Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 2009March 21, 2012

Registration No. 333-            

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OFThe Securities Act of 1933

 

AVI BIOPHARMA, INC.

(Exact name of registrantRegistrant as specified in its charter)

 

Oregon

93-0797222

Oregon

93-0797222
(State or other jurisdiction of(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. employer identification number)

Identification Number)

3450 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 101

4575 SW Research Way, Suite 200Bothell, Washington 98021

Corvallis, Oregon 97333(425) 354-5038

(541) 753-3635

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’sRegistrant’s principal executive offices)

 

Leslie Hudson, Ph.D.Christopher Garabedian

President and& Chief Executive Officer

AVI BioPharma, Inc.

4575 SW Research Way,3450 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 200101

Corvallis, Oregon 97333Bothell, Washington 98021

(541) 753-3635(425) 354-5038

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

Copies to:

Michael C. Phillips

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

1300 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 2300

Portland, Oregon 97201

(503) 241-2300

 

Alan C. Mendelson, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

140 Scott Drive

Menlo Park, California 94025

(650) 328-4600

William H. Caffee, Esq.

White Summers Caffee & James, LLP

805 SW Broadway, Suite 2440

Portland, Oregon 97205

(503) 419-3000

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ¨o

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”)other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨o

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨o

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the CommissionSEC pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box:box.  ¨o

If this formForm is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box:box.  ¨o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrationregistrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,’’ “accelerated filer’’filer” and “smaller reporting company’’company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (check(Check one):

 

Large accelerated filero

¨

Accelerated filerx

Non-accelerated filero

Small reporting company ¨o

(do  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Smaller reporting company
¨

 


CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

 

 

Proposed Maximum

 

Proposed Maximum

 

 

 

Title of Each Class of Securities

 

Amount To Be

 

Offering Price Per

 

Aggregate

 

Amount of

 

To Be Registered

 

Registered

 

Share

 

Offering Price(1)(2)(3)

 

Registration Fee(4)

 

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Debt Securities(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warrants(3)(5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$

125,000,000

 

100

%

$125,000,000

 

$6,975

 

 

Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered(1)
 Amount
to be
Registered
 

Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price

Per Unit

 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate

Offering Price(2)(3)

 Amount of
Registration Fee

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

        

Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

        

Debt Securities

        

Warrants

        

Units

        

Total

 $100,000,000(4) 100%(5) $100,000,000 $11,460

 

 

(1)

The Registrant is hereby registering anAn indeterminate amount andor number of the securities of each identified class is being registered as may from time to time be issued at indeterminate prices in U.S. Dollars.

(2)Subject to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in no event will the aggregate maximum offering price of the identifiedall securities upissued by AVI BioPharma, Inc. pursuant to athis Registration Statement exceed $100,000,000. The proposed maximum aggregate offering price of $125,000,000, which may be offered from time to time at indeterminate prices, including securities that may be purchased by underwriters. The Registrant has been estimated the proposed maximum aggregate offering price solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.
(3)Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this Registration Statement shall also cover any additional shares of AVI BioPharma, Inc.’s securities that become issuable by reason of any stock split, stock dividends, recapitalization, or other similar transactions.
(4)The securities registered hereunder may be sold separately, together or as units with other securities registered hereunder.

(2)

If any debt securities are issued at an original issue discount, such greater principal amount as shall result in an aggregate initialhereby. The proposed maximum offering price equalper unit will be determined by us in connection with the issuance of the securities. In no event will the aggregate offering price of all securities issued from time to time pursuant to this Registration Statement exceed $100,000,000, or the amount to be registered. If any debt securities are issued with a principal amount denominatedequivalent thereof in aone or more foreign currencies, foreign currency units or composite currency, such principal amount as shall result in ancurrencies.

(5)We will determine the proposed maximum aggregate initial offering price equivalent thereto in U.S. dollars atper unit when we issue the time of initial offering.

(3)

In addition to the securities issued directly under this registration statement, we are registering an indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock as may be issued upon conversion or exchange of the securities issued directly under this registration statement. No separate consideration will be received for any shares of common stock or preferred stock so issued upon conversion or exchange.

(4)

Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933.

(5)

Includes warrants to purchase common stock, warrants to purchase preferred stock and warrants to purchase debtabove listed securities.

 

The Registrant hereby amends this registration statementRegistration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statementRegistration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statementRegistration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.



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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. WeThe securities may not sell these securitiesbe sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 31, 2009Subject to Completion, Dated March 21, 2012

PROSPECTUS

$100,000,000

 

$125,000,000LOGO

 

AVI BioPharma, Inc.

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants to Purchase Common Stock,

Preferred Stock or Debt Securities

We may, offer and sell from time to time in one or more offerings, debt securities, sharesoffer and sell up to $100,000,000 in the aggregate of common stock, shares of preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock, or debt securities, up to a total public offering price of $125,000,000.

Our address is 4575 Research Way, Suite 200, Corvallis, Oregon 97333.  Our telephone number is (541)753-3635.

Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “AVII.” The closing sales price of our common stock on the Nasdaq National Market on July 30, 2009 was $2.37 per share.

Each time we sell debt securities, shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, or warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Information Incorporated by Reference” before you make your investment decision.

We will sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to investors, or a combination of these methods. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.”

Investing in our securities stock involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of this prospectus, as well as in supplements to this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is                     , 2009.



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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

SUMMARY

1

RISK FACTORS

2

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

2

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

3

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

4

USE OF PROCEEDS

4

SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

4

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCK

5

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

6

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

11

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

13

LEGAL MATTERS

14

EXPERTS

14

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

14

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

14

You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different. This document may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. The information in this document may only be accurate on the date of this document.

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SUMMARY

This summary highlights information about AVI BioPharma, Inc. Because this is a summary, it may not contain all the information you should consider before investing in our securities. You should carefully read this entire prospectus, including the information set forth under “Risk Factors,” and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

AVI BioPharma, Inc.

AVI BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of novel, RNA-based drugs targeting a range of diseases.  References in this prospectus to “AVI”, the “Company”, we”, “us” and “our” are to AVI BioPharma, Inc., an Oregon corporation.

As one of the emerging leaders in the fast growing field of RNA therapeutics, AVI has developed and optimized derivatives of its proprietary antisense chemistry (phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers or PMOs) that can be designed to target disease mechanisms through distinct mechanisms of action. Unlike other RNA therapeutic approaches, AVI’s antisense technology has been used to directly target both messenger RNA (mRNA) and precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) allowing for both down- and up-regulation of targeted genes or proteins. We believe that these broad capabilities give the Company a unique RNA-based technology platform and strong intellectual property position, both of which are the result of advances across several areas of science, including over 20 years of research and development work in chemistry and the Human Genome Project. Our patent estate includes 213 patents (foreign and domestic) issued to or licensed by us and 185 pending patent applications (domestic and foreign).

AVI is leveraging its discovery and development capabilities to build a pipeline of RNA-based therapeutic candidates to develop in collaboration with larger pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners. Current applications of AVI’s RNA technology platform include genetic diseases (Duchenne muscular dystrophy), infectious diseases (Ebola and Marburg viruses), cardiovascular disease (restenosis) and other early discovery targets.  Several of our antiviral programs, including H1N1 influenza, Ebola, Marburg, Junín and Dengue, have been or are currently funded by the U.S. government, and other governmental and non-governmental funding has supported our other programs.

We are an Oregon corporation headquartered at 4575 SW Research Way, Suite 200, Corvallis, Oregon 97333. Our telephone number is (541) 753-3635. Our website address is www.avibio.com. Information contained on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this prospectus.

This prospectus includes our trademarks and registered trademarks, including NeuGene®, Avicine®, Resten-NG®, Resten-CP™, and Oncomyc-NG™. Each other trademark, trade name or service mark appearing in this prospectus belongs to its holder

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in any prospectus supplement as well as in the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, both of which have been filed with the SEC and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as well as other information in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement, and any other documents or reports incorporated by reference herein before purchasing any of our securities. Each of the risks described in these sections and documents could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and could result in a loss of your investment.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein contain forward-looking statements regarding our plans, expectations, estimates and beliefs. Such statements are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “may,” and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these statements, which speak only as of the date on which the statement was made. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include, but are not necessarily limited to, those relating to:

·                  our intention to introduce new products,

·                  receipt of any required FDA or other regulatory approval for our products,

·                  our expectations about the markets for our products,

·                  acceptance of our products, when introduced, in the marketplace,

·                  our expectations about availability of government funding for certain projects,

·                  our future capital needs,

·                  results of our research and development efforts, and

·                  success of our patent applications.

Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond our control. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated as a result of the factors described in “Risk Factors” in the accompanying prospectus and detailed in our other SEC filings, including among others:

·                  the effect of regulation by the FDA and other governmental agencies,

·                  delays in obtaining, or our inability to obtain, approval by the FDA or other regulatory authorities for our products,

·                  research and development efforts, including delays in developing, or the failure to develop, our products,

·                  uncertainty of government funding for certain projects,

·                  the development of competing or more effective products by other parties,

·                  the results of pre-clinical and clinical testing and our ability to conduct these tests,

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·                  uncertainty of market acceptance of our products,

·                  problems that we may face in manufacturing, marketing, and distributing our products,

·                  our inability to raise additional capital when needed,

·                  delays in the issuance of, or the failure to obtain, patents for certain of our products and technologies, and

·                  problems with important suppliers and business partners.

Because of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this prospectus and any subsequent prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference might not transpire. Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information as required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. All of the above factors are difficult to predict, contain uncertainties that may materially affect our actual results and may be beyond our control. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all of such factors or to assess the effect of each factor on our business.

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a “shelf” registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the “SEC”. By using a shelf registration statement, we may issue and sell to the public any part or all of the securities described in the registration statement, at any time and from time to time, in one or more public offerings, up to an aggregate amount of $125,000,000. The exhibits to our registration statement contain the text of certain contracts and other important documents we have summarized in this prospectus, in any prospectus supplement or in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Since these summaries may not contain all the information that you may find important in deciding whether to purchase the securities we offer, you should review the full text of these documents. The registration statement, the exhibits and the documents incorporated by reference can be obtained from the SEC as indicated under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

This prospectus only provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information,” and “Information Incorporated by Reference.”

We may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents, or directly to investors, or a combination of these methods. We and our agents reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. See “Plan of Distribution” below. A prospectus supplement, which we will provide to you each time we offer securities, will provide the names of any underwriters, dealers, or agents involved in the sale of the securities, and any applicable fee, commission, or discount arrangements with them.

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of the document.

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

We present below the ratio of our earnings to our fixed charges. Earnings consist of net loss plus fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense, including amortization of debt issuance costs, and that portion of rental expense we believe to be representative of interest.

 

 

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

 

 

 

Year ended December 31,

 

 

 

Three months ended

 

Year ended December 31,

 

 

 

March 31, 2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 

2004

 

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coverage deficiency

 

$

(927

)

$

(23,953

)

$

(27,168

)

$

(28,688

)

$

(18,206

)

$

(21,937

)

USE OF PROCEEDS

Except as described in any prospectus supplement, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our securities for research and development and general corporate purposes. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to commercialize our products, or to acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies that are complementary to our own or provide us with a strategic advantage.  We may also issue the securities offered under this prospectus in connection with product license and supply agreements, research collaboration agreements and to our commercial vendors and suppliers in exchange for products and services. Until we use the net proceeds of this offering for the above purposes, we intend to invest the funds in short-term, investment grade, interest-bearing securities. We cannot predict whether the proceeds invested will yield a favorable return.

SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

We may offer from time to time in one or more offerings debt securities, shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities, or any combination of the foregoing, either individually or as units consistingcomprised of two or more other securities.

The prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. We will provide the specific terms of the securities offered in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference before you invest in any of our securities. This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “AVII.” On March 20, 2012, the last reported sale price on The NASDAQ Global Market was $1.54 per share. There is currently no market for the other securities we may offer.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please carefully read the information under the headings “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 and “Forward-Looking Statements,” on page 6 of this prospectus before you invest in our securities. This information may also be included in any supplement, any related free writing prospectus and/or any other future filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

NEITHER THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION HAS APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR DETERMINED IF THIS PROSPECTUS IS TRUTHFUL OR COMPLETE. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.

We may offer upand sell these securities to $125,000,000 ofor through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, on a continuous or delayed basis. If we use underwriters, dealers or agents to sell the securities, under this prospectus. If securities are offered as units, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. The price to the termspublic of those securities and the unitsnet proceeds we expect to receive from that sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

The date of this prospectus is                 , 2012.

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Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

Prospectus Summary

1

Risk Factors

5

Forward-Looking Statements

6

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

8

Use of Proceeds

9

Description of our Capital Stock

10

Description of the Debt Securities

14

Description of the Warrants

23

Description of the Units

24

Plan of Distribution

25

Legal Matters

28

Experts

28

Where You Can Find More Information

28

Information Incorporated by Reference

29

Disclosure of Commission Position on Indemnification for Securities Act Liabilities

30


DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCKABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf process, we may, from time to time, offer or sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities offered by us. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add to, update or change information contained in the prospectus or in any documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and, accordingly, to the extent inconsistent, information in this prospectus is superseded by the information in the prospectus supplement or the related free writing prospectus.

You should only rely on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. You should read the entire prospectus and any prospectus supplement and any related issuer free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, before making an investment decision. The prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, if any, do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security. We do not imply or represent by delivering this prospectus that AVI BioPharma, Inc., or its business, financial condition or results of operations, are unchanged after the date on the front of this prospectus or that the information in this prospectus is correct as any time after such date.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated herein by reference. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding to invest in our securities. We describe belowurge you to read this entire prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section. In this prospectus, unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to AVI BioPharma, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

AVI BioPharma, Inc.

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of unique RNA-based therapeutics for the treatment of rare and infectious diseases. Applying our proprietary, highly-differentiated and innovative platform technologies, we are able to target a broad range of diseases and disorders through distinct RNA-based mechanisms of action. We are primarily focused on rapidly advancing the development of our potentially disease-modifying Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug candidates, including our lead product candidate, eteplirsen, which is currently in a Phase IIb trial. We are also focused on developing therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases, including our lead infectious disease programs aimed at the development of drug candidates for the Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever viruses. By building our infectious disease programs funded by the U.S. government and leveraging our highly-differentiated, proprietary technology platforms, we are seeking to further develop our research and development competencies and identify additional product candidates.

Our highly-differentiated RNA-based technologies work at the most fundamental level of biology and potentially could have a meaningful impact across a broad range of human diseases and disorders. Our lead program focuses on the development of disease-modifying therapeutic candidates for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, or DMD, a rare genetic muscle-wasting disease caused by the absence of dystrophin, a protein necessary for muscle function. Currently, there are no disease-modifying therapies available for DMD. Eteplirsen is our lead therapeutic candidate for DMD. If we are successful in our development efforts, eteplirsen will address a severe unmet medical need. Data from 17 of the 19 individuals enrolled in our Phase Ib/IIa trial in the United Kingdom who were treated systemically with eteplirsen demonstrated some generation of novel dystrophin, and one participant exhibited the first ever reported increase in dystrophin positive muscle fibers to 55% of normal. Restoration of dystrophin expression and dystrophin positive fibers is believed to be critical for successful disease-modifying treatment of individuals with DMD. We initiated a Phase IIb trial for eteplirsen in August 2011 with an objective of initiating a pivotal trial by the end of 2012. We anticipate releasing results from our current Phase IIb trial by the end of April 2012.

We are also leveraging the capabilities of our RNA-based technology platforms to develop therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases. The U.S. Department of Defense has provided significant financial support for the development of therapeutics against Ebola, Marburg, Dengue and influenza viruses. In 2010, we were awarded contracts totaling more than $300 million for the research of select therapeutic candidates.

The basis for our novel RNA-based therapeutics is our phosphorodiamidate-linked morpholino oligomer, or PMO, chemistries. Unlike other RNA-based therapeutics, which are often used to down-regulate gene expression, our technologies can be used to selectively up-regulate or down-regulate the production of a target protein, or direct the expression of novel proteins involved in human diseases and disorders. Further, we believe the charge-neutral nature of our PMO-based molecules may have the potential to reduce off-target effects, such as immune stimulatory effects often seen in alternative RNA-based technologies. We believe that our highly-differentiated, proprietary and innovative RNA-based technology platforms, based on charge neutral morpholino oligomers, may represent a significant improvement over traditional RNA-based technologies.

-1-


Corporate Information

We were incorporated in the State of Oregon on July 22, 1980. Our executive office is located at 3450 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 101, Bothell, Washington 98021 and our telephone number is (425) 354-5038. We maintain an Internet website atwww.avibio.com. We have not incorporated the information on our website by reference into this prospectus supplement, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus supplement.

We carry on our business directly and through our subsidiaries. Throughout this prospectus, unless the context specifies or implies otherwise, the terms “Company,” “AVI BioPharma,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to AVI BioPharma, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The Securities We May Offer

We may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, with a total value up to $100,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement and related free writing prospectus, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering. If we issue any debt securities at a discount from their original stated principal amount, then, for purposes of calculating the total dollar amount of all securities issued under this prospectus, we will treat the initial offering price of the debt securities as the total original principal amount of the debt securities. Each time we offer securities under this prospectus, we will provide offerees with a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities being offered, including, to the extent applicable:

designation or classification;

aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;

maturity, if applicable;

original issue discount, if any;

rates and times of payment of interest or dividends, if any;

conversion or exchange prices or rates, if any, and if applicable, any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the conversion or exchange prices or rates and in the securities or other property receivable upon conversion or exchange;

ranking;

restrictive covenants, if any;

voting or other rights, if any; and

important United States federal income tax considerations.

The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

We may sell the securities to or through underwriters, dealers or agents or directly to purchasers or as otherwise set forth below under “Plan of Distribution.” We, as well as any agents acting on our behalf, reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. Each prospectus

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supplement will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers, agents or other entities involved in the sale of securities described in that prospectus supplement and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them, details regarding any over-allotment option granted to them, and net proceeds to us. The following is a summary of the securities that we may offer underwith this prospectus. The terms we summarize below will apply generally to any future common stock or preferred stock that we may offer. We will describe the particular terms of these securities in more detail in a prospectus supplement.

Common Stock

We are authorized to issue 200,000,000300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 85,725,709135,743,787 shares were issued and outstanding as of the date hereof.of this prospectus. Each shareholder of record is entitled to one vote for each outstanding share of our common stock owned by that shareholder on every matter properly submitted to the shareholders for their vote. Subject to the satisfaction of the dividend rights of holders of any shares of preferred stock issued hereafter, holders of common stock are entitled to any dividend declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available for this purpose. As an Oregon corporation, we are subject to statutory limitations on the declaration and payment of dividends. Currently, we do not pay a dividend. Subject to the satisfaction of any outstanding debts and the payment of liquidation preferences to holders of any shares of preferred stock issued hereafter, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, on a pro rata basis, all of our remaining assets available for distribution to the shareholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up. HoldersThe holders of our common stock do not have anyno conversion, redemption, preemptive rightor cumulative voting rights. The preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms that holders of our common stock are subject to, subscribe or purchase additionalmay be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any classseries of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. In this prospectus, we provide a general description of, among other things, the rights and restrictions that apply to holders of our capitalcommon stock.

Preferred Stock

Our articles of incorporation allow us to issue, without shareholder approval, preferred stock having rights senior to those of our common stock. Our board of directors is authorized, without further shareholder approval, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which no shares are issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, in one or more series and to fix and designate the preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms of the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences. Our board of directors may fix the number of shares constituting any series of preferred stock and the designations of the series.

We will describe the specific terms of a particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement relating to that series. The preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms of the preferred stock of each series that we offer and sell under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements will be set forth in an articles of amendment relating to the series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the articles of amendment that describe the terms of any series of preferred stock we offer under this prospectus before the issuance of shares of that series of preferred stock. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the articles of amendment that contain the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.

Debt Securities

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series. The senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities are together referred to in this prospectus as the “debt securities.” We may issue

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debt securities under an indenture to be entered between us and a trustee; the form of which is included as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The indenture does not limit the amount of securities that may be issued under it and provides that debt securities may be issued in one or more securities. Our board of directors or a committee designated by the board will determine the terms of the debt securities being offered. This prospectus contains only general terms and provisions of the debt securities. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the particular terms of the debt securities offered thereby. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the debt securities being offered, as well as the complete indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities. The form of indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and any supplemental indenture or forms of debt securities containing the terms of debt securities we offer under this prospectus will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will be incorporated by reference from another report that we file with the SEC.

Warrants

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. Our board of directors or a committee designated by the board will determine the terms of the warrants. This prospectus contains only general terms and provisions of the warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the particular terms of the warrants being offered thereby. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreements that contain the terms of the warrants. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each warrant agreement relating to warrants offered under this prospectus.

Units

We may issue units consisting of our common stock or preferred stock, debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of these securities in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units. This prospectus contains only a summary of certain general features of the units. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the particular features of the units being offered thereby. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, together with any amendments or supplements thereto, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities. Please also refer to the section below titled “Forward-Looking Statements.” Additional risks not known to us or that we believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations and could result in a loss of all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the SEC filings that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain or incorporate by reference “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally identify these forward-looking statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “may,” and other similar expressions. You should read these statements carefully because they discuss future expectations, contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition, or state other “forward-looking” information. These statements relate to our future plans, objectives, expectations, intentions and financial performance and the assumptions that underlie these statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

our expectations regarding the development and clinical benefits of our product candidates;

the results of our research and development efforts and the efficacy of our PMO-based chemistries and other RNA-based technology;

our expectations regarding our ability to become a leading developer and marketer of RNA-based therapeutics;

our expectations regarding the results of preclinical and clinical testing of our product candidates;

our ability to release results by the end of April 2012 from our Phase IIb clinical trial for eteplirsen and initiate a pivotal Phase III clinical trial for eteplirsen by the end of 2012;

our ability to initiate Phase I multiple ascending dose studies for AVI-7288 and AVI-6002 in the second half of 2012;

the receipt of any required approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or other regulatory approval for our products;

the effect of regulation by FDA and other agencies;

our intention to introduce new products;

our expectations regarding the markets for our products;

acceptance of our products, if introduced, in the marketplace;

the impact of competitive products, product development, commercialization and technological difficulties;

our expectations regarding our ability to commercialize eteplirsen with a relatively small sales force, if eteplirsen is approved for commercial sale;

our expectations regarding partnering opportunities and other strategic transactions;

the extent of protection that our patents provide and our pending patent applications may provide, if patents issue from such applications, to our technologies and programs;

our plans to file additional patent applications to enhance and protect our existing intellectual property portfolio;

our ability to invalidate some or all of the claims covered by patents issued to competitors;

our estimates regarding our future revenues, research and development expenses, other expenses, payments to third parties and changes in staffing levels;

our estimate regarding how long our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, exclusive of receipt of future proceeds pursuant to our contracts with the U.S. government, will be sufficient to finance our operations;

our expectations about funding from the government and other sources;

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the adequacy of funds to support our future operations and our future capital needs; and

other factors detailed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and any Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus.

All forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and the risk factors incorporated by reference into this prospectus. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. Except to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances described in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth, for the periods presented, our ratio of earnings to fixed charges and our ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends. For purposes of computing the ratio of earnings to fixed charges and the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends, earnings consist of income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes and fixed charges. Fixed charges consist of interest expense and an estimate of the interest component of rent expense. In each of the periods presented, earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges and combined fixed charges and deemed dividends on preferred stock and the extent of such deficiencies in each period is shown below. You should read these ratios in connection with our consolidated financial statements, including the notes to those statements, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2007  2008  2009  2010  2011 

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges(1)

   —      —      —      —      —    

Deficiency of earnings available to cover fixed charges

  $(27,168 $(23,953 $(25,159 $(32,177 $(2,318

Ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends(1)

   —      —      —      —      —    

Deficiency of earnings available to cover combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends

  $(27,168 $(23,953 $(25,159 $(32,177 $(2,318

(1)The ratio of earnings to fixed charges and the ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends represent the number of times that fixed charges and combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends, respectively, are covered by earnings. In each of the periods presented, earnings were negative and calculation of such ratios is not meaningful.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for one or more of the following purposes:

to fund research and development, including clinical trials and expansion of manufacturing capacity;

to finance capital expenditures and capacity expansions; and/or

for general corporate purposes and working capital.

Until we apply the proceeds from a sale of securities to their intended purposes, we may invest these proceeds in highly liquid, investment grade securities. We cannot predict whether the proceeds invested will yield a favorable return.

The specific allocations of the proceeds we receive from the sale of our securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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DESCRIPTION OF OUR CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our common stock and preferred stock, together with any additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, summarizes the material terms and provisions of our common stock and preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future common stock or preferred stock that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any class or series of these securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. For the complete terms of our common stock and preferred stock, please refer to our articles of incorporation and bylaws that are incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or may be incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. The summary below and that contained in any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus are qualified in their entirety by reference to our articles of incorporation and bylaws, as in effect at the time of any offering of securities under this prospectus.

Common Stock

We are authorized to issue 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 135,743,787 shares were issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. Each shareholder of record is entitled to one vote for each outstanding share of our common stock owned by that shareholder on every matter properly submitted to the shareholders for their vote. Subject to the satisfaction of the dividend rights of holders of any shares of preferred stock issued hereafter, holders of common stock are entitled to any dividend declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available for this purpose. As an Oregon corporation, we are subject to statutory limitations on the declaration and payment of dividends. Currently, we do not pay a dividend. Subject to the satisfaction of any outstanding debts and the payment of liquidation preferences to holders of any shares of preferred stock issued hereafter, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, on a pro rata basis, all of our remaining assets available for distribution to the shareholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up. The holders of our common stock have no conversion, redemption, preemptive or cumulative voting rights. The preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms that holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.

Preferred Stock

Our articles of incorporation allow us to issue, without shareholder approval, preferred stock having rights senior to those of our common stock. Our board of directors is authorized, without further shareholder approval, to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which no shares are currently issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, in one or more series and to fix and designate the preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms of the preferred stock, including:

·including dividend rights;

·rights, conversion rights;

·rights, voting rights;

·rights, terms of redemption;redemption and

· liquidation preferences.

Our board of directors may fix the number of shares constituting any series of preferred stock and the designations of the series.

We will fix the preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms of the preferred stock of each series by the filing of an articles of amendment relating to each series. We will specify the terms of the preferred stock in a prospectus supplement, including:

 

·the maximum number of shares in the series and the distinctive designation;

 

·the terms on which dividends will be paid, if any;

 

·the terms on which the shares may be redeemed, if at all;

 

·the liquidation preference, if any;

 

·the terms of any retirement or sinking fund for the purchase or redemption of the shares of the series;

 

·the terms and conditions, if any, on which the shares of the series will be convertible into, or exchangeable for, shares of any other class or classes of capital stock;

 

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the voting rights, if any, on the shares of the series; and

 

·any or all other preferences and relative, participating, operational or other special rights or qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares.

We will describe the specific terms of a particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement relating to that series. We urge you to readThe preferences, limitations, relative rights and other terms of the preferred stock of each series that we offer and sell under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements will be set forth in an articles of amendment and the description in the prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement will contain a description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the preferred stock.

Our issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control. Our issuance of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of our common stock or could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our common stock is BNY Mellon Shareowner Services, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

series. We may offer any combination of senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities. Debt securities are secured or unsecured obligations to repay advanced funds. We may issue the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities under separate indentures between us, as issuer, and the trustee or trustees identified in the prospectus supplement. We filed the form for each type of indenturewill file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

Wepart, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the articles of amendment that describe the particular terms of any debt securitiesseries of preferred stock we offer under this prospectus before the issuance of shares of that series of preferred stock. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the articles of amendment that contain the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.

Anti-Takeover Effect of Unissued Shares of Capital Stock

Common Stock. Our shares of authorized and unissued common stock are available for future issuance without additional shareholder approval. While these additional shares are not designed to deter or prevent a change of control, under some circumstances we could use the additional shares to create voting impediments or to frustrate persons seeking to effect a takeover or otherwise gain control by, for example, issuing those shares in private placements to purchasers who might side with our board of directors in opposing a hostile takeover bid.

Preferred Stock. Our articles of incorporation grant our board of directors the authority, without any further vote or action by our shareholders, to issue preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the number of shares constituting any such series and the preferences, limitations and relative rights, including dividend rights, dividend rate, voting rights, terms of redemption, redemption price or prices, conversion rights and liquidation preferences of the shares constituting any series. The existence of authorized but unissued preferred stock could reduce our attractiveness as a target for an unsolicited takeover bid since we could, for example, issue shares of preferred stock to parties who might oppose such a takeover bid or shares that contain terms the potential acquirer may find unattractive. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, may discourage bids for the common stock at a premium over the market price of the common stock, and may adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, common stock.

Oregon Anti-Takeover Law and Certain Provisions of Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

Certain provisions of Oregon law and our articles of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult to acquire us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise and to remove our incumbent officers and directors. These provisions, summarized below, are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with us. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover or acquisition proposals because, among other things, negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Oregon Business Combination Act. We are subject to the Oregon Business Combination Act, which prohibits an Oregon corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested shareholder for three years after the date the shareholder became an interested shareholder, with the following exceptions:

before the combination or transaction date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder;

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upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction began, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested shareholder) (i) those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a prospectus supplement. tender or an exchange offer; or

on or after that date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or a special meeting of the shareholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested shareholder.

In general, the Oregon Business Combination Act defines “business combination” to include the following:

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation or any direct or indirect majority owned subsidiary of the corporation and the interested shareholder or any other corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity if the merger or consolidation is caused by the interested shareholder and as a result of such merger or consolidation the transaction is not excepted as described above;

any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition (in one transaction or a series) of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested shareholder;

subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested shareholder;

any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested shareholder; or

the receipt by the interested shareholder of the benefit of any losses, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation.

In general, the Oregon Business Combination Act defines an “interested shareholder” as an entity or a person who, together with the person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or within three years prior to the time of determination of interested shareholder status owned, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.

Oregon Control Share Act. We are subject to the Oregon Control Share Act, which regulates the process by which a person may acquire control of certain Oregon-based corporations without the consent and cooperation of the corporation’s board of directors. Under the Oregon Control Share Act a person who acquires voting stock in a transaction that results in the person holding more than 20%, 33 1/3% or 50% of the total voting power cannot vote the shares it acquires in the acquisition. This restriction does not apply if voting rights are given to the control shares by:

the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting shares, excluding the control shares held by the acquirer and shares held by our officers and employee directors, and

the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting shares, including the control shares held by such person and shares held by our officers and employee directors.

To retain the voting rights attached to acquired shares, these approvals are required at the time an acquirer’s holdings first exceed 20% of the total voting power, and again at the times the acquiring person’s holdings first exceed 33 1/3% and 50%. An acquiring person includes persons acting as a group.

The acquirer may, but is not required to, submit to the target company an “acquiring person statement” including specific information about the acquirer and its plans for the corporation. The acquiring person

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statement may also request that the corporation call a special meeting of shareholders to determine whether the control shares will be allowed to have voting rights. If the acquirer does not request a special meeting of shareholders, the issue of voting rights of control shares will be considered at the next annual or special meeting of shareholders that is held more than 60 days after the date of the acquisition of control shares. If the acquirer’s control shares are allowed to have voting rights and represent a majority or more of all voting power, shareholders who do not vote in favor of voting rights for the control shares will have the right to receive the appraised fair value of their shares, which may not be less than the highest price paid per share by the acquirer for the control shares.

Shares are not deemed to be acquired in a control share acquisition if, among other things, they are acquired from the issuing corporation, or are issued pursuant to a plan of merger or exchange effected in compliance with the Oregon Business Corporation Act and the issuing corporation is a party to the merger or exchange agreement.

Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management, including provisions that:

authorize “blank check” preferred stock, which could be issued without shareholder approval and could have voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to our common stock;

create a classified board of directors whose members serve staggered two-year terms (which provision cannot be amended or repealed without the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote);

require that any action required or permitted by law to be taken at a shareholders’ meeting may be taken without a meeting only if the action is taken by all the shareholders entitled to vote on the action; and

require that special meetings of our shareholders may be called only by our president, the board of directors or at the request of holders of not less than one-tenth of all the outstanding shares of the Company entitled to vote at the meeting.

These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our common stock is Computershare, 480 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, New Jersey 07310, (866) 272-4615.

Listing

Our common stock is quoted on The NASDAQ Global Market under the trading symbol “AVII.”

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DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES

The following summariesdescription, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities andthat we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the indentures are not complete. We urge you to read the indentures and the descriptionspecific terms of the debt securities includedseries in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus supplement.

General

apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in separate series. Weexchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may specifybe our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a maximum aggregate principal amount forsupplement to this prospectus, the debt securities of anywill be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and a trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms that are consistent withused in the indentures. Unlesssummary and not defined herein have the prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, seniormeanings specified in the indenture.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be unsecuredestablished by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and unsubordinated obligations and will rank equal with allset forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. We will make payment on our subordinated debt securities only if we have made all payments due under our senior indebtedness, including any outstanding senior debt securities.

board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The indentures might not limit the amountparticular terms of other debt that we may incur and might not contain financial or similar restrictive covenants. The indentures might not contain any provision to protect holderseach series of debt securities againstwill be described in a suddenprospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or dramatic decline in our ability to pay our debt.

term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will describeset forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will offer the debt securities in a prospectus supplement. We will describe:

·      the title and form ofsell the debt securities;

 

·any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities or the series of which they are a part;securities;

 

·      the person to whom any interest on a debt security of the series will be paid;

·the date or dates on which we must repay the principal;principal of the securities of the series is payable;

 

·the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, if any, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, and the date or dates on which we must pay interest;

·      if applicable,interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the duration and terms of the right to extendinterest payable on any interest payment periods;date;

 

·the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we must paymay redeem the debt securities;

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any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities;

·securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the terms and conditions on which we may redeem any debt security, if at all;

·      any obligation to redeem or purchase any debt securities and the terms and conditions on which we must do so;

·      the denominations in which we may issue the debt securities;

·are denominated, the manner in which wethe exchange rate with respect to these payments will determine be determined;

the amountmanner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, orpremium, if any, premium or interest on the debt securities;

·      the currency in which we will pay the principal of and any premium or interest on the debt securities;

·      the principal amount of the debt securities that we will pay upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity;

·                  the amount that will be deemeddetermined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to be the principal amount for any purpose, including the principal amountan index based on a currency or currencies other than that will be due and payable upon any maturity or that will be deemed to be outstanding as of any date;

·      if applicable, thatin which the debt securities are defeasible and the terms of such defeasance;denominated or designated to be payable or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

 

·                  if applicable, the terms of any right to convert debt securities into, or exchange debt securities for, shares of common stock or other securities or property;

·      the subordination provisions that will applyrelating to any subordinatedsecurity provided for the debt securities;

 

·any addition to, deletion of or change in the eventsEvents of default applicableDefault described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the rightacceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the trusteeconversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange; and

any other terms of the holdersdebt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to declarethat series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities. (Section 2.2)

We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities duein a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and payable;any premium and

· interest on any additionseries of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or changecurrencies or foreign currency unit or units in the covenantsapplicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the indentures.name of The Depository Trust Company, or the Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

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WeCertificated Debt Securities. You may sell thetransfer or exchange certificated debt securities at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount. We will describe U.S. federal income tax considerations, if any applicable to debt securities sold at an original issue discountoffice we maintain for this purpose in the prospectus supplement. An “original issue discount security” is any debt security sold for less than its face value, and which provides that the holder cannot receive the full face value if maturity is accelerated. We will describe the particular provisions relating to acceleration of the maturity upon the occurrence of an event of default in the prospectus supplement. In addition, we will describe U.S. federal income tax or other considerations applicable to any debt securities that are denominated in a currency or unit other than U.S. dollars in the prospectus supplement.

Conversion and Exchange Rights

If applicable, we will describe the terms on which the debt holder may convert debt securities into or exchange them for common stock or other securities or property in the prospectus supplement. The conversion or exchange may be mandatory or may be at the debt holder’s option. We will describe how to calculate the number of shares of common stock or other securities or property that the debt holder will receive upon conversion or exchange.

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

We will pay the indebtedness underlying the subordinated debt securities if we have made all payments due under our senior indebtedness, including any outstanding senior debt securities. If we distribute our assets to creditors upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar proceedings, we must first pay all amounts due or to become due on all senior indebtedness before we pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, the subordinated debt securities. If an event of default accelerates the subordinated debt securities, we may not make any payment on the subordinated debt securities until we have paid all senior indebtedness or the acceleration is rescinded. If the payment of subordinated debt securities accelerates because of an event of default, we must promptly notify holders of senior indebtedness of the acceleration.

If we experience a bankruptcy, dissolution or reorganization, holders of senior indebtedness may receive more, ratably, and holders of subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors. The indenture for subordinated debt securities may not limit our ability to incur additional senior indebtedness.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue debt securities only in fully registered form, without coupons, and only in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof. The holder of a debt security may elect, subject toaccordance with the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities, to exchange them for other debt securities of the same series of any authorized denomination and of similar terms and aggregate principal amount.

Holders of debt securities may present them for exchange as provided above or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer duly executed, at the office of the transfer agent we designate for that purpose. We will not impose aindenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a paymentsum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with thea transfer or exchange. We will name the transfer agent in the prospectus supplement. We(Section 2.7)

You may designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, but we must maintain a transfer agent in each place in which we will pay on debt securities.

If we redeem the debt securities, we will not be required to issue, registereffect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or exchange anythe trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security during a specified period prior to mailing a notice of redemption. We are not required to register the transfer ofrepresenting book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or exchange any debt security selected for redemption, except the unredeemed portionon behalf of, the debt security being redeemed.Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see “Global Securities.”

Global Securities

The debt securities of any series may be represented, in whole or in part, by one or more global securities that will have an aggregate principal amount equal to that of all debt securities of that series. We will deposit eachsecurities. Each global security withwill:

be registered in the name of a depositary, or its nominee, that we will identify in a custodian. The global security will bear a legend regarding the restrictions on exchanges and registration of transfer.prospectus supplement;

 

be deposited with the depositary or nominee or custodian; and

bear any required legends.

No global security may be exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities registered and no transfer of a global security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any person other than the depositary or any nominee or successor of the depositary unless:

 

·the depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or has ceased to be qualified to act as depositary;

an event of default is continuing with respect to the debt securities of the applicable series; or

any other circumstance described in a prospectus supplement has occurred permitting or requiring the issuance of any such security.

 

·                  the depositary is no longer in good standing under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, or other applicable statute or regulation.-16-

The depositary will determine how all securities issued in exchange for a global security will be registered.


As long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered holderowner of a global security, we will consider the depositary or the nominee towill be considered the sole owner and holder of the debt securities represented by the global security andfor all purposes under the underlying debt securities.indentures. Except as statedin the above limited circumstances, owners of beneficial

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interests in a global security will not be be:

entitled to have the global security or any debt securitysecurities registered in their names, will not receivenames;

entitled to physical delivery of certificated debt securities and will not be securities; or

considered to be the owners or holders of those debt securities under the global security or underlying debt securities. We will make all payments of principal, premium and interestindenture.

Payments on a global security will be made to the depositary or its nominee. Thenominee as the holder of the global security. Some jurisdictions have laws of some jurisdictionsthat require that somecertain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. These laws may preventimpair the debt holder from transferring itsability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.

Only institutionsInstitutions that have accounts with the depositary or its nominee and persons that hold beneficial interests through the depositary or its nominee may ownare referred to as “participants.” Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security.security will be limited to participants and to persons that may hold beneficial interests through participants. The depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of debt securities represented by the global security to the accounts of its participants. The ownership

Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be shown only on and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through records maintained by the depositary, with respect to participants’ interests, or any such participant.participant, with respect to interests of persons held by participants on their behalf.

The policiesPayments, transfers and procedures of the depositary may govern payments, transfers, exchanges and others matters relating to beneficial interests in a global security. Wesecurity will be subject to policies and procedures of the depositary. The depositary policies and procedures may change from time to time. Neither any trustee nor we will assume nohave any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the depositary’s or any participant’s records relatingwith respect to or for payments made on account of, beneficial interests in a global security.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we indicate otherwise weindicated in a prospectus supplement, the provisions described in this paragraph will pay principal and any premium orapply to the debt securities. Payment of interest on a debt security on any interest payment date will be made to the person in whose name the debt security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest.

Unless we indicate otherwise, we will pay principal and any premium or interestdate. Payment on the debt securities at the office of our designated paying agent. Unless we indicate otherwise, the corporate trust office of the trustee will be the paying agent for the debt securities.

We will name any other paying agents for the debt securities of a particular series will be payable at the office of a paying agent or paying agents designated by us. However, at our option, we may pay interest by mailing a check to the record holder. The trustee will be designated as our initial paying agent.

We may also name any other paying agents in thea prospectus supplement. We may designate additional paying agents, rescindchange paying agents or change the designationoffice of any paying agent or approve a change in the office through which any paying agent acts, butagent. However, we mustwill be required to maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities.securities of a particular series.

TheAll moneys paid by us to a paying agent will return to us all money we pay to it for the payment of the principal, premium or interest on any debt security that remainsremain unclaimed for a specified period.period ending the earlier of:

10 business days prior to the date the money would be turned over to the applicable state; or

at the end of two years after such payment was due, will be repaid to us. Thereafter, the holder may look only to us for payment, as an unsecured general creditor.such payment.

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

 

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No Protection In the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

Under the terms of the indentures, so long as any securities remain outstanding, weWe may not consolidate or enter into a share exchange with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any other person in a transaction in which (a “successor person”) unless:

we are not the surviving corporation or sell, convey, transfer or lease our propertiesthe successor person (if other than AVI BioPharma) is a corporation organized and assets substantially as an entirety tovalidly existing under the laws of any person, unless:

·      the successorU.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations underon the debt securities and under the indentures;indenture; and

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

·default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we meetreceive written notice from the trustee or we and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of our company;

any other conditionsEvent of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the indentures.applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default

Each of or an acceleration under the following willindenture may constitute an event of default under each indenture:certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

·                  our failureIf an Event of Default with respect to paydebt securities of any series at the principal of or any premium on any debt security when due;

·                  our failure to pay any interest on any debt security when due, for more than a specified number of days past the due date;

·                  our failure to deposit any sinking fund payment when due;

·                  our failure to perform any covenant or agreement in the indenture that continues for a specified number of days after written notice has been given bytime outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of a specified percentagenot less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of that series;

·                  certain events of our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization; and

·                  any other event of default specified in the prospectus supplement.

If an event of default occurs and continues, both the trustee and holders of a specified percentage in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal amount of (or, if the debt securities of that series toare discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if

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any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable. Thepayable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may under certain

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circumstances, rescind and annul the acceleration if all eventsEvents of default,Default, other than the nonpaymentnon-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived.

Exceptwaived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for certain duties in casethe particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an eventEvent of default,Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee will not be obligatedunder no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers atunder the requestindenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or directionexpense which might be incurred by it in exercising such right of anypower. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the holders, unless the holders have offered the trustee, reasonable indemnity. If they provide this indemnification, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series maywill have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series.

(Section 6.12)

No holder of aany debt security of any series maywill have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indentures,indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy under the indenture, unless:

 

·                  thethat holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing eventEvent of default;Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

 

·the holders of a specified percentagenot less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made a written request, upon the trustee, and have offered reasonable indemnity or security, to the trustee to institute the proceeding;

·proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding for a specified periodwithin 60 days. (Section 6.7)

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of time after its receiptany debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the notification;principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

·The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee has not received a direction inconsistentstatement as to compliance with the requestindenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within a specified number90 days after it occurs. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of days.debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may change anmodify and amend the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters, including:holder of any debt security:

 

·to fixcure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistencyinconsistency;

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to comply with covenants in the indenture;indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

·to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

to make any change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interestsrights of any holder of debt securities;

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series.series as permitted by the indenture;

to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

to comply with requirements of the Commission in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

 

In addition, underreduce the indentures, we andamount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

reduce the trustee mayrate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

reduce the principal of or premium on or change the rightsfixed maturity of holdersany debt security or reduce the amount of, aor postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of notes withdebt securities;

reduce the written consentprincipal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of eachthat series and a waiver of the payment default that is affected. However, we and the trustee may only resulted from such acceleration);

make the following changes withprincipal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the consentdebt security;

make any change to certain provisions of the holderindenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities affected:

·                  extending the fixed maturity of the series of notes;

·                  reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or any premium payable upon the redemption, of any debt securities; or

·                  reducing the percentageseries may on behalf of debt securities the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment.

all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to debt securities of that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series or in respectseries; provided, however, that the holders of a covenant or provisionmajority in principal amount of the indenture that cannot be amended without each holder’s consent.

Except in certain limited circumstances, we may set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the holders of outstanding debt securities of any series entitled to give or takemay rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action underrelated payment default that resulted from the indentures. In certain limited circumstances,acceleration. (Section 6.13)

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Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the trustee may set a record date. To be effective, the action must be taken by holdersterms of the requisite principal amountapplicable series of such debt securities, within a specified period following the record date.

Defeasance

We may apply the provisions in the indentures relating to defeasance and discharge of indebtedness, or to defeasance of certain restrictive covenants, to the debt securities of any series. The indentures provide that, upon satisfaction of the requirements described below, we may terminatebe discharged from any and all of our obligations underin respect of the debt securities of any series and(subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the applicable indenture, known as legal defeasance, other than our obligation:

·      to maintain a registrar and paying agents and hold moneys for payment in trust;

·      to register the transfer or exchange of the notes; and

·      to replace mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen notes.

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In addition, we may terminate our obligation to comply with any restrictive covenants under the debt securities of any series or the applicable indenture, known as covenant defeasance.

We may exercise our legal defeasance option even if we have previously exercised our covenant defeasance option. If we exercise either defeasance option, payment of the notes may not be accelerated because of the occurrence of events of default.

To exercise either defeasance option as to debt securities of any series, we must irrevocably deposit in trust with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations backed byor, in the full faith and creditcase of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the U.S.government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the written opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay the principal of, premium, if any, and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities. We

This discharge may establish this trustoccur only if:

·                  no event of default has occurred and continues to occur;

·                  in the case of legal defeasance,if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effectstating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the IRSUnited States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, which in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of our counsel, providesshall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of suchthe deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amount,amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if suchthe deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred;occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

·we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of covenant defeasance, we have delivereddebt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of suchthe deposit defeasance and dischargerelated covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amount,amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if suchthe deposit defeasance and dischargerelated covenant defeasance had not occurred;occurred. (Section 8.4)

Covenant Defeasance and

· Events of Default. In the event we satisfy other customary conditions precedent described in the applicable indenture.

Notices

We will mail noticesexercise our option to holderseffect covenant defeasance with respect to any series of debt securities as indicated inand the prospectus supplement.debt securities of that series are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any Event of Default, the amount of money and/or U.S. government obligations or foreign government obligations on deposit with the trustee will be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of their stated maturity but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the debt securities of that series at the time of the acceleration resulting from the Event of Default. However, we shall remain liable for those payments. (Section 8.4).

Title

 

We may treat the person in whose name a debt security is registered as the absolute owner, whether or not such debt security may be overdue, for the purpose of making payment and for all other purposes.-21-


Governing Law

The indenturesindenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the stateState of Oregon.New York without regard to conflict of law principles that would result in the application of any law other than the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.10)

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS

WarrantWe may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or preferred stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to Purchase Common Stock or Preferred Stock

separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summarizessummary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms of common stock warrants and preferred stock warrants we may issue.described below. We urge you to read the detailed provisions ofapplicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the stockcomplete warrant agreement that we will enter into with a stock warrant agent we select at the time of issue.

General. We may issue stock warrants evidenced by stockagreements and warrant certificates under a stock warrant agreement independently or together with any securities we offer by any prospectus supplement. If we offer stock warrants, we will describethat contain the terms of the stockwarrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in athe prospectus supplement including:relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

 

·                  the offering price, if any;

·                  the number of shares of common or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of one stock warrant and the initial price at which the shares may be purchased upon exercise;

·                  if applicable, the designation and terms of the preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of the stock warrants;

·                  the dates on which the right to exercise the stock warrants begins and expires;

·                  U.S. federal income tax consequences;

·                  call provisions, if any;

·                  the currencies in which the offering price and exercise price are payable; and

·                  if applicable, any antidilution provisions.

Exercise of Stock Warrants. The holder may exercise a stock warrant by surrendering to the stock warrant agent the stock warrant certificate, which indicates the holder’s election to exercise all or a portion of the stock warrants evidenced by the certificate. The holder must pay the exercise price by cash or check when the holder surrenders its stock warrant certificate. The stock warrant agent will deliver certificates evidencing duly exercised stock warrants to the transfer agent. Upon receipt of the certificates, the transfer agent will deliver a certificate representing the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchased. Ifpurchasable upon the holder exercises fewer than allexercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

the designation, stated value and terms (including, without limitation, liquidation, dividend, conversion and voting rights) of the series of preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of warrants evidenced by to purchase preferred stock;

the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

any certificate,additional terms of the stock warrant agentwarrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will deliver a new stock warrant certificate representing the unexercised stock warrants.not be entitled:

 

No Rights as Shareholders. Holders of stock warrants are not entitled to vote, to consent toor receive dividends or to dividends;

receive notice as shareholders with respect to any meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or to any other matter; or

exercise any rights whatsoever as shareholders.

11



WarrantsEach warrant will entitle its holder to Purchase Debt Securities

The following summarizes the terms of the debt warrants we may offer. We urge you to read the detailed provisions of the debt warrant agreement that we will enter into with a debt warrant agent we select at the time of issue.

General. We may issue debt warrants evidenced by debt warrant certificates independently or together with any securities offered by any prospectus supplement. If we offer debt warrants, we will describe the terms of the warrants in a prospectus supplement, including:

·                  the offering price, if any;

·                  the designation, aggregate principal amount and terms of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants and the terms of the indenture under which the debt securities will be issued;

·                  if applicable, the designation and terms of the debt securities with which the debt warrants are issued and the number of debt warrants issued with each debt security;

·                  if applicable, the date on and after which the debt warrants and any related securities will be separately transferable;

·purchase the principal amount of debt securities purchasable uponor the number of shares of preferred stock or common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of one debt warrant and the price at which the principal amount of debt securitieswarrants may be purchased upon exercise;

·                  the dates on which the right to exercise the debt warrants begins and expires;at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

·                  U.S. federal income tax consequences;

·                  whether the warrants represented by the debtA holder of warrant certificates will be issued in registered or bearer form;

·                  the currencies in which the offering price and exercise price are payable; and

·                  if applicable, any antidilution provisions.

The holder may exchange debt warrant certificatesthem for new debt warrant certificates of different denominations, and may present debt warrant certificatesthem for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the debt warrant agent which we will listor any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. TheUntil any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities except to the extent that the consent of warrantholders maycan be required for certain modifications of the terms of an indenture or form of the debt security and the series of debt securities issuablepurchased upon exercise, of the debt warrants. In addition, the holder will notincluding any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock or preferred stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock or preferred stock, if any.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE UNITS

We may issue units consisting of our common stock or preferred stock, debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of these securities in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and interest,address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

the title of the series of units;

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;

the price or prices at which the units will be issued;

the date, if any, on and after which the debtconstituent securities unlesscomprising the holder exercises its debt warrant.units will be separately transferable;

a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and

any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

 

Exercise of Debt Warrants. The holder may exercise debt warrants by surrendering to the debt warrant agent the debt warrant certificate, with payment in full of the exercise price. Upon the exercise of debt warrants, the debt warrant agent will, as soon as practicable, deliver to the holder the debt securities in authorized denominations in accordance with the holder’s instructions and at its sole cost and risk. If the holder exercises fewer than all the debt warrants evidenced by any debt warrant certificate, the agent will deliver to the holder a new debt warrant certificate representing the unexercised debt warrants.-24-

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus (i) to or through underwriters or dealers, (ii) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (iii) through agents, or directly(iv) through a combination of any these methods. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to onethe prevailing market prices, or more purchasers. Wenegotiated prices. The prospectus supplement will describe include the following information:

the terms of the offeringoffering;

the names of the securities in a prospectus supplement, including:any underwriters or agents;

 

·the name or names of any underwriters, if any;managing underwriter or underwriters;

 

·the purchase price of the securities and securities;

the net proceeds we will receive from the sale;sale of the securities;

 

·any delayed delivery arrangements;

any underwriting discounts, commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation;

 

·any initial public offering price;

 

·any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

 

·any securities exchangecommissions paid to agents.

We may engage in at-the-market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4). Any at-the-market offering will be through an underwriter or marketunderwriters acting as principal or agent for us.

We may issue to the holders of our common stock on which the securitiesa pro rata basis for no consideration, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock or preferred stock. These subscription rights may or may not be listed.

Only underwriters we name in thetransferable by shareholders. The applicable prospectus supplement are underwriterswill describe the specific terms of any offering of our common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights, including the terms of the securities offeredsubscription rights offering, the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights and, if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement entered into by us in connection with the prospectus supplement.offering of common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights.

Sale Through Underwriters or Dealers

If we use underwriters are used in the sale, theythe underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account, andincluding through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell themthe securities from time to time in one or more transactions, at a fixedincluding negotiated transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Weprivate transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer the securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters without a syndicate. Subjectto purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of the series offered by the prospectus supplement. Anythem. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

If dealers are used in the sale of securities offered through this prospectus, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may changethen resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.

-25-


Direct Sales and Sales Through Agents

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents designated from time to time.

We may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offering andoffer or sale of the offered securities and we will describe any commissions we will paypayable to the agentagent. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement, states otherwise, ourany agent will act on a best-efforts basisagree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus supplement.

WeDelayed Delivery Contracts

If the prospectus supplement indicates, we may authorize agents, underwriters or underwritersdealers to solicit offers byfrom certain types of institutional investorsinstitutions to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant tounder delayed delivery contracts. These contracts providingwould provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. WeThe contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must paycommission payable for solicitation of these contractsthose contracts.

Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, each series of offered securities will be a new issue and will have no established trading market. We may elect to list any series of offered securities on an exchange. Any underwriters that we use in the sale of offered securities may make a market in such securities, but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the securities will have a liquid trading market.

Any underwriter may also engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Rule 104 under the Securities Exchange Act. Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase the underlying security in the open market for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.

Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be in the absence of the transactions. The underwriters may, if they commence these transactions, discontinue them at any time.

Derivative Transactions and Hedging

We, the underwriters or other agents may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters or agents may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters or agents. The underwriters or agents may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters or agents may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.

-26-


Electronic Auctions

We may also make sales through the Internet or through other electronic means. Since we may from time to time elect to offer securities directly to the public, with or without the involvement of agents, underwriters or dealers, utilizing the Internet or other forms of electronic bidding or ordering systems for the pricing and allocation of such securities, you will want to pay particular attention to the description of that system we will provide in a prospectus supplement.

SecuritiesSuch electronic system may allow bidders to directly participate, through electronic access to an auction site, by submitting conditional offers to buy that are subject to acceptance by us, and which may directly affect the price or other terms and conditions at which such securities are sold. These bidding or ordering systems may present to each bidder, on a so-called “real-time” basis, relevant information to assist in making a bid, such as the clearing spread at which the offering would be sold, based on the bids submitted, and whether a bidder’s individual bids would be accepted, prorated or rejected. For example, in the case of debt security, the clearing spread could be indicated as a number of “basis points” above an index treasury note. Of course, many pricing methods can and may also be used.

Upon completion of such an electronic auction process, securities will be allocated based on prices bid, terms of bid or other factors. The final offering price at which securities would be sold and the allocation of securities among bidders would be based in onewhole or morein part on the results of the following transactions: (a) block transactions (whichInternet or other electronic bidding process or auction.

General Information

Agents, underwriters, and dealers may involve crosses) in which a broker-dealer may sell all or a portion of the securities as agent but may position and resell all or a portion of the block as principalbe entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to facilitate the transaction; (b) purchasesindemnification by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its own account pursuant to a prospectus supplement; (c) ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker-dealer solicits purchasers; (d) sales “at the market” to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise, for securities; and (e) sales in other ways not involving market makers or established trading markets, including direct sales to purchasers. Broker-dealers may also receive compensation from purchasers of the securities which is not expected to exceed that customary in the types of transactions involved.

We may provide agents and underwriters with indemnificationus against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities ActAct. Our agents, underwriters, and dealers, or their affiliates, may be customers of, 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business.

All securities we offer other than common stock will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

 

We-27-


LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities will be passed upon for us by White Summers Caffee & James, LLP, Portland, Oregon. Certain other legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the debt securities, warrants and units will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP, Menlo Park, California. Additional legal matters may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged bybe passed on for us, or borrowed from usany underwriters, dealers or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactionsagents, by counsel that we will be an underwriter and will be identifiedname in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment).

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LEGAL MATTERS

supplement.

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, 1300 S.W. Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor, Portland, Oregon 97201, will provide opinions regarding the authorization and validity of the securities. Any underwriters will also be advised about legal matters by their own counsel, which will be named in the prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

EXPERTS

The financial statements of AVI BioPharma, Inc. (a developmental stage enterprise) as of December 31, 20082011 and 2007,2010, and for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2008,2011, and the information included in the cumulative from inception presentations for the period January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2011 (not separately presented), and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 20082011 have been incorporated by reference herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the reports of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and currentother reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public fromover the Internet at the SEC’s web sitewebsite at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. locatedPublic Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E.,NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of any document we file at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the Securities Exchange Commission at that address. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Information about us,Public Reference Room. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including ourany amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC filings, ispursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also availablebe accessed free of charge on our website at http://www.avibio.com; however, that informationwww.avibio.com under the “Investor Relations—SEC Filings” caption. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement.prospectus.

 

-28-


INCORPORATIONINFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporateincorporate by reference” in this prospectusreference the information in other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Theanother document that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is considered to be aan important part of this prospectus, and information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in documents filed earlier with the SEC or contained in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement.prospectus. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the following information or documents listed below and any future filings that we may makehave filed with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d)(excluding those portions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, priorany Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the terminationGeneral Instructions of the offering under this prospectus:Form 8-K):

 

·our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008;2011 filed with the SEC on March 13, 2012;

 

·                  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009;

·our Current ReportsReport on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 30, 2009, January 30, 2009, March 10, 2009, April 1, 2009, May 11, 2009, May 21, 2009, June 2, 2009, June 8, 2009,2012; and

 

·                  Thethe description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on May 29, 1997.

Notwithstanding the foregoing,All reports and other documents we are not incorporating any documentsubsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules. You may obtain a copy of any or all15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents referredwe may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to above which may have been or maythe effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus (excluding certainand deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

Any statement contained in any document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, but not delivered with the prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents) at no cost todocuments that this prospectus incorporates. You should direct written requests to: AVI BioPharma, Inc., 3450 Monte Villa Parkway, Suite 101, Bothell, Washington 98021, or you by writing or telephoningmay call us at the following address:(425) 354-5038.

 

AVI BioPharma, Inc.
Investor Relations
4575 SW Research Way, Suite 200
Corvallis, OR 97333
Attn: Julie Rathbun
(541) 224-2575-29-


DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION ON INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES

Our articles of incorporation provide that we are required to indemnify our directors and officers, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by Oregon law. We also have entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers which may be broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the Oregon Business Corporation Act.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable. If a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director or officer of our company in the successful defense of the action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by a director or officer in connection with securities which may have been registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issues.

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

14.Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

Item 14.Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth the feesvarious costs and expenses other(other than the underwriting compensation,discounts and commissions) payable by the company in connection with the registrationa distribution of common stock, preferred stock, and warrants hereunder.securities registered hereby. All amounts are estimates except for the SEC registration fee. The assumed amount has been used to demonstrate

   Amount
to be Paid
 

SEC registration fee

  $11,460  

Transfer agent’s and trustee’s fees and expenses

   5,000  

Printing costs

   10,000  

Legal fees and expenses

   200,000  

Blue Sky fees and expenses

   5,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

   100,000  

Miscellaneous expenses

   38,540  
  

 

 

 

Total

  $370,000  
  

 

 

 

Item 15.Indemnification of Directors and Officers

We are an Oregon corporation. Section 60.391 of the expensesOregon Business Corporation Act (the “OBCA”) authorizes the indemnification of an offering and does not representindividual made a party to a proceeding because the individual is or was an estimateofficer or director against certain liability incurred in the proceeding if:

the conduct of the amountindividual was in good faith;

the individual reasonably believed that his or her conduct was in the best interests of securities that may be registeredthe corporation or distributed because such amount is unknown at this time.least not opposed to its best interests;

 

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee

 

$

6,975

 

Printing and engraving fees

 

25,000

 

Legal fees and expenses

 

150,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

100,000

 

Blue sky fees and expenses

 

25,000

 

Miscellaneous expenses

 

193,025

 

Total

 

$

500,000

 

in the case of any criminal proceeding, the individual had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful;

 

15.Indemnificationin the case of Officersany proceeding by or in the right of the corporation, the individual was not adjudged liable to the corporation; and Directors

 

Our Amended and Restated Articlesin connection with any proceeding (other than a proceeding by or in the right of Incorporation provide for indemnification by us or our directors and former directors, and for advancement of reasonable expenses incurred by each such person upon an undertaking by such personthe corporation) charging improper personal benefit to repay such amount if it is ultimately determinedthe individual, the individual was not adjudged liable on the basis that he or she improperly received personal benefit.

Section 60.401 of the OBCA also authorizes a court to order indemnification, whether or not the above standards of conduct have been met, if the court determines that the officer or director is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all the relevant circumstances. In addition, the OBCA provides that the indemnification described above is not exclusive of any other rights to which officers or directors may be entitled under the corporation’s articles of incorporation or bylaws, or under any agreement, action of its board of directors, vote of shareholders or otherwise.

Section 60.047(2)(d) of the OBCA also authorizes a corporation to indemnification. include in its articles of incorporation a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for conduct as a director, except that such a provision cannot affect the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) for any unlawful corporation distribution as defined in the OBCA or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.


Our Bylaws alsoarticles of incorporation provide that we shall have the powerare required to indemnify our directors and officers, pursuantin each case to applicablethe fullest extent permitted by Oregon law. Such indemnification does not cover matters involving (i)No amendment to the breacharticles of a director’s duty of loyalty, (ii) actionsincorporation that limits our obligation to indemnify any person shall have any effect for any act or omissions not in good faith, intentional misconduct or knowing violations of law, (iii)omission that occurs prior to the unlawful payment of dividends, stock purchases or redemptions or (iv) any transaction from which a director derives an improper personal benefit.

Aslater of the effective date hereof, weof such amendment and the date notice of such amendment is given to the person. We also maintain directors’ and officer’s liability insurance.

We also have not entered into anyseparate indemnification agreements with our directors. In the future, we may elect to enter into agreements for purposeseach of among other things, indemnifying our directors and officers for certainwhich may be broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the OBCA. These indemnification agreements requires us to indemnify our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, against all expenses, (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement amounts incurred by the indemnitee in connection with any suchproceeding, whether of a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative nature, in which the indemnitee may be or may have been involved as a party, witness or otherwise, by reason of the fact that indemnitee was a director or officer inof our company, or by reason of any action or inaction on indemnitee’s part while acting as a director or officer of our company, or by reason of the fact that indemnitee was serving, at the request of our company, in certain capacities for other entities. In addition, the indemnification agreements provide for the advancement of expenses, including attorney fees, incurred by the indemnitee in defending against any such proceeding. The indemnification agreements set out, among other things, the process for determining entitlement to indemnification, the conditions to advancement of expenses, the procedures for enforcement of indemnification rights, the limitations on indemnification and requirements relating to the notice and defense of claims for which indemnification is sought. The indemnification agreements only provide for indemnification for expenses if the indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner the indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to our best interests and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, includinghad no reasonable cause to believe that such indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful. No indemnification for expenses will be made under the indemnification agreements for any action byclaim as to which a court of competent jurisdiction has finally adjudged the indemnitee to be liable to us, except to the extent that the court has determined that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, the indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification for such expenses as the court has deemed proper.

At present, there is no pending litigation or in our right, arising out of such person’s services as oneproceeding involving any of our directors or officers toin which indemnification or advancement is sought. We are not aware of any of our subsidiariesthreatened litigation that may result in claims for advance or to any other company or enterprise to which the director or officer provides services at our request.indemnification.


Item 16.Exhibits

 

16.Exhibits

(a)Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference:

 

A list of exhibits filed herewith is contained in the exhibit index that immediately precedes such exhibits and is incorporated herein by reference.

      Incorporated by Reference to Filings Indicated

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

  

Form

  

File No.

   

Exhibit

   

Filing
Date

   

Filed
Herewith

  1.1  Form of Underwriting Agreement*          
  4.1  Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of AVI BioPharma, Inc.  S-8   333-175031     4.1     6/20/11    
  4.2  Amended and Restated Bylaws of AVI BioPharma, Inc.  10-K   001-14895     3.4     3/15/11    
  4.3  Form of Articles of Amendment*          
  4.4  Form of Common Stock Certificate  10-K   001-14895     4.1     3/15/11    
  4.5  Form of Preferred Stock Certificate*          
  4.6  Form of Indenture          X
  4.7  Form of Note*          
  4.8  Form of Warrant to Purchase Common Stock*          
  4.9  Form of Warrant to Purchase Preferred Stock*          
  4.10  Form of Warrant to Purchase Debt Securities*          
  4.11  Form of Unit*          
  5.1  Opinion of White Summers Caffee & James, LLP          X
  5.2  Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP          X
12.1  Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges          X
23.1  Consent of KPMG LLP, independent registered accounting firm          X
23.2  Consent of White Summers Caffee & James, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)          X
23.3  Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2)          X
24.1  Power of Attorney (contained on signature page)          X
25.1  Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939*    ��     

 

17.Undertakings
*To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and incorporated herein by reference.


Item 17.Undertakings

(a) The undersigned Registrantregistrant hereby undertakes:

1. To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

i.(i) To include any prospectus required by sectionSection 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”);

ii.(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in the volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission

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SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20%20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.

iii.(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(l)(i), (a)(1)(l)(ii) and (a)(1)(l)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the CommissionSEC by the Registrantregistrant pursuant to sectionSection 13 or sectionSection 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

2. That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

5.4. That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

i.                  If the Registrant is relying on Rule 430B:

A.(i) Each prospectus filed by the Registrantregistrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

B.(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(l)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by sectionSection 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; ordate.


ii.               If the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

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6.5. That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrantregistrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: Thesecurities, the undersigned Registrantregistrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrantregistrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrantregistrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

i.(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrantregistrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

ii.(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrantregistrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;registrant;

iii.(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrantregistrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant;registrant; and

iv.(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrantregistrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that,6. That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c)7. The undersigned Registrantregistrant hereby undertakes to supplement the prospectus, after the expiration of the subscription period, to set forth the results of the subscription offer, the transactions by the underwriters during the subscription period, the amount of unsubscribed securities to be purchased by the underwriters, and the terms of any subsequent reoffering thereof. If any public offering by the underwriters is to be made on terms differing from those set forth on the cover page of the prospectus, a post-effective amendment will be filed to set forth the terms of such offering.

(h)8. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrantregistrant pursuant to the indemnification provisions described under Item 15 above,herein, or otherwise, the Registrantregistrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrantregistrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrantregistrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrantregistrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

9. (a) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(j) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes(b) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

10. To file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Corvallis,Bothell, State of Oregon,Washington, on the 30th day of July, 2009.March 21, 2012.

 

AVI BIOPHARMA, INC.

By:

/s/    CHRISTOPHER GARABEDIAN        

By:

/s/ LESLIE HUDSON, PH.D.

Christopher Garabedian

Leslie Hudson, Ph.D.

Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer

and Director

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Leslie HudsonChristopher Garabedian and J. David Boyle II,Michael A. Jacobsen, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution forand full power to act without the undersignedother, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent to act in his or her name, place and stead and to execute in anythe name and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post-effective amendmentson behalf of each person, individually and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) to the Registration Statementin each capacity stated below, and to file, the same, with all exhibits thereto,any and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing, requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them or their and his or hisher substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statementregistration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on the dates indicated.

 

SIGNATURESignature

Title

TITLE

DATEDate

/s/     LESLIE HUDSON, PH.D.CHRISTOPHER GARABEDIAN        

Christopher Garabedian

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive and Financial  Officer)

Director, President and Chief

March 21, 2012

July 30, 2009

Leslie Hudson, Ph.D./s/    MICHAEL A. JACOBSEN        

Executive Officer (PrincipalMichael A. Jacobsen

Vice President, Finance

(Principal Accounting Officer)

March 21, 2012

Executive Officer)

/s/    J. DAVID BOYLE IIWILLIAM GOOLSBEE        

Chief Financial Officer (PrincipalWilliam Goolsbee

July 30, 2009

J. David Boyle II

Financial and Accounting Officer)

/s/  MICHAEL D. CASEY

Chairman of the Board

July 30, 2009

March 21, 2012

Michael D. Casey/s/    M. KATHLEEN BEHRENS        

M. Kathleen Behrens, Ph.D.

/s/  K. MICHAEL FORREST

Director

July 30, 2009

March 21, 2012

K. Michael Forrest/s/    ANTHONY CHASE        

Anthony Chase

/s/  WILLIAM A. GOOLSBEE

Director

July 30, 2009

March 21, 2012

William A. Goolsbee/s/    JOHN C. HODGMAN        

John C. Hodgman

/s/  JOHN C. HODGMAN

Director

July 30, 2009

March 21, 2012

John C. Hodgman/s/    GIL PRICE        

Gil Price, M.D.

/s/  GIL PRICE, M.D.

Director

July 30, 2009

March 21, 2012

Gil Price,/s/    HANS WIGZELL        

Hans Wigzell, M.D., Ph.D.

/s/  CHRISTOPHER S. HENNEY, PH.D., D.SC.

Director

July 30, 2009

CHRISTOPHER S. HENNEY, Ph.D., D.Sc.

/s/  M. KATHLEEN BEHRENS, PH.D.

Director

July 30, 2009

M. Kathleen Behrens, Ph.D.

March 21, 2012
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Table of ContentsEXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Index

      Incorporated by Reference to Filings Indicated

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

  

Form

  

File No.

   

Exhibit

   

Filing
Date

   

Filed
Herewith

  1.1  Form of Underwriting Agreement*          
  4.1  Fourth Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of AVI BioPharma, Inc.  S-8   333-175031     4.1     6/20/11    
  4.2  Amended and Restated Bylaws of AVI BioPharma, Inc.  10-K   001-14895     3.4     3/15/11    
  4.3  Form of Articles of Amendment*          
  4.4  Form of Common Stock Certificate  10-K   001-14895     4.1     3/15/11    
  4.5  Form of Preferred Stock Certificate*          
  4.6  Form of Indenture          X
  4.7  Form of Note*          
  4.8  Form of Warrant to Purchase Common Stock*          
  4.9  Form of Warrant to Purchase Preferred Stock*          
  4.10  Form of Warrant to Purchase Debt Securities*          
  4.11  Form of Unit*          
  5.1  Opinion of White Summers Caffee & James, LLP          X
  5.2  Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP          X
12.1  Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges          X
23.1  Consent of KPMG LLP, independent registered accounting firm          X
23.2  Consent of White Summers Caffee & James, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)          X
23.3  Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included in Exhibit 5.2)          X
24.1  Power of Attorney (contained on signature page)          X
25.1  Form T-1 Statement of Eligibility of Trustee for Subordinated Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939*          

 

Exhibit No.

*

Description

1.1†

FormTo be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of Underwriting Agreement Basic Terms

4.1*

Form of Common Stock Certificate

4.2

Form of Senior Indenture

4.3

Form of Subordinated Indenture

4.4†

Form of Warrant

4.5†

Form of Articles of Amendment with respect to Preferred Stock

5.1

Opinion of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

12.1

Statement of Computation of Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

23.1

Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

23.2

Consent of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)

24.1

Power of Attorney (included on signature page)

25.1†

Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust IndentureSecurities Exchange Act of 1939,1934, as amended

and incorporated herein by reference.


                  To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a report pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

*                 Incorporated by reference to Exhibits to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2, as amended and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 1997 (Commission Registration No. 333-20513).