F-star Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Pricing of $65 Million Public Offering of Common Stock | BioSpace

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — f-Star (Nasdaq: FSTX) (the “Company” or “F-star”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing next generation immunotherapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer, today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 9,285,715 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $7.00 per share. All of the shares to be sold in the offering are being sold by F-star. In addition, F-star has granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,392,857 additional shares of common stock. The offering is expected to close on or about May 11, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The proceeds from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by F-star, are expected to be $65.0 million.
F-star intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, clinical trials, research and development activities and capital expenditures.
SVB Leerink is acting as sole bookrunning manager for the offering. Oppenheimer & Co. is acting as lead manager for the offering, and H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as co-manager for the offering.
The securities are being offered by F-star pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and declared effective by the SEC. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the offering was filed with the SEC and a final prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. When available, copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained from SVB Leerink LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6105, or by email at [email protected] [email protected]. You may also obtain these documents free of charge by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
About F-star
F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. By developing medicines that seek to block tumor immune evasion, the Company’s goal is to offer patients greater and more durable benefits than current immuno-oncology treatments. Through its proprietary tetravalent, bispecific natural antibody (mAb²™) format, F-star’s mission is to generate highly differentiated best-in-class drug candidates with monoclonal antibody-like manufacturability.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. F-star undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. Such forward-looking statements are based on our expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in F-star’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents to be filed from time to time with the SEC. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors, nor can we assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this communication are based on information available to F-star as of the date of this communication. F-star does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
For further information, please contact:
For investor inquiriesLindsey TrickettVP Investor Relations & Communications+1 240 543 [email protected]
For media inquiriesHelen ShikShik Communications LLC+1 617-510-4373Shik.Helen10@gmail.

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Foreign Stock Craze Prompts Nigeria to Tighten Leash on Brokers

Nigeria is taking another stab at trying to cool off demand for foreign stocks with tighter regulatory oversight of local brokers.

The Abuja-based Securities and Exchange Commission now plans to register brokers selling stocks of foreign companies as more Nigerians pile into the assets to hedge against inflation and currency weakness. An earlier effort last month met local resistance, backfiring after warnings alerting people to risks and threats to sanction local traders.

Read: Nigerians Shun Naira for Foreign Currencies to Store Wealth

“The commission plans to actively monitor the local market in foreign stocks in furtherance of our mandate of ensuring investor protection and market transparency,” Dayo Obisan, executive commissioner for operations of the SEC, said in an interview.

The regulator wants to draw a curtain on a period that saw legions of young Nigerians turn to online platforms to invest in stocks and digital currencies. The need to protect savings took on more urgency after the central bank devalued the local currency three times within a year while inflation accelerated at the fastest pace in four years.

Before now, the online platforms could connect high net-worth individuals without an independent license. The SEC now wants to regulate them directly over concerns they’re targeting retail investors that require protection.

The All-Share Index, Nigeria’s benchmark equity gauge has retreated 2% this year, compared with a gain of about 11% in the S&P 500 Index.
Buying Frenzy
At least 400,000 Nigerians poured funds into foreign stocks through online brokers in the past 18 months, Obisan said.

Nigerians actively trading or holding foreign equities now exceeds those investing in local collective investment schemes or mutual funds, according to the regulator. About 70% are between the ages of 18 and 40, a demographic that’s shunned the local stock market, whose total active investor base is less than a million.
“There is an increasing interest among the younger population and this is of concern to the commission primarily because it creates an avenue for exploitation,” Obisan said.
The SEC will license firms offering foreign stocks under so-called “digital sub-broker” regulations, which it says should provide a form of legitimacy for their activities.
The requirement will ensure “that regulatory responsibilities in on-boarding clients, custody of assets, and compliance with reporting requirements are met,” Obisan said.

Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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Wells Fargo Says CFPB Probing Debit Card Disclosures – Law360

Law360 (May 6, 2021, 8:18 PM EDT) — Wells Fargo is under investigation by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over monthly fee disclosures it made to customers on certain bank accounts, according to a new regulatory filing.The CFPB is investigating “certain of the company’s past disclosures to customers regarding the minimum qualifying debit card usage required for customers to receive a waiver of monthly service fees on certain consumer deposit accounts,” the bank said in Wednesday’s quarterly report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Crypto Trader Can’t Nix SEC Subpoena On Privacy Grounds – Law360

Law360 (May 6, 2021, 8:11 PM EDT) — A cryptocurrency company and its owner can’t quash a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission subpoena on privacy grounds, an Idaho federal court found, because the financial information sought was relevant to an enforcement investigation.Shawn Cutting can’t quash an SEC subpoena for his bank records since his financial information is relevant to the agency’s investigation of possible securities fraud, the court found Tuesday. The SEC brought an emergency enforcement action against Cutting and his company, Crypto Traders Management LLC, in March, alleging that he had sold unregistered securities and misused investor money, court filings show.

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From Archegos to Crypto, SEC Chief Signals Cop Is Back on Beat

(Bloomberg) — Wall Street’s new overseer confirmed he won’t back down from tough battles with the financial industry as he laid out an agenda for increased regulation in numerous contentious areas.Gary Gensler, making his first appearance before Congress after being sworn in as Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, pledged Thursday to confront long-simmering issues in the stock market that led to this year’s wild price swings in shares of GameStop Corp. and fueled concerns that retail investors are getting short shrift from popular trading apps.Gensler, 63, didn’t stop there, as he also vowed to look at new rules for cryptocurrencies, corporate disclosures tied to climate risks and the derivatives that triggered the blow-up of Archegos Capital Management, Bill Hwang’s family office. Again and again, Gensler made clear that he believes tighter oversight is needed.Democrats, who spent the past four years decrying the Trump administration’s loosening of financial rules and warning of increased risks to Main Street investors, praised the SEC chief’s proactive stance.“I am very pleased,” said House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters. The California Democrat added that she wanted to “put Wall Street on notice that we are watching closely.”Republicans on the panel were less enthusiastic and cautioned Gensler that additional regulations could threaten the commission-free trading that many of consumers have embraced, as well as financial-market innovations and the booming markets for digital tokens.Still, Gensler mostly skirted criticism from either side of the political aisle and was given a pass when he declined to answer questions on issues like a financial transaction tax and the potential for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds. The former head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission who also worked as a senior Treasury official under President Bill Clinton often begged off, explaining he had only been in the SEC job for several weeks.Story continues“I appreciate the dodge,” Representative Anthony Gonzalez, an Ohio Republican, told Gensler at one point. “This is not your first rodeo, obviously.”Here are some of the topics Gensler discussed in roughly four hours of testimony:Archegos SecrecyGensler provided an early look at how he might deal with what’s arguably one of the SEC’s biggest blind spots: a lack of knowledge about the undisclosed security-based swaps that Archegos used to make massive bets on companies.The SEC will consider adjusting some of its rules that require investors to publicly report large stock holdings so they will also cover swaps, Gensler said.Such a move, Gensler told lawmakers, “would be positive.” He also indicated that the agency would consider revising its margin rules for swaps, which have been approved but are not yet in effect.Crypto RulesA former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who taught a class on blockchain technology, Gensler was asked often about his views on cryptocurrencies. While many token-enthusiasts have heralded his appointment and assume Gensler will pave the way for new investments, he instead took a moderate stance.Gensler said the market “could benefit from greater investor protection.” He also urged Congress to work on legislation that gives the SEC oversight of crypto trading venues.“Right now the exchanges do not have a regulatory framework” he said. He also reminded lawmakers that Bitcoin is not supervised by the SEC because it is considered a commodity rather than a security.“There’s a lot of authority that the SEC currently has in the securities space and there are a number of cryptocurrencies that fall within that jurisdiction,” Gensler said. “But there are some areas, particularly Bitcoin trading on large exchanges, that the public is not currently really protected.”Gensler didn’t weigh in on whether the SEC intends to approve a Bitcoin ETF, one of the most consequential issues facing the industry.His comments may have cooled rallies for some of the hottest cryptocurrencies, with Dogecoin declining for the first time in five trading sessions and Ether snapping a 10-day streak that had seen it jump almost 50%. Bitcoin dropped from the highest levels of the day to trade around $56,000.GameStop FrenzyGensler said he’s pushing the SEC to finish a report by summer on the GameStop mania. The review is likely to touch heavily on brokerages like Robinhood Markets that have reshaped trading with slick mobile apps. Gensler acknowledged that the agency may need to “freshen up” some of its regulations.Another issue the SEC will look at is “gamification,” Gensler said, noting that the use of videogame-like interfaces and behavioral prompts on apps is growing more common in finance.He said there’s no doubt in his mind that such features prompt consumers to trade more, which increases the risk of losing money. He added that this is particularly the case when retail investors are buying and selling options. Gensler has directed the SEC to seek public comment on gamification, a review that could lead to new rules.Apps “have made it easier to open accounts” but “we’ve lost that human in the middle saying, ‘is this appropriate,”’ Gensler noted.Market-Maker DominanceGensler fielded many questions about firms such as Citadel Securities and Virtu Financial Inc. that dominate the business of executing retail stock orders. That prompted him to reiterate multiple times that he thinks the industry is too concentrated among a few big players — a situation that he said can lead to outsize profits for a handful of companies and bad outcomes for consumers.The market-makers pay retail brokers like Robinhood for the right to handle clients’ orders, an arrangement known as payment for order flow that Democrats argue poses conflicts. But the practice has also facilitated commission-free trades, something lawmakers’ constituents love.Gensler said at one point that he agrees that there are “inherent” conflicts tied to payment for order flow and that the SEC is looking closely at whether it needs to revamp regulations. A crackdown could be particularly impactful on Robinhood, which plans an initial public offering later this year and makes lots of revenue from payment for order flow.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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WSFS Investor Says Financial Unknowns Plague $976M Deal – Law360

Law360 (May 6, 2021, 6:49 PM EDT) —  A WSFS Financial Corp. stockholder is seeking to delay the company’s pending $976.4 million merger with Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. until the company corrects a “false and misleading” regulatory filing that’s leaving investors in the dark about the proposed deal’s financial outlook.In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in New Jersey federal court, Stephen Bushansky said a document that WSFS submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of the planned shareholder vote fails to materially disclose the reasons underscoring a financial adviser’s opinion backing the deal.

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SASB readies new ESG standards

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board is readying more standards as it prepares for an upcoming merger, while the Securities and Exchange Commission increasingly focuses on environmental, social and governance reporting.
SASB held a board meeting Wednesday to discuss some of its upcoming standards on tailings management, human capital, supply chain management in the tobacco industry, and alternative meat and dairy products. The board members also heard updates on SASB’s progress on its merger later this year with the International Integrated Reporting Council to create a Value Reporting Foundation, and the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation’s proposal to establish an international sustainability standards board that it would oversee alongside the International Accounting Standards Board.
The meeting came at a time when the Securities and Exchange Commission and international financial regulators are pushing for more consistent disclosures of ESG reporting. The growth in popularity in ESG funds among investors has attracted greater scrutiny from regulators, who are pushing standard-setters like SASB and the IIRC, along with the Global Reporting Initiative, the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, and the Carbon Disclosure Project to harmonize their standards to keep companies from taking a lowest common denominator approach to touting their environmental bona fides.

Last fall, the five groups agreed to work on smoothing out their differences, but with the IFRS Foundation now taking steps to set up its own standard-setting board, they will be part of a working group to help establish an internationally recognized standard-setter.

SASB chair Jeffrey Hales (center) at the opening bell at the London Stock Exchange
Courtesy of SASB

More immediate for SASB is the merger with the IIRC. “The merger is moving along well,” said SASB Standards Board chair Jeffrey Hales during a press conference Wednesday following the meeting. “It involves a lot of operations and logistical coordination, but it’s moving forward, so we’re expecting to officially launch the Value Reporting Foundation relatively soon.”
The IFRS Foundation also appears to be moving ahead with the proposed international sustainability standards board. “I don’t know that they’ve made a definitive decision on that, but they certainly have all indications of moving forward,” said Hales. “They’ve established a working group to make recommendations to the trustees on how they might go about establishing a sustainability standards board. They have even recently put forward a host of changes to their constitution that would allow them to do so, and that would include what the structure of the board would look like. That all seems to be moving forward. They’ve opened that up for public comment for the next 90 days or so.”
The SEC shows interest
Meanwhile the SEC has been coming out with more guidance and warnings on ESG reporting as environmental issues and climate change become more of a priority for the Biden administration. “The SEC certainly is actively engaged on a number of dimensions, whether they’re thinking about what role to play, whether additional rulemaking is needed, and whether the current guidance is being complied with,” said Hales. “Recently the SEC did put out a request for comments regarding the issue of climate, so SASB is going to be responding to that, and we’ll issue a public comment there.”
ESG has become an increasing topic of discussion at the SEC. “We hear a lot of questions about ESG,” said SEC acting chief accountant Paul Munter during a Baruch College conference Wednesday on financial reporting. “A lot of work is being done in the ESG space overseas. Last week the IFRS Foundation asked for comment on amending its charter. We sit as a member of their Monitoring Board, and are actively engaged in that process as well. I expect we will be doing more on that in the coming months.”
He noted that the SEC is looking at what groups like the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures and other ESG-related bodies are doing to help inform its process, but at this point it’s uncertain what the SEC might do from a rulemaking perspective. However, Munter advised companies to look at guidance issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the IASB about how ESG might affect reporting and potential impairments in their filings.
“Investors are starting to coalesce around asking for SASB and TCFD disclosures,” said Marc Siegel, a former FASB board member and currently a member of the SASB board and a partner at Ernst & Young, during the Baruch College conference on Thursday. “We are seeing a huge spike in companies. The SASB standards were codified at the end of 2018, so they’ve only been out for two years. But in 2020 there were many hundreds of companies that reported under SASB standards.”
Lindsay McCord, chief accountant in the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, said at the same conference that when the SEC put out a request for comment recently on ESG issues, it received 25 letters.
Meanwhile, SASB has been working with the Global Reporting Initiative and the other standard-setters on harmonizing their standards and frameworks. “SASB and GRI have been part of this group of five and have also been working directly together to show how our frameworks can be mutually compatible and try to help companies meet their reporting needs to varying stakeholders,” said Hales. “SASB is very focused on investor needs and GRI is broadly focused on stakeholder needs, including investors as well as some others. Just last month, we put out a guide on sustainability reporting using both sets of standards and how companies can use that.”
SASB discussed four main projects at its meeting, including tailings management for pollution control at mines, which is still attracting comments and back and forth discussions. Human capital was another main topic of discussion.
“Human capital is a very large project and is already covered in over 40 of our industries,” said Hales. “But we know that there are other dimensions of human capital that aren’t covered, primarily with respect to labor conditions, health and safety, and some diversity, equity and inclusion issues. But we’ve had an ongoing project to look at that systematically across all of our industries and see where there are opportunities to improve the standards. … A top priority is going to be thinking about workplace culture and thinking about issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Another topic of discussion was supply chain management in the tobacco industry, but SASB isn’t likely to pursue this project much further.
A new project that’s likely to attract interest is related to alternative meat and dairy products such as the increasingly popular plant-based meat substitutes like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers and alternative milks like soy milk and almond milk.
“Thinking about the role they play in the food and beverage industry, the staff proposed to the board to add a new standard-setting project to look at including a topic on alternative products as a disclosure topic,” said Hales. “What are the strategies around alternative products in the meat, poultry and dairy industry, as well as processed food retailers and distributors? For the moment, we’re not moving forward in other industries because these are the two where we saw the clearest evidence from companies and investors that this looked like an opportunity to really improve the quality of the disclosure around an important issue.

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eHealth Appoints Cesar Soriano as New Independent Board Director

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) today announced the appointment of Cesar Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of Confie Corporation, to its board of directors, effective immediately. Mr. Soriano brings more than 20 years of leadership in the financial, insurance, and business services industries, as well as significant operations, sales effectiveness, and technology experience.  
“We are pleased to welcome Cesar Soriano to the eHealth board,” said Scott Flanders, Chief Executive Officer of eHealth. “We are eager to benefit from his insights and fresh perspectives, particularly given his leadership for companies that rely on online, telephonic, and in-person sales operations, and his track record of driving value. I look forward to working closely with him to build on the momentum from our strong start to 2021.”
The addition of Mr. Soriano to the board of directors satisfies the condition of the March 2021 agreement between eHealth and Hudson Executive Capital to cooperate in good faith to agree on a second director to add to eHealth’s board of directors. Mr. Soriano’s appointment follows the previously announced appointment of former Rosetta Stone CEO, John Hass.

Mr. Soriano commented, “eHealth’s leadership position in the market and strong focus on driving growth through technology makes it an exciting time to join the company. I look forward to collaborating with Scott and my colleagues on the board to expand eHealth’s unique, customer-focused platform and create value for shareholders.”
About Cesar Soriano
Cesar Soriano currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Confie Corporation, a leading personal lines insurance distributor in the United States. He joined Confie in 2016 as its Chief Strategy Officer and subsequently served as its Chief Operating Officer where he defined and led Confie’s stabilization, integration, innovation, and growth plan. Prior to Confie, he was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Interstate National, a provider of finance and insurance products and services. His prior roles also include serving as CEO and President of RSM McGladrey Financial Process Outsourcing, Leader of Business Transformation at TravelClick, Senior Vice President, Global Operations at Bowne Corporation, Vice President, Reengineering and Strategy at Dun and Bradstreet, and leadership roles at Xerox Corporation. Mr. Soriano started his career as a Military Intelligence Officer in the United States Army. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (Distinguished Military Graduate) and Master of Science in Management Information Systems from the Florida Institute of Technology.
About eHealth
eHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: EHTH) operates a leading health insurance marketplace at eHealth.com and eHealthMedicare.com with technology that provides consumers with health insurance enrollment solutions. Since 1997, we have connected more than 8 million members with quality, affordable health insurance, Medicare options, and ancillary plans. Our proprietary marketplace offers Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D prescription drug, individual, family, small business and other plans from over 180 health insurance carriers across fifty states and the District of Columbia.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding the benefits of adding new a new director, the growth of our business, and the creation of value for shareholders.
These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include those described in eHealth’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and available on the investor relations page of eHealth’s website at http://www.ehealthinsurance.com and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.
All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to eHealth as of the date hereof, and eHealth does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.
Important Additional Information

eHealth, Inc., its directors and certain of its executive officers are deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from eHealth’s shareholders in connection with eHealth’s 2021 annual meeting of shareholders (the “2021 Annual Meeting”). eHealth intends to file a definitive proxy statement and a GREEN proxy card with the SEC in connection with any such solicitation of proxies from eHealth’s shareholders. SHAREHOLDERS OF EHEALTH ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ SUCH PROXY STATEMENT, ACCOMPANYING GREEN PROXY CARD AND ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. eHealth’s definitive proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders contains information regarding the direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, of eHealth’s directors and executive officers in eHealth’s securities. Information regarding subsequent changes to their holdings of eHealth’s securities can be found in the SEC filings on Forms 3, 4, and 5, which are available on eHealth’s website at https://ir.ehealthinsurance.com or on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Information can also be found in eHealth’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A, on file with the SEC. Updated information regarding the identity of potential participants, and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the definitive proxy statement and other materials to be filed with the SEC in connection with the 2021 Annual Meeting. Shareholders will be able to obtain the definitive proxy statement and any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement, when they become available, and other documents filed by eHealth with the SEC at no charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge at eHealth’s website at https://ir.ehealthinsurance.com.
Media Relations Contact:
Lara Sasken
[email protected]
Investor Relations Contact:
Kate Sidorovich
[email protected]

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F-star Therapeutics, Inc. Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — F-star Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSTX) (the “Company” or “F-star”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing next generation immunotherapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of its common stock. F-star also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock offered in the public offering on the same terms and conditions. All of the shares of common stock in the offering are to be sold by F-star.
F-star intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, clinical trials, research and development activities and capital expenditures. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.
SVB Leerink is acting as sole bookrunning manager for the offering.
The securities are being offered by F-star pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that was previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and declared effective by the SEC. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. When available, copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to these securities may be obtained from SVB Leerink LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6105, or by email at [email protected]. To obtain these documents free of charge visit the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.
About F-starF-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. By developing medicines that seek to block tumor immune evasion, the Company’s goal is to offer patients greater and more durable benefits than current immuno-oncology treatments. Through its proprietary tetravalent, bispecific natural antibody (mAb²™) format, F-star’s mission is to generate highly differentiated best-in-class drug candidates with monoclonal antibody-like manufacturability.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. F-star undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. Such forward-looking statements are based on our expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in F-star’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents to be filed from time to time with the SEC. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors, nor can we assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements included in this communication are based on information available to F-star as of the date of this communication. F-star does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
For further information, please contact:
For investor inquiriesLindsey TrickettVP Investor Relations & Communications+1 240 543 [email protected]
For media inquiriesHelen ShikShik Communications LLC+1 617-510-4373Shik.Helen10@gmail.

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Investment Manager Settles SEC Fee Inquiry for $1.57 Million

The owner of an investment management firm agreed to pay the SEC nearly $1.6 million to resolve allegations he failed to tell investors about his receipt of millions of dollars in fees.
Maxwell Drever, chair and owner of Drever Capital Management LLC, disclosed the total amount of fees and costs for a project to investors, but didn’t tell them some of those fees would go to him, the Securities and Exchange Commission said. Drever didn’t admit the agency’s findings as part of the settlement.
Drever, who lives in California, raised around $53 million from investors as part of an…

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Ex-SEC enforcement head Alex Oh hires D.C. bar president to battle sanctions motion

The Exxon corporate logo is pictured at one of the company’s gas stations in Arlington, Virginia, August 10, 2011. REUTERS/Jason Reed Alex Oh, who became head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division last month but resigned a week later, has hired a lawyer of her own in a long-running international human rights case tied to her abrupt departure.Oh resigned from the agency on April 28, after a judge said he was considering sanctions against her in litigation involving Exxon Mobil Corp that she had worked on at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. On Thursday Geoffrey Klineberg of Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick entered an appearance in the Exxon case to represent Oh “with respect to sanctions issues.”Klineberg, who is president of the D.C. Bar and a former chair of its legal ethics committee, did not immediately provide comment on his involvement or the sanctions matter.A representative for Paul, Weiss, where Oh worked for 17 years and co-led the anti-corruption team before joining the SEC last month, did not immediately respond. Oh does not appear in Paul Weiss’s online lawyer directory.The sanctions matter stems from a case in D.C. federal court in which Paul, Weiss was defending Exxon Mobil Corp against allegations under the Alien Tort Statute that it supported murder and torture in Indonesia, allegations it has denied. Oh withdrew from the case on April 22 to join the SEC, court records show.In a filing on April 26, U.S. District Judge Royce Lambert, who is overseeing the Exxon litigation, raised questions over Oh’s conduct during the deposition of a witness in the case.Lambert gave Exxon’scounsel until May 14 to show why sanctions should not be imposed against the company’s legal team, including Oh, “for alleging that plaintiffs’ counsel was agitated, disrespectful, and unhinged during the deposition despite a lack of record evidence supporting those allegations.”In her resignation letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler on April 28, shared with reporters, Oh said a “development” relating to one of her previous cases would be “an unwelcome distraction to the important work of the Division.”Following Oh’s resignation, the SEC named Melissa Hodgman as acting director of the enforcement division, a role she previously held between January and April.Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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The Dog Ate My Financials: Dissembling Filers Sanctioned by the SEC

On Thursday, April 29, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged eight public companies for failing to disclose (in requests for permission to file periodic disclosure reports including financials late) that the delays were caused by anticipated restatement or correction of previously filed financial statements. In each case, the company had filed a Form NT (technically a “Form 12b-25 Notification of Late Filing”) as permitted by Rule 12b-25 adopted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. None of the eight companies had made full disclosures of their financials to the SEC as required by the Form. Of particular interest is that the SEC used data analytics to identify the eight “miscreants.” As the Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement said, “we will continue to use data analytics to uncover difficult to detect disclosure violations.”Public companies are required to file a Form NT when requesting additional time to file a periodic report (Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K). The Form NT must be filed no later than one day after the day the Report is due; this gives the company five additional calendar days to file a 10-Q and 15 additional calendar days to file a 10-K. The Form NT must explain why the company is unable to file on time and state whether the company anticipates “any significant change in results of operations from the corresponding period for the last fiscal year will be reflected by the earnings statements to be included” in the delayed Report. If any significant change is anticipated, the company must “explain …the change, both narratively and quantitatively, and, if appropriate, state the reasons why a reasonable estimate of the results cannot be made.”As the Acting Director of Enforcement also noted, “[i]n these cases, due to the [eight] companies’ failure to include required disclosure in their…Form [NT’s], investors relying on the deficient Forms NT were kept in the dark regarding the unreliability of the company’s financial reporting or anticipated material changes in operating results.”The eight companies, the financials they failed to disclose, and the sanctions imposed under their respective settlements with the SEC are as follows:
Fortem Resources, Inc.: Fortem is a Nevada corporation based in Vancouver, British Columbia, involved in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas. Fortem claimed in its Form NT that it was “still compiling information necessary to complete the preparation of its financial statements” for a Form 10-Q due July 15, 2019. On July 15, 2019, the company filed a Form 8-K Current Report disclosing that its financial statements for all of 2018 and the first three quarters of 2019 could not be relied upon because its FORMER auditor had “incorrectly reported that four companies acquired were not variable interest entities,” which in fact they were. The change resulted in a 52% increase in anticipated quarterly loss in the first quarter of FY 2020 compared to the 2019 quarter. Fortem agreed to pay $25,000 as a civil penalty.

TruTankless, Inc.: TruTankless, a Nevada corporation based in Scottsdale, Arizona, sells electric tankless water heaters. On August 15, 2019, TruTankless filed a Form NT stating that it could not timely file the Form 10-Q for the 2019 FY second quarter because it had “encountered some difficulty in compiling necessary disclosures and compilation of its financial statements.” On August 19, 2019, the company filed its Form 10-Q including a restatement of the financial statements for the first quarter to correct the accounting for the conversion of $110,000 of convertible promissory notes at $0.25 instead of the $1.00 originally provided, resulting in a loss of $126,813 and materially increasing the first-quarter loss to $1,261,643. TruTankless agreed to pay a $25,000 penalty.

 ShiftPixy, Inc.: ShiftPixy, a Wyoming corporation based in Miami, Florida, is involved in human capital management services. On July 15, 2019, the company filed its Form NT “due to …difficulty in completing and obtaining required financial and other information” to complete its third-quarter Form 10-Q. On July 22, 2019, ShiftPixy filed a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing that its second-quarter 10-Q could not be relied upon due to the “mistaken issuance of shares in a conversion at a price less than the original price” AND “the resulting issuance of additional shares,” which caused a material misstatement. The corrections caused a 175% increase in the 2019 third-quarter loss compared to the 2018 third quarter. The company paid a $25,000 penalty.

Rokk3r, Inc.: Rokk3r, a Nevada corporation based in Miami, Florida, provides consulting services. In May 2020 the company went private. On November 14, 2019, the company filed a Form NT in which it stated: “due to its delay in compiling financial information required to be included in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.” On November 18, 2019, the company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on which it disclosed that its financial statements for the first and second quarter of 2019 “should not be relied upon” because the company had “incorrectly accounted” for variable interest entities. The 8-K disclosed material changes to the company’s total assets, total revenues, net loss, and stockholder equity. The SEC determined that the Form NT was deficient and that the 8-K was late. The company agreed to a $50,000 penalty.

Daniels Corporate Advisory Company, Inc.: Daniels, a Nevada corporation based in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, engages in corporate financial consulting AND refurbishes, sells, and rents heavy-duty trucks. On July 15, 2019, Daniels said it could not file its 10- Q for the FY 2019 second quarter because “the Registrant has been unable to complete all aspects of its Form 10-Q.” On July 22, 2019, Daniels filed its second-quarter 10-Q and an amended Form 10-Q for the 2019 FY first quarter, as part of disclosing that its previous first quarter could no longer be relied upon because management discovered that an overstatement of sales and the cost of sales were wrongly reported. The company anticipated that its second-quarter financial results would include $1,096 million in revenue from its truck-related business, a material difference from the lack of any revenue from that line of business reported as its financial results for the second quarter of FY 2018. Daniels agreed to pay a penalty of $25,000.

HDQA Elderly Life Network, Inc.: HDQA, a Nevada corporation based in Rosemount, California, provides senior housing and retirement services and products in mainland China. On November 13, 2019, HDQA filed a Form NT and advised that it could not timely file its Form 10-Q because it “was unable to compile the necessary financial information required to prepare a complete filing.” On November 19, 2019, the company filed a Form 10-Q for the 2020 FY first quarter that disclosed a restatement because the company issued 41,731,867 shares of stock for $0.15 per share in a private placement to a Chinese company for $6,259,780. The company recorded $27,125,714 of stock-based compensation. The transaction did not close for several weeks, during which the stock price had risen to $0.80 a share. This resulted in material changes to the company’s financial statements, including a 310% increase in revenue for the first quarter of FY 2020 and a 97% decrease in loss from the restated first quarter of FY 2018. The SEC determined that two faulty Form NT filings were involved and imposed a $50,000 penalty.

Asta Funding, Inc.: Asta, a Delaware corporation based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, is involved in dealing with consumer receivables in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and South America. Asta subsequently went private. On May 18, 2020, while still public the company filed a Form NT asserting that it could not timely file its 10-Q for its second fiscal quarter “due to delays experienced in the collection, compilation and analysis of certain information.” On May 19, 2020, nine days after the end of the five-day extension, Asta filed its Form 10-Q for the second quarter of FY 2020, in which it disclosed that understated income taxes payable and related income tax expense from foreign operations, and also it had understated professional fees and expenses. The company anticipated that its second-quarter FY 2020 financial results would differ significantly from its second-quarter FY 2019 results, including a 26% decrease in quarterly revenue and a 96% decrease in quarterly income before taxes. The SEC determined that Asta filed a deficient Form NT and a late Form 10-Q, and imposed a $50,000 penalty.

Igen Networks Corp.: Igen, a Nevada corporation based in Murrietta, California, provides cloud-based automobile services including stolen vehicle protection and real-time updates on driver behavior. On May 15, 2020, Igen filed a Form NT stating that it could not timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K because it was “unable to complete the required compilation, dissemination, and review of all information required.” On May 29, 2020, Igen filed its FY 2019 Form 10-K, which disclosed that Igen was restating its 2018 consolidated financial statements because the company had not properly recorded contract assets for revenue recognition. The restatements resulted in material decreases in Igen’s current and total liabilities.

The lesson of these enforcement actions is clear. Do not submit filings of financials to the SEC that contain material misstatements or material omissions. The old wisdom remains valid: honesty is the best policy. It is always difficult to admit mistakes, but these cases demonstrate the consequences of failing to confront the truth. What also comes through is that the companies and their advisors decided that dissembling was preferable to admission.

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Top U.S. fund leader wants voluntary climate disclosure rules

By Ross Kerber3 Min ReadMay 6 (Reuters) – A top fund industry leader on Thursday urged U.S. regulators to adopt only voluntary climate-related disclosure standards for public companies rather than the stricter rules sought by some activists and investment firms.Eric Pan, CEO of the Investment Company Institute, which represents asset managers and other big U.S. investors, said the softer approach would give companies time to adjust to new technologies and scientific evidence, according to prepared remarks of a speech he was set to give at his trade group’s virtual conference on Thursday.Pan said companies should “not be hampered by prescriptive, ‘hard-wired’ disclosure requirements – which would be nearly impossible to set today to successfully govern disclosure between now and 2050,” the date set by U.S. President Joe Biden for the nation to reach net-zero emissions.Leaders of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are taking public input on how they might direct companies to report more about the environmental and social impact of their operations.Investors have poured money into funds using sustainability criteria, allowing portfolio managers to push companies to take steps like disclosing more about their emissions. Larry Fink, CEO of top fund firm BlackRock Inc, last month called for mandatory disclosures for both public and private companies worldwide.Currently many large U.S. companies produce “sustainability reports” but using a dizzying array of non-common standards, making them hard to prepare and to compare.On April 21 the European Union said it plans to raise the number of companies required to report ESG data amid criticism the current rules are ineffective.Pan noted his trade group’s board has previously backed two widely used voluntary disclosure standards, those of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures and from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board.The SEC should encourage the use of both standards, Pan said, and work toward getting companies to provide detailed climate risk information rather than “bland, boilerplate disclosure that is geared mainly at minimizing legal liability.

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