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel.

If our stockholders do not approve the Reverse Stock Split Proposal, the Company may be delisted from Nasdaq due to our failure to maintain a minimum bid price for our common stock of $1.00 per share as required by Nasdaq. Reducing the number of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock should, absent other factors, increase the per share market price of our common stock, although we cannot provide any assurance that, following the Reverse Stock Split, our minimum bid price would remain over the minimum bid price requirement of Nasdaq.

The Board has considered the potential harm to the Company and its stockholders should our common stock be delisted from Nasdaq. If our common stock were delisted from Nasdaq, trading of our common stock would most likely take place on an over-the-counter market established for unlisted securities, such as the OTCQB or the Pink Market maintained by OTC Markets Group Inc. An investor would likely find it less convenient to sell, or to obtain accurate quotations in seeking to buy, our common stock on an over-the-counter market, and many investors would likely not buy or sell our common stock due to difficulty in accessing over-the-counter markets, policies preventing them from trading in securities not listed on a national exchange or other reasons. In addition, as a delisted security, our common stock would be subject to SEC rules as a “penny stock,” which impose additional disclosure requirements on broker-dealers. The regulations relating to penny stocks, coupled with the typically higher cost per trade to the investor of penny stocks due to factors such as broker commissions generally representing a higher percentage of the price of a penny stock than of a higher-priced stock, would further limit the ability of investors to trade in our common stock. In addition, delisting could harm our ability to raise capital through alternative financing sources on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and may result in the potential loss of confidence by investors, suppliers, customers and employees and fewer business development opportunities. For these reasons and others, delisting would adversely affect the liquidity, trading volume and price of our common stock, causing the value of an investment in us to decrease and having an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and to raise capital. The Board believes that the Reverse Stock Split is a potentially effective means for us to maintain compliance with the rules of Nasdaq and to avoid, or at least mitigate, the likely adverse consequences of our common stock being delisted from Nasdaq by producing the immediate effect of increasing the bid price of our common stock.

Appeal to a Broader Range of Investors to Generate Greater Investor Interest in the Company

An increase in our stock price may make our common stock more attractive to investors. Brokerage firms may be reluctant to recommend lower-priced securities to their clients. Many institutional investors have policies prohibiting them from holding lower-priced stocks in their portfolios, which reduces the number of potential purchasers of our common stock. Investment funds may also be reluctant to invest in lower-priced stocks. Investors may also be dissuaded from purchasing lower-priced stocks because the brokerage commissions, as a percentage of the total transaction, tend to be higher for such stocks. Moreover, the analysts at many brokerage firms do not monitor the trading activity or otherwise provide coverage of lower-priced stocks. Giving the Board the ability to effect a Reverse Stock Split, and thereby increase the price of our common stock, would give the Board the ability to address these issues if it is deemed necessary.

Improve the Perception of Our Common Stock as an Investment Security

We believe that our stock price is undervalued and does not truly reflect the value of our Company due to the lack of visibility. Our Board unanimously approved the discretionary authority to effect a Reverse Stock Split as one potential means of increasing the share price of our common stock to improve the perception of our common stock as a viable investment security including in connection with potential acquisition transactions. Lower-priced stocks have a perception in the investment community as being risky and speculative, which may negatively impact not only the price of our common stock, but also our market liquidity. In addition, a low stock price may be perceived negatively by vendors, suppliers, and other business partners.

Criteria to be Used for Determining Whether to Implement Reverse Stock Split

In determining whether and when to effect the Reverse Stock Split and which Reverse Stock Split ratio to implement, if any, following receipt of stockholder approval of this proposal, the Board may consider factors such as:

the historical trading price and trading volume of the director nominees (Proposal 1).common stock;
   
 FORthe approvalthen-prevailing trading price and trading volume of the Processa Pharmaceutical, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan (a copycommon stock and the expected impact of which is attached to this Proxy Statement asAnnex A) (Proposal 2).the Reverse Stock Split on the trading market for the common stock in the short- and long-term;
   
 FORthe ratification of the appointment of BD & Company Inc. as our independent registered public accounting firmcontinued listing requirements for the year ending December 31, 2019 (Proposal 3).

The Board has designated David Young and Wendy Guy, and each or any of them as proxy agents to vote the shares solicited. If you complete and submit your proxy before the Annual Meeting, the proxy agents will vote the shares represented by your proxy in accordance with your instructions. If you submit a proxy without giving voting instructions, your shares will be voted in the manner recommended by the Board on all matters presented in this Proxy Statement. If any other matters are properly presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a motion to adjourn the Annual Meeting to another time or place (including, without limitation, for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies), the proxy agents will have discretion to vote on those matters in accordance with their best judgment. We do not currently anticipate that any other matters will be raised at the Annual Meeting.

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Vote Required

For the election of directors, you have the option to vote “For” or “Withhold” authority to vote for any of the director nominees. Assuming a quorum is present, a plurality of the votes cast is required for the election of directors. This means that the four director nominees with the most votes will be elected. If you “Withhold” authority to vote on any or all nominees, your vote will have no effect on the outcome of the election. If you hold your shares in “street name” and do not provide instructions to your broker, your broker will not have discretionary authority with respect to the proposal to elect directors and will therefore provide a “broker non-vote.” Since broker non-votes are not deemed votes cast, they will have no effect on the outcome of the election.

For the approval of the adoption of the Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan, you have the option to vote “For,” “Against” or “Abstain” from voting. Assuming a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock of Processa represented at the Annual Meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote is required to approve the adoption of the Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan. If you “Abstain” from voting with respect to this proposal, your shares will be counted as present and entitled to vote and your vote will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal.

For the ratification of the appointment of BD & Company Inc. as our independent registered public accounting firm, you have the option to vote “For,” “Against” or “Abstain” from voting. Assuming a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock of Processa represented at the Annual Meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote is required to ratify the appointment of BD & Company Inc. as our independent registered public accounting firm. If you “Abstain” from voting with respect to this proposal, your shares will be counted as present and entitled to vote and your vote will have the same effect as a vote against the proposal. If you hold your shares in “street name” and do not provide instructions to your broker, your broker will have discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to this proposal.

Revocability of Proxies

Any stockholder of record delivering a proxy has the power to revoke it at any time before it is voted by: (i) giving written notice to Wendy Guy, our Corporate Secretary at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076; (ii) submitting a proxy card bearing a later date; or (iii) voting in person at the Annual Meeting.

If you are a beneficial owner of shares registered in the name of your broker, bank, or other nominee, you must contact them in order to find out how to revoke your proxy. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, in and of itself, constitute a revocation of a proxy if you hold your shares in “street name.”

Other Business

Although the notice of Annual Meeting provides for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting, our Board currently has no knowledge of any matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting other than those referred to in this Proxy Statement. The solicited proxies give discretionary authority to the proxy agents named therein to vote in accordance with the recommendation of the Board if any other matters are presented.

Financial Information

Our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K as amended including, but not limited to, the balance sheets and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for Processa as of and for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 accompanies these materials. A copy of the 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K as amended may be obtained without charge upon request to Jim Stanker our Chief Financial Officer at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD, 21076. Our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K as amended is also available on our website at https://processapharmaceuticals.com/investors-sec-filings.php

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PROPOSAL NO. 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Processa’s business and affairs are managed under the direction of the Board. All of our directors are elected at each annual meeting to serve until their successors are duly elected or until their earlier death, resignation or removal. If any of the nominees for director at the Annual Meeting becomes unavailable for election for any reason (none being presently known), the proxy agents will have discretionary authority to vote, pursuant to the proxies, for a suitable substitute or substitutes selected in accordance with the best judgment of the proxy agents.

Nominees for Election

The Board has nominated the four persons named in the table below for election as directors at the Annual Meeting. Each nominee listed below currently serves as a director of Processa.

Name of Nominee Age Position Held with Processa Director Since
David Young 66 Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer 2017
Patrick Lin 53 Chief Business-Strategy Officer and Director 2017
Justin Yorke 52 Director 2017
Virgil Thompson 79 Director 2017

The Board has determined that both Justin Yorke and Virgil Thompson qualify as independent directors under the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market (the “NASDAQ Listing Rules”).

Set forth below with respect to each director nominee standing for election at the 2019 Annual Meeting are such nominee’s principal occupation and business experience during at least the past five years, the names of other publicly-held companies for which such nominee serves or has served as a director during such period, and the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that has led the Board to conclude that each nominee should serve as a director of the Company.

David Young, Pharm.D., Ph.D.-Dr. Young is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and has over 30 years of pharmaceutical research, drug development, and corporate experience. He was a Founder and CEO of Promet Therapeutics, LLC (“Promet”) since its formation in August 2015. He served as our interim CFO from October 4, 2017 to September 1, 2018. From 2006 to 2009, prior to joining the Questcor executive management team, Dr. Young served as an independent Director on the Questcor Board of Directors. As an independent director, Dr. Young, representing Questcor, worked with the FDA in developing a process to obtain approval for Acthar (the only commercial product owned by Questcor) in Infantile Spasms (IS), a deadly and debilitating very rare orphan indication. In 2009, Dr. Young joined the Questcor executive management team as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) in order to obtain IS FDA approval and market exclusivity by completing the New Drug Application (NDA) process, working with FDA on modernizing the label, and leading all aspects of approval including the Advisory Committee Meeting that voted to approve the NDA for IS. During the eight years that Dr. Young was involved with Questcor as an independent director and as its CSO, Questcor transitioned to an orphan drug specialty pharmaceutical company, moving from an outdated Acthar label and near bankruptcy in 2007 to a modernized Acthar label that helped it to achieve sales greater than $750 million per year and the ultimate sale of the company for approximately $5.6 billion in 2014. While serving on Questcor’s Board of Directors, Dr. Young was Executive Director & President, U.S. Operations of AGI Therapeutics plc. Dr. Young has also served as the Executive Vice President of the Strategic Drug Development Division of ICON plc, an international CRO, and was the Founder and CEO of GloboMax LLC, a CRO specializing in FDA drug development, purchased by ICON plc in 2003. Prior to forming GloboMax, Dr. Young was a Tenured Associate Professor at the School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, where he led a group of 30 faculty, scientists, postdocs, graduate students and technicians in evaluating the biological properties of drugs and drug delivery systems in animals and humans.

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Dr. Young is an expert in small molecule and protein non-clinical and clinical drug development. He has served on FDA Advisory Committees, was Co-Principal Investigator on a FDA-funded Clinical Pharmacology contract, was responsible for the analytical and pharmacokinetic evaluation of all oral products manufactured in the UMAB-FDA contract which lead to the SUPAC and IVIVC FDA Guidances, for 5 years taught FDA reviewers as part of the UMAB-FDA contract, has served on NIH grant review committees, and was Co-Principal Investigator on a National Cancer Institute contract to evaluate new oncology drugs. Dr. Young has met more than 100 times with the FDA on more than 50 drug products and has been a key team member on more than 30 NDA/supplemental NDA approvals. Dr. Young has more than 150 presentations-authored publications-book chapters, including formal presentations to the FDA, FDA Advisory Committees, and numerous invited presentations at both scientific and investment meetings. Dr. Young received his B.S. in Physiology from the University of California at Berkeley, his M.S. in Medical Physics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and his Pharm.D. - Ph.D. with emphasis in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Southern California.

Patrick Lin - Mr. Lin is our Chief Business-Strategy Officer and has over 20 years of financing and investing experience in the Biopharm Sector. He was Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Promet Therapeutics, LLC. He is Founder and, for more than 15 years, Managing Partner of Primarius Capital, a family office that manages public and private investments focused on small capitalization companies. For 10 years prior to forming Primarius Capital, Mr. Lin worked at several Wall Street banking and brokerage firms including Robertson Stephens & Co., E*Offering, and Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Lin was Co-Founding Partner of E*Offering. Mr. Lin received an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a Master of Engineering Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. We believe Mr. Lin is qualified to serve on our Board because of his extensive investment experience with publicly traded biotechnology companies.

Justin W. Yorke - Mr. Yorke has served as a Director since October 2017. Mr. Yorke has over 25 years of experience as an institutional equity fund manager and senior financial analyst for investment funds and investment banks and was appointed as a Director in August 2017. For more than the past 10 years he has been a manager of the San Gabriel Fund, JMW Fund and the Richland Fund whose primary activity is investing in public and private companies in the United States. Mr. Yorke served as non-executive Chairman of Jed Oil and a Director/CEO at JMG Exploration. Mr. Yorke was a Fund Manager and Senior Financial Analyst, based in Hong Kong, for Darier Henstch, S.A., a private Swiss bank, where he managed their $400 million Asian investment portfolio. Mr. Yorke was an Assistant Director and Senior Financial Analyst with Peregrine Asset Management, which was a unit of Peregrine Securities, a regional Asian investment bank. Mr. Yorke was a Vice President and Senior Financial Analyst with Unifund Global Ltd., a private Swiss Bank, as a manager of its $150 million Asian investment portfolio. Mr. Yorke has a B.A. from University of California, Los Angeles. We believe Mr. Yorke is qualified to serve on our Board because of his extensive investment experience.

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Virgil Thompson-Mr. Thompson has served as a Director since October 2017 and previously served on the Board of Directors at Promet Therapeutics, LLC. He served as a Director of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (formerly Questcor Pharmaceuticals), and Director of GenZ Corporation, both companies he resigned from in 2017. From July 2009 to July 2015, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Spinnaker Biosciences, Inc., and now serves as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Thompson also served as Chairman of the Board of Aradigm Corporation Mr. Thompson served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Questor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until Questcor was acquired by Mallinckrodt in August 2014. Mr. Thompson served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Angstrom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2002 until 2007. From 2000 until 2002, Mr. Thompson was Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Chimeric Therapies, Inc. From 1999 until 2000, Mr. Thompson was President, Chief Operating Officer and, from 1994, a Director of Bio-Technology General Corporation (subsequently Savient Pharmaceuticals, Inc.). Mr. Thompson obtained a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from the University of Kansas and a J.D. degree from the George Washington University Law School. We believe Mr. Thompson is qualified to serve on our Board because of his extensive industry and board experience with publicly traded biotechnology companies.

Vote Required

Assuming a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting is required for the election of directors.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT THE
STOCKHOLDERS VOTEFOR EACH OF THE NOMINEES NAMED ABOVE.

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PROPOSAL NO. 2
TO APPROVE THE PROCESSA PHARMACEUTICAL, INC 2019 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

We are seeking stockholder approval of the Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), including the authority to issue up to 3,500,000 shares of our common stock under the Plan, as such number of shares may be adjusted as described below.

The two complementary goals of the Plan are to attract and retain outstanding individuals to serve as our officers, directors, employees, and consultants and to increase stockholder value by providing participants incentives to increase stockholder value by offering the opportunity to acquire shares of our common stock, receive monetary payments based on the value of our common stock and receive other incentive compensation on the potentially favorable terms that the Plan provides.

Our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, authorizes the issuance of 350,000,000 shares of common stock, and as of April 1, 2019, there were 38,674,265 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. The market value of one share of common stock on the over-the-counter market as of the close of market on March 28, 2019 was $2.50.

Key Reasons to Support the Plan

We believe our equity-based compensation programs are integral to our success. Approval of the Plan will allow us to grant equity and other incentive awards as an essential element that we believe will contribute to our future performance.

The number of shares reserved under the Plan, in our belief, represents an acceptable level of dilution to our existing shareholders in light of the benefits to our future performance that we expect the Plan to support. We estimate that the 3,500,000 shares reserved for issuance under the Plan could result in a maximum potential dilution to our existing stockholders of approximately 8.3% based on our current total of 38,674,265 shares of common stock outstanding ason Nasdaq or other applicable exchange and our ability to maintain the listing of April 1, 2019 (calculated by taking the number of shares reserved under the Plan divided by the sum of the number of shares reserved plus the number of shares outstanding).
Following our merger with Heatwurx, our equity grants have been solely related to the hiring of new employees. We consider our prior grants to be fairly modest, and we expect to continue similar grant practices as we hire new employees and plan to compensate our existing staff with equity based compensation if the Plan is approved.

The Plan incorporates several provisions that are considered leading pay practices or that protect our stockholders’ interests, including the following:

No tax gross-ups for excise taxes that may be imposedcommon stock on payments to our executive officers in connection with a change of control.Nasdaq;
   
 A “double trigger” requirement for accelerated vestingactual and forecasted results of equity grants upon a changeoperations, and the likely effect of control in which the grants are assumed or replaced so that, in addition to the occurrence of the change of control, the award holder’s employment must be terminated by us without cause or by the award holder with good reason in order for his or her unvested equity to become vested on an accelerated basis.

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A requirement that the exercise or grant prices for stock options and stock appreciation rights awards under the Plan be at least 100% of the fair market value of the share subject to the awardthese results on the grant date and may not be decreased after the grant date.market price of common stock;
   
 No amendments may be made to the Plan to materially increaseprojected impact of the number of shares reserved for issuance withoutReverse Stock Split ratio on trading liquidity in the approval of our stockholders.common stock;
   
 Nothe number of shares of common stock options or stock appreciation rights may be granted effective prior tooutstanding and the datepotential devaluation of our market capitalization as a result of the grant is approved.Reverse Stock Split; and
prevailing general market, industry and economic conditions.

 

The Board reserves the right to elect to abandon the Reverse Stock Split, notwithstanding stockholder approval thereof, if our Board determines, in its sole discretion, that the Reverse Stock Split is no longer in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. In making such determination, our Board will take into account certain factors including the expected trading prices for our common stock, actual or forecasted results of operations and the likely effect of such results on the market price of our common stock, as well as the factors described above.

Certain Risks and Potential Disadvantages Associated with the Reverse Stock Split

EffectWe cannot assure you that the proposed Reverse Stock Split will increase the price of Approvalour common stock.

We expect that the Reverse Stock Split will increase the market price of our common stock. However, the effect of the Reverse Stock Split on the market price of our common stock cannot be predicted with any certainty, and the history of reverse stock splits for other companies in our industry is varied, particularly because investors may view a reverse stock split negatively. It is possible that the per share price of our common stock after the Reverse Stock Split will not increase in the same proportion as the reduction in the number of outstanding shares of common stock following the Reverse Stock Split, and the Reverse Stock Split may not result in a per share price that would attract investors who do not trade in lower-priced securities. In addition, we cannot assure you that our common stock will be more attractive to investors. Even if we implement the Reverse Stock Split, the market price of our common stock may decrease due to factors unrelated to the Reverse Stock Split, including our future performance. If the Reverse Stock Split is consummated and the trading price of our common stock declines, the percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of our overall market capitalization may be greater than would occur in the absence of the Reverse Stock Split.

The proposed Reverse Stock Split may decrease the liquidity of our common stock and result in higher transaction costs.

 

The Plan will become effective,Reverse Stock Split may decrease the liquidity of our common stock because fewer shares would be issued and grantsoutstanding after the Reverse Stock Split. In addition, if the Board implements the Reverse Stock Split, more stockholders may own “odd lots” of fewer than 100 shares of common stock, which may be made undermore difficult to sell. Brokerage commissions and other costs of transactions in odd lots are generally higher than the Plan, onlycosts of transactions of more than 100 shares or multiples of 100 shares of common stock. Accordingly, the Reverse Stock Split may not achieve the desired results of increasing marketability of the common stock as described above.

We may not satisfy the Nasdaq continued listing requirements following the Reverse Stock Split.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Even if the Reverse Stock Split is approved and effected, we may not be able to satisfy other continued Nasdaq listing criteria, such as the minimum stockholders’ equity or minimum market value of shares. Our failure to comply with Nasdaq continued listing standards would result in our common stock being delisted from Nasdaq. We and holders of our securities could be materially adversely impacted if our securities are delisted from Nasdaq. In particular:

we may be unable to raise equity capital on acceptable terms or at all;
we may lose the confidence of our business partners, which would jeopardize our ability to continue our business as currently conducted;
the price of our common stock will likely decrease as a result of the loss of market efficiencies associated with Nasdaq and the loss of federal preemption of state securities laws;
holders may be unable to sell or purchase our securities when they wish to do so;
we may become subject to stockholder litigation;
we may lose the interest of institutional investors in our common stock;
we may lose media and analyst coverage;
our common stock could be considered a “penny stock,” which would likely limit the level of trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock; and
we would likely lose any active trading market for our common stock, as it may only be traded on one of the over-the-counter markets, if at all.

If the Reverse Stock Split is approved and effected, the resulting per-share market price may not attract institutional investors or investment funds and may not satisfy the investing guidelines of such investors and, consequently, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not improve.

While the Board believes that a higher stock price may help generate investor interest, there can be no assurance that the Reverse Stock Split will result in a per-share market price that will attract institutional investors or investment funds or that such share price will satisfy the investing guidelines of institutional investors or investment funds. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.

A decline in the market price of our common stock after the Reverse Stock Split is approved and effected may result in a greater percentage decline than would occur in the absence of the Reverse Stock Split.

If the Reverse Stock Split is approved and effected and the market price of our common stock declines, the percentage decline may be greater than would occur in the absence of the Reverse Stock Split. The market price of our common stock will, however, also be based upon our performance and other factors, which are unrelated to the number of shares of common stock outstanding.

Principal Effects of a Reverse Stock Split

If our stockholders approve this proposal. IfReverse Stock Split Proposal and the Plan is approved, thenBoard elects to effect a Reverse Stock Split, our prior equity incentive compensation plan,issued and outstanding shares of common stock would decrease at a rate of approximately one share of common stock for every five (5) shares to thirty (30) shares of common stock currently outstanding depending on the Heatwurx, Inc. 2011 Amendedamount of the Reverse Stock Split. The Reverse Stock Split would be effected simultaneously for all of our common stock, and Restated Equity Plan (the “Prior Plan”), will terminatethe exchange ratio would be the same for all shares of common stock. The Reverse Stock Split would affect all of our stockholders uniformly and no new awards will be granted underwould not affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership interests in the Prior Plan, although awards previously granted underCompany. The Reverse Stock Split would not affect the Prior Planrelative voting or other rights that accompany the shares of our common stock. Common stock issued pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split would remain fully paid and still outstanding willnon-assessable. The Reverse Stock Split would not affect our securities law reporting and disclosure obligations, and we would continue to be subject to all terms and conditionsthe periodic reporting requirements of the Prior Plan.Exchange Act. We have no current plans to take the Company private. Accordingly, the Reverse Stock Split is not related to a strategy to do so.

In addition to the change in the number of shares of common stock, a Reverse Stock Split may result in some stockholders owning “odd lots” of less than 100 shares of common stock, which may be more difficult to sell and may cause those holders to incur greater brokerage commissions and other costs upon sale. A Reverse Stock Split would also have the following effects:

Increase the Per Share Price of our Common Stock

By effectively condensing a number of pre-split shares into one share of common stock, the per share price of a post-split share is generally greater than the per share price of a pre-split share. The amount of the initial increase in per share price and the duration of such increase, however, is uncertain. If appropriate circumstances exist, the Board may utilize the Reverse Stock Split as part of its plan to maintain the required minimum per share price of the common stock under the Nasdaq listing standards noted above.

Increase in the Number of Shares of Common Stock Available for Future Issuance

By reducing the number of shares outstanding without reducing the number of shares of available but unissued common stock, the Reverse Stock Split will increase the number of authorized but unissued shares. The Company may also use authorized shares in connection with the financing of future mergers or acquisitions.

The following table contains approximate information relating to our common stock, based on share information as of September 1, 2023, and not taking into account any adjustments related to fractional shares as further described below:

  Current  After Reverse
Stock Split if
1:5 Ratio is
Selected
  After Reverse
Stock Split if
1:30 Ratio is
Selected
 
Authorized common stock  100,000,000   100,000,000   100,000,000 
Common stock issued  24,706,474   4,941,295   823,550 
Common stock outstanding  24,606,474   4,921,295   820,216 
Common stock authorized but unissued  75,293,526   95,058,705   99,176,450 

Although the Reverse Stock Split would not have any dilutive effect on our stockholders, a reverse stock split without a reduction in the number of shares authorized for issuance would reduce the proportion of shares owned by our stockholders relative to the number of shares authorized for issuance, giving our Board an effective increase in the authorized shares available for issuance, in its discretion. Our Board from time to time may deem it to be in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders to enter into transactions and other ventures that may include the issuance of shares of our common stock. If our Board authorizes the issuance of additional shares subsequent to the Reverse Stock Split described above, the dilution to the ownership interest of our existing stockholders may be greater than would occur had the Reverse Stock Split not been effected. Many stock issuances not involving equity compensation do not approve this proposal, thenrequire stockholder approval, and our Board generally seeks approval of our stockholders in connection with a proposed issuance only if required at that time.

Required Adjustment to Currently Outstanding Securities Exercisable or Convertible into Shares of our Common Stock

A Reverse Stock Split would effect a reduction in the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise or conversion of our outstanding stock options or warrants in proportion to the Reverse Stock Split ratio. Additionally, the exercise price of outstanding options or warrants would increase, likewise in proportion to the reverse stock split ratio.

Require Adjustments to Number of Shares of Common Stock Available for Future Issuance under our Incentive Plan will not become effective

In connection with any Reverse Stock Split, our Board would also make a corresponding reduction in the number of shares available with respect to shares available for grant granted under our equity incentive plans so as to avoid the effect of increasing the value of options and the Prior Plan will remain in effect.shares previously granted.

 

SummaryAuthorized Shares of Common Stock

The Reverse Stock Split, if effected, will not change the number of authorized shares of common stock but will increase the number of authorized shares available for future issuance for corporate needs such as equity financing, mergers or acquisitions, retirement of outstanding indebtedness, stock splits and stock dividends, employee benefit plans, or other corporate purposes as may be deemed by the Board to be in the best interests of the PlanCompany and its stockholders. The Board believes the increase in available shares for future issuance is appropriate to fund the future operations of the Company. It will also provide the Company with greater flexibility to respond quickly to advantageous business opportunities or to make acquisitions using its common stock. As a result, the Company’s current number of authorized shares of common stock may enable the Company to better meet its future business needs.

We believe that the current amount of authorized common stock will make a sufficient number of shares available, should the Company decide to use its shares for one or more of such previously mentioned purposes or otherwise. The Board will also have the ability to issue additional shares of stock without further vote of the stockholders of the Company, except as provided under the Delaware General Corporation Law or under the rules of any national securities exchange on which shares of stock of the Company are then listed.

Procedure for Effecting Reverse Stock Split

If the Reverse Stock Split Proposal is approved by our stockholders, our Board, in its sole discretion, will determine whether such an action is in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders, taking into consideration the factors discussed above. If our Board believes that the Reverse Stock Split is in our best interests and the best interest of our stockholders, our Board will then implement the Reverse Stock Split.

Upon approval of the Reverse Stock Split, we would then file a certificate of amendment to our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of the State of Delaware at such time as our Board determines is the appropriate effective time to effect the Reverse Stock Split. The certificate of amendment would add a new provision providing that holders of our common stock immediately prior to the filing of the amendment will receive one share of common stock for each number of shares as determined by the Board. A copy of the proposed amendment is attached to this proxy statement as Appendix A and is considered a part of this proxy statement. Upon the filing of the certificate of amendment, and without any further action on the part of the Company or our stockholders, the issued shares of common stock held by stockholders of record as of the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split would be converted into a lesser number of shares of common stock calculated in accordance with the Reverse Stock Split ratio of not less than one-for-five (1:5) or not more than one-for-thirty (1:30), as selected by our Board and set forth in the certificate of amendment.

For example, if a stockholder presently holds 100 shares of our common stock, he or she would hold 20 shares of common stock following a one-for-five reverse stock split, or 4 shares of common stock following a one-for-thirty reverse stock split, in each case of fractional share will be rounded up to the nearest whole number, as described below under “Fractional Shares.” Beginning on the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split, each certificate representing pre-split shares would be deemed for all corporate purposes to evidence ownership of post-split shares.

As soon as practicable after the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split, stockholders would be notified that the Reverse Stock Split had been effected.

Effect on Beneficial Holders (i.e., Stockholders Who Hold in “Street Name”)

Upon the Reverse Stock Split, we intend to treat common stock held by stockholders in “street name,” through a bank, broker or other nominee, in the same manner as stockholders whose shares are registered in their own names. Banks, brokers or other nominees will be instructed to effect the Reverse Stock Split for their customers holding common stock in “street name.” However, these banks, brokers or other nominees may have different procedures than registered stockholders for processing the Reverse Stock Split. If you hold shares of common stock with a bank, broker or other nominee and have any questions in this regard, you are encouraged to contact your bank, broker or other nominee.

Effect on Registered “Book-Entry” Holders (i.e., Stockholders That are Registered on the Transfer Agent’s Books and Records)

Registered holders of common stock who hold some or all of their shares electronically in book-entry form with our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, do not need to take any action to receive post-Reverse Stock Split shares. If a stockholder is entitled to post-Reverse Stock Split shares, a transaction statement will automatically be sent to the stockholder’s address of record indicating the number of shares (including fractional shares) of common stock held following the Reverse Stock Split.

Fractional Shares

No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders who otherwise would be entitled to receive fractional shares because they hold a number of shares not evenly divisible by the reverse stock split ratio of the Reverse Stock Split, will be entitled, upon surrender of certificate(s) representing these shares, to a number of shares of shares rounded up to the nearest whole number and, accordingly, no money will be paid for a fractional share.

Accounting Matters

The par value of our common stock would remain unchanged at $0.0001 per share, if a Reverse Stock Split is effected.

The Company’s stockholders’ equity in its consolidated balance sheet would not change in total. However, the Company’s stated capital (i.e., $0.0001 par value times the number of shares issued and outstanding), would be proportionately reduced based on the reduction in shares of common stock outstanding. Additional paid in capital would be increased by an equal amount, which would result in no overall change to the balance of stockholders’ equity.

Additionally, net income or loss per share for all periods would increase proportionately as a result of a Reverse Stock Split since there would be a lower number of shares outstanding. We do not anticipate that any other material accounting consequences would arise as a result of a Reverse Stock Split.

Potential Anti-Takeover Effect

Even though a potential Reverse Stock Split would result in an increased proportion of unissued authorized shares to issued shares, which could, under certain circumstances, have an anti-takeover effect (for example, by permitting issuances that would dilute the stock ownership of a person seeking to effect a change in the composition of the Board or contemplating a tender offer or other transaction for the combination of us with another company), the Reverse Stock Split Proposal is not being proposed in response to any effort of which we are aware to accumulate shares of our common stock or obtain control of us, nor is it part of a plan by management to recommend a series of similar amendments to our Board and our stockholders.

No Appraisal Rights

Our stockholders are not entitled to appraisal rights with respect to a reverse stock split, and we will not independently provide stockholders with any such right.

Material Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split

 

The following is a summary of the material provisionsfederal income tax consequences of the Plan. A copyreverse stock split to holders of the Plan is attached to this Proxy Statement as Annex Aour Common Stock and is incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement in its entirety. This summary is subject to the language of the Plan and the Plan shall control if thereCompany. This discussion is any inconsistency between this summary and the Plan.

Administration.The Plan will be administered by our board of directors (the “Board”), the compensation committee of the Board (the “Committee”), any other committee of the Board, any subcommittee of the Committee or one or more of our officers to whom the Board or Committee has delegated authority, which are collectively referred to as the “Administrator.” The Administrator will have the authority to interpret the Plan or award agreements entered into with respect to the Plan; make, change, and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; make changes to, or reconcile any inconsistency in, the Plan or any award or agreement covering an award; and take any other action needed to administer the Plan.

Eligibility; Participant Award Limits.The Administrator may designate any of the following as a participant under the Plan: any officer or employee, or individuals engaged to become an officer or employee, of our company or our affiliates; consultants of our company or our affiliates; and our directors, including our non-employee directors. We currently have four directors, two of whom are non-employee directors, two executive officers, approximately 15 employees and zero consultants who are eligible to participate in the Plan.

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Types of Awards.The Plan permits the Administrator to grant stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance units, shares of common stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units, cash incentive awards, dividend equivalent units, or any other type of award permitted under the Plan. If the Plan is approved, then the Administrator may grant any type of award to any participant it selects, but only our employees or our subsidiaries’ employees may receive grants of incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 ofbased on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Awards, existing, proposed and temporary Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) rulings, administrative pronouncements and judicial decisions in effect as of the date of this Information Statement, all of which are subject to change (possibly with retroactive effect) or to different interpretations. The summary does not address all aspects of federal income taxation that may be granted aloneapply to a stockholder as a result of the Reverse Stock Split and is included for general information only. In addition, the summary does not address any state, local or in addition to, in tandem with,non-U.S. income or (subject toother tax consequences of the repricing prohibition described below) in substitution for any other award (or any other award granted under another plan of our company or any affiliate, including the plan of an acquired entity).Reverse Stock Split.

 

Shares Reserved under the Plan.The Plan providessummary does not address tax consequences to stockholders that 3,500,000 shares of our common stock are reserved for issuance under the Plan, subject to adjustmentspecial tax rules, including, without limitation, banks, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, personal holding companies, non-U.S. entities, nonresident alien individuals, broker-dealers, S corporations, entities treated as described below. We may issue all reserved sharespartnerships or partners of such partnerships, persons who acquired our Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of incentivecompensatory stock options.options, estates, trusts and tax-exempt entities. The numbersummary further assumes that stockholders have held our Common Stock subject to the Reverse Stock Split as a capital asset within the meaning of shares reserved for issuance underSection 1221 of the PlanCode and will continue to hold such common stock as a capital asset following the Reverse Stock Split. No ruling from the IRS or opinion of counsel will be reduced onobtained regarding the date of the grant of any award by the maximum number of shares, if any, that may become payable with respectfederal income tax consequences to which such award is granted. However, an award that may be settled solely in cash will not deplete the Plan’s share reserve at the time the award is granted. If (a) an award lapses, expires, is canceled, or terminates without issuance of shares or is settled in cash, (b) the Administrator determines that the shares granted under an award will not be issuable because the conditions for issuance will not be satisfied, (c) shares are forfeited under an award, or (d) shares are issued under any award and we reacquire them pursuant to our reserved rights upon the issuance of the shares, then those shares are added back to the reserve and may again be used for new awards under the Plan. Shares that are tendered or withheld in payment of the exercise price of a stock option orstockholders as a result of the net settlement of an outstanding stock appreciation right, shares we purchase using proceeds from stock option exercises and shares tendered or withheld to satisfy any federal, state, or local tax withholding obligations may not be made available for re-issuance under the Plan.Reverse Stock Split.

 

Options.The Administrator may grant stock options and determine all terms and conditions of each stock option, which include the number of stock options granted, whether a stock option is to be an incentive stock option or non-qualified stock option, and the grant date for the stock option. However, the exercise price per share of common stock may never be less than the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of grant and the expiration date may not be later than 10 years after the date of grant. Stock options will be exercisable and vest at such times and be subject to such restrictions and conditions as are determined by the Administrator, including with respect to the manner of payment of the exercise price of such stock options.

Stock Appreciation Rights.The Administrator may grant stock appreciation rights (“SARs”). An SAR is the right of a participant to receive cash in an amount, and/or common stock with a fair market value, equal to the appreciation of the fair market value of a share of common stock during a specified period of time. The Plan provides that the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each SAR, including, among other things: (i) whether the SAR is granted independently of a stock option or relates to a stock option, (ii) the grant price, which may never be less than the fair market value of our common stock as determined on the date of grant, (iii) a term that must be no later than 10 years after the date of grant, and (iv) whether the SAR will settle in cash, common stock or a combination of the two.

Performance and Stock Awards.The Administrator may grant awards of shares of common stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units (“RSU”) or performance units. Restricted stock means shares of common stock that are subject to a risk of forfeiture and/or restrictions on transfer, which may lapse upon the achievement or partial achievement of performance goals (as described below) or upon the completion of a period of service. An RSU grants the participant the right to receive cash or shares of common stock, the value of which is equal to the fair market value of one share of common stock, to the extent performance goals are achieved or upon the completion of a period of service. Performance units give the participant the right to receive cash or shares of common stock valued in relation to a unit that has a designated dollar value or the value of which is equal to the fair market value of one or more shares of common stock, to the extent performance goals are achieved.THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS BASED ON CURRENT LAW AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONSTITUTE A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES RELATING TO THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT. STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT IN LIGHT OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE TAX ADVICE.

 

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The Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of

We believe that the awards including (i) whether performance goals mustReverse Stock Split, if implemented, would be achieved for the participant to realize any portion of the benefit provideda tax-free recapitalization under the award, (ii)Code. If the length ofReverse Stock Split qualifies as a recapitalization under the vesting and/Code, then, generally, for United States federal income tax purposes, no gain or performance period and, if different, the date that payment of the benefitloss will be made, (iii) with respect to performance units, whether to measure the value of each unit in relation to a designated dollar value or the fair market value of one or more shares of common stock, and (iv) with respect to performance units and RSUs, whether the awards will settle in cash, in shares of common stock (including restricted stock) or in a combination of the two.

Cash Incentive Awards.The Administrator may grant cash incentive awards. A cash incentive award is the right to receive a cash payment to the extent one or more performance goals are achieved. The Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of a cash incentive award, including, but not limited to, the performance goals (as described above), the performance period, the potential amount payable and the timing of payment. While the Plan permits the granting of cash incentive awards, it does not restrict our ability to grant cash awards outside of the Plan.

Performance Goals.For purposes of the Plan, the Administrator may establish any objective or subjective performance goals to measure the level of performance and determine the payout or vesting of an award. Performance goals may relate to one or more of the following measures, or other measures establishedrecognized by the Administrator, with respect to our Company or any one or more of our subsidiaries, affiliates, or other business units (singly or in combination): net sales; cost of sales; revenue; gross income; net income; operating income; income from continuing operations; earnings (including before taxes, and/or interest, and/or depreciation and amortization); earnings per share (including diluted earnings per share); price per share of common stock; cash flow; net cash provided by operating activities; net cash provided by operating activities less net cash used in investing activities; net operating profit; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; return on stockholder equity; return on capital; return on assets; operating working capital; average accounts receivable; economic value added; total stockholder return; customer satisfaction; operating margin; profit margin; sales performance; sales quota attainment; new sales; cross/integrated sales; customer engagement; internal revenue growth; client retention; the achievement of research, production, or regulatory approval milestones; achievement of merger or acquisition milestones (including but not limited to identification of acquisition candidates). Performance goals may also relate to a participant’s individual performance. The Administrator reserves the right to adjust any performance goals or modify the manner of measuring or evaluating a performance goal.

Dividends and Dividend Equivalent Units.The Administrator may grant dividend equivalent units in connection with RSUsthe Reverse Stock Split, and no gain or performance units. A dividend equivalent unit gives the participant the right to receive a payment, in cash orloss will be recognized by stockholders that exchange their shares of common stock,pre-split Common Stock for shares of post-split Common Stock. The post-split Common Stock in the hands of a stockholder following the Reverse Stock Split will have an aggregate tax basis equal to the cash dividends or other distributions that we pay with respect to a share of common stock. The Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of a dividend equivalent unit award. However, no dividends or dividend equivalent units may be paid with respect to any award that is subject to performance goals unless and until such performance goals have been satisfied.

Other Stock-Based Awards.The Administrator may grant to any participant other stock-based awards, including shares of unrestricted stock, as a replacement for other compensation to which such participant is entitled, such as in payment of director fees, in lieu of cash compensation, in exchange for cancellation of a compensation right, or as a bonus.

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Transferability.Awards are not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, unless the Administrator allows a participant to (i) designate in writing a beneficiary to exercise the award or receive payment under the award after the participant’s death, (ii) transfer an award to a former spouse as required by a domestic relations order incident to a divorce, or (iii) otherwise transfer an award without receiving any consideration.

Adjustments.If (i) we are involved in a merger or other transaction in which our shares of common stock are changed or exchanged; (ii) we subdivide or combine shares of common stock or declare a dividend payable in shares of common stock, other securities, or other property (other than stock purchase rights issued pursuant to a stockholder rights agreement); (iii) we effect a cash dividend that exceeds 10%aggregate tax basis of the fair market value of a share of common stock or any other dividend or distribution in the form of cash or a repurchase of shares of common stockpre-split Common Stock held by that our Board determines is special or extraordinary, or that is in connection with a recapitalization or reorganization; or (iv) any other event occurs that in the Administrator’s judgment requires an adjustment to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Administrator will, in a manner it deems equitable, adjust any or all of (A) the number and type of shares subject to the Plan and which may, after the event, be made the subject of awards; (B) the number and type of shares of common stock subject to outstanding awards; (C) the grant, purchase, or exercise price with respect to any award; and (D) the performance goals of an award.

In any such case, the Administrator may also provide for a cash payment to the holder of an outstanding award in exchange for the cancellation of all or a portion of the award, subject to the terms of the Plan.

The Administrator may, in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization, authorize the issuance or assumption of awards upon terms and conditions we deem appropriate without affecting the number of shares of common stock otherwise reserved or available under the Plan.

Change of Control.To the extent a participant has an employment, retention, change of control, severance, or similar agreement with us or any of our affiliates that discusses the effect of a change of control (as defined in the Plan) on the participant’s awards, such agreement will control. Otherwise, unless otherwise provided in an award agreement or by the Administrator prior to the change of control, in the event of a change of control, if the purchaser, successor or surviving entity (or parent thereof) (the “Successor”) agrees, then some or all outstanding awards will be assumed or replaced with the same type of award with similar terms and conditions. If applicable, each award that is assumed must be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such change of control, to apply to the number and class of securities that would have been issuable to a participant upon the consummation of such change of control had the award been exercised, vested, or earned immediately prior to such change of control, and other appropriate adjustment to the terms and conditions of the award may be made.

If a participant is terminated from employment without cause (as defined in the Plan) or the participant resigns employment for good reason (as defined in the Plan) within 24 months following the change of control, then upon such termination, all of the participant’s awards in effect on the date of such termination will vest in full or be deemed earned in full.

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If the Successor does not assume the awards or issue replacement awards, thenstockholder immediately prior to the change of control date:Reverse Stock Split. Similarly, a stockholder’s holding period for the post-split Common Stock will be the same as the holding period for the pre-split Common Stock exchanged therefor.

 

Each stock option or SAR then held by a participant will become immediately and fully vested, and all stock options and SARs will be cancelled on the change of control date in exchange for a cash payment

Alternative characterizations of the Reverse Stock Split are possible. For example, while the Reverse Stock Split, if implemented, would generally be treated as a tax-free recapitalization under the Code, stockholders whose fractional shares resulting from the Reverse Stock Split are rounded up to the nearest whole share may recognize gain for federal income tax purposes equal to the excess of the change of control price of the shares of common stock over the purchase or grant price of such shares under the award.

Unvested restricted stock, RSUs (and any related dividend equivalent units), and shares of common stock will vest in full.
All performance units (and any related dividend equivalent units) that are earned but not yet paid will be paid in an amount equal to the value of the performance unit, and all such awards for which the performance period has not expired will be cancelled in exchange for a payment equal to the product of (i) the value of the performance units amount that would have been earned if the performance goals (determined at the time of the change of control) were to continue to be achieved at the same rate through the end of the performance period, or if higher, target performance achievement, and (ii) a fraction with a numerator of the number of whole months that have elapsed since the performance period commenced at the time of the change of control and a denominator of the number of whole months in the performance period.
All cash incentive awards that are earned but not yet paid will be paid, and all cash incentive awards that are not yet earned will be cancelled in exchange for a cash payment equal to the product of (i) the value of the awards that would have been earned if the performance goals (determined at the time of the change of control) were to continue to be achieved at the same rate through the end of the performance period, or if higher, target performance achievement, and (ii) a fraction with a numerator of the number of whole months that have elapsed since the performance period commenced at the time of the change of control and a denominator of the number of whole months in the performance period.
All other unvested awards will vest and any amounts payable will be paid in cash.

For the purpose of valuing awards upon a change of control, if the value of any awards mentioned above is based on the fair marketadditional fractional share. However, we believe that, in such case, the resulting tax liability may not be material in view of the low value of a sharesuch fractional interest. Stockholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding alternative characterizations of common stock, “fair market value” will be deemed to mean the per share price paid,Reverse Stock Split for federal income tax purposes.

THE COMPANY’S VIEW REGARDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCE OF THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT IS NOT BINDING ON THE IRS OR THE COURTS. ACCORDINGLY, EACH STOCKHOLDER SHOULD CONSULT WITH HIS OR HER OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING ALL OF THE POTENTIAL TAX CONSEQUENCES TO HIM OR HER OF THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT.

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers

Our directors and executive officers have no substantial interests, directly or deemed paid,indirectly, in the change of control transaction, as determined by the Administrator. However, the terms of any awards subject to Code Section 409A will be governed by Code Section 409Amatters set forth in this Reverse Stock Split Proposal except to the extent required to comply with this section.of their ownership of shares of our common stock.

 

TermReservation of Plan.Unless earlier terminated by the Board, the Plan will remain in effect until the date all shares reserved for issuance have been issued, except that no incentive stock options may be issued if the term of the Plan extends beyond 10 years from the effective date without stockholder approval of such extension.Right to Abandon Reverse Stock Split

 

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Termination and Amendment.The Board or Administrator may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminateWe reserve the Planright to abandon the Reverse Stock Split without further action by our stockholders at any time subject tobefore the following limitations:

the Board must approve any amendment to the Plan if we determine such approval is required by prior action of the Board, applicable corporate law, or any other applicable law; and


stockholders must approve any amendment to the Plan if we determine that such approval is required by Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Code, the listing requirements of any principal securities exchange or market on which the shares are then traded, or any other applicable law. Such amendments include, but are not limited to, an amendment to materially increase the number of shares of common stock reserved under the Plan (except permitted adjustments under the Plan) or an amendment that would diminish the protection against repricing and backdating of options or SARs.

Subject to the requirementseffectiveness of the Plan,filing with the Administrator may modify or amend any award or waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any award or the exerciseSecretary of the award, or amend, modify, or cancel any terms and conditions applicable to any award, in each case, by mutual agreementState of Delaware of the Administratorcertificate of amendment to our Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, even if the participant or any other person(s) that may have an interestauthority to effect a Reverse Stock Split has been approved by our stockholders. By voting in favor of a Reverse Stock Split, you are expressly also authorizing the award,Board to delay, not to proceed with, and abandon, a Reverse Stock Split if it should so long as any such action does not increase the number of shares of common stock issuable under the Plan. We need not obtain participant (or other interested party) consent for any such action (i) that is permitted pursuant to the adjustment provisions of the Plan; (ii) to the extent we deem the action necessary to comply with any applicable law or the listing requirements of any principal securities exchange or market on which our common stock is then traded; (iii) to the extent we deem the action is necessary to preserve favorable accounting or tax treatment of any award for us; or (iv) to the extent we determine that such action does not materially and adversely affect the value of an award ordecide, in its sole discretion, that such action is in the best interestinterests of the affected participant or any other person(s) as may then have an interest in the award.

The authority of the Board and the Committee to terminate or modify the Plan or awards, and to otherwise administer the Plan with respect to outstanding awards, will extend beyond the termination date of the Plan. In addition, termination of the Plan will not affect the rights of participants with respect to awards previously granted to them, and all unexpired awards will continue in force and effect after termination of the Plan except as they may lapse or be terminated by their own terms and conditions.stockholders.

 

Repricing Prohibited.Except for the adjustments provided for in the Plan, neither the Administrator nor any other person may amend the terms of outstanding stock options or SARs to reduce their exercise or grant price, cancel outstanding stock options or SARs in exchange for stock options or SARs with an exercise or grant price that is less than the exercise or grant price of the awards being cancelled, or cancel outstanding stock options or SARs with an exercise or grant price above the current fair market value of a share in exchange for cash or other securities. In addition, the Administrator may not grant a stock option or SAR with a grant date that is effective prior to the date the Administrator takes action to approve such award.

Certain Federal Income Tax Consequences.The following summarizes certain U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the Plan under current tax law.

Tax Consequences of Stock Options.The grant of a stock option will create no income tax consequences to us or the recipient. A participant who is granted a non-qualified stock option will generally recognize ordinary compensation income at the time of exercise in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the common stock at such time over the exercise price. We will generally be entitled to a deduction in the same amount and at the same time as ordinary income is recognized by the participant. Upon the participant’s subsequent disposition of the shares of common stock received with respect to such stock option, the participant will recognize a capital gain or loss (long-term or short-term, depending on the holding period) to the extent the amount realized from the sale differs from the tax basis, i.e., the fair market value of the common stock on the exercise date.THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT PROPOSAL.

 

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In general, a participant will recognize no income or gain as a result of exercise of an incentive stock option (except that the alternative minimum tax may apply). Except as described below, the participant will recognize a long-term capital gain or loss on the disposition of the common stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an incentive stock option and we will not be allowed a deduction. If the participant fails to hold the shares of common stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of an incentive stock option for at least two years from the grant date of the incentive stock option and one year from the exercise date, then the participant will recognize ordinary compensation income at the time of the disposition equal to the lesser of (a) the gain realized on the disposition, or (b) the excess of the fair market value of the shares of common stock on the exercise date over the exercise price. We will generally be entitled to a deduction in the same amount and at the same time as ordinary income is recognized by the participant. Any additional gain realized by the participant over the fair market value at the time of exercise will be treated as a capital gain.

 

Stock Appreciation Rights.The grant of an SAR will create no income tax consequences to us or the recipient. Upon the exercise or maturity of an SAR, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the amount of cash and the fair market value of any shares received. We will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction in the same amount and at the same time as the participant recognizes income. If shares are delivered under the SAR, upon the participant’s subsequent disposition of the shares, the participant will recognize capital gain or loss (long-term or short-term, depending on the holding period) to the extent the amount realized from the disposition differs from the shares’ tax basis, i.e., the fair market value of the shares on the date the participant received the shares.

Restricted Stock.Generally, a participant will not recognize income and we will not be entitled to a deduction at the time an award of restricted stock is made, unless the participant makes the election described below. A participant who has not made such an election will recognize ordinary income at the time the restrictions on the stock lapse in an amount equal to the fair market value of the restricted stock at such time. We will generally be entitled to a corresponding deductionin the same amount and at the same time as the participant recognizes income. Any otherwise taxable disposition of the restricted stock after the time the restrictions lapse will result in a capital gain or loss (long-term or short-term, depending on the holding period) to the extent the amount realized from the sale differs from the tax basis, i.e., the fair market value of the common stock on the date the restrictions lapse. Dividends paid in cash and received by a participant prior to the time the restrictions lapse will constitute ordinary income to the participant in the year paid and we will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction for such dividends. Any dividends paid in stock will be treated as an award of additional restricted stock subject to the tax treatment described herein.

A participant may, within 30 days after the date of the award of restricted stock, elect to recognize ordinary income as of the date of the award in an amount equal to the fair market value of such restricted stock on the date of the award (less the amount, if any, the participant paid for such restricted stock). If the participant makes such an election, then we will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction in the same amount and at the same time as the participant recognizes income. If the participant makes the election, then any cash dividends the participant receives with respect to the restricted stock will be treated as dividend income to the participant in the year of payment and will not be deductible by us. Any otherwise taxable disposition of the restricted stock (other than by forfeiture) will result in a capital gain or loss. If the participant who has made an election subsequently forfeits the restricted stock, then the participant will not be entitled to deduct any loss. In addition, we would then be required to include as ordinary income the amount of any deduction we originally claimed with respect to such shares.

Performance Units and Restricted Stock Units.The grant of a performance unit or RSU will create no income tax consequences to us or the participant. Upon the participant’s receipt of cash and/or shares at the end of the applicable performance or vesting period, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of the shares received, and we will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction in the same amount and at the same time. If performance units or RSUs are settled in whole or in part in shares, upon the participant’s subsequent disposition of the shares the participant will recognize a capital gain or loss (long-term or short-term, depending on the holding period) to the extent the amount realized upon disposition differs from the shares’ tax basis, i.e., the fair market value of the shares on the date the employee received the shares.

Cash Incentive Awards.A participant who is paid an incentive award will recognize ordinary income equal to the amount of cash paid, and we will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction in the same amount and at the same time.

Other Stock Based Awards.A participant who receives shares of common stock pursuant to a stock award will recognize ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the shares received and we will generally be entitled to a corresponding deduction in the same amount and at the same time. Upon the participant’s subsequent disposition of the shares, the participant will recognize a capital gain or loss (long-term or short-term, depending on the holding period) to the extent the amount realized upon disposition differs from the shares’ tax basis, i.e., the fair market value of the shares on the date the employee received the shares.

Withholding.In the event that we or one of our affiliates are required to withhold any federal, state or local taxes or other amounts in respect of any income recognized by a participant as a result of the grant, vesting, payment or settlement of an award or disposition of any shares acquired under an award, we may satisfy such obligation by:

If cash is payable under an award, deducting from such cash payment the amount needed to satisfy such obligation;

If shares are issuable under an award, then to the extent that the Administrator approves, (1) withholding shares of common stock having a fair market value equal to such obligation, or (2) allowing the participant to elect to (a) have us or our affiliates withhold shares otherwise issuable under the award, (b) tender back shares received in connection with such award, or (c) deliver other previously owned shares, in each case having a fair market value equal to the amount to be withheld. However, the amount to be withheld may not exceed the total statutory maximum federal, state, and local tax withholding obligations associated with the transaction to the extent needed for us or our affiliates to avoid an accounting charge; or

Deducting the amount needed to satisfy such obligation from any wages or other payments owed to the participant, requiring such participant to pay us or our affiliate in cash, or making other arrangements satisfactory to us or our affiliate.

No Guarantee of Tax Treatment.Notwithstanding any provisions of the Plan, we do not guarantee that (i) any award intended to be exempt from Section 409A of the Code is so exempt, (ii) any award intended to comply with Section 409A or Section 422 of the Code does so comply, or (iii) any award will otherwise receive a specific tax treatment under any other applicable tax law, nor in any such case will we or any of our affiliates be required to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless any individual with respect to the tax consequences of any award.

Section 162(m) Limit on Deductibility of Compensation.Section 162(m) of the Code limits our deduction to $1 million of compensation paid per person per year, including compensation arising from awards granted under the Plan, with respect to our covered employees.

Treatment of “Excess Parachute Payments.”The accelerated vesting or payment of awards under the Plan upon a change of control of our Company could result in a participant being considered to receive “excess parachute payments” (as defined in Section 280G of the Code), which payments are subject to a 20% excise tax imposed on the participant. In such event, we would not be able to deduct the excess parachute payments made to a participant. The Plan has what is known as a “better of” provision under which the participant will receive the greater after-tax benefit between payment in full, including payment of the excise tax, or reduction of such payment to $1 less than the maximum amount the participant could receive without being subject to the excise tax.

New Plan Benefits.All awards to our directors, executive officers, employees, consultants or advisors are made at our discretion, and the benefits and amounts that will be received or allocated under the Plan are not determinable at this time.

17

Equity Compensation Plan Information.The following table provides information about our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2018.

Plan category 

Number of securities to be issued upon the exercise of outstanding options, warrants, rights and performance share awards

(a)

  

Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrant and rights

(b)

  

Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in the first column)

(c)

 
Equity compensation plan approved by security holders  50,000  $3.47   207,143 
Equity compensation plan not approved by security holders  334,400  $2.84   

-

 
Total  384,400  $2.92   207,143(1)

(1) Represents shares available for issuance under the Heatwurx, Inc. 2011 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting will be required to approve the Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan. Abstentions will be treated as votes “against” the proposal. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

Board of Directors RecommendationPROPOSAL NO. 2

 

ADJOURNMENT OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS, IF NECESSARY, TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL PROXIES IF THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT VOTES IN FAVOR OF THE REVERSE STOCK SPLIT PROPOSAL OR TO ESTABLISH A QUORUM

If we fail to receive a sufficient number of votes to approve the Reverse Stock Split Proposal or to establish a quorum, we may propose to adjourn the Special Meeting, if the Board of Directors determines it to be necessary or appropriate for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies to approve the Reverse Stock Split Proposal. We currently do not intend to propose adjournment of the Special Meeting if there are sufficient votes in favor of the Reverse Stock Split Proposal. If our stockholders approve this proposal, we could adjourn the Special Meeting and any adjourned session of the Special Meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from our stockholders that have previously voted. Among other things, approval of this proposal could mean that, even if we had received proxies representing a sufficient number of votes to defeat the Reverse Stock Split Proposal, we could adjourn the Special Meeting without a vote on such proposal and seek to convince our stockholders to change their votes in favor of such proposal.

If it is necessary or appropriate (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) to adjourn the Special Meeting, no notice of the adjourned meeting is required to be given to our stockholders under Delaware law, other than an announcement at the Special Meeting of the time and place to which the Special Meeting is adjourned, so long as the meeting is adjourned for 30 days or less and no new record date is fixed for the adjourned meeting. At the adjourned meeting, we may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT THE STOCKHOLDERS VOTEFOR “FOR” THE ADOPTIONADJOURNMENT OF THE PROCESSA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. 2019 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN.

PROPOSAL NO. 3
RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

BD & Company Inc.SPECIAL MEETING (THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL), an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited Processa’s financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2018, and 2017. The Board of Directors of Processa has selected BD & Company as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the consolidated financial statements of Processa for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. A representative of BD & Company is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, with the opportunity to make a statement if the representative desires to do so and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Ratification of the appointment of BD & Company as Processa’s independent registered public accounting firm is not required to be submitted to our stockholders for a vote. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires the Audit Committee, or the entire Board of Directors in the event there is no Audit Committee, as is the case with us, to be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the audit work of the independent registered public accounting firm. However, the Board is submitting this matter to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance. If the appointment of BD & Company is not ratified by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors may reconsider whether to retain BD & Company and may retain BD & Company or another firm without resubmitting the matter to Processa’s stockholders. Even if the stockholders vote in favor of ratification of the appointment, the Board of Directors may, in its discretion, direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of Processa and the stockholders.

Audit and Non-Audit Fees Billed to the Company by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed to Processa for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 by BD & Company:

   Fiscal 2018  Fiscal 2017 
Audit Fees $61,544  $24,683 
Audit-Related Fees     - 
Tax Fees  11,750   - 
All Other Fees  24,650   - 
Total $97,944  $24,683 

Audit Fees. These fees were for professional services rendered for 2018 and 2017 in connection with the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The amounts also include fees for services that are normally provided by BD & Company Inc. in connection with statutory and regulatory filings and engagements for the years identified.

Audit-Related Fees. These fees were for assurance and related services that were related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and were not reported under the caption “Audit Fees.” This category may include fees related to the performance of audits and attestation services not required by statute or regulations, or accounting consultations about the application of generally accepted accounting principles to proposed or significant transactions.

Tax Fees. These fees were for tax compliance, tax planning, tax advice and corporate tax services. Corporate tax services encompass a variety of permissible services, including technical tax advice related to tax matters; assistance with withholding-tax matters; assistance with state and local taxes; preparation of reports to comply with local tax authority transfer pricing documentation requirements; and assistance with tax audits.

All Other Fees. These fees were primarily for services related to our Registration Statement on Form S-1 in 2018.

Vote Required

Assuming a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the matter shall ratify the selection of BD & Company as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. Abstentions will be treated as votes “against” the proposal. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

IF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT THE STOCKHOLDERS VOTEFOR RATIFICATIONDETERMINES IT TO BE NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO SOLICIT ADDITIONAL PROXIES, IF THERE ARE NOT SUFFICIENT VOTES IN FAVOR OF THE APPOINTMENT OF OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.REVERSE STOCK SPLIT PROPOSAL.

 

 20

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Our Board believes that adherence to good corporate governance principles is essential to running our business efficiently, to maintaining our integrity in the marketplace, and to ensuring that the Company is managed for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. The Board recognizes that maintaining and ensuring good corporate governance is a continuous process. Our Board has adopted the Processa Pharmaceuticals Inc. Code of Ethical Business Conduct (the “Code of Ethics”) which applies to all of our employees, officers and directors. It establishes standards of conduct for individuals and also individual standards of business conduct and ethics.

Board Leadership Structure

Our Board will periodically review our leadership structure and may make such changes in the future as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide our Board with flexibility to combine or separate the positions of Chairman of our Board and Chief Executive Officer and/or to implement a presiding or lead director in accordance with its determination that utilizing one or the other structure would be in the best interests of the Company. The Board does not currently have a policy, one way or the other, with respect to whether the same person should serve as both the chief executive officer and chair of the Board or, if the roles are separate, whether the chair of the Board should be selected from the non-employee directors or should be an employee. At the present time our Chief Executive Officer serves as the Chairman of the Board. We believe that this leadership structure is appropriate at this time because:

it promotes unified leadership and direction for the Company;

it allows for a single, clear focus for management to execute the Company’s strategic initiatives and business plans;

our Chief Executive Office is in the best position to chair board meetings and to ensure that the key business issues and risks facing the Company are brought to the Board’s attention; and

we can more effectively execute our strategy and business plans to maximize shareholder value when the Chairman of the Board is also a member of the management team.

Processa’s goal is to always have a Board of Directors that brings us a variety of perspectives and skills derived from high quality business, professional and personal experience.

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships among our officers or directors.

Board Committees

We presently do not have an audit committee, compensation committee, nominating/governance committee or any other committee performing similar functions. Our Board does however expect to establish audit, compensation and nomination/governance committees in the future. Until these committees are established, these decisions will continue to be made by our entire Board of Directors.

Director Independence

The Board has determined that both Justin Yorke and Virgil Thompson are independent directors as such term is defined by NASDAQ Listing Rule 5605 for service on our Board of Directors and as members of an audit committee we expect to establish in the future. In addition, Justin Yorke qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined pursuant to SEC rules.

Risk Oversight

Our entire Board has oversight responsibility for the Company’s risk management process, including whether the Code of Ethics is successful in preventing illegal or improper conduct, and our management’s risk assessments and management’s financial risk management policies, including the policies and guidelines used by management to identify, assess and manage our exposure to financial risk. Our Board assesses and monitors any major compensation-related risk exposures and the steps management should take to monitor or mitigate such exposures.

Code of Ethics

We maintain a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, which applies to all of our employees, officers and directors. It establishes standards of conduct for individuals and also individual standards of business conduct and ethics.

Meetings of the Board of Directors

During 2018, our Board met three times. All the directors attended in person or via teleconference 100% of the meetings that occurred during each director’s service on the Board. We anticipate that each member of the Board will attend our annual meetings of stockholders.

22

QUALIFICATIONS OF CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD

The Board of Directors, as a group, identifies and recommends candidates it believes are qualified to stand for election as directors of Processa or to fill any vacancies on the Board. In identifying director candidates, the Board may retain third party search firms.

In order to evaluate and identify director candidates, the Board considers the suitability of each director candidate, including the current members of the Board, in light of the current size, composition and current perceived needs of the Board. The Board seeks highly qualified and experienced director candidates and considers many factors in evaluating such candidates, including issues of character, judgment, independence, background, age, expertise, diversity of experience, length of service and other commitments. Additionally, while the Board does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity, it seeks to have a Board that is diverse in these factors and gives due consideration to contributions to diversity on the Board when evaluating the qualifications of any potential director candidate. The Board does not assign any particular weight or priority to any of these factors. The Board has established the following minimum requirements for director candidates: being able to understand fundamental financial statements; having at least 10 years of relevant business experience; having no identified conflicts of interest as a director of Processa; having not been convicted in a criminal proceeding other than traffic violations during the ten years before the date of selection; and being willing to comply with the Company’s Code of Ethics. The Board retains the right to modify these minimum qualifications from time to time. Exceptional candidates who do not meet all of these criteria may still be considered.

The Board may review director candidates by reviewing information provided to it, through discussions with persons familiar with the candidate, or other actions that the Board deems proper. After such review and consideration, the Board designates any candidates who are to be interviewed and by whom they are to be interviewed. After interviews, the Board would approve any new directors to be nominated.

The Board will consider director candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner that it considers all director candidates. Stockholders who wish to nominate a qualified candidate for the 2020 annual meeting must submit such nomination in writing to Wendy Guy, our Corporate Secretary, at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076, in accordance with the stockholder proposal requirements summarized under “Stockholder Proposals” below.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS VACANCIES

Our bylaws authorize only our Board to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats. In addition, the number of directors constituting our Board is permitted to be set only by a resolution adopted by our Board. These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our Board and then gaining control of our Board by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our Board but promotes continuity of management.

BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF COMMON STOCK

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock at September 1, 2023 for:

Each of our directors;
Each of our named executive officers;
All of our current directors and executive officers as a group; and
Each person, or group of affiliated persons, who beneficially owned more than 5% of our common stock.

The number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned as of April 15, 2019 by each entity, person, director namedor executive officer and beneficial owners of more than 5%is determined in accordance with the rules of the outstandingSEC, and the information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any shares that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days of September 1, 2023, through the commonexercise of any stock based on 38,674,265 shares of common stock issued and outstandingoption, warrants or other rights. Except as of April 15, 2019. Unless otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, the address of each person listed below is c/o 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, Maryland 21076.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially ownedheld by them, subject to community property laws where applicable.that person.

 

For purposesThe percentage of this table, “beneficial ownership”shares beneficially owned is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated undercomputed on the Securities Exchange Actbasis of 1934,24,606,474 shares of our common stock outstanding (including 50,000 issued but unvested shares of restricted stock) as amended (the “Exchange Act”), pursuant to which a person is deemed to have beneficial ownership of any sharesSeptember 1, 2023. Shares of our common stock that such stockholdera person has the right to acquire within 60 days after April 15, 2019. The inclusionof September 1, 2023, are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the person holding such rights, but are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any securities inother person, except with respect to the following table does not constitute an admissionpercentage ownership of beneficial ownership by the persons named below.all directors and executive officers as a group.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned
  

% of Shares of

Common Stock 

Beneficially
Owned

 
Officers and Directors        
David Young(1), (2), (9)  8,093,422   20.93%
Sian Bigora(3)  3,409,316   8.82%
Patrick Lin(7)  2,402,657   6.21%
Wendy Guy(3)  2,097,952   5.42%
Virgil Thompson(8)  606,992   1.57%
Justin Yorke(4)  2,601,739   6.73%
James Stanker  9,000   * 
Total for all Officers and Directors  19,221,078   49.70%
         
5% Stockholders        
Promet Therapeutics, LLC(5)  13,842,032   35.79%
Young-Plaisance Revoc. Trust(2),(10)  3,097,462   8.01%
CorLyst, LLC(6),(11)  2,490,924   6.44%
CoNCERT Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  2,090,301   5.40%

  Shares beneficially owned 
  Shares  Percent 
Name and address of beneficial owner (1)        
Officers and Directors        
         
Sian Bigora (2), (12)  900,402   3.6%
Wendy Guy (3), (12)  706,920   2.8%
Patrick Lin (4)  803,318   3.2%
George Ng  -   - 
James Stanker (5)  470,088   1.9%
David Young (6), (12), (13)  2,068,462   8.3%
Khoso Baluch (7)  27,955   * 
James Neal (8)  14,407   * 
Geraldine Pannu (9)  53,113   * 
Virgil Thompson (10)  142,610   * 
Justin Yorke (11)  578,687   2.4%
         
Total for all Officers and Directors  5,765,962   22.2%
         
Other Stockholder:        
CorLyst, LLC (12), (13)  1,129,331   4.6%
Yuhan Corporation and affiliates  1,250,000   5.1%

 

* - represents less than 1%

(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner listed is c/o Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, Maryland 21076.

(2) Consists of (i) 403,019 shares of common stock held directly by Dr. Bigora; (ii) 133,353 shares held by CorLyst; (iii) restricted stock units representing 347,507 shares of common stock issuable within 60 days of September 1, 2023; and (iv) stock options for the purchase of 16,523 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023.

 (1)David Young is the beneficial owner of these shares. 2,460,982 of these shares are held through David Young’s equity interest in Promet and are excluded from the Promet shares reported in this table.
(2)The shares reported include 3,097,462 shares held by the Young-Plaisance Revoc. Trust and 2,490,924 shares held by CorLyst, LLC (“CorLyst”) and 22,027 shares that David Young will receive on the exercise of stock purchase warrants. David Young is the Trustee of the Young-Plaisance Revoc. Trust and the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member of CorLyst. David Young disclaims beneficial ownership of a portion of CorLyst shares.
(3)Sian Bigora and Wendy Guy are the beneficial owners of these shares through their equity interest in Promet and in CorLyst, CorLyst being an equity holder of Promet. These shares are not included in the Promet or CorLyst number of shares listed in this table.
(4)Justin Yorke, a member of our Board of Directors, is a manager of the San Gabriel Fund, LLC, JMW Fund, LLC and the Richland Fund, LLC. The shares reported for Mr. Yorke include the shares held by these Funds.
(5)The Processa shares listed on this table as owned by Promet are the Processa shares beneficially owned by Promet members other than CorLyst, David Young, Sian Bigora, Patrick Lin, Wendy Guy and Virgil Thompson.
(6)The Processa shares listed on this table as owned by CorLyst are the portion of Processa shares beneficially owned by CorLyst members other than the Young-Plaisance Revocable Trust, Sian Bigora and Wendy Guy.
(7)Patrick Lin is the beneficial owner of these shares, 2,340,099 shares are held by Promet and not included in the Promet number of shares reported in this table and 31,279 shares that Patrick Lin will receive on the exercise of stock purchase warrants.
(8)Virgil Thompson is the beneficial owner of these shares through his equity interest in Promet. These shares are held by Promet and are not included in the Promet shares reported in this table.
(9)Although David Young confers with all other members or parties associated with Promet, CorLyst and the Young-Plaisance Revoc Trust, David Young has voting and investment control of these entities.
(10)Includes 213,250 shares of common stock that will be issued upon the exercise of stock purchase warrants.
(11)Includes 132,159 shares of common stock that will be issued upon the exercise of stock purchase warrants.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION(3) Consists of (i) 187,746 shares of common stock held directly by Ms. Guy; (ii) 166,691 shares held by CorLyst; (iii) restricted stock units representing 335,960 shares of common stock issuable within 60 days of September 1, 2023; and (iv) stock options for the purchase of 16,523 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023.

 

The following table identifies our current executive officers,(4) Consists of (i) 450,835 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Lin; (ii) restricted stock units representing 335,960 shares of common stock issuable within 60 days of September 1, 2023; and (iii) stock options for the positions they hold, and their current age. Our executive officers are appointed by our Boardpurchase of Directors to hold office until their successors are elected or their earlier death, resignation or removal.16,523 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023.

 

NameAgePositions
David Young66Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Patrick Lin53Director and Chief Business and Strategy Officer
Sian Bigora58Chief Development Officer
Wendy Guy54Chief Administrative Officer
James Stanker61Chief Financial Officer

(5) Consists of (i) 61,750 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Stanker; (ii) restricted stock units representing 344,043 shares of common stock issuable within 60 days of September 1, 2023; and (iii) stock options for the purchase of 64,295 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023.

 

For biographical information about(6) Consists of (i) 470,424 shares of common stock held directly by Dr. Young; (ii) 376,980 shares held by family entities; (iii) 829,287 shares held by CorLyst, LLC (“CorLyst”) (458,400 shares held on behalf of entities controlled by Dr. Young and Mr. Lin, please refer to Proposal 1 entitled “Election370,887 shares held on behalf of Directors.” Biographical information about Dr. Bigora, Ms. Guyother stockholders); and Mr. Stanker is as follows:

Sian Bigora, Pharm.D.-Dr. Bigora has over 20 years of pharmaceutical research, regulatory strategy and drug development experience working closely with Dr. Young. She was Co-Founder, Director, and Chief Development Officer at Promet Therapeutics, LLC. Prior to Promet, Dr. Bigora was Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Questcor Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals in 2014) from 2009-2015, including leading efforts on modernizing the Acthar Gel label and in obtaining FDA approval in Infantile Spasms, events of material importance to Questcor’s subsequent success. During her time at Questcor, she assisted in building an expert regulatory group to address both commercial and development needs(iv) restricted stock units for complex products such as Acthar. Dr. Bigora’s role at Questcor included heading up the development of a safety pharmacovigilance group and a clinical quality group. Prior to her position at Questcor, Dr. Bigora was Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, U.S. Operations of AGI Therapeutics, plc. In this role, she was responsible for the development and implementation of Global Phase 3 studies and interactions with regulatory authorities. Previously, she operated her own consulting company, serving as the regulatory and drug development expert team member for multiple small and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Bigora held multiple positions in regulatory affairs, operations and project management ending as VP of Regulatory Affairs at the Strategic Drug Development Division of ICON, plc, an international CRO, and at GloboMax LLC, a CRO specializing in FDA drug development, purchased by ICON plc in 2003. Prior to GloboMax, she worked in the Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics Laboratory at the School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland on the FDA funded Clinical Pharmacology contract and UMAB-FDA contract as a clinical scientist and instructor for FDA reviewers. Dr. Bigora received a Pharm.D. from the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She also completed a Fellowship in Pharmacokinetics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

Wendy Guy-Ms. Guy has more than 20 years of experience in business operations. She has worked closely with Dr. Young over the last 18 years in corporate management and operations, human resources, and finance. She was Co-Founder, Director, and Chief Administrative Officer of Promet Therapeutics, LLC. Prior to Promet, Ms. Guy was employed at Questcor Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals in 2014) as Senior Manager, Business Operation in charge of the Maryland Office for Questcor. During the five years she spent at Questcor, she built a dynamic administrative and contracts team, grew the Maryland Office from two employees to just under 100, and expanded the facility from 1,200 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft. Prior to her position at Questcor, Ms. Guy was Senior Manager, U.S. Operations of AGI Therapeutics, plc. In this role, she was responsible for the day to day business and administrative operations of the company. Previously, she held multiple senior level positions with the Strategic Drug Development Division of ICON, GloboMax, and Mercer Management Consulting. Ms. Guy received an A.A. from Mount Wachusett Community College.

James Stanker -Mr. Stanker was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer effective September 5, 2018. Mr. Stanker has over 30 years of financial and executive leadership experience in the areas of accounting principles and audit standards, regulatory reporting, and fiscal management and strategy. He has served in a financial leadership role as an audit partner at Grant Thornton from February 2000 until his retirement in August 2016. His responsibilities included managing the audit quality in the Atlantic Coast Market Territory. From 2009 to 2012, he served as the Global Head of Audit Quality for Grant Thornton International. Prior to joining Grant Thornton, Mr. Stanker served as the Chief Financial Officer for a NASDAQ listed company and for a privately-held life science company. Mr. Stanker is a Certified Public Accountant. He has a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautics from San Jose State University and a Master’s in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and is Chairman of the Audit Committee of GSE Systems, Inc. Mr. Stanker is also an adjunct professor in the George B. Delaplaine School of Business at Hood College. Since his retirement from Grant Thornton, Mr. Stanker has provided financial consulting services to numerous companies.

Overview

The compensation of our executive officers is structured with the goal of providing a competitive compensation program that will enable us to attract and retain highly-qualified executives, which is necessary to achieve our financial and strategic objectives and create long-term value for our stockholders. Our Chief Executive Officer does not currently draw any salary. Our Chief Financial Officer is currently compensated a combination of base salary and equity compensation in the form of stock options granted outside our existing Heatwurx Omnibus Incentive Plan.

Employment Agreements, Severance and Change in Control Agreements

We have not entered into an employment agreement, severance agreement or change-of-control agreement with our Chief Executive Officer. In connection with Mr. Stanker’s employment, we entered into an employment agreement with him under which he will receive a base salary of $87,500. The Company granted Mr. Stanker stock options to purchase 316,400 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on such date. The options are for a 10-year term and vest 25% on September 1, 2019 and 1/48th of such options shall vest each month thereafter provided Mr. Stanker continues employment with us. In the event Mr. Stanker is terminated without Cause (as defined in the Agreement) or for Good Reason (as defined in the Agreement) prior to September 1, 2019, 25% of such options shall vest. The options shall vest in full upon a Change in Control (as defined in the Agreement) and if terminated without Cause or for Good Reason in connection therewith, he shall also receive six months of base salary as a severance payment. Mr. Stanker is entitled to participate in all employee benefits available to employees of the Company. The Employment Agreement also includes confidentiality provisions. Mr. Stanker also received an option to purchase 18,000 shares of Processa’s common stock at the exercise price $2.84. These options vest 9,000 shares on March 1, 2019 and 9,000 on September 1, 2019.

Summary Compensation Table

The following sets forth all compensation awarded, earned or paid for services rendered in all capacities to our chief executive officers during prior fiscal years. No executive officer received compensation in excess of $100,000 in 2018. No executive officer or director of Processa received or had vested options to acquire securities of Processa in 2017.

Name and Principal Position Year  Salary   Option Awards(2)  Total 
David Young  2018  $-  $-  $- 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer  2017  $-  $-  $- 
                 
Patrick Lin  2018  $44,479  $-  $44,479 
Chief Business and Strategy Officer  2017  $25,000  $-  $25,000 
                 
Sian Bigora  2018  $50,750  $-  $50,750 
Chief Development Officer  2017  $52,500  $-  $52,500 
                 
Wendy Guy  2018  $87,500  $-  $87,500 
Chief Administrative Officer  2017  $87,500  $-  $87,500 
                 
James Stanker  2018  $29,167  $700,400  $729,567 
Chief Financial Officer(1)                

(1)Mr. Stanker started with the Company September 1, 2018.

(2)Reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of equity awards to each named executive officer during 2018, calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Refer to “Note 9 – Stock-Based Compensation” in the audited financial statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for a discussion of the assumptions used in calculating the award amount.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End 2018

The following table lists the outstanding equity awards held by each of our named executive officers as of December 31, 2018:

Name Grant Date Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised Options
(#) Exercisable
  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
  Option Exercise Price ($)  Option Expiration Date
James Stanker 09/01/2018     316,400(1) $2.84  08/31/2028
  09/01/2018  9,000   9,000(2) $2.84  08/31/2028

(1)This option vests 25% on September 1, 2019 and 1/48th of such options shall vest each month thereafter.

(2)The option vests 9,000 shares on each of March 1, 2019 September 1, 2019.

The Company recognizes the value of providing equity-based incentives to its employees and intends to grant Omnibus Incentive awards in the future.

The Heatwurx Board of Directors and stockholders approved the Amended and Restated Heatwurx, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) in October 2012. All prior awards made under the Plan were cancelled prior to October 4, 2017 in connection with reverse merger/tax-free combination with Heatwurx and are available for future issuances. The following information pertains to the Amended and Restated Heatwurx, Inc. 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

Eligibility.Employees, non-employee directors, advisors, and consultants of the Company and its affiliates are eligible to receive grants under the Plan.

Shares Available. 257,143 shares are reserved for issuance under the Plan. There is currently one grant for 50,000391,771 shares of our common stock outstanding under the Plan. If unexercised options expire or are terminated, the underlying shares will again become available for grants under the Plan.

Grants under the Plan. The Plan provides for the grantissuable within 60 days of options to purchase shares of common stock of the Company. Options may be incentive stock options, designed to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or non-statutory stock options, which do not meet those requirements.

Incentive stock options may only be granted to employees of the Company and its affiliates. Non-statutory stock options may be granted to employees, nonemployee directors, advisors, and consultants of Company and its affiliates.

Outstanding Options. As of December 31, 2018, and the date hereof, there were no outstanding option grants under the Plan.

Administration of the Plan. The Plan provides that it will be administered by the Board or a Committee designated by the Board. Our Board of Directors will administer the Plan until such time as the Board appoints a Compensation Committee. The Board or the Compensation Committee once appointed will have complete discretion to:

determine who should receive an option;

determine the type, the number of shares, vesting requirement and other terms and conditions of the options;

interpret the Plan and options granted under the Plan; and

make all other decisions relating to the operations and administration of the Plan and the options granted under the Plan.

Term of Options. The exercise price for non-statutory and incentive stock options granted under the equity compensation plan may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the option grant date or 110% in the case of incentive stock options granted to employees who own stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our common stock (“10%-Stockholders”). The Board of Directors, until a Compensation Committee has been appointed, has the authority to establish the vesting requirements, including the terms under which vesting may be accelerated, and other terms and conditions of the options granted. Options can have a term of no more than ten years from the grant date except for incentive stock options granted to 10%-stockholders which can have a term of no more than five years from the grant date.

The Plan authorizes the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee once appointed to provide for accelerated vesting of options upon a “Change in Control,” as defined in the Plan. A Change in Control includes:

any Person (as such termSeptember 1, 2023. Dr. Young is used in Sections 13(b) and 14(b) of the 1934 Act) who is or becomes the beneficial owner (“Beneficial Owner”) (as defined in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the 1934 Act), directly or indirectly, of securities representing fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of our securities that are then outstanding, provided, however, that an initial public offering shall not constitute a Change in Control for purposes of the Plan;

a merger or consolidation after which our current stockholders own less than 50% of the surviving corporation; or

a sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

Amendment and Termination.The Board of Directors may amend or terminate the Plan and outstanding options at any time without the consent of option holders provided that such action does not adversely affect outstanding options. Amendments are subject to stockholder approval to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations. Unless terminated sooner, the Plan will automatically terminate on April 15, 2021, the tenth anniversary of April 15, 2011, the date the Plan was adopted by our Board of Directors and approved by our Stockholders.

The table below provides information as to our current Amended and Restated 2011 Heatwurx Omnibus Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2018.

  Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Number of securities
remaining available
for issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in
column (a))
 
  (a)  (b)  (c) 
          
Equity compensation plan approved by security holders  50,000  $                   3.47  207,143 
             
Equity compensation plan not approved by security holders  334,400  $2.84   - 
             
Total  384,400       207,143(1)

(1)Consists of shares available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2011 Omnibus Incentive Plan.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Our non-employee directors do not currently receive any compensation for their service on the Board. They are however reimbursed for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with service as a director.

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS
AND CERTAIN CONTROL PERSONS

We do not have a formal written policy for the review and approval of transactions with related parties. Our unwritten policy with regard to transactions with related persons is that all material transactions are to be reviewed by the entire Board for any possible conflicts of interest. The Board is responsible for review, approval, or ratification of “related-person transactions” involving the Company and related persons.

With the exception of the transactions set forth below, the Company was not a party to any transaction (in which the amount involved exceeded the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of our assets for the last two fiscal years) in which a director, executive officer, holder of more than five percent of our common stock, or any member of the immediate family of any such person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest and no such transactions are currently proposed.

CorLyst, LLC

CorLyst, LLC (“CorLyst”) was a related party to Promet Therapeutics, LLC (“Promet”) as one of the largest investors in Promet. As a result of the transaction with Heatwurx, all of Promet’s assets were purchased in exchange for equity in the company and CorLyst is now considered a related party to Processa by association. CorLyst and Processa share certain administrative expenses (salaries, healthcare and office space). David Young, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors, is also the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member of CorLyst. Dr. Young disclaims beneficial ownership of a portion of CorLyst shares.

(7) Consists of 27,955 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Baluch.

(8) Consists of 14,407 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Neal.

(9) Consists of 53,113 shares of common stock held directly by Ms. Pannu.

(10) Consists of (i) 16,693 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Thompson; (ii) 123,849 shares of common stock held directly by the Thompson Family Trust, of which Mr. Thompson is a trustee and has investment and disposition power over the shares of common stock; and (iii) stock options for the purchase of 2,068 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023.

(11) Consists of (i) 56,729 shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Yorke; (ii) the shares held by the Richland Fund, LLC which total 519,890 shares; and (iii) stock options for the purchase of 2,068 shares of common stock exercisable within 60 days of September 1, 2023. Justin Yorke is a manager of the Richland Fund, LLC. David

(12) CorLyst is the beneficial holder of 1,129,331 shares. This beneficial ownership is allocated in the above table as follows: Dr. Young-related entities – 458,400 shares; Dr. Bigora – 133,353 shares; Ms. Guy – 166,691 shares; and other stockholders – 370,887 shares.

(13) Although Dr. Young spends less than 1 hour per week onconfers with all other members or parties associated with CorLyst, activity, while averaging more than 40 hours per week on Processa activities.Dr. Young has voting and investment control of this entity.

 

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

 

Any stockholder desiring to submit a proposal for action by the stockholders at our next annual meeting, which will be our 20202024 annual meeting, must satisfy the requirements set forth in the advance notice provision under our bylaws. To be timely submitted for our 20202024 annual meeting but not included in the Company’s proxy statement, any such proposal must be delivered in writing to our Corporate Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company betweenno later than the close of business on February 18, 2020 and the close of business on March 20, 2020. If the date of the 2020 annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than 30 days after the first anniversary of the 2019 Annual Meeting, notice by the stockholder must be delivered notninetieth (90th) day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120thone hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to the 2020 annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the laterJune 27, 2024 (the one year anniversary of the 90th day prior to the 2020preceding year’s annual meeting or, the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the 2020 annual meeting is first made.meeting.)

 

In addition, anyAny stockholder proposal intended to be included in the Company’s proxy statement for the 20202024 annual meeting must also satisfy Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act and be received no later than December 30, 2019.January 2, 2024. If the date of the 20202024 annual meeting is moved by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the 2019 Annual Meeting, then notice must be received within a reasonable time before we begin to print and send proxy materials.

 

STOCKHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Our stockholders may contact our Board by regular mail to Wendy Guy, our Corporate Secretary at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076. All communications will be reviewed by management and then forwarded to the appropriate director or directors or to the full Board, as appropriate.

 

32

DELIVERY OF PROXY MATERIALS AND ANNUAL REPORTSOTHER MATTERS

 

We may satisfy SEC’s rules regarding deliveryThe Board knows of no matter to be brought before the Special Meeting other than the matters identified in this proxy statements and annual reportsstatement. However, if any other matter properly comes before the Special Meeting or any adjournment of the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the proxy solicited by delivering a single proxy statement and annual reportthe Board to an address sharedvote the shares represented by two or more stockholders. This process is known as “householding.” This delivery method can resultthem in meaningful cost savings for us. In order to take advantage of this opportunity, we have delivered only one proxy statement and annual report to multiple stockholders who share an address, unless contrary instructions were received prior to the mailing date. Accordingly, for many stockholders who holdaccordance with their shares through a bank, brokerage firm or other holder of record (i.e., in “street name”) and share a single address, only one annual report and proxy statement is being delivered to that address unless contrary instructions from any stockholder at that address were received.best judgment.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors:
/s/ David Young
Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Chief Executive Officer

Dated: April 26, 2019

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2019
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JUNE 19, 2019.

The Notice, this Proxy Statement, and the Annual Report on Form 10-K are available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of Processa’s website at http://www.processapharmaceuticals.com/investors-sec-filing.php.

ANNEX A

Processa pharmaceuticals, inc.
2019 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

1. Purposes, History and Effective Date.

(a)Purpose. The Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan has two complementary purposes: (i) to attract and retain outstanding individuals to serve as officers, directors, employees and consultants and (ii) to increase stockholder value by providing Participants incentives to increase stockholder value by offering the opportunity to acquire shares of the Company’s Stock, receive monetary payments based on the value of such Stock, or receive other incentive compensation, on the potentially favorable terms that this Plan provides.

(b)Effective Date. This Plan will become effective, and Awards may be granted under this Plan, on and after the Effective Date. This Plan will terminate as provided in Section 14.

(c)History. Prior to the Effective Date, the Company had in effect the Heatwurx 2011 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (the “Prior Plan”). Upon the Effective Date, the Prior Plan will terminate, and no new awards will be granted under the Prior Plan, although awards previously granted under the Prior Plan and still outstanding will continue to be subject to all terms and conditions of the Prior Plan.

2. Definitions.Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined in this Plan or in any Award agreement have the following meanings:

(a) “Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time. Any reference to a specific provision of the Act shall include any successor provision thereto and the rules and regulations promulgated under such provision.

(b) “Administrator” means the Board or the Committee;provided that, to the extent the Board or the Committee has delegated authority and responsibility as an Administrator of the Plan to one or more committees or officers of the Company as permitted by Section 3(b), the term “Administrator” shall also mean such committee(s) and/or officer(s) to the extent of such delegation.

(c) “Affiliate” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining those individuals to whom an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right that is exempt from Code Section 409A may be granted, the term “Affiliate” means any entity that, directly or through one or more intermediaries, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Company within the meaning of Code Sections 414(b) or (c);providedthat, in applying such provisions, the phrase “at least 20 percent” shall be used in place of “at least 80 percent” each place it appears therein.

(d) “Award” means a grant of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Performance Units, Stock, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, a Cash Incentive Award, Dividend Equivalent Units or any other type of award permitted under this Plan.

(e) “Beneficial Owner” means a Person, with respect to any securities which:

(i) such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates has the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights, warrants or options, or otherwise;provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase; or

(ii) such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates, directly or indirectly, has the right to vote or dispose of or has “beneficial ownership” of (as determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Act), including pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding;provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, any security under this clause (ii) as a result of an agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security if the agreement, arrangement or understanding: (A) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations under the Act and (B) is not also then reportable on a Schedule 13D under the Act (or any comparable or successor report); or

(iii) are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person with which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except pursuant to a revocable proxy as described in clause (ii) above) or disposing of any voting securities of the Company.

(f) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(g) “Cash Incentive Award” means the right to receive a cash payment to the extent Performance Goals are achieved as described in Section 10.

(h) “Cause” has the meaning given in a Participant’s employment, retention, change of control, severance, Award agreement or similar agreement with the Company or any Affiliate, or if no such agreement is in effect or does not include a definition of “Cause,” then (i) if the determination of Cause is being made prior to a Change of Control, Cause has the meaning given in the Company’s employment policies as in effect at the time of the determination or (ii) if the determination of Cause is being made following a Change of Control, Cause has the meaning given in the Company’s employment policies as in effect immediately prior to the Change of Control.

(i) “Change of Control” means, unless specified otherwise in an Award agreement, the first to occur of any of the following with respect to the Company or any upstream holding company (which, for purposes of this definition, shall be included in references to the Company):

(i) any Person (but excluding the Company, any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company, or any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing thirty-five percent (35%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities; or

(ii) the Company is merged or consolidated with any other corporation or other entity, other than: (A) a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity) more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or (B) the Company engages in a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of the Company (or similar transaction) in which no Person acquires thirty-five percent (35%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a merger or consolidation involving the Company shall not be considered a “Change of Control” if the Company is the surviving corporation and the shares of Stock are not converted into or exchanged for stock or securities of any other corporation, cash or any other thing of value, unless Persons who Beneficially Owned the Shares outstanding immediately prior to such transaction Beneficially Own less than a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company immediately following the merger or consolidation;

(iii) the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets (in one transaction or a series of related transactions within any period of 24 consecutive months) other than a sale or distribution of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets to any entity of which at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities are owned by Persons in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale;

(iv) the Company dissolves and liquidates substantially all of its assets; or

(v) at any time after the Effective Date, the “Continuing Directors” cease to constitute a majority of the Board. For this purpose, a “Continuing Director” shall mean: (A) the individuals who, at the Effective Date, constitute the Board; and (B) any new Directors (other than Directors designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of this definition) whose appointment to the Board or nomination for election by Company stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the then-serving Continuing Directors.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in order to ensure compliance with Code Section 409A when applicable, the foregoing definition shall be deemed amended to the minimum extent necessary to comply with Code Section 409A.

(j) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Code includes any successor provision and the regulations promulgated under such provision.

(k) “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board, any successor committee thereto or such other committee of the Board that is designated by the Board with the same or similar authority. The Committee shall consist only of Non-Employee Directors (not fewer than two (2)) who, to the extent necessary for the Plan to comply with Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, meet the requirements of a “non-employee director” as defined in Rule 16b-3.

(l) “Company” means Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

(m) “Director” means a member of the Board.

(n) “Dividend Equivalent Unit” means the right granted in connection with Restricted Stock Units or Performance Units, to receive a payment, in cash or Shares, equal to the cash dividends or other cash distributions paid with respect to a Share.

(o) “Effective Date” means the date the Company’s stockholders approve this Plan.

(p) “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any reference to a specific provision of the Exchange Act includes any successor provision and the regulations and rules promulgated under such provision.

(q) “Fair Market Value” means, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, per Share on a particular date:

(i) if the Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or traded on any established market, the closing sales price of a Share as quoted on such exchange or market (or the exchange or market with the greatest volume of trading in the Stock) on such date, as reported in such source as the Administrator deems reliable. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if there is no closing sales price for the Stock on the date of determination, then the Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price (or closing bid if no sales were reported) on the last preceding date for which such quotation exists; or

(ii) if the Stock is not listed on any exchange or traded on any established market, then the Fair Market Value will be determined by the Administrator in compliance with Code Section 409A and, in the case of an incentive stock option, in compliance with Code Section 422.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a sale of Shares, the actual sale price shall be the Fair Market Value of such Shares.

(r) “Good Reason” has the meaning given in a Participant’s employment, retention, change of control, severance, Award agreement or similar agreement with the Company or any Affiliate, or if no such agreement is in effect or does not include a definition of “Good Reason,” then the occurrence of any of the following events, without the Participant’s advance written consent:

(i) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or cash bonus opportunity;

(ii) a material adverse change in the Participant’s duties, responsibilities, authority, title, status or reporting structure; or

(iii) a geographical relocation of the Participant’s principal office location by more than fifty (50) miles that increases the distance of the Participant’s commute.

A Participant’s Termination shall not be considered to have occurred for “Good Reason” unless (A) within ninety (90) days following the occurrence of one of the events listed above the Participant provides written notice to the Company setting forth the specific event constituting Good Reason, (B) the Company fails to remedy the event constituting Good Reason within thirty (30) days following its receipt of the Participant’s notice, and (C) the Participant actually terminates his or her employment with the Company and its Affiliates within thirty (30) days following the end of the Company’s remedy period.

(s) “Non-Employee Director” means a Director who is not also an employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries.

(t) “Option” means the right to purchase Shares at a stated price for a specified period of time.

(u) “Participant” means an individual selected by the Administrator to receive an Award.

(v) “Performance Goals” means any objective or subjective goals selected by the Administrator to measure the level of performance and determine the payout or vesting of an Award. Performance Goals may include, but are not limited to, the performance of the Company or any one or more of its Subsidiaries, Affiliates or other business units with respect to the following measures (singly or in combination): net sales; cost of sales; revenue; gross income; net income; operating income; income from continuing operations; earnings (including before taxes, and/or interest and/or depreciation and amortization); earnings per share (including diluted earnings per share); price per share; cash flow; net cash provided by operating activities; net cash provided by operating activities less net cash used in investing activities; net operating profit; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; return on stockholder equity; return on capital; return on assets; operating working capital; average accounts receivable; economic value added; total stockholder return; customer satisfaction; operating margin; profit margin; sales performance; sales quota attainment; new sales; cross/integrated sales; customer engagement; internal revenue growth; client retention; the achievement of research, production, or regulatory approval milestones; achievement of merger or acquisition milestones (including but not limited to identification of acquisition candidates). Performance goals may also relate to a Participant’s individual performance.

The Administrator reserves the right to adjust Performance Goals, or modify the manner of measuring or evaluating a Performance Goal, for any reason the Administrator determines is appropriate, including but not limited to: (i) by excluding the effects of charges for reorganizing and restructuring; discontinued operations; asset write-downs; gains or losses on the disposition of a business; or mergers, acquisitions or dispositions; and extraordinary, unusual and/or non-recurring items of gain or loss; (ii) excluding the costs of litigation, claims, judgments or settlements; (iii) excluding the effects of changes in laws or regulations affecting reported results, or changes in tax or accounting principles, regulations or law; and (iv) excluding any accruals of amounts related to payments under the Plan or any other compensation arrangement maintained by the Company or an Affiliate.

The inclusion in an Award agreement of specific adjustments or modifications shall not be deemed to preclude the Administrator from making other adjustments or modifications, in its discretion, as described herein, unless the Award agreement provides that the adjustments or modifications described in such agreement shall be the sole adjustments or modifications.

(w) “Performance Unit” means the right to receive a cash payment and/or Shares valued in relation to a unit that has a designated dollar value or the value of which is equal to the Fair Market Value of one or more Shares, to the extent Performance Goals are achieved (and the other requirements described in the Award agreement, if any, are met).

(x) “Person” has the meaning given in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act as modified and used in Section 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, or any group of Persons acting in concert.

(y) “Plan” means this Processa Pharmaceuticals 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as it may be amended from time to time.

(z) “Restricted Stock” means Shares that are subject to a risk of forfeiture or restrictions on transfer, or both, which may lapse upon the achievement or partial achievement of Performance Goals or upon the completion of a period of service, or both.

(aa) “Restricted Stock Unit” means the right to receive a Share or a cash payment, the value of which is equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share.

(bb) “Section 16 Participants” means Participants who are subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

(cc) “Share” means a share of Stock.

(dd) “Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share.

(ee) “Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means the right to receive a cash payment, and/or Shares with a Fair Market Value, equal to the appreciation of the Fair Market Value of a Share during a specified period of time.

(ff) “Subsidiary” means any corporation, limited liability company or other limited liability entity in an unbroken chain of entities beginning with the Company if each of the entities (other than the last entities in the chain) owns the stock or equity interest possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock or other equity interests in one of the other entities in the chain.

(gg) “Termination” means cessation of employment by, or service to, the Company or an Affiliate for any reason. Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, for purposes of the Plan and all Awards, the following rules shall apply:

(i) the date of a Participant’s Termination shall be the date the Participant ceases to perform services for the Company or an Affiliate, without regard to whether the Participant thereafter continues to receive any compensatory payments or is paid salary in lieu of notice of Termination, and shall disregard any notice or severance period that the Participant may be entitled to receive;

(ii) a Participant who transfers employment between the Company and its Affiliates, or between Affiliates, will not be considered to have experienced a Termination;

(iii) a Participant who ceases to be a Non-Employee Director because he or she becomes an employee of the Company or an Affiliate shall not be considered to have ceased service as a Director with respect to any Award until such Participant’s Termination with the Company and its Affiliates;

(iv) a Participant who ceases to be employed by the Company or an Affiliate and immediately thereafter becomes a Non-Employee Director, a non-employee director of an Affiliate, or a consultant to the Company or any Affiliate shall not be considered to have experienced a Termination until such Participant’s service as a director of, or consultant to, the Company and its Affiliates has ceased; and

(v) a Participant employed by an Affiliate will be considered to have experienced a Termination when such entity ceases to be an Affiliate.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of an Award that is subject to Code Section 409A, if a Participant’s Termination triggers the payment of compensation under such Award, then the Participant will be deemed to have experienced a Termination upon their “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Plan or an Award to the contrary, if any Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Code Section 409A as of the date of their “separation from service” within the meaning of Code Section 409A, then, to the extent required by Code Section 409A, any payment made to the Participant on account of such separation from service shall not be made before a date that is six months after the date of the separation from service.

3. Administration.

(a)Administration. In addition to the authority specifically granted to the Administrator in this Plan, the Administrator has full discretionary authority to administer this Plan, including but not limited to the authority to: (i) interpret the provisions of this Plan or any agreement covering an Award; (ii) prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this Plan; (iii) correct any defect, supply any omission, or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan, any Award or any agreement covering an Award in the manner and to the extent it deems desirable to carry this Plan or such Award into effect; and (iv) make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of this Plan. All Administrator determinations shall be made in the sole discretion of the Administrator and are final and binding on all interested parties.

(b)Delegation to Other Committees or Officers. To the extent applicable law permits, the Board may delegate to another committee of the Board, or the Committee may delegate to either a subcommittee consisting of one or more Committee members or to one or more officers of the Company, any or all of their respective authority and responsibility as an Administrator of the Plan;providedthat no such delegation is permitted with respect to Stock-based Awards made to Section 16 Participants at the time any such delegated authority or responsibility is exercised unless the delegation is to another committee of the Board or sub-committee of the Committee consisting entirely of Non-Employee Directors who also qualify as “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. If the Board or the Committee has made such a delegation, then all references to the Administrator in this Plan include such other committee or one or more officers to the extent of such delegation.

(c)No Liability; Indemnification. No member of the Board or the Committee, and no officer or member of any other committee to whom a delegation under Section 3(b) has been made, will be liable for any act done, or determination made, by the individual in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Award. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each such individual as to any acts or omissions, or determinations made, in each case done or made in good faith, with respect to this Plan or any Award to the maximum extent that the law and the Company’s By-Laws permit.

4. Eligibility. The Administrator may designate any of the following as a Participant from time to time, to the extent of the Administrator’s authority: any officer or other employee of the Company or its Affiliates; any individual that the Company or an Affiliate has engaged to become an officer or employee; any consultant or advisor who provides services to the Company or its Affiliates; or any Director, including a Non-Employee Director. The Administrator’s designation of, or granting of an Award to, a Participant will not require the Administrator to designate such individual as a Participant or grant an Award to such individual at any future time. The Administrator’s granting of a particular type of Award to a Participant will not require the Administrator to grant any other type of Award to such individual.

5. Types of Awards. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator may grant any type of Award to any Participant it selects, but only employees of the Company or a Subsidiary may receive grants of incentive stock options within the meaning of Code Section 422. Awards may be granted alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or (subject to the prohibition on repricing set forth in Section 14(e)) in substitution for any other Award (or any other award granted under another plan of the Company or any Affiliate, including the plan of an acquired entity).

6. Shares Reserved under this Plan.

(a)Plan Reserve. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 16, an aggregate of 3,500,000 Shares are reserved for issuance under this Plan, all of which may be issued pursuant to the exercise of incentive stock options. The Shares reserved for issuance may be either authorized and unissued Shares or Shares reacquired at any time and now or hereafter held as treasury stock.

(b)Depletion of Reserve.The aggregate number of Shares reserved under Section 6(a) shall be depleted on the date of grant of an Award by the maximum number of Shares, if any, that may become payable with respect to such Award. For the sake of clarity, an Award that may be settled solely in cash shall not cause any depletion of the Plan’s Share reserve at the time such Award is granted.

(c)Replenishment of Reserve. If (i) an Award lapses, expires, terminates or is cancelled without the issuance of Shares under the Award (whether due currently or on a deferred basis) or is settled in cash, (ii) it is determined during or at the conclusion of the term of an Award that all or some portion of the Shares with respect to which the Award was granted will not be issuable on the basis that the conditions for such issuance will not be satisfied, (iii) Shares are forfeited under an Award, or (iv) Shares are issued under any Award and the Company subsequently reacquires them pursuant to rights reserved upon the issuance of the Shares, then such Shares shall be recredited to the Plan’s reserve and may again be used for new Awards under this Plan, but Shares recredited to the Plan’s reserve pursuant to clause (iv) may not be issued pursuant to incentive stock options. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the following Shares be recredited to the Plan’s reserve: (A) Shares purchased by the Company using proceeds from Option exercises; (B) Shares tendered or withheld in payment of the exercise price of an Option or as a result of the net settlement of an outstanding Stock Appreciation Right; or (C) Shares tendered or withheld to satisfy federal, state or local tax withholding obligations.

7. Options. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each Option, including but not limited to: (a) whether the Option is an “incentive stock option” which meets the requirements of Code Section 422, or a “nonqualified stock option” which does not meet the requirements of Code Section 422; (b) the grant date, which may not be any day prior to the date that the Administrator approves the grant; (c) the number of Shares subject to the Option; (d) the exercise price, which may never be less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the Option as determined on the date of grant; (e) the terms and conditions of vesting and exercise; (f) the term, except that an Option must terminate no later than ten (10) years after the date of grant; and (g) the manner of payment of the exercise price. In all other respects, the terms of any incentive stock option should comply with the provisions of Code Section 422 except to the extent the Administrator determines otherwise. If an Option that is intended to be an incentive stock option fails to meet the requirements thereof, the Option shall automatically be treated as a nonqualified stock option to the extent of such failure. To the extent permitted by the Administrator, and subject to such procedures as the Administrator may specify, the payment of the exercise price of Options may be made by (w) delivery of cash or other Shares or other securities of the Company (including by attestation) having a then Fair Market Value equal to the purchase price of such Shares, (x) by delivery to the Company or its designated agent of an executed irrevocable option exercise form together with irrevocable instructions to a broker-dealer to sell or margin a sufficient portion of the Shares and deliver the sale or margin loan proceeds directly to the Company to pay for the exercise price, (y) by surrendering the right to receive Shares otherwise deliverable to the Participant upon exercise of the Award having a Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the total exercise price, or (z) by any combination of (w), (x) and/or (y). Except to the extent otherwise set forth in an Award agreement, a Participant shall have no rights as a holder of Stock as a result of the grant of an Option until the Option is exercised, the exercise price and applicable withholding taxes are paid and the Shares subject to the Option are issued thereunder.

8. Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each SAR, including but not limited to: (a) the grant date, which may not be any day prior to the date that the Administrator approves the grant; (b) the number of Shares to which the SAR relates; (c) the grant price, which may never be less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the SAR as determined on the date of grant; (d) the terms and conditions of exercise or maturity, including vesting; (e) the term,provided that an SAR must terminate no later than ten (10) years after the date of grant; and (f) whether the SAR will be settled in cash, Shares or a combination thereof.

9. Performance and Stock Awards. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each award of Shares, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units or Performance Units, including but not limited to: (a) the number of Shares and/or units to which such Award relates; (b) whether, as a condition for the Participant to realize all or a portion of the benefit provided under the Award, one or more Performance Goals must be achieved during such period as the Administrator specifies; (c) the length of the vesting and/or performance period and, if different, the date on which payment of the benefit provided under the Award will be made; (d) with respect to Performance Units, whether to measure the value of each unit in relation to a designated dollar value or the Fair Market Value of one or more Shares; and (e) with respect to Restricted Stock Units and Performance Units, whether to settle such Awards in cash, in Shares (including Restricted Stock), or in a combination of cash and Shares.

10. Cash Incentive Awards. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of a Cash Incentive Award, including but not limited to the Performance Goals, performance period, the potential amount payable, and the timing of payment.

11. Dividends and Dividend Equivalent Units.

(a) Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each award of Dividend Equivalent Units, including but not limited to whether: (i) payment of the Award will be made concurrently with dividend payments or credited to an account for the Participant which provides for the deferral of such amounts until a stated time; (ii) the Award will be settled in cash or Shares; and (iii) as a condition for the Participant to realize all or a portion of the benefit provided under the Award, the same vesting or performance requirements applicable to the related Award must be achieved.

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or an Award to the contrary, no dividends or Dividend Equivalent Units may be paid with respect to an Award that is subject to Performance Goals unless and until such Performance Goals have been satisfied.

12. Other Stock-Based Awards. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator may grant to a Participant other Stock-based Awards, including shares of unrestricted Stock, as replacement for other compensation to which the Participant is entitled, such as in payment of director fees, in lieu of cash compensation, in exchange for cancellation of a compensation right, or as a bonus.

13. Transferability. Awards are not transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, unless and to the extent the Administrator allows a Participant to: (a) designate in writing a beneficiary to exercise the Award or receive payment under the Award after the Participant’s death; (b) transfer an Award to the former spouse of the Participant as required by a domestic relations order incident to a divorce; or (c) otherwise transfer an Award;provided, however, that with respect to clause (c) above the Participant may not receive consideration for transferring the Award.

14. Termination and Amendment of Plan; Amendment, Modification or Cancellation of Awards.

(a)Term of Plan. Unless the Board earlier terminates this Plan pursuant to Section 14(b), this Plan will terminate when all Shares reserved for issuance have been issued. If the term of this Plan extends beyond ten (10) years from the Effective Date, no incentive stock options may be granted after such time unless the stockholders of the Company have approved an extension of this Plan for such purpose.

(b)Termination and Amendment. The Board or the Administrator may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate this Plan at any time, subject to the following limitations:

(i) the Board must approve any amendment of this Plan to the extent the Company determines such approval is required by: (A) prior action of the Board, (B) applicable corporate law, or (C) any other applicable law; and

(ii) stockholders must approve any amendment of this Plan to the extent the Company determines such approval is required by: (A) Section 16 of the Exchange Act, (B) the Code, (C) the listing requirements of any principal securities exchange or market on which the Shares are then traded, or (D) any other applicable law. Such amendments include, but are not limited to, an amendment to materially increase the number of Shares reserved under Section 6(a) (except as permitted by Section 16) or an amendment that would diminish the protections afforded by Section 14(e).

(c)Amendment, Modification, Cancellation and Disgorgement of Awards.

(i) Except as provided in Section 14(e) and subject to the requirements of this Plan, the Administrator may modify, amend or cancel any Award, or waive any restrictions or conditions applicable to any Award or the exercise of the Award;providedthat, except as otherwise provided in the Plan or the Award agreement, any modification or amendment that materially diminishes the rights of the Participant, or the cancellation of an Award, shall be effective only if agreed to by the Participant or any other person(s) as may then have an interest in such Award, but the Administrator need not obtain Participant (or other interested party) consent for the modification, amendment or cancellation of an Award pursuant to the provisions of subsection (ii) or Section 16 or as follows: (A) to the extent the Administrator deems such action necessary to comply with any applicable law or the listing requirements of any principal securities exchange or market on which the Shares are then traded; (B) to the extent the Administrator deems necessary to preserve favorable accounting or tax treatment of any Award for the Company; or (C) to the extent the Administrator determines that such action does not materially and adversely affect the value of an Award or that such action is in the best interest of the affected Participant (or any other person(s) as may then have an interest in the Award). Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, any such amendment shall be made in a manner that will enable an Award intended to be exempt from Code Section 409A to continue to be so exempt, or to enable an Award intended to comply with Code Section 409A to continue to so comply.

(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in an Award agreement, the Administrator shall have full power and authority to terminate or cause the Participant to forfeit the Award, and require the Participant to disgorge to the Company any gains attributable to the Award, if the Participant engages in any action constituting, as determined by the Administrator in its discretion, Cause for Termination, or a breach of any Award agreement or any other agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate concerning noncompetition, nonsolicitation, confidentiality, trade secrets, intellectual property, nondisparagement or similar obligations.

(iii) Any Awards granted pursuant to this Plan, and any Stock issued or cash paid pursuant to an Award, shall be subject to any recoupment or clawback policy that is adopted by, or any recoupment or similar requirement otherwise made applicable by law, regulation or listing standards to, the Company from time to time.

(d)Survival of Authority and Awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the authority of the Board and the Administrator under this Section 14 and to otherwise administer the Plan with respect to then-outstanding Awards will extend beyond the date of this Plan’s termination. In addition, termination of this Plan will not affect the rights of Participants with respect to Awards previously granted to them, and all unexpired Awards will continue in force and effect after termination of this Plan except as they may lapse or be terminated by their own terms and conditions.

(e)Repricing and Backdating Prohibited. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, and except for the adjustments provided for in Section 16, neither the Administrator nor any other person may (i) amend the terms of outstanding Options or SARs to reduce the exercise or grant price of such outstanding Options or SARs; (ii) cancel outstanding Options or SARs in exchange for Options or SARs with an exercise or grant price that is less than the exercise or grant price of the original Options or SARs; or (iii) cancel outstanding Options or SARs with an exercise or grant price above the current Fair Market Value of a Share in exchange for cash or other securities. In addition, the Administrator may not make a grant of an Option or SAR with a grant date that is effective prior to the date the Administrator takes action to approve such Award.

(f)Foreign Participation. To assure the viability of Awards granted to Participants employed or residing in foreign countries, the Administrator may provide for such special terms as it may consider necessary or appropriate to accommodate differences in local law, tax policy, accounting or custom. Moreover, the Administrator may approve such supplements to, or amendments, restatements or alternative versions of, this Plan as it determines is necessary or appropriate for such purposes. Any such amendment, restatement or alternative versions that the Administrator approves for purposes of using this Plan in a foreign country will not affect the terms of this Plan for any other country. In addition, all such supplements, amendments, restatements or alternative versions must comply with the provisions of Section 14(b)(ii).

15. Taxes.

(a)Withholding. In the event the Company or one of its Affiliates is required to withhold any Federal, state or local taxes or other amounts in respect of any income recognized by a Participant as a result of the grant, vesting, payment or settlement of an Award or disposition of any Shares acquired under an Award, the Company may satisfy such obligation by:

(i) if cash is payable under an Award, deducting (or requiring an Affiliate to deduct) from such cash payment the amount needed to satisfy such obligation;

(ii) if Shares are issuable under an Award, then to the extent previously approved by the Administrator (which approval may be set forth in an Award agreement or in administrative rules) (A) withholding Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to such obligations; or (B) allowing the Participant to elect to (1) have the Company or its Affiliate withhold Shares otherwise issuable under the Award, (2) tender back Shares received in connection with such Award or (3) deliver other previously owned Shares, in each case having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount to be withheld; provided that the amount to be withheld under this clause (ii) may not exceed the total maximum statutory tax withholding obligations associated with the transaction to the extent needed for the Company and its Affiliates to avoid an accounting charge. If an election is provided, the election must be made on or before the date as of which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined and otherwise as the Administrator requires; or

(iii) deducting (or requiring an Affiliate to deduct) the amount needed to satisfy such obligation from any wages or other payments owed to the Participant, requiring such Participant to pay to the Company or its Affiliate, in cash, promptly on demand, or make other arrangements satisfactory to the Company or its Affiliate regarding the payment to the Company or its Affiliate of the amount needed to satisfy such obligation.

(b)No Guarantee of Tax Treatment. Notwithstanding any provisions of this Plan to the contrary, the Company does not guarantee to any Participant or any other Person with an interest in an Award that (i) any Award intended to be exempt from Code Section 409A shall be so exempt, (ii) any Award intended to comply with Code Section 409A or Code Section 422 shall so comply, or (iii) any Award shall otherwise receive a specific tax treatment under any other applicable tax law, nor in any such case will the Company or any Affiliate be required to indemnify, defend or hold harmless any individual with respect to the tax consequences of any Award.

16. Adjustment and Change of Control Provisions.

(a)Adjustment of Shares. If (i) the Company shall at any time be involved in a merger or other transaction in which the Shares are changed or exchanged; (ii) the Company shall subdivide or combine the Shares or the Company shall declare a dividend payable in Shares, other securities (other than stock purchase rights issued pursuant to a stockholder rights agreement) or other property; (iii) the Company shall effect a cash dividend the amount of which, on a per Share basis, exceeds ten percent (10%) of the Fair Market Value of a Share at the time the dividend is declared, or the Company shall effect any other dividend or other distribution on the Shares in the form of cash, or a repurchase of Shares, that the Board determines by resolution is special or extraordinary in nature or that is in connection with a transaction that the Company characterizes publicly as a recapitalization or reorganization involving the Shares; or (iv) any other event shall occur, which, in the case of this clause (iv), in the judgment of the Administrator necessitates an adjustment to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under this Plan, then the Administrator shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under this Plan, adjust any or all of: (A) the number and type of Shares subject to this Plan (as described in Section 6(a)) and which may after the event be made the subject of Awards; (B) the number and type of Shares subject to outstanding Awards; (C) the grant, purchase, or exercise price with respect to any Award; and (D) the Performance Goals of an Award. In any such case, the Administrator may also (or in lieu of the foregoing) make provision for a cash payment to the holder of an outstanding Award in exchange for the cancellation of all or a portion of the Award (without the consent of the holder of an Award) in an amount determined by the Administrator effective at such time as the Administrator specifies (which may be the time such transaction or event is effective). However, in each case, with respect to Awards of incentive stock options, no such adjustment may be authorized to the extent that such authority would cause this Plan to violate Code Section 422(b). Further, the number of Shares subject to any Award payable or denominated in Shares must always be a whole number. In any event, previously granted Options or SARs are subject to only such adjustments as are necessary to maintain the relative proportionate interest the Options and SARs represented immediately prior to any such event and to preserve, without exceeding, the value of such Options or SARs.

Without limitation, in the event of any reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination or other similar corporate transaction or event, whether or not constituting a Change of Control (other than any such transaction in which the Company is the continuing corporation and in which the outstanding Stock is not being converted into or exchanged for different securities, cash or other property, or any combination thereof), the Administrator may substitute, on an equitable basis as the Administrator determines, for each Share then subject to an Award and the Shares subject to this Plan (if the Plan will continue in effect), the number and kind of shares of stock, other securities, cash or other property to which holders of Stock are or will be entitled in respect of each Share pursuant to the transaction.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of a stock dividend (other than a stock dividend declared in lieu of an ordinary cash dividend) or subdivision or combination of the Shares (including a reverse stock split), if no action is taken by the Administrator, adjustments contemplated by this subsection that are proportionate shall nevertheless automatically be made as of the date of such stock dividend or subdivision or combination of the Shares.

(b)Issuance or Assumption. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, and without affecting the number of Shares otherwise reserved or available under this Plan, in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization, the Administrator may authorize the issuance or assumption of awards under this Plan upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate.

(c)Effect of a Change of Control. To the extent a Participant has in effect an employment, retention, change of control, severance or similar agreement with the Company or any Affiliate that discusses the effect of a Change of Control on the Participant’s Awards, such agreement shall control. In all other cases, unless provided otherwise in an Award agreement or by the Administrator prior to the date of the Change of Control, in the event of a Change of Control:

(i) If the purchaser, successor or surviving entity (or parent thereof) so agrees, some or all outstanding Awards shall be assumed, or replaced with the same type of award with similar terms and conditions, by the purchaser, successor or surviving entity (or parent thereof) in the Change of Control transaction. If applicable, each Award which is assumed by the purchaser, successor or surviving entity (or parent thereof) shall be appropriately adjusted, immediately after such Change of Control, to apply to the number and class of securities which would have been issuable to the Participant upon the consummation of such Change of Control had the Award been exercised, vested or earned immediately prior to such Change of Control, and other appropriate adjustments in the terms and conditions of the Award shall be made. Upon the Participant’s Termination by the successor or surviving entity without Cause, or by the Participant for Good Reason, in either case within twenty-four (24) months following the Change of Control, all of the Participant’s Awards that are in effect as of the date of such Termination shall be vested in full or deemed earned in full (assuming target performance goals provided under such Award were met, if applicable) effective on the date of such Termination.

(ii) To the extent the purchaser, successor or surviving entity (or parent thereof) in the Change of Control transaction does not assume the Awards or issue replacement awards as provided in clause (i), then immediately prior to the date of the Change of Control:

(A) each Option or SAR that is then held by a Participant who is employed by or in the service of the Company or an Affiliate shall become immediately and fully vested, and, unless otherwise determined by the Board or Committee, all Options and SARs shall be cancelled on the date of the Change of Control in exchange for a cash payment equal to the excess of the Change of Control Price of the Shares covered by the Option or SAR that is so cancelled over the purchase or grant price of such Shares under the Award (or for no payment, if there is no such excess);

(B) Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units (and any related Dividend Equivalent Units) and Shares that are not then vested shall vest;

(C) all Performance Units (and any related Dividend Equivalent Units) that are earned but not yet paid shall be paid in an amount equal to the value of the Performance Unit, and all Performance Units for which the performance period has not expired shall be cancelled in exchange for a payment equal to the product of: (1) the value of the Performance Units that would have been earned if the Performance Goals (as measured at the time of the Change of Control) were to continue to be achieved at the same rate through the end of the performance period, or if higher, assuming the target Performance Goals had been met at the time of such Change of Control; and (2) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of whole months that have elapsed from the beginning of the performance period to which the Award is subject to the date of the Change of Control and the denominator of which is the number of whole months in the performance period;

(D) all Cash Incentive Awards that are earned but not yet paid shall be paid, and all Cash Incentive Awards that are not yet earned shall be cancelled in exchange for a cash payment in an amount determined by taking the product of: (1) the amount that would have been due under such Award(s) if the Performance Goals (as measured at the time of the Change of Control) were to continue to be achieved at the same rate through the end of the performance period, or if higher, assuming the target Performance Goals had been met at the time of such Change of Control; and (2) a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of whole months that have elapsed from the beginning of the performance period to which the Award is subject to the date of the Change of Control and the denominator of which is the number of whole months in the performance period; and

(E) all other Awards not described above that are not vested shall vest and if an amount is payable under such vested Award, such amount shall be paid in cash based on the value of the Award.

(d) If the value of an Award is based on the Fair Market Value of a Share, Fair Market Value shall be deemed to mean the per share Change of Control Price. The Change of Control Price shall equal the price paid or deemed paid per Share in the Change of Control transaction as determined by the Administrator. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 16(d), the terms of any Awards that are subject to Code Section 409A shall govern the treatment of such Awards upon a Change of Control, and the terms of this Section 16(d) shall not apply, to the extent required for such Awards to remain compliant with Code Section 409A, as applicable.

(e)Application of Limits on Payments.Except to the extent the Participant has in effect an employment or similar agreement with the Company or any Affiliate or is subject to a policy that provides for a more favorable result to the Participant upon a Change of Control, in the event that the Company’s legal counsel or accountants determine that any payment, benefit or transfer by the Company under this Plan or any other plan, agreement, or arrangement to or for the benefit of the Participant (in the aggregate, the “Total Payments”) to be subject to the tax (“Excise Tax”) imposed by Code Section 4999 but for this Section 16(e), then, notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, the Total Payments shall be delivered either (i) in full or (ii) in an amount such that the value of the aggregate Total Payments that the Participant is entitled to receive shall be One Dollar ($1.00) less than the maximum amount that the Participant may receive without being subject to the Excise Tax, whichever of (i) or (ii) results in the receipt by the Participant of the greatest benefit on an after-tax basis (taking into account applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the Excise Tax). In the event that (ii) results in a greater after-tax benefit to the Participants, payments or benefits included in the Total Payments shall be reduced or eliminated by applying the following principles, in order: (A) the payment or benefit with the higher ratio of the parachute payment value to present economic value (determined using reasonable actuarial assumptions) shall be reduced or eliminated before a payment or benefit with a lower ratio; (B) the payment or benefit with the later possible payment date shall be reduced or eliminated before a payment or benefit with an earlier payment date; and (C) cash payments shall be reduced prior to non-cash benefits; provided that if the foregoing order of reduction or elimination would violate Code Section 409A, then the reduction shall be made pro rata among the payments or benefits included in the Total Payments (on the basis of the relative present value of the parachute payments).

17. Miscellaneous.

(a)Other Terms and Conditions. The Administrator may provide in any Award agreement such other provisions (whether or not applicable to the Award granted to any other Participant) as the Administrator determines appropriate to the extent not otherwise prohibited by the terms of the Plan. No provision in an Award agreement shall limit the Administrator’s discretion hereunder unless such provision specifically so provides for such limitation.

(b)Employment and Service. The issuance of an Award shall not confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continued employment or service with the Company or any Affiliate, or the right to continue as a Director.

(c)No Fractional Shares. No fractional Shares or other securities may be issued or delivered pursuant to this Plan. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator or otherwise provided in any Award agreement, all fractional Shares that would otherwise be issuable under the Plan shall be canceled for no consideration.

(d)Unfunded Plan; Awards Not Includable for Benefits Purposes. This Plan is unfunded and does not create, and should not be construed to create, a trust or separate fund with respect to this Plan’s benefits. This Plan does not establish any fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant or other person. To the extent any person holds any rights by virtue of an Award granted under this Plan, such rights are no greater than the rights of the Company’s general unsecured creditors. Income recognized by a Participant pursuant to an Award shall not be included in the determination of benefits under any employee pension benefit plan (as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) or group insurance or other benefit plans applicable to the Participant which are maintained by the Company or any Affiliate, except as may be provided under the terms of such plans or determined by resolution of the Board.

(e)Requirements of Law and Securities Exchange. The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares in connection with an Award are subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan or any award agreement, the Company has no liability to deliver any Shares under this Plan or make any payment unless such delivery or payment would comply with all applicable laws and the applicable requirements of any securities exchange or similar entity, and unless and until the Participant has taken all actions required by the Company in connection therewith. The Company may impose such restrictions on any Shares issued under the Plan as the Company determines necessary or desirable to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations or the requirements of any national securities exchanges.

(f)Code Section 409A. Any Award granted under this Plan shall be provided or made in such manner and at such time as to either make the Award exempt from, or comply with, the provisions of Code Section 409A, and the provisions of Code Section 409A are incorporated into this Plan to the extent necessary for any Award that is subject to Code Section 409A to comply therewith.

(g)Governing Law; Venue. This Plan, and all agreements under this Plan, will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Maryland, without reference to any conflict of law principles. Any legal action or proceeding with respect to this Plan, any Award or any award agreement, or for recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect of this Plan, any Award or any award agreement, may only be brought and determined in a court sitting in the County of Howard in the State of Maryland.

(h)Limitations on Actions. Any legal action or proceeding with respect to this Plan, any Award or any award agreement, must be brought within one year (365 days) after the day the complaining party first knew or should have known of the events giving rise to the complaint.

(i)Construction. Whenever any words are used herein in the masculine, they shall be construed as though they were used in the feminine in all cases where they would so apply; and wherever any words are used in the singular or plural, they shall be construed as though they were used in the plural or singular, as the case may be, in all cases where they would so apply. Titles of sections are for general information only, and this Plan is not to be construed with reference to such titles.

(j)Severability. If any provision of this Plan or any award agreement or any Award (a) is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any person or Award, or (b) would cause this Plan, any award agreement or any Award to violate or be disqualified under any law the Administrator deems applicable, then such provision should be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Administrator, materially altering the intent of this Plan, award agreement or Award, then such provision should be stricken as to such jurisdiction, person or Award, and the remainder of this Plan, such award agreement and such Award will remain in full force and effect.

PROXY

PROCESSA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC
7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106

Hanover, MD 21076
(443) 776-3133

PROXY
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held on June 19, 2019

The undersigned hereby appoints David Young and Wendy Guy, and each of them, as proxies, with full power of substitution, to represent and to vote, as designated herein, all the shares of common stock of Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”), held of record by the undersigned on April 1, 2019, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at the offices of Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. located at 7380 Coca Cola Drive, Suite 106, Hanover, MD 21076, and all adjournment(s), postponement(s) and recess(es) thereof, and hereby revokes all previously executed proxies.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 19, 2019:

Our Proxy Statement and 2018 Annual Report on SEC Form 10-K are available at:
www.processapharmaceuticals.com/investors-sec-filings.php

INSTRUCTIONS: PLEASE INDICATE A SELECTION BY PLACING AN “X” IN THE APPROPRIATE BOXES BELOW:

Proposal 1 — Election of Directors
ForWithholdAbstain
David Young
Patrick Lin
Justin Yorke
Virgil Thompson

Proposal 2 — Approve the Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
☐ For☐ Against☐ Abstain

Proposal 3 — Ratification of the appointment of BD & Company Inc. as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
☐ For☐ Against☐ Abstain

In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other matters as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment(s) and postponement(s) thereof.

THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED “FOR” ALL PROPOSALS

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.
Dated: ______________________________, 2019
  
 Signature/s/ George Ng
George Ng
Chief Executive Officer
Hanover, Maryland
October 5, 2023

APPENDIX A

FORM OF Certificate of Amendment

to the

fourth AMENDED AND RESTATED certificate of incorporation

of

Processa pharmaceuticals, inc.

Processa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), hereby certifies as follows:

1. This Certificate of Amendment (the “Certificate of Amendment”) amends the provisions of the Corporation’s Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on September 27, 2017, as amended on October 23, 2017, August 8, 2019, December 23, 2019, June 25, 2020, January 1, 2022, and June 27, 2023 (the “Certificate of Incorporation”).

2. The Board of Directors of the Corporation has duly adopted a resolution pursuant to Section 242 of the DGCL setting forth a proposed amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation and declaring said amendment to be advisable. The Certificate of Amendment amends the Certificate of Incorporation as follows:

(a)Section A of the Certificate of Incorporation setting forth the powers, privileges and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof in respect of each class of capital stock of the Corporation is hereby supplemented by addition of the following paragraphs as new subsection 5 under “A. Common Stock”:

5. Reverse Stock Split. Upon this Certificate of Amendment becoming effective pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “Effective Time”), the shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding or held in treasury immediately prior to the Effective Time (the “Old Common Stock”) shall be reclassified into a different number of shares of Common Stock (the “New Common Stock”) such that each [number to be determined from five to thirty] shares of Old Common Stock shall, at the Effective Time, be automatically reclassified into one share of New Common Stock. From (the “Reverse Stock Split”) and after the Effective Time, certificates representing the Old Common Stock shall represent the number of whole shares of New Common Stock into which such Old Common Stock shall have been reclassified pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence. No fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued as a result of such reclassification. Stockholders who otherwise would be entitled to receive fractional shares because they hold a number of shares not evenly divisible by the exchange ratio of the Reverse Stock Split, will be entitled, upon surrender of certificate(s) representing these shares, to a number of shares rounded up to the nearest whole number and, accordingly, no money will be paid for a fractional share.

From and after the Effective Time, the term “New Common Stock” as used in this Section shall mean the Common Stock as provided in this Certificate of Incorporation, as amended and as further amended by this Certificate of Amendment. The par value of the New Common Stock shall be $0.0001 per share.

3. The requisite stockholders of the Corporation have duly approved this Certificate of Amendment in accordance with Section 242 of the DGCL.

4. This Certificate of Amendment shall be effective at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ●, 2023.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be executed as of the date set forth below.

Dated: ●, 2023PROCESSA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
  
 Signature (Joint Owners)
By:                            
 Address Changes/Comments: _________________Name:James Stanker
 Title:Chief Financial Officer

Please date and sign name exactly as it appears hereon. Executors, administrators, trustees, etc. should so indicate when signing. If the stockholder is a corporation, the full corporate name should be inserted, and the proxy signed by an officer of the corporation indicating his/her title.
Please indicate whether you plan to attend this meeting: ☐