CytoDyn Highlights Court Ordering Rosenbaum/Patterson Group to Comply With the Federal Securities Laws

Rhea-AI Summary

The Board of Directors of CytoDyn (OTC-PINK: CYDY) addressed the recent Court Order regarding the activist group led by Paul Rosenbaum and Bruce Patterson. The Court found that their email solicitations violated SEC rules, mandating compliance with federal securities laws. CytoDyn's Board emphasized the group's pattern of misleading shareholders and failing transparency. They urged shareholders to disregard future communications from the group and clarified the validity of their nominations for the annual meeting scheduled for October 6, 2021.

Positive

• Court ruling supports CytoDyn's position against the activist group, reinforcing compliance with SEC laws.

Negative

• Ongoing legal disputes with the activist group could hinder management focus on business operations.
• Potential shareholder confusion due to the activist group's communications may impact investor relations.

Activist Group Illegally Solicited Shareholders

Continues Pattern by Rosenbaum/Patterson Group of Eschewing Transparency, Misleading Shareholders and Ignoring Proxy Rules

VANCOUVER, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of CytoDyn Inc. (OTCQB: CYDY) (“CytoDyn” or the “Company”), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab, a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, today issued a statement to shareholders commenting on the Court Order entered yesterday by a United States District Court Judge in the lawsuit brought by CytoDyn against the activist group led by Paul Rosenbaum and Bruce Patterson (the “Rosenbaum/Patterson Group,” the “Activist Group”).

In the Stipulated Order entered by the Court relating to the Activist Group’s email solicitations that had not been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in violation of SEC Rules, the Court ordered that:

“1. The Email Solicitations constitute solicitations for purposes of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC Rules promulgated thereunder.

2. Defendants shall comply with the federal securities laws and the SEC Rules, including Rule 14a-6(b), in connection with the subject matter of this proceeding.”

The full text of the Order will be filed on Current Report on Form 8-K in due course.

The Board stated:

“Once again, the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group has demonstrated its willingness to eschew transparency, mislead shareholders and violate the law. In this instance, they were caught red-handed and had no choice but to agree to a Court Order obligating them to comply with federal law and the SEC rules. Shareholders should be highly concerned by this pattern of transgressions on the part of the Activist Group – which we believe underscores the Activist Group’s and its nominee’s lack of fitness to be entrusted with control of CytoDyn and our potentially lifesaving therapeutic drug candidate, leronlimab.

This transgression follows the Activist Group’s continued solicitation of proxies while failing to disclose in clear and prominent language in its materials that shareholders using the Activist Group’s proxy card risk being disenfranchised and not having their votes counted at all. As we have previously announced, CytoDyn informed the Group on July 30, 2021 that its notice of the nomination of five director candidates for the 2021 Annual Meeting was invalid because it failed to comply with the Company’s by-laws. Last week, the Activist Group sued the Company in a different court, the Delaware Court of Chancery, seeking declaratory judgment that their nomination notice was valid. The judge in this case has scheduled a hearing for October 6, 2021. Unless the judge disagrees with us, the Activist Group’s director nominations will be disregarded, and no proxies or votes in favor of its nominees will be recognized or tabulated at the 2021 Annual Meeting.

To reiterate, we urge shareholders to ignore any further emails or mailings from the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group. Shareholders do not need to take any action at this time and will be receiving our proxy materials in the coming weeks. To the extent shareholders have voted on the Activist Group’s proxy card, they can vote on the Company’s proxy card once it becomes available to revoke their vote on the Activist Group’s card. Only the latest-dated proxy card counts.

We will continue to update you on these matters as events warrant.”

About CytoDyn

CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications using leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells and appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as NASH.

CytoDyn successfully completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial using leronlimab combined with standard antiretroviral therapies in HIV-infected patients who were heavily treatment-experienced individuals with limited treatment options. CytoDyn is working diligently to resubmit its BLA for this HIV combination therapy since receiving a Refusal to File in July 2020 and subsequently meeting with the FDA telephonically to address their written guidance concerning the filing. On July 1, 2021, CytoDyn announced that it had submitted a dose justification report to the FDA, an integral step in the resubmission process for its BLA. CytoDyn also completed a Phase 2b/3 investigative trial with leronlimab used as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication. If successful, it could support a label expansion approval. Clinical results to date from two trials have shown that leronlimab can maintain a suppressed viral load in a sub-population of R5 HIV patients who chose to switch from their daily pills regimen to once-a-week subcutaneous dose of leronlimab. Several patients on leronlimab’s Phase 2b extension arm have remained virally suppressed for almost 7 years and many patients in our Phase 2b/3 investigative trial are passing two and some four years of monotherapy with suppressed viral load.

CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial with leronlimab in mTNBC, a Phase 2 basket trial in solid tumor cancers (22 different cancer indications), Phase 2 investigative trial for post-acute sequelae of SARS COV-2, also known as COVID-19 long haulers, and a Phase 2 clinical trial for NASH. CytoDyn has already completed a Phase 2 and Phase 3 trial for mild-to-moderate and severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients, respectively, for which CytoDyn did not meet its primary or secondary endpoints, except for the secondary endpoint in the critically ill subpopulation. More information is at www.cytodyn.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as “believes,” “hopes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “plans,” “anticipates” and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements specifically include statements about leronlimab, its ability to provide positive health outcomes, the possible results of clinical trials, studies or other programs or ability to continue those programs, the ability to obtain regulatory approval for commercial sales, and the market for actual commercial sales. The Company’s forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i) the regulatory determinations of leronlimab’s efficacy to treat human immunodeficiency virus (“HIV”) patients with multiple resistance to current standard of care, COVID-19 patients, and metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (“mTNBC”), among other indications, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various drug regulatory agencies in other countries; (ii) the Company’s ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations; (iii) the Company’s ability to meet its debt obligations; (iv) the Company’s ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third-parties; (v) the Company’s ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion; (vi) the Company’s ability to achieve approval of a marketable product; (vii) the design, implementation and conduct of the Company’s clinical trials; (viii) the results of the Company’s clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results; (ix) the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved; (x) the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Company’s products; (xi) regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process; (xii) legal proceedings, investigations or inquiries affecting the Company or its products; (xiii) general economic and business conditions; (xiv) changes in foreign, political, and social conditions; (xv) stockholder actions or proposals with regard to the Company, its management, or its board of directors; and (xvi) various other matters, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form 10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form 10-Q or Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release.

Important Information

CytoDyn intends to file with the SEC a definitive proxy statement and associated proxy card in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting. Details concerning the nominees of the Company’s Board of Directors for election at the 2021 Annual Meeting will be included in the proxy statement. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY'S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders will be able to obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents filed by the Company free of charge from the SEC's website, www.sec.gov. The Company's stockholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant filed documents by directing a request by mail to CytoDyn Inc. at 1111 Main Street, Suite 660, Vancouver, Washington 98660.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, its directors and certain of its executive officers will be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in respect of the 2021 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the names of the Company's directors and executive officers and their respective interests in the Company by security holdings or otherwise is set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on July 30, 2021, and the Company's definitive proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting, filed with the SEC on September 1, 2020. To the extent holdings of such participants in the Company's securities have changed since the amounts described in the proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting, such changes have been reflected on Initial Statements of Beneficial Ownership on Form 3 or Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in any proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will also be included in any proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC, if and when they become available.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210902005873/en/

Investors:

Cristina De Leon

Office: 360.980.8524

ir@cytodyn.com



Media:

Dan Zacchei / Joe Germani

Sloane & Company

dzacchei@sloanepr.com / jgermani@sloanepr.com

Source: CytoDyn Inc.

FAQ

What was the Court's ruling regarding the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group related to CytoDyn (CYDY)?

The Court ruled that the email solicitations by the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group violated SEC rules, requiring them to comply with federal securities laws.

What should shareholders do concerning communications from the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group?

Shareholders are urged to ignore any further emails or mailings from the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group.

What is the significance of the upcoming annual meeting for CytoDyn (CYDY)?

The annual meeting on October 6, 2021, will address the validity of the activist group's director nominations, which may be disregarded.

Why is CytoDyn (CYDY) concerned about the Rosenbaum/Patterson Group's actions?

CytoDyn is concerned that the group's lack of transparency and misleading tactics could harm shareholder interests and influence proxy voting.