Insider filing report for Changes in Beneficial Ownership
- Schedule 13G & 13D forms are used to report a party's ownership of stock which exceeds 5% of a company's total stock issue.
- Schedule 13G is a shorter version of Schedule 13D with fewer reporting requirements.
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 13D
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )*
Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc.
(Name of Issuer)
Common Stock, par value of $0.001 per share
(Title of Class of Securities)
15117P102
(CUSIP Number)
Shannon Thyme Klinger
Chief Legal Officer
Novartis AG
Lichtstrasse 35
CH-4056 Basel,
Switzerland
+41 61 324 1111
With a copy to:
Joseph E. Gilligan
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Columbia Square
555 Thirteenth St., NW
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 637-5600
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)
August 11, 2020
(Date of Event Which Requires Filing of This Statement)
If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of Rule 13d-1(e), Rule 13d-1(f) or Rule 13d-1(g), check the following box. x
* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting persons initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be filed for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Act) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 2 of 13 Pages |
1 |
NAME OF REPORTING PERSON Novartis Pharma AG | ||
2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP |
(a) x (b) o | |
3 |
SEC USE ONLY | ||
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SOURCE OF FUNDS OO (See Item 3) | ||
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CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDING IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) or 2(e) |
o | |
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CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Switzerland | ||
NUMBER OF |
7 |
SOLE VOTING POWER 0 | |
8 |
SHARED VOTING POWER 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
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SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 | ||
10 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
11 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH PERSON 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
12 |
CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES |
¨ | |
13 |
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) 7.5%* | ||
14 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON CO | ||
* This calculation is based upon an aggregate of 19,432,979 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of August 11, 2020, as disclosed by Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. in the Merger Agreement (defined below).
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 3 of 13 Pages |
1 |
NAME OF REPORTING PERSON Novartis AG | ||
2 |
CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP |
(a) x (b) o | |
3 |
SEC USE ONLY | ||
4 |
SOURCE OF FUNDS OO (See Item 3) | ||
5 |
CHECK BOX IF DISCLOSURE OF LEGAL PROCEEDING IS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO ITEMS 2(d) or 2(e) |
o | |
6 |
CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Switzerland | ||
NUMBER OF |
7 |
SOLE VOTING POWER 0 | |
8 |
SHARED VOTING POWER 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
9 |
SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 | ||
10 |
SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
11 |
AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH PERSON 1,458,257 shares of Common Stock | ||
12 |
CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (11) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES |
o | |
13 |
PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (11) 7.5%* | ||
14 |
TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON CO, HC | ||
* This calculation is based upon an aggregate of 19,432,979 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of August 11, 2020, as disclosed by Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. in the Merger Agreement (defined below).
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 4 of 13 Pages |
This Schedule 13D shall be deemed to amend the Schedule 13G filed by Novartis Pharma AG and Novartis AG with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 28, 2018 (the Novartis Schedule 13G).
Item 1. |
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Security and Issuer |
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This Schedule 13D relates to the shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (Common Stock), of Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Issuer), the principal executive offices of which are located at 1345 Avenue of Americas, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10105. |
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Item 2. |
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Identity and Background |
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This Schedule 13D is filed by Novartis Pharma AG and Novartis AG, each a corporation organized under the laws of Switzerland. Novartis Pharma AG and Novartis AG are together referred to herein as the Reporting Persons. |
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Item 3. |
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Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration |
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The shares of Common Stock being reported on this Schedule 13D were previously reported on the Novartis Schedule 13G and the funds used for the purchase of such shares were derived from cash on hand of Novartis Pharma AG. |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 5 of 13 Pages |
Item 4. |
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Purpose of Transaction |
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On August 12, 2020, the Issuer announced in a press release that it had entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 11, 2020 (the Merger Agreement), by and among CBMG Holdings, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (Parent), CBMG Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (Merger Sub) and the Issuer. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Issuer (the Merger), with the Issuer surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent. Parent and Merger Sub are newly-formed entities formed on behalf of a consortium consisting of (i) Bizuo (Tony) Liu, Yihong Yao, Viktor Pan, Zheng Zhou, Li (Helen) Zhang, Chengxiang (Chase) Dai, Dangdai International Group Co., Limited, Mission Right Limited, Wealth Map Holdings Limited, Earls Mill Limited, OPEA SRL, Maplebrook Limited and Full Moon Resources Limited (the Consortium Rollover Stockholders) and (ii) Yunfeng Fund III, L.P., TF Capital Fund III L.P., Velvet Investment Pte. Ltd., and Bizuo (Tony) Liu (the Equity Investors, and together with the Consortium Rollover Stockholders, the Consortium). |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 6 of 13 Pages |
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Concurrently with the execution and delivery of the Merger Agreement, Novartis Pharma AG also agreed to waive with respect to the Merger (i) certain early termination rights set forth in the Toll Manufacturing and Supply Agreement, dated December 21, 2018, by and among Novartis Pharma AG, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co., Ltd., Shanghai Cellular Biopharmaceutical Group Ltd. and the Issuer and (ii) certain rights of first negotiation and early termination rights set forth in the License and Collaboration Agreement, dated September 25, 2018, by and among Novartis Pharma AG, the Issuer and certain other parties thereto. The foregoing descrip
tion of the waivers does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the waivers, which are filed as Exhibit 99.5 and Exhibit 99.6 hereto and incorporated herein by reference. |
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Item 5. |
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Interest in Securities of the Issuer |
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(a) |
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See rows (11) and (13) of the cover pages to this Schedule 13D for the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock and percentages of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by the Reporting Persons. The percentage is calculated based upon an aggregate of 19,432,979 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of August 11, 2020, as disclosed by the Issuer in the Merger Agreement. |
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(b) |
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See rows (7) through (10) of the cover pages to this Schedule 13D for the number of shares of Common Stock as to which the Reporting Persons have the sole or shared power to vote or direct the vote and sole or shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition. |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 7 of 13 Pages |
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On August 12, 2020, the Consortium Rollover Stockholders and certain other parties (collectively the Consortium Reporting Persons) filed a Schedule 13D amendment with respect to, among other things, the Merger Agreement and the Consortium Support Agreement. Because of the agreements set forth in Item 4, the Reporting Persons and the Consortium Rollover Stockholders may be deemed to have formed a group for purposes of Section 13(d)(3) of the Act. Collectively, the group may be deemed to beneficially own an aggregate of 11,242,071 shares of outstanding Common Stock (comprised of an aggregate of 10,085,015 shares of outstanding Common Stock, 789,416 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of options, 8,666 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units and 358,974 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the conversion of certain convertible notes held by the Consortium Reporting Persons), which represents approximately 54.6% of the total shares of outstanding Common Stock (accounting for all Common Stock that would be outstanding upon exercise of all of the foregoing options, vesting of the foregoing restricted stock units and conversion of the foregoing convertible notes). Neither the filing of this Schedule 13D nor any of its contents, however, shall be deemed to constitute an admission by the Reporting Persons that they are the beneficial owners of any shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by any of the Consortium Rollover Stockholders, the Consortium Reporting Persons or any of his, her or their respective affiliates for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Act or for any other purpose, and such beneficial ownership is expressly disclaimed. |
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(c) |
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The Reporting Persons have not transacted in any shares of Common Stock in the last 60 days. |
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(d) |
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No person other than the Reporting Persons is known to have the right to receive, or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or proceeds from the sale of, the shares of Common Stock reported herein. |
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(e) |
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Not applicable. |
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Item 6. |
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Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships with Respect to Securities of the Issuer |
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xA0; |
The descriptions of the agreements in Item 4 of this Schedule 13D are incorporated herein by reference. The summaries of certain provisions of such agreements in this Schedule 13D are not intended to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such agreements. The agreements in this Item 6 are filed herewith as Exhibits 99.3 through 99.6 and are incorporated herein by reference. |
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Item 7. |
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Material to be Filed as Exhibits |
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Exhibit 99.1 |
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Joint Filing Agreement by and among the Reporting Persons, dated August 13, 2020. |
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Exhibit 99.2 |
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Evidence of Signature Authority |
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Exhibit 99.3 |
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Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 11, 2020, by and among Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc., CBMG Holdings and CBMG Merger Sub Inc., incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 12, 2020. |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 8 of 13 Pages |
Exhibit 99.4 |
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Rollover and Support Agreement, dated as of August 11, 2020, by and between CBMG Holdings and Novartis Pharma AG. |
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Exhibit 99.5 |
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Waiver of Novartis Pharma AG, dated as of August 11, 2020, with reference to the License and Collaboration Agreement dated September 25, 2018 by and among Novartis Pharma AG, Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. and certain other parties thereto. |
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Exhibit 99.6 |
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Waiver of Novartis Pharma AG, dated as of August 11, 2020, with reference to the Toll Manufacturing and Supply Agreement dated December 21, 2018 by and among Novartis Pharma AG, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co., Ltd., Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. and Shanghai Cellular Biopharmaceutical Group Ltd. |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 9 of 13 Pages |
SIGNATURE
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this Schedule 13D is true, complete and correct.
Date: August 13, 2020
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NOVARTIS PHARMA AG | |
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By: |
/s/ Lukas Foertsch |
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Name: |
Lukas Foertsch |
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Title: |
Authorized Signatory |
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By: |
/s/ Stefan Thommen |
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Name: |
Stefan Thommen |
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Title: |
Authorized Signatory |
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NOVARTIS AG | |
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By: |
/s/ Christian Rehm |
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Name: |
Christian Rehm |
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Title: |
Authorized Signatory |
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By: |
/s/ Felix Eichhorn |
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Name: |
Felix Eichhorn |
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Title: |
Authorized Signatory |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHED ULE 13D |
Page 10 of 13 Pages |
Schedule A
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF
NOVARTIS AG AND NOVARTIS PHARMA AG
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF NOVARTIS AG
The name, function, citizenship and present principal occupation or employment of each of the directors and executive officers of Novartis AG are set forth below. Unless otherwise indicated below, (i) each occupation set forth opposite an individuals name refers to employment with Novartis AG and (ii) the business address of each director and executive officer of Novartis AG is Novartis Campus, Lichstrasse 35, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.
Name |
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Relationship to |
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Present Principal Occupation |
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Citizenship |
Joerg Reinhardt, Ph.D. |
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Chairman of the Board of Directors |
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Chairman of the Board of Directors |
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German |
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Enrico Vanni, Ph.D. |
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Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors |
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Independent Director |
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Swiss |
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Nancy C. Andrews, M.D., Ph.D. |
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Director |
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Dean emerita, vice chancellor emerita for academic affairs, Duke University School of Medicine, US; Nanaline H. Duke Professor of Pediatrics, pharmacology and cancer biology, Duke University, US |
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American/Swiss |
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Ton Buechner |
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Director |
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Independent Director |
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Dutch/Swiss |
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Patrice Bula |
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Director |
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Executive vice president and head of strategic business units, marketing, sales, and Nespresso, Nestle SA, Switzerland |
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Swiss |
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Srikant Datar, Ph.D. |
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Director |
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Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor, Harvard Business School, US; Faculty Chair of the Harvard Innovation Lab, US; Senior Associate Dean for University Affairs, Harvard Business School, US |
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American |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 11 of 13 Pages |
Elizabeth (Liz) Doherty |
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Director |
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Independent Director |
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British |
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Ann Fudge |
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Director |
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Independent Director |
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American |
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Bridgette Heller |
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Director |
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Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Shirley Proctor Puller Foundation, US |
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American |
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Frans van Houten |
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Director |
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Chief Executive Officer and chairman of the executive committee and the board of management, Royal Philips NV, Netherlands |
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Dutch |
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Simon Moroney |
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Director |
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Independent Director |
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German/New Zealander |
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Andreas von Planta, Ph.D. |
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Director |
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Senior Counsel, Lenz & Staehelin, Switzerland |
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Swiss |
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Charles L. Sawyers, M.D. |
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Director |
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Chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, US; Professor of Medicine and of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, US |
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American |
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William T. Winters |
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Director |
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Chief Executive Officer and director of Standard Chartered PLC, UK |
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British/American |
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Vasant (Vas) Narasimhan, M.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Executive Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Executive Officer |
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American |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 12 of 13 Pages |
Steven Baert |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief People and Organization Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief People and Organization Officer |
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Belgian |
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Bertrand Bodson |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Digital Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Digital Officer |
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Belgian |
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James (Jay) Bradner, M.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research |
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American |
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Harry Kirsch |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Financial Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Financial Officer |
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German/Swiss |
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Shannon Thyme Klinger |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Legal Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Legal Officer |
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American |
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Steffen Lang, Ph.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Global Head of Novartis Technical Operations |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Global Head of Novartis Technical Operations |
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German/Swiss |
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Klaus Moosmayer, Ph.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Ethics, Risk and Compliance Officer |
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German |
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Richard Saynor |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Executive Officer, Sandoz |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Chief Executive Officer, Sandoz |
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British |
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Susanne Schaffert, Ph.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Oncology |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Oncology |
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German |
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John Tsai, M.D. |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Global Head of Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer |
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American |
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Marie-France Tschudin |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals |
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Member of the Executive Committee; President, Novartis Pharmaceuticals |
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Swiss |
CUSIP No. 15117P102 |
SCHEDULE 13D |
Page 13 of 13 Pages |
Robert Weltevreden |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Head of Novartis Business Services |
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Member of the Executive Committee; Head of Novartis Business Services |
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Dutch |
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF NOVARTIS PHARMA AG
The name, function, citizenship and present principal occupation or employment of each of the directors and executive officers of Novartis Pharma AG are set forth below. Unless otherwise indicated below, (i) each occupation set forth opposite an individuals name refers to employment with Novartis Pharma AG and (ii) the business address of each director and executive officer of Novartis Pharma AG is Novartis Campus, Lichstrasse 35, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.
Name |
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Relationship to Novartis |
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Present Principal Occupation |
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Citizenship |
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Joerg Reinhardt, Ph.D. |
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President of the Board of Directors |
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Chairman of the Board of Directors of Novartis AG |
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German |
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Shannon Thyme Klinger |
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Director |
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Member of the Novartis AG Executive Committee; Chief Legal Officer of Novartis AG |
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American |
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Harry Kirsch |
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Director |
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Member of the Novartis AG Executive Committee; Chief Financial Officer of Novartis AG |
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German |