MTNB Matinas Biopharma Holdings Inc

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

 

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 21, 2023

 

 

MATINAS BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware		001-38022		46-3011414
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer ID Number)

 

1545 Route 206 South, Suite 302 Bedminster, New Jersey		07921
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (908) 484-8805

 

Not Applicable

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

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

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

 

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

 

Title of Each Class		Trading Symbol		Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock		MTNB		NYSE American

 

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

 

Emerging growth company ☐

 

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

 

 

 

Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued

 

On September 21, 2023, Matinas Biopharma Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) received a deficiency letter (the “Letter”) from the NYSE American LLC (the “NYSE American” or the “Exchange”) indicating that the Company is not in compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standard set forth in Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE American Company Guide due to its shares of common stock selling for a substantial period of time at a low price per share, which NYSE American determined to be a 30 trading day average price of less than $0.20 per share. The Letter has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s common stock and the common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American under the symbol “MTNB”. Additionally, the Letter does not result in the immediate delisting of the Company’s common stock from the NYSE American.

 

Pursuant to Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE American Company Guide, the NYSE American staff determined that the Company’s continued listing is predicated on it demonstrating sustained price improvement within a reasonable period of time or effecting a reverse stock split of its common stock no later than March 21, 2024. The Letter further stated that as a result of the foregoing, the Company has become subject to the procedures and requirements of Sections 402(g) and 1009 of the NYSE American Company Guide, which could, among other things, result in the initiation of delisting proceedings, unless the Company cures the deficiency in a timely manner. The Company intends to regain compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards by undertaking a measure or measures that are for the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

The Company intends to closely monitor the price of its common stock and consider available options if its common stock does not trade at a consistent level likely to result in the Company regaining compliance by March 21, 2024. The Company’s receipt of the Letter does not affect the Company’s business, operations or reporting requirements with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is actively engaged in discussions with the Exchange and is developing plans to regain compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards within the cure period.

 

Item 8.01 Other Events

 

On September 22, 2023, the Company issued a press release disclosing receipt of the Letter. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and incorporated in this Item 8.01 by reference.

 

In light of the Letter, the Company is also supplementing the risk factors previously disclosed in Item 1A of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2023, to add the following new risk factor:

 

We are subject to the continued listing requirements of the NYSE American. If we are unable to comply with such requirements, our common stock would be delisted from the NYSE American, which would limit investors’ ability to effect transactions in our common stock and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

 

Shares of our common stock are currently listed on the NYSE American. In order to maintain our listing, we must maintain certain share prices, financial and share distribution targets, including maintaining a minimum amount of stockholders’ equity and a minimum number of public stockholders. In addition to these objective standards, the NYSE American may delist the securities of any issuer if, in its opinion, the issuer’s financial condition and/or operating results appear unsatisfactory; if it appears that the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of the security has become so reduced as to make continued listing on the NYSE American inadvisable; if the issuer sells or disposes of principal operating assets or ceases to be an operating company; if an issuer fails to comply with the NYSE American’s listing requirements; if an issuer’s common stock sells at what the NYSE American considers a “low selling price” (generally trading below $0.20 per share for an extended period of time); or if any other event occurs or any condition exists which makes continued listing on the NYSE American, in its opinion, inadvisable. On September 21, 2023, we received a deficiency letter from the NYSE American indicating that we are not in compliance with Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE American Company Guide, because shares of our common stock have been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period time. If we fail to regain compliance with the NYSE American continued listing standards by March 21, 2024, the NYSE American will commence delisting proceedings.

 

If the NYSE American delists our shares of common stock from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our common stock would qualify to be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

	●	a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
	●	reduced liquidity for our securities;
	●	a determination that our common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
	●	a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
	●	a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our shares of common stock are listed on the NYSE American, our shares of common stock qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. If we were no longer listed on the NYSE American, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release, dated September 22, 2023
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

	MATINAS BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS, INC.
Dated: September 22, 2023	By:	/s/ Jerome D. Jabbour
	Name:	Jerome D. Jabbour
	Title:	Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

Matinas BioPharma Announces Notification of NYSE American Continued Listing Deficiency

 

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (September 22, 2023) – Matinas BioPharma (NYSE American: MTNB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on redefining the intracellular delivery of small molecules and small oligonucleotides with its lipid nanocrystal (LNC) platform technology, today announced that it has received a deficiency letter (“Letter”) from NYSE American LLC (“NYSE American” or the “Exchange”) stating that the Company is not in compliance with the continued listing standards as set forth in Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE American Company Guide (“Company Guide”).

 

The Letter stated that because the Company’s common stock had been trading for a low price per share for a substantial period of time, the Company was not in compliance with Section 1003(f)(v) of the Company Guide. The NYSE American staff determined that the Company’s continued listing is predicated on it demonstrating sustained price improvement within a reasonable period of time or effecting a reverse stock split of its common stock by March 21, 2024, which could be extended under certain circumstances. The Company intends to regain compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards by undertaking a measure or measures that are for the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

The Letter has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s common stock and the common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE American under the symbol “MTNB”. Additionally, the Letter does not result in the immediate delisting of the Company’s stock from the NYSE American. The Company’s receipt of the Letter does not affect the Company’s business, operations or reporting requirements with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company is actively engaged in discussions with the Exchange and is developing plans to regain compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards within the cure period.

 

About Matinas BioPharma

 

Matinas BioPharma is a biopharmaceutical company focused on delivering groundbreaking therapies using its lipid nanocrystal (LNC) platform delivery technology.

 

Matinas’ lead LNC-based therapy is MAT2203, an oral formulation of the broad-spectrum antifungal drug amphotericin B, which although highly potent, can be associated with significant toxicity. Matinas’ LNC platform provides oral delivery of amphotericin B without the significant nephrotoxicity otherwise associated with IV-delivered formulations. MAT2203 also allows for safe, longer-term use outside of a hospital setting, which could have substantial favorable pharmacoeconomic impact. MAT2203 was successfully evaluated in the completed Phase 2 EnACT study in cryptococcal meningitis, meeting its primary endpoint and achieving robust survival. MAT2203 will be further evaluated as an oral step-down monotherapy treatment following IV AMB in a single pivotal Phase 3 study in the treatment of aspergillosis in persons with limited treatment options who are unable to be treated with azoles for reasons related to drug-drug interactions, resistance or for whom these antifungal agents are unable to be used for other clinical reasons.

 

 

In addition to MAT2203, preclinical and clinical data have demonstrated that this novel technology can potentially provide solutions to many of the challenges standing in the way of achieving safe and effective intracellular delivery of both small molecules and larger, more complex molecular cargos such as RNAi, antisense oligonucleotides, and vaccines. The combination of its unique mechanism of action and flexibility with routes of administration (including oral) positions Matinas’ LNC technology to potentially become a preferred next-generation orally available intracellular drug delivery platform. For more information, please visit www.matinasbiopharma.com.

 

Forward-looking Statements

 

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended, including those relating to the Company’s ability to regain compliance with the NYSE American’s continued listing standards, product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, competitive position, intellectual property rights, possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, potential growth opportunities and other statements that are predictive in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate, and management’s current beliefs and assumptions.

 

These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking expressions, including, but not limited to, “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “potential, “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These statements relate to future events or our financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include those set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 as well as other documents filed by the Company from time to time thereafter with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

Investor Contact

 

LHA Investor Relations

Jody Cain

Jcain@lhai.com

310-691-7100

 

# # #

 

v3.23.3

Cover	Sep. 21, 2023
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 21, 2023
Entity File Number	001-38022
Entity Registrant Name	MATINAS BIOPHARMA HOLDINGS, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001582554
Entity Tax Identification Number	46-3011414
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Address, Address Line One	1545 Route 206 South
Entity Address, Address Line Two	Suite 302
Entity Address, City or Town	Bedminster
Entity Address, State or Province	NJ
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	07921
City Area Code	(908)
Local Phone Number	484-8805
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock
Trading Symbol	MTNB
Security Exchange Name	NYSEAMER
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false

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