Unassociated Document
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by
the Registrant ý Filed by a
Party other than the Registrant
Check the
appropriate box:
ý Preliminary
Proxy Statement
¨ Confidential,
for Use of the Commission only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
¨ Definitive
Proxy Statement
¨ Definitive
Additional Materials
¨ Soliciting
Material Pursuant to § 240.14a-12
DRAGON
PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
___________________________________________________________________
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
¨ No
fee required
ý Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11
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1)
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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Common
stock, par value $0.001 per share
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2)
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies: 67,066,418 shares of
common stock outstanding; in-the-money stock options with respect to
7,960,000 shares of common stock; and warrants with respect to
0 shares of common stock.
|
|
3)
|
Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was
determined):
|
|
The
maximum aggregate value was determined based upon the sum of (i)
67,066,418 shares of common stock multiplied by $0.82 per share; and (ii)
in-the-money stock options with respect to 7,960,000 shares of common
stock multiplied by $0.22 per share (which is the difference between $0.82
and the weighted average exercise price of $0.60 per share). In
accordance with Exchange Act Rule 0-11(c), the filing fee was determined
by multiplying 0.0000713 by the sum of the preceding
sentence.
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4)
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
$56,745,662
|
|
5)
|
Total
fee paid: $4,046
|
□
|
Fee
paid previously with preliminary
materials.
|
□
|
Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
|
1) Amount
Previously Paid: ________________________________
2) Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.: _______________
3) Filing
Party: __________________________________________
4) Date
Filed: ____________________________________________
PRELIMINARY
COPY
DRAGON
PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
Suite
310, 650 West Georgia Street
Vancouver,
British Columbia
Canada
V6B 4N9
Telephone
(604) 669-8817
[Date]
Dear
Shareholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the
special meeting of the shareholders of Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. (“we”, the
“Company” or “Dragon”) to be held at 10:30 a.m. local time, on ___________, 2010
at Dragon’s corporate office located at Suite 310, 650 West Georgia
Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B
4N9.
At the
special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote upon the following
proposals:
1. to
adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 26, 2010, which we
refer to as the "Merger Agreement" in this proxy statement, by and among Dragon,
Chief Respect Limited, a Hong Kong corporation, Datong Investment Inc., a
Florida corporation and subsidiary of Chief Respect Limited, and Mr. Yanlin Han,
pursuant to which Datong Investment Inc. will merge with and into Dragon and
each holder of Dragon shares of common stock, excluding Mr. Han, will
receive $0.82 per share.
2. to
adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, including
to solicit additional proxies in the event there are not sufficient votes in
favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement at the time of the special meeting;
and
3. to
conduct such other business as may properly come before the special meeting or
any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.
Pursuant
to the Merger Agreement, Datong Investment Inc., a Florida
corporation, which we refer to as "MergerSub" in this proxy
statement, will merge with and into Dragon, with our Company continuing as the
surviving corporation of the merger. The shares of common stock of
the Company held by Mr. Han prior to the merger will remain issued and
outstanding after the merger and will not be affected by the
merger. Following the merger, Dragon will become a subsidiary of
Chief Respect Limited, a Hong Kong corporation which we refer to as "Parent" in
this proxy statement, and the Parent and Mr. Han will be the shareholders of the
surviving corporation.
After
careful consideration and upon the recommendation of the Special Committee
comprised entirely of directors with no financial interest in Parent and no
affiliation (other than being Board members of the Company) with Mr. Yanlin Han,
our board of directors (other than Mr. Han who did not participate in the
deliberations or discussions related to the merger or vote on any matters
related thereto) (i) determined that the Merger Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are substantively
and procedurally fair to and in the best interests of our Company and our
unaffiliated shareholders (by which we mean, for purposes of this determination,
our shareholders other than Mr. Han); (ii) approved and authorized the Merger
Agreement and the merger and (iii) recommends that you vote "FOR" the adoption
of the Merger Agreement at the special meeting.
This
proxy statement provides detailed information about the Merger Agreement and the
merger. The description of the Merger Agreement and all other
agreements in this proxy statement are subject to the terms of the actual
agreements. We encourage you to read this proxy statement carefully,
including its Appendixes and the documents we refer to in this proxy
statement.
Your vote is very important,
regardless of the number of shares you own. The proposed
merger cannot be completed unless it is approved by (1) the affirmative vote of
the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s voting
common stock entitled to vote on the merger which is required under Florida law
(the "Florida law vote") and (2) a majority of the votes cast by holders of
outstanding shares of the Company’s voting common stock entitled to vote on the
merger, excluding the votes cast by Mr. Han which is required under the rules of
the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX vote") as described in the accompanying proxy
statement. Mr. Han owned as of the record date approximately 38.0% of
the Company’s shares, which shares would be counted for the purpose of
determining the Florida law vote but would not be counted for purpose of
determining the TSX vote. Accordingly, assuming that Mr. Han voted all of his
share in favor of the merger, the affirmative vote of greater than approximately
21% of the remaining 62% of the shares (or 13% of the all outstanding shares)
would be required to approve the merger for purpose of the Florida law vote,
and, assuming all of the Company's stockholders voted all of their shares with
respect to the Merger Agreement, the affirmative vote of the majority of the
remaining 62% of the shares would be required to approve the merger agreement
for purposes of the TSX vote.
Only shareholders who owned shares of
our common stock at the close of business on __________, the record date for the
special meeting, will be entitled to vote at the special meeting. To
vote your shares, you may use the enclosed proxy card or attend the special
meeting and vote in person. On behalf of our board of directors,
I urge you to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card as soon as
possible, even if you currently plan to attend the special
meeting.
Thank you
for your support of our Company. I look forward to seeing you at the
special meeting.
Sincerely,
/s/ Maggie Deng
Maggie Deng,
Secretary
The proxy statement is dated
_________2010, and is first being mailed to shareholders on or about
__________.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulatory
agency has approved or disapproved the merger, passed upon the merits or
fairness of the merger or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure
in this document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
In addition to delivering the proxy
materials for the special meeting to be held on __________ to shareholders by
mail, the proxy statement for such meeting is also available on our website at
www.dragonpharma.com.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
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1
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The
Parties to the Merger
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1
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The
Merger
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1
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Merger
Consideration
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1
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Treatment
of Outstanding Stock Options
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2
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Market
Prices and Dividend Data
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2
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Material
United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the
Merger
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2
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Material
Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
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2
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Opinion
of the Special Committee's Financial Advisor
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3
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The
Special Meeting of Shareholders
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3
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Interests
of Our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger
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4
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Indemnification
Agreements
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5
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Intentions
of our Directors and Executive Officers and Voting
Commitment
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5
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Parent's
Financing for the Transaction-Good Faith Deposit
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6
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Conditions
to the Closing of the Merger
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6
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Solicitation
of Other Offers
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7
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Termination
of the Merger Agreement
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7
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Termination
Fees
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8
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Regulatory
Matters
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8
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Appraisal
Rights
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8
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Legal
Proceedings Regarding the Merger
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9
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QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING AND THE MERGER
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9
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Notice
of Internet Availability
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15
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SPECIAL
FACTORS
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16
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Background
to the Merger
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16
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Reasons
for the Merger and Recommendation of the Special Committee and Our
Board
of Directors
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18
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Opinion
of the Special Committee's Financial Advisor
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22
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Additional
Information
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27
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Purpose
and Reasons for the Merger for Parent, MergerSub and Mr.
Han
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28
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Position
of Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han as to the Fairness of the
Merger
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28
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Interests
of Our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger
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31
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Interest
of Mr. Han in Parent and MergerSub
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31
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Change
in Control Benefits for Our Executive Officers
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32
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Indemnification
of Directors and Officers
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32
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The
Special Committee
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32
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Related
Party Transactions
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33
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Form
of the Merger
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33
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Merger
Consideration
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33
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Parent's
Financing for the Transaction
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33
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Effects
of the Merger
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33
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Plans
for Our Company After the Merger
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34
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Effects
on the Market for the Shares; OTC Bulletin Board and TSX Listing;
Registration Under the Exchange Act
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35
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Effects
on Our Company if the Merger is Not Completed
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35
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Material
United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the
Merger
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36
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Material
Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
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37
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Holders
Resident in Canada
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38
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Holders
Not Resident in Canada
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38
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Regulatory
Matters
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39
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Accounting
Treatment
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40
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Legal
Proceedings Regarding the Merger
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40
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Appraisal
Rights
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40
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Exercising
Dissent Rights
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43
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Provisions
for Unaffiliated Shareholders
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44
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Voting
Intentions of Our Directors and Executive Officers and Voting Commitment
of Mr. Han, Parent and MergerSub
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44
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Estimated
Fees and Expenses of the Merger
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44
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CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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45
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RISK
FACTORS
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45
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THE
SPECIAL MEETING
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46
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Date,
Time and Place
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46
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Purpose
of the Special Meeting
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46
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Record
Date; Shares Entitled to Vote; Quorum
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46
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Vote
Required
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47
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Voting
of Proxies
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47
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Revocability
of Proxies
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47
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Solicitation
of Proxies
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48
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THE
PARTIES TO THE MERGER
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48
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THE
MERGER AGREEMENT
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49
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The
Merger
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49
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Effective
Time
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50
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Merger
Consideration
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50
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Payment
Procedures
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50
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Treatment
of Outstanding Stock Options
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51
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Representations
and Warranties
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51
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Company
Material Adverse Effect Definition
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54
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Conduct
of Business Pending the Merger
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54
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Solicitation
of Other Offers
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56
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Termination
in Connection with a Superior Proposal
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58
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Merger
Financing-Good Faith Deposit
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59
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Indemnification
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60
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Additional
Covenants
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60
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Conditions
to the Closing of the Merger
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61
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Termination
of the Merger Agreement
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62
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Termination
Fees
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64
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Limitation
on Remedies
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64
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Amendment;
Extension of Time; Waiver
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64
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IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING DRAGON PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
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65
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Description
of Business
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65
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Description
of Property
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65
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Legal
Proceedings
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65
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Directors
and Executive Officers
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65
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Ownership
of Common Stock by Certain Beneficial Owners, Directors and Executive
Officers
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67
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Market
Price of Our Company Common Stock and Dividend Information
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69
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Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
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70
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
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70
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Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
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70
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Financial
Statements
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70
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Selected
Financial Data
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70
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Consolidated
Balance Sheet Data
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70
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Consolidated
Statements of Operation
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71
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Book
Value Per Share
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71
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Prior
Public Offerings
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71
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Prior
Stock Purchases
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71
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Prior
Stock Purchases by Mr. Han, Parent and MergerSub
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71
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Transactions
During the Past Sixty Days
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71
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IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING MR. HAN, PARENT AND MERGERSUB
|
71
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Mr.
Han
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71
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Parent
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72
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MergerSub
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72
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Criminal
and Administrative Proceedings
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72
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Interest
in Securities of Our Company
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72
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AUTHORITY
TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING
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72
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Generally
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72
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Vote
Required
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73
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OTHER
MATTERS
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73
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SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS
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73
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INFORMATION
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
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74
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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74
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MISCELLANEOUS
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76
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APPENDIX
A: AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
DATED MARCH 26, 2010
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APPENDIX
B: OPINION OF CANACCORD FINANCIAL
LTD.
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APPENDIX
C-1: DISSENT & APPRAISAL RIGHTS OF THE FLORIDA
BUSINESS CORPORATIONS
ACT
|
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APPENDIX
C-2: FORM OF DISSENTER’S APPRAISAL NOTICE
|
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APPENDIX
D: FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 2009
|
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This
proxy statement incorporates important business and financial information about
the Company from documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
that are not included in, or delivered with, this document. This information is
available without charge at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s
website, http://www.sec.gov, as well
as from other sources. Refer to “WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE
INFORMATION.”
SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
This
following summary term sheet highlights selected information from this proxy
statement and may not contain all of the information that is important to
you. To understand the merger fully and for a more complete
description of the legal terms of the merger, we encourage you to read carefully
this entire proxy statement, its Appendixes and the documents referred to or
incorporated by reference in this proxy statement. Each item in this
summary includes a page reference directing you to a more complete description
of that topic. Refer to
"Where You Can Find More
Information."
The
Parties to the Merger
Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc.
Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of a broad
line of high-quality antibiotic products including Clavulanic Acid, 7-ACA,
downstream cephalosporin active pharmaceutical ingredient and formulated powder
for injection in both Chinese and emerging markets. Our headquarters
are located at Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada V6B 4N9. Our telephone number at our headquarters is (604)
669-8817. Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. is referred to in this proxy
statement as alternatively the "Company," “Dragon” and "we."
Chief
Respect Limited, a Hong Kong corporation, is a new company which was formed in
connection with the merger. Chief Respect Limited has not carried on
any activities other than in connection with the merger. Mr.
Han, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and owner of approximately 38.0% of
the outstanding share of our common stock, is the sole shareholder of the Chief
Respect Limited. Chief Respect Limited’s principal offices are located at
11/F, AXA Centre, 151 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, and its telephone
number is (852)-25823800. Chief Respect Limited is referred to in
this proxy statement as "Parent."
Datong
Investment Inc., a Florida corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent
and has not engaged in any business activity other than activities related to
the purpose of merging with our Company. If the merger is completed,
Datong Investment Inc. will cease to exist following its merger with and into
our Company. The principal offices are located at c/o Corporation
Service Company, 1201 Hays Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Datong
Investment is referred to in this proxy statement as "MergerSub."
The
Merger
Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement,
MergerSub, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, will merge with and into our
Company. The shares of common stock of the Company held by Mr. Han prior to the
merger will remain issued and outstanding after the merger and will not be
affected by the merger. After the merger, Dragon will continue as the
surviving corporation and as a subsidiary of Parent. The surviving
corporation will be a privately held corporation with Mr. Han and the Parent as
its shareholders. With the exception of Mr. Han, our current
shareholders will cease to have any ownership interest in the surviving
corporation or rights as shareholders of the surviving corporation.
Merger
Consideration
If the
merger is completed, each share of our common stock, other than as provided
below, will be converted into the right to receive $0.82 in cash, without
interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. We refer to this
consideration per share of common stock to be paid in the merger as the "merger
consideration." The following shares of our common stock will not be converted
into the right to receive the merger consideration in connection with the
merger: (1) shares held by any of our shareholders who are entitled to and who
properly exercise appraisal rights under Florida law; and (2) shares owned by
Mr. Han. Mr. Han currently owns approximately 38.0% of our
outstanding shares and is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
At the
effective time of the merger, our shareholders, with the exception of Mr. Han,
will no longer have any rights as a shareholder other than the right to receive
the merger consideration, or for those who have properly exercised appraisal
rights under Florida law, the right to receive fair value. In no
event will our shareholders, with the exception of Mr. Han, have
rights as a member or shareholder of Parent or MergerSub, respectively, as a
result of the merger. Our shareholders entitled to the merger
consideration will receive the merger consideration after exchanging their stock
certificates in accordance with the instructions contained in the letter of
transmittal to be sent to our shareholders shortly after the effective time of
the merger.
Treatment
of Outstanding Stock Options
Pursuant to the plans and stock option
agreements under which they were issued, each outstanding stock option will, at
the effective time of the merger, to the extent not previously exercised, be
canceled and terminated and converted into the right to receive a cash payment
for each vested share of our common stock subject to such option equal to the
excess, if any, of (1) the merger consideration over (2) the option
exercise price payable in respect of such share of our common stock issuable
under such option, without interest and less any applicable withholding
taxes.
Market Prices and Dividend
Data
Shares of
our common stock are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol "DRUG".
On March 26, 2010, the last full trading day prior to the public announcement of
the merger, the closing price for our common stock was $0.69 per
share. On ______, the latest practicable trading day before the
printing of this proxy statement, the closing price for our common stock was
$_____ per share.
Material
United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
For U.S.
federal income tax purposes, your receipt of cash in exchange for your shares of
our common stock in the merger generally will result in your recognizing gain or
loss measured by the difference, if any, between the cash you receive in the
merger and your tax basis in your shares of our common stock.
Tax
matters can be complicated, and the tax consequences of the merger to you will
depend on the facts of your own financial situation. Further, we have
not addressed the tax effect of the merger to persons who are not citizens of or
residents of the United States. In addition the tax effect on holders of stock
options has not been address. We strongly recommend that you consult
your own tax advisor to fully understand the tax consequences of the merger to
you.
Material
Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
A shareholder who is resident in Canada
and who holds common shares as capital property is generally expected to
recognize a capital gain (or capital loss) for Canadian federal income tax
purposes equal to the amount by which the amount of cash received for such
common shares, net of any reasonable costs of disposition, exceeds (or is less
than) the holder’s adjusted cost base of the common shares. Any capital gain so
realized on the merger by a shareholder who is a non-resident of Canada in
general is not expected to be subject to Canadian federal income
taxation.
This overview of Canadian federal
income tax considerations is subject to the more detailed discussion under
“Special Factors – Material Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences of the
Merger” and the assumptions noted therein. In addition, tax matters
can be complicated, and the tax consequences of the merger to you will depend on
the facts and your particular circumstances. We are not in a position
to give tax advice to any particular holder, and we strongly recommend that you
consult your own tax advisor to fully understand the tax consequences of the
merger to you.
Reasons
for the Merger and Recommendation of the Special Committee and Our Board of
Directors
Our board of directors (other than Mr.
Han who did not participate in the deliberations or discussions related to the
merger or vote on any matters related thereto) recommends that you vote "FOR"
adoption of the Merger Agreement and "FOR" the proposal to adjourn or postpone
the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional
proxies. In reaching its determination that the Merger Agreement and
the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger, are substantively
and procedurally fair to our Company and our unaffiliated shareholders (by which
we mean, for purposes of this determination, our shareholders other than Mr.
Han) and its decision to approve the Merger Agreement and recommend its adoption
to our shareholders, our board of directors considered the factors described
herein. Our board of directors based its recommendation in part on
the recommendation of the Special Committee, which Special Committee acted with
the advice and assistance of our management and its independent legal and
financial advisor and was comprised at all times of directors with no financial
interest in Parent and no affiliation with Mr. Han.
Opinion
of the Special Committee's Financial Advisor
On
March 26, 2010, Canaccord Financial Ltd., which we refer to as
"Canaccord” in this proxy statement, rendered its opinion to the Special
Committee to the effect that, as of March 26, 2010, the consideration to be
received by our unaffiliated shareholders in the proposed merger pursuant to the
Merger Agreement was fair to such unaffiliated shareholders from a financial
point of view. For purposes of its opinion, Canaccord defined our
unaffiliated shareholders as the holders of our common stock, other than Mr.
Han.
Canaccord’s opinion speaks only as of
the date of the opinion. The opinion was directed to the special committee and
is directed only to the fairness of the merger consideration to Dragon’s
shareholders, other than holders of shares of Dragon who comply with the
provisions of the FBCA regarding the right of the shareholders to dissent from
the Merger and Mr. Han, from a financial point of view. It
does not address the underlying business decision of Dragon to engage in the
merger or any other aspect of the merger. The summary of Canaccord’s opinion in
this proxy statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text
of its written opinion, which is included as Appendix B to this proxy statement
and sets forth the procedures followed, assumptions made, qualifications and
limitations on the review undertaken and other matters considered by Canaccord
in preparing its opinion. However, neither
Canaccord’s written opinion nor the summary of its opinion and the
related analyses set forth in this proxy statement are intended to be, and do
not constitute advice or a recommendation to any shareholder as to how such
shareholder should act or vote with respect to any matter relating to the
merger. Refer to "Special Factors—Opinion of the
Special Committee's Financial Advisor.”
The Special Meeting of
Shareholders
Date, Time and
Place. A special meeting of our shareholders will be held on
__________, at our corporate office, Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9, at 10:30 a.m., local
time, to:
|
·
|
consider
and vote upon the adoption of the Merger
Agreement;
|
|
·
|
consider
and vote on a proposal to adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if
necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in the event there
are not sufficient votes in favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement at
the time of the special meeting;
and
|
|
·
|
transact
such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any
adjournment or postponement of the
meeting.
|
Record Date and Voting
Power. You are entitled to vote at the special meeting if you
owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on __________, the
record date for the special meeting. You will have one vote at the
special meeting for each share of our common stock you owned at the close of
business on the record date. There are 67,066,418 shares of our
common stock entitled to be voted at the special meeting.
Required
Vote. Under Florida law, the adoption of the Merger Agreement
requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock
outstanding at the close of business on the record date (the "Florida law
vote"). In addition, under the rules of the Toronto Stock Exchange
the Merger Agreement must be approved by holders of common stock representing a
majority of the shares of outstanding common stock excluding shares of common
stock owned by Mr. Han (the "TSX vote"). Approval of any proposal to
adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit
additional proxies requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast
by holders of our common stock present, in person or represented by proxy, and
entitled to vote at the special meeting.
Interests
of Our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger
You
should be aware that members of our board of directors and executive officers
have interests in the merger that may be different from, or in addition to,
yours. These interests are summarized below and more fully described
in "Special Factors—Interests
of Our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger”
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Mr.
Han, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and an owner of approximately
38.0 % of our outstanding shares, is the sole owner of the
Parent. Mr. Han is also the sole director and officer of the
Parent and the MergerSub. The shares of common stock of the Company held
by Mr. Han prior to the merger will remain issued and outstanding after
the merger and will not be affected by the merger. After the
merger, Dragon will continue as the surviving corporation and as a
subsidiary of Parent. The surviving corporation will be a
privately held corporation with Mr. Han and the Parent as its
shareholders.
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Similar
to all other option holders under our stock option plan, stock options
held by our executive officers and directors will be canceled and
converted into the right to receive a cash payment, for each vested share
of our common stock subject to each option, equal to the excess, if any,
of (1) the merger consideration over (2) the option exercise price payable
in respect of such share of our common stock issuable under such option,
without interest and less any applicable withholding
taxes. Refer to the "—Treatment of Outstanding
Stock Options," above.
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Indemnification
The
Merger Agreement also provides that from and after the effective time of the
merger, Parent and the surviving corporation shall:
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to
the extent permitted under applicable law, indemnify and hold harmless
each individual who is as of the date of the Merger Agreement
or during the period from such date through the effective time of the
merger serving as our director, officer, trustee or fiduciary or, in such
capacity for any of our subsidiaries with respect to any judgments, fines,
penalties and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any claim,
suit, action, proceeding or investigation, based on or arising out of or
relating to such individual's position as a director, officer, trustee,
employee, agent or fiduciary of ours or any of our
subsidiaries;
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assume
all our and our subsidiaries' obligations to such individuals in respect
of indemnification and exculpation from liabilities for acts or omissions
occurring at or prior to the effective time of the merger, as provided in
our and our subsidiaries' organizational documents;
and
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provides
for standard releases from liability for any act while such person was
acting as a director or executive officer on behalf of the
Company.
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Voting
Intentions of Our Directors and Executive Officers and Voting
Commitment
Under the
terms of the Merger Agreement, Mr. Han, our Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, agreed to vote all shares of common stock held by him in favor of the
adoption of the Merger Agreement. As of the date of this proxy statement, Mr.
Han owns 25,453,741 shares of our common stock representing approximately 38.0%
of our outstanding shares of common stock.
In addition, pursuant to a Support
Agreement, Mr. Zhanguo Weng, Ms. Xuemei Liu, Dr. Alexander Wick and Dr. Yiu
Kwong Sun, each a director of the Company (collectively “Supporting
Shareholders”) have agreed to vote all shares of common stock held by them in
favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement. Although the Special
Committee, and in particular its Chairman Peter Mak, primarily negotiated with
Mr. Han with respect to among other things merger consideration, the Special
Committee kept informed and sought approval from the Mr. Weng and Ms.
Liu.
As of the date of this proxy statement,
Mr. Weng owns 8,986,783 shares, Ms. Liu owns 4,493,391 shares, Dr.
Wick owns 500,000 shares and Dr. Sun owns 700,000 shares of our common stock,
which collectively represents approximately 21.9% of our outstanding shares of
common stock.
Consequently,
assuming that the Supporting Shareholders vote their shares of common stock
representing approximately 21.9% of the outstanding shares in favor of the
Merger Agreement, along with Mr. Han’s 38.0%, collectively representing 59.9% of
the outstanding shares they will have a sufficient number of shares to approve
the Merger Agreement under Florida law vote and but will need other shareholders
to vote for the merger in order to meet the TSX vote.
Parent's
Financing for the Transaction -Good Faith Deposit
Parent
has represented to us that at the effective time of the merger, Parent will have
sufficient cash to make all payments required under the Merger Agreement,
including the merger consideration payable to our
shareholders. Parent intends to finance the merger consideration
through Mr. Han’s personal funds and personal loans from private
lenders.
The
Parent has agreed to deposit $3,000,000 into a segregate account to be jointly
controlled by Mr. Han and either Ms. Maggie Deng, Chief Operating Officer or Mr.
Garry Wong, Chief Financial Officer on behalf of the
Company. $1,000,000 was delivered upon the execution of the Merger
Agreement, and $2,000,000 was delivered upon the filing of the definitive proxy
statement. The deposit may be used to pay for the merger
consideration. If Parent is unable to obtain the merger consideration
by the Closing, or if Mr. Han otherwise breaches the Merger Agreement, the
Company will be entitled to a termination fee of $400,000.
Conditions
to the Closing of the Merger
The
obligations of the parties to consummate the merger are subject to the
satisfaction or, to the extent permissible under applicable law, waiver of
certain conditions on or prior to the closing date of the
merger. Those conditions include (1) approval of the merger by a
majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock; (2) approval
of the merger by a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock
excluding shares held by Mr. Han; and (3) no governmental authority preventing
the merger by way of an injunction, order or other legal restraint.
The
obligations of Parent and MergerSub to complete the merger are subject to the
satisfaction of certain conditions including (1) a requirement that our
representations and warranties be true and correct as of the date of the signing
of the Merger Agreement and the closing of the merger, but only if a Company
Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Merger Agreement) would result if the
representations and warranties are not so true and correct; (2) Company shall
have performed or complied in all material respects with all agreements and
covenants in the Merger Agreement required to be performed or complied with by
it on or prior to the effective time of the merger and (3) our Chief Operating
Officer shall have delivered a certificate that all of the conditions relating
to our representations and obligations under the Merger Agreement have been
satisfied.
Our
obligations to complete the merger are subject to certain conditions including
(1) a requirement that Parent and MergerSub's representations and warranties be
true and correct as of the date of the signing of the Merger Agreement and the
closing of the merger, but only if the failure to be so true and correct would
prevent or materially hinder Parent or MergerSub from consummating the merger;
(2) Mr. Han, Parent and MergerSub shall have performed or complied in all
material respects with all agreements and covenants in the Merger Agreement
required to be performed or complied with by them on or prior to the effective
time of the merger; and (3) we shall have received a certificate signed by an
authorized officer of Parent certifying that all of the conditions with respect
to Parent's, MergerSub's and Mr. Han's representations and obligations under the
Merger Agreement have been satisfied.
The
conditions to the closing of the merger are more fully described below in "The Merger Agreement—Conditions to
the Closing of the Merger."
Solicitation
of Other Offers
In
general, we are required to terminate discussions with respect to, or that could
be reasonably be expected to lead to, an acquisition proposal and are required
not to authorize or permit any of our representatives to, directly or
indirectly, initiate, solicit, encourage or knowingly take any other action to
facilitate any inquiries or the making of any acquisition proposal.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if we receive a written acquisition proposal, we may contact the
person making such proposal solely to clarify and understand the terms and
conditions of such acquisition proposal so as to determine whether such
acquisition proposal is reasonably likely to lead to a superior
proposal.
Furthermore,
if our board of directors determines in good faith that an acquisition proposal
constitutes or is reasonably likely to lead to a superior proposal we may
participate in negotiations regarding the acquisition proposal if our board of
directors determines in good faith that not doing so would be inconsistent with
its duties under applicable law.
Termination
of the Merger Agreement
The
Merger Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the consummation of the
merger, whether before or after shareholder approval has been
obtained:
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by
mutual written consent of the Parent and
Company;
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by
either us or Parent if the merger has not been consummated within 270 days
of the effective date of the merger agreement or if there is a court order
preventing the merger;
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by
Parent if (1) we breach or fail to perform any of our
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in
the Merger Agreement, unless such breach or failure would not
result in a Company Material Adverse Effect, or (2) our board of
directors withdraws its recommendation for the merger or recommends an
alternative acquisition proposal;
or
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by
us if (1) Parent or MergerSub breach or fail to perform any of their
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in the
Merger Agreement unless such breach or failure would not prevent or
materially hinder Parent or MergerSub from consummating the merger; or
(2) prior to obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval,
(i) the Special Committee or the Company Board has concluded in good
faith, after consultation with the Special Committee’s or the Company’s
outside legal counsel and the Company Financial Advisor, that, in light of
a Superior Proposal, failure to terminate this Agreement would be
inconsistent with the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary obligations
to the Company’s shareholders (other than Mr. Han) under applicable Law,
(ii) the Company has complied in all material respects with its
obligations relating to acquisition proposals under certain provision of
the merger agreement, and (iii) concurrent with such termination, the
Company enters into a definitive agreement with respect to such Superior
Proposal (“Superior Proposal”).
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Termination
Fees
We agreed
to pay Parent a $1,000,000 termination fee (1) if our board of directors
withdraws its recommendation for the merger or recommends an alternative
acquisition proposal, and such alternative acquisition is consummated within 12
months; or (2) if we terminate the merger agreement as a result of a Superior
Proposal.
In
addition, we agreed to pay Parent a $400,000 termination fee if Parent
terminates the agreement due to a breach by the Company of any of its
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in the Merger
Agreement.
Parent
agreed to pay us a $400,000 termination fee if we terminate the agreement due to
a breach by Parent or MergerSub of any of their representations, warranties,
covenants or agreements contained in the Merger Agreement, including
breach resulting from Parent’s failure to secure financing for
payment of the merger consideration.
Regulatory Matters
The merger is a “business
combination” under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of
Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted by
the Ontario Securities Commission. MI 61-101 provides that, unless exempted, a
corporation proposing to carry out a business combination is required to obtain
an independent valuation of the subject matter of the transaction and provide to
the securityholders of the corporation a summary of such valuation. MI 61-101
also requires that, in addition to any other required securityholder approval,
in order to complete the transaction, the approval of a majority of the votes
cast by “minority” shareholders of the affected corporation be obtained.
The Company will be obtaining minority shareholder approval for the
merger.
In
accordance with Section 2.4(1)(b) of MI 61-101, Parent is exempt from
the valuation requirements of MI 61-101 on the basis
that Parent and the Supporting Shareholders have, through arm’s length
negotiations, entered agreements to support and vote in favor of the
merger.
Appraisal
Rights
Florida
law provides our shareholders with appraisal rights in connection with the
merger. If you object to the merger, the Florida Business Corporation Act, or
FBCA, permits you to seek relief as a dissenting shareholder and have the "fair
value" of your shares of common stock determined by a court and paid to you in
cash. If you oppose the merger and did not vote “For” the merger, and wish to
dissent to the merger, you must deliver to the Company a written demand for
appraisal of your shares by _______2010.
As discussed under the section titled
“Special Factors-Appraisal Rights” any shareholder who opposes the merger may
exercise dissent and appraisal rights under the FBCA. If you wish to
exercise your dissenter’s and appraisal rights, then you must demand payment and
submit your stock certificates to Maggie Deng, Secretary, Dragon Pharmaceutical,
Inc, Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B
4N9, prior to the merger and after the merger, Mr. Yanlin Han, Chief Respect
Limited, Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
V6B 4N9. The procedure for dissent and appraisal is described in Sections
607.1301 to 607.1333 of the Florida Business Corporation Act, which
are attached as Appendix C-1 to this proxy statement. We require strict
adherence to the procedures set forth therein, and failure to do so may result
in the loss of all dissenters' appraisal rights. Accordingly, each
shareholder who might desire to exercise dissenter's appraisal rights should
carefully consider and comply with the provisions of those sections and consult
his or her legal advisor. A form of Dissenter's Appraisal Notice is
attached as Appendix C-2 to this proxy statement.
Legal
Proceedings Regarding the Merger
There have been no lawsuits or legal
proceedings regarding the merger.
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPECIAL MEETING AND THE MERGER
The
following questions and answers are intended to address commonly asked questions
regarding the merger. These may not address all questions that may be
important to you as a shareholder. We urge you to read carefully the
more detailed information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement, the
Appendixes to this proxy statement and the documents we refer to in this proxy
statement.
Q: Why am I receiving this proxy
statement?
A: Our
board of directors is furnishing this proxy statement in connection with the
solicitation of proxies to be voted at a special meeting of shareholders, or at
any adjournments or postponements of the special meeting.
Q: What am I being asked to vote
on?
A: You
are being asked to vote to adopt a Merger Agreement that provides for the
acquisition of our Company by Parent. The proposed acquisition would be
accomplished through the merger of MergerSub, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Parent, with and into our Company. Shares of common
stock of our Company owned by Mr. Han will not be affected by the merger and
will continue to remain issued and outstanding after the merger. As a
result of the merger, our Company will become a subsidiary of Parent and will be
owned by the Parent and Mr. Han as shareholders of the surviving
corporation.
In addition, you are being asked to
grant our management discretionary authority to adjourn or postpone the special
meeting. If, for example, we do not receive proxies from shareholders
holding a sufficient number of shares to adopt the Merger Agreement, we could
use the additional time to solicit proxies in favor of adoption of the Merger
Agreement.
Q: What effects will the merger have on
our Company?
A: The
merger is a "going private" transaction. Upon completion of the
merger, we will cease to be a publicly traded company and will be owned by
Parent and Mr. Han. As a result, you will no longer have any interest in our
future earnings or growth, if any. Following completion of the merger, the
registration of our common stock and our reporting obligations with respect to
our common stock under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we
refer to as the "Exchange Act" in this proxy statement, are expected to be
terminated. In addition, upon completion of the merger, shares of our common
stock will no longer be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board or listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange or any other stock exchange or quotation
system.
Q: What happens if the merger is not
completed?
A: If
the Merger Agreement is not adopted by our shareholders, or if the merger is not
completed for any other reason, our shareholders will not receive any payment
for their shares pursuant to the Merger Agreement. Instead, our Company will
remain as a public company and our common stock will continue to be registered
under the Exchange Act and quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board and listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange. Under specified circumstances, we may be
required to pay Parent a termination fee or Parent may be required to pay us a
termination fee, in each case, as described in "The Merger Agreement—Termination
Fees."
Q: What will I receive in the
merger?
A: As
a result of the merger, our shareholders (other than Mr. Han) will receive $0.82
in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding tax, if any, for
each share of our common stock they own as of the date of the merger, unless
they properly exercise appraisal rights. For example, if you own 100
shares of our common stock, you will receive $82.00 in cash, less any applicable
withholding tax, if any, in exchange for your 100 shares.
Q: What do I need to do
now?
A: We
urge you to read this proxy statement, the Appendixes to this proxy statement
and the documents we refer to in this proxy statement carefully and consider how
the merger affects you. Then mail your completed, dated and signed
proxy card in the enclosed return envelope as soon as possible, so that your
shares can be voted at the special meeting of our shareholders. Please do not send your stock
certificates with your proxy card.
Q: How does our Company's board of
directors recommend that I vote?
A: Our
board of directors recommends that you vote "FOR" the adoption of the Merger
Agreement and "FOR" the proposal to adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if
necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies in the event there are
not sufficient votes in favor of the adoption of the Merger Agreement at the
time of the special meeting. Refer to "Special Factors—-Reasons
for the Merger and Recommendation of the Special Committee and Our Board of
Directors."
Q: Do any of our Company's directors or
executive officers have interests in the merger that may differ from those of
Company shareholders?
A: Yes. Mr.
Han, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and an owner of approximately 38.0%
of our outstanding shares common stock, is affiliated with Parent and MergerSub.
Shares of common stock of the Company owned by Mr. Han will not be affected by
the merger and will remain issued and outstanding. After the merger,
he will directly and indirectly own all of the issued and outstanding shares of
the surviving corporation. In addition, similar to all other option
holders under our stock option plan, stock options held by our executive
officers and directors will be canceled and converted into the right to receive
a cash payment in an amount equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the merger
consideration over (2) the option exercise price. Refer to "Special Factors—Interests of Company
Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger.
Q: What is the Special
Committee?
A: On
December 20, 2009 our board of directors established a Special Committee of
directors to investigate and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a
possible merger, acquisition, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or
similar transactions, whether solicited by or on our behalf, or
unsolicited. Our board of directors did not place any limitations on
the authority of the Special Committee regarding its investigation and
evaluation of strategic alternatives. The Special Committee, however,
did not have the power or authority to authorize or approve a transaction or
agree on behalf of our board of directors to do so, which power and authority
was expressly reserved to our board of directors.
The Special Committee is, and has been
at all times, composed of directors who have no financial interest in Parent and
no affiliation with Mr. Han. At the time the Special Committee
recommended that our board of directors approve the Merger Agreement, the
members of the Special Committee were Mr. Peter Mak, Chairman, Dr. Jin Li and
Dr. Heinz Frey. In connection with their involvement in the Special Committee,
the Board authorized compensation for Mr. Mak in the amount of $40,000, as
Chairman, and for Dr. Li and Dr. Frey, each in the amount of $20,000
as members of the Special Committee..Refer to "Special Factors—The Special
Committee"
Q: What vote is required to adopt the
Merger Agreement?
A: Under
Florida law, adoption of the Merger Agreement requires the affirmative vote of
the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common
stock. In addition, under the rules of the Toronto Stock
exchange, the Merger Agreement must be approved by a majority of the votes cast
by holders of outstanding shares of the Company’s voting common stock entitled
to vote on the merger, excluding the votes cast by Mr. Han. As of
_____, the record date for determining who is entitled to vote at the special
meeting, there were 67,066,418 shares of our common stock issued and
outstanding.
Mr. Han,
who is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, owns 38.0% of
the outstanding shares of common stock; and Mr. Zhanguo Weng, Ms.
Xuemei Liu, Dr. Alexander Wick and Dr. Yiu Kwong Sun, each a director and a
Supporting Shareholder who collectively own 21.9% of the outstanding shares of
common stock; intend to vote “FOR” the Merger Agreement and merger. Assuming
that the Supporting Shareholders vote their shares of common stock representing
approximately 21.9% of the outstanding shares in favor of the Merger Agreement,
along with Mr. Han’s 38.0%, collectively representing 59.9% of the outstanding
shares they will have a sufficient number of shares to approve the Merger
Agreement under Florida law vote and but will need other shareholders to vote
for the merger in order to meet the TSX vote.
Q: Where and when is the special meeting
of shareholders?
A: The
special meeting will be held on _____ at Dragon’ headquarter office, Suite
310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9 at
10:30 a.m., local time.
Q: Who is entitled to vote at the
special meeting?
A: Only
shareholders of record as of the close of business on ___2010 are entitled to
receive notice of the special meeting and to vote at the special meeting, or at
any adjournments or postponements of the special meeting the shares of our
common stock that they held at the record date.
Q: What is a
“quorum”?
A: A
“quorum” is a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote and attending
the meeting. They may be present in person or represented by
proxy. For the purposes of determining a quorum, shares held by
brokers or nominees for which we receive a signed proxy will be treated as
present even if the broker or nominee does not have discretionary power to vote
on a particular matter or if instructions were never received from the
beneficial owner. These shares are called “broker
non-votes.” Abstentions will be counted as present for quorum
purposes.
Q: May I vote in
person?
A: Yes. If
your shares are registered in your name, you may attend the special meeting and
vote your shares in person, rather than signing and returning your proxy
card. If your shares are held in "street name" and you wish to attend
and vote in person at the special meeting, then you must obtain a legal proxy
issued in your name from the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your
shares of record. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting in
person, we urge you to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy to
ensure that your shares will be represented at the special meeting.
You
cannot vote shares held in "street name" by returning a proxy card directly to
our Company or by voting in person at the special meeting. If you
hold your shares in "street name" and wish to vote in person at the special
meeting, then you must obtain a legal proxy issued in your name from the broker,
bank or other nominee that holds your shares of record.
Q: How do I vote by
proxy?
A: To
vote by proxy, you have to sign and date each proxy card you receive and return
it in the postage-prepaid envelope enclosed with your proxy
materials. If you are a registered shareholder and attend the
meeting, you may deliver your completed proxy card in person.
If your shares are held by your broker
or bank, in “street name,” you will receive a form from your broker or bank
seeking instructions as to how your shares should be voted.
Q: What shares are included on the proxy
card(s)?
A: The
shares on your proxy card(s) represent all of your shares. If you do
not return your proxy card(s), your shares will not be voted.
Q: Who will count the
votes?
A: Our
Secretary will count the votes and act as the inspector of
election. Our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company of Canada,
will count the proxies and provide this information at the time of the
meeting.
Q: What happens if I do not return my
proxy card or attend the special meeting and vote in person?
A: The
adoption of the Merger Agreement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of
a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In
addition, under the rules of the Toronto Stock exchange, the Merger Agreement
must be approved by a majority of the votes cast by holders of outstanding
shares of the Company’s voting common stock entitled to vote on the merger,
excluding the votes cast by Mr. Han. Therefore, if you do not return
your proxy card or attend the special meeting and vote in person, it will have
the same effect as if you voted "AGAINST" adoption of the Merger
Agreement. For the proposal to adjourn or postpone the special
meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies, abstentions
will have no effect on the outcome.
Q: May I change my vote after I have
mailed my signed proxy card?
A: Yes. You
may change your vote at any time before your proxy is voted at the special
meeting. You can do this in one of three ways:
You can deliver to our corporate
secretary a written notice bearing a date later than the proxy you delivered to
us stating that you would like to revoke your proxy, provided the notice is
received by__________ (_________time) on __________.
You can complete, execute and
deliver to our corporate secretary a later-dated proxy for the same shares,
provided the new proxy is received by _________ (_____ time) on
__________.
You can attend the meeting and vote in
person. Your attendance at the special meeting alone will not revoke
your proxy.
Any
written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy should be delivered to us at
Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4N9,
Attention: Corporate Secretary, or hand-delivered to our corporate secretary at
or before the taking of the vote at the special meeting.
If you
have instructed a broker to vote your shares, you must follow directions
received from your broker to change those instructions.
Q: If my broker holds my shares in
"street name," will my broker vote my shares for me?
A: Your
broker will not be able to vote your shares without instructions from
you. You should instruct your broker to vote your shares following
the procedure provided by your broker. Without instructions, your
shares will not be voted, which will have the same effect as if you voted
"AGAINST" adoption of the Merger Agreement.
Q: What should I do if I receive more
than one set of voting materials?
A: You
may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of
this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction
cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one
brokerage account, you will receive a separate voting instruction card for each
brokerage account in which you hold shares. If you are a shareholder
of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive
more than one proxy card. Please complete, sign, date and return each
proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.
Q: What happens if I sell my shares of
common stock before the special meeting?
A: The
record date for the special meeting is earlier than the date of the special
meeting and the date the merger is expected to be completed. If you
transfer your shares of our common stock after the record date but before the
special meeting, you will retain your right to vote at the special meeting, but
will have transferred the right to receive the merger consideration for the
shares of our common stock you transferred. The right to receive the
merger consideration will pass to the person who owns your shares when the
merger is completed. You also will no longer be able to assert
appraisal rights and if you vote in favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement,
and the subsequent holder of your shares also will not be able to assert
appraisal rights.
Q: Will the merger be taxable to
me?
A: Yes. The
receipt of cash pursuant to the merger will be a taxable transaction for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, and may also be a taxable transaction under
applicable state, local, provincial or foreign income or other tax
laws. Generally, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a shareholder
will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash
received by the shareholder in the merger and the shareholder's adjusted tax
basis in the shares of our common stock converted into cash in the
merger. Because individual circumstances may differ and many of our
shareholders reside outside the United States, we recommend that you consult
your own tax advisor to determine the particular tax effects to
you. Refer to "Special Factors—Material United
States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger"
In addition, a shareholder who is an
individual resident in Canada and who holds common shares as capital property is
generally expected to recognize a capital gain (or capital loss) for Canadian
federal income tax purposes equal to the amount by which the amount of cash
received for such common shares, net of any reasonable costs of disposition,
exceeds (or is less than) the holder’s adjusted cost base of the common shares.
Any capital gain so realized on the merger by a shareholder who is a
non-resident of Canada in general is not expected to be subject to Canadian
federal income taxation. Refer to “Special Factors – Material Canadian
Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger”
Q: What will the stock option holders
receive in the merger?
A: Each
outstanding stock option will, at the effective time of the merger, to the
extent not previously exercised, be canceled and terminated and converted into
the right to receive a cash payment for each share of our common stock subject
to such option equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the merger consideration over
(2) the option exercise price payable in respect of such share of our common
stock issuable under such option, without interest and less any applicable
withholding taxes. Refer to "The Merger Agreement—Treatment of
Outstanding Stock Options”
Q: What regulatory approvals and filings
are needed to complete the merger?
A: No
government regulatory approvals are necessary to complete the
merger.
Q: When do you expect the merger to be
completed?
A: We
are working toward completing the merger as quickly as possible and currently
expect to consummate the merger at the end of the second quarter of
2010. In addition to obtaining shareholder approval, we must satisfy
all other closing conditions.
Q: What rights do I have if I oppose the
merger?
A: Under
Florida law, shareholders are entitled to appraisal rights in connection with
the merger, subject to the conditions discussed more fully elsewhere in this
proxy statement. If a shareholder properly exercises appraisal
rights, then the shareholder has the right to litigate a proceeding in court, at
the conclusion of which the shareholder will receive the judicially determined
fair value of their shares of our common stock. The fair value of our
common stock may be more than, equal to or less than the merger consideration to
be paid to non-dissenting shareholders in the merger. To preserve
your appraisal rights, if you wish to exercise them, you must not vote in favor
of the adoption of the Merger Agreement and you must follow specific
procedures. Failure to follow the steps required by law for
perfecting appraisal rights may lead to the loss of those rights, in which case
the dissenting shareholder will be treated in the same manner as a
non-dissenting shareholder. For a more complete description of your
appraisal rights and related procedures, refer to the section entitled "Special Factors—Appraisal
Rights" and Appendix C-1 for a reproduction of Sections 607.1301-607.1333
of the FBCA, which relates to the appraisal rights of dissenting
shareholders. Because of the complexity of the law relating to
appraisal rights, shareholders who are considering objecting to the merger are
encouraged to read these provisions carefully and consult their own legal
advisors.
Q: Should I send in my stock
certificates now?
A: No.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH YOUR PROXY. If you
hold your shares in your name as a shareholder of record, then shortly after the
merger is completed you will receive a letter of transmittal with instructions
informing you how to send in your stock certificates to the paying agent in
order to receive the merger consideration in respect of your shares of our
common stock. You should use the letter of transmittal from Computershare Trust
Company of Canada who will serve as the paying agent to exchange your stock
certificates for the merger consideration which you are entitled to receive as a
result of the merger. If you hold your shares in "street name" through a broker,
bank or other nominee, then you will receive instructions from your broker, bank
or other nominee as to how to effect the surrender of your "street name" shares
in exchange for the merger consideration.
Q: Who should I contact for questions or
to obtain additional copies of the proxy statement?
A: If
you have questions about the merger, including the procedures for voting your
shares, you should contact:
Dragon
Pharmaceutical Inc.
Suite
310, 650 West Georgia Street
Vancouver,
British Columbia
Canada
V6B 4N9
Attention:
Maggie Deng, Corporate Secretary
Telephone:
604-669-8817
Notice
of Internet Availability
Pursuant to rules promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in addition to providing you with
this full set of proxy materials, including the Notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, proxy statement, Proxy Card and the Company’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, these proxy materials are
available on our website at: www.dragonpharma.com.
SPECIAL
FACTORS
Our board of directors believes
that the proposed merger is in the best interest of the Company’s
shareholders. In coming to its decision, the board of directors
considered a number of factors. Our board of directors, with the
assistance of management, has periodically reviewed and assessed our Company's
business strategy and the various trends and conditions affecting our Company
and our industry in general. Our board of directors has explored a
variety of strategic alternatives with the goal to increase revenue and
profitability and maximize shareholder value. This review and
assessment has included, among other things, consideration of whether it would
be in the best interests of our shareholders for our Company to continue as an
independent public company, our ability to raise additional capital to continue
as an independent public company, or to combine with or be acquired by another
company. In addition, our board of directors has considered the
limited trading volume of our Company's common stock and the fact that a
substantial number of our shares of common stock is held by one person, Mr.
Han.
The
following discussion contains a summary of the discussions and events relating
to the contemplated merger.
Background
to the Merger
During the end of calendar year 2008
and the beginning of 2009, the Company and management held a series of meetings
with various investment bankers and funds in the attempt to raise capital for
payment of debt, further expansion and to address the possible issue of
relocating the Company’s production facilities. Although these
meetings led to some generic discussion about the raising of capital and other
transactions including taking the Company private, in each circumstance, the
Company believed that proposed purchase price was too low and too dilutive to
existing shareholders.
At a board of directors meeting held on
November 12, 2009, management reported on various alternatives for the Company
including the sale of the Company or its operating
subsidiary. It was after the November 12, 2009 board meeting that Mr.
Han considered possibly purchasing the remaining shares of the Company that he
did not own and taking the Company private.
At the board of directors meeting held
on December 20, 2009, Mr. Han indicated to the board that he was considering
taking the Company private through the purchase of the remaining shares of
common stock that he did not own. At the December 20, 2009, Mr. Han
indicated the following reasons why he was considering taking the
action:
· the
Company has conducted extensive road shows and investor presentations during
the past year and approached many potential investors with no
investment offers close to market price;
· many
alternatives have been explored by the board including issuing convertible
bonds, listing on a senior stock exchange, migrating to the Hong Kong Stock
Exchange, selling a majority interest in our subsidiaries, selling major assets,
or merging with a Chinese public company. Each of these plans involve
many legal issues or would largely dilute the current shareholders’
interest which could move our stock price down;
· the
city of Datong government has had discussions with the Company to relocate its
production facilities. The Company’s production facilities are reaching full
capacity and now are surrounded by residential buildings. To meet
future business opportunities and to expand capacity, a relocation of our
production facilities has to be considered which will require a significant
capital investment; and
· the
purchase of all of the outstanding shares of common stock will provide an
opportunity for shareholders to receive cash for their shares at a price that
may not be otherwise available due to the limited market liquidity for the
Company’s shares.
Although at the December 20, 2009 board
meeting Mr. Han indicated that he was considering taking the Company private
through the purchase of all of the other shares of common stock not owned by
him, he did not give a price for the shares or indicate how he would pay for
such shares. As a result of this discussion, the board of
directors formed the Special Committee of Independent Directors (“Special
Committee”) consisting of Mr. Peter Mak, who served as Chairman, and Drs. Li and
Frey who served as the other Special Committee members. In connection with
their involvement in the Special Committee, the board authorized compensation
for Mr. Mak in the amount of $40,000 and for Dr. Frey and Dr. Li each in the
amount of $20,000.
On January 7, 2010 Special Committee
held a meeting via conference call to consider Mr. Han’s proposal and
alternatives, as well as the procedure and process of a going private
transaction. The Special Committee formalized its duties including
the following: (1) maximize the interests of the shareholders; (2) engage an
investment banker to assist the Special Committee in making an evaluation of the
Company and its alternatives; and (3) engage professionals to assist in the
process and to advise the Special Committee. At the conclusion of the
meeting, the Special Committee requested Mr. Mak to meet with potential
investment bankers to assist the Special Committee through this
process.
On January 14, 2010, Mr. Mak came to
the Company’s headquarter office located in Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada to interview prospective investment bankers to assist the Company in this
process. Mr. Mak also was introduced to the Company’s counsel of
Bullivant Houser Bailey, PC and Lang Michener, LLP. Mr. Mak was also
introduced to Canaccord which made a presentation as to its
qualifications. It was this at this meeting that Mr. Mak indicated
that he would recommend the engagement of Canaccord to the other Special
Committee members.
On January 15, 2010, the Board of
Directors received a non-binding proposal from Mr. Han to acquire all of the
outstanding shares of the Company at a price of $0.80 per share.
On January 22, 2010, the members of the
Special Committee convened a meeting. All members of the Special
Committee were present in addition to Maggie Deng, Chief Operating Officer,
Garry Wong, Chief Financial Officer and the Canadian and U.S. legal counsel for
the Company. After discussion with both the Company’s Canadian and US
legal counsel, the Special Committee agreed to enter into negotiations with Mr.
Han. In addition, the Special Committee approved the retention of
Canaccord as its financial advisor to assist in the process. In
coming to its decision to retain Canaccord, the Special Committee noted that
Canaccord sponsored Dragon’s application with the Toronto Stock Exchange in
connection with its merger with Oriental Wave in 2005, Canaccord’s senior
investment banker and analysis had previously visited the Company’s Datong
operations in China, and Canaccord was locally based in Vancouver, British
Columbia which would make the process more efficient.
On January 22, 2010, the Company issued
a press release informing the public of Mr. Han’s proposal. On
January 25, 2010, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC
disclosing the issuance of the press release.
On February 8, 2010, the Special
Committee held a meeting to hear a presentation of Canaccord’s preliminary range
of values for the Company. At such meeting, the following topics,
among others, were discussed: (1) the Company’s corporate organization and
business strategy; (2) relocation/expansion plans for the Company’s production
facilities; (3) the Company’s current financial statements and financial
projections relating to the Company’s future operations; (4) share distribution
and majority share ownership; (5) share price history; (6) the Company’s
management, (7) valuation methodologies; (8) information of comparable
companies; (9) recent going private transactions for companies in the healthcare
business; and (10) the implied value of Dragon’s shares. After
discussion among the Special Committee members, the Special Committee members
appointed Mr. Mak to further negotiate with Mr. Han in an attempt to obtain a
higher price for the shares.
On February 10, 2010, Mr. Mak and Mr.
Han held discussions regarding the proposed purchase
price. Among other items discussed, Mr. Mak did point out that
the proposed offering price of $0.80 per share was below book
value. In a letter dated February 11, 2010, Mr. Han responded that
during the period that the Company was seeking capital from potential investors,
the proposed offering price received was below Mr. Han’s proposed
price. However, Mr. Han did indicate that based on his financing
capability, he would increase the purchase price to $0.82 per
share.
On March
3, 2010, the board of directors met to consider Mr. Han’s new proposal and other
terms of the proposed transaction. All board of directors attended
this meeting except for Mr. Han and Ms. Liu. At the meeting,
Canaccord made a presentation via telephone conference as to the purchase price
of $0.80 by Mr. Han, which was subsequently disclosed that Mr. Han increased to
$0.82 per share. Canaccord went through its analysis, and
preliminarily indicated that the initial proposed offering price of $0.80 fell
within the range of fairness, but indicated that at that time, Canaccord was not
in a position to issue its formal opinion since it had to reviewed by Canaccord’
opinion committee and that certain terms regarding the merger had yet to be
finalized. Mr. Mak then reported the Special Committee’s process,
discussions with its financial advisor and attorneys, analysis, discussions with
Mr. Han and its recommendation of the proposed transaction. Mr. Mak
had indicated that after further discussions with Mr. Han, Mr. Han increased his
offer from $0.80 per share to $0.82 per share. After discussion among
the board members, the board of directors approved the merger at $0.82 per share
subject to the Special Committee receiving a fairness opinion from
Canaccord.
On March
26, 2010, Canaccord submitted its written fairness opinion to the Special
Committee which indicated that merger consideration was fair from a financial
point of view to the shareholders of the Company and on that same day, the
Merger Agreement was signed by all parties.
Reasons
for the Merger and Recommendation of the Special Committee and Our Board of
Directors
Our board
of directors, acting upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, which
Special Committee acted with the advice and assistance of our management
(excluding Mr. Han) and its independent financial and legal advisors, evaluated
the proposed merger, including the terms and conditions of the Merger
Agreement.
At the
March 3, 2010, the Special Committee recommended that our board of directors
adopt resolutions that:
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approve
and declare advisable the Merger Agreement and the transactions
contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the
merger,
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determine
that the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement, including the merger, are substantively and procedurally fair
to and in the best interests of our Company and our unaffiliated
shareholders (by which we mean, for purposes of this determination, our
shareholders other than Parent, MergerSub, Mr. Han and their respective
affiliates), and
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recommended
that our shareholders adopt the Merger
Agreement.
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As a
result, our board of directors (excluding the vote of Mr. Han who did not
participate in the deliberations or discussions related to the merger or vote on
any matters related thereto and Ms. Liu who did not attend such meeting)
approved the resolutions recommended by the Special Committee subject to
Canaccord providing the Special Committee a fairness opinion that the proposed
merger consideration of $0.82 per share was fair from a financial statement
point to the shareholders. Canaccord delivered its opinion on March
26, 2010.
In the
course of reaching their respective determinations, the Special Committee and
our board of directors considered the following substantive factors and
potential benefits of the merger, each of which the Special Committee and our
board of directors believed supported their respective decisions, but which are
not listed in any relative order of importance:
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our
board of directors' knowledge of our business, financial condition,
results of operations, prospects and competitive position and its belief
that the cash to be received in the merger is more favorable to our
shareholders than any other alternative reasonably available to our
Company and our shareholders;
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the
additional capital expenditure of $100 million that will be required for
two new facilities since our current 7-ACA and Clavulanic Acid product
facilities are close to their maximum
capacity;
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our
board of directors' recognition of challenges to our efforts to increase
shareholder value as an independent publicly-traded company, including
competition from companies with substantially greater resources than we
currently have;
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estimated
forecasts of our future financial performance prepared by our management,
together with our management's view of our financial condition, results of
operations, business, prospects and competitive
position;
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the
limited trading volume of our common stock in the
market;
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the consideration to be received
by our unaffiliated shareholders in the merger and a comparison of similar
merger transactions;
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our
ability to raise capital to complete our business objectives without
substantial dilution to our existing
shareholders;
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the
input from our Supporting Shareholders with respect to proposed
merger;
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the
$3,000,000 good faith deposit to be used toward for the Merger
Consideration;
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the
negotiations on the terms of the Merger Agreement between the Special
Committee and its advisors, on the one hand, and Mr. Han and his advisors,
on the other hand,
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our
board of directors' belief that the terms of the Merger Agreement,
including the parties' representations, warranties and covenants, and the
conditions to their respective obligations, are
reasonable;
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the
all cash merger consideration, which will allow our unaffiliated
shareholders to immediately realize liquidity for their investment and
provide our shareholders certainty of value for their
shares;
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the
current and historical market prices of our common stock, including the
36.67% premium to the closing price of our common stock on January 22,
2010 (the date on which Mr. Han’s offer was first announced) represented
initially by the $0.80 per share price subsequently increased to $0.82 per
share price to be paid in the
merger;
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our
ability, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of the Merger
Agreement, to terminate the Merger Agreement prior to the completion of
the merger in order to accept an alternative transaction proposed by a
third party that is a "superior proposal" (as defined in the Merger
Agreement and further explained under "Merger Agreement—Solicitation
of Other Offers" below), upon the payment to Mr. Han of $1,000,000
termination fee; and
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the
financial analysis reviewed and discussed with the Special Committee and,
at the request of the Special Committee, with our board of directors, by
representatives of Canaccord.
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In
addition, the Special Committee and our board of directors believed that
sufficient procedural safeguards were and are present to ensure that the merger
is procedurally fair to our unaffiliated shareholders and to permit the Special
Committee and our board of directors to represent effectively the interests of
our unaffiliated shareholders. These procedural safeguards, which are not listed
in any relative order of importance, are discussed below:
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in
considering the transaction with Parent, the Special Committee and our
board of directors acted to represent solely the interests of the
unaffiliated shareholders, and the Special Committee had independent
control of the negotiations with Mr. Han's legal advisor on behalf of such
unaffiliated shareholders;
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all
of the directors serving on the Special Committee at the time of the
recommendation to our board for approval, and all of the directors of the
board who voted for approval, of the merger and related matters are
independent directors and free from any affiliation with Parent, MergerSub
or Mr. Han, none of such directors is or ever was an employee of our
Company or any of its subsidiaries; and none has any financial interest in
the merger that is different from that of the unaffiliated
shareholders;
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none
of our directors (other than Mr. Han) is affiliated with Parent, MergerSub
or Mr. Han and none has any financial interest in the merger that is
different from that of the unaffiliated
shareholders;
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the
Special Committee was assisted in negotiations with Parent and evaluation
of the transaction by Canaccord, its independent financial
advisor;
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the
Special Committee had full control over the process of considering
strategic alternatives for our Company the date it was established, and no
transaction from that date forward was considered by our board for
approval unless the Special Committee had recommended to our board the
approval of such transaction;
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the
financial and other terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement were the
product of negotiations between the Special Committee and its
advisors, on the one hand, and Mr. Han and Parent and their advisors, on
the other hand;
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under
the direction of the Special Committee, management (excluding Mr. Han)
contacted investment firms and potential investors previously met before
to see if they may be interested in entering into a transaction involving
the Company. In this regard, subsequent to Mr. Han’s public
announcement of his proposal, management contacted two United States firms
who previously were interested in investing in the Company to see if they
were still interested in the Company. Those two firms indicated
that they were not interested in the Company in light of Mr. Han’s
proposed price;
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the
ability of our Company to terminate the Merger Agreement upon acceptance
of a superior proposal without having to submit the Merger Agreement to
the vote of our shareholders;
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Mr.
Han's complete recusal from the deliberations and discussions of our board
of directors related to the merger and the vote on the Merger Agreement;
and
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the
availability of appraisal rights to the unaffiliated shareholders who
comply with all of the required procedures under Florida law for
exercising appraisal rights, which allow such holders to seek appraisal of
the fair value of their stock as determined by the
court.
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In
addition to the above, the Special Committee also considered discussions with
certain Supporting Shareholders for purposes of negotiating the terms of the
Merger Agreement or preparing a report concerning the fairness of the Merger
Agreement and the merger, or to require a separate affirmative vote of a
majority of our unaffiliated shareholders.
The
Special Committee and board of directors also considered a variety of
potentially negative factors discussed below concerning the Merger Agreement and
the merger, which are not listed in any relative order of
importance:
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the
possibility that the merger might not be consummated and the negative
impact of a public announcement of the merger on our sales and operating
results and our ability to attract and retain key management, marketing
and technical personnel;
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the
taxability of an all cash transaction to our unaffiliated shareholders for
U.S. federal income tax purposes;
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the
possibility that Parent may be unable or unwilling to complete the merger,
including if it is unable to obtain sufficient financing to complete the
merger despite its compliance with its obligations related to obtaining
financing under the Merger
Agreement;
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$400,000
termination fee payable by Mr. Han, which is our Company's sole remedy if
Parent does not consummate the merger for any reason including the
unavailability of financing; and
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the
restrictions in the Merger Agreement on the conduct of our business prior
to the completion of the merger.
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The
foregoing discussion of information and factors considered by the Special
Committee and our board of directors is not intended to be exhaustive, but
includes a number of the factors considered by the Special Committee and our
board of directors. In view of the wide variety of factors considered by the
Special Committee and our board of directors, neither the Special Committee nor
our board of directors found it practicable to, and neither did quantify or
otherwise assign relative weights to the foregoing factors in reaching its
conclusion. In addition, individual members of the Special Committee and our
board of directors may have given different weights to different factors and may
have viewed some factors more positively or negatively than others. The Special
Committee recommended that our board of directors approve, and our board of
directors approved, the Merger Agreement based upon the totality of the
information presented to and considered by it.
In
reaching its determination that the Merger Agreement and the transactions
contemplated thereby, including the merger, are substantively and procedurally
fair to our Company and our unaffiliated shareholders and its decision to
approve the Merger Agreement and recommend the adoption of the Merger Agreement
by our shareholders, our board of directors considered the analysis and
recommendation of the Special Committee and the factors examined by the Special
Committee as described above.
Opinion
of the Special Committee's Financial Advisor
By letter dated January 26, 2010, the
special committee retained Canaccord to act as its financial advisor in
connection with a proposed transaction with Mr. Han. Canaccord is a
recognized investment banking firm who is experienced in mergers and acquisition
in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical sector. In the ordinary course of
its investment banking business, Canaccord is regularly engaged in the valuation
of companies and their securities in connection with mergers and acquisitions
and other corporate transactions including cross-border
transactions.
Canaccord acted as financial advisor to
the special committee in connection with the proposed merger with
Parent. Canaccord did not participate in the negotiations leading to
the Merger Agreement. At the February 8, 2010 special committee meeting and at
the March 3, 2010 board meeting, at which the proposed merger was discussed,
Canaccord gave its preliminary review of the proposed offering
price. Canaccord subsequently delivered to the special committee its
written opinion dated March 26, 2010 stating that, as of such date, the merger
consideration was fair to Dragon’s shareholders, other than holders of shares of
Dragon who comply with the provisions of the Florida Business Corporation Act
(“FBCA”) regarding the right of the shareholders to dissent from the Merger and
Mr. Han, from a financial point of view. Canaccord has confirmed its
March 26, 2010 opinion by delivering to the board a written opinion dated the
date of this proxy statement. In rendering its updated opinion,
Canaccord confirmed the appropriateness of its reliance on the analyses used to
render its earlier opinion by reviewing the assumptions upon which their
analyses were based, performing procedures to update certain of their analyses
and reviewing the other factors considered in rendering its
opinion.
The full text of Canaccord’s updated
opinion is attached as Appendix B to this proxy statement and is
incorporated herein by reference. The opinion outlines the procedures followed,
assumptions made, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the
review undertaken by Canaccord in rendering its opinion. The description of the
opinion set forth below is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
opinion. We urge our shareholders to read the entire opinion carefully in
connection with their consideration of the proposed merger.
Canaccord’s opinion speaks only as of
the date of the opinion. The opinion was directed to the special committee and
is directed only to the fairness of the merger consideration to Dragon’s
shareholders, other than holders of shares of Dragon who comply with the
provisions of the FBCA regarding the right of the shareholders to dissent from
the Merger and Mr. Han, from a financial point of view. It
does not address the underlying business decision of Dragon to engage in the
merger or any other aspect of the merger and is not a recommendation to any
Dragon shareholder as to how such shareholder should vote at the special meeting
with respect to the merger, and the merger consideration to be
received.
In arriving at its opinion, Canaccord
reviewed:
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Proposals
in letters dated January 15, 2010 and February 11, 2010 by Yanlin
Han;
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Executed
Agreement and Plan of Merger dated March 26,
2010;
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Corporate
documents including all minutes and resolutions of the shareholders and
board of directors of Dragon for the last five
years;
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Internal
financial models and operating information with respect to the business,
operations and prospects prepared by management of
Dragon;
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Discussions
with management of Dragon of the past and current business, operations,
financial condition and prospects;
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Historical
market price for the common shares of Dragon and comparisons of its
performance;
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Public
information with respect to other companies and / or transactions of a
comparable nature that Canaccord considered to be relevant for purposes of
its analysis;
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A
certificate of representation as to certain factual matters and the
completeness and accuracy of the information upon which the Fairness
Opinion is based, addressed to Canaccord and dated the date hereof,
provided by senior officers of
Dragon;
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Certain
other documents filed by Dragon on the System for Electronic Document
Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) that Canaccord considered to be relevant
for purposes of its analysis; and
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Such
other financial and market information, investigations and analyses as
Canaccord considered necessary or appropriate in the
circumstances.
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In connection with Canaccord’s
engagement, Canaccord did not solicit indications of interest in a potential
transaction from other third parties.
In performing its reviews and analyses
and in rendering its opinion, Canaccord assumed and relied upon the accuracy and
completeness of all the financial information, analyses and other information
that was publicly available or otherwise furnished to, reviewed by or discussed
with Canaccord and further relied on the assurances of management of Dragon that
they were not aware of any facts or circumstances that would make such
information inaccurate or misleading. Canaccord was not asked to and
did not independently verify the accuracy or completeness of any of such
information and they did not assume any responsibility or liability for the
accuracy or completeness of any of such information. Canaccord did not make an
independent evaluation or appraisal of the assets, the collateral securing
assets or the liabilities, contingent or otherwise, of Dragon or any of its
respective subsidiaries, or the collectability of any such assets, nor was it
furnished with any such evaluations or appraisals.
Canaccord’s opinion was necessarily
based upon market and other conditions as they existed on, and could be
evaluated as of, the date of its opinion. Canaccord assumed, in all
respects material to its analysis, that all of the representations and
warranties contained in the Merger Agreement and all related agreements are true
and correct, that each party to such agreements will perform all of the
covenants required to be performed by such party under such agreements and that
the conditions precedent in the Merger Agreement are not
waived. Canaccord also assumed that there has been no material change
in Dragon’s assets, financial condition, results of operations, business or
prospects since the date of the most recent financial statements made available
to them, that Dragon will remain as going concerns for all periods relevant to
its analyses.
In rendering its March 26, 2010
opinion, Canaccord performed a variety of financial analyses. The following is a
summary of the material analyses performed by Canaccord, but is not a complete
description of all the analyses underlying Canaccord’s opinion. The summary
includes information presented in tabular format. In order to fully understand the
financial analyses, these tables must be read together with the accompanying
text. The tables alone do not constitute a complete description of the financial
analyses. The preparation of a fairness opinion is a complex
process involving subjective judgments as to the most appropriate and relevant
methods of financial analysis and the application of those methods to the
particular circumstances. The process, therefore, is not necessarily susceptible
to a partial analysis or summary description. Canaccord believes that
its analyses must be considered as a whole and that selecting portions of the
factors and analyses considered without considering all factors and analyses, or
attempting to ascribe relative weights to some or all such factors and analyses,
could create an incomplete view of the evaluation process underlying its
opinion. Also, no company included in Canaccord’s comparative analyses described
below is identical to Dragon and no transaction is identical to the merger.
Accordingly, an analysis of comparable companies or transactions involves
complex considerations and judgments concerning differences in financial and
operating characteristics of the companies and other factors that could affect
the public trading values or merger transaction values, as the case may be, of
Dragon and the companies to which it is being compared.
The earnings projections for Dragon
used and relied upon by Canaccord in its analyses were based upon internal
financial projections provided by Dragon. With respect to such
financial projections, Dragon’s management confirmed to Canaccord that they
reflected the best currently available estimates and judgments of such
managements of the future financial performance of Dragon, respectively, and
Canaccord assumed for purposes of its analyses that such performances would be
achieved. Canaccord expressed no opinion as to such financial
projections or the assumptions on which they were based. The financial
projections provided by management of Dragon were prepared for internal purposes
only and not with a view towards public disclosure; nor were they provided to
Mr. Han. These projections, as well as the other estimates used by
Canaccord in its analyses, were based on numerous variables and assumptions that
are inherently uncertain, and, accordingly, actual results could vary materially
from those set forth in such projections.
In performing its analyses, Canaccord
also made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, business
and economic conditions and various other matters, many of which cannot be
predicted and are beyond the control of Dragon and Canaccord. The analyses
performed by Canaccord are not necessarily indicative of actual values or future
results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than suggested by
such analyses. Canaccord prepared its analyses solely for purposes of advising
the special committee and board of directors in their consideration of the
merger and in rendering its opinion and provided such analyses to the special
committee on February 8, 2010 and board meeting on March 3,
2010. Estimates on the values of companies do not purport to be
appraisals or necessarily reflect the prices at which companies or their
securities may actually be sold. Such estimates are inherently
subject to uncertainty and actual values may be materially different.
Accordingly, Canaccord’s analyses do not necessarily reflect the value of
Dragon’s common stock or the prices at which Dragon’s common stock may be sold
at any time.
Canaccord used three valuation
methodologies to assess the value of the shares of common stock of Dragon
consisting of Comparable Company Analysis, Discounted Cash Flow and Precedent
Transaction Analysis.
Comparable
Company Analysis
Canaccord reviewed trading multiples
Enterprise Value (“EV”) to Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and
Amortization (“EBITDA”) and price to earnings or (“P/E”) for other comparable
companies. In discussions with management, Canaccord considered the
following companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as the primary peer
group:
|
·
|
The
United Laboratories
|
|
·
|
China
Pharmaceutical Group
|
|
·
|
Dawnrays
Pharmaceutical Holdings
|
Canaccord
considered the following companies as the secondary peer group, and although
they do not focus on the same business as Dragon, they are in the pharmaceutical
sector with a presence in China and are publicly listed on North American stock
exchanges:
|
·
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Simcere
Pharmaceutical Group
|
|
·
|
Tongjitang
Chinese Medicines
|
In
addition, in its analysis, Canaccord believes that Dragon’s shares should trade
at discount relative to its peers based on the following factors:
Canaccord discounted the implied
valuation arrived from the peer group analysis by 30% - 35% ("Company Discount")
to reflect to several factors including illiquidity of the shares, Dragon’s
negative working capital position and financing risks with limited ability to
access the capital markets and small company risk.
|
|
EV/EBITDA
|
|
|
|
P/E
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LTM
|
|
|
LTM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hong
Kong Listed Chinese Pharma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Average
|
|
|
6.8 |
x |
|
|
12.0 |
x |
Median
|
|
|
7.0 |
x |
|
|
10.7 |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S.
Listed Chinese Pharma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Average
|
|
|
9.7 |
x |
|
|
17.0 |
x |
Median
|
|
|
10.1 |
x |
|
|
17.0 |
x |
Based on
its finding, Canaccord determined that (1) the average last twelve months
earnings before interest taxes depreciation and amortization
(“LTM EBITDA”) and earnings multiple for the primary peer group is 7x
and 12x respectively; (2) the average LTM EBITDA and earnings multiple for the
secondary peer group is 10x and 17x; and (3) the average LTM EBITDA and earnings
multiple for the primary and secondary group is 8x and 15x
respectively.
EV/EBITDA
Applying a 6-7x multiple to Dragon's
LTM EBITDA and Company Discount of 30-35%, Canaccord arrived at a valuation of
$0.75 to $1.04 per share of Dragon.
P/E
Applying an 11-12x multiple to Dragon's
LTM earnings and Company Discount of 30-35%, Canaccord arrived at a valuation of
$0.68 to $0.80 per share of Dragon.
Further
analysis included applying peer group multiples to Dragon’s projected EBITDA and
earnings for the fiscal year ended 2009. Applying a 5-6x multiple
to Dragon's projected 2009 EBITDA and Company Discount of 30-35%, Canaccord
arrived at a valuation of $0.60 to $1.07 per share of Dragon. Applying a 9-10x
multiple to Dragon's projected 2009 earnings and Company Discount of 30-35%
Canaccord arrived at a valuation of $0.71 to $0.88 per share of
Dragon.
Discounted
Cash Flow
Canaccord utilized the financial
projections provided by Dragon’s management. Projections were based on a capital
expenditure assumption of $100 million over 2 years of which a large proportion
would be financed by debt (100%) and government incentives. Further
assumptions utilized include a weighted average cost of capital in the range of
15% - 20% to discount the cash flows and terminal value to the
present.
Based on the above assumptions,
Canaccord arrived at a valuation of $0.62 to $1.13 per share.
Precedent
Transaction Analysis
Canaccord
reviewed relevant transactions such as going private, leverage buy out,
management buy-out and majority shareholder purchasing remaining shares, in the
healthcare sector. Based on our review, premiums paid for the last 30
days prior to the announcement were median - 28% and average -
37%. Applying a 28% to 37% premium to the 30 day
volume-weighted average price of Dragon's per share price of $0.62, Canaccord
arrives at a valuation of $0.79 to $0.85.
Recent
Precedent Transactions in the Healthcare Sector
Buyer
|
Target
|
|
|
Private
Equity
|
Goldshield
Group plc
|
Chairman
and CEO
|
Life
Sciences Research, Inc.
|
Novarits
AG
|
Speedel
Holding AG
|
Chairman
and CEO
|
Tongitang
Chinese Medicines
|
General
Atlantic
|
Emdeon
Inc.
|
Private
Equity
|
Pronova
BioPharma ASA
|
Private
Equity
|
Warner
Chilcott Holdings
|
Private
Equity
|
Talecris
Biotherapeutics
|
Additional
Information
As noted above, the discussion set
forth above is a summary of the material financial analyses presented by
Canaccord to the Special Committee in connection with its opinion. The
preparation of such an opinion is a complex analytical process involving various
determinations as to the most appropriate and relevant methods of financial
analysis and the application of those methods to the particular circumstances
and, therefore, such an opinion is not readily susceptible to partial analysis
or summary description. Canaccord believes that its analyses summarized above
must be considered as a whole. Canaccord did not form an opinion or
recommendation as to whether any individual analysis or factor, considered in
isolation, supported or failed to support its opinion. Canaccord further
believes that selecting portions of its analyses and the factors considered or
focusing on information presented in tabular format, without considering all
analyses and factors or the narrative description of the analyses, could create
a misleading or incomplete view of the processes underlying Canaccord’ analyses
and opinion. The fact that any specific analysis has been referred to in the
summary above is not meant to indicate that such analysis was given greater
weight than any other analysis referred to in the summary.
In performing its analyses, Canaccord
considered industry performance, general business and economic conditions and
other matters, many of which are beyond the control of the Company and Parent.
The estimates of the future performance of the Company and Parent in or
underlying Canaccord’ analyses are not necessarily indicative of actual values
or actual future results, which may be significantly more or less favorable than
those estimates or those suggested by Canaccord’ analyses. These analyses were
prepared solely as part of Canaccord’s analysis of the fairness, from a
financial point of view, of the $0.82 per share merger consideration and were
provided to the Special Committee in connection with the delivery of Canaccord’
opinion. The analyses do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices
at which a company might actually be sold or the prices at which any securities
have traded or may trade at any time in the future. Accordingly, the estimates
used in, and the ranges of valuations resulting from, any particular analysis
described above are inherently subject to substantial uncertainty and should not
be taken to be Canaccord’ view of the actual values of the Company or
Parent.
The type and amount of consideration
payable in the Merger was determined through negotiations between
representatives of the Special Committee and representatives of the Company, in
each case acting at the direction of the Special Committee, on the one hand, and
representatives of Parent, on the other hand, and was recommended for approval
by the Special Committee and approved by the Board of Directors. The decisions
to recommend the entry into and to enter into the Merger Agreement were solely
those of the Special Committee and the Board of Directors, respectively. As
described above, Canaccord’ opinion and analyses were only one of many factors
considered by the Special Committee in its evaluation of the proposed Merger and
should not be viewed as determinative of the views of the Special Committee or
the Board of Directors with respect to the Merger or the $0.82 per share merger
consideration.
Canaccord provided financial advisory
services to the Special Committee in connection with the merger and Canaccord
will receive a fee for such services of Cdn $150,000. Under the terms of the
engagement letter between the Company and Canaccord, Cdn $75,000 was paid upon
signing of the engagement letter and Cdn $75,000 was paid upon delivery of the
fairness opinion. In addition, the Company agreed to reimburse Canaccord for its
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with its engagement and
to indemnify Canaccord against certain liabilities arising out of its
engagement.
During the two years preceding the date
of Canaccord’ opinion, neither Canaccord nor its affiliates were engaged by,
performed any services for or received any compensation from the Company,
Parent, Merger Sub or any of their respective affiliates (other than from the
Company in connection with the Merger).
The Special Committee retained
Canaccord to act as the Special Committee’s financial advisor in connection with
the opinion. References to Canaccord in this proxy statement refer to
Canaccord and employees or representatives of Canaccord and/or its
affiliates.
Purpose
and Reasons for the Merger for Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han
Parent,
MergerSub and Mr. Han are making the statements included in this section solely
for the purpose of complying with the requirements of Rule 13e-3 and related
rules under the Exchange Act.
If the
merger is completed, our Company will become a subsidiary of Parent, and Mr. Han
and Parent will own the Company. For Parent and MergerSub, the
purpose of the merger is to effectuate the transactions contemplated by the
Merger Agreement.
For Mr.
Han, the purpose of the merger is to allow Mr. Han to directly and indirectly
own equity interests in our Company and to bear the rewards and risks of such
ownership after shares of our Company's common stock cease to be publicly
traded.
Mr. Han
believes that it is best for our Company to operate as a privately held entity
in order to allow our Company greater operational flexibility and to focus on
its long-term growth and continuing improvements to its business without the
constraints and distractions caused by the public equity market's valuation of
its common stock. Moreover, Mr. Han believes that our Company's future business
prospects can be improved through the active participation of Parent in the
Company's strategic direction. Although Mr. Han believes that there will be
significant opportunities associated with his investment in the Company, he
realizes that there are also substantial risks (including the risks and
uncertainties relating to the prospects of our Company) and that such
opportunities may not ever be fully realized.
Mr. Han
has believed for the past few months that it would be in the best interests of
our Company, its shareholders and its employees for our Company to cease being a
public company. Mr. Han further believes that now is the appropriate
time for our Company to cease being a public company in light of changes in the
economy and the stock market. As a small public company, our
Company has lacked effective market making support, research coverage, and
institutional investor interest which has affected the Company’s ability to
raise capital at a reasonable cost. Our common stock has been traded
at low trading volumes. Mr. Han does not see improvement in these
adverse factors, due to Mr. Han's view that investment banks are cutting back on
equity research, particularly for small capitalization public companies like our
Company, and investment guidelines for institutional investors that preclude the
purchase of low price, thinly traded or low market capitalization
stocks. Prior to our Company announcing that it had entered into the
Merger Agreement, from January 1, 2010 until January 20, 2010, the Company's
closing stock price had been ranging from $0.75 to $0.38.
Mr. Han
believes that structuring the transaction as a merger transaction is preferable
to other transaction structures because (1) it will enable Parent to acquire all
of the outstanding shares of our Company, excluding Mr. Han’s shares, at the
same time, and (2) it represents an opportunity for our Company's unaffiliated
shareholders to receive fair value for their shares of common
stock.
Position
of Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han as to the Fairness of the Merger
Parent,
MergerSub and Mr. Han are making the statements included in this section solely
for the purpose of complying with the requirements of Rule 13e-3 and related
rules under the Exchange Act. The views of Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han should
not be construed as a recommendation to any shareholder as to how that
shareholder should vote on the proposal to adopt the Merger
Agreement.
Parent,
MergerSub and Mr. Han attempted to negotiate the terms of a transaction that
would be most favorable to them, and not to the shareholders of our Company,
and, accordingly, did not negotiate the Merger Agreement with a goal of
obtaining terms that were fair to such shareholders. However, Mr. Han does
believe that a sale of our Company is in the best interests of the shareholders
and that the merger consideration exceeds the value that he believes our
Company's common stock could obtain in the foreseeable future if we continued as
an independent, public company.
None of
Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han participated in the deliberation process of our
board of directors, or in the conclusions of our board of directors, as to the
substantive and procedural fairness of the merger to the unaffiliated
shareholders of our Company, nor did they undertake any independent, third party
evaluation of the fairness of the merger to our Company's unaffiliated
shareholders. Nevertheless, Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han believe
that the proposed merger is substantively and procedurally fair to the
unaffiliated shareholders on the basis of the factors discussed
below.
Parent,
MergerSub and Mr. Han believe that the proposed merger is substantively fair to
the unaffiliated shareholders based on the following factors:
|
·
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the
current and historical market prices of the common stock, including the
33.33% premium to the closing price of our common stock on January 20,
2010, represented by the $0.80 per share price to be paid in the
merger. January 20, 2010, was the last trading day prior to Mr.
Han's publicly announced non-binding offer to purchase the Company for
$0.80 per share. Mr. Han subsequently increased his offer to
$0.82 per share. The $0.82 per share price also represents a
19% premium to the per share closing price of our common stock of $0.69 on
March 26, 2010, the last trading day immediately prior to the announcement
of the merger, and a 19% premium to the average per share closing price of
our common stock of $0.70 for the month prior to the announcement of the
merger. From February 26, 2010 to March 26, 2010, our common
stock traded below $0.82 per share and had not exceeded $0.82 per share
since October 1, 2008;
|
|
·
|
the
additional anticipated capital expenditure of $100 million that will be
required for two new facilities since our current 7-ACA and Clavulanic
Acid product facilities are close to its maximum capacity and the city of
Datong has initiated discussion about the relocation of our production
facilities;
|
|
·
|
none
of Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han purchased any shares of our common stock
in the two years prior to execution of the Merger
Agreement;
|
|
·
|
no
other party during the period the Special Committee conducted its process
to consider strategic alternatives for our Company made a firm offer to
acquire the Company at a price per share equal to or higher than the $0.82
per share to be paid by Parent in the
merger;
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of
the Merger Agreement, to terminate the Merger Agreement prior to the
completion of the merger in order to accept an alternative transaction
proposed by a third party that is a "superior proposal" (as defined in the
Merger Agreement and further explained under "Merger Agreement—Solicitation
of Other Offers" below), upon the payment to Mr. Han of a
$1,000,000 termination fee,
|
|
·
|
the
fact that the merger consideration is all cash, allowing the unaffiliated
shareholders to immediately realize a certain and fair value for all
shares of their Company common
stock;
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability, under certain circumstances, to provide information to,
or participate in discussions or negotiations with, third parties
regarding other proposals; and
|
|
·
|
the
availability of appraisal rights to the unaffiliated shareholders who
comply with all of the required procedures under Florida law for
exercising appraisal rights, which allow such holders to seek appraisal of
the fair value of their stock as determined by
court.
|
Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han believe
that the proposed merger is procedurally fair to the unaffiliated shareholders
based on the following factors:
|
·
|
the
board of directors (excluding Mr. Han), including director serving on the
Special Committee, are not employees of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, are not affiliated with Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han, and
have no financial interest in the merger that is different from that of
the unaffiliated shareholders;
|
|
·
|
none
of the directors of the Company (other than Mr. Han) is affiliated with
Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han, and none has any financial interest in the
merger that is different from that of the unaffiliated
shareholders;
|
|
·
|
the
Special Committee engaged Canaccord, as its financial advisor, and
Bullivant Houser Bailey PC and Lang Michener LLP as its legal advisors,
each of which has experience in transactions similar to the
proposed merger;
|
|
·
|
neither
Canaccord, Bullivant Houser Bailey nor Lang Michener have previously been
engaged to provide advice to Mr. Han, Parent or
MergerSub;
|
|
·
|
the
Special Committee made all material decisions relating to the Company's
strategic alternatives since the date the Special Committee was
established on December 20, 2010, including recommending to the Company's
board of directors that the Company enter into the Merger
Agreement;
|
|
·
|
the
financial and other terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement were the
product of negotiations between the Special Committee and its
advisors, on the one hand, and Mr. Han and Parent and their advisors, on
the other hand;
|
|
·
|
Mr.
Han's recusal from all board discussions regarding a potential sale of the
Company, whether to him or to a third party, and that he did not have any
conversations about his offer with any member of the Special Committee or
board member subsequent to making his initial offer to acquire the Company
on January 15, 2010 other than during negotiations over the terms of the
merger;
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability, under certain circumstances, to provide information to,
or participate in discussions or negotiations with, third parties
regarding other proposals;
|
|
·
|
the
Company's ability, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions of
the Merger Agreement, to terminate the Merger Agreement prior to the
completion of the merger in order to accept an alternative transaction
proposed by a third party that is a "superior proposal" (as defined in the
Merger Agreement and further explained under "Merger Agreement—Solicitation
of Other Offers" below), upon the payment to Mr. Han of a
$1,000,000 termination fee, and
|
|
·
|
the
availability of appraisal rights to the unaffiliated shareholders who
comply with all of the required procedures under Florida law for
exercising appraisal rights, which allow such holders to seek appraisal of
the fair value of their stock as determined by a court in the State of
Florida.
|
The
foregoing discussion of the information and factors considered and given weight
by Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han in connection with the fairness of the merger
is not intended to be exhaustive but is believed to include all material factors
considered by Parent, MergerSub and Mr. Han. Parent, MergerSub and
Mr. Han did not find it practicable to assign, and did not, assign or otherwise
attach, relative weights to the individual factors in reaching their position as
to the fairness of the merger. Rather, their fairness determinations were made
after consideration of all of the foregoing factors as a whole. Parent,
MergerSub and Mr. Han believe the foregoing factors provide a reasonable basis
for their belief that the merger is substantively and procedurally fair to the
unaffiliated shareholders.
Interests
of Our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger
In
considering our recommendation in favor of the merger, you should be aware that
members of our board of directors and our executive officers may have interests
in the merger that are different from, or in addition to, yours. All
such interests are described below, to the extent material. Except as
described below under “Interest of Mr. Han in Parent and
MergerSub” and hereunder, such persons have, to our knowledge, no
material interest in the merger apart from those of shareholders
generally.
Similar
to all other option holders under our stock option plan, stock options held by
our executive officers and directors will be canceled and converted into the
right to receive a cash payment, for each vested share of our common stock
subject to each option, equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the merger
consideration over (2) the option exercise price payable in respect of such
share of our common stock issuable under such option, without interest and less
any applicable withholding taxes. As of the date of this proxy
statement, directors (excluding Mr. Han) and executive officers own stock
options to purchase an aggregate of 7,960,000 shares of common stock
of which 4,690,000 have an exercise price of $0.51 per share, 3,100,000 shares
of common stock have an exercise price of $0.74 per share and 170,000 shares of
common stock have an exercise price of $0.71 per share.
Interest
of Mr. Han in Parent and MergerSub
Mr. Han, our Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, is affiliated with Parent and MergerSub. Mr. Han owns
approximately 38.0% of our outstanding shares. Mr. Han also holds
stock options to acquire 1,300,0000 shares of the Company's common stock, which
options shall expire upon the closing of the merger and for which he will
receive no consideration. Mr. Han’s shares will not be affected by
the merger and will remain issued and outstanding after the merger is completed.
After the merger, Mr. Han will directly and indirectly own all of the
outstanding shares of the surviving corporation. The action of our
board of directors to approve the merger and recommend that you vote “FOR” the
adoption of the Merger Agreement was recommended to the board by the Special
Committee and was approved by the majority of the board of directors which is
composed solely of directors unrelated to Mr. Han, Parent or
MergerSub. Mr. Han did not participate in the deliberations or
discussions related to the merger or vote on any matters related
thereto.
Change
In Control Benefits for Our Executive Officers
None of
our executive officers have employment agreements.
With
respect to stock options, including stock options held by our executive
officers, each outstanding stock option will: (A) vest at the effective time of
merger; and (B) at the effective time of the merger, to the extent not
previously exercised, be canceled and terminated and converted into the right to
receive a cash payment, for each share of our common stock subject to such
option, equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the merger consideration over (2)
the option exercise price payable in respect of such share of our common stock
issuable under such option, without interest and less any applicable withholding
taxes.
Indemnification of Directors and
Officers
Under Section 607.0850 of the FBCA, in
general the Company may indemnify a current or former director or officer of the
Company or another individual who acts or acted at the Company’s request as a
director or officer, or an individual acting in a similar capacity, of another
entity, against all costs, charges and expenses, including an amount paid to
settle an action or satisfy a judgment, reasonably incurred by the individual in
respect of any civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other
proceeding in which the individual is involved because of that association with
the Company or other entity, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner
he or she reasonably believed to be in the best interest of the
Company. Further, the Company’s Bylaws require it to indemnify all
directors or officers to the fullest extent permitted by the
FBCA.
In
addition, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Parent and Surviving
Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each director, officer, trustee,
or fiduciary of the Company or its subsidiaries to the fullest extent authorized
or permitted by applicable law in connection with any claim and any
judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all
interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in
respect of such judgments, fines, penalties or amounts paid in settlement)
resulting therefrom. Finally, as part of the Merger Agreement, in
connection with the resignation of the Company’s directors and executive
officers, the Company has agreed to release from liability such directors and
executive officer.
The
Special Committee
On
December 20, 2009, our board of directors established a Special Committee of
directors to investigate and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a
possible merger, tender offer, acquisition, sale of all or substantially all of
our assets or similar transactions, whether solicited by or on our behalf, or
unsolicited. The Special Committee is, and has been at all times, composed of
directors who have no financial interest in Parent and no affiliation with Mr.
Han. Our board of directors did not place any limitations on the authority of
the Special Committee regarding its investigation and evaluation of strategic
alternatives. The Special Committee, however, did not have the power
or authority to authorize or approve a transaction or agree on behalf of our
board of directors to do so, which power and authority was expressly reserved to
our board of directors.
Upon
formation, the Special Committee was composed of Peter Mak, Chairman, and Drs.
Jin Li and Heinz Frey. For their services, Mr. Mak was paid $40,000
as Chairman and Drs. Li and Frey each received $20,000 as members.
Related
Party Transactions
We are
not aware of any related party transactions during the past two years between
the Company and Parent, Mr. Han, MergerSub or their respective affiliates in
which: (a) the aggregate value of the transaction with such related entity or
person was 1% of Company’s revenue in the fiscal year such transaction occurred;
or (b) such transaction exceeded $60,000. In
addition, during the past two years there has been no significant negotiations,
transactions or material contracts relating to a merger, consolidation,
acquisition, tender offer, election of Company’s directors or sale/transfer of
significant amount of assets between the Company and Mr. Han, Parent, MergerSub
or their respective affiliates.
Form
of the Merger
Subject
to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and in accordance with
Florida law, at the effective time of the merger, MergerSub, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Parent, will merge with and into us. The Company will survive the
merger as a subsidiary of Parent, with the Parent and Mr. Han as the
shareholders of the surviving corporation.
Merger
Consideration
At the
effective time of the merger, each outstanding share of our common stock (other
than , shares held by Mr. Han or any shares held by shareholders who perfect
their appraisal rights) will be converted into the right to receive $0.82 in
cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding tax, if
any. Shares own by Mr. Han will remain issued and outstanding and
unaffected by the merger.
As of the
effective time of the merger, with the exception of Mr. Han’s shares, all other
shares of our common stock will no longer be outstanding and will automatically
be canceled and will cease to exist, and each holder of a certificate
representing any shares of our common stock will cease to have any rights as a
shareholder, except the right to receive $0.82 per share in cash, without
interest and less applicable withholding tax (other than shareholders who have
perfected their appraisal rights and Mr. Han). The per share merger
consideration of $0.82 was determined through negotiations between Parent, Mr.
Han and us.
Parent's
Financing for the Transaction-Good Faith Deposit
Parent
has represented to us that at the effective time of the merger, Parent will have
sufficient cash to make all payments required to be made by Parent under the
Merger Agreement, including the merger consideration payable to our
shareholders. Parent intends to finance the merger consideration
through Mr. Han’s personal funds and personal loans from private
lenders.
The
Parent has agreed to deposit $3,000,000 into an account directed by Mr. Han and
either Maggie Deng or Garry Wong which may be used to pay the merger
consideration, of which $1,000,000 was delivered upon the execution of the
Merger Agreement, and $2,000,000 was delivered upon the filing of the definitive
proxy statement. If Parent is unable to obtain the financing
contemplated by the Closing, this will result in the Parent’s breach of its
covenant in the Merger Agreement. In the event this breach is not
cured within the prescribed time in the Merger Agreement, the Parent will have
to pay us a $400,000 termination fee.
Effects
of the Merger
Subject
to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement and in accordance with
Florida law, at the effective time of the merger, MergerSub, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Parent will merge with and into our Company. The shares of
common stock of the Company held by Mr. Han prior to the merger will remain
issued and outstanding after the merger and will not be affected by the
merger. We will survive the merger as a subsidiary of Parent, and the
surviving corporation will be privately owned by Mr. Han and the Parent as its
only shareholders.
At the
effective time of the merger, the directors of MergerSub will become the
directors of the surviving corporation and the current officers of MergerSub
will become the officers of the surviving corporation.
Upon the
consummation of the merger, each share of our common stock, other than as
provided below, will be converted into the right to receive $0.82 in cash,
without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. The following shares
of our common stock will not be converted into the right to receive the merger
consideration in connection with the merger: (1) shares held by any of our
shareholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise appraisal rights
under Florida law; (2) shares our Company or our subsidiaries own; and (3)
shares owned by Mr. Han (which will remain issued and outstanding and unaffected
by the merger).
In
connection with the consummation of the merger, pursuant to the plans and stock
option agreements under which they were issued, each outstanding stock option
will, at the effective time of the merger, to the extent not previously
exercised, be canceled and terminated and converted into the right to receive a
cash payment for each vested share of our common stock subject to such option
equal to the excess, if any, of (1) the merger consideration over (2) the option
exercise price payable in respect of such share of our common stock issuable
under such option, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes,
if any.
For U.S.
federal income tax purposes, the receipt of cash in exchange for shares of our
common stock in the merger generally will result in the recognition of gain or
loss measured by the difference, if any, between the cash you receive in the
merger and your tax basis in your shares of our common stock. Tax
matters can be complicated, and the tax consequences of the merger to you will
depend on the facts of your own financial situation. We strongly
recommend that you consult your own tax advisor to fully understand the tax
consequences of the merger to you. More information regarding the
federal income tax consequences is discussed in "—Material United States Federal
Income Tax Consequences of the Merger."
Following
the merger, the entire equity in the surviving company will be owned by Mr. Han
and Parent, and Parent will be wholly owned by Mr. Han. If the merger
is completed, Mr. Han will be the sole beneficiary of our future earnings and
growth, if any, and will be entitled to vote on corporate matters affecting our
Company following the merger, unless Parent or Mr. Han sell equity in Parent.
Similarly, Mr. Han will also bear the risks of ongoing operations, including the
risks of any decrease in our value after the merger and the operational and
other risks related to the surviving company.
If the
merger is completed, the unaffiliated shareholders of our Company will have no
ownership interest in the Company. After the merger, the entire
interest of the Company will be held by Mr. Han and Parent, and Parent will be
wholly owned by Mr. Han.
Plans
for Our Company After the Merger
It is
expected that, upon consummation of the merger, the operations of our Company
will be conducted substantially as they currently are being conducted, except
that we will cease to have publicly traded equity securities and will instead be
a subsidiary of Parent with Mr. Han and Parent as shareholders of the surviving
corporation. Parent has advised us that it does not have any current intentions,
plans or proposals to cause us to engage in any of the following:
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an
extraordinary corporate transaction following consummation of the merger
involving the Company's corporate structure, business or management, such
as a merger, reorganization or
liquidation;
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the
relocation of any material operations or sale or transfer of a material
amount of assets except as previously disclosed;
or
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any
other material changes in its
business.
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We
expect, however, that Mr. Han will continue to assess the Company’s assets,
corporate and capital structure, capitalization, operations, business,
properties and personnel to determine what changes, if any, would be desirable
following the merger to enhance the business and operations of the surviving
corporation and may cause the surviving corporation to engage in the types of
transactions set forth above if Mr. Han decides that such transactions are in
the best interest of the surviving corporation upon such review. The surviving
corporation expressly reserves the right to make any changes it deems
appropriate in light of such evaluation and review or in light of future
developments.
Effects
on the Market for the Shares; OTC Bulletin Board and TSX Listing; Registration
under the Exchange Act.
Effects
on Our Company if the Merger is Not Completed
If the
Merger Agreement is not adopted by our shareholders or if the merger is not
completed for any other reason, our shareholders will not receive any payment
for their shares of our common stock pursuant to the Merger
Agreement. Instead, we will remain a public company and our common
stock will continue to be registered under the Exchange Act and quoted and
listed on the OTC Bulletin Board and Toronto Stock Exchange, respectively. In
addition, if the merger is not completed, we expect that our management will
operate our business in a manner similar to that in which it is being operated
today and that our shareholders will continue to be subject to the same risks
and opportunities to which they currently are subject, including, among other
things, the nature of the industry on which our business largely depends, and
general industry, economic, regulatory and market conditions.
If the
merger is not consummated, there can be no assurance as to the effect of these
risks and opportunities on the future value of your shares of our common stock.
In the event the merger is not completed, our board of directors will continue
to evaluate and review our business operations, prospects and capitalization,
make such changes as are deemed appropriate and seek to identify acquisitions,
joint ventures or strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value. If the
Merger Agreement is not adopted by our shareholders, or if the merger is not
consummated for any other reason, there can be no assurance that any other
transaction acceptable to us will be offered or that our business, prospects or
results of operations will not be adversely impacted.
If the
Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances, we will be obligated
to pay Parent a termination fee of $400,000 or $1,000,000 as a condition
to, upon or following such termination. For a description of the circumstances
triggering payment of the termination fee, refer to "The Merger Agreement—Termination
Fee" below.
Material
United States Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
The
following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of
the merger to our shareholders whose shares of our common stock are converted
into the right to receive cash in the merger.
The
following summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
which we refer to as the "Code" in this proxy statement, Treasury regulations
promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions and administrative rulings, all of
which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. The
summary does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that
may be relevant to particular shareholders in light of their individual
circumstances or to shareholders who are subject to special rules, including:
non-U.S. Holders (as defined below), U.S. expatriates, insurance companies,
dealers or brokers in securities or currencies, tax-exempt organizations,
financial institutions, mutual funds, insurance companies, cooperatives,
pass-through entities and investors in such entities, shareholders who have a
functional currency other than the U.S. dollar, shareholders who hold their
shares of our common stock as a hedge or as part of a hedging, straddle,
conversion, synthetic security, integrated investment or other risk-reduction
transaction or who are subject to alternative minimum tax or shareholders who
acquired their shares of our common stock upon the exercise of employee stock
options or otherwise as compensation. This discussion does not
address the receipt of cash in connection with the cancellation of options to
purchase our Company's common stock, or any other matters relating to equity
compensation or benefit plans. In addition, this discussion does not
addressed the tax effect of the merger to persons who are not citizens of or
residents of the United States. Further, this
discussion does not address any U.S. federal estate and gift or alternative
minimum tax consequences or any state, local or foreign tax consequences
relating to the merger.
For
purposes of this discussion, we use the term "non-U.S. Holder" to mean a
beneficial owner of our Company's common stock that is not, for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, either a citizen or resident of the United States, a
corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) created or organized
under the laws of the United States or any of its political subdivisions, or an
estate or trust that is subject to U.S. federal income tax on its income
regardless of its source. Holders of our Company's common stock who
are non-U.S. Holders may be subject to different tax consequences than those
described below and are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding their tax
treatment under U.S. and non−U.S. tax laws. If a partnership (including an
entity taxable as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our
Company's common stock, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend on
the status of the partners and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships
holding our Company's common stock and their partners should consult their own
tax advisors.
The
Merger
The
receipt of cash pursuant to the merger will be a taxable transaction for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, and may also be a taxable transaction under
applicable state, local or foreign income or other tax
laws. Generally, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a shareholder
will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount of cash
received by the shareholder in the merger and the shareholder's adjusted tax
basis in the shares of our common stock converted into cash in the
merger. If shares of our common stock are held by a shareholder as
capital assets, gain or loss recognized by such shareholder will be capital gain
or loss, which will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder's
holding period for the shares of our common stock exceeds one year at the time
of the merger. Capital gains recognized by an individual upon a
disposition of a share of our common stock that has been held for more than one
year generally will be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 15%
or, in the case of a share that has been held for one year or less, will be
subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates. In addition, there are
limits on the deductibility of capital losses. The amount and
character of gain or loss must be determined separately for each block of our
common stock (i.e., shares acquired at the same cost in a single transaction)
converted into cash in the merger.
Backup
Withholding
A
shareholder (other than certain exempt shareholders, including, among others,
all corporations and certain foreign individuals) whose shares of our common
stock are converted into the merger consideration may be subject to backup
withholding at the then applicable rate (under current law, the backup
withholding rate is 28%) unless the shareholder provides the shareholder's
taxpayer identification number, or TIN, and certifies under penalties of perjury
that such TIN is correct (or properly certifies that it is awaiting a TIN) and
certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding and otherwise
complies with the applicable requirements of the backup withholding
rules. A shareholder that does not furnish a required TIN or that
does not otherwise establish a basis for an exemption from backup withholding
may be subject to a penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service, or the
IRS. Each shareholder that is an individual should complete and sign
the Substitute Form W-9 included as part of the letter of transmittal that will
be sent to shareholders promptly following closing of the merger so as to
provide the information and certification necessary to avoid backup
withholding. Each foreign individual shareholder must submit a signed
statement (such as a Certificate of Foreign Status on Form W-8BEN) attesting to
his or her exempt status. Backup withholding is not an additional
tax. Rather, the amount of the backup withholding can be credited
against the U.S. federal income tax liability of the person subject to the
backup withholding, provided that the required information is given to the
IRS. If backup withholding results in an overpayment of tax, a refund
can be obtained by the shareholder by filing a U.S. federal income tax
return.
THE
SUMMARY OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES SET FORTH ABOVE IS FOR GENERAL
INFORMATION ONLY AND IS BASED ON THE LAW IN EFFECT ON THE DATE
HEREOF. SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX
ADVISORS TO DETERMINE THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM (INCLUDING THE
APPLICATION AND EFFECT OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX LAWS)
OF THE MERGER.
Material
Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger
The following summary describes the
material Canadian federal income tax considerations in respect of the
arrangement generally applicable to a holder of common stock who, for purposes
of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the “Tax Act”), and at all relevant times, is an
individual who holds such common stock as capital property, deals at arm’s
length and is not affiliated with the Company, Mr. Han, Parent and MergerSub,
and disposes of such common stock to Parent under the merger. Holders
who meet all of these requirements are referred to as “Holder” or “Holders” in
this summary, and the summary only addresses such Holders. This
summary is not applicable to a holder who acquired common stock upon the
exercise of employment stock options. In addition, the summary does not address
the treatment of stock options under the merger (or the exercise or cancellation
of stock options), does not address the treatment of dissenters, and does not
address holders who are otherwise subject to special
circumstances. All affected Holders, and other holders not addressed
by this summary, should consult with their own tax advisors.
This summary is based on the current
provisions of the Tax Act and the regulations thereunder in force as of the date
hereof, and our understanding, based on publicly available materials published
in writing before the date hereof, of the current administrative practices of
the Canada Revenue Agency. This summary also takes into account any specific
proposals to amend the Tax Act and the regulations publicly announced by or on
behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) before the date of this Circular
(which we refer to in this Circular as the “Tax Proposals”) and assumes that all
Tax Proposals will be enacted in the form proposed. However, there can be no
assurance that the Tax Proposals will be enacted in their current form, or at
all. This summary is not exhaustive of all possible Canadian federal income tax
considerations and, except for the Tax Proposals, does not take into account or
anticipate any changes in law or administrative practice, whether by
legislative, regulatory, administrative or judicial decision or action, nor does
it take into account or consider other federal or any provincial, territorial or
foreign tax considerations, which may differ significantly from the Canadian
federal income tax considerations described therein. In addition,
while the form of merger under the applicable law of Florida and under the
Merger Agreement has no direct counterpart under Canadian law, this summary
assumes that the legal effect of the merger will include a disposition of the
common stock by Holders to Parent in exchange for the merger
consideration.
All
amounts relating to the disposition of common stock under the arrangement must
be computed in Canadian dollars for the purposes of the Tax Act.
This summary is of a general nature
only and is not exhaustive of all Canadian federal income tax considerations.
Consequently, Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors for advice
regarding the specific income tax consequences to them of disposing of their
common stock pursuant to the arrangement, having regard to their own particular
circumstances, and any other consequences to them of such transactions under
Canadian federal, provincial, local and foreign tax laws. We are not
in a position to give tax advice to any particular Holder, and this summary
shall not be construed as such advice. The discussion below is
qualified accordingly.
Holders
Resident in Canada
The following portion of the summary is
generally applicable to a Holder (as defined above) who, for purposes of the Tax
Act and any applicable income tax treaty, and at all relevant times, is resident
or deemed to be resident in Canada (we refer to a Holder who meets these
requirements as a “Resident Holder” in this summary).
A Resident Holder who disposes of
common stock to Parent under the merger will realize a capital gain
(or capital loss) to the extent that the cash paid to the Resident Holder for
such common stock under the merger, net of any reasonable costs of disposition,
exceeds (or is less than) the adjusted cost base to the Resident Holder of such
common stock immediately before the disposition. Any capital gain or
capital loss so realized will be subject to the normal rules under the Tax
Act.
Holders
Not Resident in Canada
The following portion of the summary is
generally applicable to a Holder (as defined above) who, for the purposes of the
Tax Act and any applicable income tax treaty, and at all relevant times, is not
and has not been a resident or deemed to be a resident of Canada and does not
use or hold, and is not deemed to use or hold, the common stock in connection
with carrying on a business in Canada (we refer to a Holder who meets these
requirements as a “Non-Resident Holder” in this summary).
A Non-Resident Holder will not be
subject to tax under the Tax Act on any capital gain realized on the disposition
of common stock to Parent under the merger unless such common stock constitutes
‘‘taxable Canadian property’’ to the Non-Resident Holder and the tax is not
otherwise relieved under any applicable income tax treaty.
In general, and taking into account the
Proposed Amendments, a common share is not expected to be “taxable Canadian
property” to a Non-Resident Holder at the time of disposition where such common
share is then listed on a designated stock exchange (which currently includes
the TSX), provided that (i) the Non-Resident Holder (and/or persons with whom
the Non-Resident Holder does not deal at arm’s length for purposes of the Tax
Act) did not own 25% or more of the issued stock of any class or series of our
capital stock at any time during the 60-month period immediately preceding that
time, or (ii) where such ownership threshold was exceeded at any time during the
period, not more than 50% of the fair market value of the share was derived
directly or indirectly from any combination of real or immovable property
situated in Canada, Canadian resource properties, timber resource properties, or
options or interests therein, at any time during the 60-month
period.
Regulatory
Matters
The merger is a “business
combination” under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of
Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") adopted by
the Ontario Securities Commission. MI 61-101 provides that, unless exempted, a
corporation proposing to carry out a business combination is required to obtain
an independent valuation of the subject matter of the transaction and provide to
the securityholders of the corporation a summary of such valuation. MI 61-101
also requires that, in addition to any other required securityholder approval,
in order to complete the transaction, the approval of a majority of the votes
cast by “minority” shareholders of the affected corporation be obtained.
The Company will be obtaining minority shareholder approval of the
merger.
In accordance with Section 2.4(1)(b) of
MI 61-101, Parent is exempt from
the valuation requirements of MI 61-101 on the basis
that Parent and the Supporting Shareholders have, through arm’s length
negotiations, entered agreements to support and vote in favor of the
merger. As a group, the Supporting Shareholders, which are not joint
actors with Parent, represent over 20% of the outstanding common
shares of the Company beneficially owned, or over which control or direction was
exercised, by persons other than Parent and joint actors of the
Parent, and (ii) Mr. Z. Weng, one of the Supporting Shareholders,
beneficially owns or exercises control or direction over, more than 10% of the
outstanding common shares of the Company. In addition, in accordance with
Section 2.4(1)(b) of MI 61-101, the consideration per common share
offered under the Merger is at least equal in value to and in the same form
as the consideration agreed to with the Supporting Shareholders
and included in this proxy statement is the disclosure regarding
the valuation exemption upon which Parent is relying and the facts
supporting that reliance.
In addition, Parent reasonably
believes, after reasonable inquiry, that at the time the agreements
supporting the merger were entered into with the Supporting
Shareholders:
(a) the consideration was
determined as a result of arm’s length negotiations;
(b) each of
the Supporting Shareholders had full knowledge and access to information
concerning the Company and its securities;
(c) any factors peculiar to
the Supporting Shareholders, including non-financial factors, that were
considered relevant by the Supporting Shareholders in assessing the
consideration did not have the effect of reducing the price that would otherwise
have been considered acceptable by the Supporting Shareholders;
and
(d) Parent and Mr. Han did not
know of any material information in respect of the Company or its
securities that had not been generally disclosed or if generally disclosed,
could have reasonably been expected to increase the agreed
consideration.
Since the time the agreements
supporting the merger were entered into with the Supporting
Shareholders, Parent and Mr. Han did not become aware of, after reasonable
inquiry, any material information in respect of the Company or its
securities that has not been generally disclosed and if generally disclosed,
could reasonably be expected to increase the consideration. To the knowledge
of Mr. Han and Parent (and its directors and senior officers), after
reasonable inquiry, no prior valuation (as such term is defined in MI 61-101)
has been made in respect of the Company in the 24 months preceding the date
of this proxy statement.
MI 61-101 also requires that the
Company include, if appropriate, disclosure in this proxy statement of
recent judicial developments relating to going private transactions of a nature
similar to the Merger. Before the establishment of the
current Canadian securities law regimes governing “related party
transactions” involving corporations, a number of court cases had considered
questions of procedural and substantive fairness with respect to proposed
corporate transactions which would have resulted in the compulsory acquisition
of shares held by public shareholders. The effect of these cases has generally
now been superseded by the specific requirements and procedures of MI
61-101.
Accounting
Treatment
The
merger will be accounted for as a "purchase transaction" for financial
accounting purposes.
Legal
Proceedings Regarding the Merger
There
have been no lawsuits or legal proceedings regarding the Merger.
Appraisal
Rights
Under the
Florida Business Corporation Act, or FBCA, you have the right to dissent from
the merger and to receive payment in cash for the fair value of your shares of
common stock as determined by a court, in lieu of the consideration you would
otherwise be entitled to receive pursuant to the Merger
Agreement. These rights are known as appraisal rights. A
shareholder electing to exercise appraisal rights must strictly comply with the
provisions of the applicable sections of the FBCA in order to perfect their
rights. The following is intended as a brief summary of the material
provisions of the Florida statutory procedures required to be followed by a
shareholder in order to dissent from the merger and perfect appraisal
rights.
This
summary, however, is not a complete statement of all applicable requirements and
is qualified in its entirety by reference to Sections 607.1301 to 607.1333 of
the FBCA, the full text of which appears in Appendix C-1 to this proxy
statement. Failure to precisely follow any of the statutory
procedures set forth in such sections of the FBCA may result in a loss of your
appraisal rights.
Under
Section 607.1302, our shareholders are entitled to dissent from, seek appraisal
for, and obtain payment of the fair value of his or her shares of our common
stock if the Merger is consummated. For this purpose, the "fair
value" of a dissenter's shares will be the value of the shares immediately
before the effectuation of the Merger, excluding any appreciation or
depreciation in anticipation of the Merger unless exclusion would be
inequitable. A shareholder who is entitled to so dissent and obtain
such payment may not challenge the Merger, unless the action is unlawful or
fraudulent with respect to him or the Company.
A shareholder of record may assert
dissenter's appraisal rights as to fewer than all of our shares registered in
his or her name only if he or she dissents with respect to all shares
beneficially owned by any one person and notifies us in writing of the name and
address of each person on whose behalf he or she asserts dissenter's appraisal
rights. The rights of a partial dissenter will be determined as if
the shares as to which he or she dissents, and his or her other shares were
registered in the names of different shareholders.
A beneficial shareholder may assert
dissenter's appraisal rights as to our shares held on his or her behalf only
if:
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the
beneficial shareholder submits to the Company the written consent of the
shareholder of record to the dissent and appraisal not later than the time
the beneficial shareholder asserts dissenter's appraisal rights;
and
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the
beneficial shareholder does so with respect to all shares of which he or
she is the beneficial shareholder or over which he or she has power to
direct the vote.
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If a shareholder of record of our
Company wishes to exercise his, her or its dissent and appraisal rights, we are
to provide to such dissenting shareholder a dissenter's appraisal notice of
advising them of their appraisal rights as contemplated by Section
607.1320. Section 607.1322 provides, among other things, that the
dissenter's appraisal notice must be sent no later than 10 days after the
effectuation of the corporate action. The form of dissenter's
appraisal notice is attached as Appendix C-2 this proxy statement. The merger
will not be effected for a minimum of 20 days following mailing of this proxy
statement to shareholders of Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. The
dissenter's appraisal notice must:
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state
where the demand for payment must be sent and where and when certificates,
if any, for shares must be
deposited;
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include
our Company's balance sheet as of the end of a fiscal year ending not more
than 15 months before the date of the dissenter's appraisal notice, a
statement of income for that year, a statement of changes in the
shareholders' equity for that year and the latest available interim
financial statements, if any;
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contain
a statement of our Company's estimate of the fair value of the shares and
our offer to pay such estimated fair
value;
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set
a date by which we must receive the demand for payment, which may not be
less than 40 nor more than 60 days after the date the notice is
delivered;
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set
a date by which a notice to withdraw the demand for payment must be
received, which date must be within 20 days after the date the demand for
payment must be received;
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if
requested in writing by the shareholder, provide to the shareholder so
requesting within 10 days after the demand for payment must be received,
the number of shareholders and the total number of shares held by them who
have returned a demand for payment by the date specified;
and
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be
accompanied by a copy of Sections 607.1301 to 607.1333,
inclusive.
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The dissenter's appraisal notice must
provide for the shareholder to state:
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their
name and address;
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the
number, class and series of shares to which they assert appraisal
rights;
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that
the shareholder did not vote for the
Merger;
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whether
the shareholder accepts our offer as set forth in the notice;
and
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if
our offer is not accepted, the shareholder's estimated fair value of the
shares and a demand for payment of this estimated value plus
interest.
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Section 607.1321 and Section 607.1323
provide that a shareholder to whom a dissenter's appraisal notice is sent
must:
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demand
payment within 20 days after receiving the dissenter's appraisal
notice;
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not
vote, or cause or permit to be voted, any of their shares in favor of the
Merger; and
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deposit
his certificates, if any, in accordance with the terms of the
notice.
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Any shareholder who demands payment and
deposits his or her certificates, if any, before the proposed corporate action
is taken loses all rights as a shareholder, unless the shareholder withdraws
their demand by the date specified in the dissenter's appraisal
notice.
Any shareholder who does not demand
payment or deposit his, her or its certificates where required, each by the date
set forth in the dissenter's appraisal notice, will not be entitled to payment
for his, her or its shares under the Florida Business Corporation
Act.
Subject to certain exceptions, within
90 days after receipt of a demand for payment from a dissenting shareholder, we
will be required by Section 607.1324 to pay to the dissenter the amount that we
estimated to be the fair value of his shares and accrued
interest. The obligation that we have in this regard may be enforced
by the appropriate court.
If a dissenter believes that the amount
offered by the Company pursuant to Section 607.1322 is less than the fair value
of the dissenter's shares, the dissenter may under Section 607.1326 notify the
Company in writing of his or her own estimate of the fair value of the shares
and the amount of interest due; and demand payment of such estimate and
interest.
A dissenter will be deemed to have
waived his or her right to demand payment pursuant to Section 607.1326 unless
the dissenter notifies the Company of his or her demand in writing within the
time set forth on the dissenter's appraisal notice after the Company has made or
offered payment for the shares.
Under Section 607.1330, if a
dissenter's demand for payment remains unsettled, we will be required to
commence a proceeding in the appropriate court of the county where our
registered office is located within 60 days after receiving the demand, and to
petition the court to determine the fair value of the shares and accrued
interest. If we do not commence the proceeding within the 60 day
period, any dissenter may commence the proceeding in the name of the
Company.
All dissenters, whether or not
residents of Florida, whose demands remain unsettled, will be named as parties
to the proceeding as in an action against their shares. All parties
must be served with a copy of the petition. Non-residents may be
served by registered or certified mail or by publication as provided by Florida
law.
The court may appoint one or more
persons as appraisers to receive evidence and recommend a decision on the
question of fair value. The dissenting appraisers will be entitled to
the same discovery rights as parties in other civil proceedings.
Each dissenter who is made a party to
the proceeding is entitled to a judgment for the amount, if any, by which the
court finds is the fair value of his or her shares, plus interest.
The court in a proceeding to determine
fair value is required by Florida law to determine all of the costs of the
proceeding, including the reasonable compensation and expenses of any appraisers
appointed by the court. The court will assess the costs against the
Company, but retains discretion to assess costs against all or some of the
dissenters, in amounts the court finds equitable, to the extent the court finds
the dissenters acted arbitrarily or not in good faith in demanding
payment.
Exercising
Dissent Rights
If a shareholder wishes to exercise
his, her or its dissent and appraisal rights, the shareholder must send to the
Company (at the address set out below) a written notice (a form of which is
attached as Appendix C-2 demanding payment).
The shareholder must also send any
certificates representing our shares to the address set forth as follows:
Computershare Trust Company of Canada (Vancouver), 3rd Floor,
510 Burrard, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 3B9.
All written notices should be addressed
to: Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc., Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9; Attention: Corporate Secretary
Telephone:
604-669-8817.
If you hold your shares of common stock
in a brokerage account or in other nominee form and you wish to exercise
appraisal rights, you should consult with your broker or the other nominee to
determine the appropriate procedures for the making of a demand for appraisal by
the broker or other nominee.
In
view of the complexity in asserting a dissenters’ right, a shareholder who may
wish to dissent from the merger and pursue appraisal rights should consult their
legal advisors.
Any
shareholder who does not demand payment or deposit his, her or its certificates
by the date set forth in the dissenter's appraisal notice will not be entitled
to payment for his, her or its shares under the Florida Business Corporation
Act.
Provisions
for Unaffiliated Shareholders
No
provision has been made to grant unaffiliated shareholders access to our files
or those of Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han or to obtain counsel or appraisal
services at the expense of any of the foregoing.
Voting
Intentions of Our Directors and Executive Officers and Voting Commitment of Mr.
Han, Parent and MergerSub
Under the
terms of the Merger Agreement, Mr. Han, our Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, agreed to vote all shares of common stock held by him in favor of the
adoption of the Merger Agreement. As of the date of this proxy statement, Mr.
Han owns 25,453,741 shares of our common stock representing approximately 38.0%
of our outstanding shares of common stock. Neither Parent or MergerSub own any
other shares of our common stock.
In addition, pursuant to a Support
Agreement, Mr. Zhanguo Weng, Ms. Xuemei Liu, Dr. Alexander Wick and Dr. Yiu
Kwong Sun, each a director of the Company, have agreed to vote all shares of
common stock held by them in favor of the adoption of the Merger
Agreement. Although the Special Committee, and in particular its
Chairman Peter Mak, primarily negotiated with Mr. Han with respect to among
other things merger consideration, the Special Committee kept informed and
sought approval from the Mr. Weng and Ms. Liu.
As of the date of this proxy statement,
Mr. Weng owns 8,986,783 shares, Ms. X Liu owns 4,493,391 shares, Dr.
Wick owns 500,000 shares and Dr. Sun owns 700,000 shares of our common stock,
which collectively represents approximately 21.9% of our outstanding shares of
common stock.
Consequently,
assuming that the Supporting Shareholders vote their shares of common stock
representing approximately 21.9% of the outstanding shares in favor of the
Merger Agreement, along with Mr. Han’s 38.0%, collectively representing 59.9% of
the outstanding shares they will have a sufficient number of shares to approve
the Merger Agreement under Florida law vote and but will need other shareholders
to vote for the merger in order to meet the TSX vote.
Estimated
Fees and Expenses of the Merger
We
estimate that we will incur, and will be responsible for paying,
transaction-related fees and expenses, consisting primarily of financial, legal,
accounting and tax advisory fees, SEC filing fees and other related charges,
totaling approximately $320,000. This amount includes the following
estimated fees and expenses:
Description
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Estimated
Amount
to
be Paid
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|
SEC
filing fee
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
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Printing,
proxy solicitation and mailing expenses
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|
$ |
10,000 |
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Financial,
legal, accounting and tax advisory fees
|
|
$ |
300,000 |
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Miscellaneous expenses
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$ |
5,000 |
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Total
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$ |
320,000 |
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In
addition, if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances
described under "The Merger
Agreement—Termination Fee," we have agreed to pay to Parent a termination
fee of $400,000 or $1,000,000.
CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
proxy statement, and certain of the documents to which we refer you in this
proxy statement, contain not only historical information, but also
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on
expectations, assumptions, estimates, projections or beliefs concerning future
events, and deal with potential future circumstances and developments, in
particular, whether and when the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement will be consummated. The discussion of such matters is
qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future
expectations generally and also may materially differ from actual future
experience involving any one or more of such matters. You should read
all forward-looking statements carefully. We believe that the
assumptions on which our forward-looking statements are based are reasonable.
However, we cannot assure you that the actual results, developments or outcome
of future events we anticipate will be realized or, if realized, that they will
not have negative effects on our business or operations or the timing or
completion of the merger, if approved. All subsequent written and
oral forward-looking statements concerning the merger or other matters addressed
in this proxy statement and attributable to us or any person acting on our
behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements
contained or referred to in this section. Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date of this proxy statement. Except as required by applicable law or
regulation, we do not undertake any obligation to update or supplement these
forward-looking statements to reflect future events or
circumstances.
RISK
FACTORS
The risks
and uncertainties regarding the merger and entry into the Merger Agreement
include the following:
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we
may not be able to satisfy all of the conditions to consummation of the
merger, including the adoption of the Merger Agreement by our
shareholders, and obtaining the approval of the merger by a majority of
the outstanding shares of our common stock excluding shares held by Mr.
Han;
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one
or more events, changes or other circumstances may occur that could give
rise to a termination of the Merger Agreement under circumstances that
could require us to pay up to a $1,000,000 or $400,000 as a termination
fee;
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the
occurrence of any material adverse change in our financial condition or
results of operation;
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the
effect of the announcement of the merger on our business relationships,
operating results and business generally, including our ability to retain
key employees and the unwillingness of third parties to enter into or
continue business relationships with
us;
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the
risk that the merger may not be completed in a timely manner or at all,
which may adversely affect our business and the price of our common
stock;
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the
potential adverse effect on our business, properties and operations
because of certain interim operational covenants we agreed to in the
Merger Agreement;
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risks
related to diverting management's attention from our ongoing business
operations;
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the
decision of our board of directors as to whether or not to approve any
acquisition proposal that may be submitted by a third
party;
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actions
by Parent or MergerSub, or any other potential acquirer of our
Company;
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changes
in general economic business conditions, such as interest rate
fluctuations, unemployment, pricing pressures, and insolvency of
suppliers, and access to credit;
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changes
in the competitive environment in which we
operate;
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changes
in customer needs and expectations;
and
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risks
detailed in our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the period ended December 31, 2009. Refer to
also "Where You Can Find
More Information.”
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THE
SPECIAL MEETING
We are
furnishing this proxy statement to our shareholders, as of the record date, as
part of the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors for use at the
special meeting.
Date,
Time and Place
The
special meeting of our shareholders will be held at Dragon’s corporate offices
located at Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada V6B 4N9, at 10:30 a.m., local time, on _______2010.
Purpose
of the Special Meeting
At the
special meeting, we will ask our shareholders to adopt the Merger
Agreement. Our board of directors has determined that the merger and
other transactions described in the Merger Agreement are advisable to, and in
the best interests of, our shareholders and has approved the Merger Agreement
and recommends (other than Mr. Han who did not participate in the deliberations
or discussions related to the merger or vote on any matters related thereto)
that our shareholders vote "FOR" the adoption of the Merger
Agreement.
We are
also asking that you grant us the authority to vote your shares to adjourn or
postpone the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, including to solicit
additional proxies in the event there are not sufficient votes in favor of
adoption of the Merger Agreement at the time of the special
meeting.
Record
Date; Shares Entitled to Vote; Quorum
Only
shareholders of record at the close of business on ______2010, which we refer to
as the record date in this proxy statement, are entitled to the notice of and to
vote at the special meeting. On the record date, there were 67,066,418 shares of
common stock outstanding and entitled to vote, and each such share is entitled
to one vote on each matter to be considered at the special meeting. A
quorum is present at the meeting if a majority of all of the shares of our
common stock issued and outstanding on the record date and entitled to vote at
the special meeting are represented at the special meeting in person or by a
properly executed proxy. In the event that a quorum is not present at
the special meeting, we expect that the meeting will be adjourned or postponed
to solicit additional proxies.
Vote
Required
Under Florida law, the adoption of the
Merger Agreement requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of
our common stock outstanding at the close of business on the record
date. In addition, under the rules of the Toronto Stock Exchange, the
Merger Agreement must be approved by holders of common stock representing a
majority of the shares of outstanding common stock, excluding shares of common
stock owned by Mr. Han.
Approval
of the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for
the purpose of soliciting additional proxies requires, assuming a quorum is
present with respect to the proposal, the affirmative vote of the holders of
stock casting a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by all of the holders
of the stock constituting such quorum. If a quorum is not present at
the special meeting, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of stock
present and entitled to vote at the meeting may adjourn the meeting until a
quorum shall be present.
Voting
of Proxies
All
shares represented by properly executed proxies we receive at or prior to the
meeting will be voted according to the instructions indicated on such
proxies. Properly executed proxy cards that do not contain
instructions will be voted "FOR" the adoption of the Merger Agreement and "FOR"
authority to adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if necessary or
appropriate.
Only
shares affirmatively voted for the adoption of the Merger Agreement, including
properly executed proxies that do not contain voting instructions, will be
counted as favorable votes for that proposal. If a shareholder
abstains from voting or does not execute a proxy, it will effectively count as a
vote against the adoption of the Merger Agreement. Brokers who hold
shares of our common stock in "street name" for customers who are the beneficial
owners of the shares may not give a proxy to vote those shares in the absence of
specific instruction from those customers. These non-voted shares are
referred to as broker non-votes. Broker non-votes will be counted as
present for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists and will be counted
as votes against the adoption of the Merger Agreement.
The
persons named as proxies by a shareholder who votes for the proposal to adopt
the Merger Agreement may propose and vote for one or more adjournments of the
special meeting, including adjournments to permit further solicitations of
proxies. No proxy voted against the proposal to adopt the Merger
Agreement will be voted in favor of any adjournment or
postponement.
Our board
of directors knows of no other matters that may be brought before the meeting.
However, if any other business is properly presented for action at the meeting,
the persons named on the proxy card will vote in accordance with their
judgment.
Revocability
of Proxies
A proxy
card may be revoked or changed at any time before it is voted at the
meeting. You can do this in one of three ways:
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You
can deliver to our corporate secretary a written notice bearing a date
later than the proxy you delivered to us stating that you would like to
revoke your proxy, provided the notice is received by ____(__ time) on
___.
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You
can complete, execute and deliver to our corporate secretary a later-dated
proxy for the same shares, provided the new proxy is received by
_____(______) on ______.
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You
can attend the meeting and vote in person. Your attendance at
the special meeting alone will not revoke your
proxy.
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Any
written notice of revocation or subsequent proxy should be delivered to us at
Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4N9,
Attention: Corporate Secretary, or hand-delivered to our corporate secretary at
or before the taking of the vote at the special meeting.
Please
note that if you hold your shares in "street name" through a bank, broker or
other nominee holder, and you have instructed your nominee to vote your shares,
the options for revoking your proxy described in the paragraph above do not
apply and instead you must follow the directions provided by your broker to
change your vote. If that is your situation, please contact your nominee for
instructions as to how to revoke or change your vote.
SHAREHOLDERS SHOULD NOT SEND STOCK
CERTIFICATES WITH THEIR PROXIES. A transmittal form with
instructions for the surrender of certificates representing shares of our common
stock will be mailed to shareholders shortly after completion of the merger by
Computershare Trust Company of Canada who will serve as the paying
agent.
Solicitation
of Proxies
This proxy solicitation is being made
by us on behalf of our board of directors and we will bear the entire cost of
solicitation of proxies, including preparation, assembly, printing and mailing
of this proxy statement, the proxy card and any additional information furnished
to our shareholders. Our directors, officers and employees may also solicit
proxies by personal interview, mail, e-mail, telephone, facsimile or other means
of communication. These persons will not be paid additional compensation for
their efforts. We will also request brokers, banks and other nominees to forward
proxy solicitation material to the beneficial owners of our shares of common
stock that the brokers, banks and nominees hold of record. Upon request, we will
reimburse them for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to forwarding
the material.
THE
PARTIES TO THE MERGER
Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc.
Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of a broad
line of high-quality antibiotic products including Clavulanic Acid, 7-ACA,
downstream cephalosporin active pharmaceutical ingredient and formulated powder
for injection in both Chinese and emerging markets. Our headquarters
are located at 650 West Georgia Street, Suite 310, Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada V6B 4N9. Our telephone number at our headquarters is (604)
669-8817. Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. is referred to in this proxy
statement as alternatively the "company" and "we."
Chief
Respect Limited, a Hong Kong company, is a new company which was formed in
connection with the merger. Chief Respect has not carried on any
activities other than in connection with the merger. Mr. Han,
our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and beneficial owner of 38.0% of the
outstanding share of our common stock, is the sole shareholder of the Chief
Respect Limited. Chief Respect Limited’s principal offices are located at
11/F, AXA Centre, 151 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, and its telephone
number is (852)-25823800. Chief Respect Limited is referred to in
this proxy statement as "Parent."
Datong
Investment Inc., a Florida corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent
and has not engaged in any business activity other than activities related to
the purpose of merging with our Company. If the merger is completed,
Datong Investment Inc. will cease to exist following its merger with and into
our Company. The principal offices are located at c/o Corporation
Service Company, 1201 Hays Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301. Datong
Investment Inc. is referred to in this proxy statement as
"MergerSub."
THE
MERGER AGREEMENT
This
section of the proxy statement summarizes the material provisions of the Merger
Agreement, but does not purport to describe all of the terms of the Merger
Agreement. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to
the complete text of the Merger Agreement which is attached to this proxy
statement as Appendix A and incorporated into this proxy statement by reference.
The rights and obligations of the parties are governed by the express terms and
conditions of the Merger Agreement and not by this summary. We urge you to read
the Merger Agreement carefully in its entirety, as well as this proxy statement,
before making any decisions regarding the merger.
The
representations and warranties described in the summary below and included in
the Merger Agreement were made by our Company, Parent and MergerSub to each
other as of specific dates. The assertions embodied in those representations and
warranties were made solely for purposes of the Merger Agreement and are subject
to important qualifications, limitations and exceptions agreed to by our
Company, Parent and MergerSub in connection with negotiating its terms,
including information contained in a confidential disclosure schedule that our
Company provided to Parent and MergerSub in connection with the Merger
Agreement. Moreover, the representations and warranties may be
subject to a contractual standard of materiality that may be different from what
may be viewed as material to shareholders, or may have been used for the purpose
of allocating risk between our Company, Parent and MergerSub rather than
establishing matters as facts. The Merger Agreement is described in this proxy
statement and included as Appendix A only to provide you with information
regarding its terms and conditions, and not to provide any other factual
information regarding our Company, Parent and MergerSub or their respective
affiliates or their respective businesses. Accordingly, you should not rely on
the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement as characterizations
of the actual state of facts about our Company, Parent or MergerSub, and you
should read the information provided elsewhere in this proxy statement and in
the documents incorporated by reference into this proxy statement for
information regarding our Company, Parent and MergerSub and their respective
affiliates and their respective businesses.
The
Merger
Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement,
MergerSub, a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, will merge with and into our
Company. After the merger, our Company will continue as the surviving
corporation and as a subsidiary of Parent. The shares of common stock of the
Company held by Mr. Han prior to the merger will remain issued and outstanding
after the merger and will not be affected by the merger. The
surviving corporation will be a privately held corporation and our current
shareholders, other than Mr. Han who will hold a direct and indirect ownership
interest in the surviving corporation, will cease to have any ownership interest
in the surviving corporation or rights as shareholders of the surviving
corporation. Our shareholders, with the exception of Mr. Han will not
participate in any future earnings or growth of the surviving corporation and
will not benefit from any appreciation in value of the surviving
corporation.
Upon
consummation of the merger, the directors and officers of MergerSub will be the
directors and officers of surviving corporation. All directors and
officers of the surviving corporation will hold their positions until their
successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified or their earlier death,
resignation or removal.
We or
Parent may terminate the Merger Agreement prior to the consummation of the
merger in some circumstances, whether before or after the adoption by our
shareholders of the Merger Agreement. Additional details on termination of the
Merger Agreement are described in "—Termination of the Merger
Agreement" below.
Effective
Time
The
merger will be effective at the time the certificate of merger is filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Florida (or at such later time as is agreed
upon by the parties to the Merger Agreement and specified in the certificate of
merger), which we refer to as the "Effective Time" in this proxy statement. We
expect to complete the merger as promptly as practicable after our shareholders
adopt the Merger Agreement (assuming the prior satisfaction of the other closing
conditions to the merger). Unless otherwise agreed by the parties to the Merger
Agreement, the closing of the merger will occur after the satisfaction or waiver
of the conditions described in "—Conditions to the Closing of the
Merger" below.
Merger
Consideration
Except as
stated below, each share of our common stock issued and outstanding immediately
prior to the effective time of the merger will automatically be canceled and
converted at the effective time of the merger into the right to receive the
merger consideration $0.82 in cash, without interest and less any applicable
withholding taxes, if any. The following shares of our common stock will not
receive the merger consideration:
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shares
owned by Mr. Han (as described in "Special Factors—Interests of
our Executive Officers and Directors in the Merger"), which shares
will remain issued and outstanding and unaffected by the merger;
and
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shares
held by holders who did not vote in favor of the merger (or consent
thereto in writing) and who are entitled to demand and have properly
demanded appraisal of such shares pursuant to, and who have complied in
all respects with, the provisions of Sections 607.1301 to 607.1333 of the
FBCA, and which shares will be entitled to payment of the appraised value
of such shares as may be determined to be due to such holders pursuant to
the applicable sections of the FBCA (unless and until such holder has
failed to perfect or has effectively withdrawn or lost rights of appraisal
under the FBCA).
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At the
effective time of the merger, each holder of a certificate formerly representing
any shares of our common stock (other than shares for which appraisal rights
have been properly demanded, perfected and not withdrawn or lost under the FBCA,
and shares owned by Mr. Han) will no longer have any rights with respect to such
shares, except for the right to receive the merger consideration upon surrender
thereof. Refer to "Special
Factors—Appraisal Rights."
Payment
Procedures
Dragon
has appointed Computershare of Canada as paying agent to receive the aggregate
merger consideration for the benefit of the holders of shares of our common
stock located outside of China. In addition, Dragon has appointed
[_______] (China paying agent) to serve as aggregate merger consideration for
the benefit of the holders of shares of our common stock located within China.
At or prior to the effective time of the merger, Parent will deposit with the
paying agent and China paying agent an aggregate amount in cash equal to the
aggregate merger consideration.
At the
effective time of the merger, we will close our stock transfer books. After that
time, there will be no further transfer of shares of our common
stock.
Promptly
after the effective time of the merger, but in any event within five business
days after the effective time, the surviving corporation will cause the paying
agent to mail to each holder of record of our shares of common stock a letter of
transmittal and instructions advising such holders how to exchange their
certificates for the merger consideration. The paying agent or China paying
agent, as the case may be, will pay the merger consideration after each holder
of our common stock (1) surrenders its certificates representing our shares of
common stock to the paying agent and (2) provides to the paying agent or China
paying agent a signed letter of transmittal and any other items specified by the
letter of transmittal. Interest will not be paid or accrue in respect of the
merger consideration. The paying agent or China paying will reduce the amount of
any merger consideration paid by any applicable withholding taxes, if any. YOU
SHOULD NOT FORWARD YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES TO THE PAYING AGENT WITHOUT A LETTER
OF TRANSMITTAL, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RETURN YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH THE
ENCLOSED PROXY.
If any
cash deposited with the paying agent or China paying agent is not claimed within
12 months following the effective time of the merger, such cash will be returned
to the surviving corporation. Subject to any applicable unclaimed property laws,
after that point, holders of our common stock will be entitled to look only to
the surviving corporation for payment of the merger consideration that may be
payable upon surrender of any certificates.
If the
paying agent is to pay some or all of your merger consideration to a person
other than you, as the registered owner of a stock certificate you must have
your certificate properly endorsed or otherwise in proper form for transfer, and
you must pay any transfer or other taxes payable by reason of the transfer or
establish to the surviving corporation's reasonable satisfaction that the taxes
have been paid or are not required to be paid.
If you
have lost your certificate, or if it has been stolen or destroyed, you will be
required to provide an affidavit to that fact and may be required to post a bond
in such amount as the surviving corporation or paying agent or China paying
agent may reasonably request. The letter of transmittal will tell you what to do
in these circumstances.
Treatment
of Outstanding Stock Options
Before
the effective time of the merger, we will take all action necessary such that
each outstanding stock option will, at the effective time of the merger, to the
extent not previously exercised, be canceled and terminated and converted into
the right to receive a cash payment, for each share of our common stock subject
to such option, equal to the excess, if any, of (a) the merger consideration
over (b) the option exercise price payable in respect of such share of our
common stock issuable under such option, without interest and less any
applicable withholding taxes.
Representations
and Warranties
The
Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties of our Company and of
Parent and MergerSub made to and solely for the benefit of each other. The
assertions embodied in those representations and warranties are qualified by
information contained in confidential disclosure schedules, if any, that modify,
qualify and create exceptions to the representations and warranties contained in
the Merger Agreement. Accordingly, you should not rely on the representations
and warranties as characterizations of the actual state of facts, because
(1) they were made only as of the date of the Merger Agreement or a prior
specified date, (2) in some cases they are subject to qualifications with
respect to materiality and knowledge, (3) they may modified in important
part by the disclosure schedules exchanged by the parties in connection with
signing the Merger Agreement and (4) in the case of our representations and
warranties, are qualified by certain disclosure in the filings we made with the
SEC since December 31, 2008. The disclosure schedules contain
information that has been included in our prior public disclosures, as well as
non-public information. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of
the representations and warranties may have changed since the date of the Merger
Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in our
public disclosures.
We make
various representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement that are subject,
in some cases, to exceptions and qualifications (including exceptions that would
not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company
Material Adverse Effect). Refer to "—Company Material Adverse Effect
Definition" below. Our representations and warranties relate to, among
other things:
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our
due organization, good standing and qualification, and other corporate
matters with respect to us and our
subsidiaries;
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our
capitalization and certain related
matters;
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our
corporate authority and authorization to enter into, and enforceability
of, the Merger Agreement;
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the
absence of conflicts with, or defaults under, our organizational
documents, and applicable laws;
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the
required shareholder approvals to adopt the Merger Agreement and approve
the transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement;
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required
regulatory filings and consents and approvals of governmental
authorities;
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documents
filed with or furnished to the SEC and the accuracy of the information in
those documents, including our financial
statements;
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the
absence of certain undisclosed
liabilities;
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the
conduct of our business in the ordinary course of business since September
30, 2009 and the absence of any event or change since September 30, 2009,
that has had, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse
Effect;
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litigation
and government authorizations;
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compliance
with laws and compliance with, and adequacy of,
permits;
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this
proxy statement not being misleading and the compliance of this proxy
statement as to form with the requirements of the Exchange
Act;
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our
employee benefit plans and compensation
matters;
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Florida
takeover statutes;
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title
to property and matters with respect to leased
property;
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the
opinion of the financial advisor to the Special
Committee;
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absence
of brokers' and finders' fees;
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transactions
with our affiliates; and
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The
Merger Agreement also contains various representations and warranties made
jointly and severally by Parent and MergerSub. The representations and
warranties of Parent and MergerSub relate to, among other things:
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their
due organization and good standing;
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their
authority and authorization to enter into, and enforceability of, the
Merger Agreement;
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the
absence of conflicts with, or defaults under, their organizational
documents, other contracts and applicable
law;
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required
regulatory filings and consents and approvals of governmental authorities
including the Toronto Stock Exchange and appropriate Canadian
province;
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actions
relating to its obligation to deposit of $3,000,000 as part of the merger
consideration to be paid in connection with the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement;
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information
supplied in the proxy statement and the Rule 13e-3 transaction statement
on Schedule 13E-3; and
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absence
of brokers' and finders' fees.
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The
representations and warranties of the parties expire upon consummation of the
merger.
Company
Material Adverse Effect Definition
Many of
our representations and warranties are qualified by a Company Material Adverse
Effect standard. For the purpose of the Merger Agreement, "Company Material
Adverse Effect" is defined to mean, subject to various exceptions, any effect,
event, fact, development, condition or change that, individually or in the
aggregate (1) is materially adverse to our assets, business, results of
operations or condition (financial or other) and those of our subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, or (2) prevents, or materially hinders the consummation of the
merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, in
each case, other than any effect, event, fact, development, condition or change
arising out of or resulting from any of the following:
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(a)
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any
decrease in the market price of our common stock (but not any change
underlying such decrease to the extent such change would otherwise
constitute a Company Material Adverse
Effect);
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(b)
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changes
in conditions in the U.S. or global economy (except to the extent such
changes affect us and our subsidiaries in a materially disproportionate
manner);
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(c)
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changes
in conditions in the industry in which we and our subsidiaries operate
(except to the extent such changes affect us and our subsidiaries in a
materially disproportionate
manner);
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(d)
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changes
resulting from the announcement or pendency of the
merger;
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(f)
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changes
in generally accepted accounting
principles;
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(g)
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our
failure to meet internal budgets or projections, whether or not publicly
disclosed, or financial analyst
projections;
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(h)
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acts
of war, armed hostilities, sabotage or terrorism, or any escalation or
worsening of any acts of war, armed hostilities, sabotage or terrorism
threatened or underway as of the date of the Merger Agreement (except to
the extent such changes affect us and our subsidiaries in a materially
disproportionate manner); or
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(i)
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any
act we or our subsidiaries take at the request or with the consent of
Parent or MergerSub.
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Conduct
of Business Pending the Merger
Until the
effective time of the merger, except as contemplated by the Merger Agreement or
with Parent's consent, we agreed that we will:
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conduct
our business in the ordinary
course;
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use
commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact our and
our subsidiaries business organizations, to keep available the services of
our and our subsidiaries respective officers and employees and to preserve
our and our subsidiaries respective current business relationships;
and
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file
all required reports with the SEC, including but not limited to the Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2009.
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We also
agreed that, until the effective time of the merger, subject to certain
exceptions in the disclosure schedule to the Merger Agreement and except as
contemplated by the Merger Agreement or with Parent's consent (which consent
will be deemed to have been given if Parent does not object within five business
days from the date on which Parent receives written notice), neither we nor our
subsidiaries will:
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amend
our or their charter, bylaws or other organizational
documents;
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authorize
for issuance, issue, sell or agree to issue or sell any shares of our or
their stock, or any securities convertible into, exchangeable or
exercisable for, or other rights of any kind to acquire, any shares of our
or their stock or other ownership interests (except for issuances upon the
exercise or settlement of stock options outstanding on the date of the
Merger Agreement);
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adopt
any new incentive plan or any equity based compensation
plan;
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redeem,
repurchase or otherwise acquire any shares of our or their stock or any
rights, warrants or options to acquire any shares of our or their stock
(except in connection with the exercise of stock options or the
vesting of restricted stock or the lapse of restrictions on restricted
stock);
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split,
combine, subdivide or reclassify any shares of our or their
stock;
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declare,
set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution with respect to
any shares of our or their stock;
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materially
amend or terminate, or waive compliance with the material terms of or
material breaches under, certain material
contracts;
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fail
to comply in any material respect with the terms of certain material
contracts;
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enter
into any new contract that would be a material contract if entered into
prior to the date of the Merger
Agreement;
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pre-pay
any long-term debt, or pay, discharge or satisfy any material claim,
liability or obligation, in each case, except in the ordinary course of
business; provided, that, even if in the ordinary course of business, we
may not, without Parent's consent, pay, discharge or satisfy:(1) any claim
made by a related party; (2) certain claims listed on the disclosure
schedule to the Merger Agreement; or (3) any material claim first asserted
after the date of the Merger
Agreement.
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make
capital expenditures in excess of the amount budgeted in our capital
budget that was made available to
Parent;
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waive,
release or settle any material litigation other than settlements of
litigation where (1) the amounts paid are covered by insurance or (2) the
settlement involves only the payment of money damages and will not
otherwise materially and adversely affect our business going forward;
provided, that, we may not, without Parent's consent, waive, release or
settle: (a) any litigation where we are adverse to a related party; (b)
certain claims listed on the disclosure schedule to the Merger Agreement;
or(c) any material litigation first filed after the date of the Merger
Agreement;
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take
any action that would reasonably be expected to (1) result in any
condition to the consummation of the merger not being satisfied, (2)
materially delay the consummation of the merger or (3) materially impair
our ability to consummate the merger or any other transaction contemplated
by the Merger Agreement;
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materially
increase the compensation or fringe benefits payable to our officers or
senior management or to any non-officer or non-senior management employees
other than in the ordinary course;
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amend
or waive any provisions of any of our benefit plans or policies or adopt
any new benefit plan or policy;
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change
our severance, termination or bonus policies or practices or enter into
any agreement the benefits of which are contingent or the terms of which
are materially altered upon the occurrence of a
merger;
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adopt
a plan of liquidation or
dissolution;
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materially
change our accounting methods, principles or
practices;
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take
any action that would be a Company Material Adverse Effect;
or
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announce
any intention, enter into any agreement or otherwise commit to do any of
the foregoing.
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Solicitation
of Other Offers
Generally,
with respect to the solicitation and negotiation of other offers, the Merger
Agreement provides that as of the date of the Merger Agreement we were required
to (and were required to cause our subsidiaries and representatives to)
terminate any discussions or negotiations with any person with respect to, or
that could be reasonably expected to lead to, an acquisition
proposal.
Prior to
obtaining the shareholder approval described below in "—Conditions to the Closing of the
Merger," which we refer to in this proxy statement as the "shareholder
approval," and subject to certain exceptions discussed below, during the no shop
period, which period commences on the date of the Merger Agreement and ends on
the date on which the requisite shareholder approval is obtained:
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we
and our subsidiaries and representatives are required not to initiate,
solicit or encourage or knowingly take any other action to facilitate any
inquiries or the making of any proposal or other action that constitutes,
or may reasonably be expected to lead to, an acquisition
proposal;
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we
and our subsidiaries and representatives are required not to initiate or
participate in any discussions or negotiations that could reasonably be
expected to lead to an acquisition
proposal;
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we
and our subsidiaries and representatives are required not to enter into
any agreement or understanding with respect to any acquisition proposal or
that is intended to or could reasonably be expected to result in the
termination of the merger or any other transaction contemplated by the
Merger Agreement;
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our
board of directors is required to recommend that our shareholders approve
the merger and our board of directors is required not to withdraw or
modify such recommendation in a manner adverse to Parent;
and
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our
board of directors is required not to recommend, adopt or approve, or
publicly propose to recommend, adopt or approve, an acquisition
proposal.
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Exceptions to No
Shop Period Restrictions. Notwithstanding the restrictions
described above, prior to obtaining shareholder approval, subject to our
compliance with the provisions of the Merger Agreement regarding the
restrictions on our ability to solicit proposals or offers, the ability of our
board of directors to change its recommendation and related provisions, if we
receive a written acquisition proposal, we may contact the person making such
proposal solely to clarify and understand the terms and conditions of such
acquisition proposal so as to determine whether such acquisition proposal is
reasonably likely to lead to a superior proposal.
Furthermore,
if our board of directors determines in good faith (after consultation with
outside legal counsel and financial advisor) that such acquisition proposal
constitutes or is reasonably likely to lead to a superior proposal, our board of
directors may, if it determines in good faith (after consultation with outside
legal counsel) that failure to take such action would be inconsistent with its
duties under applicable law, then we may:
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furnish
any information to the person making such acquisition proposal, provided
that any such information is provided pursuant to a confidentiality
agreement and concurrently provided to
Parent;
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disclose
to our shareholders any information required to be disclosed under
applicable law; and
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participate
in negotiations with such person regarding such acquisition
proposal.
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We are
required to promptly (and in any event within two days after receipt) notify
Parent of any acquisition proposal or any communications with respect to any
acquisition proposal, and provide Parent with certain information related to
such acquisition proposal. We are also required to keep Parent informed on a
prompt basis of the status, material terms and conditions of, and any material
developments regarding any acquisition proposal.
An
"acquisition proposal" is any good faith proposal or offer from any person or
group relating to, in a single transaction or series of related transactions,
any:
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merger,
consolidation or similar transaction involving us or any of our
significant subsidiaries.
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sale
or other disposition of 50.1% or more of our consolidated assets by
merger, consolidation, combination, reorganization, share exchange or
similar transaction;
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issuance,
sale or other disposition of securities representing 50.1% or more of our
outstanding common stock;
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tender
offer or exchange offer that, if consummated, would result in any person
or group beneficially owning 50.1% or more of our outstanding common
stock; or
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transaction
which is similar in form, substance or purpose to any of the
foregoing.
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A
"superior proposal" is any written acquisition proposal made by a third
party:
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on
terms which our board of directors (or a committee thereof) determines in
good faith, after consultation with our outside legal counsel and
financial advisor, to be more favorable to our shareholders than the
merger contemplated by the Merger
Agreement;
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the
material conditions to the consummation of such proposal are capable of
being satisfied in the reasonable judgment of our board of directors;
and
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the
financing for which is then
committed.
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Termination
in Connection with a Superior Proposal
Our board
of directors recommended (other than Mr. Han who did not participate in the
deliberations or discussions related to the merger or vote on any matters
related thereto) that our shareholders adopt the Merger Agreement.
Our board
of directors (or a committee thereof) may not, except under certain
circumstances set forth below:
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withdraw
or modify (or publicly propose to withdraw or modify) in a manner adverse
to Parent our board of directors' recommendation that our shareholders
adopt the Merger Agreement; or
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approve,
adopt or recommend (or publicly propose to approve, adopt or recommend) an
acquisition proposal to our
shareholders.
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Notwithstanding
these restrictions, but subject to our obligations to provide certain
information to and to negotiate in good faith with Parent and to take certain
actions in connection with superior proposals as described below, at any time
prior to obtaining the shareholder approval, our board of directors may withdraw
or modify (or publicly propose to withdraw or modify) in a manner adverse to
Parent its recommendation that our shareholders adopt the Merger Agreement or,
in the case of the first bullet point below, approve, adopt or recommend (or
publicly propose to approve, adopt or recommend) an acquisition proposal to our
shareholders:
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if
we receive an acquisition proposal that has not been withdrawn or
abandoned and that our board of directors (or a committee thereof)
determines in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel
and financial advisor, constitutes a superior proposal;
or
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other
than in response to an acquisition proposal, if our board of directors (or
a committee thereof) determines in good faith, after consultation with
outside legal counsel and financial advisor, that the failure to take such
action would be inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable
law.
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Our board
of directors may not withdraw or modify (or publicly propose withdraw or modify)
in a manner adverse to Parent our board of directors' recommendation that our
shareholders adopt the Merger Agreement or approve, adopt or recommend (or
publicly propose to approve, adopt or recommend) an acquisition proposal to our
shareholders with respect to a superior proposal unless:
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we
have complied in all material respects with the provisions in the Merger
Agreement regarding the restrictions on our ability to solicit proposals
or offers, the ability of our board of directors to change its
recommendation and related
provisions;
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we
have provided Parent written notice that we intend to take such action and
describing the material terms and conditions of the superior proposal that
is the basis of such action;
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during
the three business day period following Parent's receipt of such notice,
we have negotiated in good faith with Parent and MergerSub (to the extent
they desire to negotiate) to make such adjustments in the terms and
conditions of the Merger Agreement so that such superior proposal ceases
to constitute a superior proposal and/or our board of directors no longer
believes that failure to withdraw or modify its recommendation would be
inconsistent with its fiduciary duties under applicable law;
and
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after
such three business day period, our board of directors has determined in
good faith, taking into account any changes to the terms of the Merger
Agreement proposed by Parent, that its fiduciary duties no longer require
our board of directors to withdraw or modify its
recommendation.
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Any
amendment to the financial terms or any other material amendment of such
superior proposal will require that we comply again with the foregoing
requirements.
In order
to enter into an acquisition agreement with respect to a superior proposal, the
Merger Agreement must be terminated in accordance with its terms and we must pay
a termination fee to Parent. Refer to "—Termination of the Merger
Agreement" and "—Termination Fee"
below.
Notwithstanding
these restrictions, subject to certain conditions, our board of directors may
make certain disclosures contemplated by the securities laws or other applicable
laws.
Merger
Financing -Good Faith Deposit
Parent
has represented to the us that at the effective time of the merger,
Parent will have sufficient cash to make all payments required to be made by
Parent under the Merger Agreement, including the merger consideration payable to
our shareholders. Parent intends to finance the merger
consideration through Mr. Han’s personal funds and personal loans from private
lenders.
The
Parent has agreed to deposit $3,000,000 into an account jointly controlled by
Mr. Han and either Maggie Deng, Chief Operating Officer or Garry Wong, Chief
Financial Officer directed by us to be used to pay the merger consideration, of
which $1,000,000 was delivered upon the execution of the Merger Agreement, and
$2,000,000 was delivered upon the filing of the definitive proxy
statement. If Parent is unable to obtain the financing,
Parent will be in breach of its representation, warranties and covenant and the
Company will be entitled to a termination fee of $400,000.
Indemnification
The
Merger Agreement provides that from and after the effective time of the merger,
Parent and the surviving corporation shall:
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to
the extent permitted under applicable law, indemnify and hold harmless
each individual who is as of the date of the Merger Agreement
or during the period from such date through the effective time of the
merger serving as our director, officer, trustee or fiduciary or, in such
capacity for any of our subsidiaries with respect to any judgments, fines,
penalties and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any claim,
suit, action, proceeding or investigation, based on or arising out of or
relating to such individual's position as a director, officer, trustee,
employee, agent or fiduciary of ours or any of our subsidiaries;
and
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assume
all our and our subsidiaries' obligations to such individuals in respect
of indemnification and exculpation from liabilities for acts or omissions
occurring at or prior to the effective time of the merger, as provided in
our and our subsidiaries' organizational
documents.
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Additional
Covenants
The
Merger Agreement contains additional agreements between us and Parent relating
to, among other things:
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the
filing of this proxy statement and the Rule 13e-3 transaction statement on
Schedule 13E-3 with the SEC (and cooperation in response to any comments
from the SEC with respect to either
statement);
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the
special meeting of our shareholders and the recommendation of our board of
directors;
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coordination
of press releases and other public announcements or filings relating to
the merger;
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Parent's
access to our employees, agents, properties, books, contracts, records and
other information between the date of the Merger Agreement and the closing
(subject to all applicable legal or contractual obligations and
restrictions);
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termination
of quotation of our common stock on the OTC Bulletin Board and Toronto
Stock Exchange Listing;
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payment
of all of our expenses relating to the merger on or before the
merger;
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facilitate
in resignation of Company’s current directors and executive officers with
the exception of Mr. Han, to be effective upon consummation of
merger;
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facilitate
in the execution and delivery of the Support Agreement pursuant to which
Mr. Wang, Ms. Xuemei Liu, Dr. Alexander Wick and Dr. Yiu Kwong Sun agree
to vote their shares of common stock of the Company in favor of the
merger;
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actions
to cause the disposition of our equity securities held by each of our
directors and officers pursuant to the transactions contemplated by the
Merger Agreement to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the
Exchange Act; and
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Company’s
obligation to file required reports with the
SEC.
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Conditions to the Closing of the
Merger.
The
obligations of the parties to consummate the merger are subject to the
satisfaction or, to the extent permissible under applicable law, waiver of the
following conditions on or prior to the closing date of the merger:
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the
affirmative vote to adopt the Merger Agreement by holders of a majority of
the outstanding shares of our common
stock,
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the
affirmative vote to adopt the Merger Agreement by holders of a majority of
the outstanding shares of our common stock , excluding shares held by Mr.
Han;
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no
governmental authority shall have enacted, issued or entered any
injunction, order, ruling or other legal restraint which has become final
and non-appealable and that enjoins, restrains, prevents or prohibits or
makes illegal the consummation of the
merger.
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In
addition to the conditions for all parties to the Merger Agreement, the
obligations of Parent and MergerSub to complete the merger are subject to the
satisfaction of the following conditions at or prior to the effective time of
the merger:
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our
representations and warranties, must be true and correct in all material
respects (1) as of the date of the Merger Agreement to the extent such
representations and warranties speak as of such date and (2) as of the
closing date of the merger as if made on and as of the closing date (or,
if given as of an earlier date, at and as of such date), except where the
failure to be so true and correct has not had, and will not have,
individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse
Effect;
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we
shall have performed or complied in all material respects with all
agreements and covenants required by the Merger Agreement to be performed
or complied with by us on or prior to the effective time of the
merger;
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no
action, suit, proceeding or investigation shall be pending or threatened
in which any governmental authority is a party wherein an unfavorable
judgment, order, decree or ruling would (1) prevent, restrain or interfere
with the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by the
Merger Agreement or (2) adversely affect Parent's right to own, operate or
control our Company or any portion of our business or assets, and no such
judgment, order, decree or ruling shall be in
effect; and
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our
chief executive officer shall have delivered a certificate to Parent
certifying that all of the conditions with respect to our representations,
warranties and obligations under the Merger Agreement described above have
been satisfied.
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In
addition to the conditions for all parties to the Merger Agreement, our
obligation to complete the merger is subject to the satisfaction of the
following conditions at or prior to the effective time of the
merger:
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the
representations and warranties made by Parent and MergerSub must be true
and correct in all material respects (1) as of the date of the Merger
Agreement to the extent such representations and warranties speak as of
such date and (2) as of the closing date of the merger as if made on and
as of the closing date (or, if given as of an earlier date, at and as of
such date), except where the failure to be so true and correct has not,
and will not, individually or in the aggregate, prevent or materially
hinder Parent or MergerSub from consummating the merger or any of the
other transactions contemplated by the Merger
Agreement;
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Mr.
Han, Parent and MergerSub shall have performed or complied in all material
respects with all agreements and covenants required by the Merger
Agreement to be performed or complied with by such party on or prior to
the effective time of the merger;
and
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we
shall have received a certificate signed by an authorized officer of
Parent certifying that all of the conditions with respect to Parent's,
MergerSub's and Mr. Han's representations, warranties and obligations
under the Merger Agreement described above have been
satisfied.
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Although
the parties have the right to waive conditions to the merger (other than as
required by law), we are not aware of any circumstance in which Parent,
MergerSub or our Company would waive any of the closing conditions described
above. If, however, we waive any of the closing conditions described above, we
do not anticipate re-soliciting our shareholders for approval unless such waiver
would be material to our shareholders, in which case we would re-solicit the
vote of our shareholders. In the event Parent is unable to obtain and
alternative financing, Parent will be in breach of its representation,
warranties and covenant and the Company will be entitled to a termination fee of
$400,000.
Termination
of the Merger Agreement
The
Merger Agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the consummation of the
merger, whether before or after shareholder approval has been
obtained:
By either us or Parent:
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by
mutual written consent of the
parties;
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if
the merger has not been consummated within 270 days of the effective date
of Merger Agreement,, except that a party cannot terminate the Merger
Agreement for this reason if the failure of the merger to be consummated
by such date was primarily due to such party failing to perform any of its
obligations under the Merger
Agreement;
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if
there is a final and non-appealable order, injunction, judgment, decree or
ruling that enjoins, restrains, prevents or prohibits the consummation of
the merger or makes the consummation of the merger illegal, except that a
party cannot terminate the Merger Agreement for this reason unless such
party has used its commercially reasonable efforts to oppose such order,
injunction, judgment, decree or ruling or to have it vacated or made
inapplicable to the merger;
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by Parent:
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if
we have breached or failed to perform any of our representations,
warranties, covenants or agreements contained in the Merger Agreement,
which breach or failure would cause certain conditions to the obligation
of Parent and MergerSub to effect the merger not to be satisfied and
which, if capable of being cured, is not cured by the earlier
date of (a) within 270 days of the effective date of the Merger Agreement
or (b) within 30 days after our receipt of Parent's
written notice of such breach or failure, except that Parent may not
terminate the Merger Agreement due to our breach or failure if Parent or
MergerSub is then in material breach of its obligations under the Merger
Agreement; or
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if
(1) our board of directors withdraws or modifies (or publicly proposes to
withdraw or modify) in a manner adverse to Parent our board of directors'
recommendation that our shareholders adopt the Merger Agreement;
or (2) our board of directors adopts, approves or recommends
(or publicly proposes to adopt, approve or recommend) an acquisition
proposal to our shareholders, other than the one contemplated by the
Merger Agreement.
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by us:
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if
Mr. Han, Parent or MergerSub has breached or failed to perform any of
their representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in
the Merger Agreement, which breach or failure would cause certain
conditions to our obligation to effect the merger not to be satisfied and
which, if capable of being cured, is not cured by the earlier date
of (a) within 270 days of the effective date of the Merger
Agreement or (b) cured within 30 days after their receipt
of our written notice of such breach or failure, except that we may not
terminate the Merger Agreement due to their breach or failure if we are
then in material breach of our obligations under the Merger Agreement;
or
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if
prior to obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval (i) the Special
Committee or the Company Board has concluded in good faith, after
consultation with the Special Committee’s or the Company’s outside legal
counsel and the Company Financial Advisor, that, in light of a Superior
Proposal, failure to terminate this Agreement would be inconsistent with
the directors’ exercise of their fiduciary obligations to the Company’s
shareholders (other than the holders of Mr. Han's Shares) under applicable
law, (ii) the Company has complied in all material respects with its
obligations relating to acquisition proposals under certain provision of
the merger agreement, and (iii) concurrent with such termination, the
Company enters into a definitive agreement with respect to such Superior
Proposal.
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Termination
Fees
Termination Fee Payable to
Parent.
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|
We
agreed to pay Parent a $1,000,000 termination fee if: (i)
Parent terminates the Merger Agreement because all of the
following events occur: (A) (1) our board of directors withdraws or
modifies (or publicly proposes to withdraw or modify) in a manner adverse
to Parent , (2) our board of directors adopts, approves or recommends
(or publicly proposes to adopt, approve or recommend) an acquisition
proposal to our shareholders before obtaining the shareholder
approval, and (B) concurrently with such termination or within
twelve (12) months following the termination of the Merger Agreement, the
Company enters into an agreement with respect to an acquisition proposal,
or an acquisition proposal is consummated, then the Company shall pay
to Parent, if and when consummation of such acquisition proposal occurs;
or (ii) or we terminate because of a Superior Proposal as discussed
above.
|
|
·
|
We
agreed to pay Parent a $400,000 termination fee if Parent terminates the
Merger Agreement in circumstances where it is permitted to do
so because we breached or failed to perform any of our
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in
the Merger Agreement.
|
Termination Fee Payable to
Us. Parent agreed to pay us a $400,000 termination fee if we
terminate the Merger Agreement in circumstances where we are permitted to do so
because Parent or MergerSub breached or failed to perform any of their
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements contained in
the Merger Agreement, including Parent’s failure to obtain financing
to consummate the merger.
None of the parties to the Merger
Agreement can seek injunctions or seek to enforce specifically the terms of the
Merger Agreement to complete the merger if the party seeking such remedies would
have the right upon termination of the Merger Agreement to receive the
applicable termination fees. In all other instances, the parties are
entitled to seek to enforce specifically the terms of the Merger Agreement
against the other parties, in addition to any other remedy.
At any time prior to the effective time
of the merger, the Merger Agreement may be amended by written agreement of the
parties, except that after receipt of shareholder approval, no amendment may be
made without further shareholder approval if such further shareholder approval
is required by law. All amendments to the Merger Agreement must be
approved by the parties' respective boards of directors or similar governing
bodies.
At any
time prior to the effective time of the merger, any party may waive any
inaccuracies in the representations and warranties of any other party, extend
the time for the performance of any of the obligations or acts of any other
party; or waive compliance by the other party with any of the agreements
contained in the Merger Agreement or, except as otherwise provided in
the Merger Agreement, waive any of such party's
conditions. Any agreement on the part of a party to any such
extension or waiver is valid only if in writing and signed on behalf of such
party. The failure or delay by any party in exercising any right
under the Merger Agreement will not constitute a waiver of that
right.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING DRAGON PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
Description
of Business
For a
description of our business, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
We refer to such report as the "Form 10-K."
Description
of Property
For a
description of our properties, refer to the Form 10-K.
Legal
Proceedings
We are
not involved in any legal proceedings.
Directors and Executive
Officers
Set forth
below for each of our directors and executive officers is his or her respective
present principal occupation or employment, the name and principal business of
the corporation or other organization in which such occupation or employment is
conducted and the five-year employment history of each such director and
executive officer. Each person identified below is not a citizen of the United
States of America. Such person can be contacted c/o Dragon
Pharmaceutical Inc., 650 West Georgia Street, Suite 310, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9. Such reference shall not mean, however,
that such director or executive officer is a resident of or citizen of
Canada.
During
the last five years, none of our directors or our executive officers has been
(a) convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar
misdemeanors) or (b) a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding
(except for matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement) that
resulted in a judgment or decree or final order enjoining the person from future
violations of, or prohibiting activities subject to, federal or state securities
laws, or a finding of any violation of federal or state securities
laws.
Directors
Mr. Yanlin Han, age 46, is the
Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Director of Company,
positions he assumed in January 2005. Prior to the reverse take-over
of the Company, Mr. Han was the founder and Chairman of Oriental Wave and
responsible for the overall strategic planning and direction of the
Company. Mr. Han has over 20 years of experience in the
pharmaceutical industry in many positions like material buyer, product sales and
manager for state-own companies in China and has very extensive sales and
production management experience in China. He founded his private
company named Shanxi Tongling Pharmaceutical Company in 1994, which became the
vehicle to acquire state-owned pharmaceutical companies through bankruptcy
process or contractual management agreements. Mr. Han set up a joint
venture with a large Indian pharmaceutical company to produce pharmaceutical
intermediates with mass fermentation technology. Mr. Han also serves
as the Vice-President of Shanxi Province Foreign Investment Enterprise
Association and Vice-President of Datong City Trade Council. Mr. Han
graduated from Shanxi Institute of Economic Management in 1986.
Mr. Zhanguo Weng, age 55, had
been a Director of the Company since January 2005. Mr. Weng was the
Vice President, China Operation until July 1, 2006 when the Company completed
the sales of part of its formulation business. Mr. Weng has over 25
years of experience in pharmaceutical industry including being the General
Manager for Shanxi Tongzhen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. from August 1997 to January
2002 and Superintendent for Datong No. 2 Pharmaceutical Factory from June 1992
to August 1997. He graduated from the Business Administration faculty
of Shanxi Broadcasting University in 1986 and has also participated the Senior
Program of MBA (Pharmaceutical Line) of People’s University of China for two
years. Subsequent to the sales of part of the company’s formulation business on
July 1, 2007, Mr. Weng became a director of Shanxi C&Y Pharmaceutical
Company, the buyer of the Company’s formulation business.
Ms. Xuemei Liu, age 40, has
been a Director of the Company since January 2005. Ms. Liu is
currently the Chairman of Tera Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd.
which engages in a wide range of investment projects in real estate development,
coal trading and media and publishing industry. Prior to her present position as
Chairman of Tera Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd., Ms. Liu was
the vice general manager of Beijing Chemical Baifeng Investment Corporation
Futures Broker Company from 1996 to 1999. Ms. Liu graduated from Beijing
University with a Bachelor degree in 1996 and graduated from the Graduate School
of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with a Master degree in
1998.
Dr. Heinz Frey, age 72, has
been a Director of Company since September 2005, graduated from University of
Bern, Switzerland in 1966, has 30 years of experience in the telecommunication
industry, security manufacturing and service industry. He has broad
experience in the management of various sizes of companies with global presence,
financing and controlling of international companies, leading development,
production, sales and finance departments. He is also a board member of various
companies.
Dr. Alexander Wick,
Ph.D., age 72,
has been a Director of Company since 1998 and was the President from 2002 until
his resignation effective on February 2, 2006. As of February 3,
2009, Dr. Wick is an independent director of the Company. Dr. Wick holds a
doctorate degree in synthetic organic chemistry from the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology and has completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard
University. He has had leading positions in the pharmaceutical
research departments of F. Hoffmann-La Roche in the United States and
Switzerland and Synthelabo in France (Director of Chemical Research and
Development) for over 25 years in the field of antibiotics, prostaglandius,
vitamins, cardiovascular CNS and AIDS. In 1995 he created the fine chemicals
company Sylachim S.A., a 100% subsidiary of Synthelabo, active in chemical
intermediates and API’s for the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies
(turnover of over 100 million Euros) and was its President until its acquisition
by the German conglomerate mg Technologies (Dynamit-Nobel GmbH) in
2001. In 2006 he founded AS Biotech in Bern, Switzerland and is
currently its president.
Dr. Yiu Kwong Sun, M.B.,
B.S., age 66,
has been a Director of Dragon Pharma since 1999. Dr. Sun graduated from the
University of Hong Kong Faculty of Medicine in 1967. He is a Founding
Fellow of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians and a Fellow of the Hong
Kong Academy of Medicine. Since 1995, he has served as the Chairman
of the UMP Healthcare Group, which has been operating and managing a large
network of medical facilities throughout Hong Kong, Macau and China. Dr. Sun is
currently the Clinical Associate Professor (honorary) in Family Medicine of the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor
of the Family Medicine Unit of the University of Hong Kong.
Mr. Peter Mak, aged 49, has
been a Director of the Company since 2005. Mr. Mak is the
managing director of Venfund Investment, a Shenzhen based mid-market M&A
investment banking firm specializing in cross-border mergers and acquisitions,
corporate restructuring, capital raising and international financial advisory
services for Chinese privately-owned clients, which he co-founded in late 2001.
Prior to that, Mr. Mak spent 17 years at Arthur Andersen Worldwide where he was
a Firm partner and served as the managing partner of Arthur Andersen Southern
China in his last position with the Firm. Mr. Mak also serves as an independent
non-executive director and audit committee chairman of Trina Solar Limited,
China GrenTech Corp. Ltd., Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. and China Security &
Surveillance Technology, Inc., companies listed in the U.S.; Shenzhen Fiyata
Holdings Ltd., a company listed in Mainland
China; and Huabao International Holdings Ltd.,China Dongxiang (Group) Co.,
Ltd.,Pou
Sheng International (Holdings) Limited,Real Gold Mining
Limited and 361 Degrees International Limited,companies listed
on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Mr. Mak is also the non-executive director of
Bright World Precision Machinery Ltd., a company listed in the Republic of
Singapore. Mr. Mak is a graduate of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a
fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, UK, and the
Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and a member of the
Institute of Chartered Accountants, in England and Wales.
Dr. Jin Li, age 42, has been a
Director of Company since September 2005, is currently a senior advisor of
Phycos International Co., Ltd. Prior to joining Phycos, he was a
partner at the international law firm, Linklaters. Mr. Li studied
biochemistry at Peking University in China and received his Master of Science
degree in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan and his JD degree from
Columbia University Law School. He has more than ten years of
experience in international IPOs, M&A and business
transactions.
Description
of Executive Officers
The
following sets forth the Company’s executive officers.
Name
|
Position
|
Age
|
Yanlin
Han
|
Chief
Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
|
46
|
Garry
Wong
|
Chief
Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
|
39
|
Maggie
Deng
|
Chief
Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary
|
42
|
For a
description of Mr. Han, please see his biography above under
“Directors.”
Garry
Wong has been the Chief Financial Officer of the Company since January 2005.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Wong served as the Company’s Executive
Assistant to President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from February
2002 to January 2005. Before joining the Company, Mr. Wong was a manager of
the Global Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Nortel Networks since 1996. He
managed and executed transactions consisting of acquisitions, divestitures,
equity investments, spin-offs, public market listing and joint ventures, in
Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. Mr. Wong is a
Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA, who received an International MBA degree
from York University, Canada with double majors in Corporate Finance and Greater
China studies and a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from University
of Hong Kong.
Maggie
Deng has been the
Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of the company since January
2005, holding bachelor degree from Tsinghua University in China. Ms. Deng
has over 10 years of experience working in or with public companies as
investment banker, mainly on IPOs and secondary offering for Chinese companies
on domestic stock exchange as well as international ones. Ms. Deng was the
senior manager of China International Capital Corporation, a Morgan Stanley
joint venture investment banking firm in China, from 1998 to
2001. Ms. Deng moved to Canada in 2001 and held a position of
Assistant President in a start-up biotech company in Vancouver, Canada until she
joined Company in January 2005.
Ownership
of Common Stock by Certain Beneficial Owners, Directors and Executive
Officers
The
following table sets forth, as of March 15, 2010, the beneficial ownership of
shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, by each person who is or
was a director or named executive officers, each person known to us to be the
beneficial owner of more than five percent of our outstanding shares of common
stock, and by our directors and executive officers as a
group.
Beneficial
ownership has been determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act
and includes voting or investment power with respect to the
shares. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons named in the table
below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the number of shares
indicated as beneficially owned by them. Common stock beneficially
owned and percentage ownership is based on 67,066,418 shares
outstanding.
|
|
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Name and Address of Beneficial
Owner
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Percent
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yanlin
Han*
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
26,753,741 |
(2) |
|
|
39.13 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zhanguo
Weng*
Director
|
|
|
9,586,783 |
(3) |
|
|
14.17 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Xuemei
Liu*
Director
|
|
|
5,193,391 |
(4) |
|
|
7.66 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alexander
Wick*
Director
|
|
|
1,600,000 |
(5) |
|
|
2.35 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yiu
Kwong Sun*
Director
|
|
|
1,400,000 |
(6) |
|
|
2.07 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
Mak*
Director
|
|
|
700,000 |
(7) |
|
|
1.03 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Heinz
Frey*
Director
|
|
|
600,000 |
(7) |
|
|
0.89 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jin
Li*
Director
|
|
|
600,000 |
(7) |
|
|
0.89 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maggie
Deng*
Chief
Operating Officer and
Corporate
Secretary
|
|
|
700,000 |
(7) |
|
|
1.03 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Garry
Wong*
Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
|
700,000 |
(7) |
|
|
1.03 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)
|
|
|
47,833,915 |
(8) |
|
|
63.98 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bright
Faith Overseas Limited
|
|
|
3,496,503 |
|
|
|
5.21 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ms.
Qingming Liu
|
|
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
|
8.95 |
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* C/O Dragon Pharmaceutical
Inc., Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia
V6B 4N9
For
contact purposes only. Listing of this address does not deemed such
persons to be an American or Canadian resident.
(1)
|
Except
as otherwise indicated, the Company believes that the beneficial owners of
the common stock listed above, based on information furnished by such
owners or publicly available, have sole investment and voting power with
respect to such shares, subject to community property laws where
applicable. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the
rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with
respect to securities. Shares of common stock subject to options or
warrants currently exercisable, or exercisable within sixty days, are
deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of
the person holding such option or warrants, but are not deemed outstanding
for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other
person.
|
(2)
|
Includes
options to purchase 1,300,000
shares.
|
(3)
|
Includes
options to purchase 600,000 shares.
|
(4)
|
Includes
options to purchase 700,000 shares.
|
(5)
|
Includes
options to purchase 1,100,000
shares.
|
(6)
|
Includes
options to purchase 700,000 shares. Also includes 600,000 shares of common
stock owned by Yukon Health Enterprise for which Mr. Sun serves as
director and officer.
|
(7)
|
Represents
options exercisable within sixty
days.
|
(8)
|
Includes
options to acquire 7,700,000 shares of common
stock.
|
Market
Price of Our Company Common Stock and Dividend Information
The
Company’s common stock began quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board on October 9,
1998 under the symbol “DRUG”. In addition, the Company’s shares of common stock
are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “DDD” and are quoted
on the Berlin-Bremen Exchange, the Frankfurt Exchange and the XETRA Exchange
under the symbol “DRP”. The OTC Bulletin Board represents the Company’s primary
market. The Company’s common stock being quoted and traded on the
Berlin-Bremen Exchange, Frankfurt Exchange and XETRA Exchange are without the
Company’s prior knowledge. The following quotations reflect the high and low
bids for the Company’s common stock on a quarterly basis for the past two fiscal
years as quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board representing the primary market for
the Company’s shares.. These quotations are based on inter-dealer prices,
without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may not represent actual
transactions.
|
|
Common Stock
|
|
Quarter Ended
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
December
31, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.75 |
|
|
$ |
0.55 |
|
September
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.75 |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
June
30, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.75 |
|
|
$ |
0.38 |
|
March
31, 2009
|
|
$ |
0.79 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
December
31, 2008
|
|
$ |
0.90 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
September
30, 2008
|
|
$ |
1.16 |
|
|
$ |
0.61 |
|
June
30, 2008
|
|
$ |
0.91 |
|
|
$ |
0.61 |
|
March
31, 2008
|
|
$ |
0.89 |
|
|
$ |
0.65 |
|
We did
not pay any dividends during any of the periods set forth in the table above.
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, we cannot set aside for payment, make
or pay any dividend with respect to any share of our capital stock.
The
closing price per share of our common stock, as reported on the OTC Bulletin
Board on March 26, 2010, the last full trading day immediately before the public
announcement of the merger was $0.69 per share. The closing price per
share of our common stock, as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board on __________,
the latest practicable trading day before the printing of this proxy statement,
was $______.
Following
the effective time of the merger, there will be no further market for our common
stock and our common stock will be deregistered under the Exchange Act, and no
longer quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board or listed on TSX.
Changes
in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure
Changes in our accountants are included
in the Form 10-K, refer to Form 10-K.
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Not Applicable.
Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
Our
management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of
operations are included in the Form 10-K attached as Appendix D.
Financial
Statements
Our
audited financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 were
filed with the Form 10-K.
Selected
Financial Data
Summary
of Financial Information
The
following table sets forth certain summary financial data. The
summarized financial data for the for the years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008
have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements in our Form
10-K.
You
should read the following information with the more detailed information
contained in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations,” and our financial statements and accompanying notes in
the Form 10-K.
Consolidated
Balance Sheet Data
|
|
December 31, 2009
|
|
|
December 31, 2008
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Cash
|
|
$ |
6,397,000 |
|
|
$ |
2,011,000 |
|
Total
current assets
|
|
$ |
55,922,000 |
|
|
$ |
48,246,000 |
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
$ |
109,374,000 |
|
|
$ |
70,194,000 |
|
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
|
$ |
186,638,000 |
|
|
$ |
148,375,000 |
|
Consolidated
Statements of Operations Data
|
|
For
the years ended
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2009
|
|
|
December 31, 2008
|
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Sales
|
|
$ |
165,772,000 |
|
|
$ |
151,947,000 |
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
30,371,000 |
|
|
|
24,547,000 |
|
Income
from operations
|
|
|
17,533,000 |
|
|
|
9,650,000 |
|
Net
income
|
|
$ |
8,257,000 |
|
|
$ |
6,824,000 |
|
Earnings
per share
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
and fully diluted
|
|
$ |
0.12 |
|
|
$ |
0.09 |
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
67,066,418 |
|
|
|
66,867,818 |
|
Fully
diluted
|
|
|
67,804,666 |
|
|
|
68,396,616 |
|
Book
Value Per Share
Our net
book value per share on a diluted basis as of December 31, 2009 was
$0.97.
We have
not made an underwritten public offering of its common stock for cash during the
past three years that was registered under the Securities Act or exempt from
registration under Regulation A.
Prior
Stock Purchases
There have been no purchases of common
stock effected by the Company during the past two years.
Prior
Stock Purchases by Mr. Han, Parent and MergerSub
None of
Mr. Han, Parent nor MergerSub have made any purchases of our common stock during
the past two years.
Transactions
During the Past Sixty Days
Other
than as discussed above, there have been no transactions in shares of our common
stock during the past sixty days by our Company, any of our Company's officers
or directors, Mr. Han, Parent, MergerSub or any of Parent's or MergerSub's
officers or directors.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING MR. HAN,
PARENT
AND MERGERSUB
Mr.
Han
Mr. Han is the Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, and beneficial owner of approximately 38.0% of
our common stock. Mr. Han is currently the sole owner of all of the
outstanding capital stock of the Parent, and the Parent is the sole owner of all
of the outstanding capital stock of MergerSub.
Parent
Chief Respect Limited, referred to in
this proxy statement as Parent, is a Hong Kong, Corporation. Parent
is a new corporation formed in connection with the merger. It has not
carried on any activities other than in connection with the merger and it is
anticipated that until immediately prior to the effective time of the merger,
Parent will not have any significant assets or liabilities. Mr. Han is the sole
director and officer of the Parent.
MergerSub
Datong Investment, Inc, which is
referred to in this proxy statement as MergerSub, is a Florida
corporation. MergerSub is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Parent. MergerSub is a newly formed entity formed for the purposes of
engaging in the merger and has had no business operations to
date. Mr. Han is the sole director and officer of the
MergerSub.
Criminal
and Administrative Proceedings
During
the last five years, none of Parent, MergerSub or Mr. Han has been (i) convicted
in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors)
or (ii) a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding (except for matters
that were dismissed without sanction or settlement) that resulted in a judgment
or decree or final order enjoining the person from future violations of, or
prohibiting activities subject to, federal or state securities laws, or a
finding of any violation of federal or state securities laws.
Interest
in Securities of Our Company
Except as
set forth in section titled "Important Information Regarding
Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc.—Ownership of Common Stock by Certain Beneficial
Owners and Directors and Executive Officers," none of Mr. Han, Parent or
MergerSub or any of their associates or majority-owned subsidiaries beneficially
owns any shares of our common stock.
AUTHORITY
TO ADJOURN THE SPECIAL MEETING
Generally
Although
it is not currently expected, the special meeting may be adjourned or postponed
for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies. In that event, we will ask our
shareholders to vote only upon the adjournment proposal, and not the proposal
regarding the adoption of the Merger Agreement. Any adjournment may be made
without notice, other than by an announcement made at the special meeting of the
time, date and place of the adjourned meeting.
If the
shareholders approve the adjournment proposal, we could adjourn the special
meeting and any adjourned session of the special meeting and use the additional
time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from
shareholders that have previously voted. Among other things, approval of the
adjournment proposal could mean that, even if we had received proxies
representing a sufficient number of votes against the adoption of the Merger
Agreement to defeat that proposal, we could adjourn the special meeting without
a vote on the Merger Agreement and seek to convince the holders of those shares
to change their votes to votes in favor of adoption of the Merger
Agreement.
Our board
of directors believes that if the number of shares of our common stock present
or represented at the special meeting and voting in favor of adoption of the
Merger Agreement is insufficient to approve the adoption of the Merger
Agreement, it is in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders to
enable our board of directors to continue to seek to obtain a sufficient number
of additional votes in favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement to bring about
its approval.
In
addition, when any meeting is convened, the presiding officer, if directed by
our board of directors, may adjourn the meeting if (1) no quorum is present for
the transaction of business or (2) our board of directors determines that
adjournment is necessary or appropriate to enable our shareholders to consider
fully information which our board of directors determines has not been made
sufficiently or timely available to shareholders or otherwise to exercise
effectively their voting rights. Any adjournment or postponement of the special
meeting for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies will allow our
shareholders who have already sent in their proxies to revoke them at any time
prior to their use at the special meeting was adjourned or
postponed.
Vote
Required
Approval
of the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for
the purpose of soliciting additional proxies requires, assuming a quorum is
present with respect to the proposal, the affirmative vote of the holders of
stock casting a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by all of the holders
of the stock constituting such quorum. If a quorum is not present at the special
meeting, a majority of the shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting may
adjourn the meeting until a quorum shall be present.
Approval
of the proposal to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for
the purpose of soliciting additional proxies requires, assuming a quorum is
present with respect to the proposal, the affirmative vote of the holders of
stock casting a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by all of the holders
of the stock constituting such quorum. If a quorum is not present at the special
meeting, the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of stock present and
entitled to vote at the meeting may adjourn the meeting until a quorum shall be
present.
Any
signed proxies we receive in which no voting instructions are provided on this
matter will be voted "FOR" an adjournment of the special meeting, if necessary
or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies unless such proxy is specifically
marked "AGAINST" adoption of the Merger Agreement.
OTHER
MATTERS
At this
time, we know of no other matters to be submitted at the special
meeting. If any other matters properly come before the special
meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed proxy card to
vote the shares they represent as our board of directors may
recommend.
SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS
Due to
the contemplated consummation of the merger, we do not currently expect to hold
a 2010 annual meeting of shareholders because, following the merger, we will not
be a public company. However, if the merger is not consummated for any reason,
we will hold an annual meeting of shareholders in 2010. In the event the merger
is not consummated, we will provide notice of a proposed annual shareholders
meeting and the date shareholder proposals must be submitted to be considered
for inclusion in Dragon’s proxy statement and form of proxy for the 2010 annual
meeting.
The SEC
allows the Company to incorporate by reference into this proxy statement, which
means the Company may disclose important information by referring you to other
documents filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by
reference is deemed to be a part of this proxy statement, except for any
information superseded by information contained in, or incorporated by reference
into, this proxy statement.
This
proxy statement incorporates by reference the documents listed below that the
Company previously filed with the SEC. These documents contain important
information about the Company and its business, financial condition and results
or operations.
The
following documents filed by the Company with the SEC are incorporated herein by
reference:
Type
of Report/Statement
|
Periods
Covered
|
|
|
Annual
Report on Form 10-K
|
Year
ended December 31, 2009
|
The
Company also incorporates by reference all other reports it files pursuant to
Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and each document it files under
Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of
this proxy statement and before the special meeting. This proxy statement, any
and all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in this proxy
statement and not presented in this proxy statement or delivered with it, will
be made available without charge, without exhibits (unless the exhibits are
specifically incorporated by reference in this proxy statement), to any person
to whom this proxy statement is delivered, upon written request directed to the
Company at Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc., Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9, Attn: Corporate
Secretary, or telephonic request to the Company’s Secretary at
telephone 604-669-8817.. Any requested documents will be sent by first class
mail or other equally prompt means upon Company’s receipt of such request.
Documents incorporated by reference are available without charge, excluding any
exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by
reference into those documents
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file
annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information
with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the
SEC's public reference room located at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580,
Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of those documents 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.
Our SEC
filings are also available to the public at the SEC's website at
http://www.sec.gov. The information provided on our website is not part of this
proxy statement, and therefore is not incorporated by reference
herein.
Because
the merger is a "going private" transaction, we have filed with the SEC a
Transaction Statement on Schedule 13E-3 with respect to the proposed merger. The
Schedule 13E-3, including any amendments and exhibits filed or incorporated by
reference as a part of it, is available for inspection as set forth
above.
MISCELLANEOUS
Dragon
Pharmaceutical Inc. has supplied all information in this proxy statement
pertaining to our Company, and Mr. Han has supplied all information in this
proxy statement pertaining to Parent and MergerSub. Some of the
important business and financial information relating to our Company that you
may want to consider in deciding how to vote is incorporated by reference into
this proxy statement.
THIS
PROXY STATEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE SOLICITATION OF A PROXY IN ANY
JURISDICTION TO OR FROM ANY PERSON TO WHOM OR FROM WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE
SUCH PROXY SOLICITATION IN THAT JURISDICTION. YOU SHOULD RELY ONLY ON THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT TO
VOTE YOUR SHARES AT THE SPECIAL MEETING. WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANYONE TO
PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS CONTAINED IN THIS
PROXY STATEMENT.
THIS
PROXY STATEMENT IS DATED _______. YOU SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT THE INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT IS ACCURATE AS OF ANY DATE OTHER THAN THAT
DATE (OR AS OF AN EARLIER DATE IF SO INDICATED IN THIS PROXY
STATEMENT). NEITHER THE MAILING OF THIS PROXY STATEMENT TO
SHAREHOLDERS NOR THE ISSUANCE OF CASH IN THE MERGER CREATES ANY IMPLICATION TO
THE CONTRARY.
PRELIMINARY
COPY
PROXY
CARD
SPECIAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
OF
DRAGON
PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
THIS
PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
DRAGON
PHARMACEUTICAL INC.
VOTE
BY MAIL –
Mark,
sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have
provided or return it to Suite 310, 650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9, Attn: Corporate Secretary.
The
undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Maggie Deng, or failing her
Garry
Wong, and each of them, true and lawful agents and proxies
("Proxies"), with full power of substitution and revocation in each, to attend
the Special Meeting of Shareholders of Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc. ("Special
Meeting") to be held at 10:30 a.m. local time, on _ _, at Suite 310,
650 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6B 4N9, and any
adjournment or postponement thereof, and thereat to vote, as directed herein,
all shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of our Company, which
the undersigned would be entitled to vote if personally present, at the Special
Meeting and all continuations, adjournments or postponements
thereof.
You are
encouraged to specify your choices by marking the appropriate
boxes. Unless
otherwise marked, the proxies are appointed the power and authority to vote the
undersigned's shares "FOR" the proposals described on this proxy
card. Please complete your voting selection, date, sign and
mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon as possible.
(continued,
and to be signed and dated on reverse side)
PRELIMINARY
COPY
Our
board of directors recommends a vote FOR the following proposals:
1. To
adopt of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated March , 2010,
by and among Dragon Pharmaceutical Inc., Chief Respect Limited, a Hong Kong
corporation, Datong Investment a Florida corporation and a wholly owned
subsidiary of Chief Respect Limited, and Mr. Han with respect to certain
provisions in the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which Datong Investment Inc.
will merge with and into Dragon and each holder of Dragon shares of common
stock, excluding Mr. Han, will receive $0.82 per share.
For Against Abstain
2. To
adjourn or postpone the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, including
to solicit additional proxies in the event there are not sufficient votes in
favor of adoption of the Merger Agreement at the time of the special
meeting.
For Against Abstain
3. To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any
adjournment or postponement of the meeting.
For Against Abstain
Please
complete, sign, date and mail the enclosed Proxy in the accompanying envelope
even if you intend to be present at the special meeting of shareholders.
Returning the proxy will not limit your right to vote in person or to attend the
special meeting, but will ensure your representation if you cannot attend. If
you hold shares in more than one name or if your stock is registered in more
than one way, you may receive more than one copy of the proxy materials. If so,
please sign and return each of the proxy cards that you receive so that all of
your shares may be voted. The proxy is revocable at any time prior to its
use.
Important:
Please sign above exactly as the shares are issued. When shares are held by
joint tenants, both should sign. When signing as an attorney, executor,
administrator, trustee or guardian, please give the full title as such. If a
corporation, please sign in full corporate name by the president or other
authorized officer. If a partnership, please sign in the partnership name by an
authorized person.
APPENDIX
A
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER
BY AND
AMONG
DRAGON
PHARMACEUTICAL INC.,
CHIEF
RESPECT LIMITED,
DATONG
INVESTMENT INC.
AND
YANLIN
HAN
Dated as
of March 26, 2010
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE
I
|
DEFINITIONS
|
|
|
Section
1.01
|
Definitions
|
|
1
|
Section
1.02
|
Other
Defined Terms
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE
II
|
THE
MERGER
|
|
|
Section
2.01
|
Merger
|
|
8
|
Section
2.02
|
Tax
Characterization
|
|
8
|
Section
2.03
|
Organizational
Documents
|
|
8
|
Section
2.04
|
Effective
Time
|
|
9
|
Section
2.05
|
Closing
|
|
9
|
Section
2.06
|
Directors
and Officers of Surviving Corporation
|
|
9
|
Section
2.07
|
Further
Assurances
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE
III
|
EFFECTS
OF THE MERGER
|
|
|
Section
3.01
|
Effects
on Shares
|
|
9
|
Section
3.02
|
Exchange
of Certificates; Paying Agents
|
|
11
|
Section
3.03
|
Withholding
Rights
|
|
13
|
Section
3.04
|
Dissenters’
Shares
|
|
13
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE
IV
|
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
|
|
|
Section
4.01
|
Organization
and Qualification; Subsidiaries; Authority
|
|
14
|
Section
4.02
|
Organizational
Documents
|
|
14
|
Section
4.03
|
Capitalization
|
|
14
|
Section
4.04
|
Authority;
Validity and Effect of Agreements
|
|
15
|
Section
4.05
|
No
Conflict; Required Filings and Consents
|
|
15
|
Section
4.06
|
Permits;
Compliance with Laws
|
|
16
|
Section
4.07
|
SEC
Filings; Financial Statements
|
|
16
|
Section
4.08
|
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events
|
|
17
|
Section
4.09
|
Taxes
|
|
18
|
Section
4.10
|
Title
to Property
|
|
19
|
Section
4.11
|
Intellectual
Property
|
|
19
|
Section
4.12
|
Proxy
Statement
|
|
20
|
Section
4.13
|
Restriction
on Business Activities
|
|
20
|
Section
4.14
|
Governmental
Authorizations
|
|
20
|
Section
4.15
|
Litigation
|
|
20
|
Section
4.16
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
|
20
|
Section
4.17
|
Environmental
Matters
|
|
21
|
Section
4.18
|
Brokers’
and Finders’ Fees
|
|
21
|
Section
4.19
|
Opinion
of Company Financial Advisor
|
|
21
|
Section
4.20
|
Transactions
with Affiliates
|
|
21
|
Section
4.21
|
Employee
Benefit Plans and Compensation
|
|
21
|
Section
4.22
|
Insurance
|
|
22
|
Section
4.23
|
Investment
Company Act of 1940
|
|
22
|
Section
4.24
|
Contracts
|
|
22
|
Section
4.25
|
Takeover
Statutes
|
|
22
|
Section
4.26
|
No
Other Representations or Warranties
|
|
22
|
|
|
Page
|
|
|
|
|
ARTICLE
V
|
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND MERGERSUB
|
|
|
Section
5.01
|
Due
Incorporation Good Standing and Operations
|
|
22
|
Section
5.02
|
Authorization;
Binding Agreement
|
|
23
|
Section
5.03
|
Governmental
Approvals
|
|
23
|
Section
5.04
|
No
Violations
|
|
23
|
|