UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
PROXY
STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(A) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Filed
by
the Registrant x
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by
a Party other than the Registrant ¨
Check
the
appropriate box:
¨
Preliminary
Proxy Statement
¨
Confidential,
For Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
x
Definitive
Proxy Statement
¨
Definitive
Additional Materials
¨
Soliciting
Materials Under Rule 14a-12
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the
Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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(1)Title
of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3)Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
(4)Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5)Total
fee paid:
¨
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary
materials.
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¨
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee
was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
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(1)Amount
Previously Paid:
(2)Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3)Filing
Party:
(4)Date
Filed:
ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
1050
Winter Street, Suite 1000
Waltham,
MA 02451
June
15,
2007
Dear
Stockholder:
You
are
cordially invited to attend the 2007 annual meeting of Stockholders of Arbios
Systems, Inc. The meeting will be held at the offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn,
Ferris , Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts,
02111, beginning at 9:00 a.m., local time, on July 12, 2007.
The
attached Notice of Meeting and the proxy statement on the following pages cover
the formal business of the meeting, which includes four items to be voted on
by
the stockholders. At the annual meeting, management will report on our current
operations and will be available to respond to questions from
stockholders.
Whether
or not you plan to attend the meeting, it is important that your shares be
represented and voted at the meeting. You are urged, therefore, to complete,
sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card (or use telephone or internet
voting procedures, if offered by your broker), even if you plan to attend the
meeting. We
encourage you to vote by proxy so that your shares will be represented and
voted
at the meeting, whether or not you can attend.
I
hope
you will join us.
Sincerely,
/s/
Walter C.
Ogier
Walter
C.
Ogier
Chief
Executive Officer
ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
1050
Winter Street, Suite 1000
Waltham,
MA 02451
NOTICE
OF THE 2007 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
to
be held on July 12, 2007
Notice
is
hereby given to the holders of common stock, $.001 par value per share, of
Arbios Systems, Inc., that the 2007 annual meeting of Stockholders will be
held
on July 12, 2007 at the offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris , Glovsky and
Popeo, P.C., One Financial Center, Floor 38, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111,
beginning at 9:00 a.m., local time, for the following purposes:
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(1)
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To
elect six directors to serve until the 2008 annual meeting of
Stockholders;
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(2)
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To
approve an amendment to Arbios’ Certificate of Incorporation to increase
the number of authorized shares of common stock from 60,000,000 to
100,000,000;
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(3)
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To
approve a proposed amendment to the Arbios 2005 Stock Incentive
Plan;
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(4)
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To
ratify the appointment of Stonefield Josephson, Inc. as Arbios’
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending
December 31, 2007; and
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(5)
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the annual
meeting or any postponement or adjournment of the annual meeting.
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Only
those stockholders of record at the close of business on May 16, 2007 are
entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting or at any postponement
or adjournment of the annual meeting. A complete list of stockholders entitled
to vote at the annual meeting will be available at the annual meeting, and
during the 10 days prior to the meeting, at the office of the Secretary at
the
above address.
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By
Order of the
Board of Directors |
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June
15,
2007 |
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/s/
Scott L. Hayashi |
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Corporate
Secretary |
WHETHER
OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, SIGN, DATE,
AND
RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED BUSINESS REPLY ENVELOPE
(OR
USE TELEPHONE OR INTERNET VOTING PROCEDURES, IF AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR BROKER).
IF YOU ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING YOU MAY, IF YOU WISH, REVOKE YOUR PROXY AND
VOTE IN PERSON.
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
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Page |
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GENERAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING
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1
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MANAGEMENT
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6
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SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL
OWNERS
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12
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
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14
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REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
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21
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SECTION
16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
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22
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CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
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22
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PROPOSAL
I ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
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23
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PROPOSAL
II AMENDMENT TO CERTICIATE OF INCORPORATION
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24
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PROPOSAL
III AMENDMENT TO STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
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25
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PROPOSAL
IV RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING
FIRM
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28
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CODE
OF ETHICS
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29
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STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
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29
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OTHER
MATTERS
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29
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ANNEX
INDEX
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30
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ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
1050
Winter Street, Suite 1000 Waltham, MA 02451
PROXY
STATEMENT FOR THE
Arbios
Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on July 12, 2007
This
proxy statement is furnished to holders of the common stock of Arbios Systems,
Inc. (the “Company,”, “Arbios”, “we” or “us”), a Delaware corporation, in
connection with the solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors and
management for use at our 2007 annual meeting of Stockholders to be held at
the
offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial
Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, beginning at 9:00 a.m., local time, on
July 12, 2007 and at any postponement or adjournment of the annual
meeting.
This
proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are first being mailed to our
stockholders on or about June 20 2007.
GENERAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Why
Did You Send Me this Proxy Statement?
We
sent
you this proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card because the our Board
of
Directors is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2007 annual meeting of
stockholders and any adjournments of the meeting to be held at
the
offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris , Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial
Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, beginning at 9:00 a.m., local time, on
July 12, 2007.
This
proxy statement along with the accompanying notice of annual meeting of
Stockholders summarizes the
purposes of the meeting and the
information you need to know to vote at the annual meeting.
On
June
20, 2007 we began sending this proxy statement, the attached notice of annual
meeting of stockholders and the enclosed proxy card to all stockholders entitled
to vote at the meeting. Although not part of this proxy statement, we are also
sending along with this proxy statement, our 2006 annual report on Form 10-KSB,
which includes our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December
31,
2006. You
can
also find a copy of our 2006 annual report on Form 10-KSB on the Internet
through the SEC’s electronic data system called EDGAR at www.sec.gov
or
through the Investor/Media Relations section of our website at www.arbios.com.
What
is the Purpose of the Annual Meeting?
At
the
annual meeting, stockholders will act upon the matters outlined in the attached
notice of annual meeting of stockholders and described in detail in this proxy
statement. They are:
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The
election of six directors;
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· |
An
amendment to Arbios’ Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number
of authorized shares of common stock from 60,000,000 to 100,000,000;
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· |
An
amendment to the Arbios 2005 Stock Incentive Plan to increase the
number
of shares of common stock reserved for issuance thereunder from 3,000,000
shares to 4,000,000 shares; and
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· |
The
ratification of our appointment of independent registered public
accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2007.
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In
addition, management will report on our performance during fiscal 2006 and
respond to questions from stockholders.
Who
Can Vote?
Only
stockholders who owned Arbios common stock at the close of business on May
16,
2007 are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. On this record date, there
were
25,144,086
shares
of
Arbios common stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Arbios common stock is
our
only class of voting stock.
You
do
not need to attend the annual meeting to vote your shares. Shares
represented by valid proxies, received in time for the meeting and not revoked
prior to the meeting, will be voted at the meeting. A stockholder may revoke
a
proxy before the proxy is voted by delivering to our Secretary a signed
statement of revocation or a duly executed proxy card bearing a later date.
Any
stockholder who has executed a proxy card but attends the meeting in person
may
revoke the proxy and vote at the meeting.
How
Many Votes Do I Have?
Each
share of Arbios common
stock that you own entitles you to one vote.
How
Do I Vote?
Whether
you plan to attend the annual meeting or not, we urge you to vote by proxy.
Voting by proxy will not affect your right to attend the annual meeting.
If
your
shares are registered directly in your name through our stock transfer agent,
The Nevada Agency and Trust Company, or you have stock certificates, you may
vote:
•
By
mail.
Complete
and mail the enclosed proxy card in the enclosed postage prepaid envelope.
Your
proxy will be voted in accordance with your instructions. If you sign the proxy
card but do not specify how you want your shares voted, they will be voted
as
recommended by our Board of Directors.
•
In
person at the meeting.
If you
attend the meeting, you may deliver your completed proxy card in person or
you
may vote by completing a ballot, which will be available at the
meeting.
If
your
shares are held in “street name” (held in the name of a bank, broker or other
nominee), you must provide the bank, broker or other nominee with instructions
on how to vote your shares and can do so as follows:
•
By
Internet or by telephone.
Follow
the instructions you receive from your broker to vote by Internet or
telephone.
•
By
mail.
You will
receive instructions from your broker or other nominee explaining how to vote
your shares.
•
In
person at the meeting.
Contact
the broker or other nominee who holds your shares to obtain a broker’s proxy
card and bring it with you to the meeting. You will not be able to vote at
the
meeting unless you have a proxy card from your broker.
What
constitutes a quorum?
Our
Bylaws provide that the presence, in person or by proxy, at our annual meeting
of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock
will
constitute a quorum.
For
the
purpose of determining the presence of a quorum, proxies marked “withhold
authority” or “abstain” will be counted as present. Shares represented by
proxies that include broker non-votes also will be counted as shares present
for
purposes of establishing a quorum. On the record date of May 16, 2007, there
we
25,144,086 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, and those shares
are the only shares that are entitled to be voted at the annual
meeting.
How
Does the Board of Directors Recommend That I Vote on the
Proposals?
The
board
of directors recommends that you vote as follows:
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“FOR”
the election of the nominees for director;
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“FOR”
the amendment to the
Arbios Certificate of Incorporation;
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“FOR”
the amendment to the Arbios 2005 Stock Incentive Plan;
and
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“FOR”
ratification of the selection of independent auditors for our fiscal
year
ending December
31, 2007.
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If
any
other matter is presented, the proxy card provides that your shares will be
voted by the proxy holder listed on the proxy card in accordance with his or
her
best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was printed, we knew of no
matters that needed to be acted on at the annual meeting, other than those
discussed in this proxy statement.
May
I Revoke My Proxy?
If
you
give us your proxy, you may revoke it at any time before the meeting. You may
revoke your proxy in any one of the following ways:
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signing
a new proxy card and submitting it as instructed
above;
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if
your
shares are held in street name, re-voting by Internet or by telephone
as
instructed above. Only your latest Internet or telephone vote will
be
counted;
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· |
notifying
Arbios’ Corporate
Secretary in writing before the annual meeting that you have revoked
your
proxy; or
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attending
the
meeting in person and voting in person. Attending the meeting in
person
will not in and of itself revoke a previously submitted proxy unless
you
specifically request it.
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Will
My Shares be Voted if I Do Not Return My Proxy Card?
If
your
shares are registered in your name or if you have stock certificates, they
will
not be voted if you do not return your proxy card by mail or vote at the
meeting. If your shares are held in street name and you do not provide voting
instructions to the bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares, the
bank, broker or other nominee has the authority to vote your unvoted shares
on
both Proposals 1 and 4 even
if
it does not receive instructions from you. We encourage you to provide voting
instructions. This ensures your shares will be voted at the meeting in the
manner you desire. If
your
broker cannot vote your shares on a particular matter because it has not
received instructions from you and does not have discretionary voting authority
on that matter or because your broker chooses not to vote on a matter for which
it does have discretionary voting authority, this is referred to as a “broker
non-vote”.
What
Vote is Required to Approve Each Proposal and How are Votes
Counted?
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Proposal
1: Elect Directors
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The
nominees for director who receive the most votes (also known as a
“plurality” of the votes) will be elected. Abstentions are not counted for
purposes of electing directors. You
may vote either FOR all of the nominees, WITHHOLD your vote from
all of
the nominees or WITHHOLD your vote from any one or more of the nominees.
Votes that are withheld will not be included in the vote tally for
the
election of directors. Brokerage firms have authority to vote customers’
unvoted shares held by the firms in street name for the election
of
directors. If a broker does not exercise this authority, such broker
non-votes will have no effect on the results of this
vote.
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Proposal
2: Approve Amendment to the Arbios Certificate of Incorporation
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The
affirmative vote of a majority of the company’s outstanding common stock
is required to approve the amendment to the Arbios Certificate of
Incorporation. Abstentions
and broker non-votes will be treated as votes against this proposal.
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Proposal
3: Approve Amendment to Increase the Shares Available under Arbios
2005
Incentive Plan
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The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes present or represented
by
proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting is required to approve
the amendment to the Arbios 2005 Stock Incentive Plan. Abstentions
will be treated as votes against this proposal. Brokerage firms have
authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by the firms in street
name on this proposal. If a broker does not exercise this authority,
such
broker non-votes will have no effect on the results of this
vote.
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Proposal
4: Ratify Selection of Auditors
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The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes present or represented
by
proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting is required to ratify
the
selection of independent auditors. Abstentions
will be treated as votes against this proposal. Brokerage firms have
authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by the firms in street
name on this proposal. If a broker does not exercise this authority,
such
broker non-votes will have no effect on the results of this vote.
We are
not required to obtain the approval of our stockholders to select
our
independent accountants. However, if our stockholders do not ratify
the
selection of Stonefield Josephson, Inc. as our registered independent
public accounting firm for 2007, our Audit Committee of our Board
of
Directors will reconsider its
selection.
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Is
Voting Confidential?
We
will
keep all the proxies, ballots and voting tabulations private. We only let our
Inspectors of Election, The Nevada Agency and Trust Company, examine
these documents. Management will not know how you voted on a specific proposal
unless it is necessary to meet legal requirements. We will, however, forward
to
management any written comments you make, on the proxy card or
elsewhere.
What
Are the Costs of Soliciting these Proxies?
We
will
pay all of the costs of soliciting these proxies. Our directors and employees
may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, fax or email. We will pay these
employees and directors no additional compensation for these services. We will
ask banks, brokers and other institutions, nominees and fiduciaries to forward
these proxy materials to their principals and to obtain authority to execute
proxies. We will then reimburse them for their expenses.
Householding
of Annual Disclosure Documents
In
December 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted a rule
concerning the delivery of annual disclosure documents. The rule allows us
or
your broker to send a single set of our annual report and proxy statement to
any
household at which two or more of our shareholders reside, if we or your broker
believe that the shareholders are members of the same family. This practice,
referred to as “householding,” benefits both you and Arbios. It reduces the
volume of duplicate information received at your household and helps to reduce
Arbios’s expenses. The rule applies to our annual reports, proxy statements and
information statements. Once you receive notice from your broker or from us
that
communications to your address will be “householded,” the practice will continue
until you are otherwise notified or until you revoke your consent to the
practice. Each shareholder will continue to receive a separate proxy card or
voting instruction card.
If
your
household received a single set of disclosure documents this year, but you
would
prefer to receive your own copy, please contact our transfer agent, The Nevada
Agency and Trust Company, by calling (775) 322-0626.
If
you do
not wish to participate in “householding” and would like to receive your own set
of Arbios annual disclosure documents in future years, follow the instructions
described below. Conversely, if you share an address with another Arbios
shareholder and together both of you would like to receive only a single set
of
our annual disclosure documents, follow these instructions:
•
If
your
Arbios shares
are registered in your own name, please contact our transfer agent, The Nevada
Agency and Trust Company, and inform them of your request by calling them at
(775) 322-0626 or writing them at 50 West Liberty Street, Suite 880, Reno,
Nevada 89501.
•
If
a
broker or other nominee holds your Arbios shares, please contact the broker
or
other nominee directly and inform them of your request. Be sure to include
your
name, the name of your brokerage firm and your account number.
Proxies
If
the
enclosed proxy card is executed, returned in time and not revoked, the shares
represented by the proxy card will be voted at the annual meeting and at any
postponement or adjournment of the annual meeting in accordance with the
directions indicated on the proxy card. IF NO DIRECTIONS ARE INDICATED, PROXIES
WILL BE VOTED “FOR” ALL PROPOSALS DESCRIBED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT AND, AS TO
ANY OTHER MATTERS PROPERLY BROUGHT BEFORE THE ANNUAL MEETING OR ANY POSTPONEMENT
OR ADJOURNMENT OF THE ANNUAL MEETING, IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF THE PROXY
HOLDERS.
A
stockholder who returns a proxy card may revoke it at any time prior to its
exercise at the annual meeting by any of the following means: giving written
notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary; properly submitting to us
a
duly executed proxy bearing a later date; or appearing at the annual meeting
and
voting in person. All written notices of revocation of proxies should be
addressed to: Arbios Systems, Inc., 1050 Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham,
MA
02154, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
MANAGEMENT
The
Board of Directors
Our
Board
of Directors currently consists of six members, consisting of Walter C. Ogier,
Dennis Kogod, Thomas C. Seoh, Jack E. Stover, Thomas M. Tully and John M.
Vierling, M.D. Pursuant to our Bylaws, our Board of Directors has fixed the
number of our directors to be six subsequent to the annual meeting. Each
director is elected for a term of one year and until his or her successor is
elected.
The
following is information concerning our current directors. We believe that
each
nominee will be able to serve as a director. In the event that a nominee is
unable to serve, the proxy holders will vote the proxies for such other nominee
as they may determine.
A
majority of our directors are "independent directors" as defined by the listing
standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLCC, and the Board of Directors has
determined that our independent directors have no relationship with the Company
that would interfere with the exercise of their independent judgment in carrying
out the responsibilities of a director. The independent director nominees are
Messrs. Kogod, Seoh, Stover and Tully and Dr. Vierling.
The
following table sets forth the name, age and position held by each of director
nominee. Directors are elected at each annual meeting and thereafter serve
until
the next annual meeting (currently expected to be held during the third calendar
quarter of 2008) at which their successors are duly elected by the
stockholders.
Name
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Age
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Position
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Walter
C. Ogier
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50
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Director,
President and Chief Executive Officer
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John
M. Vierling, M.D.
(2)
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61
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Director,
Chairman of the Board
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Jack
E. Stover
(1)
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54
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Director
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Thomas
C. Seoh (1)(3)
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49
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Director
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Thomas
M. Tully (1)(2)(3)
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61
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Director
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Dennis
Kogod (2)(3)
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47
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Director
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_________________________
(1) Member
of
Audit Committee.
(2) Member
of
Compensation Committee
(3)
Member
of
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
The
following describes the backgrounds of the directors nominees.
Walter
C. Ogier. Mr.
Ogier
was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of Arbios
in
November 2005 and has two decades of experience in the healthcare and
biotechnology industries. Prior to joining Arbios, Mr. Ogier was President
and
Chief Executive Officer of Genetix Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is developing
gene therapies for major genetic diseases and was affiliated with Johnson &
Johnson, from December 2001 until November 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Ogier was
President and Chief Executive Officer of Eligix, Inc., a Harvard
University-affiliated company engaged in monoclonal antibody-based therapies
for
stem cell transplantation and cell therapies for cancer, from October 1997
through November 2001. Mr. Ogier was also previously Vice President of Marketing
for Aastrom Biosciences and held various positions in marketing and business
development within Baxter Healthcare Corporation and its Blood Therapy Group
and
was an industrial economist with SRI International (formerly Stanford Research
Institute).
John
M. Vierling, M.D.,
FACP.
Dr.
Vierling has served as a director since February 2002. In April 2005, Dr.
Vierling assumed the position of Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Director
of
Baylor Liver Health and Chief of Hepatology at the Baylor College of Medicine
and Director, Advanced Liver Therapies at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in
Houston, Texas. Dr. Vierling had been a Professor of Medicine at the David
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA from 1996 to 2005 and was the Director of
Hepatology and Medical Director of Multi-Organ Transplantation Program at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from 1990 until 2004. Dr. Vierling is also currently
the President of
the
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Dr. Vierling was the
Chairman
of the Board of the American Liver Foundation from 1994 to 2000, and the
President of the Southern California Society for Gastroenterology from 1994
to
1995. Dr. Vierling has also been a member of numerous National Institutes
of Health study sections and advisory committees, including the NIDDK Liver
Tissue Procurement and Distribution Program. He is currently Chairman of
the Data Safety Monitoring Board for the National Institute of Health, NIDDK
ViraHep C Multicenter Trial. Dr. Vierling’s research has focused on
the immunological mechanisms of liver injury caused by hepatitis B and C viruses
and autoimmune and alloimmune diseases.
Jack
E. Stover.
Mr.
Stover has served as a director since November 2004. Mr. Stover is also a
director of PDI, Inc. and Antares Pharma, Inc. Mr. Stover was elected the
President and Chief Operating Officer of Antares Pharma, Inc., (a public
specialty pharmaceutical company) in July 2004. In September 2004, he was named
President, CEO and was appointed as a director of that company. Prior thereto,
for approximately two years Mr. Stover was Executive Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer of SICOR, Inc., a Nasdaq traded injectable
pharmaceutical company that was acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Inc. Prior
to
that, Mr. Stover was Executive Vice President and Director for Gynetics, Inc.,
a
private women’s drug company, and the Senior Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer, Chief Information Officer and Director for B. Braun Medical, Inc.,
a
private global medical device and pharmaceutical company. For over 16 years,
Mr.
Stover was an employee and then a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, working
in their bioscience industry division. Mr. Stover is also a CPA.
Thomas
C. Seoh. Mr.
Seoh
has served as a director since March 2005. Since February 2006, Mr. Seoh has
served as Chief Executive Officer of Faust Pharmaceuticals S.A., a clinical
stage product company focused on drugs for neurological diseases and
conditions. From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Seoh was Managing Director of Beyond
Complexity Ventures, LLC, engaged in life science start-up and business
development consulting activities. From 1995 to 2005, Mr. Seoh was Senior Vice
President, Corporate and Commercial Development, and previously Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary, with NASDAQ-listed Guilford Pharmaceuticals
Inc.,
engaged in research, development and commercialization of CNS, oncology and
cardiovascular products. Previous positions included Vice President and
Associate General Counsel of ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc., General Counsel and
Secretary of Consolidated Press U.S., Inc. and corporate attorney in the New
York City and London offices of Lord Day & Lord, Barrett Smith.
Thomas
M. Tully. Mr.
Tully
has served as a director since May 2005. Since January 2006, Mr. Tully has
served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IDev Technologies, a medical
device company focused on the development and marketing of innovative minimally
invasive devices for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. From August
2000 until April 2005, Mr. Tully was the President and Chief Executive Officer
of Neothermia Corporation, a medical device company. Prior thereto, from June
1995 to April 2000, Mr. Tully was the President and Chief Executive Officer
of
Nitinol Medical Technologies, Inc., a medical device company. Mr. Tully was
the
President of Organogenesis Inc., from 1991 to 1994, and the President of
Schnieder (USA) Inc. from 1988 to 1991. From 1980 through 1988 he held various
positions with Johnson & Johnson, including President, Johnson & Johnson
Interventional Systems and Vice President Marketing and Sales at the Johnson
& Johnson Cardiovascular division.
Dennis
Kogod. Mr.
Kogod
has served as a director since May 2005. Mr. Kogod is Division President,
Western Group for Davita, Inc., a leading provider of dialysis services for
patients suffering from chronic kidney failure. Mr. Kogod joined Davita when
that company acquired Gambro Healthcare in October 2005. Prior to the
acquisition, Mr. Kogod was President and Chief Operating Officer of the West
Division of Gambro Healthcare USA, which he joined in July 2000. Before that,
Mr. Kogod spent 13 years with Teleflex Corporation, a NYSE-traded company.
While
there, he served as Division President of the Teleflex Medical Group from
December 1999 to July 2000.
Meetings
of the Board of Directors and Committees
Board
of Directors
The
property, affairs and business of Arbios are conducted under the supervision
and
management of our Board of Directors as called for under the corporation law
of
Delaware, and our Bylaws. Our Board of Directors has established a standing
Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, and has determined that each member of these Committees is
“independent” under the independence standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market’s
Marketplace Rules and the SEC. Our Board of Directors also has determined that
Mr. Stover, one of the independent directors serving on our Audit Committee,
is
an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of SEC
rules.
The
Board
of Directors held nine meetings during the 2006 fiscal year. During the term
for
which the director served on the Board, each director attended at least 75%
of
the aggregate of the total meetings of the Board and the total number of
meetings of all Board committees on which he or she served.
The
following table provides information concerning the current membership of our
Board committees:
Name
|
Audit
Committee
|
Compensation
Committee
|
Nominating
and Corporate
Governance
Committee
|
|
|
|
|
Walter
C. Ogier
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dennis
Kogod
|
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
C. Seoh
|
X
|
|
X(1)
|
|
|
|
|
Jack
E. Stover
|
X(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
M. Tully
|
X
|
X(3)
|
X
|
|
|
|
|
John
M. Vierling, M.D., FACP
|
|
X
|
|
__________________
(1)
|
Thomas
C. Seoh is the Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee.
|
(2)
|
Jack
E. Stover is the Chairman of the Audit
Committee.
|
(3)
|
Thomas
M. Tully is the Chairman of the Compensation Committee.
|
Audit
Committee
The
Audit
Committee assists the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities relating to the quality and integrity of our financial
statements and reports, our independent registered public accounting firm's
qualifications and independence, and our compliance with applicable legal and
regulatory requirements.
The
Audit
Committee reviews our financial structure, policies and procedures, appoints
our
independent registered public accountants, reviews with the independent
registered public accountants the plans and results of the audit engagement,
approves permitted non-audit services provided by our independent registered
public accountants and reviews the independence of the accountants and the
adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee
or an authorized independent body of the Board is authorized to review and
approve related-party transactions for potential conflicts of interest. The
Audit Committee’s responsibilities also include oversight activities described
below under the “Report of the Audit Committee.” Our Board of Directors has
determined that Mr. Stover, one of the independent directors serving on our
Audit Committee, is an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of
SEC rules.
The
Audit
Committee was established in February 2004 and held ten meetings during the
2006 fiscal year. A copy of the Audit Committee’s Charter was attached to the
proxy statement for our 2005 annual meeting of Stockholders
Compensation
Committee
The
Compensation Committee is authorized to review and make recommendations to
the
full Board of Directors relating to the annual salaries and bonuses of our
officers and to make recommendations to the Board regarding grants of stock
options, the exercise price of each option and the number of shares to be
issuable upon the exercise of each option under our stock option plans.
The
Compensation Committee was established in November 2004 and held four meetings
during the 2006 fiscal year.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board of Directors
in
identifying qualified candidates for election as directors, selecting director
nominees for election at our annual stockholders meetings, selecting candidates
to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors and developing criteria to be used
in making such recommendations.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was formed in November 2004.
A
copy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s Charter was attached
to the proxy statement for our 2005 annual meeting of Stockholders. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee nominated the current slate of
directors for the annual meeting and held one meeting during the 2006 fiscal
year.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has not established any specific
minimum qualifications for director candidates or any specific qualities or
skills that a candidate must possess in order to be considered qualified to
be
nominated as a director. However, the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee evaluates potential director candidates based on various factors,
including but not limited to: background and experience relevant to the
Company’s operations, including hepatology and/or medicine in general, clinical,
regulatory, product and business development, commercialization of relevant
products, senior management and/or board of directors experience in life science
companies, and relevant financial and legal public company experience;
independence; committee needs; availability; compatibility; and views of
management and major stockholders. Qualifications for consideration as a
director nominee may vary according to the particular areas of expertise being
sought as a complement to the existing board composition. In making its
nominations, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee generally will
consider, among other things, an individual’s business experience, industry
experience, financial background, breadth of knowledge about issues affecting
our company, time available for meetings and consultation regarding company
matters and other particular skills and experience possessed by the
individual.
Stockholder
Recommendations and Nominations of Director Candidates
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider Board nominees
recommended by stockholders. In order for a stockholder to nominate a candidate
for director, timely notice of the nomination must be given in writing to the
Corporate Secretary of the Company. To be timely, the notice must be received
at
the principal executive officers of the Company as set forth under “Stockholder
Proposals” below. Notice of a nomination must include your name, address and
number of shares you own; the name, age, business address, residence address
and
principal occupation of the nominee; and the number of shares beneficially
owned
by the nominee. It must also include the information that would be required
to
be disclosed in the solicitation of proxies for election of directors under
the
federal securities laws, as well as whether the individual can understand basic
financial statements and the candidate’s other board memberships (if any). You
must submit the nominee’s consent to be elected and to serve. The Board of
Directors may require any nominee to furnish any other information that may
be
needed to determine the eligibility and qualifications of the nominee. Any
recommendations in proper form received from stockholders will be evaluated
in
the same manner as recommendations received from our Board members or
management.
Stockholder
Communication with Board Members
Stockholders
who wish to communicate with our Board members may do so by writing to us at
our
principal executive office at 1050 Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham,
Massachusetts 012451. Written communications specifically marked as a
communication for our Board of Directors, or a particular director, except
those
that are clearly marketing or soliciting materials, will be forwarded unopened
to the Chairman of our Board, or to the particular director to whom they are
addressed, or will be delivered unopened to the full Board or the particular
director at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.
Board
Members’ Attendance at Annual Meetings
The
Board
has adopted a policy requiring that each member of the Board make every effort
to attend the annual meetings of stockholders. All of our directors attended
our
2006 annual meeting.
Executive Officers
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officers
who are not also directors.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott
L. Hayashi
|
|
35
|
|
Vice
President of Administration,
Chief Financial Officer
and Secretary
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
J. Zeffren
|
|
50
|
|
Vice
President of Product Development
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shawn
P. Cain
|
|
40
|
|
Vice
President of Operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jacek
Rozga, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
58
|
|
Chief
Scientific Officer
|
Scott
L. Hayashi Mr.
Hayashi joined the company as its Chief Administrative Officer in February
2004,
became the Secretary of the company in July 2004 and was appointed as the Vice
President of Administration in November 2004. In March 2005, Mr. Hayashi assumed
the role as our Chief
Financial Officer. Prior
to
joining Arbios, Mr. Hayashi was a Manager of Overseas Development for Cardinal
Health, Inc. from July 2000 to April 2002, Mr. Hayashi worked in finance,
mergers and acquisitions for Northrop Grumman Corporation from March 1997 to
July 2000 and Honeywell, Inc. from July 1994 to December 1996.
Shawn
P. Cain
Mr. Cain joined the company as its Vice President of Operations in April 2005
and was previously employed by us as a part-time consultant from December 2003
to March 2005. From June 2003 to March 2005, Mr. Cain was employed at Becton
Dickinson’s Discovery Labware, Biologics Business, where he was responsible for
the operation of two manufacturing facilities that produced over 900 biologics
products. From January 1997 through May 2003, Mr. Cain was the Vice
President of Operations for Circe Biomedical, Inc., where he was instrumental
in
the early development of the bioartificial liver technology, including
development the company’s HepatAssistTM
product.
David
J. Zeffren
Mr.
Zeffren was first employed by us as a consultant in February 2004, before being
appointed Vice President of Operations in November 2004, after which he became
Vice President of Product Development in March 2005. Prior to joining Arbios,
Mr. Zeffren had been the Chief Operating Officer of Skilled Health Systems,
L.C., a healthcare technology and clinical research organization from 1999
to
2004. Mr. Zeffren was also Chief Operating Officer of Physician Care Management
from 1996 to 1999. Mr. Zeffren was a Corporate Director, Business Development
& Division Manager at INFUSX, Inc., a subsidiary of Salick Health Care, Inc.
from 1993-1996. Mr. Zeffren has over 20 years of experience working in the
healthcare and medical device industries.
Jacek
Rozga, MD, Ph.D.
Dr. Rozga is a co-founder of Arbios and has been Chief Scientific Officer
of Arbios since its organization in August 2000. Dr. Rozga served as President
of Arbios from August 2000 until November 2005. From October 2003 until March
2005, Dr. Rozga also acted as our Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Rozga is Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of OncoTx, Inc., a private California corporation
since October 2005. Since 1992, Dr. Rozga has been a professor of Surgery at
UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Rozga was previously a research scientist at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center from 1992 to 2005.
There
are
no family relationships between any of the executive officers and directors.
Key
Employees and Consultants
Ulrich
Baurmeister, Ph.D.
Dr. Baurmeister has been Chief Technology Officer of Arbios since November,
2006. He is an expert in the field of semi-permeable polymer membrane
development. From 1982 until 2000, Dr. Baurmeister served in various senior
research and development, marketing and business development roles at Membrana
GmbH, a leading supplier of semi-permeable membranes for dialysis and water
purification, and its parent companies, Akzo Nobel and Acordis AG. He was most
recently Managing Director, Business Development, overseeing Membrana’s
extension into new areas of business and technology. From 2000 to 2004, he
continued at Membrana while also serving as Chief Executive Officer of MAT
Adsorption Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, a Membrana spin-off venture that
developed selective adsorption membrane technology. Dr. Baurmeister serves
Arbios on a half-time contractor basis, alongside his role as Advisor and Senior
Visiting Scientist at the University Hospital Charite in Berlin, Germany. He
also serves on the boards of the Society of Artificial Organs, the International
Society of Blood Purification, and the International Society for Apheresis,
and
he participates in various working groups in the fields of biocompatibility
of
materials and organ failure. Dr. Baurmeister works for Arbios on a part-time
consulting basis.
Jan
Stange, MD.
Prof.
Stange has been Senior Clinical Advisor to Arbios since early 2006 and he is
currently overseeing the Company’s clinical development program. He is an expert
in the clinical development of products for the treatment of liver failure,
having managed pivotal phase, multi-center clinical trials for various liver
failure indications in both the U.S. and Europe. From 2000 to 2005, he was
a
founder and the Medical Director of Teraklin GmbH, where he directed clinical
trials of that company’s MARS Liver Assist system, currently owned by Gambro AS.
Since 1992, Dr. Stange has held academic, clinical and research positions at
the
University of Rostock, Germany and the University of California, San Diego
and
has founded other medical products companies in addition to Teraklin. He is
currently Professor of Bioartificial Therapies at the University of Rostock.
He
serves on the board of directors of Forum Liver Dialysis. Dr. Stange serves
Arbios on a part-time contractor basis.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership
of
our common stock as of May
16,
2007 (a) by each person known by us to own beneficially 5% or more of any class
of our common stock, (b) by each of our Named Executive Officers and our
directors and (c) by all executive officers and directors of this company as
a
group. As of April 30, 2007, there were 25,144,086 shares of our common stock
issued and outstanding. Unless otherwise noted, we believe that all persons
named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all
the
shares beneficially owned by them. Except as otherwise indicated, the address
of
each stockholder is c/o the company at 1050 Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham,
Massachusetts 02451.
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Shares
Beneficially Owned (1)
|
|
Percent
of Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jacek
Rozga, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
|
2,228,000
|
(2)
|
|
8.8
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Achilles
A. Demetriou, M.D., Ph.D. and Kristin P. Demetriou
|
|
|
2,500,000
|
(3)
|
|
9.9
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
M. Vierling, M.D.
|
|
|
225,853
|
(4)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Walter
C. Ogier
|
|
|
421,667
|
(5)
|
|
1.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jack
E. Stover
|
|
|
140,853
|
(6)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
C. Seoh
|
|
|
108,117
|
(7)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dennis
Kogod
|
|
|
102,742
|
(8)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
Tully
|
|
|
130,957
|
(9)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott
L. Hayashi
|
|
|
44,167
|
(10)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
Zeffren
|
|
|
72,000
|
(11)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shawn
Cain
|
|
|
46,042
|
(12)
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gary
Ballen
|
|
|
1,139,222
|
(13)
|
|
4.4
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LibertyView
Funds, LP
111
River Street - Suite 1000
Hoboken,
NJ 07030-5776
|
|
|
1,701,968
|
(14)
|
|
6.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LibertyView
Special Opportunities Fund, LP
111
River Street - Suite 1000
Hoboken,
NJ 07030-5776
|
|
|
2,474,752
|
(15)
|
|
9.6
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Neuberger
Berman LLC
111
River Street - Suite 1000
Hoboken,
NJ 07030-5776
|
|
|
4,805,931
|
(16)
|
|
18.1
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
executive officers and directors as a group (10 persons)
|
|
|
3,520,397
|
(17)
|
|
14.0
|
%
|
* Less
than
1%.
(1) |
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities
and
Exchange Commission and generally includes voting or investment power
with
respect to securities. Shares of common stock subject to options,
warrants
and convertible securities currently exercisable or convertible,
or
exercisable or convertible within 60 days, are deemed outstanding,
including for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the
person
holding such option, warrant or convertible security, but not for
purposes
of computing the percentage of any other
holder.
|
(2) |
Includes
currently exercisable options to purchase 78,000 shares of common
stock.
|
(3) |
Consists
of 2,500,000 shares owned by the A & K Demetriou Family Trust, of
which Achilles A. Demetriou, M.D., Ph.D. and Kristin P. Demetriou
each are
co-trustees with the right to vote or dispose of the trust’s
shares.
|
(4) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 199,290 shares of
common
stock, ii) 26,563 shares of restricted common
stock.
|
(5) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 416,667 shares of
common
stock and ii) 5,000 shares of common stock.
|
(6) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 113,290 shares of
common
stock ii) 26,563 shares of restricted common stock and iii)1,000
shares of
common stock.
|
(7) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 93,273 shares of
common
stock, ii) 14,844 shares of restricted common
stock.
|
(8) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 85,711 shares of
common
stock, ii) 7,031 shares of restricted common stock, and iii) 10,000
shares
of common stock.
|
(9) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 116,113 shares of
common
stock, ii) 14,844 shares of restricted common
stock.
|
(10) |
Consists
of i) currently exercisable options to purchase 41,167 shares of
common
stock, ii) 3,000 shares of common
stock.
|
(11) |
Consists
of i) 25,000 shares owned by Mira Zeffren, David Zeffren’s wife, (ii)
warrants to purchase 25,000 shares registered in the name of Mira
Zeffren,
and (iii) currently exercisable options held by David Zeffren for
the
purchase of 22,000 shares of common
stock.
|
(12) |
Consists
of currently exercisable options to purchase 46,042 shares of common
stock.
|
(13) |
Consists
of (i) 417,000 shares of common stock registered in Mr. Ballen’s name,
(ii) currently exercisable warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of
common
stock owned by Mr. Ballen, and (iii) 122,222 shares registered in
the name
of American Charter & Marketing LLC, over which Mr. Ballen has voting
and investment control.
|
(14) |
Consists
of (i) 1,162,157 shares of common stock and (ii) currently exercisable
warrants to purchase 539,811 shares of common stock. LibertyView
Funds,
LP, LibertyView Special Opportunities Fund, LP and Trust D for a
Portion
of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan have a common investment
advisor, Neuberger Berman, LLC, that has voting and dispositive power
over
the shares held by them, which is exercised by Richard A. Meckler.
Since
they have hired a common investment advisor, these entities are likely
to
vote together. Additionally, there may be common investors within
the
different accounts managed by the same investment advisor. The General
Partner of LibertyView Special Opportunities Fund, LP and LibertyView
Funds, LP is Neuberger Berman Asset Management, LLC, which is affiliated
with Neuberger Berman, LLC, a registered broker-dealer. LibertyView
Capital Management, a division of Neuberger Berman, LLC, is affiliated
with the General Partner of the LibertyView Health Sciences Fund,
LP. The
shares were purchased for investment in the ordinary course of business
and at the time of purchase, there were no agreements or understandings,
directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the shares.
Trust D
for a Portion of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan is
not in
any way affiliated with a broker-dealer.
|
(15) |
Consists
of (i) 1,770,323 shares of common stock and (ii) currently exercisable
warrants to purchase 704,429 shares of common stock. LibertyView
Special
Opportunities Fund, LP, LibertyView Funds, LP and Trust D for a Portion
of
the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan have a common investment
advisor, Neuberger Berman, LLC, that has voting and dispositive power
over
the shares held by them, which is exercised by Richard A. Meckler.
Since
they have hired a common investment advisor, these entities are likely
to
vote together. Additionally, there may be common investors within
the
different accounts managed by the same investment advisor. The General
Partner of LibertyView Special Opportunities Fund, LP and LibertyView
Funds, LP is Neuberger Berman Asset Management, LLC, which is affiliated
with Neuberger Berman, LLC, a registered broker-dealer. LibertyView
Capital Management, a division of Neuberger Berman, LLC, is affiliated
with the General Partner of the LibertyView Health Sciences Fund,
LP. The
shares were purchased for investment in the ordinary course of business
and at the time of purchase, there were no agreements or understandings,
directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the shares.
Trust D
for a Portion of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan is
not in
any way affiliated with a
broker-dealer.
|
(16) |
Includes
shares of common stock and currently exercisable warrants to purchase
shares of common stock held by Liberty Funds, LP and LibertyView
Special
Opportunities Fund, LP (see footnotes 14 and 15). Also includes (i)
432,843 shares of common stock held by Trust D for a Portion of the
Assets
of the Kodak Retirement Income Fund and (ii) currently exercisable
warrants to purchase 182,517 shares of common stock held by Trust
D for a
Portion of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan. LibertyView
Funds, LP, LibertyView Special Opportunities Fund, LP and Trust D
for a
Portion of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement Income Plan have a
common
investment advisor, Neuberger Berman, LLC, that has voting and dispositive
power over the shares held by them, which is exercised by Richard
A.
Meckler. Since they have hired a common investment advisor, these
entities
are likely to vote together. Additionally, there may be common investors
within the different accounts managed by the same investment advisor.
The
General Partner of LibertyView Special Opportunities Fund, LP and
LibertyView Funds, LP is Neuberger Berman Asset Management, LLC,
which is
affiliated with Neuberger Berman, LLC, a registered broker-dealer.
LibertyView Capital Management, a division of Neuberger Berman, LLC,
is
affiliated with the General Partner of the LibertyView Health Sciences
Fund, LP. The shares were purchased for investment in the ordinary
course
of business and at the time of purchase, there were no agreements
or
understandings, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute
the
shares. Trust D for a Portion of the Assets of the Kodak Retirement
Income
Plan is not in any way affiliated with a broker-dealer.
|
(17) |
Includes
currently exercisable options and warrants to purchase 1,326,397
shares of
common stock.
|
EXECUTIVE
AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table set forth certain information concerning the annual and
long-term compensation for services rendered to us in all capacities for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2005, and 2004 of (i) all persons who
served as the Chief Executive Officer of this company during the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2006 and (ii) each other person who was an executive officer
on December 31, 2006 and whose total annual salary and bonus during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2006 exceeded $100,000. (The Chief Executive Officer
and
the other named officers are collectively referred to as the "Named Executive
Officers.")
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
Bonus
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation
|
|
All
Other
Compensation(6)
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Walter
C. Ogier,(1)
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
300,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
7,980
|
|
$
|
307,980
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
2005
|
|
$
|
46,057
|
|
$
|
50,000
|
|
$
|
578,227
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
674,284
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jacek
Rozga, M.D., Ph.D. (2)
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
183,333
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
6,220
|
|
$
|
189,553
|
|
Chief
Scientist
|
|
|
2005
|
|
$
|
199,177
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
15,150
|
|
$
|
24,000
|
|
$
|
2,750
|
|
$
|
241,077
|
|
|
|
|
2004
|
|
$
|
198,909
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
55,123
|
|
$
|
20,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
274,032
|
|
|
|
|
2003
|
|
$
|
143,125
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
3,461
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
161,586
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott
L. Hayashi,
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
109,167
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
25,103
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
3,759
|
|
$
|
138,029
|
|
Vice
President of
|
|
|
2005
|
|
$
|
102,291
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
23,636
|
|
$
|
9,450
|
|
$
|
2,120
|
|
$
|
137,497
|
|
Administration,
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
|
|
|
2004
|
(3) |
$
|
80,000
|
|
$
|
12,000
|
|
$
|
16,598
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
8,000
|
|
$
|
116,598
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
J. Zeffren,
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
117,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
3,479
|
|
$
|
120,479
|
|
Vice
President of Product
|
|
|
2005
|
|
$
|
114,346
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
23,636
|
|
$
|
5,400
|
|
$
|
2,404
|
|
$
|
145,786
|
|
Development
|
|
|
2004
|
(4) |
$
|
120,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
26,130
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
146,130
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shawn
P. Cain,(5)
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
160,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
43,930
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
5,505
|
|
$
|
209,435
|
|
Vice
President of Operations
|
|
|
2005
|
|
$
|
110,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
33,788
|
|
$
|
12,000
|
|
$
|
259
|
|
$
|
156,047
|
|
_________________________
(1) Mr.
Ogier
was appointed our President and Chief Executive Officer in November
2005.
(2)
Dr.
Rozga resigned as a full-time employee and executive officer in November 2006
and works for the Company as a part-time employee currently.
(3) Mr.
Hayashi joined Arbios in February 2004. Mr. Hayashi received $8,000 in cash
payments for health and benefits in 2004.
(4) Mr.
Zeffren joined Arbios Systems, Inc. in February 2004 as a consultant before
becoming an executive officer of this company in November 2004. The compensation
shown includes amounts paid both as a consultant and as an officer of the
Company.
(5) Mr.
Cain
was employed by Arbios Systems, Inc. as a consultant from January 2005 to March
2005 and subsequently was appointed an executive officer in April 2005. Mr.
Cain
received $3,000 in consulting fees for the period from January 2005 to March
2005.
(6)
Includes company matching contributions in the Arbios 401(k) Plan and group
life
insurance premium gross ups.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
The
following table sets forth the number and value of unexercised options held
by
the Named Executive Officers as of December 31, 2006. There were no
exercises of options by the Named Executive Officers in fiscal year 2006.
Name
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Exercisable
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Unexercisable
|
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised
Unearned Options
|
|
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Walter
C. Ogier
|
|
|
291,666
|
|
|
208,334
|
|
|
500,000
|
(1)
|
$
|
1.85
|
|
|
11/8/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jacek
Rozga, M.D., Ph.D.
|
|
|
12,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
12,000
|
(2)
|
$
|
2.22
|
|
|
7/7/2012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
30,000
|
(3)
|
$
|
2.25
|
|
|
2/9/2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
18,000 |
(4) |
$ |
0.15 |
|
|
7/23/2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
18,000
|
(5)
|
$
|
1.00
|
|
|
4/20/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott
L. Hayashi
|
|
|
4,165
|
|
|
35,835
|
|
|
40,000
|
(6)
|
$
|
0.85
|
|
|
7/31/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
-
|
|
|
10,000
|
(7)
|
$ |
1.85 |
|
|
3/24/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
12,000
|
(8)
|
$
|
2.90
|
|
|
3/1/2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
10,000
|
(9)
|
$
|
2.25
|
|
|
2/9/2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
J. Zeffren
|
|
|
12,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
12,000
|
(8)
|
$
|
2.90
|
|
|
3/1/2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
10,000
|
(10)
|
$
|
2.00
|
|
|
2/9/2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shawn
P. Cain
|
|
|
7,290
|
|
|
62,710
|
|
|
70,000
|
(11)
|
$
|
0.85
|
|
|
7/31/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,750
|
|
|
1,250
|
|
|
30,000
|
(12)
|
$
|
1.65
|
|
|
3/31/2010
|
|
(1) |
The
option to purchase 500,000 shares of common stock was granted on
11/08/2005 and vests according to the following schedule: 50% of
the
option shall vest on the one year anniversary 11/08/2006, the remaining
50% shall vest on a monthly basis during the second year following
the
date of grant.
|
(2) |
The
option to purchase 12,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
07/07/2006.
|
(3) |
The
option to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
02/11/2005.
|
(4) |
The
option to purchase 18,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
02/15/2003.
|
(5) |
The
option to purchase 18,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
04/21/2004.
|
(6) |
The
option to purchase 40,000 shares of common stock was granted on 07/31/2006
and vests on a monthly basis for a period of 48 months from the grant
date.
|
(7) |
The
option to purchase 10,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
03/24/2006.
|
(8) |
The
option to purchase 12,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
03/01/2006.
|
(9) |
The
option to purchase 10,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
02/11/2005.
|
(10) |
The
option to purchase 10,000 shares of common stock was fully vested
on
02/11/2005.
|
(11) |
The
option to purchase 70,000 shares of common stock was granted on 07/31/2006
and vests on a pro-rata monthly basis for a period of 48 months from
the
date of grant.
|
(12) |
The
option to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock was granted on 03/31/2005
and vests on a pro-rata monthly basis for a period of 24 months from
the
date of grant.
|
Employment
Contracts and Termination of Employment, and Change-In-Control Arrangements
We
entered into an agreement with David Zeffren, dated December 30, 2004, pursuant
to which Mr. Zeffren has served as Vice President of Operations. The agreement
provides for a salary of $120,000 per year that is subject to annual review
and
adjustment. The agreement provides that Mr. Zeffren’s employment is “at will”
and can be terminated at any time. Mr. Zeffren’s title and responsibilities were
changed in March 2005 to Vice President Product Development.
We
have
entered into an agreement with Scott Hayashi, dated March 29, 2005, pursuant
to
which Mr. Hayashi serves as Chief Financial Officer. The agreement provides
for
a salary of $105,000 per year that is subject to annual review and adjustment.
Mr. Hayashi is eligible to receive an annual discretionary bonus of up to 15%
of
his salary based on achieving certain goals. The agreement also offered Mr.
Hayashi a five-year qualified stock option to purchase 10,000 shares of our
common stock. The shares are exercisable at $1.85 per share; 50% of the shares
vested immediately and 50% of the shares vest one year from the grant date
of
the option. The agreement provides that Mr. Hayashi’s employment is “at will”
and can be terminated at any time.
We
have
entered into an agreement with Shawn Cain, dated March 22, 2005, pursuant to
which Mr. Cain serves as Vice-President of Operations. The agreement provides
for a salary of $160,000 per year. The agreement also offered Mr. Cain a
five-year incentive stock option to purchase 30,000 shares of our common stock.
The options have an exercise price of $1.65 per share and vest in monthly
installments of 1,250 shares commencing on May 1, 2005. The agreement also
provides that we will match Mr. Cain’s contributions to a 401(k) plan at a rate
of 50% up to 6% of total compensation per year. The agreement also offers to
pay
Mr. Cain’s COBRA costs for an 18-month period commencing on the April 15, 2005.
Mr. Cain is also eligible to receive an annual discretionary cash bonus of
up to
15% of his base annual salary. The agreement provides that Mr. Cain’s employment
is “at will” and can be terminated at any time. During Mr. Cain’s first year of
employment, he will receive six months’ notice if we wish to terminate his
employment, during the second year he will receive four months’ notice and
during the third year he will receive three months’ notice. If we fail to
provide the required notice, upon termination, we will pay Mr. Cain the salary
equivalent of the notice of the shortened notice period.
We
entered into an agreement with Walter C. Ogier, dated October 17, 2005, pursuant
to which Mr. Ogier will serve as Chief Executive Officer commencing November
7,
2005. The agreement provides for an annual initial base salary of $300,000
that
is subject to review and adjustment on an annual basis in accordance with the
procedures established by the Board of Directors. Mr. Ogier is eligible to
receive a discretionary annual cash bonus equal to up to 50% of his annual
base
salary. The agreement provides that upon commencement of employment, Mr. Ogier
received an option to purchase 500,000 shares of our common stock, which will
vest 250,000 shares on the one year anniversary of the date Mr. Ogier’s
employment commences and 250,000 shares will vest ratably at the end of each
of
the twelve months of the second year of his employment. If there is a
liquidation or change-in-control of the Company and in connection with such
transaction Mr. Ogier is terminated other than for cause or is no longer
President and Chief Executive Officer of the surviving corporation, then all
options shares granted to Mr. Ogier in connection with his employment will
immediately and fully vest. Additionally, if Mr. Ogier terminates his employment
for good reason or is terminated in anticipation of such a transaction, then
all
option shares granted to Mr. Ogier in connection with his employment will
immediately and fully vest. The agreement provides that Mr. Ogier’s employment
is “at will” and can be terminated at any time. Mr. Ogier is entitled to 12
months of salary if the Company terminates him without cause or he terminates
his employment for defined good reason.
Director
Compensation
The
following table shows the total compensation paid or accrued during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2006 to each of our directors.
Name
|
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
M. Vierling(1)
|
|
$
|
17,500
|
|
$
|
16,819
|
|
$
|
33,704
|
|
$
|
68,023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jack
E. Stover(2)
|
|
$
|
17,500
|
|
$
|
16,819
|
|
$
|
33,704
|
|
$
|
68,023
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
C. Seoh(3)
|
|
$
|
10,000
|
|
$
|
9,399
|
|
$
|
34,664
|
|
$
|
54,063
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas
M. Tully(4)
|
|
$
|
9,500
|
|
$
|
9,399
|
|
$
|
40,858
|
|
$
|
59,758
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dennis
Kogod(5)
|
|
$
|
1,500
|
|
$
|
4,452
|
|
$
|
31,586
|
|
$
|
37,538
|
|
The
following notes describe stock option and restricted stock grants during FY
2006. The fair value of the stock options was determined using the Black Scholes
option pricing model in accordance with SFAS 123R as described in Note 1 of
the
financial notes.
1. |
John
M. Vierling, M.D. received 1) an option to purchase 44,957 shares
of
common stock with a fair value of $33,704, and 2) a restricted stock
grant
of 26,563 shares with a fair value of
$16,819.
|
2. |
Jack
E. Stover received 1) an option to purchase 44,957 shares of common
stock
with a fair value of $33,704, and 2) a restricted stock grant of
26,563
shares with a fair value of
$16,819.
|
3. |
Thomas
C. Seoh received 1) an option to purchase 37,856 shares of common
stock
with a fair value of $34,664, and 2) a restricted stock grant of
14,844
shares with a fair value of $9,399.
|
4. |
Thomas
M. Tully received 1) an option to purchase 28,613 shares of common
stock
with a fair value of $40,858 and 2) a restricted stock grant of 14,844
shares with a fair value of $9,399.
|
5. |
Dennis
Kogod received 1) an option to purchase 30,294 shares of common stock
with
a fair value of $31,586 and 2) a restricted stock grant of 7,031
shares
with a fair value of $4,452.
|
On
March
24, 2005, the Board of Directors approved a plan for compensating the company’s
directors. On May 16, 2005, the Board amended the plan for the 2005 fiscal
year
and later renewed the plan on January 11, 2006 for FY 2006. The plan consists
of
the following:
Non-employee
Directors will receive annual grants of stock options to purchase 15,000 shares
of the company’s common stock. The options will be granted on January 1 of each
year. The options will have a term of seven years and will have an exercise
price equal to the market price on the trading day preceding the grant date.
The
options will vest in equal monthly installments over the 12-month period
following the grant date.
Upon
election to the Board of Directors, each new Director will be granted a stock
option to purchase 30,000 shares of the company’s common stock. The option will
have a term of seven years and will have an exercise price equal to the market
price on the trading day preceding the date of grant. One half of the options
will vest on the date of grant, and the balance will vest on the first
anniversary of the grant date.
On
January 1 of each year, committee members receive an annual grant of a stock
option to purchase 5,000 shares of common stock for each committee for which
they are a member. The option will have a term of seven years and will have
an
exercise price equal to the market price on the trading day preceding the grant
date. The option will vest in equal monthly installments over the 12-month
period following the grant date.
Cash
Compensation
Effective
March 24, 2005, all non-employee directors were paid $1,500 for each day they
attend a Board of Directors meeting in person ($1,000 if they attend a meeting
by telephone), and $500 for each telephonic Board meeting ($1,000 for each
telephonic meeting if the meeting lasts longer than two hours). In addition,
the
Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee would receive $25,000
annually (payable quarterly), and the Chairman of the Nomination Committee
and
the Chairman of the Compensation Committee would receive $10,000 annually
(payable quarterly). Effective June 30, 2006, this policy was amended and the
company terminated all cash compensation payments to non-employee directors.
The
company does reimburse all directors for any expenses incurred by them in
attending meetings of the Board of Directors.
During
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, each of our directors was granted
an annual grant of stock options to purchase 15,000 shares of common stock
at an
exercise price of $1.66 per share. In addition, board committee members received
an annual grant of stock options to purchase 5,000 shares of common stock at
an
exercise price of $1.66 per share for each committee they are a member. All
director and committee member options are granted at the market price on the
day
preceding the date of grant and have a term of seven years and vest on a monthly
basis from the date of grant. On June 30, 2006, the Board determined to issue
restricted stock in lieu of paying cash compensation to independent members
in
order to help the Company maintain its cash reserves. In November 2006, members
of the Board of Directors received a total of 89,845 shares of restricted stock
in lieu of cash compensation for services rendered during the period July 1,
2006 to December 31, 2006.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
following table summarizes as of December 31, 2006, the number of securities
to
be issued upon the exercise of outstanding derivative securities (options,
warrants, and rights); the weighted-average exercise price of the outstanding
derivative securities; and the number of securities remaining available for
future issuance under our equity compensation plans.
Plan
Category
|
|
Number
of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options,
warrants,
and rights
|
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
|
|
Number
of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity
compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column
(a))
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
|
(b)
|
|
(c)
|
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders(1)
|
|
|
2,628,876
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
1,371,124
|
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
|
|
637,000
|
(2)
|
$
|
2.41
|
|
|
-0-
|
|
Total
|
|
|
3,265,876
|
(3)
|
$
|
1.69
|
|
|
1,371,124
|
|
(1) These
plans consist of our 2001 Stock Option Plan and 2005 Stock Incentive
Plan.
(2) Represents
warrants to purchase shares of our common stock issued to our
consultants.
(3) Includes
restricted stock grants totaling 172,199 shares of common stock.
2001
Stock Option Plan
In
2001,
we adopted our 2001 Stock Option Plan, pursuant to which our Board of Directors
has the authority to grant options to purchase up to a total of 1,000,000 shares
of our common stock to our directors, officers, consultants and employees.
Awards under the plan may be either non-qualified options or options intended
to
qualify as “incentive stock options” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended.
The
exercise price of incentive stock options granted under the plan may not be
less
than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the day of grant.
If
incentive stock options are granted to a person who controls more than 10%
of
our stock, then the exercise price of those incentive stock options may not
be
less than 110% of the fair market value on the day of the grant. The purchase
price and method of exercise of each option granted to officers and other key
employees shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The purchase price
is
payable in full by cash. However, the Board of Directors may accept payment
for
the purchase price of the shares of common stock acquired upon exercise of
an
option, by optionee’s tendering outstanding shares of our common stock owned by
the optionee, or by other so-called cashless exercises as permitted by law,
or
any combination of cash, check, shares and cashless exercises.
Options
granted under the 2001 Stock Option Plan become exercisable and shall expire
on
such dates as determined by the Board of Directors, provided, however, that
no
term of an incentive stock option may exceed ten years from the date of grant,
or five years from the date of grant in the case of any optionee holding more
than 10 percent of the combined voting power of all classes of our capital
stock
as of the date of grant. After options become exercisable they may be exercised
at any time or from time to time as to any part thereof.
Options
are not transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution;
during the life of the person to whom the option is granted, that person alone
may exercise them. Generally, all rights to exercise options terminate 90 days
after the date a grantee ceases to be an employee of this company or any
subsidiary for any reason other than death or disability.
In
connection with the reorganization transaction between Arbios and Arbios
Technologies, Inc. in October 2003, Arbios assumed all of the 314,000
outstanding options granted by Arbios Technologies, Inc. under its existing
stock option plan and the options previously issued under that plan were
cancelled. None of the terms of the assumed options were changed. The options
assumed under the 2001 Stock Option Plan are identical to the options that
were
previously granted under the Arbios Technologies, Inc. Plan.
2005
Stock Incentive Plan
In
2005,
Arbios adopted the 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”) for the purpose
of granting incentive stock options and/or non-statutory stock options to
employees, consultants, directors and others. Under the 2005 Plan, the Company
is authorized to grant options to purchase up to 3,000,000 shares. The 2005
Plan
is administered by the Board of Directors of the Company or by a committee
of
the Board.
For
the
years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, the Company granted 60,000 and
140,000 options, respectively, to consultants and recorded expenses of $58,000
and $555,000 for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004 relating to the
vested portion of these options.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary set forth in any of our previous or future filings
under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act that might incorporate by reference
previous or future filings, including this proxy statement, in whole or in
part,
the following report shall not be incorporated by reference into any of such
filings.
The
responsibilities of the Audit Committee include providing oversight to the
financial reporting process of the Company through periodic meetings with the
Company’s independent auditors and management to review accounting, auditing,
internal controls, and financial reporting matters. The management of the
Company is responsible for the preparation and integrity of the financial
reporting information and related systems of internal controls. The Audit
Committee, in carrying out its role, relies on senior management, including
senior financial management, and the Company’s independent auditors.
We
have
reviewed and discussed with senior management the audited financial statements
of the Company that are included in the fiscal year 2006 annual report on
Form 10-KSB. Management has confirmed to us that such financial statements
(i) have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and are the
responsibility of management and (ii) have been prepared in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
We
have
discussed with Stonefield Josephson, Inc. (“Stonefield”) our independent
registered public accountants, the matters required to be discussed by SAS
61
(Communications with Audit Committee). SAS 61 requires our independent
registered public accountants to provide us with additional information
regarding the scope and results of their audit of the Company’s financial
statements with respect to (i) their responsibility under auditing
standards generally accepted in the United States, (ii) significant
accounting policies, (iii) management judgments and estimates,
(iv) any significant audit adjustments, (v) any disagreements with
management, and (vi) any difficulties encountered in performing the audit.
We
also
have received from Stonefield a letter providing the disclosures required by
Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with
Audit
Committees) with respect to any relationships between Stonefield and the Company
that in its professional judgment may reasonably be thought to bear on
independence. Stonefield has discussed its independence with us. Stonefield
confirmed in its letter, in its professional judgment, it is independent of
the
Company within the meaning of the federal securities laws.
Based
on
the review and discussions described above with respect to the audited financial
statements of the Company, we recommended to the Board of Directors that such
financial statements be included in the Company’s annual report on
Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
It
is not
the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that
the Company’s financial statements are complete and accurate and in accordance
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. That is
the
responsibility of management and the Company’s independent registered public
accountants. In giving our recommendation to the Board of Directors, we have
relied on (i) management’s representation that such financial statements
have been prepared with integrity and objectivity and in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and (ii) the
report of the Company’s independent registered public accountants with respect
to such financial statements.
Respectfully
submitted,
Audit
Committee
Jack
E.
Stover, Chairman
Thomas
C.
Seoh
Thomas
M.
Tully
SECTION 16(A)
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our directors and executive
officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of the outstanding shares
of
our common stock (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) to file reports of
ownership of our common stock and changes in ownership with the SEC. Reporting
Persons are required by SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms that they file.
Our
records reflect that all reports which were required to be filed pursuant to
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act were filed on a timely basis, except that
8
reports, covering an aggregate of 21 transactions, were filed late by Roy
Eddleman, Marvin Hausman, M.D., Dennis Kogod, Jacek Rozga M.D., Ph.D., Thomas
Seoh, Jack Stover, Thomas Tully and John Vierling, M.D.
An
Annual
Statement of Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 is not required to be filed if
there
are no previously unreported transactions or holdings to report. Nevertheless,
we are required to disclose the names of directors, officers and 10%
stockholders who did not file a Form 5 unless we have obtained a written
statement that no filing is required. We have received a written statement
from
each of our directors, officers and 10% stockholders stating that no filing
is
required.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Our
Audit
Committee reviews and approves in advance all related-party
transactions.
Agreement
with AFO Advisors, LLC
Pursuant
to a verbal arrangement with AFO Advisors, LLC, we engaged Amy Factor to provide
investor relations services to support our fundraising efforts as well as
provide strategic, accounting and financial advice. Ms. Factor is a former
member of our Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer and is the
President of AFO Advisors, LLC. Under the arrangement, we agreed to pay Ms.
Factor a $7,500 monthly retainer for a period of three months commencing January
1, 2006 to March 31, 2006 and granted a five year non-qualified stock option
to
purchase 30,000 shares of our common stock under our 2005 Stock Incentive Plan.
The exercise price of the foregoing options is $1.80 per share and vest on
a
monthly basis during for a period of three months beginning January 1, 2006.
We
have verbally extended the arrangement to provide Ms. Factor with $7,500 per
month for investor relations services and financial advice for an indefinite
period.
PROPOSAL
I
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
On
May
10, 2007,
the
Board
of Directors nominated
Walter
C. Ogier, Dennis Kogod, Thomas C. Seoh, Jack E. Stover, Thomas M. Tully and
John
M. Vierling, M.D. for
election at the annual meeting. If they are elected, they will serve on our
Board of Directors until the 2008 annual
meeting of Stockholders and until their respective successors have been elected
and qualified.
Unless
authority to vote for any of these nominees is withheld, the shares represented
by the enclosed proxy will be voted FOR
the
election as directors of
Walter
C. Ogier, Dennis Kogod, Thomas C. Seoh, Jack E. Stover, Thomas M. Tully and
John
M. Vierling, M.D.
In the
event that either nominee becomes unable or unwilling to serve, the shares
represented by the enclosed proxy will be voted for the election of such other
person as the Board of Directors may recommend in his/her place. We have no
reason to believe that any nominee will be unable or unwilling to serve as
a
director.
A
plurality of the shares voted affirmatively or negatively at the annual
meeting
is
required
to elect each nominee as a director.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THE ELECTION OF
WALTER C. OGIER, DENNIS KOGOD, THOMAS C. SEOH, JACK E. STOVER, THOMAS M. TULLY
AND JOHN M. VIERLING, M.D.
AS DIRECTORS, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR THEREOF
UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER HAS INDICATED OTHERWISE ON THE PROXY.
PROPOSAL
II
AMENDMENT
TO CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
(Amendment
of our Certificate of Incorporation to increase from 60,000,000 to 100,000,000
shares the aggregate
number
of shares of common stock authorized to be issued)
The
Board
of Directors has determined that it is advisable to increase our authorized
common stock from 60,000,000 shares to 1000,000,000 shares, and has voted to
recommend that the stockholders adopt an amendment to our Certificate
of Incorporation effecting
the proposed increase. The full text of the proposed amendment to the
Certificate of Incorporation is attached to this proxy statement as Annex
A.
As
of May
16, 2007, approximately 25,144,086 shares of our common stock were issued and
outstanding (excluding treasury shares) and approximately an additional
20,033,833 shares were reserved for issuance upon the conversion of existing
securities and exercise of options granted under our various stock-based plans.
Accordingly, a total of approximately 14,822,081 shares of common stock is
available for future issuance.
The
Board
of Directors believes it continues to be in our best interest to have sufficient
additional authorized but unissued shares of common stock available in order
to
provide flexibility for corporate action in the future. Management believes
that
the availability of additional authorized shares for issuance from time to
time
in the Board of Directors’ discretion in connection with possible acquisitions
of other companies, future financings, investment opportunities, stock splits
or
dividends or for other corporate purposes is desirable in order to avoid
repeated separate amendments to our Certificate
of Incorporation and
the
delay and expense incurred in holding special meetings of the stockholders
to
approve such amendments. We currently have no specific understandings,
arrangements or agreements with respect to any future acquisitions that would
require us to issue a material amount of new shares of our common stock.
However, the Board of Directors believes that the currently available unissued
shares do not provide sufficient flexibility for corporate action in the future.
If
the
proposed amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation is approved by our
stockholders, the Board of Directors will cause the Certificate of Amendment
to
be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware promptly following
the annual meeting.
We
will
not solicit further authorization by vote of the stockholders for the issuance
of the additional shares of common stock proposed to be authorized, except
as
required by law, regulatory authorities or rules of any stock exchange on which
our shares may then be listed. The issuance of additional shares of common
stock
could have the effect of diluting existing stockholder earnings per share,
book
value per share and voting power. Our stockholders do not have any preemptive
right to purchase or subscribe for any part of any new or additional issuance
of
our securities.
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the common stock outstanding and entitled
to
vote at the Meeting is required to approve the amendment to our Certificate
of Incorporation to
effect
the proposed increase in our authorized shares.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT TO THE OUR
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD WILL BE VOTED
IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER INDICATES OTHERWISE ON THE
PROXY.
PROPOSAL
III
INCREASE
IN THE AGGREGATE NUMBER OF SHARES FOR WHICH STOCK OPTIONS MAY BE
GRANTED
UNDER THE COMPANYS 2005 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
General
Our
Arbios 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”) was approved by our Board of
Directors and stockholders in 2005 and a total of 3,000,000 shares of common
stock was initially reserved for issuance under the Plan. By its terms, the
Plan
may be amended by the Board of Directors, provided that any amendment which
the
Board of Directors determines requires stockholder approval is subject to
receiving such stockholder approval. On May 29, 2007, the Board of Directors
voted to approve an amendment to the Plan to increase the aggregate number
of
shares of common stock which may be offered under the Plan by 1,000,000 shares.
This amendment is being submitted for your approval to ensure continued
qualification of the Plan under ISO rules. The full text of the 2005 Plan,
as
amended, is attached to this proxy statement as Annex
B.
The
purpose of the 2005 Plan is to (i) encourage selected employees, officers,
directors, consultants and advisers to improve operations and increase the
profitability of the Company, (ii) encourage selected employees, officers,
directors, consultants and advisers to accept or continue employment or
association with us, and (iii) increase the interest of selected employees,
officers, directors, consultants and advisers in our welfare through
participation in the growth in value of our common stock. As of May 16, 2007,
we
had seven directors, five officers and two additional employees.
The
Plan
authorizes the granting of the following types of awards to persons who are
employees, officers or directors of the Company or its subsidiaries or who
are
consultants or advisers to such entities:
·
|
“Incentive
stock options” that are intended to satisfy the requirements of
Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the
regulations thereunder;
|
·
|
“Non-qualified
stock options” that are not intended to be incentive options; and
|
·
|
Shares
of common stock that are subject to specified restrictions, or “restricted
shares.”
|
Subject
to the adjustment provisions of the 2005 Plan that are applicable in the event
of a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or similar transaction,
up
to 3,000,000 shares of common stock may be issued under the 2005 Plan and no
person shall be granted awards under the 2005 Plan during any twelve-month
period that cover more than 500,000 shares of common stock. As of May 16, 2007,
the last reported sales price of our common stock as reported on the OTC
Bulletin Board was $0.82 per share.
The
2005
Plan is administered by our Board of Directors, although the Board of Directors
has the authority under the 2005 Plan to delegate the administration of the
2005
Plan to a committee (the administrator of the 2005 Plan is referred to as the
“Administrator”). Currently, the Board of Directors is the Administrator.
However, our Compensation Committee is responsible for selecting the officers,
employees, directors, consultants and advisers who will receive options and
restricted stock and is responsible for proposing the terms and conditions
of
each option award, including the number of shares subject to the option, the
exercise price, expiration date and vesting period of the option and whether
the
option is an incentive stock option or a non-qualified stock option. The
Compensation Committee makes these recommendations for option grants to the
full
Board of Directors, and the Board approves all grants (on the terms proposed
by
the Compensation Committee or otherwise). Subject to the requirements imposed
by
the 2005 Plan, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors are also
responsible for determining the terms and conditions of each restricted stock
grant, including the number of shares granted, the purchase price (if any)
and
the vesting, transfer and other restrictions imposed on the stock. The Board
of
Directors has the power, authority and discretion to make all other
determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the
2005
Plan or of any award under the 2005 Plan.
Under
current law, only officers and other employees are entitled to receive incentive
stock options. The exercise price for both incentive stock options and
non-qualified stock options may not be less than 100% of the fair market value
of the common stock on the date of the grant of the option. With respect to
an
option holder who owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total voting power
of all classes of our stock, the exercise price for an incentive stock option
may not be less than 110% of the fair market value of the common stock on the
date of the grant of the option.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Administrator, options granted under the 2005 Plan
generally are not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and
distribution. Except as otherwise provided in the option agreement, an option
ceases to be exercisable ninety days after the termination of the option
holder’s employment with us.
The
purchase price of common stock acquired under the 2005 Plan is payable by cash
or check. In addition, the Administrator has discretion to accept the following
types of payment for the stock:
·
|
A
secured or unsecured promissory note, provided that this method of
payment
is not available to a participant who is a director or executive
officer;
|
·
|
Shares
of our common stock already owned by the option or restricted stock
holder
as long as the surrendered shares have a fair market value that is
equal
to the acquired stock and have been owned by the participant for
at least
six months; and
|
·
|
A
“cashless” option exercise in accordance with applicable regulations of
the SEC and the Federal Reserve
Board.
|
Except
as
otherwise determined by the Administrator, in the event of a “corporate
transaction,” all previously unexercised options will terminate immediately
prior to the consummation of the corporate transaction and all restricted stock
will be forfeited immediately prior to the consummation of the corporate
transaction. The Administrator, in its discretion, may permit exercise of any
options prior to their termination, even if the options would not otherwise
have
been exercisable, or provide that outstanding options will be assumed or an
equivalent option substituted by a successor corporation. The Administrator
may
also provide that outstanding options will be cancelled in exchange for an
amount of cash equal to the excess of the fair market value of the common stock
underlying the options over the exercise price of the options. The
Administrator, in its discretion, may remove any restrictions as to any
restricted stock or provide that all outstanding restricted stock will
participate in the corporate transaction with an equivalent stock substituted
by
the successor corporation subject to the restrictions. In general, a “corporate
transaction” means:
·
|
Our
liquidation or dissolution;
|
·
|
Our
merger or consolidation with or into another corporation as a result
of
which we are not the surviving
corporation;
|
·
|
A
sale of all or substantially all of our assets;
or
|
·
|
A
purchase or other acquisition of beneficial ownership of more than
50% of
our outstanding capital stock by one person or more than one person
acting
in concert.
|
The
Board
of Directors may at any time amend, discontinue or terminate the 2005 Plan.
With
specified exceptions, no amendment, suspension or termination of the plan may
adversely affect outstanding options or the terms that are applicable to
outstanding restricted stock. No amendment or suspension of the 2005 Plan
requires stockholder approval unless such approval is required under applicable
law or under the rules of any stock exchange or Nasdaq market on which our
stock
is traded. Unless terminated earlier by the Board of Directors, the 2005 Plan
will terminate automatically on March 23, 2015, which is the tenth anniversary
of the date of the plan’s adoption by the Board.
Certain
Federal Income Tax Consequences
Non-Qualified
Stock Options
There
will be no federal income tax consequences to either the Company or the
participant upon the grant of a non-qualified stock option if the exercise
price
is not less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of the
option grant. However, the participant will realize ordinary income on the
exercise of the non-qualified stock option in an amount equal to the excess
of
the fair market value of the common stock acquired upon the exercise of such
option over the exercise price, and the Company will receive a corresponding
deduction. The gain, if any, realized upon the subsequent disposition by the
participant of the common stock will constitute short-term or long-term capital
gain, depending on the participant’s holding period.
Incentive
Stock Options
There
will be no federal income tax consequences to either the Company or the
participant upon the grant of an incentive stock option. Upon exercise of the
option, the excess of the fair market value of the stock over the exercise
price
(the “spread”)
will
be added to the alternative minimum tax base of the participant unless a
disqualifying disposition is made in the year of exercise. A disqualifying
disposition is the sale of the stock prior to the expiration of two years from
the date of grant and one year from the date of exercise. If the shares of
common stock are disposed of in a disqualifying disposition, the participant
will realize taxable ordinary income in an amount equal to the spread at the
time of exercise, and the Company will be entitled to a federal income tax
deduction equal to such amount. If the participant sells the shares of common
stock after the specified periods, the gain or loss on the sale of the shares
will be long-term capital gain or loss and the Company will not be entitled
to a
federal income tax deduction.
Restricted
Stock
Unless
a
participant makes an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code
to accelerate recognition of the income to the date of grant, a participant
receiving a restricted stock award will not recognize income, and Arbios will
not be allowed a tax deduction, at the time the award is granted. As and when
the restrictions lapse, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal
to
the fair market value of the common stock no longer subject to restrictions,
and
the Company will be entitled to a corresponding tax deduction at that
time.
Section 162(m)
of the Internal Revenue Code
Pursuant
to Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Company may not deduct
compensation in excess of $1,000,000 paid to its chief executive officer or
any
of its four other most highly compensated executive officers subject to certain
exceptions. The 2005 Plan is designed to comply with an exception from the
limitation of Section 162(m) as to options granted under that
Plan.
New
Plan Benefits
Because
awards under the 2005 Plan will be granted at the sole discretion of the
Compensation Committee, we cannot determine at this time either the persons
who
will receive awards under the 2005 Plan or the amount or types of any such
awards.
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes present or represented and entitled
to vote at the Meeting is
required to approve the increase in the aggregate number of shares of common
stock available under the Plan.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE ADOPTION OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE
PLAN TO INCREASE BY 1,000,000 SHARES THE AGGREGATE NUMBER OF SHARES FOR WHICH
STOCK OPTIONS MAY BE GRANTED UNDER THE PLAN, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD
WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER INDICATES OTHERWISE
ON THE PROXY.
PROPOSAL
IV
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT
OF
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The
Audit
Committee has appointed Stonefield Josephson, Inc. (“Stonefield”) to serve as
our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial
statements for the year ending December 31, 2007. The Board proposes that
the stockholders ratify this appointment. Stonefield audited our financing
statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005.
The
following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered by
Stonefield for the audit of the Company's annual financial statements for the
years ended December 31, 2006, and December 31, 2005, and fees billed for other
services rendered by Stonefield during those periods.
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2005
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
|
$
|
73,670
|
|
$
|
53,083
|
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
--
|
|
Tax
Fees
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
--
|
|
All
Other Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
73,670
|
|
$
|
53,083
|
|
In
the
above table, in accordance with the SEC’s definitions and rules, “audit fees”
are fees that the Company paid for professional services for the audit of our
consolidated financial statements included in our Form 10-KSB and for
services that are normally provided by the accountants in connection with
statutory and regulatory filings or engagements; “audit-related fees” are fees
for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the
performance of the audit or review of our financial statements; and “tax fees”
are fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Consistent
with SEC policies, the Audit Committee charter provides that the Audit Committee
shall pre-approve all audit engagement fees and terms and pre-approve any other
significant compensation to be paid to the independent registered public
accounting firm. The Audit Committee pre-approved all services performed by
Stonefield during 2005 and 2006.
Stockholder
Ratification of the Appointment of Stonefield
The
Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors has appointed Stonefield to serve as our
independent accountants to audit our consolidated financial statements for
the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2007. We are not required to seek
stockholder approval for the appointment of our independent accountants;
however, the Audit Committee believes it to be sound corporate practice to
seek
such approval. If the appointment is not ratified, the Audit Committee will
investigate the reasons for stockholder rejection and will re-consider its
appointment of Stonefield. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit
Committee in its discretion may direct the appointment of different independent
auditors at any time if it determines that such a change would be in the best
interests of the Company and its stockholders.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE
APPOINTMENT OF STONEFIELD JOSEPHSON, INC. AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31,
2007.
CODE
OF ETHICS
The
Board
of Directors adopted a Code of Ethics that covers all of our executive officers
and key employees. The Code of Ethics requires that senior management avoid
conflicts of interest; maintain the confidentiality of our confidential and
proprietary information; engage in transactions in our common stock only in
compliance with applicable laws and regulations and the requirements set forth
in the Code of Ethics; and comply with other requirements which are intended
to
ensure that our officers conduct business in an honest and ethical manner and
otherwise act with integrity and in the best interest of this Company.
All
of
our executive officers are required to affirm in writing that they have reviewed
and understand the Code of Ethics.
A
copy of
our Code of Ethics will be furnished, without charge, to any person upon written
request from any such person. Requests should be sent to: Secretary, Arbios
Systems, Inc., 1050
Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham,
MA 02451.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
Any
proposal that a stockholder of the Company intends to present in accordance
with
Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) at
our next annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2008 must be received
by
us on or before April 20, 2008. Notice of stockholder proposals submitted
outside of Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act will be considered untimely if
received by us after April 20, 2008. Only proper proposals under Rule 14a-8
of the Exchange Act that are timely received will be included in the 2008 proxy
statement. All proposals described in this paragraph should be sent to Arbios
Systems, Inc., 1050 Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham, MA 02451, Attention:
Corporate Secretary.
OTHER
MATTERS
Expenses
of Solicitation
The
Company will bear the cost of soliciting proxies in the accompanying form.
In
addition to the use of the mails, proxies may be solicited by our directors,
officers and other employees, personally or by telephone, facsimile or email.
Such persons will not be compensated separately for these solicitation
activities.
Miscellaneous
The
Board
does not intend to present any other items of business and is not aware of
any
matters other than those set forth in this proxy statement that will be
presented for action at the annual meeting. However, if any other matters
properly come before the annual meeting, the persons named in the enclosed
proxy
intend to vote the shares of our common stock that they represent in accordance
with their best judgment.
Annual
Report
A
copy of
our annual report on Form 10-KSB, without exhibits, for the year ended
December 31, 2006 that we filed with the SEC accompanies this proxy
statement. Copies of the Form 10-KSB exhibits are available without charge.
Stockholders who would like such copies should direct their requests in writing
to: Arbios Systems, Inc. 1050 Winter Street, Suite 1000, Waltham, MA 02451,
Attention: Corporate Secretary.
ANNEX
INDEX
ANNEX
A - FORM OF CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPROATION
ANNEX
B - ARBIOS 2005 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN, AS AMENDED
ANNEX
C - PROXY CARD
ANNEX
A
CERTIFICATE
OF AMENDMENT
OF
CERTIFICATE
OF INCORPORATION
OF
ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
It
is
hereby certified that:
1. The
name
of the corporation (hereinafter called the “Corporation”) is Arbios Systems,
Inc.
2. The
Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation was filed on June 3, 2005 under
the name Arbios Systems, Inc. A Certificate of Correction to Certificate of
Incorporation was filed on July 6, 2005 to correct an error in the Certificate
of Incorporation as filed on June 3, 2005. The said Certificate of
Incorporation, as amended, is hereby further amended to change the authorized
capital of the Corporation by striking out the first paragraph of Article FOURTH
thereof and by substituting in lieu of said first paragraph of Article FOURTH
the following new first paragraph:
FOURTH
-
The total number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that the
Corporation shall have authority to issue is One Hundred Five Million
(105,000,000), of which One Hunedred Million (100,000,000) shares
having a par value of $0.001 per share shall be designated as Common Stock
and
Five Million (5,000,000) shares having a par value of $0.001 per share shall
be
designated as Preferred Stock. Series of the Preferred Stock may be created
and
issued from time to time, with such designations, preferences, conversion
rights, cumulative, relative, participating, optional or other rights, including
voting rights, qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof as shall
be
stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions providing for the creation
and issuance of such series of Preferred Stock as adopted by the Board of
Directors pursuant to the authority in this paragraph given. The Common Stock
and the Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time without further action
by the stockholders. The Common Stock and the Preferred Stock may be issued
for
such consideration as may be fixed from time to time by the Board of
Directors.
3. The
amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, herein certified
has
been duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this certificate to be signed by
its
President on the ____ day of ________, 2007.
___________________________
Walter
Ogier
President
and Chief Executive Officer
ANNEX
B
2005
STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
OF
ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
(as
amended on ______, __, 2007)
The
purposes of the 2005 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)
of
Arbios Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
are
to:
1.1
Encourage
selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to improve
operations and increase the profitability of the Company;
1.2
Encourage
selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisers to accept
or
continue employment or association with the Company or its Affiliates (as
defined below); and
1.3
Increase
the interest of selected employees, officers, directors, consultants and
advisers in the Company’s welfare through participation in the growth in value
of the common stock of the Company, no par value (the “Common
Stock”).
2. TYPES
OF
AWARDS; ELIGIBLE AWARD RECIPIENTS.
2.1
Types
of Awards.
The
Administrator (as defined below) may, from time to time, take the following
actions, separately or in combination, under the Plan:
(a)
Grant
incentive stock options (“Incentive
Options”)
that
are intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”),
and
the regulations thereunder;
(b)
Grant
non-qualified stock options that are not Incentive Options (“Non-Qualified
Options”);
and
(c)
Grant
or
sell shares of Common Stock that are subject to specified restrictions such
as,
without limitation, continued employment with the Company or the attainment
of
specified performance goals (“Restricted
Stock”).
Incentive Options and Non-Qualified Options are jointly referred to in the
Plan
as “Options,”
and
the persons who receive grants of Options are referred to in the Plan as
“Option
Holders.”
2.2
Eligible
Award Recipients.
Awards
of Options and Restricted Stock may be made to employees of the Company or
any
of its Affiliates, including employees who are officers or directors, to
non-employee directors of the Company or any of its Affiliates and to the other
individuals described in Section 1 of the Plan whom the Administrator believes
have made or will make a contribution to the Company or any Affiliate; provided,
however, that only a person who is an employee of the Company or any Affiliate
at the date of the grant of an Option is eligible to receive Incentive Options
under the Plan. The term “Affiliate”
as
used
in the Plan means a parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company as defined
in the applicable provisions (currently Sections 424(e) and (f), respectively)
of the Code. The term “employee”
includes an officer or a director who is also an employee of the Company or
one
of its Affiliates. The term “consultant”
includes persons employed by, or otherwise affiliated with, a consultant to
the
Company or one of its Affiliates. The term “adviser”
includes persons employed by, or otherwise affiliated with, an adviser to the
Company or one of its Affiliates.
3. STOCK
SUBJECT TO THE PLAN; MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GRANTS.
Subject
to the adjustment provisions of Sections 6.1.1 and 8.2 of the Plan, the total
number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the Plan shall not
exceed Four Million (4,000,000) shares of Common Stock. The shares covered
by the portion of any award under the Plan that expires, terminates or is
cancelled unexercised shall become available again for grants under the Plan.
If
shares of Restricted Stock awarded under the Plan are forfeited to the Company
or repurchased by the Company, the number of shares forfeited or repurchased
shall again be available under the Plan. Where the exercise price of an Option
is paid by means of the Option Holder’s surrender of shares of Common Stock or
the Company’s withholding of shares otherwise issuable upon exercise of the
Option as permitted in the Plan, only the net number of shares issued and which
remain outstanding in connection with such exercise shall be deemed issued
and
no longer available for issuance under the Plan. Subject to the adjustment
provisions of Sections 6.1.1 and 8.2 of the Plan, no eligible person shall
be
granted Options or Restricted Stock during any twelve-month period covering
more
than Five Hundred Thousand (500,000) shares of Common Stock.
4.1
Plan
Administrator.
The
Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors of the Company (the
“Board”)
and/or
by one or more committees (jointly referred to in the Plan as the “Committee”)
to
which administration of the Plan, or of specified portions of the Plan, is
delegated by the Board (the Board or the Committee, as applicable, being
referred to in the Plan as the “Administrator”).
The
Board shall appoint and remove members of the Committee in its discretion.
In
the Board’s discretion, the Committee may be comprised solely of (i)
“non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and/or (ii) “outside directors” within the
meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The Administrator may delegate
non-discretionary administrative duties to such employees of the Company as
it
deems proper, and the Board, in its discretion, may at any time and from time
to
time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Administrator under the
Plan.
4.2
Administrator’s
Powers.
Subject
to the other provisions of the Plan, the Administrator shall have the authority,
in its discretion: (i) to grant Options and grant or sell Restricted Stock;
(ii)
to determine the fair market value of the Common Stock subject to Options or
Restricted Stock awards; (iii) to determine the exercise price of Options or
the
offering price of Restricted Stock; (iv) to determine the persons to whom,
and
the time or times at which, Options shall be granted or Restricted Stock shall
be granted or sold, and the number of shares subject to each Option or the
number of shares of Restricted Stock granted or sold; (v) to construe and
interpret the terms and conditions of the Plan and of all Option Agreements
and
Restricted Stock Agreements (as defined below); (vi) to prescribe, amend and
rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; (vii) to determine the
terms
and conditions of each Option granted and award of Restricted Stock (which
need
not be identical), including, but not limited to, the time or times at which
Options shall be exercisable or the time at which the restrictions on Restricted
Stock shall lapse; (viii) with the consent of the Option Holder or holder of
Restricted Stock, to rescind any award or exercise of an Option and to amend
the
terms of any Option or Restricted Stock; (ix) to reduce the exercise price
of
any Option or the purchase price of Restricted Stock; (x) to accelerate or
defer
(with the consent of the Option Holder or holder of Restricted Stock) the
exercise date of any Option or the date on which the restrictions on Restricted
Stock lapse; (xi) to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company
any instrument evidencing the grant of an Option or award of Restricted Stock;
(xii) to determine the duration and purposes of leaves of absence which may
be
granted to participants without constituting a termination of their employment
for the purposes of the Plan; and (xiii) to make all other determinations deemed
necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan or of any Option,
Option Agreement, award of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Agreement.
4.3
Plan
Interpretation.
All
questions of interpretation, implementation and application of the Plan or
of
any Option, Option Agreement, award of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock
Agreement shall be determined by the Administrator, which determination shall
be
final and binding on all persons.
5. GRANTING
OF OPTIONS; OPTION AGREEMENTS.
5.1
No
Options shall be granted under the Plan more than ten years after the date
of
adoption of the Plan by the Board.
5.2
Each
Option shall be evidenced by a written Option agreement, in form satisfactory
to
the Administrator, executed by the Company and the person to whom the Option
is
granted (an “Option
Agreement”).
In
the event of a conflict between the terms or conditions of an Option Agreement
and the terms and conditions of the Plan, the terms and conditions of the Plan
shall govern.
5.3
The
Option Agreement shall specify whether each Option it evidences is a
Non-Qualified Option or an Incentive Option; provided, however, that all Options
granted under the Plan to non-employee directors, consultants and advisers
of
the Company or its Affiliates are intended to be Non-Qualified
Options.
5.4
Subject
to Section 6.3.3 with respect to Incentive Options, the Administrator may
approve the grant of Options under the Plan to persons who are expected to
become employees, directors, consultants or advisers of the Company or its
Affiliates but who are not employees, directors, consultants or advisers at
the
date of approval, and the date of approval shall be deemed to be the date of
grant unless otherwise specified by the Administrator.
6. TERMS
AND
CONDITIONS OF OPTIONS.
Each
Option granted under the Plan shall be subject to the terms and conditions
set
forth in Section 6.1. Non-Qualified Options shall also be subject to the terms
and conditions set forth in Section 6.2 but not those set forth in Section
6.3.
Incentive Options shall also be subject to the terms and conditions set forth
in
Section 6.3 but not those set forth in Section 6.2.
6.1
Terms
and Conditions to Which All Options Are Subject.
All
Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and
conditions:
6.1.1
Changes
in Capital Structure.
Subject
to Section 6.1.2, if the stock of the Company is changed by reason of a stock
split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination or
reclassification, appropriate adjustments shall be made by the Administrator,
in
its discretion, in (i) the number and class of shares of stock subject to the
Plan and each Option outstanding under the Plan, and (ii) the exercise price
of
each outstanding Option; provided, however, that the Company shall not be
required to issue fractional shares as a result of any such adjustments. Any
adjustment, however, in an outstanding Option shall be made without change
in
the total price applicable to the unexercised portion of the Option but with
a
corresponding adjustment in the price for each share covered by the unexercised
portion of the Option. Adjustments under this Section 6.1.1 shall be made by
the
Administrator, whose determination as to what adjustments shall be made, and
the
extent thereof, shall be final, binding and conclusive. If an adjustment under
this Section 6.1.1 would result in a fractional share interest under an Option
or any installment, the Administrator’s decision as to inclusion or exclusion of
that fractional share interest shall be final, but no fractional shares of
stock
shall be issued under the Plan on account of any such adjustment.
6.1.2
Corporate
Transactions.
(a)
Unless
otherwise provided in the Option Agreement, in the event of a Corporate
Transaction (as defined below), the Administrator shall notify each Option
Holder at least ten days prior to the date of the Corporate Transaction or
as
soon as may be practicable. To the extent not previously exercised, all Options
shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporate
Transaction unless the Administrator determines otherwise in its discretion.
The
Administrator, in the exercise of its discretion after considering any
applicable tax, accounting, legal and financial consequences, may (i) permit
exercise of any Options prior to their termination even if such Options would
not otherwise have been exercisable, (ii) provide that all or certain of the
outstanding Options shall be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by
an
applicable successor corporation or other entity or any Affiliate of the
successor corporation or entity, or (iii) provide that any outstanding Options
shall be cancelled in exchange for an amount of cash equal to the excess of
the
fair market value of the Common Stock underlying the Options as of the Option
exchange date (as determined pursuant to Section 6.1.9) over the aggregate
exercise price of the Options.
(b)
A
“Corporate
Transaction”
means
(i) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company; (ii) a merger or consolidation
of the Company with or into another corporation or entity as a result of which
the Company is not the surviving corporation (other than a merger or
consolidation with a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company); (iii) a sale
of
all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or (iv) a purchase or
other acquisition of beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent of the
outstanding capital stock of the Company in a single transaction or a series
of
related transactions by one person or more than one person acting in concert
(excluding, however, a purchase of stock by the Company or by a
Company-sponsored employee benefit plan).
6.1.3
Time
of Option Exercise.
Subject
to Sections 6.1.10 and 6.3.4, an Option granted under the Plan shall be
exercisable (i) immediately as of the effective date of the Option Agreement
granting the Option if so provided in the Option Agreement or (ii) in accordance
with a vesting schedule, performance requirement and/or requirement of continued
employment with the Company or an Affiliate that is set by the Administrator
and
specified in the Option Agreement relating to the Option. In any case, no Option
shall be exercisable until the Company and the Option Holder have executed
an
Option Agreement that is in form satisfactory to the Administrator.
6.1.4
Option
Grant Date.
The
date of an Option grant under the Plan shall be the effective date of the Option
Agreement granting the Option, provided that the Option Agreement shall not
specify an effective date that is earlier than the date on which the
Administrator approved the grant of the Option to the Option
Holder.
6.1.5
Non-Transferability
of Option Rights.
Except
with the express written approval of the Administrator, which approval the
Administrator is authorized to give only with respect to Non-Qualified Options,
or unless otherwise provided in an Option Agreement with respect to
Non-Qualified Options, (i) no Option granted under the Plan shall be assignable
or otherwise transferable by the Option Holder except by will or by the laws
of
descent and distribution, and (ii) during the life of the Option Holder, an
Option shall be exercisable only by the Option Holder.
6.1.6
Payment.
Except
as provided below, payment in full, in cash or by check, shall be made for
all
Common Stock purchased at the time written notice of exercise of an Option
is
given to the Company, and the proceeds of any payment shall constitute general
funds of the Company. After considering any applicable tax, accounting, legal
and financial consequences, the Administrator may, in the exercise of its
discretion, (i) authorize any one or more of the following additional methods
of
payment in the Option Agreement or (ii) in the case of a Non-Qualified Option,
may also authorize any one or more of the following additional methods of
payment at the time of the exercise of the Non-Qualified Option:
(a)
Acceptance
of the Option Holder’s full recourse promissory note for all or part of the
Option price, payable on such terms and bearing such interest rate as determined
by the Administrator (but in no event less than the minimum interest rate
specified under the Code at which no additional interest or original issue
discount would be imputed), which promissory note may be either secured or
unsecured in such manner as the Administrator shall approve (including, without
limitation, by a security interest in the shares of Common Stock acquired upon
exercise of the Option); provided, however, that this method of payment shall
not be allowed with respect to an Option Holder who is a director or an
executive officer of the Company;
(b)
By
delivery by the Option Holder of shares of Common Stock already owned by the
Option Holder (held for a specified period, if any, to avoid an expense charge
pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles) for all or part of the
Option price, provided the fair market value (determined as set forth in Section
6.1.9) of such shares of Common Stock is at least equal on the date of exercise
to the Option price or such portion thereof as the Option Holder is authorized
to pay by delivery of such stock; and
(c)
By
means
of so-called cashless exercises, provided the fair market value (determined
as
set forth in Section 6.1.9) of such shares of Common Stock is equal on the
date
of exercise to the Option price, or such portion thereof as the optionee is
authorized to pay by surrender of such stock, conducted through brokers in
accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Federal Reserve Board.
6.1.7
Withholding
Taxes.
In the
case of an employee exercising a Non-Qualified Option, at the time of exercise
and as a condition thereto, or at such other time as the amount of such
obligation becomes determinable, the Option Holder shall remit to the Company
in
cash all applicable federal and state withholding taxes. Such obligation to
remit may be satisfied, if authorized by the Administrator in its discretion,
after considering any applicable tax, accounting, legal and financial
consequences, by the Option Holder’s (i) delivery of a full recourse promissory
note in the required amount on such terms as the Administrator deems appropriate
(provided that this alternative shall not be allowed with respect to an Option
Holder who is a director or an executive officer of the Company), (ii) tendering
to the Company shares of Common Stock already owned by the Option Holder with
a
fair market value at least equal to the required amount, or (iii) agreeing
to
have shares of Common Stock (with a fair market value at least equal to the
required amount) which are acquired upon exercise of the Option withheld by
the
Company.
6.1.8
Other
Terms.
Each
Option granted under the Plan may contain such other terms and conditions not
inconsistent with the Plan as may be determined by the Administrator, and each
Incentive Option granted under the Plan shall include such terms and conditions
as are necessary to qualify the Option as an “incentive stock option” within the
meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
6.1.9
Determination
of Value.
For
purposes of the Plan, the fair market value of Common Stock or other securities
of the Company shall be determined as follows:
(a)
If
the
securities are traded on a national securities exchange, the Nasdaq National
Market, the Nasdaq Small Cap Market or the over-the-counter market and if
selling prices are reported, the fair market value shall be the closing price
of
such securities on the last business day preceding the date on which the fair
market value of the securities is to be determined but, if selling prices are
not reported, the fair market value shall be the average of the high bid and
low
asked prices for such securities on the last business day preceding the date
on
which the fair market value of the securities is to be determined (or if there
are no reported prices for the business day specified in this paragraph, then
for the last preceding business day on which there were reported prices);
and
(b)
In
the
absence of an established market for the securities, the fair market value
thereof shall be determined in good faith by the Administrator with reference
to
the Company’s net worth, prospective earning power, dividend-paying capacity and
other relevant factors, including the goodwill of the Company, the economic
outlook in the Company’s industry, the Company’s position in the industry, the
Company’s management and the values of the stock of other corporations in the
same or a similar line of business.
6.1.10
Option
Term.
Subject
to Section 6.3.4, no Option shall be exercisable more than ten years after
the
date of grant or such lesser period of time as is set forth in the Option
Agreement (the end of such maximum exercise period being referred to in the
Plan
as the “Expiration
Date”).
6.2
Terms
and Conditions to Which Only Non-Qualified Options Are
Subject.
Options
granted under the Plan that are designated as Non-Qualified Options shall also
be subject to the following terms and conditions:
6.2.1
Exercise
Price.
The
exercise price of a Non-Qualified Option shall not be less than the fair market
value (determined in accordance with Section 6.1.9) of the Common Stock covered
by the Option at the time the Option is granted.
6.2.2
Termination
of Employment.
Except
as otherwise provided in the Option Agreement, if for any reason an Option
Holder ceases to be employed by the Company and its Affiliates, Options that
are
Non-Qualified Options held at the date of termination (to the extent then
exercisable) may be exercised in whole or in part at any time within ninety
days
after the date of such termination (but in no event after the Expiration Date).
For purposes of this Section 6.2.2, “employment” includes service as a director,
consultant or adviser. For purposes of this Section 6.2.2, an Option Holder’s
employment shall not be deemed to terminate by reason of the Option Holder’s
transfer from the Company to an Affiliate of the Company, or vice versa, or
sick
leave, military leave or other leave of absence approved by the Administrator,
if the period of any such leave does not exceed ninety days or, if longer,
if
the Option Holder’s right to reemployment by the Company or any Affiliate is
guaranteed either contractually or by statute.
6.3
Terms
and Conditions to Which Only Incentive Options Are
Subject.
Options
granted under the Plan that are designated as Incentive Options shall also
be
subject to the following terms and conditions:
6.3.1
Exercise
Price.
The
exercise price of an Incentive Option shall not be less than the fair market
value (determined in accordance with Section 6.1.9) of the Common Stock covered
by the Option at the time the Option is granted. The exercise price of an
Incentive Option that is granted to any person who owns, directly or by
attribution under Section 424(d) of the Code, stock possessing more than ten
percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the
Company or of any Affiliate of the Company (a “Ten
Percent Shareholder”),
shall
in no event be less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the fair market
value
(determined in accordance with Section 6.1.9) of the Common Stock covered by
the
Option at the time the Option is granted.
6.3.2
Disqualifying
Dispositions.
If
Common Stock acquired by exercise of an Incentive Option granted pursuant to
the
Plan is disposed of in a “disqualifying disposition” within the meaning of
Section 422 of the Code, including a disposition within two years from the
date
of grant of the Option or within one year after the issuance of such Common
Stock on exercise of the Option, the holder of the Common Stock immediately
before the disposition shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the
date
and terms of the disposition and shall provide such other information regarding
the Option as the Company may reasonably require.
6.3.3
Grant
Date.
If an
Incentive Option is granted in anticipation of employment as provided in Section
5.4, the Option shall be deemed granted, without further approval, on the date
the grantee assumes the employment relationship forming the basis for such
grant
and, in addition, satisfies all requirements of the Plan for Options granted
on
that date.
6.3.4
Term.
Notwithstanding Section 6.1.10, no Incentive Option granted to any Ten Percent
Shareholder shall be exercisable more than five years after the date of
grant.
6.3.5
Termination
of Employment.
Except
as otherwise provided in the Option Agreement, if for any reason an Option
Holder ceases to be employed by the Company and its Affiliates, Options that
are
Incentive Options held at the date of termination (to the extent then
exercisable) may be exercised in whole or in part at any time within ninety
days
after the date of such termination (but in no event after the Expiration Date).
For purposes of this Section 6.3.5, an Option Holder’s employment shall not be
deemed to terminate by reason of the Option Holder’s transfer from the Company
to an Affiliate of the Company, or vice versa, or sick leave, military leave
or
other leave of absence approved by the Administrator, if the period of any
such
leave does not exceed ninety days or, if longer, if the Option Holder’s right to
reemployment by the Company or any Affiliate is guaranteed either contractually
or by statute.
6.3.6
Fair
Market Value Limitation.
To the
extent that Options designated as Incentive Options (granted under all stock
option plans of the Company and its Affiliates, including the Plan) become
exercisable by an Option Holder for the first time during any calendar year
for
stock having a fair market value greater than One Hundred Thousand Dollars
($100,000), the portions of such Options which exceed such amount shall be
treated as Non-Qualified Options. For purposes of this Section 6.3.6,
Options designated as Incentive Options shall be taken into account in the
order
in which they were granted, and the fair market value of stock shall be
determined as of the time the Option with respect to such stock is granted.
7.1
An
Option
Holder wishing to exercise an Option shall give written notice to the Company
at
its principal executive office, to the attention of the officer of the Company
designated by the Administrator, accompanied by payment of the exercise price
and withholding taxes as provided in Sections 6.1.6 and 6.1.7. The date that
the
Company receives both written notice of an exercise hereunder and payment of
the
exercise price will be considered as the date the Option was
exercised.
7.2
Promptly
after receipt of written notice of exercise of an Option and the payment called
for by Section 7.1, the Company shall, without stock issue or transfer taxes
to
the Option Holder or other person entitled to exercise the Option, deliver
to
the Option Holder or such other person a certificate or certificates for the
requisite number of shares of Common Stock. An Option Holder or permitted
transferee of the Option shall not have any privileges as a shareholder with
respect to any shares of Common Stock covered by the Option until the date
of
issuance of such shares as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books
of
the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent.
8.1
Grant
or Sale of Restricted Stock.
8.1.1
No
awards
of Restricted Stock shall be made under the Plan more than ten years after
the
date of adoption of the Plan by the Board.
8.1.2
The
Administrator may issue shares under the Plan as a grant or for such
consideration as is determined by the Administrator, including, without
limitation, services performed by the Restricted Stock recipient and, with
respect to Restricted Stock recipients who are not directors or executive
officers of the Company, full recourse promissory notes. Shares issued under
the
Plan shall be subject to the terms, conditions and restrictions determined
by
the Administrator. The restrictions may include restrictions concerning matters
such as transferability, continued employment with the Company, attainment
of
specified performance goals, repurchase by the Company and forfeiture of the
shares issued, together with such other restrictions as may be determined by
the
Administrator. If shares are subject to forfeiture or repurchase by the Company,
all dividends or other distributions paid by the Company with respect to the
shares may be retained by the Company until the shares are no longer subject
to
forfeiture or repurchase, at which time all accumulated amounts shall be paid
to
the recipient. All Common Stock issued pursuant to this Section 8 shall be
subject to a purchase or grant agreement (a “Restricted
Stock Agreement”),
which
shall be executed by the Company and the prospective recipient of the shares
prior to the delivery of certificates representing such shares to the recipient.
The Restricted Stock Agreement may contain any terms, conditions, restrictions,
representations and warranties required by the Administrator. The certificates
representing the shares shall bear any legends required by the Administrator.
The Administrator may require any purchaser of Restricted Stock to pay to the
Company in cash upon demand amounts necessary to satisfy any applicable federal,
state or local tax withholding requirements. If the purchaser fails to pay
the
amount demanded, the Administrator may withhold that amount from other amounts
payable by the Company to the purchaser, including salary, subject to applicable
law. With the consent of the Administrator in its discretion, a purchaser may
deliver Common Stock to the Company to satisfy this withholding obligation.
Upon
the issuance of Restricted Stock, the number of shares reserved for issuance
under the Plan shall be reduced by the number of shares issued.
8.1.3
If
an
award of Restricted Stock to a recipient is made by a Committee comprised solely
of “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, the
Administrator shall have discretion to designate that the Restricted Stock
is
intended to be “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section
162(m) of the Code and the regulations thereunder. If any award of Restricted
Stock is intended to be “performance-based compensation,” then the lapsing of
restrictions on the Restricted Stock and the payment of dividends and other
distributions on the Restricted Stock shall be conditioned on the attainment
of
one or more objective performance goals established by the Administrator, which
shall be based on the attainment of specified levels of one or any combination
of the following performance criteria, applied to either the Company as a whole
or to any of the Company’s subsidiaries or other business units, and measured
either annually or over a period of years: revenues, operating margins, cost
reductions, operating income, income before taxes, net income, net income per
share, return on equity, return on invested capital, cash flow, market share,
shareholder return, or share price performance. The Administrator shall set
such
performance goals within the time period prescribed by Section 162(m) of the
Code and the regulations thereunder, and the Administrator shall have the
authority to impose any other restrictions as it may deem necessary or
appropriate to ensure that an award of Restricted Stock satisfies all
requirements for “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section
162(m) of the Code and the regulations thereunder.
8.2
Changes
in Capital Structure.
In the
event of a change in the Company’s capital structure, as described in Section
6.1.1, appropriate adjustments shall be made by the Administrator, in its
discretion, in the number and class of Restricted Stock subject to the Plan
and
the Restricted Stock outstanding under the Plan; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares as a result of any
such
adjustments.
8.3
Corporate
Transactions.
In the
event of a Corporate Transaction, as defined in Section 6.1.2, to the extent
not
previously forfeited, all Restricted Stock shall be forfeited immediately prior
to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction unless the Administrator
determines otherwise in its discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion,
may elect to remove any restrictions as to any Restricted Stock. The
Administrator may, in its discretion, provide that all outstanding Restricted
Stock participate in the Corporate Transaction with an equivalent stock
substituted by an applicable successor corporation subject to the
restrictions.
9. EMPLOYMENT
OR CONSULTING RELATIONSHIP.
Nothing
in the Plan or in any Option or Restricted Stock granted or sold under the
Plan
shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or of any
of
its Affiliates to terminate the employment or consulting or advising
relationship of any Option Holder or Restricted Stock holder at any time, nor
confer upon any Option Holder or Restricted Stock holder any right to continue
in the employ of, or to consult or advise with, the Company or any of its
Affiliates.
10. CONDITIONS
UPON THE ISSUANCE OF SHARES.
10.1
Securities
Act Compliance.
Shares
of Common Stock shall not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option or
the
receipt of a Restricted Stock award unless the Administrator determines that
the
exercise of the Option or receipt of the Restricted Stock and the issuance
and
delivery of such shares will comply with all relevant provisions of law,
including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
applicable state and foreign securities laws and the requirements of any stock
exchange or Nasdaq market system upon which the Common Stock may be listed
or
quoted. The inability of the Company to obtain from any applicable regulatory
body a permit, order or approval deemed by the Administrator to be necessary
to
the lawful issuance and sale of any shares of Common Stock under the Plan shall
relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or
sell
such shares as to which such requisite permit, order or approval shall not
have
been obtained. As a condition to the exercise of any Option or to the receipt
of
any Restricted Stock, the Administrator may require the Option Holder or
Restricted Stock recipient to satisfy any qualifications that may be necessary
or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation
and
to make any representation or warranty with respect thereto as may be reasonably
requested by the Administrator.
10.2
Shareholders’
Agreement.
As a
further condition to the receipt of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of
an
Option or to the receipt of Restricted Stock, the Option Holder or recipient
of
Restricted Stock may be required by the Administrator, in the Administrator’s
discretion, to enter into a shareholders’ agreement with the Company which may
restrict the transferability of the Common Stock and contain rights of
repurchase or first refusal in favor of the Company.
10.3
Non-Competition
Agreement.
As a
condition to the receipt of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of an Option
or to the receipt of Restricted Stock, the Option Holder or recipient of
Restricted Stock may be required not to render services for any organization,
or
to engage directly or indirectly in any business, competitive with the Company
during any period that is specified in the Option Agreement or Restricted Stock
Agreement. Failure to comply with this condition shall cause the Option and
the
exercise or issuance of shares thereunder and/or the award of Restricted Stock
to be rescinded and the benefit of such exercise, issuance or award to be repaid
to the Company.
11. NON-EXCLUSIVITY
OF THE PLAN; ASSIGNMENT OF PLAN RIGHTS.
11.1
The
adoption of the Plan shall not be construed as creating any limitations on
the
power of the Company to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem
desirable, including, without limitation, the granting of stock options other
than under the Plan.
11.2
Except
as
otherwise expressly set forth in the Plan or in an Option Agreement or
Restricted Stock Agreement executed pursuant to the Plan, no right or benefit
under the Plan shall be subject in any manner to assignment, alienation,
hypothecation or charge, and any such attempted action shall be void. No Option
or Restricted Stock award shall in any manner be subject to the debts or
liabilities of any Option Holder or Restricted Stock recipient except as
otherwise may be expressly required by applicable law.
12. AMENDMENT
OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN.
12.1
The
Board
may at any time amend, discontinue or terminate the Plan. If not earlier
terminated, the Plan shall automatically terminate ten years after the date
of
its adoption by the Board. Except as provided in Section 6.1.2 or 8.3 with
respect to a Corporate Transaction, termination of the Plan shall not affect
the
terms and conditions of any outstanding Options or previously awarded Restricted
Stock. Without the consent of an Option Holder or recipient of Restricted Stock,
no amendment or discontinuation of the Plan may adversely affect an outstanding
Option or the terms applicable to Restricted Stock except to conform the Plan
and Incentive Options granted under the Plan to the requirements of applicable
tax and other laws relating to Incentive Options.
12.2
No
amendment, discontinuation or termination of the Plan shall require shareholder
approval unless (i) shareholder approval is required to preserve incentive
stock
option treatment for federal income tax purposes, (ii) shareholder approval
is
required under other applicable laws or under the regulations of any stock
exchange or Nasdaq market system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted,
or (iii) the Board otherwise concludes that shareholder approval is advisable.
12.3
All
references in the Plan to statutes, rules and regulations shall be deemed to
include any successor statutes, rules and regulations.
13. EFFECTIVE
DATE OF THE PLAN.
The
Plan
shall become effective upon adoption by the Board. However, no Option shall
be
exercisable and the restrictions on Restricted Stock shall not lapse unless
and
until the Plan is approved by the Company’s shareholders by written consent or
at a validly held shareholders’ meeting within twelve months after adoption by
the Board. If any Options or shares of Restricted Stock are so granted and
shareholder approval shall not have been obtained within twelve months after
the
date of adoption of the Plan by the Board, such Options and Restricted Stock
shall terminate retroactively as of the date they were awarded.
ANNEX
C
ARBIOS
SYSTEMS, INC.
PROXY
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD JULY 12, 2007
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby appoints Scott Hayashi and Walter C. Ogier, and each of
them,
the attorneys, agents and proxies of the undersigned, with full powers of
substitution to each, to attend and act as proxy or proxies of the undersigned
at the annual meeting of Stockholders of Arbios Systems, Inc. to be held at
the
offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial
Center, Boston, Massachusetts, 02111, on, July 12, 2007 at 9:00 a.m., local
time, and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof, and to vote
as
specified herein the number of shares which the undersigned, if personally
present, would be entitled to vote.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS NOMINATED
BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE OTHER PROPOSAL DESCRIBED IN THE ACCOMPANYING
PROXY STATEMENT. THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED.
IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, IT WILL BE VOTED “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
NOMINATED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE OTHER
PROPOSAL.
¨FOR
all nominees listed below (except as indicated to the contrary
below).
|
|
¨WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
to
vote for all nominees listed below
|
|
¨EXCEPTIONS
|
Director
Nominees: Walter C. Ogier, Dennis Kogod, Thomas C. Seoh, Jack E. Stover, Thomas
M. Tully, and John M. Vierling, M.D.
(INSTRUCTIONS:
To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee mark the “Exceptions”
box and write that nominee’s name on the space below.)
EXCEPTIONS:
2. |
AMENDMENT
TO CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION
|
¨
FOR
¨
AGAINST
¨
ABSTAIN
3. |
AMENDMENT
TO ARBIOS 2005 STOCK INCENTIVE
PLAN
|
¨
FOR
¨
AGAINST
¨
ABSTAIN
4. |
APPOINTMENT
OF STONEFIELD JOSEPHSON,
INC.
|
¨
FOR
¨
AGAINST
¨
ABSTAIN
5. |
OTHER
BUSINESS.
In
their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other
business as may properly come before the meeting and at any and all
adjournments or postponements thereof. The Board of Directors at
present
knows of no other business to be presented by or on behalf of Arbios
Systems, Inc. or the Board of Directors at the
meeting.
|
The
undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that the attorneys and proxies,
or
any of them, or their substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof, and hereby revokes any and all proxies heretofore given by the
under-signed to vote at the meeting. The undersigned acknowledges receipt of
the
Notice of annual meeting and the proxy statement accompanying such
notice.
Dated:
2007
Signature
Signature
Please
date this proxy card and sign above exactly as your name appears on this card.
Joint owners should each sign personally. Corporate proxies should be signed
by
an authorized officer. Executors, administrators, trustee, etc., should give
their full titles.