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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-206752

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This preliminary prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to Completion

Preliminary Prospectus Supplement Dated January 5, 2016

PROSPECTUS    SUPPLEMENT

(To the Prospectus dated September 14, 2015)

$100,000,000

 

Common Stock

 

 

We are selling $100,000,000 of shares of our common stock.

Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OTIC.” On January 4, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Select Market was $26.03 per share.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

Investing in our common stock involves risks that are described in the “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-7 of this prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

		Per Share				Total
Public offering price		$				$
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)		$				$
Proceeds, before expenses, to us		$				$

 

(1)

We refer you to the section entitled “Underwriting” beginning on page S-55 of this prospectus supplement for additional information regarding total underwriting compensation.

The underwriters may also exercise its option to purchase up to an additional $15,000,000 of shares of common stock from us, at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, for 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The shares will be ready for delivery on or about                     , 2016.

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

BofA Merrill Lynch		Cowen and Company		Piper Jaffray

Co-Managers

 

Bernstein		SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

 

 

The date of this prospectus supplement is January     , 2016.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

 

		Page
About This Prospectus Supplement			S-ii
Prospectus Supplement Summary			S-1
Risk Factors			S-7
Forward-Looking Statements			S-47
Use of Proceeds			S-49
Dilution			S-50
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders			S-51
Underwriting			S-55
Legal Matters			S-65
Experts			S-65
Where You Can Find More Information			S-65
Information Incorporated by Reference			S-65

Prospectus

 

		Page
About this Prospectus			1
Prospectus Summary			2
Risk Factors			6
Forward-Looking Statements			6
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges			8
Use of Proceeds			8
Description of Capital Stock			9
Description of the Depositary Shares			14
Description of the Warrants			17
Description of the Debt Securities			19
Description of Subscription Rights			30
Description of Units			31
Plan of Distribution			32
Legal Matters			35
Experts			35
Where You Can Find More Information			35
Information Incorporated by Reference			36

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus dated September 14, 2015 form part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), utilizing a “shelf” registration process. This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this common stock offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein filed prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement; provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in the accompanying prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

Neither us nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. The information contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, or incorporated by reference herein or therein or any free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the respective dates thereof, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus or of any sale of our common stock. It is important for you to read and consider all information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein or any free writing prospectus, in making your investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus.

We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus outside the United States.

Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this prospectus supplement to “Otonomy,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Otonomy, Inc.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as all other information included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in our other filings with the SEC before you decide to purchase shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, operating results, prospects and ability to accomplish our strategic objectives could be materially harmed. As a result, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations and the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements

We have a limited operating history and have incurred significant losses since our inception, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, which makes it difficult to assess our future viability.

We are a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. We are not profitable and have incurred losses in each year since we commenced operations in 2008. In addition, we have limited experience and have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully overcome many of the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in new and rapidly evolving fields, particularly in the biopharmaceutical industry. Drug development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. To date, we have obtained U.S. regulatory approval for only one product, have not yet commercialized any of our products and have not generated any revenue. We continue to incur significant research and development expenses related to our ongoing clinical trials and product development activities, commercialization expenses to prepare for our launch of OTIPRIO in the U.S. market, and other general and administrative expenses. We have recorded net losses of $16.0 million and $12.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and $40.5 million and $33.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and 2014, respectively. As of September 30, 2015, we had an accumulated deficit of $143.0 million.

We have not yet generated product revenue and may never become profitable.

We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. Our ability to achieve revenue and profitability is dependent on our ability to complete the development of our product candidates, obtain necessary regulatory approvals and successfully commercialize our products. We may never succeed in these activities and therefore may never generate revenue that is significant or large enough to achieve profitability. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital and any failure to become and remain profitable may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, our ability to raise capital, and our viability.

We may require additional financing to commercialize OTIPRIO and to obtain regulatory approval for OTO-104, OTO-311 and any other product candidates, and a failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed on acceptable terms, or at all, could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our commercialization efforts, product development, or other operations.

Since our inception, most of our resources have been dedicated to the development of OTIPRIO and our product candidates, OTO-104 and OTO-311. In particular, commercializing OTIPRIO, and commencing and completing clinical trials for OTO-104 and OTO-311, will require substantial funds. We have funded our operations primarily through the sale and issuance of common stock, convertible preferred stock and convertible notes. As of September 30, 2015, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $199.2 million.

 

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We believe that we will continue to expend substantial resources for the foreseeable future for the commercialization of OTIPRIO and the development of OTO-104, OTO-311 and any other product candidates we may choose to pursue. These expenditures will include costs associated with marketing and selling any products approved for sale, manufacturing, preparing regulatory submissions, and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials. We cannot estimate with reasonable certainty the actual amounts necessary to successfully commercialize OTIPRIO or complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

Our future capital requirements depend on many factors, including:

 

•

the cost of commercialization activities for OTIPRIO and our other products that may be approved for sale, if any, including marketing, sales and distribution costs and related facilities expansion costs;

 

•

the timing of, and the costs involved in, clinical development and obtaining regulatory approvals for OTO-104, OTO-311 or any future product candidates;

 

•

the cost of manufacturing our products;

 

•

the number and characteristics of any other product candidates we develop or acquire;

 

•

our ability to establish and maintain strategic collaborations, licensing or other commercialization arrangements and the terms and timing of such arrangements;

 

•

the degree and rate of market acceptance of any approved products;

 

•

the emergence, approval, availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of other products or treatments;

 

•

the expenses needed to attract and retain skilled personnel;

 

•

the costs associated with being a public company;

 

•

the costs involved in preparing, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patent claims, including litigation costs and the outcome of such litigation;

 

•

the timing, receipt and amount of sales of, or royalties on, future approved products, if any; and

 

•

any product liability or other lawsuits related to our products.

Additional capital may not be available when we need it, on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. If adequate funds are not available to us on a timely basis, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our establishment of sales and marketing, manufacturing or distribution capabilities or other activities that may be necessary to commercialize our product or product candidates, preclinical studies, clinical trials or other development activities.

If we raise additional capital through marketing and distribution arrangements or other collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish certain valuable rights to our product or product candidates, technologies, future revenue streams or research programs or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted and the terms of any new equity securities may have preferential rights over our common stock. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt or making capital expenditures or specified financial ratios, any of which could restrict our ability to commercialize our product, develop and commercialize our product candidates or operate as a business.

 

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Risks Related to Our Product and Product Candidates

We are substantially dependent on the commercial success of OTIPRIO.

To date, we have invested substantial resources in the development of OTIPRIO, which is our only product that has obtained regulatory approval from the FDA. We have not yet begun to commercialize OTIPRIO and have not yet manufactured OTIPRIO for commercial sale.

The future success of OTIPRIO, including the anticipated timing of the commercial launch of OTIPRIO in the United States, is primarily subject to the risks associated with manufacturing and commercialization, including risks associated with:

 

•

our ability to validate the process used to manufacture OTIPRIO for commercial use;

 

•

the ability to manufacture sufficient commercial supplies of OTIPRIO in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices;

 

•

our ability to build an effective sales organization to market OTIPRIO;

 

•

our success in educating physicians, patients and caregivers about the benefits, administration and use of OTIPRIO;

 

•

the availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of other products or treatments for middle ear effusion at the time of TTP surgery, particularly the off-label use of multi-dose, multi-day antibiotic ear drops;

 

•

the demand for the treatment of middle ear effusion in patients requiring TTP surgery which is subject to seasonality, with higher volume in September through May;

 

•

the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement for OTIPRIO;

 

•

our ability to obtain a J-Code and C-Code for OTIPRIO and the willingness of third-party payors to reimburse OTIPRIO based on the J-Code or C-Code;

 

•

the successful completion of clinical trials, regulatory approval, and commercialization of OTIPRIO for one or more label expansion indications;

 

•

our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights in and to OTIPRIO; and

 

•

a continued acceptable safety profile of OTIPRIO following approval.

Many of these clinical, regulatory and commercial matters are beyond our control and are subject to other risks described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully manufacture, commercialize, or generate significant revenue from OTIPRIO, or obtain regulatory approval in label expansion indications for OTIPRIO. If we cannot do so, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

We are also dependent upon the clinical, regulatory and commercial success of OTO-104.

In addition to OTIPRIO, we have also invested substantial resources in the development of OTO-104. In May 2015, we announced results from a Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating OTO-104 in patients with unilateral Ménière’s disease, which narrowly missed achieving statistical significance for the primary endpoint. We

 

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completed our End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA and expect to conduct two parallel Phase 3 clinical trials in Ménière’s disease, with the first clinical trial initiated in the United States in November 2015 and the second clinical trial expected to be initiated in the European Union during the first quarter of 2016. We have completed enrollment in a multiple-dose clinical safety trial for OTO-104 in Ménière’s patients in the United Kingdom and plan to initiate one or more additional multiple-dose safety studies during 2016 to satisfy our multiple-dose clinical safety requirement for U.S. regulatory approval of OTO-104 in Ménière’s patients.

Given the stage of development of OTO-104, it is currently most subject to the risks associated with completing its current clinical trials and future clinical trials, including risks associated with:

 

•

the successful implementation, enrollment and completion of two parallel Phase 3 clinical trials that demonstrate the safety and efficacy of OTO-104;

 

•

the use and adequacy of patient reported outcomes in our Phase 3 clinical trials;

 

•

our ability to demonstrate with substantial clinical evidence the safety and efficacy of OTO-104 in these clinical trials;

 

•

the successful implementation, enrollment and completion of one or more additional open-label safety studies and the ongoing multiple-dose clinical safety trial in the United Kingdom; and

 

•

the ability to submit an NDA for regulatory approval to the FDA without the need for any additional clinical trials.

If we are able to successfully complete the necessary clinical trials for OTO-104, its success will still remain subject to the risks associated with obtaining regulatory approval from the FDA and being manufactured and commercialized, including risks associated with:

 

•

the successful completion of all non-clinical studies required to support regulatory approval by the FDA;

 

•

the timing of review, as the FDA’s grant of Fast Track designation for OTO-104 does not guarantee priority review;

 

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the FDA’s acceptance of our NDA submission for OTO-104;

 

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the successful and timely receipt of necessary marketing approval from the FDA to allow us to begin commercializing OTO-104 in the United States;

 

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the ability to manufacture commercial supplies of OTO-104 in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices;

 

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the ability of our future sales organization to sell OTO-104;

 

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our success in educating physicians and patients about the benefits, administration and use of OTO-104;

 

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the availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of other products or treatments for Ménière’s disease;

 

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patient demand for the treatment of Ménière’s disease;

 

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the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement for OTO-104;

 

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our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights in and to OTO-104; and

 

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a continued acceptable safety profile of OTO-104 following approval.

Many of these clinical, regulatory and commercial matters are beyond our control and are subject to other risks described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to advance OTO-104 further through final clinical development, or obtain regulatory approval of, manufacture, commercialize or generate significant revenue from OTO-104. If we cannot do so, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed.

In addition to OTIPRIO and OTO-104, our long-term prospects depend in part upon advancing additional product candidates, such as OTO-311, through clinical development to regulatory approval and commercialization.

Although we are focused upon commercialization of OTIPRIO and completion of the clinical trials and potential regulatory approval and commercialization of OTO-104, the development of OTO-311 and other potential candidates for the treatment of inner and middle ear disorders is a key element of our long-term strategy. We have recently initiated a Phase 1 clinical safety trial for OTO-311, and we have acquired the rights to multiple product candidates for our fourth development program, which will target age-related hearing loss. Therefore, these programs are currently most subject to the risks associated with preclinical and clinical development, including the risks associated with:

 

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generating sufficient data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;

 

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obtaining regulatory approval to commence clinical trials;

 

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contracting with the necessary parties to conduct clinical trials;

 

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enrolling sufficient numbers of subjects or patients in clinical trials;

 

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the timely manufacture of sufficient quantities of the product candidate for use in clinical trials; and

 

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adverse events in the clinical trials.

Even if we successfully advance OTO-311 through clinical development, or advance product candidates from our fourth development program or any other future product candidate into clinical development, their success will be subject to all of the clinical, regulatory and commercial risks described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will ever be able to develop, obtain regulatory approval of, commercialize or generate significant revenue from OTO-311, any product candidate from our fourth development program or any other future product candidate.

Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy

OTIPRIO and our product candidates, OTO-104, OTO-311, or any future product candidates that obtain regulatory approval, may fail to achieve the broad degree of market acceptance and use necessary for commercial success.

OTIPRIO and our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve market acceptance among physicians and patients, and may not be commercially successful. There are currently no FDA-approved drug treatments for the indications we are pursuing. Treatment of pediatric patients with bilateral otitis media with effusion undergoing TTP surgery, our approved indication for OTIPRIO, is currently addressed with the off-label use of antibiotic ear drops. Our proposed indication for OTO-104 is the treatment of vertigo associated with

 

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Ménière’s disease. Currently, Ménière’s disease patients are routinely prescribed a low-salt diet and off-label use of diuretics. Physicians may also prescribe the off-label use of antihistamines, anticholinergics, phenothiazines and benzodiazepines as well as corticosteroids. Our proposed indication for OTO-311 is the treatment of tinnitus. Currently, physicians may attempt to treat tinnitus symptoms with the off-label use of steroids, anxiolytics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics. The commercial success of OTIPRIO and our product candidates, if approved, will depend significantly on the adoption and use of the resulting product by physicians for approved indications. The decision to elect treatment with OTIPRIO for middle ear effusion in pediatric patients requiring TTP surgery, or to elect to utilize OTO-104 for Ménière’s disease or OTO-311 for tinnitus, rather than other products or treatments, may be influenced by a number of factors, including:

 

•

the cost, safety and effectiveness of our products as compared to other products or treatments;

 

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physician willingness to adopt a new treatment in lieu of other products or treatments;

 

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the extent to which physicians recommend our products to their patients;

 

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patient or caregiver sentiment about the benefits and risks of our products;

 

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proper training and administration of our products by physicians and medical staff, such that their patients do not experience excessive discomfort during treatment or adverse side effects;

 

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the procedural risks of IT injection, including persistent injection site perforation of the tympanic membrane, which has occurred in our OTO-104 Phase 1b and Phase 2b clinical trials;

 

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overcoming any biases physicians or patients may have in favor of other products or treatments;

 

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patient preference for non-injectable treatments;

 

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patient or caregiver satisfaction with the results and administration of our product and overall treatment experience, including relative convenience and ease of administration;

 

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the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts;

 

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demand for the treatment of the relevant diseases or disorders;

 

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product labeling or product insert requirements of the FDA or other regulatory authorities;

 

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the prevalence and severity of any adverse events;

 

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the revenue and profitability that our products will offer a physician as compared to other products or treatments;

 

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the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement by third-party payors and government authorities; and

 

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general patient or caregiver confidence, which may be impacted by economic and political conditions.

If OTIPRIO or our product candidates, if approved for use, fail to achieve the broad degree of market acceptance necessary for commercial success, our operating results and financial condition will be adversely affected. In addition, even if any of our products gain acceptance, the markets for treatment of patients with our target indications may not be as significant as we estimate.

 

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Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results, and our clinical trials may fail to adequately demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates.

Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. A failure of one or more of our clinical trials can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. There is a high failure rate for drugs proceeding through clinical trials, and product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the required safety and efficacy despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier clinical trials, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. Even if our clinical trials are completed, the results may not be sufficient to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates or support the indications which we are pursuing.

We have in the past experienced delays in our ongoing clinical trials and we may in the future. We do not know whether future clinical trials, if any, will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed, suspended or terminated for a variety of reasons, including failure to:

 

•

generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology, or other in vivo or in vitro data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;

 

•

obtain regulatory approval, or feedback on trial design, to commence a clinical trial;

 

•

identify, recruit and train suitable clinical investigators;

 

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reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations (CROs), and clinical trial sites;

 

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obtain and maintain institutional review board (IRB), approval at each clinical trial site;

 

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identify, recruit and enroll suitable patients to participate in a clinical trial;

 

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have a sufficient number of patients complete a clinical trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;

 

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ensure clinical investigators observe trial protocol and comply with Good Clinical Practices or continue to participate in a clinical trial;

 

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address any patient safety concerns that arise during the course of a clinical trial;

 

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address any conflicts with new or existing laws or regulations;

 

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add a sufficient number of clinical trial sites;

 

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timely manufacture sufficient quantities of product candidate for use in clinical trials; or

 

•

raise sufficient capital to fund a clinical trial.

Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials and is affected by many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial, the design of the clinical trial, competing clinical trials and clinicians’ and patients’

 

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or caregivers’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the drug candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs or treatments that may be approved for the indications we are investigating.

We could also encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by the data safety monitoring board for such clinical trial or by the FDA or any other regulatory authority, or if the IRBs of the institutions in which such clinical trials are being conducted suspend or terminate the participation of their clinical investigators and sites subject to their review. Such authorities may suspend or terminate a clinical trial due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a product candidate, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.

OTO-104 was previously subject to Full Clinical Hold that was removed in July 2013 and then subject to Partial Clinical Hold that was removed in June 2014. The removal of Full Clinical Hold allowed us to initiate the Phase 2b clinical trial. As a result of OTO-104 being placed on Full Clinical Hold, OTIPRIO was also placed on Full Clinical Hold. The OTIPRIO Full Clinical Hold was removed in November 2012. We cannot assure you that our product candidates will not be subject to new clinical holds or significant delay in the future.

If we experience delays in the initiation or completion of any clinical trial of our product candidates for any reason, or if any clinical trial is terminated, the commercial prospects of our product candidates may be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

We may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates other than OTIPRIO. The denial or delay of any such approval would delay commercialization and have a material adverse effect on our potential to generate revenue, our business and our results of operations.

The research, development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, packaging, approval, promotion, advertising, storage, recordkeeping, marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and export and import of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA, and by foreign regulatory authorities in other countries. These regulations differ from country to country. To gain approval to market our product candidates, we must provide clinical data that demonstrates with substantial evidence the safety and efficacy of the product for the intended indication. Other than OTIPRIO in the United States, we have not yet obtained regulatory approval to market any of our other product candidates in the United States or any other country. Our business depends upon obtaining these regulatory approvals.

The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of our product candidates for many reasons, including:

 

•

our inability to satisfactorily demonstrate that the product candidates are safe and effective for the requested indication;

 

•

the FDA’s disagreement with our trial protocol or the interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

 

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the population studied in the clinical trial may not be sufficiently broad or representative to assess safety in the full population for which we seek approval;

 

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our inability to demonstrate that clinical or other benefits of our product candidates outweigh any safety or other perceived risks;

 

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the FDA’s determination that additional preclinical or clinical trials are required;

 

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the FDA’s non-approval of the formulation, labeling or the specifications of our product candidates;

 

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the FDA’s failure to accept the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract, or our inability to manufacture our product candidates pursuant to current Good Manufacturing Practices; or

 

•

the potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA to significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

Even if we eventually complete clinical testing and receive approval of any regulatory filing for our product candidates, the FDA may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly additional post-approval clinical trials. The FDA may also approve our product candidates for a more limited indication or a narrower patient population than we originally requested, and the FDA may not approve the labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates. To the extent we seek regulatory approval in foreign countries, we may face challenges similar to those described above with regulatory authorities in applicable jurisdictions. Any delay in obtaining, or inability to obtain, applicable regulatory approval for any of our product candidates would delay or prevent commercialization of our product candidates and would materially adversely impact our business, results of operations and prospects.

Use of our product or product candidates could be associated with side effects or adverse events.

Our product or product candidates could be associated with side effects or adverse events which can vary in severity and frequency. Side effects or adverse events associated with the use of our product or product candidates may be observed at any time, including in clinical trials or once a product is commercialized, and any such side effects or adverse events may negatively affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates or market our product or product candidates, if approved. Side effects such as toxicity or other safety issues associated with the use of our product or product candidates could require us to perform additional studies or halt development or sale of our product or product candidates or expose us to product liability lawsuits which will harm our business. We may be required by regulatory agencies to conduct additional preclinical or clinical trials regarding the safety and efficacy of our product or product candidates which we have not planned or anticipated. We cannot assure you that we will resolve any issues related to any product-related adverse events to the satisfaction of the FDA or any regulatory agency in a timely manner or ever, which could harm our business, prospects and financial condition.

Some patients in our clinical trials have reported adverse events after being treated with OTIPRIO and OTO-104. For example, one patient in our Phase 1b clinical trial and two patients in our Phase 2b clinical trial of OTO-104 experienced a persistent injection site perforation of the tympanic membrane. If we are successful in commercializing our product or product candidates, the FDA and other foreign regulatory agency regulations will require that we promptly report certain information about adverse medical events if those products may have caused or contributed to those adverse events. The timing of our obligation to report would be triggered by the date we become aware of the adverse event as well as the nature of the event. We may fail to report adverse events we become aware of within the prescribed timeframe. We may also fail to appreciate that we have become aware of a reportable adverse event, especially if it is not reported to us as an adverse event or if it is an adverse event that is unexpected or removed in time from the use of our product or product candidates. If we fail to comply with our reporting obligations, the FDA or other foreign regulatory agencies could take action including criminal prosecution, the imposition of civil monetary penalties, seizure of our products, or delay in approval or clearance of future products.

 

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OTIPRIO and our product candidates, if approved, will face significant competition in the biopharmaceutical industry and our failure to effectively compete with competitor drugs, including off-label drug use, and future competitors may prevent us from achieving significant market penetration and expansion.

The biopharmaceutical industry is intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. If approved, our products must compete with off-label drug use by physicians to treat the indications for which we seek approval, such as, in the case of OTIPRIO, the current use of inexpensive generic antibiotic ear drops to treat middle ear effusion in patients requiring TTP surgery. We are also aware that other companies, such as Auris Medical Holding AG, Autifony Therapeutics, Kyorin Pharmaceuticals, Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Novartis AG, Otic Pharma Ltd., Sensorion SA, Sound Pharmaceuticals and Synphora AB, are conducting clinical trials for potential products for the treatment of various otic indications, including ear infections, tinnitus and Ménière’s disease. Many companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have greater resources to discover, obtain patents, develop, test and obtain regulatory approvals for products, as well as commercialize, market and promote approved products, including communicating the effectiveness, safety and value of products to actual and prospective customers and medical staff. These companies may develop new drugs to treat the diseases and disorders we target, or seek to have existing drugs approved for use for new indications that treat the diseases and disorders we target. Mergers and acquisitions in the biopharmaceutical industry may result in even more resources being concentrated in potential competitors. Competition may increase further as a result of advances in the commercial applicability of technologies and greater availability of capital for investment in this industry. Our competitors may succeed in developing, acquiring or licensing on an exclusive basis products that are more effective, easier to administer or less costly than our product or product candidates.

We rely on third parties to conduct many of our preclinical studies and all of our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for, or commercialize, our product candidates.

We do not have the ability to independently conduct many of our preclinical studies or any of our clinical trials. We rely on medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract laboratories, and other third parties, such as CROs, to conduct clinical trials on our product candidates. Third parties play a significant role in the conduct of our clinical trials and the subsequent collection and analysis of data. These third parties are not our employees, and except for remedies available to us under our agreements, we have limited ability to control the amount or timing of resources that any such third party will devote to our clinical trials. If our CROs or any other third parties upon which we rely for administration and conduct of our clinical trials do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, regulatory requirements, or for other reasons, or if they otherwise perform in a substandard manner, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able to complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize our product candidates.

We and the third parties upon which we rely are required to comply with Good Clinical Practice (GCP), which are regulations and guidelines enforced by regulatory authorities around the world for products in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCP regulations through periodic inspections of clinical trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. If we or our third parties fail to comply with applicable GCP regulations, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and our submission of marketing applications may be delayed or the regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before reviewing or approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, a regulatory authority will determine that any of our clinical trials comply or complied with applicable GCP regulations.

In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with drug supply produced under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations, which are enforced by regulatory authorities. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

 

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Moreover, our business may be impacted if our CROs, clinical investigators or other third parties violate federal or state fraud and abuse or false claims laws and regulations or healthcare privacy and security laws. In order for our clinical trials to be carried out effectively and efficiently, it is imperative that our CROs and other third parties communicate and coordinate with one another. Moreover, our CROs and other third parties may also have relationships with other commercial entities, some of which may compete with us. Our CROs and other third parties may terminate their agreements with us upon as few as 30 days’ notice under certain circumstances. If our CROs or other third parties conducting our clinical trials do not perform their contractual duties or obligations, experience work stoppages, do not meet expected deadlines, terminate their agreements with us or need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical trial protocols or GCPs, or for any other reason, we may need to conduct additional clinical trials or enter into new arrangements with alternative CROs, clinical investigators or other third parties. We may be unable to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Switching or adding CROs, clinical investigators or other third parties can involve substantial cost and require extensive management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays may occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Although we carefully manage our relationship with our CROs, clinical investigators and other third parties there can be no assurance that we will not encounter such challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely completely on third parties to manufacture our preclinical and clinical drug supplies and we intend to rely on third parties to produce commercial supplies of OTIPRIO and any other approved products.

We outsource the manufacture of OTIPRIO and our product candidates. We do not currently have the infrastructure or internal capability to manufacture supplies of OTIPRIO or our product candidates for use in development and commercialization. If we were to experience an unexpected loss of supply of OTIPRIO or our product candidates for any reason, whether as a result of manufacturing, supply or storage issues or otherwise, our business would be harmed and we could experience delays, disruptions, suspensions or terminations of, or be required to restart or repeat, any pending or ongoing clinical trials. Although we generally do not begin a clinical trial unless we believe we have a sufficient supply of a product candidate to complete the clinical trial, we may be required to manufacture additional supplies of our product candidates to the extent our estimates of the amounts required prove inaccurate, we suffer unexpected losses of product candidate supplies, or to the extent that we are required to have fresh product candidate supplies manufactured to satisfy regulatory requirements or specifications. Any significant delay or discontinuation in the supply of OTIPRIO or a product candidate, or the raw material components thereof, due to the need to replace a contract manufacturer or other third-party manufacturer could considerably harm our business and ability to generate revenue and delay completion of our clinical trials, product testing and potential regulatory approval of our product candidates.

Reliance on third-party manufacturers entails additional risks, including reliance on the third party for regulatory compliance and quality assurance, the possible breach of the manufacturing agreement by the third party, and the possible termination or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us. The facilities used by our third-party manufacturers must be accepted by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted before approval and after we submit our NDA to the FDA. We do not control the implementation of the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, our third-party manufacturers for compliance with the regulatory requirements, for manufacture of both active drug substances and finished drug products. If our third-party manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to applicable specifications in our regulatory applications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities, we will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory acceptance of our contract manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our contract manufacturers or other third-party manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. The failure of our third-party manufacturers to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and

 

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adversely affect supplies of OTIPRIO or our product candidates or any other product candidates or products that we may develop. In addition, if the FDA does not accept these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such acceptance in the future, we will need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to market and generate revenue from OTIPRIO and develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved. Any failure or refusal to supply the components for OTIPRIO or our product candidates that we may develop could delay, prevent or impair our clinical development or commercialization efforts. If our contract manufacturers were to breach or terminate their manufacturing arrangements with us, the development or commercialization of the affected product or product candidates could be delayed, which could have an adverse effect on our business. Any change in our manufacturers could be costly because the commercial terms of any new arrangement could be less favorable and because the expenses relating to the transfer of necessary technology and processes could be significant.

As we commercialize OTIPRIO and our product candidates, if approved, we may encounter issues with manufacturing.

OTIPRIO and our product candidates have never been manufactured for commercial use, and there are risks associated with manufacturing for commercial use including, among others, potential problems with forecasting and cost overruns, process reproducibility, storage availability, stability issues, lot consistency and timely availability of materials. Although we have obtained regulatory approval for OTIPRIO, we are still required to validate the process used to manufacture it for commercial use with the consistency, potency, sterility and other specifications agreed to by the FDA, as well as the manner in which it will be packaged and shipped, before we can commercialize OTIPRIO. We cannot assure you that our contract manufacturers will be able to manufacture OTIPRIO or any approved product to specifications acceptable to the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities, to produce it in sufficient quantities to meet the requirements for the potential launch of the product or to meet potential future demand. We have in the past, and may in the future, manufacture batches of OTIPRIO that do not meet the appropriate specifications and cannot be used. If our contract manufacturers are unable to successfully produce sufficient quantities of OTIPRIO or any approved product for commercialization, our commercial efforts would be impaired, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

We depend on a small number of suppliers for the raw materials necessary to produce OTIPRIO and our product candidates. The loss of these suppliers, or their failure to supply us with these raw materials, would materially and adversely affect our business.

We depend on the availability of key raw materials, including poloxamer for OTIPRIO and our product candidates, ciprofloxacin for OTIPRIO, dexamethasone for OTO-104, and gacyclidine for OTO-311, from a small number of third-party suppliers. Because there are a limited number of suppliers for the raw materials that we use to manufacture our product and product candidates, we may need to engage alternate suppliers to prevent a possible disruption of the manufacture of the materials necessary to produce our product candidates for our clinical trials, and our product and product candidates, if approved, for commercial sale. We do not have any control over the availability of raw materials. If we or our manufacturers are unable to purchase these raw materials on acceptable terms, at sufficient quality levels, or in adequate quantities, if at all, the commercialization of OTIPRIO and the development of OTO-104, OTO-311 or any future product candidates, would be delayed or there would be a shortage in supply, which would impair our ability to meet our development objectives for our product candidates or generate revenues from the sale of any approved products.

Our ability to market OTIPRIO is limited to its approved indication and our product candidates, if approved, will be limited to certain indications. If we want to expand the indications for which we may market our products, we will need to obtain additional regulatory approvals, which may not be granted.

OTIPRIO is currently approved for the treatment of pediatric patients with bilateral otitis media with effusion undergoing TTP surgery and is being evaluated for potential label expansion in acute otitis externa and AOMT. We are developing OTO-104 for the treatment of vertigo associated with Ménière’s disease and OTO-311 for the treatment of tinnitus. The FDA and other applicable regulatory agencies will restrict our ability

 

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to market and advertise our products to the scope of the approved label for the applicable product and for no other indications, which could limit physician and patient adoption. We are currently developing new treatment indications for OTIPRIO and may attempt to develop new treatment indications for our product candidates in the future, but we cannot predict when or if we will receive the regulatory approvals required to promote OTIPRIO or our product candidates for new treatment indications. Failure to receive such approvals prevents us from promoting and commercializing the new treatment indications. In addition, we would be required to conduct additional clinical trials or studies to support approvals for additional indications, which would be time consuming and expensive, and may produce results that do not support regulatory approvals. If we do not obtain additional regulatory approvals, our ability to expand our business will be limited.

If our product candidates are approved for marketing, and we are found to have improperly promoted off-label uses, or if physicians misuse our products, we may become subject to prohibitions on the sale or marketing of our products, significant sanctions, product liability claims, and our image and reputation within the industry and marketplace could be harmed.

The FDA and other regulatory agencies strictly regulate the marketing and promotional claims that are made about drug products. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses or indications that are not approved by the FDA or such other regulatory agencies as reflected in the product’s approved labeling. For example, OTIPRIO is approved for the treatment of pediatric patients with bilateral otitis media with effusion undergoing TTP surgery and we cannot promote the use of our product in a manner that is inconsistent with the approved label. However, physicians are able to, in their independent medical judgment, use OTIPRIO on their patients in an off-label manner, such as for the treatment of other otic indications. If we are found to have promoted such off-label uses, we may receive warning letters and become subject to significant liability, which would materially harm our business. The federal government has levied large administrative, civil and criminal fines against companies for alleged improper promotion and has enjoined several companies from engaging in off-label promotion. If we become the target of such an investigation or prosecution based on our marketing and promotional practices, we could face similar sanctions, which would materially harm our business. In addition, management’s attention could be diverted from our business operations, significant legal expenses could be incurred, and our reputation could be damaged. The federal government and regulatory authorities have also requested that companies enter into consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed. If we are deemed by the federal government or regulatory authorities to have engaged in the promotion of our products for off-label use, we could be subject to prohibitions on the sale or marketing of our products or significant fines and penalties, and the imposition of these sanctions could also affect our reputation with physicians, patients and caregivers, and our position within the industry.

Physicians may also misuse our products or use improper techniques, potentially leading to adverse results, side effects or injury, which may lead to product liability claims. If our products are misused or used with improper technique, we may become subject to costly litigation. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend, and result in sizable damage awards against us that may not be covered by insurance. We currently carry product liability insurance covering our clinical trials with policy limits that we believe are customary for similarly situated companies and adequate to provide us with coverage for foreseeable risks. Although we maintain such insurance, any claim that may be brought against us could result in a court judgment or settlement in an amount that is not covered, in whole or in part, by our insurance or that is in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage. Furthermore, the use of our products for conditions other than those approved by the FDA may not effectively treat such conditions, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients.

We have limited sales and marketing experience and may be unable to successfully commercialize our products or generate product revenue.

We are currently attempting to rapidly build a focused, specialized sales force to sell OTIPRIO. We have no prior experience in the marketing and sale of pharmaceutical products and there are significant risks

 

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involved in building and managing a sales and marketing organization, including our ability to hire, retain and incentivize qualified individuals, generate sufficient sales leads, provide adequate training to sales and marketing personnel and effectively manage a geographically dispersed sales and marketing team. Outside of the United States, we may consider collaboration arrangements. If we are unable to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our products in certain markets. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities would adversely impact the commercialization of our products. If we are not successful in commercializing our products, either on our own or through collaborations with one or more third parties, our future product revenue will suffer and we would incur significant additional losses.

To establish our sales and marketing infrastructure and expand our manufacturing capabilities, we have increased the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As of September 30, 2015, we had 76 full-time employees, including 49 employees engaged in research and development and 14 employees engaged in commercialization. Since September 30, 2015, we have entered into signed employment letters with approximately 34 sales representatives to start employment in the first quarter of 2016 and expect to enter into 6 additional signed employment letters in the first quarter of 2016. As we advance our product candidates through the development process and commercialize OTIPRIO, we will need to continue to expand our development, regulatory, quality, managerial, sales and marketing, operational, finance and other resources to manage our operations and clinical trials, continue our development activities and commercialize OTIPRIO. As our operations expand, we expect that we will need to manage additional relationships with various manufacturers and collaborative partners, suppliers and other organizations.

Due to our limited financial resources and our limited experience in managing a company with such growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. In addition, the physical expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our development and strategic objectives, or disrupt our operations, which could materially impact our business, revenue and operating results.

Coverage and reimbursement decisions by third-party payors may have an adverse effect on pricing and market acceptance. Recent legislative and regulatory activity may exert downward pressure on potential pricing and reimbursement for our products, if approved, that could materially affect the opportunity to commercialize.

There is significant uncertainty related to the third-party coverage and reimbursement of newly approved drugs. Patients who are provided medical treatment for their conditions generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Therefore, market acceptance and sales of our products, if approved, in both domestic and international markets will depend significantly on the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from third-party or government payors for any of our products and may be affected by existing and future healthcare reform measures. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which drugs they will cover and establish payment levels. We have not yet established the pricing for OTIPRIO, and we do not know how the market may react to such pricing once it is determined. We have applied for a unique J-Code and intend to apply for a unique C-Code for OTIPRIO, and intend to apply for a unique J-Code for OTO-104 to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); however, we cannot assure you that such codes will be issued by CMS and even if they are issued that third-party payors will provide reimbursement according to the J-Code or C-Code. If a J-Code or C-Code is not issued or the J-Code or C-Code are issued but not reimbursed by third-party payors then the cost of these drugs will be absorbed by healthcare providers. If this is the case, our expectations of the pricing we expect to achieve for OTIPRIO and OTO-104, if approved, and the related potential revenue, may be significantly diminished. We cannot be certain that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be available for OTIPRIO or any other products, if approved, or that such coverage and

 

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reimbursement will be authorized in a timely fashion, even if a unique J-Code or C-Code is assigned for such products. Also, we cannot be certain that reimbursement policies will not reduce the demand for, or the price paid for, any of our products, if approved. If reimbursement is not available or is available on a limited basis for any of our products, if approved, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any such products. Reimbursement by a third-party or government payor may depend upon a number of factors, including, without limitation, the third-party or government payor’s determination that use of a product is:

 

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a covered benefit under its health plan;

 

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safe, effective and medically necessary;

 

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appropriate for the specific patient;

 

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cost-effective; and

 

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neither experimental nor investigational.

Obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval for a product from a government or other third-party payor is a time consuming and costly process that could require us to provide supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products to the payor. We may not be able to provide data sufficient to gain acceptance with respect to coverage and reimbursement or to have pricing set at a satisfactory level. If reimbursement of our products, if any, is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels such as may result where alternative or generic treatments are available, we may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability.

Assuming we obtain coverage for a given product, the resulting reimbursement payment rates might not be adequate or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Patients are unlikely to use our products unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our products.

In the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained. In some foreign countries, particularly in Europe, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials that compare the cost-effectiveness of our products to other available therapies. If reimbursement of any of our products, if approved, is unavailable or limited in scope or amount in a particular country, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, we may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability of our products in such country.

The United States and several other jurisdictions are considering, or have already enacted, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell any of our products profitably, if approved. Among policy-makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access to healthcare. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. There have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at broadening the availability of healthcare and containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the

 

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government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect:

 

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the demand for any of our products, if approved;

 

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the ability to set a price that we believe is fair for any of our products, if approved;

 

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our ability to generate revenues and achieve or maintain profitability;

 

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the level of taxes that we are required to pay; and

 

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the availability of capital.

In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (collectively, ACA), became law in the United States. One goal of ACA is to reduce the cost of healthcare and substantially change the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. While we cannot fully predict what impact on federal reimbursement policies this legislation will have in general or on our business specifically, ACA may result in downward pressure on pharmaceutical reimbursement, which could negatively affect market acceptance of any of our products, if they are approved. Provisions of ACA relevant to the pharmaceutical industry include the following:

 

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an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufactures or imports certain branded prescription drugs and biologic agents, apportioned among these entities according to their market share in certain government healthcare programs, not including orphan drug sales;

 

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an increase in the rebates a manufacturer must pay under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to 23.1% and 13% of the average manufacturer price for most branded and generic drugs, respectively;

 

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a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must agree to offer 50% point-of-sale discounts on negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D;

 

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extension of manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability to covered drugs dispensed to individuals who are enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations;

 

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expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs by, among other things, allowing states to offer Medicaid coverage to additional individuals and by adding new mandatory eligibility categories for certain individuals with income at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level, thereby potentially increasing manufacturers’ Medicaid rebate liability;

 

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expansion of the entities eligible for discounts under the Public Health Service pharmaceutical pricing program;

 

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new requirements to report annually certain financial arrangements with physicians and teaching hospitals, as defined in ACA and its implementing regulations, including reporting any payment or “transfer of value” provided to physicians and teaching hospitals and any ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members during the preceding calendar year;

 

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expansion of healthcare fraud and abuse laws, including the federal False Claims Act and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, new government investigative powers and enhanced penalties for noncompliance; and

 

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a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research.

The ACA may change in the future.

If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our products.

We face an inherent risk of product liability as a result of the clinical testing of our product candidates and face an even greater risk as we commercialize OTIPRIO and, if approved, any other products. For example, we may be sued if any product we develop allegedly causes or is perceived to cause injury or is found to be otherwise unsuitable during product testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability and a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our products. Even a successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

 

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decreased demand for our products;

 

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injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;

 

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withdrawal of clinical trial participants or cancellation of clinical trials;

 

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costs to defend the related litigation;

 

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a diversion of management’s time and our resources;

 

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substantial monetary awards to clinical trial participants or patients;

 

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regulatory investigations, product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;

 

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exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources;

 

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loss of revenue; and

 

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the inability to commercialize any products we develop.

Our inability to obtain and maintain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost and scope of coverage to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of our products. We currently carry product liability insurance covering our clinical trials with policy limits that we believe are customary for similarly situated companies and adequate to provide us with coverage for foreseeable risks. Although we maintain such insurance, any claim that may be brought against us could result in a court judgment or settlement in an amount that is not covered, in whole or in part, by our insurance or that is in excess of the limits of our insurance coverage. If we determine that it is prudent to increase our product liability coverage due to the commercial launch of any approved product, we may be unable to obtain such increased coverage on acceptable terms, or at all. Our insurance policies also have various exclusions and deductibles, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We will have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Moreover, in the

 

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future, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in sufficient amounts to protect us against losses.

If we fail to attract and retain senior management and key scientific personnel, we may be unable to successfully commercialize OTIPRIO and develop and commercialize our product candidates.

Our success depends in part on our continued ability to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified management, clinical and scientific personnel. We believe that our future success is highly dependent upon the contributions of our senior management, particularly our President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as our senior scientists and other members of our senior management team. The loss of services of any of these individuals, who all have at-will employment arrangements with us, could delay or prevent the successful development of our product pipeline, completion of our planned clinical trials or the commercialization of our product or product candidates.

Although we have not historically experienced unique difficulties attracting and retaining qualified employees, we could experience such problems in the future. For example, competition for qualified personnel in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals field is intense due to the limited number of individuals who possess the skills and experience required by our industry. We will need to hire additional personnel as we expand our clinical development and commercial activities. We may not be able to attract and retain quality personnel on acceptable terms, or at all, which may cause our business and operating results to suffer.

If we are not successful in discovering, developing, acquiring and commercializing additional product candidates, our ability to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.

Although a substantial amount of our efforts are focused on the commercialization of OTIPRIO, and the development and regulatory approval of our two product candidates, a key element of our strategy is to identify, develop and commercialize additional product candidates for the treatment of inner and middle ear diseases and disorders. We are seeking to do so through our internal research programs and may explore strategic collaborations with third parties for the development or acquisition of new product candidates or products. Research programs to identify new product candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any product candidates are ultimately identified or successfully developed.

Our internal computer systems, or those of our CROs or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our drug development programs.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our third-party logistics vendor, CROs and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. While we have not experienced a material system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our commercialization activities or drug development programs.

Changes in financial accounting standards or practices may cause adverse, unexpected financial reporting fluctuations and affect our reported operating results.

Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States are subject to interpretation by the FASB, the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in accounting standards or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. New accounting pronouncements and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements have occurred and may occur in the future. Changes to existing rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business.

 

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Issues arising from the upgrade of our enterprise resource planning system could affect our operating results, our ability to manage our business effectively and our ability to comply with the requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and SEC reporting requirements, which in turn would significantly harm our reputation and our business.

We have recently implemented a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. ERP implementations are complex and time-consuming and involve substantial expenditures on system software and implementation activities. This project has required and may continue to require investment of capital and human resources, the re-engineering of processes of our business and the attention of many employees who would otherwise be focused on other aspects of our business. Any deficiencies in the design of the new ERP system could result in potentially much higher costs than we had incurred and could adversely affect our ability to develop and launch solutions, provide services, fulfill contractual obligations, file reports with the SEC in a timely manner, otherwise operate our business or otherwise impact our controls environment. Any of these consequences could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, if the ERP system does not operate as intended, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could be adversely affected or our ability to assess it adequately could be delayed.

Our employees, independent contractors, clinical investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements and insider trading.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, clinical investigators, CROs, consultants and vendors may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violates: (i) FDA regulations, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to the FDA, (ii) manufacturing standards, (iii) federal, state and foreign healthcare fraud and abuse laws, or (iv) laws that require the reporting of financial information or data accurately. Specifically, research, sales, marketing, education and other business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, education, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws. If any such actions are instituted against us, even if we are successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business. Violations of such laws subject us to numerous penalties, including, but not limited to, the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

We or the third parties upon whom we depend may be adversely affected by earthquakes, wildfires or other natural disasters and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.

Our corporate headquarters are located in the San Diego area and we have a small office space in Alamo, California, each of which in the past has experienced severe earthquakes. We do not carry earthquake insurance. The San Diego area has also recently experienced serious wildfires. If a natural disaster or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our headquarters, that damaged critical

 

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infrastructure, such as product development and research efforts for our current product candidates and finance records, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have in place currently are limited and may not be adequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which, particularly when taken together with our lack of earthquake insurance, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Furthermore, integral parties in our supply chain and distribution chain are geographically concentrated and operating from single sites, increasing their vulnerability to natural disasters or other sudden, unforeseen and severe adverse events. If such an event were to affect our supply chain, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Unfavorable global economic conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy and in the global financial markets. A severe or prolonged economic downturn, such as the most recent global financial crisis which caused extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets, could result in a variety of risks to our business and our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. A weak or declining economy could also strain our suppliers, possibly resulting in supply disruption, or cause our customers and third-party payors to delay making payments for our services. Any of the foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which the current economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If our efforts to protect the intellectual property related to our product and product candidates are not adequate, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.

We rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our product, product candidates and technology. Any disclosure to or misappropriation by third parties of our confidential proprietary information could enable competitors to quickly duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, eroding our competitive position in the market.

The patent application process, also known as patent prosecution, is expensive and time-consuming, and we and our current or future licensors and licensees may not be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we or our current licensors, or any future licensors or licensees, will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them. Therefore, it is possible that certain patentable aspects of our inventions may not be protected in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. Defects of form in the preparation or filing of our patents or patent applications may exist, or may arise in the future, for example with respect to proper priority claims, inventorship, etc., although we are unaware of any such defects that we believe are of material import. If there are material defects in the form or preparation of our patents or patent applications, such patents or applications may be invalid and unenforceable. If we or our current licensors, or any future licensors or licensees, fail to file patent applications, or, maintain, enforce or protect our patents, such patent rights may be reduced or eliminated. If our current licensors, or any future licensors or licensees, are not fully cooperative or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may have an adverse impact on our business.

 

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The strength of patents in the pharmaceutical field involves complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain. This uncertainty includes changes to the patent laws through either legislative action to change statutory patent law or court action that may reinterpret existing law or rules in ways affecting the scope or validity of issued patents. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents in the United States or foreign countries with claims that cover our product or product candidates. Even if patents do successfully issue from the patent applications that we own or in-license, third parties may challenge the validity, enforceability or scope of such patents, which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable. For example, patents granted by the European Patent Office may be challenged, also known as opposed, by any person within nine months from the publication of their grant. Any successful challenge to our patents could deprive us of exclusive rights necessary for the successful commercialization of our product or product candidates. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patents may not adequately protect our product or product candidates, provide exclusivity for our product or product candidates, or prevent others from designing around our patents. If the breadth or strength of protection provided by the patents we hold or pursue with respect to our product or product candidates is challenged, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop, or threaten our ability to commercialize our product or product candidates.

Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years after its effective filing date. Various extensions may be available; however the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Without patent protection for our product or product candidates, we may be open to competition from generic versions of our product or product candidates. Further, if we encounter delays in our development efforts, including our clinical trials, the period of time during which we could market our product or product candidates under patent protection would be reduced.

Most of our patents and patent applications are entitled to effective filing dates prior to March 16, 2013. For U.S. patent applications for which patent claims are entitled to a priority date before March 16, 2013, an interference proceeding can be provoked by a third party, for example a competitor, or instituted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to determine who was the first to invent any of the subject matter covered by those patent claims. An unfavorable outcome could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Our participation in an interference proceeding may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management.

In addition to the protection afforded by patents, we also rely on trade secret protection to protect proprietary know-how that may not be patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes for which patents may be difficult to obtain or enforce, and any other elements of our product and product candidates, and our product development processes (such as manufacturing and formulation technologies) that involve proprietary know-how, information or technology that is not covered by patents. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. If the steps taken to maintain our trade secrets are deemed inadequate, we may have insufficient recourse against third parties for misappropriating any trade secrets. Misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets could significantly affect our competitive position and may have a material adverse effect on our business. Furthermore, trade secret protection does not prevent competitors from independently developing substantially equivalent information and techniques and we cannot guarantee that our competitors will not independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. The FDA, as part of its Transparency Initiative, is currently considering whether to make additional information publicly available on a routine basis, including information that we may consider to be trade secrets or other proprietary information, and it is not clear at the present time how the FDA’s disclosure policies may change in the future, if at all.

In an effort to protect our trade secrets and other confidential information, we require our employees, consultants, advisors, and any other third parties that have access to our proprietary know-how, information or technology, for example, third parties involved in the formulation and manufacture of our product and product candidates, and third parties involved in our clinical trials, to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of their relationships with us. These agreements require that all confidential information

 

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developed by such employees, consultants, advisors, etc., or made known to them by us during the course of our relationship with them be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties. However, we cannot be certain that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed despite having such confidentiality agreements. Adequate remedies may not exist in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets. In addition, in some situations, these confidentiality agreements may conflict with, or be subject to, the rights of third parties with whom our employees, consultants, or advisors have previous employment or consulting relationships. To the extent that our employees, consultants or advisors use any intellectual property owned by third parties in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in any related or resulting know-how and inventions. If we are unable to prevent unauthorized material disclosure of our trade secrets to third parties, we may not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Changes in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.

As is the case with other pharmaceutical companies, our success is heavily dependent on intellectual property, particularly on obtaining and enforcing patents. Obtaining and enforcing patents in the pharmaceutical industry involves both technological and legal complexity, and therefore, is costly, time-consuming and inherently uncertain. In addition, the United States has recently enacted and is currently implementing wide-ranging patent reform legislation. Further, recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have either narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained.

For our U.S. patent and patent applications containing a claim not entitled to priority before March 16, 2013, there is a greater level of uncertainty in the patent law. In September 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the American Invents Act (AIA), was signed into law. The AIA includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law, including provisions that affect the way patent applications will be prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. It is not clear what other, if any, impact the AIA will have on the operation of our business. Moreover, the AIA and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the United States transitioned to a “first-to-file” system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties claiming the same invention. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO after March 16, 2013 but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we had made the invention before it was made by the third party. This will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application. Furthermore, our ability to obtain and maintain valid and enforceable patents depends on whether the differences between our technology and the prior art allow our technology to be patentable over the prior art. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing, we cannot be certain that we were the first to either (i) file any patent application related to our product or product candidates or (ii) invent any of the inventions claimed in our patents or patent applications.

Among some of the other changes introduced by the AIA are changes that limit where a patentee may file a patent infringement suit and provided opportunities for third parties to challenge any issued patent in the USPTO. This applies to all of our U.S. patents, even those issued before March 16, 2013. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal court necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the

 

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USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party in a district court action.

Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that would weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce our existing patents and any patents that we might obtain in the future.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, documentary, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for noncompliance with these requirements.

The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent prosecution process. Periodic maintenance fees and various other governmental fees on any issued patent and/or pending patent applications are due to be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of a patent or patent application. We have systems in place to remind us to pay these fees, and we employ an outside firm and rely on our outside counsel to pay these fees. While an inadvertent lapse may sometimes be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are many situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent applications directed to our product or product candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than should otherwise have been the case, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing and prosecuting patent applications, and defending patents on our product and product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. The requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries, particularly developing countries. For example, China has a heightened requirement for patentability, and specifically requires a detailed description of medical uses of a claimed drug. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement on infringing activities is inadequate. These products may compete with our products, and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to pharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally in those countries. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. In addition, certain countries in Europe and certain developing countries, including India and China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In those countries, we may have limited remedies if our patents are infringed or if we are compelled to grant a license to our patents to a third party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial

 

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advantage from the intellectual property that we own or license. Finally, our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights may be adversely affected by unforeseen changes in foreign intellectual property laws.

Third-party claims alleging intellectual property infringement may adversely affect our business.

Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties, for example, patents and proprietary rights of competitors. Our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe or otherwise violate patents owned or controlled by third parties, including our competitors. There are also patent applications, owned by third parties including competitors, that have been filed but not issued that, if issued as patents, may be asserted against us. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, exist in the otic fields in which we are developing our product candidates. As the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our activities related to our product or product candidates may give rise to claims of infringement of the patent rights of third parties. We cannot assure you that our product or product candidates will not infringe existing or future patents owned by third parties. We may not be aware of patents that have already issued and that a third party, for example a competitor in the otic market, might assert are infringed by our product or product candidates. It is also possible that patents owned by third parties of which we are aware, but which we do not believe are relevant to our product or product candidates, could be found to be infringed by our product or product candidates.

Third parties making claims against us for infringement or misappropriation of their intellectual property rights may seek and obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop our product candidates and commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved. Further, if a patent infringement suit were brought against us, we could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the product or product candidate that is the subject of the suit. Regardless of the merits of any third-party claims, our defense against such claims, or other related actions we may take, could cause us to incur substantial expenses, and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us by a third party, we may have to (i) pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed the third party’s patents; (ii) obtain one or more licenses from the third party; (iii) pay royalties to the third party; and/or (iv) redesign any infringing products. Redesigning any infringing products may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure. Further, we cannot predict whether any required license would be available at all or whether it would be available on commercially reasonable terms. In the event that we could not obtain a license, we may be unable to further develop our product candidates and commercialize our product and product candidates, if approved, which could harm our business significantly. Even if we are able to obtain a license, the license would likely obligate us to pay license fees or royalties or both, and the rights granted to us might be nonexclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product, or be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations, if, as a result of actual or threatened patent infringement claims, we are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms.

Engaging in litigation is very expensive, particularly for a company of our size, and time-consuming. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of litigation or administrative proceedings more effectively than we can because of greater financial resources. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could impair our ability to compete in the marketplace. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

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We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property or the patents of our licensors, which could be expensive and time consuming.

Third parties may infringe or misappropriate our intellectual property, including our existing patents, patents that may issue to us in the future, or the patents of our licensors to which we have a license. As a result, we may be required to file infringement claims to stop third-party infringement or unauthorized use. Further, we may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States.

Generic drug manufacturers may develop, seek approval for, and launch generic versions of our products. If we file an infringement action against such a generic drug manufacturer, that company may challenge the scope, validity or enforceability of our or our licensors’ patents, requiring us and/or our licensors to engage in complex, lengthy and costly litigation or other proceedings. For example, if we or one of our licensors initiated legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering our product or product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product or product candidates is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, and there are numerous grounds upon which a third party can assert invalidity or unenforceability of a patent.

In addition, within and outside of the United States, there has been a substantial amount of litigation and administrative proceedings, including interference and reexamination proceedings before the USPTO or oppositions and other comparable proceedings in various foreign jurisdictions, regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical industry. Recently, the AIA introduced new procedures including inter partes review and post grant review. The implementation of these procedures brings uncertainty to the possibility of challenges to our patents in the future, including challenges to those patents perceived by our competitors as blocking entry into the market for their products, and the outcome of such challenges.

Such litigation and administrative proceedings could result in revocation of our patents or amendment of our patents such that they do not cover our product or product candidates. They may also put our pending patent applications at risk of not issuing, or issuing with limited and potentially inadequate scope to cover our product and product candidates. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. Additionally, it is also possible that prior art of which we are aware, but which we do not believe affects the validity or enforceability of a claim, may, nonetheless, ultimately be found by a court of law or an administrative panel to affect the validity or enforceability of a claim, for example if a priority claim is found to be improper. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on our product and product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Enforcing our or our licensor’s intellectual property rights through litigation is very expensive, particularly for a company of our size, and time-consuming. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of litigation more effectively than we can because of greater financial resources. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could impair our ability to compete in the marketplace. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure. In addition, during the course of litigation or administrative proceedings, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments

 

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or public access to related documents. If investors perceive these results to be negative, the market price for our common stock could be significantly harmed.

Although it is not expected to be relevant to our product or any of our product candidates, on April 17, 2015, we filed a request for interference between one of our U.S. pending applications and a U.S. pending application that appears to be controlled by Auris Medical AG (Auris). In this request for an interference, known as a Suggestion of Interference, we asked the USPTO for a determination that our pending patent application has priority over the Auris pending patent application, and that the USPTO should grant the interfering claims to us, and not Auris. On July 20, 2015, we received notice from the USPTO that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) declared an interference between our pending application and the Auris patent (issued as U.S. Patent No. 9,066,865 on June 30, 2015). In the Declaration of Interference (Interference No. 106,030), the PTAB designated us as the “Senior Party” and Auris as the “Junior Party.” The interference is ongoing. Under U.S. Patent law, the Junior Party has the burden of showing that they, and not the Senior Party, were the first inventors. If final resolution of the interference and related appeal, if any, are not in our favor, then the USPTO may deny our patent application and allow the Auris patent to remain issued. The interference may be time consuming and result in substantial costs to us and distraction to our management. In addition, we are monitoring patent applications filed and being prosecuted by Auris, in case we may need to consider similar or other actions.

If we fail to comply with our obligations in any of the agreements under which we license intellectual property rights from third parties or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with our licensors, we could lose license rights that are important to our business.

We are a party to a number of license agreements under which we are granted intellectual property rights that are crucial to our business. A portion of our patent portfolio for our product and product candidates is exclusively in-licensed from DURECT Corporation (Durect), which license includes a sublicense to patents jointly owned by Durect and the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM). Under our existing license agreement with Durect, we are subject to various obligations, including development and commercialization diligence obligations and pre-commercial launch progress reporting obligations, as well as financial obligations such as potential development milestone payments, sublicensing income payments, and royalty payments to both Durect and INSERM. If we fail to comply with the diligence obligations or otherwise materially breach our license agreement, and fail to remedy such failure or cure such breach, Durect may have the right to terminate the license or, in the instance of our failure to meet the diligence obligations, Durect may instead elect to convert our exclusive license to a non-exclusive license. In particular, the loss of the license from Durect would affect a portion of the patent portfolio for OTO-311, which would adversely affect our ability to proceed with any development or potential commercialization of OTO-311, and could subject us to claims of patent infringement by Durect if OTO-311 is covered by the licensed patents.

In addition, a significant portion of our patent portfolio for our product and product candidates was co-developed and is co-owned with The Regents of the University of California (UC) which licensed its rights to us through an exclusive worldwide license agreement. Under our existing license agreement with UC, we are subject to various obligations, including development and commercialization diligence obligations, patent prosecution and maintenance obligations, and pre-commercial launch progress reporting obligations, as well as financial obligations such as potential development milestone payments, sublicensing income payments, and royalty payments. If we fail to comply with any of these obligations or otherwise breach other terms of our license agreement, and fail to cure such breach, UC may have the right to terminate the license or, in the instance where we fail to meet our diligence obligations, UC may instead elect to change our exclusive license to a non-exclusive license. The loss of the license from UC would affect a significant portion of the patent portfolio for OTIPRIO, OTO-104 and OTO-311. While we could still proceed with development and, if approved, commercialization of OTIPRIO, OTO-104 and OTO-311 as co-owner of the licensed patents, third parties, such as our competitors, could enter into the market by obtaining a license from UC under UC’s rights to such patents.

 

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Licensing of intellectual property rights is of critical importance to our business and involves complex legal, business and scientific issues. Disputes may arise between us and our licensors regarding intellectual property rights subject to a license agreement, including:

 

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the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

 

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our right to sublicense intellectual property rights to third parties under collaborative development relationships; and

 

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our diligence obligations with respect to the use of the licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our product and product candidates, and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations.

While we would expect to exercise all rights and remedies available to us, including seeking to cure any breach by us, and otherwise seek to preserve our rights under the patents licensed to us, we may not be able to do so in a timely manner, at an acceptable cost or at all. Generally, the loss of any one of our current licenses, or any other license we may acquire in the future, could materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of third parties.

We have received confidential and proprietary information from third parties. In addition, we employ individuals, consultants and independent contractors who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise improperly used or disclosed confidential information of these third parties or their former employers. Further, we may be subject to ownership disputes in the future arising, for example, from conflicting obligations of consultants, independent contractors or others who are involved in developing our product candidates. We may also be subject to claims that former employees, consultants, independent contractors, collaborators or other third parties have an ownership interest in our patents or other intellectual property. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging our right to and use of confidential and proprietary information. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose our rights therein. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and employees.

Risks Related to Government Regulation

Our business and products are subject to extensive government regulation.

We are subject to extensive, complex, costly and evolving regulation by federal and state governmental authorities in the United States, principally by the FDA, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and its various agencies, and also from state and foreign regulatory authorities. Failure to comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, including those promulgated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), and, the Public Health Service Act, and the Controlled Substances Act, among others, may subject us to operating restrictions and criminal prosecution, monetary penalties and other disciplinary actions, including, sanctions, warning letters, product seizures, recalls, fines, injunctions, suspension, revocation of approvals, disgorgement, contractual damages, and/or exclusion from future participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. After our products receive regulatory approval or clearance, we, and our direct and indirect suppliers, remain subject to the periodic inspection of our plants and facilities, review of production processes, and testing of our products to confirm that we are in compliance with all applicable regulations. Adverse findings during

 

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regulatory inspections may result in the implementation of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS), programs, completion of government mandated clinical trials, and government enforcement action relating to labeling, advertising, marketing and promotion, as well as regulations governing cGMPs.

The regulatory approval process is highly uncertain and we may not obtain regulatory approval for the commercialization of OTIPRIO in additional indications, OTO-104, OTO-311 or any future product candidates.

The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, import, export, marketing and distribution of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in the United States and other countries, which regulations differ from country to country. We are not permitted to market our product candidates in the United States until we receive approval of an NDA from the FDA. Obtaining regulatory approval of a product can be a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process. In addition, failure to comply with FDA and other applicable United States and foreign regulatory requirements may subject us to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions or other actions, including:

 

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warning letters and adverse publicity;

 

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civil and criminal penalties;

 

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injunctions;

 

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withdrawal of approved products;

 

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product seizure or detention;

 

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product recalls;

 

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total or partial suspension of production; and

 

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refusal to approve pending NDAs or supplements to approved NDAs.

Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in the United States or abroad, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled preclinical studies and clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or other foreign regulatory agencies, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses. Results from preclinical studies and clinical trials can be interpreted in different ways, and insufficient or adverse results from preclinical studies can affect the ability to conduct clinical trials. For example, following completion of a Phase 1b clinical trial, the OTO-104 program was put on Full Clinical Hold due to adverse findings in a preclinical study evaluating the safety of repeated doses of OTO-104. OTO-104 was subsequently removed from Full Clinical Hold in July 2013, allowing for initiation of the Phase 2b single-dose clinical trial, and placed on Partial Clinical Hold prohibiting the initiation of multiple-dose clinical trials in the United States pending the submission and review of additional preclinical data. We submitted additional preclinical data to the FDA and OTO-104 was removed from Partial Clinical Hold in June 2014. As a result of OTO-104 being placed on Full Clinical Hold, OTIPRIO was also placed on Full Clinical Hold. The OTIPRIO Full Clinical Hold was removed in November 2012. We cannot assure you that our product candidates will not be subject to new clinical holds in the future.

Even if we believe the preclinical or clinical data for our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Administering product candidates to humans may produce undesirable side effects, which could interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and result in the FDA or other regulatory authorities denying approval of a product candidate for any or all targeted indications.

 

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Regulatory approval is not guaranteed, and the approval process is expensive and may take several years. The FDA also has substantial discretion in the approval process. Despite the time and expense expended, failure can occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical trials, or perform additional preclinical studies and clinical trials. The number of preclinical studies and clinical trials that will be required for FDA approval varies depending on the product candidate, the disease or condition that the product candidate is designed to address and the regulations applicable to any particular product candidate. The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons, including the following:

 

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a product candidate may not be deemed safe, effective, pure or potent;

 

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FDA officials may not find the data from preclinical studies and clinical trials sufficient;

 

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the FDA might not accept or approve our third-party manufacturers’ processes or facilities; or

 

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the FDA may change its approval policies or adopt new regulations.

If OTIPRIO does not gain regulatory approval in additional indications or OTO-104, OTO-311 or any future product candidates fail to demonstrate safety and efficacy in clinical trials or do not gain approval, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely harmed.

For OTIPRIO, and if we receive regulatory approval for our other product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense, or the limiting or withdrawal of regulatory approval and subject us to penalties if we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

If and when regulatory approval has been granted, our product candidates or any approved product will be subject to continual regulatory review by the FDA and/or non-U.S. regulatory authorities. Additionally, OTIPRIO and any product candidates, if approved, will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements, including labeling and other restrictions and market withdrawal and we may be subject to penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products. Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indications for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product. In addition, for OTIPRIO, and if the applicable regulatory agency approves our product candidates, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include prompt submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMP and GCP for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with OTIPRIO or our product candidates, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with our third-party manufacturers’ processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:

 

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restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, withdrawal of the product from the market, or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;

 

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fines, warning letters or holds on clinical trials;

 

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refusal by the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, or suspension or revocation of product approvals;

 

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product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; and

 

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injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

 

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Our ongoing regulatory requirements may also change from time to time, potentially harming or making costlier our commercialization efforts. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or other countries. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business.

Our relationships with healthcare professionals, clinical investigators, CROs and third party payors in connection with our current and future business activities may be subject to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, transparency laws, government price reporting, and health information privacy and security laws. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face penalties.

We are subject to various U.S. federal and state health care laws, including those intended to prevent healthcare fraud and abuse.

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid Remuneration has been broadly defined to include anything of value, including, but not limited to, cash, improper discounts, and free or reduced price items and services. Many states have similar laws that apply to their state health care programs as well as private payors.

Federal false claims laws, including the federal False Claims Act (FCA), and civil monetary penalties law impose penalties against individuals or entities for, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment or approval that are false or fraudulent or making a false record or statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. The FCA has been used to, among other things, prosecute persons and entities submitting claims for payment that are inaccurate or fraudulent, that are for services not provided as claimed, or for services that are not medically necessary. The FCA includes a whistleblower provision that allows individuals to bring actions on behalf of the federal government and share a portion of the recovery of successful claims. Many states also have similar laws that apply to their state health care programs as well as private payors.

Additionally, state and federal authorities have aggressively targeted medical technology companies for, among other things, alleged violations of these anti-fraud statutes, based on, for example, improper research or consulting contracts with doctors, certain marketing arrangements that rely on volume-based pricing, off-label marketing schemes, and other improper promotional practices.

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), among other things, imposes criminal liability for knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services.

Additionally, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act), and their implementing regulations, also imposes certain obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, on certain types of people and entities, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information without proper written authorization.

 

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Our operations may also be subject to the federal transparency requirements under the Affordable Care Act, which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to annually report to CMS information related to payments and other transfers of value provided to physicians and teaching hospitals and certain ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members.

If any of our business activities, including but not limited to our relationships with healthcare providers or payors, violate any of the aforementioned laws, we may be subject to administrative, civil and/or criminal penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Also, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from reckless or negligent acts committed by our employees, future distributors, partners, collaborators or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could result in fines, penalties or prosecution and have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and reputation.

Legislative or regulatory healthcare reforms in the United States or abroad may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearance or approval of our product candidates or any future product candidates and to produce, market, and distribute our products after clearance or approval is obtained.

From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in Congress in the United States or by governments in foreign jurisdictions that could significantly change the statutory provisions governing the regulatory clearance or approval, manufacture, and marketing of regulated products or the reimbursement thereof. In addition, FDA or foreign regulatory agency regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory agency in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of our product candidates or any future product candidates. We cannot determine what effect changes in regulations, statutes, legal interpretation or policies, when and if promulgated, enacted or adopted may have on our business in the future. Such changes could, among other things, require:

 

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changes to manufacturing methods;

 

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recall, replacement, or discontinuance of one or more of our products; and

 

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additional recordkeeping.

Each of these would likely entail substantial time and cost and could materially harm our business and our financial results. In addition, delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or approvals for any future products would harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we fail to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our operations involve the use of hazardous and flammable materials, including chemicals and biological materials. Our operations also produce hazardous waste products. We generally contract with third parties for the disposal of these materials and wastes. We cannot eliminate the risk of contamination or injury from these materials. In the event of contamination or injury resulting from our use of hazardous materials, we

 

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could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources. We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties.

We maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover us for costs and expenses we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of hazardous materials or other work-related injuries with policy limits that we believe are customary for similarly situated companies and adequate to provide us with coverage for foreseeable risks. Although we maintain such insurance, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

We are subject to U.S. and certain foreign export and import controls, sanctions, embargoes, anti-corruption laws, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Compliance with these legal standards could impair our ability to compete in domestic and international markets. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations which can harm our business.

We are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, the UK Bribery Act 2010, and other state and national anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in the countries in which we conduct activities. U.S. economic sanctions and export control laws and regulations prohibit the shipment of certain products and services to countries, governments, and persons targeted by U.S. sanctions. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors, and other partners from authorizing, promising, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector.

We may engage third parties for clinical trials outside of the United States, to sell our products abroad once we enter a commercialization phase, and/or to obtain necessary permits, licenses, patent registrations, and other regulatory approvals. We also have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or government-affiliated hospitals, universities, and other organizations. We can be held liable for any unauthorized exports and reexports of our products and for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors, and other partners, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. Any violation of the laws and regulations described above may result in substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, debarment, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm, and other consequences.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile, and you may not be able to sell your shares at or above the offering price.

Our stock is currently traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, but we can provide no assurance that we will be able to maintain an active trading market on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other exchange in the future. Moreover, the trading price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially.

We and the underwriters will determine the offering price of our common stock through negotiation. This price will not necessarily reflect the price at which investors in the market will be willing to buy and sell our shares following this offering. The stock market in general and the market for pharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or

 

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above the offering price. The market price of our common stock following our initial public offering has been and is likely to continue to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

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regulatory or legal developments;

 

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results from or delays in clinical trials of our product candidates;

 

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announcements of regulatory approval or disapproval of our product candidates;

 

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commercialization of our products;

 

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FDA or other regulatory actions affecting us or our industry;

 

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introductions and announcements of new products by us, any commercialization partners or our competitors, and the timing of these introductions and announcements;

 

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variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;

 

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changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

 

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announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, licenses, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

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market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sectors and issuance of securities analysts’ reports or recommendations;

 

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actual or anticipated quarterly variations in our results of operations or those of our future competitors;

 

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changes in financial estimates or guidance, including our ability to meet our future revenue, operating profit or loss and cash balance estimates or guidance;

 

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sales of substantial amounts of our stock by insiders and large stockholders, or the expectation that such sales might occur;

 

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general economic, industry and market conditions;

 

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additions or departures of key personnel;

 

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intellectual property, product liability or other litigation against us;

 

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expiration or termination of our potential relationships with strategic partners;

 

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limited trading volume of our common stock; and

 

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the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.

If securities or industry analysts do not continue to publish research or publish unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. Although certain equity research analysts currently

 

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cover us, we do not have any control of the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports or whether any such analysts will continue to, or whether new analysts will, cover us for any given period of time. The price of our common stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our stock or issue other unfavorable commentary or research. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales might occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market following this offering, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly.

On August 13, 2014, we filed a registration statement on Form S-8 registering 2,093,580 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to awards outstanding under our Amended and Restated 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, 2,606,875 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2014 Plan, and 380,000 shares reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our ESPP. On March 18, 2015, we filed a registration statement on Form S-8 registering 1,058,663 additional shares of common stock under our 2014 Plan and 317,599 additional shares of common stock under our ESPP. Shares registered under this registration statement on Form S-8 will be available for sale in the public market subject to vesting arrangements and the exercise of such options, the lock-up arrangements described above and, in the case of our affiliates, the restrictions of Rule 144. As of September 30, 2015, options to purchase 1,203,678 shares of our common stock were exercisable.

As of September 30, 2015, certain holders of approximately 7,136,039 shares of our common stock, including shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options and warrants, are entitled to certain rights with respect to the registration of their shares under the Securities Act. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in the shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for shares held by our affiliates as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Any sales of securities by these stockholders could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

Claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

In addition, as permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated bylaws and our indemnification agreements that we have entered into with our directors and officers provide that:

 

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We will indemnify our directors and officers for serving us in those capacities, or for serving other business enterprises at our request, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Delaware law provides that a corporation may indemnify such person if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the registrant and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

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We may, in our discretion, indemnify employees and agents in those circumstances where indemnification is permitted by applicable law.

 

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We are required to advance expenses, as incurred, to our directors and officers in connection with defending a proceeding, except that such directors or officers shall undertake to repay such advances if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification.

 

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We are not obligated pursuant to our amended and restated bylaws to indemnify a person with respect to proceedings initiated by that person against us or our other indemnitees, except with respect to proceedings authorized by our board of directors or brought to enforce a right to indemnification.

 

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The rights conferred in our amended and restated bylaws are not exclusive, and we are authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and agents and to obtain insurance to indemnify such persons.

 

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We may not retroactively amend our amended and restated bylaw provisions to reduce our indemnification obligations to directors, officers, employees and agents.

To the extent that a claim for indemnification is brought by any of our directors or officers, it would reduce the amount of funds available for use in our business.

If we sell shares of our common stock in future financings in addition to the shares in this offering, stockholders may experience immediate dilution and, as a result, the market price of our common stock may decline.

We may from time to time issue additional shares of common stock at a discount from the current trading price of our common stock. As a result, our stockholders would experience immediate dilution upon the purchase of any shares of our common stock sold at such discount. In addition to this offering, as opportunities present themselves, we may enter into financing or similar arrangements in the future, including the issuance of debt securities, preferred stock or common stock. In September 2015, our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-206752) was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to which we may offer debt securities, preferred stock, common stock and certain other securities from time to time in addition to the shares in this offering. If in the future we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible into common stock, our common stockholders would experience additional dilution and, as a result, the market price of our common stock may decline.

Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing principal stockholders after this offering may effectively limit the voting power of other stockholders, including purchasers in this offering.

As of September 30, 2015, our executive officers, directors and current beneficial owners of 5% or more of our common stock, in aggregate, beneficially owned approximately 59.7% of our outstanding common stock. Accordingly, these stockholders, acting together, may significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and any merger or other significant corporate transactions. These stockholders may therefore delay or prevent a change of control, even if such a change of control would benefit our other stockholders. The significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the market price of our common stock due to investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.

Anti-takeover provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, which could discourage takeover attempts and lead to management entrenchment, and the market price of our common stock may be lower as a result.

Certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may make it difficult for a third party to acquire, or attempt to acquire, control of our company, even if a change in control was considered favorable by

 

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you and other stockholders. For example, our board of directors has the authority to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board of directors can fix the price, rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the preferred stock without any further vote or action by our stockholders. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control transaction. As a result, the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of our stockholders may be adversely affected. An issuance of shares of preferred stock may result in the loss of voting control to other stockholders.

Our charter documents contain other provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect, including provisions that:

 

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establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with each class serving staggered three year terms;

 

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provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;

 

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provide that our directors may only be removed for cause;

 

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eliminate cumulative voting in the election of directors;

 

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authorize our board of directors to issues shares of preferred stock and determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval;

 

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provide our board of directors with the exclusive right to elect a director to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship;

 

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permit stockholders to only take actions at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

 

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prohibit stockholders from calling a special meeting of stockholders;

 

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require that stockholders give advance notice to nominate directors or submit proposals for consideration at stockholder meetings;

 

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authorize our board of directors, by a majority vote, to amend the bylaws; and

 

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require the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock to amend many of the provisions described above.

In addition, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which limits the ability of stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock to merge or combine with us. Finally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders. These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that certain investors are willing to pay for our stock.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

The market price of our common stock has been and will likely to continue to be volatile, and in the past companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class

 

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action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gains.

We have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock to date. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

As of December 31, 2014 we had U.S. federal and California net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) of approximately $60.5 million and $59.4 million, respectively, which expire in various years beginning in 2030, if not utilized. As of December 31, 2014, we had federal and California research and development tax credit carryforwards of approximately $2.8 million and $1.6 million, respectively. The federal research and development tax credit carryforwards expire in various years beginning in 2030, if not utilized. The California research and development credit will carry forward indefinitely. Under Sections 382 and 383 of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Code) if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOLs and other pre-change tax attributes, such as research tax credits, to offset its future post-change income and taxes may be limited. In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a cumulative change in our ownership by “5% shareholders” that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We believe we have experienced certain ownership changes in the past and have reduced our deferred tax assets related to NOLs and research and development tax credit carryforwards accordingly. In the event that it is determined that we have in the past experienced additional ownership changes, or if we experience one or more ownership changes as a result of this offering or future transactions in our stock, then we may be further limited in our ability to use our NOLs and other tax assets to reduce taxes owed on the net taxable income that we earn in the event that we attain profitability. Any such limitations on the ability to use our NOLs and other tax assets could adversely impact our business, financial condition and operating results in the event that we attain profitability.

We have incurred and will continue to incur costs as a result of operating as a public company and our management has been and will continue to be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices, including maintaining an effective system of internal control over financial reporting.

As a public company listed in the United States, and increasingly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we have incurred and will continue to incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and regulations implemented by the SEC, and The NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ) may increase legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If notwithstanding our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards, we fail to comply, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be harmed.

As a public company in the United States, we are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Section 404) to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of

 

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our internal control over financial reporting. We need to disclose any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting, and, when we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will need to provide a statement that our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an opinion on our internal control over financial reporting. We expect that our first report on compliance with Section 404 will be furnished in connection with our financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2015.

The controls and other procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file with the SEC, is disclosed accurately and is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms. We are in the early stages of conforming our internal control procedures to the requirements of Section 404 and we may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation needed to comply with Section 404 in a timely fashion. Our independent registered public accounting firm was not engaged to perform an audit of our internal control over financial reporting for the year ended December 31, 2014 or for any other period. Accordingly, no such opinion was expressed.

Even after we develop these new procedures, these new controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the degree of compliance with these policies or procedures may deteriorate and material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting may be discovered. We may err in the design or operation of our controls, and all internal control systems, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because there are inherent limitations in all control systems, there can be no absolute assurance that all control issues have been or will be detected. If we are unable, or are perceived as unable, to produce reliable financial reports due to internal control deficiencies, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information and operating results, which could result in a negative market reaction.

To fully comply with Section 404, we will need to retain additional employees to supplement our current finance staff, and we may not be able to do so in a timely manner, or at all. In addition, in the process of evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we expect that certain of our internal control practices will need to be updated to comply with the requirements of Section 404 and the regulations promulgated thereunder, and we may not be able to do so on a timely basis, or at all. In the event that we are not able to demonstrate compliance with Section 404 in a timely manner, or are unable to produce timely or accurate financial statements, we may be subject to sanctions or investigations by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC or NASDAQ, and investors may lose confidence in our operating results and the price of our common stock could decline. Furthermore, if we are unable to certify that our internal control over financial reporting is effective and in compliance with Section 404, we may be subject to sanctions or investigations by regulatory authorities, such as the SEC or stock exchanges, and we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could hurt our business, the price of our common stock and our ability to access the capital markets.

We also expect that being a public company will make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, on committees of our board of directors or as members of senior management.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act enacted in April 2012, and may remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years following the completion of our initial public offering, or December 31, 2019, although, if we have more than $1.0 billion in annual revenue, the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of June 30 of any year, or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period before the end of that five-year period, we

 

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would cease to be an “emerging growth company” as of the following December 31. For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” we are permitted and intend to continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” These exemptions include:

 

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being permitted to provide only two years of audited financial statements, in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements, with correspondingly reduced “Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations” disclosure;

 

•

not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting;

 

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not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements;

 

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reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and

 

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exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption and, as a result, we have and will continue to adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for other public companies. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock may be reduced or more volatile.

Risks Related to this Offering

New investors in our common stock will experience immediate and substantial dilution after this offering.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution of $         per share in the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock as of September 30, 2015, based on the difference between the public offering price of $         per share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock as of September 30, 2015, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than our net tangible book value per share of the common stock that you acquire. This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the public offering price when they purchased their shares of our capital stock. You will experience additional dilution upon exercise of warrants to purchase common stock, upon exercise of options to purchase common stock under our equity incentive plans, if we issue restricted stock to our employees under our equity incentive plan, or if we otherwise issue additional shares of our common stock. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see “Dilution.”

We will have broad discretion in the use of proceeds from this offering and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, and may invest or spend the proceeds in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may not yield a return.

We will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. You may not agree with our decisions, and our use of the

 

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proceeds and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments may not improve our results of operation or enhance the value of our common stock. Though we currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund expenses in connection with commercializing OTIPRIO in the United States, conducting clinical trials for OTIPRIO in one or more potential expansion indications, OTO-104 clinical development, completion of a Phase 1 clinical safety trial for OTO-311 and, based on the results, initiation and completion of a Phase 2 clinical trial in tinnitus patients, and the remainder for research and development activities including preclinical development of Program 4 targeting sensorineural hearing loss, working capital, facilities expansion and other general corporate purposes, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the net proceeds that we will receive from this offering and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the ongoing status of and results from clinical trials and other studies, the product approval process with the FDA, and the scope of our commercialization efforts, as well as any strategic collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our product candidates, any unforeseen cash needs, and our investments and acquisitions. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds. In addition, we may also use a portion of our net proceeds to acquire and invest in complementary products or businesses; however, we currently have no agreements or commitments to complete any such transaction. Investors will be relying on our judgment regarding the use of the net proceeds from this offering. You will not have the opportunity to influence our management’s decisions on how to use the net proceeds from this offering. Our failure to apply the net proceeds of this offering effectively could result in financial losses that could materially impair our ability to pursue our strategy, cause the market price of our common stock to decline, or require us to raise additional capital.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act).

Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

•

our expectations regarding our clinical development of OTIPRIO, including but not limited to our plans to meet with the FDA to discuss the requirements for a registration program in acute otitis externa, and our plans to initiate a second Phase 2 clinical trial in the first quarter of 2016 to identify the preferred dose of OTIPRIO for further development as a treatment of pediatric patients with AOMT;

 

•

our expectations regarding our clinical development of OTO-104, including but not limited to our plans to initiate a second Phase 3 clinical trial in Ménière’s disease in the European Union which is expected to begin during the first quarter of 2016, that results of both the U.S. and EU Phase 3 clinical trials are expected in the second half of 2017, and, if successful, our plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA in the first half of 2018;

 

•

our expectations that patients completing the Phase 3 clinical trials in Ménière’s disease will enroll in an open-label clinical safety trial and receive two quarterly doses of OTO-104;

 

•

our expectations regarding the clinical development of OTO-311, including but not limited to our expectation that the Phase 1 clinical safety trial will be completed in the first half of 2016, and our plans to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in tinnitus patients in the second half of 2016;

 

•

our expectations regarding our future development of our product candidates for additional indications;

 

•

the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals;

 

•

our expectations regarding the future development of other product candidates;

 

•

our expectations regarding the multiple-dose clinical safety requirement for U.S. regulatory approval of OTO-104 in the United States in patients with Ménière’s disease and our plan to initiate one or more additional multiple-dose safety studies during 2016 to satisfy such requirements;

 

•

the potential for commercialization of our product candidates, if approved, as well as our expectations regarding the timing of the anticipated commercial launch for OTIPRIO in the United States;

 

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our expectations and statements regarding the potential pricing, market size, opportunity and growth potential for OTIPRIO and OTO-104, if approved for commercial use;

 

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our expectations and statements regarding the adoption and use of OTIPRIO and OTO-104, if approved, by ear, nose and throat physicians (ENTs);

 

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our expectations regarding potential coverage and reimbursement relating to OTIPRIO or OTO-104, if approved, or any other approved product candidates;

 

•

our plans regarding the use of contract manufacturers for the production of our product candidates for clinical trials and, if approved, commercial use;

 

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•

our plans and ability to effectively build our own sales and marketing capabilities, or seek and establish collaborative partners, to commercialize our products;

 

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our hiring plans for sales representatives;

 

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our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;

 

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the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, products and technology;

 

•

the initiation, timing, progress and results of future preclinical studies and clinical trials;

 

•

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our products and technology;

 

•

estimates of our expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

 

•

our financial performance;

 

•

developments and projections relating to our competitors and our industry;

 

•

our expectations regarding the expansion of our facilities;

 

•

our anticipated use of proceeds from our initial public offering, our January 2015 public offering and this offering; and

 

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our expectations regarding the period during which we qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect” and the negative and plural forms of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Those statements appear in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein and therein by reference, particularly in the sections titled “Prospectus Supplement Summary,” “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and management that are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus also contain statements that are based on the current expectations of our Company and management. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein after we distribute this prospectus supplement, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of our common stock in this offering will be approximately $93.4 million from the sale of approximately $100.0 million of shares of our common stock offered by us in this offering, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, or approximately $107.5 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund expenses in connection with commercializing OTIPRIO in the United States and conducting clinical trials for OTIPRIO in one or more potential expansion indications; OTO-104 clinical development, including completion of the U.S. Phase 3 clinical trial, initiation and completion of an EU Phase 3 clinical trial, and initiation and completion of one or more open-label, multiple-dose safety studies in Ménière’s patients; completion of a Phase 1 clinical safety trial for OTO-311 and, based on the results, initiation and completion of a Phase 2 clinical trial in tinnitus patients; and for research and development activities including preclinical development of Program 4 targeting sensorineural hearing loss, working capital, facilities expansion and other general corporate purposes.

We may also use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to in-license, acquire or invest in complementary business, technologies, products or assets. However, we have no current plans, commitments or obligations to do so.

We believe that the net proceeds from this offering and our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments will be sufficient to fund our operations through at least the next 24 months. This expected use of the net proceeds from the offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. We cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the net proceeds that we will receive from this offering, or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the ongoing status of and results from clinical trials and other studies, the product approval process with the FDA, and the scope of our commercialization efforts, as well as any strategic collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our product or product candidates, any unforeseen cash needs, and our investments and acquisitions. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds. Investors will be relying on our judgment regarding the use of the net proceeds from this offering.

Pending the use of proceeds as described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds that we receive in short-term and intermediate-term interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade investments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government. We cannot predict whether the invested proceeds will yield a favorable return.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of our common stock in this public offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after completion of this offering.

Our net tangible book value is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities. Net tangible book value per share is our net tangible book value divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2015. Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2015 was $199.6 million, or $8.24 per share, based on the 24,235,769 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2015.

After giving effect to the sale of                 shares of common stock by us in this offering at the public offering price of $         per share, and after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value at September 30, 2015 would have been approximately $         million, or $         per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in as adjusted net tangible book value of $         per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $         per share to investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

Assumed public offering price per share						$
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2015		$	8.24
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to investors participating in this offering
As adjusted net tangible book value per share immediately after this offering						$
As adjusted dilution per share to investors participating in this offering						$

If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase an additional              shares of common stock at the public offering price             , the as adjusted net tangible book value after this offering would be $         per share, representing an increase in net tangible book value of $         per share to existing stockholders and immediate dilution of $         per share to investors purchasing our common stock in this offering.

The number of shares of our common stock set forth in the table above excludes:

 

•

3,354,274 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of September 30, 2015, at a weighted-average exercise price of $14.3394 per share;

 

•

141,060 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants to purchase shares of common stock as of September 30, 2015, at an exercise price of $14.1765 per share of common stock subject to such warrants;

 

•

2,261,396 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2014 Plan as of September 30, 2015, and any additional shares that become available under our 2014 Plan pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year; and

 

•

672,182 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our ESPP as of September 30, 2015, and any additional shares that become available under our ESPP pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year.

Furthermore, we may choose to raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent we issue additional shares of common stock or other equity or convertible debt securities in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock to non-U.S. holders (as defined below), but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential tax considerations relating thereto. This summary is based upon the provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (Code), Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as of the date hereof. These authorities may be changed, possibly retroactively, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those set forth below. We have not sought any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with such statements and conclusions.

This summary also does not address the tax considerations arising under the laws of any non-U.S., state or local jurisdiction or under U.S. federal gift and estate tax laws, except to the limited extent set forth below. In addition, this discussion does not address any tax considerations applicable to an investor’s particular circumstances or to investors that may be subject to special tax rules, including, without limitation:

 

•

banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions;

 

•

persons subject to the alternative minimum tax or the tax on net investment income;

 

•

tax-exempt organizations;

 

•

controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

 

•

dealers in securities or currencies;

 

•

traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings;

 

•

persons that own, or are deemed to own, more than five percent of our capital stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below);

 

•

certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

 

•

persons who hold our common stock as a position in a hedging transaction, “straddle,” “conversion transaction” or other risk reduction transaction;

 

•

persons who hold or receive our common stock pursuant to the exercise of any warrant or option or otherwise as compensation;

 

•

persons who do not hold our common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code; or

 

•

persons deemed to sell our common stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code.

In addition, if a partnership, or entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend on the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. Accordingly, partnerships that hold our common stock, and partners in such partnerships, should consult their tax advisors.

 

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You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of the U.S. federal income tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock arising under the U.S. federal estate or gift tax laws or under the laws of any state, local, non-U.S. or other taxing jurisdiction or under any applicable tax treaty.

Non-U.S. Holder Defined

For purposes of this discussion, you are a non-U.S. holder if you are any holder other than a partnership (or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes), or a partner in a partnership, or:

 

•

an individual citizen or resident of the United States (for U.S. federal income tax purposes);

 

•

a corporation or other entity taxable as a corporation created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof;

 

•

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

•

a trust (x) whose administration is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and that has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (y) that has made a valid election under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

Distributions

We do not anticipate making any distributions on our common stock following the completion of this offering. However, if we do make distributions on our common stock, those payments will constitute dividends for U.S. tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. To the extent those distributions exceed both our current and our accumulated earnings and profits, they will constitute a return of capital and will first reduce your basis in our common stock, but not below zero, and then will be treated as gain from the sale of stock.

Subject to the discussion below on effectively connected income and foreign accounts, any dividend paid to you generally will be subject to U.S. withholding tax either at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividend or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. In order to receive a reduced treaty rate, you must provide us with an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or other appropriate version of IRS Form W-8 certifying qualification for the reduced rate. A non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. If the non-U.S. holder holds the stock through a financial institution or other agent acting on the non-U.S. holder’s behalf, the non-U.S. holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the agent, which then will be required to provide certification to us or our paying agent, either directly or through other intermediaries.

Dividends received by you that are effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, such dividends are attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by you in the United States), are includible in your gross income in the taxable year received, and are generally exempt from such withholding tax, subject to the discussion below on backup withholding and foreign accounts. In order to obtain this exemption, you must provide us with an IRS Form W-8ECI or other applicable IRS Form W-8 properly certifying such exemption. Such effectively connected dividends, although not subject to withholding tax, are taxed at the same graduated rates applicable to U.S. persons, net of certain deductions and credits, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. In addition, if you are a corporate non-U.S. holder, dividends you receive that are effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. You should consult your tax advisor regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

 

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Gain on Disposition of Common Stock

Subject to the discussion below on backup withholding and foreign accounts, you generally will not be required to pay U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale or other disposition of our common stock unless:

 

•

the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by you in the United States);

 

•

you are an individual who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year in which the sale or disposition occurs and certain other conditions are met; or

 

•

our common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest by reason of our status as a “United States real property holding corporation,” or USRPHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding your disposition of, or your holding period for, our common stock.

We believe that we are not currently and will not become a USRPHC. However, because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair market value of our U.S. real property relative to the fair market value of our other business assets, there can be no assurance that we will not become a USRPHC in the future. Even if we become a USRPHC, however, as long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, your common stock will be treated as U.S. real property interests only if you actually or constructively hold more than five percent of such regularly traded common stock at any time during the shorter of the five-year period preceding your disposition of, or your holding period for, our common stock.

If you are a non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet above, you will be required to pay tax on the net gain derived from the sale under regular graduated U.S. federal income tax rates, and a corporate non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet above also may be subject to the branch profits tax at a 30% rate, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. If you are an individual non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet above, you will be subject to tax at 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on the gain derived from the sale, which tax may be offset by U.S. source capital losses for the year. You should consult any applicable income tax or other treaties that may provide for different rules.

Federal Estate Tax

Our common stock beneficially owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident of the United States (as defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) at the time of their death will generally be includable in the decedent’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

Generally, we must report annually to the IRS the amount of dividends paid to you, your name and address, and the amount of tax withheld, if any. A similar report will be sent to you. Pursuant to applicable income tax treaties or other agreements, the IRS may make these reports available to tax authorities in your country of residence.

Payments of dividends or of proceeds on the disposition of stock made to you may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding at a current rate of 28% unless you establish an exemption, for example, by properly certifying your non-U.S. status on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or another

 

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appropriate version of IRS Form W-8. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding and information reporting may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that you are a U.S. person.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund or credit may generally be obtained from the IRS, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Foreign Accounts

Code Sections 1471-1474 and the regulations issued thereunder generally impose a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends on, and the gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock, paid to a “foreign financial institution” (as specially defined under these rules), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. government to, among other things, withhold on certain payments and to collect and provide to the U.S. tax authorities substantial information regarding the U.S. account holders of such institution (which includes certain equity and debt holders of such institution, as well as certain account holders that are foreign entities with U.S. owners) or otherwise establishes an exemption. The provisions also generally impose a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends on and the gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock paid to a “non-financial foreign entity” (as defined under these rules) unless such entity provides the withholding agent with a certification identifying the direct and indirect U.S. owners of the entity or otherwise establishes an exemption. The withholding obligations under these provisions generally apply to dividends on our common stock and, under current transitional rules, are expected to apply with respect to the gross proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our common stock on or after January 1, 2019. Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify the requirements described in this paragraph. Prospective investors are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of this legislation on their investment in our common stock.

The preceding discussion of U.S. federal tax considerations is for general information only. It is not tax advice. Each prospective investor should consult its own tax advisor regarding the particular U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of our common stock, including the consequences of any proposed change in applicable laws.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Cowen & Company, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers of the offering and as representatives of the underwriters. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an underwriting agreement among us and the underwriters, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the number of shares of our common stock set forth opposite its name below.

 

Underwriter		Number of Shares
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Cowen & Company, LLC
Piper Jaffray & Co.
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
Total

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriters are offering the shares, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the shares, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriters of officer’s certificates and legal opinions. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Commissions and Discounts

The representatives have advised us that the underwriters propose initially to offer the shares to the public at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $         per share. After the initial offering, the public offering price, concession or any other term of the offering may be changed.

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount and proceeds before expenses to us. The information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares.

 

Per Share

Without Option

With Option

Public offering price

$

$

$

Underwriting discounts and commissions

$

$

$

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

$

$

$

The expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discounts and commissions, are estimated at $600,000 and are payable by us. We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $25,000 of expenses related to the review of this offering by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

 

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Option to Purchase Additional Shares

We have granted an option to the underwriters, exercisable for 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase up to                 additional shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount. If the underwriters exercise this option, each will be obligated, subject to conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, to purchase a number of additional shares proportionate to that underwriter’s initial amount reflected in the above table.

Lock-Up Agreements

We have agreed that we will not (i) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any shares of our common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers all or a portion of the economic consequences associated with the ownership of any shares of common stock or any such other securities (regardless of whether any of these transactions are to be settled by the delivery of shares of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise), in each case without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated for a period of 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. Subject to certain conditions, these restrictions will not apply to (i) shares of our common stock to be sold in this offering, (ii) any shares of our common stock issued upon the exercise of options granted under our existing equity incentive plans or warrants described as outstanding in the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part, provided that we shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the recipient of such shares of our common stock issued pursuant to this clause (ii) during the 90-day restricted period described above to enter into a lock-up agreement, (iii) any options and other awards granted under an equity incentive plan described in the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part, (iv) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 or a successor form thereto relating to an equity incentive plan described in the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part, and (v) shares of our common stock or other securities issued in connection with a transaction with an unaffiliated third party that includes a bona fide commercial relationship (including joint ventures, marketing or distribution arrangements, collaboration agreements or intellectual property license agreements) or any acquisition of assets or acquisition of not less than a majority or controlling portion of the equity of another entity, provided that (x) the aggregate number of shares issued pursuant to this clause (v) shall not exceed five percent (5%) of the total number of outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the issuance and sale of the shares of common stock in this offering and (y) the recipient of any such shares of common stock and securities issued pursuant to this clause (v) during the 90-day restricted period described above shall enter into a lock-up agreement.

Our directors, executive officers and certain of our security holders have entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters prior to the commencement of this offering pursuant to which each of these persons or entities, with limited exceptions, for a period of 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, may not, without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, (1) offer, pledge, announce the intention to sell, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock (including, without limitation, common stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by such directors, executive officers, managers and members in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) or (2) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the common stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash

 

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or otherwise, or (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of our common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock. The restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph do not apply to certain transactions, including:

 

•

shares to be purchased or sold pursuant to the underwriting agreement in this offering;

 

•

common stock acquired in open market transactions on or after the date of this prospectus supplement, provided that no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the lock-up period);

 

•

transfers of common stock (i) as a bona fide gift, (ii) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediately family member of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a trust, to any beneficiary (including such beneficiary’s estate) of the undersigned, (iii) by will or intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned, or (iv) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is a direct or indirect affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act) of the party subject to the lock-up restrictions or as part of a distribution without consideration to stockholders, beneficiaries, partners, members or other equity holders, provided that in the case of any transfer contemplated in clauses (i) through (iv) above, each donee, heir, distributee or other transferee shall execute and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form executed by the party subject to the lock-up restrictions, and provided, further, that no filing by any party (donor, donee, transferor or transferee) under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the lock-up period);

 

•

the “net” or “cashless” exercise of options to purchase common stock or settlement of restricted stock units pursuant to our equity incentive plans or of warrants to purchase our securities, or the exchange or conversion of any securities convertible or exchangeable for common stock granted pursuant to our equity incentive plans, in each case which equity incentive plans and warrants are described in this prospectus supplement, provided that any exercise or settlement does not involve a sale of securities to any person or entity other than us, whether to cover the applicable exercise price, withholding tax obligation or otherwise, provided, further, that the securities received upon such exercise, settlement, exchange or conversion shall be subject to the terms of this letter agreement and that no filing by any party under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection therewith (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the lock-up period);

 

•

dispositions to us pursuant to agreements under which the shares were issued and we have the option to repurchase such shares or securities or a right of first refusal with respect to transfers of such shares or securities, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall be required or shall be voluntarily made within 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, and after such 30th day, any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that (i) the filing relates to the transfer of such shares or securities to the Company pursuant to such repurchase option or right of first refusal, as the case may be, and (ii) no shares were sold by the reporting person;

 

•

in connection with the conversion of our outstanding preferred stock into shares of our common stock, provided that the securities so received shall be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in the agreement;

 

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•

pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of our capital stock involving a change of control of the Company, provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the securities held by the party subject to the lock-up restrictions shall remain subject to such restrictions;

 

•

transfers by operation of law, such as pursuant to a domestic relations order or in connection with a divorce settlement, provided that any transferee shall execute and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form executed by the party subject to the lock-up restrictions;

 

•

the establishment of a written plan meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act relating to the sale of securities, provided that the securities subject to such plan may not be sold and no public disclosure of any such action shall be required or shall be voluntarily made by any person during the lock-up period; or

 

•

sales or transfers of common stock made pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 that has been entered into by the party subject to the lock-up restrictions prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, provided, that to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the party subject to the lock-up restrictions or the Company regarding any such sales or transfers, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that the sale or transfer was made pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1.

No Sales of Similar Securities

We, our executive officers and directors have agreed not to sell or transfer any of our common stock or securities convertible into, exchangeable for, exercisable for, or repayable with our common stock, for 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without first obtaining the written consent of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. Specifically, we and these other persons have agreed, with certain limited exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:

 

•

offer, pledge, sell or contract to sell any of our common stock,

 

•

sell any option or contract to purchase any of our common stock,

 

•

purchase any option or contract to sell any common stock,

 

•

grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of any common stock,

 

•

dispose of or transfer any of our common stock,

 

•

lend or otherwise dispose of or transfer any common stock, or

 

•

enter into any swap, hedge or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequence of ownership of any common stock.

NASDAQ Global Select Market Listing

The shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OTIC.”

Price Stabilization, Short Positions

Until the distribution of the shares is completed, SEC rules may limit underwriters and selling group members from bidding for and purchasing our common stock. However, the representatives may engage in transactions that stabilize the price of the common stock, such as bids or purchases to peg, fix or maintain that price.

 

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In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, purchases on the open market to cover positions created by short sales and stabilizing transactions. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares described above. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option granted to them. “Naked” short sales are sales in excess of such option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of shares of common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.

Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on The NASDAQ Global Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the representatives will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Passive Market Making

In connection with this offering, the underwriters and selling group members may engage in passive market making transactions in the common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of our common stock and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may cause the price of our common stock to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of those transactions. The underwriters and dealers are not required to engage in passive market making and may end passive market making activities at any time.

Electronic Distribution

In connection with the offering, certain of the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by electronic means, such as e-mail.

Other Relationships

Some of the underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their

 

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customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area, no offer of shares of common stock which are the subject of the offering has been, or will be made to the public in that Member State, other than under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive:

 

A.

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

B.

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Representatives for any such offer; or

 

C.

in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of shares of common stock referred to in (a) to (c) above shall result in a requirement for the Company or any Representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive, or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

Each person located in a Member State to whom any offer of shares of common stock is made or who receives any communication in respect of any offer of ordinary shares, or who initially acquires any shares of common stock will be deemed to have represented, warranted, acknowledged and agreed to and with each Representative and the Company that (1) it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of the law in that Member State implementing Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive; and (2) in the case of any shares of common stock acquired by it as a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, the shares of common stock acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the Prospectus Directive, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Representatives has been given to the offer or resale; or where ordinary shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those ordinary shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such persons.

The Company, the Representatives and their respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgments and agreements.

This prospectus supplement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of shares of common stock in any Member State will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of shares of common stock. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Member State of shares of common stock which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus supplement may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the Representatives to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive in relation to such offer. Neither the Company nor the Representatives have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of shares of common stock in circumstances in which an obligation arises for the Company or the Representatives to publish a prospectus for such offer.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of shares of common stock to the public” in relation to any shares of common stock in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any

 

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means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the shares of common stock to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the shares of common stock, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Member State.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Directive) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19 (5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (Order), and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is only available to, and will be engaged in with, relevant persons.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, us or the shares has been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (CISA). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, in relation to the offering. This

 

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prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

Any offer in Australia of the shares may only be made to persons (Exempt Investors) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The shares applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The shares have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying

 

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prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (SFA), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

 

(a)

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

(b)

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

(a)

to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

(b)

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

 

(c)

where the transfer is by operation of law;

 

(d)

as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

 

(e)

as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the British Virgin Islands

We, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the shares of common stock offered herein have not been, and will not be, recognized or registered under the laws and regulations of the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”). The shares of common stock may not be offered or sold in the BVI except in circumstances in which the Company, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the shares of common stock offered herein do not require recognition by or registration with the authorities of the BVI. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is not a solicitation of individuals situated in the BVI to purchase interests in the Company.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

The shares may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

 

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Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 (or, in the case of securities issued or guaranteed by the government of a non-Canadian jurisdiction, section 3A.4) of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California. The underwriters are being represented by Cooley LLP, San Diego, California, in connection with this offering. Certain members of, and investment partnerships comprised of members of, and persons associated with, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, own an aggregate of 17,268 shares of our common stock.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst  & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free of charge through the Internet. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 relating to the offering of these securities. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us and the securities. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement, at prescribed rates, from the SEC at the address listed above. The registration statement and the documents referred to below under “Information Incorporated by Reference” are also available on our Internet website, www.otonomy.com. We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information on our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference into this prospectus certain information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC (excluding any portions of any Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the General Instructions of Form 8-K):

 

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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2015;

 

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the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015;

 

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our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2015 (filed with the SEC on May 12, 2015), June 30, 2015 (filed with the SEC on August 12, 2015) and September 30, 2015 (filed with the SEC on November 10, 2015);

 

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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 18, 2015, April 30, 2015, May 12, 2015, May 26, 2015, June 25, 2015, August 12, 2015, September 1, 2015 (as amended by our Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on September 4, 2015), October 9, 2015 and November 10, 2015, respectively; and

 

•

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A as filed with the SEC on August 5, 2014 pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits on such form that are related to such items) that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus is deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement.

This prospectus may contain information that updates, modifies or is contrary to information in one or more of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of this prospectus or the date of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, at no cost to the requester, a copy of any and all of the information that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Requests for such documents should be directed to:

Otonomy, Inc.

6275 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 100

San Diego, California 92121

Attention: Secretary

You may also access the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus through our website at www.otonomy.com. Except for the specific incorporated documents listed above, no information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

$300,000,000

Otonomy, Inc.

By this prospectus, Otonomy may offer, from time to time:

 

		•  Common stock •  Preferred stock •  Depositary shares •  Warrants •  Debt securities •  Subscription Rights •  Units

 

 

We may offer and sell from time to time, in one or more series or issuances and on terms that we will determine at the time of the offering, any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, up to an aggregate amount of $300,000,000.

We will provide specific terms of any offering in a supplement to this prospectus. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus before you purchase any of the securities offered hereby.

These securities may be offered and sold in the same offering or in separate offerings; to or through underwriters, dealers and agents; or directly to purchasers. The names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of our securities, their compensation and any over-allotment options held by them will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the section titled “Plan of Distribution.”

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OTIC”. We will provide information in any applicable prospectus supplement regarding any listing of securities other than shares of our common stock on any securities exchange.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, have elected to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

 

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES SIGNIFICANT RISKS. YOU SHOULD REVIEW CAREFULLY THE “RISK FACTORS ” ON PAGE 6 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

 

 

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

 

 

The date of this prospectus is September 14, 2015

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		Page
About this Prospectus			1
Prospectus Summary			2
Risk Factors			6
Forward-Looking Statements			6
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges			8
Use of Proceeds			8
Description of Capital Stock			9
Description of the Depositary Shares			14
Description of the Warrants			17
Description of the Debt Securities			19
Description of Subscription Rights			30
Description of Units			31
Plan of Distribution			32
Legal Matters			35
Experts			35
Where You Can Find More Information			35
Information Incorporated by Reference			36

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf process, we may, from time to time, sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total amount of $300,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in the prospectus and, accordingly, to the extent inconsistent, information in this prospectus is superseded by the information in the prospectus supplement.

The prospectus supplement to be attached to the front of this prospectus may describe, as applicable: the terms of the securities offered; the initial public offering price; the price paid for the securities; net proceeds; and the other specific terms related to the offering of the securities.

You should only rely on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus relating to a particular offering. No person has been authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus in connection with the offering described herein and therein, and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. Neither this prospectus nor any prospectus supplement nor any related free writing prospectus shall constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy offered securities in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offering or solicitation. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits.

You should read the entire prospectus and any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, before making an investment decision. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus nor any sale made hereunder shall under any circumstances imply that the information contained or incorporated by reference herein or in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus is correct as of any date subsequent to the date hereof or of such prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the applicable documents, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of our securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should also consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed under “Part I—Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, and “Part II—Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, and as may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future and any prospectus supplement related to a particular offering. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, each prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus and each prospectus supplement contain certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

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our expectations regarding our clinical development of OTO-104, including our plans to initiate two parallel Phase 3 trials in Ménière’s disease to support U.S. regulatory approval, with the first trial expected to begin by the end of 2015 and the second trial expected to begin during the first quarter of 2016;

 

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our expectations regarding the development of OTO-311;

 

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our expectations regarding our future development of our product candidates for additional indications;

 

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the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including our submission of an IND for OTO-311 with the FDA;

 

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our expectations regarding the future development of other product candidates;

 

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our expectations regarding the multiple-dose clinical safety requirement for U.S. regulatory approval of OTO-104 in the United States in patients with Ménière’s disease;

 

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the potential for commercialization of our product candidates, if approved, including our expectations regarding the timing of the anticipated commercial launch for AuriPro in the United States, if approved;

 

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our expectations and statements regarding the potential pricing, market size, opportunity and growth potential for AuriPro and OTO-104, if approved for commercial use;

 

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our expectations and statements regarding the adoption and use of AuriPro and OTO-104, if approved, by ear, nose and throat physicians, or ENTs;

 

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our expectations regarding potential coverage and reimbursement relating to AuriPro or OTO-104, if approved, or any other approved product candidates;

 

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our plans regarding the use of contract manufacturers for the production of our product candidates for clinical trials and, if approved, commercial use;

 

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our plans and ability to effectively build our own sales and marketing capabilities, or seek and establish collaborative partners, to commercialize our products;

 

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our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;

 

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the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, products and technology;

 

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the initiation, timing, progress and results of future preclinical studies and clinical trials;

 

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the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our products and technology;

 

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estimates of our expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

 

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our financial performance;

 

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developments and projections relating to our competitors and our industry;

 

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our expectations regarding the expansion of our facilities; and

 

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our expectations regarding the period during which we qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect” and the negative and plural forms of these words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Those statements appear in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated herein and therein by reference, particularly in the sections titled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” and include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of the Company and management that are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions.

This prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement also contain statements that are based on the current expectations of our Company and management. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein after we distribute this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods indicated. You should read these ratios in connection with our financial statements and accompanying notes, and our annual report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2014, incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

		Fiscal Year Ended December 31,						Six months Ended
		2012		2013		2014		June 30, 2015
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges		N/A		N/A		N/A		N/A

We did not record earnings for the periods indicated in the table above. Accordingly, our earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges for such periods and we are unable to disclose a ratio of earnings to fixed charges for such periods. For the years ended December 31, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and for the six months ended June 30, 2015, the coverage deficiency necessary for the ratio of earnings to fixed charges to equal 1.00 (one-to-one coverage) was $8.4 million, $20.1 million, $42.9 million, and $24.6 million, respectively, for each of such periods.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have no shares of preferred stock outstanding, and consequently, our ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred share dividends and ratio of earnings to fixed charges would be identical.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of securities offered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, other corporate expenses and acquisitions of complementary products, technologies or businesses. However, we do not have agreements or commitments for any specific acquisitions at this time. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. As a result, unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds of the offerings. Pending their ultimate use, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

The following description summarizes the most important terms of our capital stock as set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, copies of which have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement relating to our initial public offering. For a complete description of our capital stock, you should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and third amended and restated investors’ rights agreement, that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement relating to our initial public offering, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law. Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share.

Common Stock

Outstanding Shares

On July 31, 2015, there were 24,199,803 shares of common stock outstanding, held of record by 42 stockholders. Our board of directors is authorized, without stockholder approval, to issue additional shares of our capital stock.

As of July 31, 2015, there were 141,060 shares of common stock subject to outstanding warrants, and 3,232,990 shares of common stock subject to outstanding options.

Dividend Rights

Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then outstanding convertible preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of legally available funds. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on any of our capital stock and currently do not anticipate paying any cash dividends after this offering or in the foreseeable future.

Voting Rights

There are 200,000,000 shares of common stock authorized for issuance. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders; provided, however, that, except as otherwise required by law, holders of our common stock, as such, shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of preferred stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, corporate actions can generally be taken by a majority of our board and/or stockholders holding a majority of our outstanding shares, except as otherwise indicated in the section entitled “Anti-takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws,” where certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws require the vote of at least two-thirds of our then outstanding voting securities. Additionally, our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. Accordingly, holders of a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders will be able to elect all of the directors then standing for election.

Right to Receive Liquidation Distributions

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then outstanding shares of preferred stock.

 

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Rights and Preferences

Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion, subscription or other rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate in the future.

Fully Paid and Nonassessable

All of our outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares of common stock to be issued pursuant to this offering, when paid for, will be fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock by us could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of our company or other corporate action. No shares of preferred stock are outstanding, and we have no present plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Stock Options

As of July 31, 2015, there were 3,232,990 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, at a weighted-average exercise price of $13.80 per share.

Warrants

As of July 31, 2015, we had outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 141,060 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $14.1765 per share.

These warrants have a net exercise provision under which their holders may, in lieu of payment of the exercise price in cash, surrender the warrant and receive a net amount of shares based on the fair market value of our stock at the time of exercise of the warrants after deduction of the aggregate exercise price.

Exclusive Jurisdiction

Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws; (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any action, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

 

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Registration Rights

The holders of an aggregate of up to 9,454,260 shares of our common stock, including shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options and warrants, or their permitted transferees, are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of such shares under the Securities Act. We refer to these shares as “registrable securities.” These rights are provided under the terms of our third amended and restated investors’ rights agreement between us and the holders of registrable securities, and include demand registration rights, “piggyback” registration rights and Form S-3 registration rights.

These registration rights will terminate as to a given holder of registrable securities upon the earliest of (i) August 18, 2019 or (ii) when such holder and such holder’s affiliates can sell all of such holder’s registrable securities during a three-month period without registration in compliance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act.

Generally, we are required to pay the registration expenses (other than underwriters’ and brokers’ discounts and commissions) in connection with the registrations described below, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of one counsel for the selling holder or holders of registrable securities. In an underwritten offering, the underwriters have the right to limit the number of shares registered by the holders of registrable securities for marketing reasons, subject to certain limitations.

Demand Registration Rights

Upon the written request of at least a majority of the then outstanding registrable securities that we file a registration statement under the Securities Act (provided that the anticipated aggregate offering price of such shares is greater than $5.0 million), we will be obligated to notify all holders of registrable securities of such request and to use our reasonable best efforts to register the sale of all registrable securities that holders may request to be registered. We are only obligated to file up to two registration statements which are declared or ordered effective in connection with the exercise of these demand registration rights. These demand registration rights are subject to specified conditions and limitations, including the right of the underwriters to limit the number of shares included in any such registration under certain circumstances.

Piggyback Registration Rights

If we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities Act in connection with the public offering of such securities, the holders of registrable securities will be entitled to certain “piggyback” registration rights allowing such holders to include their shares in such registration, subject to certain limitations. As a result, whenever we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act, other than with respect to a registration related to either to the sale of securities to our employees pursuant to a stock plan, stock purchase or similar plan or a registration related to a corporate reorganization or transaction under Rule 145 of the Securities Act of registrable securities are entitled to notice of the registration and have the right to include their shares in the registration. These registration rights are subject to specified conditions and limitations, including the right of the underwriters to limit the number of shares included in any such registration statement under certain circumstances.

Form S-3 Registration Rights

Upon the written request from the holders of at least 10% of the outstanding shares of registrable securities, holders of registrable securities have the right to demand that we file a registration statement on Form S-3 so long as the aggregate amount of shares to be offered and sold under such registration statement on Form S-3 is at least $1.0 million (net of any underwriters’ discounts or commissions). We are not required to effect a registration on Form S-3 if we have already effected two registrations on Form S-3 for the holders pursuant to Form S-3 registration rights within the twelve-month period preceding the date of the request. Additionally, we are not required to effect such registration in any jurisdiction in which we would be required to qualify to do business or execute a general consent of process in effecting such registration.

 

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Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

The provisions of Delaware law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another person from acquiring control of our company. These provisions, which are summarized below, may have the effect of discouraging takeover bids. They are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with an unfriendly or unsolicited acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging a proposal to acquire us because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.

Delaware Law

We are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes mergers, asset sales or other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years of the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an “interested stockholder,” did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock. These provisions may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in our control.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaw Provisions

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our management team, including the following:

 

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

 

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Classified board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that our board is classified into three classes of directors. A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors.

 

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Stockholder action; special meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders. As a result, a holder controlling a majority of our capital stock is not be able to amend our amended and restated bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of our stockholders called in accordance with our amended and restated bylaws. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority of our board of directors, the Chairman of our Board of Directors, our Chief Executive Officer or our President, thus prohibiting a stockholder from calling a special meeting. These provisions might delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors.

 

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Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations. Our amended and restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions might preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions may also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.

 

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No cumulative voting. The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting.

 

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Directors removed only for cause. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders may remove directors only for cause.

 

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Amendment of charter provisions. Any amendment of the above provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require approval by holders of at least two-thirds of our then outstanding voting securities.

 

•

Issuance of undesignated preferred stock. Our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by our board of directors. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock would enable our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other means.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Wells Fargo Bank, National Association. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, 110 Centre Pointe Curve, Suite 101, Mendota Heights, MN 55120-4101. Our shares of common stock are issued in uncertificated form only, subject to limited circumstances.

Market Listing

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “OTIC.”

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPOSITARY SHARES

General

At our option, we may elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we do elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, we will issue receipts for depositary shares and each of these depositary shares will represent a fraction of a share of a particular series of preferred stock, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fractional interest in shares of preferred stock underlying that depositary share, to all rights and preferences of the preferred stock underlying that depositary share. These rights may include dividend, voting, redemption and liquidation rights.

The shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited with a bank or trust company selected by us to act as depositary, under a deposit agreement by and among us, the depositary and the holders of the depositary receipts. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares.

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the depositary agreement. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.

The summary of terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus is not complete, and is subject to modification in any prospectus supplement for any issuance of depositary shares. You should refer to the forms of the deposit agreement, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the certificate of designation that are, or will be, filed with the SEC for the applicable series of preferred stock.

Dividends

The depositary will distribute cash dividends or other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary receipts in proportion to the number of depositary shares owned by those holders on the relevant record date. The relevant record date for depositary shares will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock.

In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property received by it to the record holders of depositary receipts that are entitled to receive the distribution, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary, with our approval, may adopt another method for the distribution, including selling the property and distributing the net proceeds to the holders.

Liquidation Preference

If a series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares has a liquidation preference, in the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable series of preferred stock, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Redemption

If a series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is subject to redemption, the depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the depositary resulting from the redemption, in whole or in part, of the preferred stock held by the depositary. Whenever we redeem any preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem, as of the same redemption date, the number of depositary shares representing the preferred stock so redeemed. The depositary will mail the notice of redemption to the record holders of the

 

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depositary receipts promptly upon receiving the notice from us and not fewer than 20 or more than 60 days, unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, prior to the date fixed for redemption of the preferred stock.

Voting

Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts underlying the preferred stock. Each record holder of those depositary receipts on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the amount of preferred stock underlying that holder’s depositary shares. The record date for the depositary will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock. The depositary will, to the extent practicable, vote the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares in accordance with these instructions. We will agree to take all action that may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to vote the preferred stock in accordance with these instructions. The depositary will not vote the preferred stock to the extent that it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary receipts.

Withdrawal of Preferred Stock

Owners of depositary shares will be entitled to receive upon surrender of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary and payment of any unpaid amount due to the depositary, the number of whole shares of preferred stock underlying their depositary shares.

Partial shares of preferred stock will not be issued. Holders of preferred stock will not be entitled to deposit the shares under the deposit agreement or to receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares for the preferred stock.

Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may be amended by agreement between the depositary and us. However, any amendment which materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares, other than fee changes, will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by at least a majority of the outstanding depositary shares. The deposit agreement may be terminated by the depositary or us only if:

 

•

all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed; or

 

•

there has been a final distribution of the preferred stock in connection with our dissolution and such distribution has been made to all the holders of depositary shares.

Charges of Depositary

We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangement. We will also pay charges of the depositary in connection with:

 

•

the initial deposit of the preferred stock;

 

•

the initial issuance of the depositary shares;

 

•

any redemption of the preferred stock; and

 

•

all withdrawals of preferred stock by owners of depositary shares.

Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and other specified charges as provided in the deposit agreement for their accounts. If these charges have not been paid, the depositary may:

 

•

refuse to transfer depositary shares;

 

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•

withhold dividends and distributions; and

 

•

sell the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipt.

Miscellaneous

The depositary will forward to the holders of depositary receipts all reports and communications we deliver to the depositary that we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any reports and communications we deliver to the depositary as the holder of preferred stock.

Neither the depositary nor we will be liable if either the depositary or we are prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond the control of either the depositary or us in performing our respective obligations under the deposit agreement. Our obligations and the depositary’s obligations will be limited to the performance in good faith of our or the depositary’s respective duties under the deposit agreement. Neither the depositary nor we will be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. The depositary and we may rely on:

 

•

written advice of counsel or accountants;

 

•

information provided by holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed in good faith to be competent to give such information; and

 

•

documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

The depositary may resign at any time by delivering a notice to us. We may remove the depositary at any time. Any such resignation or removal will take effect upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. The successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice for resignation or removal. The successor depositary must be a bank and trust company having its principal office in the United States of America and having a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000.

Federal Income Tax Consequences

Owners of the depositary shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as if they were owners of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares. As a result, owners will be entitled to take into account for U.S. federal income tax purposes and deductions to which they would be entitled if they were holders of such preferred stock. No gain or loss will be recognized for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the withdrawal of preferred stock in exchange for depositary shares. The tax basis of each share of preferred stock to an exchanging owner of depositary shares will, upon such exchange, be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the depositary shares exchanged. The holding period for preferred stock in the hands of an exchanging owner of depositary shares will include the period during which such person owned such depositary shares.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE WARRANTS

General

We may issue warrants for the purchase of our debt securities, preferred stock or common stock, or any combination thereof. Warrants may be issued independently or together with our debt securities, preferred stock or common stock and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants. The warrant agent will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. This summary of certain provisions of the warrants is not complete. For the terms of a particular series of warrants, you should refer to the prospectus supplement for that series of warrants and the warrant agreement for that particular series.

Debt Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of warrants to purchase debt securities will describe the terms of the debt warrants, including the following:

 

•

the title of the debt warrants;

 

•

the offering price for the debt warrants, if any;

 

•

the aggregate number of the debt warrants;

 

•

the designation and terms of the debt securities, including any conversion rights, purchasable upon exercise of the debt warrants;

 

•

if applicable, the date from and after which the debt warrants and any debt securities issued with them will be separately transferable;

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the debt warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

•

whether the debt warrants represented by the debt warrant certificates or debt securities that may be issued upon exercise of the debt warrants will be issued in registered or bearer form;

 

•

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

•

if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations;

 

•

the antidilution provisions of the debt warrants, if any;

 

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the debt warrants;

 

•

any provisions with respect to the holder’s right to require us to repurchase the warrants upon a change in control or similar event; and

 

•

any additional terms of the debt warrants, including procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the debt warrants.

Debt warrant certificates will be exchangeable for new debt warrant certificates of different denominations. Debt warrants may be exercised at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement. Prior to the exercise of their debt warrants, holders of debt warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the debt securities purchasable upon exercise and will not be entitled to payment of principal or any premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise.

 

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Equity Warrants

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants to purchase our common stock or preferred stock will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:

 

•

the title of the warrants;

 

•

the offering price for the warrants, if any;

 

•

the aggregate number of warrants;

 

•

the designation and terms of the common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

 

•

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

 

•

if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and any securities issued with the warrants will be separately transferable;

 

•

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of a warrant and the exercise price for the warrants;

 

•

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and expire;

 

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

•

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

•

if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations;

 

•

the antidilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

 

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the warrants;

 

•

any provisions with respect to the holder’s right to require us to repurchase the warrants upon a change in control or similar event; and

 

•

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

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

 

•

to vote, consent or receive dividends;

 

•

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

 

•

exercise any rights as stockholders of us.

This summary of certain provisions of the warrants is not complete. For the terms of a particular series of warrants, you should refer to the prospectus supplement for that series of warrants and the warrant agreement for that particular series.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES

The debt securities may be either secured or unsecured and will either be our senior debt securities or our subordinated debt securities. The debt securities will be issued under one or more separate indentures between us and a trustee to be specified in an accompanying prospectus supplement. Senior debt securities will be issued under a senior indenture and subordinated debt securities will be issued under a subordinated indenture. Together, the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are called indentures in this description. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplement, will describe the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

The following is a summary of selected provisions and definitions of the indentures and debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. The summary of selected provisions of the indentures and the debt securities appearing below is not complete and is subject to, and qualified entirely by reference to, all of the provisions of the applicable indenture and certificates evidencing the applicable debt securities. For additional information, you should look at the applicable indenture and the certificate evidencing the applicable debt security that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes the prospectus. In this description of the debt securities, the words “we,” “us,” or “our” refer only to Otonomy, Inc. and not to any of our subsidiaries, unless we expressly state or the context otherwise requires.

The following description sets forth selected general terms and provisions of the applicable indenture and debt securities to which any prospectus supplement may relate. Other specific terms of the applicable indenture and debt securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If any particular terms of the indenture or debt securities described in a prospectus supplement differ from any of the terms described below, then the terms described below will be deemed to have been superseded by that prospectus supplement.

General

Debt securities may be issued in separate series without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the debt securities of any series.

We are not limited as to the amount of debt securities we may issue under the indentures. Unless otherwise provided in a prospectus supplement, a series of debt securities may be reopened to issue additional debt securities of such series.

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of debt securities will set forth:

 

•

whether the debt securities are senior or subordinated;

 

•

the offering price;

 

•

the title;

 

•

any limit on the aggregate principal amount;

 

•

the person who shall be entitled to receive interest, if other than the record holder on the record date;

 

•

the date or dates the principal will be payable;

 

•

the interest rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, if any, the date from which interest will accrue, the interest payment dates and the regular record dates, or the method for calculating the dates and rates;

 

•

the place where payments may be made;

 

•

any mandatory or optional redemption provisions or sinking fund provisions and any applicable redemption or purchase prices associated with these provisions;

 

•

if issued other than in denominations of U.S. $1,000 or any multiple of U.S. $1,000, the denominations in which the debt securities shall be issuable;

 

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•

if applicable, the method for determining how the principal, premium, if any, or interest will be calculated by reference to an index or formula;

 

•

if other than U.S. currency, the currency or currency units in which principal, premium, if any, or interest will be payable and whether we or a holder may elect payment to be made in a different currency;

 

•

the portion of the principal amount that will be payable upon acceleration of maturity, if other than the entire principal amount;

 

•

if the principal amount payable at stated maturity will not be determinable as of any date prior to stated maturity, the amount or method for determining the amount which will be deemed to be the principal amount;

 

•

if applicable, whether the debt securities shall be subject to the defeasance provisions described below under “Satisfaction and discharge; defeasance” or such other defeasance provisions specified in the applicable prospectus supplement for the debt securities;

 

•

any conversion or exchange provisions;

 

•

whether the debt securities will be issuable in the form of a global security;

 

•

the deletion, addition or change in any event of default;

 

•

any change or modification to the subordination provisions applicable to the subordinated debt securities if different from those described below under “Subordinated debt securities;”

 

•

any deletion, addition or change in the covenants set forth in Article 10 of the indenture;

 

•

any paying agents, authenticating agents, security registrars or other agents for the debt securities, if other than the trustee;

 

•

any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities, including any provisions regarding the circumstances under which collateral may be released or substituted;

 

•

any provisions relating to guaranties for the securities and any circumstances under which there may be additional obligors;

 

•

any provisions granting special rights to holders when a specified event occurs;

 

•

any special tax provisions that apply to the debt securities;

 

•

with respect to the debt securities that do not bear interest, the dates for certain required reports to the applicable trustee;

 

•

any and all additional, eliminated or changed terms that will apply to the debt securities; and

 

•

any other terms of such debt securities.

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be registered debt securities. Debt securities may be sold at a substantial discount below their stated principal amount, bearing no interest or interest at a rate which at time of issuance is below market rates. The U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities sold at a discount will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Exchange and Transfer

Debt securities may be transferred or exchanged at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us.

 

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We will not impose a service charge for any transfer or exchange, but we may require holders to pay any tax or other governmental charges associated with any transfer or exchange.

In the event of any partial redemption of debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

•

issue, register the transfer of, or exchange, any debt security of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

•

register the transfer of or exchange any debt security of that series selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion being redeemed in part.

We will appoint the trustee as the initial security registrar. Any transfer agent, in addition to the security registrar initially designated by us, will be named in the prospectus supplement. We may designate additional transfer agents or change transfer agents or change the office of the transfer agent. However, we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

Global Securities

The debt securities of any series may be represented, in whole or in part, by one or more global securities. Each global security will:

 

•

be registered in the name of a depositary, or its nominee, that we will identify in a prospectus supplement;

 

•

be deposited with the depositary or nominee or custodian; and

 

•

bear any required legends.

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

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

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

As long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a global security, the depositary or nominee will be considered the sole owner and holder of the debt securities represented by the global security for all purposes under the indentures. Except in the above limited circumstances, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be:

 

•

entitled to have the debt securities registered in their names;

 

•

entitled to physical delivery of certificated debt securities; or

 

•

considered to be holders of those debt securities under the indenture.

Payments on a global security will be made to the depositary or its nominee as the holder of the global security. Some jurisdictions have laws that require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a global security.

Institutions that have accounts with the depositary or its nominee are referred to as “participants.” Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to participants and to persons that may hold

 

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beneficial interests through participants. The depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of debt securities represented by the global security to the accounts of its participants.

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

Payments, transfers and exchanges relating to beneficial interests in a global security will be subject to policies and procedures of the depositary. The depositary policies and procedures may change from time to time. Neither any trustee nor we will have any responsibility or liability for the depositary’s or any participant’s records with respect to beneficial interests in a global security.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, the provisions described in this paragraph will apply to the debt securities. Payment of interest on a debt security on any interest payment date will be made to the person in whose name the debt security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date. Payment on debt securities of a particular series will be payable at the office of a paying agent or paying agents designated by us. However, at our option, we may pay interest by mailing a check to the record holder. The trustee will be designated as our initial paying agent.

We may also name any other paying agents in a prospectus supplement. We may designate additional paying agents, change paying agents or change the office of any paying agent. However, we will be required to maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All moneys paid by us to a paying agent for payment on any debt security that remain unclaimed for a period ending the earlier of:

 

•

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

 

•

at the end of two years after such payment was due,

will be repaid to us thereafter. The holder may look only to us for such payment.

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of debt securities, the debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction, whether or not such transaction results in a change in control.

Covenants

Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of debt securities, the debt securities will not contain any financial or restrictive covenants.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of debt securities, we may not consolidate with or merge into any other person (other than one of our subsidiaries), in a transaction in which we are not the surviving corporation, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any person (other than a subsidiary of Otonomy, Inc.), unless:

 

•

the successor entity, if any, is a U.S. corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust or other business entity;

 

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•

the successor entity assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indentures;

 

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing; and

 

•

certain other conditions specified in the indenture are met.

Events of Default

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement, the following will be events of default for any series of debt securities under the indentures:

 

(1)

we fail to pay principal of or any premium on any debt security of that series when due;

 

(2)

we fail to pay any interest on any debt security of that series for 30 days after it becomes due;

 

(3)

we fail to deposit any sinking fund payment when due;

 

(4)

we fail to perform any other covenant in the indenture and such failure continues for 90 days after we are given the notice required in the indentures; and

 

(5)

certain events involving our bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization.

Additional or different events of default applicable to a series of debt securities may be described in a prospectus supplement. An event of default of one series of debt securities is not necessarily an event of default for any other series of debt securities.

The trustee may withhold notice to the holders of any default, except defaults in the payment of principal, premium, if any, interest, any sinking fund installment on, or with respect to any conversion right of, the debt securities of such series. However, the trustee must consider it to be in the interest of the holders of the debt securities of such series to withhold this notice.

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement, if an event of default, other than an event of default described in clause (5) above, shall occur and be continuing with respect to any series of debt securities, either the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series may declare the principal amount and premium, if any, of the debt securities of that series, or if any debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities, such other amount as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, in each case together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon, to be due and payable immediately.

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement, if an event of default described in clause (5) above shall occur, the principal amount and premium, if any, of all the debt securities of that series, or if any debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities, such other amount as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, in each case together with accrued and unpaid interest, if any, thereon, will automatically become immediately due and payable. Any payment by us on the subordinated debt securities following any such acceleration will be subject to the subordination provisions described below under “Subordinated debt securities.”

Notwithstanding the foregoing, each indenture will provide that we may, at our option, elect that the sole remedy for an event of default relating to our failure to comply with our obligations described under the section entitled “Reports” below or our failure to comply with the requirements of Section 314(a)(1) of the Trust Indenture Act will for the first 360 days after the occurrence of such an event of default consist exclusively of the right to receive additional interest on the relevant series of debt securities at an annual rate equal to (i) 0.25% of the principal amount of such series of debt securities for the first 180 days after the occurrence of such event of default and (ii) 0.50% of the principal amount of such series of debt securities from the 181^st day to, and including, the 360^th day after the occurrence of such event of default, which we call “additional interest.” If we so elect, the additional interest will accrue on all outstanding debt securities from and including the date on which such event of default first occurs until such violation is cured or waived and shall be payable on each relevant

 

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interest payment date to holders of record on the regular record date immediately preceding the interest payment date. On the 361^st day after such event of default (if such violation is not cured or waived prior to such 361^st day), the debt securities will be subject to acceleration as provided above. In the event we do not elect to pay additional interest upon any such event of default in accordance with this paragraph, the debt securities will be subject to acceleration as provided above.

In order to elect to pay the additional interest as the sole remedy during the first 360 days after the occurrence of any event of default relating to the failure to comply with the reporting obligations in accordance with the preceding paragraph, we must notify all holders of debt securities and the trustee and paying agent of such election prior to the close of business on the first business day following the date on which such event of default occurs. Upon our failure to timely give such notice or pay the additional interest, the debt securities will be immediately subject to acceleration as provided above.

After acceleration, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of that series may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration if all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, or other specified amounts or interest, have been cured or waived.

Other than the duty to act with the required care during an event of default, the trustee will not be obligated to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request of the holders unless the holders shall have offered to the trustee reasonable indemnity. Generally, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee.

A holder of debt securities of any series will not have any right to institute any proceeding under the indentures, or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy under the indentures, unless:

 

(1)

the holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default with respect to the debt securities of that series;

 

(2)

the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made a written request and have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee to institute the proceeding; and

 

(3)

the trustee has failed to institute the proceeding and has not received direction inconsistent with the original request from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series within 60 days after the original request.

Holders may, however, sue to enforce the payment of principal, premium or interest on any debt security on or after the due date or to enforce the right, if any, to convert any debt security (if the debt security is convertible) without following the procedures listed in (1) through (3) above.

We will furnish the trustee an annual statement from our officers as to whether or not we are in default in the performance of the conditions and covenants under the indenture and, if so, specifying all known defaults.

Modification and Waiver

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement, the applicable trustee and we may make modifications and amendments to an indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding securities of each series affected by the modification or amendment.

We may also make modifications and amendments to the indentures for the benefit of holders without their consent, for certain purposes including, but not limited to:

 

•

to evidence the succession of another person to Otonomy, or successive successions, and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of Otonomy in the indentures in compliance with Article 8 of the indentures;

 

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•

adding covenants;

 

•

adding events of default;

 

•

making certain changes to facilitate the issuance of the debt securities;

 

•

to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the indentures or more series of securities, provided that any such addition, change or elimination (A) shall neither (i) apply to any security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor (ii) modify the rights of the holder of any such security with respect to such provision or (B) shall become effective only when there is no such security outstanding;

 

•

securing the debt securities;

 

•

providing for guaranties of, or additional obligors on, the debt securities;

 

•

to establish the form or term of debt securities as permitted by Sections 2.1 and 3.1 of the indenture;

 

•

providing for a successor trustee or additional trustees;

 

•

conforming the indenture to the description of the securities set forth in this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement;

 

•

curing any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency; provided that such action shall not adversely affect the interest of the holders in any material respect;

 

•

permitting or facilitating the defeasance and discharge of the debt securities;

 

•

make such other provisions in regard to matters or questions arising under the indentures or under any supplemental indentures as our board of directors may deem necessary or desirable, and which does not in each case adversely affect the interests of the holders of the debt securities of a series; and

 

•

comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualifications of the indentures under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

However, neither the trustee nor we may make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holder of each outstanding security of that series affected by the modification or amendment if such modification or amendment would:

 

•

change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal or interest on, any debt security;

 

•

reduce the principal, premium, if any, or interest on any debt security or any amount payable upon redemption or repurchase, whether at our option or the option of any holder, or reduce the amount of any sinking fund payments;

 

•

reduce the principal of an original issue discount security or any other debt security payable on acceleration of maturity;

 

•

change the place of payment or the currency in which any debt security is payable;

 

•

impair the right to enforce any payment after the stated maturity or redemption date;

 

•

if subordinated debt securities, modify the subordination provisions in a materially adverse manner to the holders;

 

•

adversely affect the right to convert any debt security if the debt security is a convertible debt security; or

 

•

change the provisions in the indenture that relate to modifying or amending the indenture.

 

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Satisfaction and Discharge; Defeasance

We may be discharged from our obligations on the debt securities, subject to limited exceptions, of any series that have matured or will mature or be redeemed within one year if we deposit enough money with the trustee to pay all the principal, interest and any premium due to the stated maturity date or redemption date of the debt securities.

Each indenture contains a provision that permits us to elect either or both of the following:

 

•

we may elect to be discharged from all of our obligations, subject to limited exceptions, with respect to any series of debt securities then outstanding. If we make this election, the holders of the debt securities of the series will not be entitled to the benefits of the indenture, except for the rights of holders to receive payments on debt securities or the registration of transfer and exchange of debt securities and replacement of lost, stolen or mutilated debt securities.

 

•

we may elect to be released from our obligations under some or all of any financial or restrictive covenants applicable to the series of debt securities to which the election relates and from the consequences of an event of default resulting from a breach of those covenants.

To make either of the above elections, we must irrevocably deposit in trust with the trustee enough money to pay in full the principal, interest and premium on the debt securities. This amount may be made in cash and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars, cash in the currency in which such series of securities is denominated and/or foreign government obligations. As a condition to either of the above elections, for debt securities denominated in U.S. dollars we must deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel that the holders of the debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the action.

With respect to debt securities of any series that are denominated in a currency other than United States dollars, “foreign government obligations” means:

 

•

direct obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued the currency in which such securities are denominated and for the payment of which obligations its full faith and credit is pledged, or, with respect to debt securities of any series which are denominated in Euros, direct obligations of certain members of the European Union for the payment of which obligations the full faith and credit of such members is pledged, which in each case are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof; or

 

•

obligations of a person controlled or supervised by or acting as an agency or instrumentality of a government described in the bullet above the timely payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by such government, which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.

Notices

Notices to holders will be given by mail to the addresses of the holders in the security register.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed under, the laws of the State of New York.

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders

No incorporator, stockholder, employee, agent, officer, director or subsidiary of ours will have any liability for any obligations of ours, or because of the creation of any indebtedness under the debt securities, the

 

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indentures or supplemental indentures. The indentures provide that all such liability is expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of such indentures and the issuance of the debt securities.

Regarding the Trustee

The indentures limit the right of the trustee, should it become our creditor, to obtain payment of claims or secure its claims.

The trustee will be permitted to engage in certain other transactions with us. However, if the trustee acquires any conflicting interest, and there is a default under the debt securities of any series for which it is trustee, the trustee must eliminate the conflict or resign.

Subordinated Debt Securities

The following provisions will be applicable with respect to each series of subordinated debt securities, unless otherwise stated in the prospectus supplement relating to that series of subordinated debt securities.

The indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt securities of any series is subordinated, to the extent provided in the subordinated indenture and the applicable prospectus supplement, to the prior payment in full, in cash or other payment satisfactory to the holders of senior debt, of all senior debt, including any senior debt securities.

Upon any distribution of our assets upon any dissolution, winding up, liquidation or reorganization, whether voluntary or involuntary, marshalling of assets, assignment for the benefit of creditors, or in bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceedings, payments on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to holders of senior debt of all senior debt.

In the event of any acceleration of the subordinated debt securities of any series because of an event of default with respect to the subordinated debt securities of that series, holders of any senior debt would be entitled to payment in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to holders of senior debt of all senior debt before the holders of subordinated debt securities are entitled to receive any payment or distribution.

In addition, the subordinated debt securities will be structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries, including trade payables and lease obligations. This occurs because our right to receive any assets of our subsidiaries upon their liquidation or reorganization, and your right to participate in those assets, will be effectively subordinated to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors, except to the extent that we are recognized as a creditor of such subsidiary. If we are recognized as a creditor of that subsidiary, our claims would still be subordinate to any security interest in the assets of the subsidiary and any indebtedness of the subsidiary senior to us.

We are required to promptly notify holders of senior debt or their representatives under the subordinated indenture if payment of the subordinated debt securities is accelerated because of an event of default.

Under the subordinated indenture, we may also not make payment on the subordinated debt securities if:

 

•

a default in our obligations to pay principal, premium, if any, interest or other amounts on our senior debt occurs and the default continues beyond any applicable grace period, which we refer to as a payment default; or

 

•

any other default occurs and is continuing with respect to designated senior debt that permits holders of designated senior debt to accelerate its maturity, which we refer to as a non-payment default, and the trustee receives a payment blockage notice from us or some other person permitted to give the notice under the subordinated indenture.

 

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We will resume payments on the subordinated debt securities:

 

•

in case of a payment default, when the default is cured or waived or ceases to exist, and

 

•

in case of a nonpayment default, the earlier of when the default is cured or waived or ceases to exist or 179 days after the receipt of the payment blockage notice.

No new payment blockage period may commence on the basis of a nonpayment default unless 365 days have elapsed from the effectiveness of the immediately prior payment blockage notice. No nonpayment default that existed or was continuing on the date of delivery of any payment blockage notice to the trustee shall be the basis for a subsequent payment blockage notice.

As a result of these subordination provisions, in the event of our bankruptcy, dissolution or reorganization, holders of senior debt may receive more, ratably, and holders of the subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than our other creditors. The subordination provisions will not prevent the occurrence of any event of default under the subordinated indenture.

The subordination provisions will not apply to payments from money or government obligations held in trust by the trustee for the payment of principal, interest and premium, if any, on subordinated debt securities pursuant to the provisions described under the section entitled “Satisfaction and discharge; defeasance,” if the subordination provisions were not violated at the time the money or government obligations were deposited into trust.

If the trustee or any holder receives any payment that should not have been made to them in contravention of subordination provisions before all senior debt is paid in full in cash or other payment satisfactory to holders of senior debt, then such payment will be held in trust for the holders of senior debt.

Senior debt securities will constitute senior debt under the subordinated indenture.

Additional or different subordination provisions may be described in a prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of debt securities.

Definitions

“Designated senior debt” means our obligations under any particular senior debt in which the instrument creating or evidencing the same or the assumption or guarantee thereof, or related agreements or documents to which we are a party, expressly provides that such indebtedness shall be designated senior debt for purposes of the subordinated indenture. The instrument, agreement or other document evidencing any designated senior debt may place limitations and conditions on the right of such senior debt to exercise the rights of designated senior debt.

“Indebtedness” means the following, whether absolute or contingent, secured or unsecured, due or to become due, outstanding on the date of the indenture for such series of securities or thereafter created, incurred or assumed:

 

•

our indebtedness evidenced by a credit or loan agreement, note, bond, debenture or other written obligation;

 

•

all of our obligations for money borrowed;

 

•

all of our obligations evidenced by a note or similar instrument given in connection with the acquisition of any businesses, properties or assets of any kind,

 

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•

our obligations:

 

•

as lessee under leases required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of the lessee under generally accepted accounting principles, or

 

•

as lessee under leases for facilities, capital equipment or related assets, whether or not capitalized, entered into or leased for financing purposes;

 

•

all of our obligations under interest rate and currency swaps, caps, floors, collars, hedge agreements, forward contracts or similar agreements or arrangements;

 

•

all of our obligations with respect to letters of credit, bankers’ acceptances and similar facilities, including reimbursement obligations with respect to the foregoing;

 

•

all of our obligations issued or assumed as the deferred purchase price of property or services, but excluding trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities arising in the ordinary course of business;

 

•

all obligations of the type referred to in the above clauses of another person, the payment of which, in either case, we have assumed or guaranteed, for which we are responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, jointly or severally, as obligor, guarantor or otherwise, or which are secured by a lien on our property; and

 

•

renewals, extensions, modifications, replacements, restatements and refundings of, or any indebtedness or obligation issued in exchange for, any such indebtedness or obligation described in the above clauses of this definition.

“Senior debt” means the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, including all interest accruing subsequent to the commencement of any bankruptcy or similar proceeding, whether or not a claim for post-petition interest is allowable as a claim in any such proceeding, and rent payable on or in connection with, and all fees and other amounts payable in connection with, our indebtedness. However, senior debt shall not include:

 

•

any debt or obligation if its terms or the terms of the instrument under which or pursuant to which it is issued expressly provide that it shall not be senior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities or expressly provide that such indebtedness is on the same basis or “junior” to the subordinated debt securities; or

 

•

debt to any of our subsidiaries, a majority of the voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by us.

“Subsidiary” means a corporation more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by us or by one or more of our other subsidiaries or by a combination of us and our other subsidiaries. For purposes of this definition, “voting stock” means stock or other similar interests which ordinarily has or have voting power for the election of directors, or persons performing similar functions, whether at all times or only so long as no senior class of stock or other interests has or have such voting power by reason of any contingency.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS

We may issue subscription rights to purchase our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. These subscription rights may be offered independently or together with any other security offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving the subscription rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of subscription rights, we may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such offering.

The prospectus supplement relating to any subscription rights we offer, if any, will, to the extent applicable, include specific terms relating to the offering, including some or all of the following:

 

•

the price, if any, for the subscription rights;

 

•

the exercise price payable for our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of the subscription rights;

 

•

the number of subscription rights to be issued to each stockholder;

 

•

the number and terms of our common stock, preferred stock or debt securities which may be purchased per each subscription right;

 

•

the extent to which the subscription rights are transferable;

 

•

any other terms of the subscription rights, including the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise the subscription rights shall commence, and the date on which the subscription rights shall expire;

 

•

the extent to which the subscription rights may include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities or an over-allotment privilege to the extent the securities are fully subscribed; and

 

•

if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement which may be entered into by Otonomy in connection with the offering of subscription rights.

The description in the applicable prospectus supplement of any subscription rights we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable subscription rights certificate, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer subscription rights. We urge you to read the applicable subscription rights certificate and any applicable prospectus supplement in their entirety.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other classes of securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The units may be issued under unit agreements to be entered into between us and a unit agent, as detailed in the prospectus supplement relating to the units being offered. The prospectus supplement will describe:

 

•

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be held or transferred separately;

 

•

a description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units;

 

•

a description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units;

 

•

a discussion of material federal income tax considerations, if applicable; and

 

•

whether the units if issued as a separate security will be issued in fully registered or global form.

The descriptions of the units in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement are summaries of the material provisions of the applicable agreements. These descriptions do not restate those agreements in their entirety and may not contain all the information that you may find useful. We urge you to read the applicable agreements because they, and not the summaries, define your rights as holders of the units. For more information, please review the forms of the relevant agreements, which will be filed with the SEC promptly after the offering of units and will be available as described in the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus (1) to or through underwriters or dealers, (2) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (3) through agents or (4) through a combination of any these methods. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices. The prospectus supplement will include the following information:

 

•

the terms of the offering;

 

•

the names of any underwriters or agents;

 

•

the name or names of any managing underwriter or underwriters;

 

•

the purchase price of the securities;

 

•

the net proceeds from the sale of the securities;

 

•

any delayed delivery arrangements;

 

•

any underwriting discounts, commissions and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation;

 

•

any initial public offering price;

 

•

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

 

•

any commissions paid to agents.

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

We may issue to the holders of our common stock, on a pro rata basis for no consideration, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock or preferred stock. These subscription rights may or may not be transferable by stockholders. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of any offering of our common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights, including the terms of the subscription rights offering, the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights and, if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement entered into by us in connection with the offering of common or preferred stock through the issuance of subscription rights.

Sale through Underwriters or Dealers

If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account, including through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public or private transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the principal underwriters the respective amount of securities underwritten, the nature of the obligation of the underwriters to take the securities and the nature of any material relationship between an underwriter and us.

Some or all of the securities that we offer through this prospectus may be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters to whom we sell securities for public offering and sale may make a

 

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market in those securities, but they will not be obligated to do so and they may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of the liquidity of, or continued trading markets for, any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus.

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

Direct Sales and Sales through Agents

We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents designated from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities and will describe any commissions payable to the agent by us. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.

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

Delayed Delivery Contracts

If the prospectus supplement indicates, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of institutions to purchase securities at the public offering price under delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the commission payable for solicitation of those contracts.

Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions

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

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

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

Derivative Transactions and Hedging

We, the underwriters or other agents may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters or agents may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures

 

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on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters or agents. The underwriters or agents may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters or agents may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.

Electronic Auctions

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

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

Upon completion of such an electronic auction process, securities will be allocated based on prices bid, terms of bid or other factors. The final offering price at which securities would be sold and the allocation of securities among bidders would be based in whole or in part on the results of the Internet or other electronic bidding process or auction.

General Information

Agents, underwriters and dealers may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification by us against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Agents, underwriters and dealers may engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of their businesses.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., Palo Alto, California. Certain members of, and investment partnerships comprised of members of, and persons associated with, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, own an aggregate of 17,268 shares of our common stock.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst  & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free of charge through the Internet. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 relating to the offering of these securities. The registration statement, including the attached exhibits, contains additional relevant information about us and the securities. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement, at prescribed rates, from the SEC at the address listed above. The registration statement and the documents referred to below under “Information Incorporated by Reference” are also available on our Internet website, www.otonomy.com. We have not incorporated by reference into this prospectus the information on our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

 

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INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference into this prospectus certain information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC (excluding any portions of any Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” pursuant to the General Instructions of Form 8-K):

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2015;

 

•

the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report from our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2015;

 

•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2015 (filed with the SEC on May 12, 2015) and June 30, 2015 (filed with the SEC on August 12, 2015);

 

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 18, 2015, April 30, 2015, May 12, 2015, May 26, 2015, June 25, 2015, August 12, 2015 and September 1, 2015, respectively; and

 

•

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A as filed with the SEC on August 5, 2014 pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits on such form that are related to such items) that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus is deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement.

This prospectus may contain information that updates, modifies or is contrary to information in one or more of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of this prospectus or the date of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, at no cost to the requester, a copy of any and all of the information that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Requests for such documents should be directed to:

Otonomy, Inc.

6275 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 100

San Diego, California 92121

Attention: Secretary

You may also access the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus through our website at www.otonomy.com. Except for the specific incorporated documents listed above, no information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part.

 

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$100,000,000

 

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS    SUPPLEMENT

 

BofA Merrill Lynch

Cowen and Company

Piper Jaffray

Bernstein

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey

                    , 2016