S-3 1 a20190531s3doc.htm S-3 Document


As Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 31, 2019.
Registration No. 333-
 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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PDL BIOPHARMA, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
94-3023969
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
932 Southwood Boulevard
Incline Village, Nevada 89451
(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)
(775) 832-8500
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
Christopher L. Stone
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
932 Southwood Boulevard
Incline Village, Nevada, 89451
(775) 832-8500
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
The Commission is requested to mail copies of all orders, notices and communications to:
Karen E. Bertero
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
333 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90071
(213) 229-7360
 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ý

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
¨
Accelerated filer
ý
Non-accelerated filer
¨
Smaller reporting company
¨
 
 
Emerging growth company
¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨




CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each class of securities to be registered
Amount to be registered (1)
Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit (1)
Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1)
Amount of registration fee (2)(3)
Debt Securities, Common Stock (par value $0.01 per share), Preferred Stock (par value $0.01 per share), Depository Shares, Warrants or units comprising one or more classes of these securities
—
—
$250,000,000
$30,300

(1)
An indeterminate number of the securities of each identified class is being registered, which together shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $250,000,000. Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or in combination with the other securities registered hereunder. The proposed maximum offering price per security will be determined, from time to time, by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the Registrant of the securities registered hereunder. The securities registered hereunder also include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock and preferred stock and amount of debt securities as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for preferred stock or debt securities that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants or pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of any of such securities. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the Registrant is also registering such additional indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may become issuable as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions. The proposed maximum aggregate offering price per class of security will be determined from time to time by the Registrant in connection with the issuance by the Registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.

(2)
Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

(3)
Pursuant to Rule 457(p) under the Securities Act, the Registrant is offsetting the registration fee of $30,300 due under this Registration Statement by $10,070, which represents the registration fee previously paid by the Registrant with respect to the securities on the Registration Statement on Form S-3, File No. 333-211970, that was filed on June 10, 2016 and declared effective on June 28, 2016, and not sold by the Registrant. A filing fee of $20,230 is currently due in connection with this Registration Statement.


The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to such Section 8(a), may determine.




The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, Dated May 31, 2019

PROSPECTUS
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PDL BioPharma, Inc.

$250,000,000
Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Units of these Securities
__________________

We may, from time to time, offer to sell debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants or units of any of these securities. The aggregate initial offering price of all securities sold under this prospectus will not exceed $250,000,000. We will provide specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus at the time we offer or sell any of these securities. This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “PDLI.” On May 30, 2019, the closing price of our common stock as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market, was $2.95 per share.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” on page 4 of this prospectus, in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in other documents that we subsequently file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and in the applicable prospectus supplement we will deliver with this prospectus and in the documents incorporated herein and therein by reference.
__________________

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

This prospectus is dated , 2019.



TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
 
Page
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
 
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
 
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
 
RISK FACTORS
 
THE COMPANY
 
USE OF PROCEEDS
 
SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER
 
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
 
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK AND DEPOSITARY SHARES
 
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
 
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
 
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
 
LEGAL MATTERS
 
EXPERTS
 
We have not authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representation that is different from, or in addition to, the information contained in this prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If anyone provides you with different, additional or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of the prospectus or the prospectus supplement or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies.
The distribution of this prospectus may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. You should inform yourself about and observe any of these restrictions. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized, or in which the person making the offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so, or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make the offer or solicitation.





FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and any subsequent prospectus supplement, including the information incorporated by reference, contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of these provisions, including any projections of earnings, revenues or other financial items, any statements of the plans and objectives of management for future operations, including any statements concerning new licensing, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, and any statement of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue” or “opportunity,” or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements in this prospectus and any subsequent prospectus supplement are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations presented in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable at the time of filing, there can be no assurance that such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements, including with regards to our future financial condition and results of operations, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risk factors set forth below, and for the reasons described elsewhere in this prospectus. All forward-looking statements and reasons why results may differ included in this prospectus are made as of the date hereof. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise. Any further disclosures made on related subjects in subsequent documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus should be consulted. See the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Risk Factors” and other matters discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, which are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and incorporated herein by reference. See “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” as well as the applicable prospectus supplement.

We own or have rights to certain trademarks, trade names, copyrights and other intellectual property used in our business, including PDL BioPharma, Inc. and the PDL logo, each of which is considered a registered trademark. All other company names, product names, trade names and trademarks included in this prospectus are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.



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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration. We refer to our debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants and units of these securities collectively in this prospectus as the “securities.” Under this shelf registration process, we may offer and sell, either individually or in combination, in one or more offerings, any combination of these securities described in this prospectus for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $250,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For additional information regarding us and the offered securities, please refer to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.” If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus we may authorize to be provided to you.

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the cover page of this prospectus or that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the documents incorporated by reference. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “the Company,” “PDL,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to PDL BioPharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its predecessors and subsidiaries, except where it is made clear that the term means only PDL Biopharma, Inc.


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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

PDL BioPharma, Inc. files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act. You may read and copy this information at the Public Reference Room of the SEC, 100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330.

The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov. Unless specifically listed under “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference” below, the information contained on the SEC website is not intended to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider that information a part of this prospectus.

You can also inspect reports, proxy statements and other information about us at the offices of The NASDAQ Stock Market, One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway, New York, New York 10006.

You also may obtain a free copy of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q and proxy statement on our Internet website at www.pdl.com. Other than the documents filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, the information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, except for any information that is superseded by information that is included directly in this document.

This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below that we have filed with the SEC but have not been included or delivered with this prospectus. These documents contain important information about us and our business, prospects and financial condition.
Filing
 
Period or Date Filed
Annual Report on Form 10-K
 
Year ended December 31, 2018
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
 
Quarter ended March 31, 2019
Current Reports on Form 8-K
 
April 10, 2019; April 11, 2019; April 16, 2019
Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A (but only to the extent incorporated by reference in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018
 
April 30, 2019 and May 6, 2019


The description of our common stock in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on December 23, 1991, as amended on Form 8-A/A filed with the SEC on January 22, 1992.

We also incorporate by reference any future filings we make with the SEC under sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, on or after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement and on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the closing of each offering. These additional documents include periodic reports, such as annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K (other than information furnished and not filed by us under any item of any current report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits, which is deemed not to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus), as well as proxy statements (other than information identified in them as not incorporated by reference). You should review these filings as they may disclose changes in our business, prospects, financial condition or other affairs after the date of this prospectus. The information that we file later with the SEC under sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and before the closing of each offering will automatically update and supersede previous information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.



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You can obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from us without charge, excluding any exhibits to those documents unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You can obtain documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus by requesting them in writing or by telephone from us at the following address:

PDL BioPharma, Inc.
Attn: Investor Relations
932 Southwood Boulevard
Incline Village, Nevada 89451
(775) 832-8500

See also the information described under the heading, “Where You Can Find More Information.”



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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict and beyond our control and that involve uncertainties that may materially affect our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, or the value of these securities. You should carefully consider the risks described in our filings with the SEC referred to under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” above as well as the risks included and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as updated by annual, quarterly and other reports and documents we file with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and that are incorporated by reference herein, including the specific risks that may be included in a prospectus supplement under the caption “Risk Factors.” Any of these risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, which in turn could materially and adversely affect the trading price of shares of our common stock. Additional risks not currently known or currently material to us may also harm our business.


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THE COMPANY

We seek to provide a significant return for our stockholders by acquiring commercial stage pharmaceutical assets with multiple year revenue growth potential as well as late clinical stage pharmaceutical products.  Our leadership team has extensive experience in acquiring, commercializing and managing the life cycle of therapeutic products domestically and internationally across a number of indications and modalities. We intend to leverage this experience by pursuing the acquisition, growth and potential monetization of pharmaceutical products and companies.

Historically, we generated a substantial portion of our revenues through the license agreements related to patents covering the humanization of antibodies, which we refer to as the Queen et al. patents. In 2012, we began providing alternative sources of capital through royalty monetizations and debt facilities, and, in 2016, we began acquiring commercial-stage products and launching specialized companies dedicated to the commercialization of these products.

Based on the composition of our existing investment portfolio, we currently operate in three segments designated as Pharmaceutical, Medical Devices and Income Generating Assets.

Our Pharmaceutical segment consists of revenue derived from branded prescription medicine products sold under the name Tekturna® and Tekturna HCT® in the United States, and Rasilez® and Rasilez HCT® in the rest of the world and an authorized generic of Tekturna in the United States (collectively, the “Noden Products”). Our Medical Devices segment consists of revenue derived from the LENSAR® Laser System sales. Our Income Generating Assets segment consists of revenue derived from (i) notes and other long-term receivables, (ii) royalty rights and hybrid notes/royalty receivables, (iii) equity investments and (iv) royalties from issued patents in the United States and elsewhere covering the humanization of antibodies, which we refer to as the Queen et al. patents.

Prospectively, we expect to focus on the acquisition and development of additional pharmaceutical products and companies with revenue growth potential. We anticipate that over time, as a result of these new acquisitions, more of our revenues will come from our Pharmaceutical segment and less of our revenues will come from our Income Generating Assets and Medical Devices segments.

We were organized as a Delaware corporation in 1986 under the name Protein Design Labs, Inc. In 2006, we changed our name to PDL BioPharma, Inc. Our business previously included a biotechnology operation that was focused on the discovery and development of novel antibodies. We spun-off the operation to our stockholders as Facet Biotech Corporation in December 2008.

For more information about our business, please refer to the “Business” section in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections of our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

Our principal executive offices are located at 932 Southwood Boulevard, Incline Village, Nevada, 89451, (775) 832-8500, and our Internet website address is www.pdl.com. The information in or accessible through our website is not incorporated into, and is not considered part of, this prospectus.


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USE OF PROCEEDS

Except as may be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, repayment or refinancing of debt, acquisition of (or investments in) additional therapeutic products and companies or other assets, working capital and repurchases and redemptions of securities. Additional information on the use of net proceeds from the sale of securities covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the specific offering.

SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

We may offer shares of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, warrants and units of these securities with a total value of up to $250,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering. Each time we offer a type or series of securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities.

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

We may issue debt securities under an indenture to be entered into between us and a trustee chosen by us, qualified to act as such under the Trust Indenture Act and appointed under an indenture. The indenture will be governed by the Trust Indenture Act.

We have filed the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and we will file the indenture we enter into and the supplemental indentures or authorizing resolutions with respect to particular series of debt securities as exhibits to current or other reports we file with the SEC. See “Where You Can Find More Information” for information on how to obtain copies of the indentures and the supplemental indentures or authorizing resolutions. You may also inspect copies of the documents for the particular series at the office of the trustee. References below to an “indenture” are references to the applicable indenture, as supplemented, under which a particular series of debt securities is issued. The following is a summary of the indenture. It does not restate the indenture entirely. We urge you to read the indenture.


Terms of the Debt Securities

Our debt securities will be general obligations of PDL BioPharma, Inc. We may issue them in one or more series. Authorizing resolutions or a supplemental indenture will set forth the specific terms of each series of debt securities. We will provide a prospectus supplement for each series of debt securities that will describe:

•
the title of the debt securities and whether the debt securities are senior, senior subordinated, or subordinated debt securities;
•
the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities and any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the series of debt securities, and, if the series is to be issued at a discount from its face amount, the method of computing the accretion of such discount;
•
the percentage of the principal amount at which debt securities will be issued and, if other than the full principal amount thereof, the percentage of the principal amount of the debt securities that is payable if maturity of the debt securities is accelerated because of a default;
•
the date or dates on which principal of the debt securities will be payable and the amount of principal that will be payable;
•
the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) at which the debt securities will bear interest, if any, or the method of calculation of such rate or rates, as well as the dates from which interest will accrue, the dates on which interest will be payable and the record date for the interest payable on any payment date;
•
any collateral securing the performance of our obligations under the debt securities;
•
the currency or currencies (including any composite currency) in which principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, will be payable, and if such payments may be made in a currency other than that in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner for determining such payments, including the time and manner of determining the exchange rate between the currency in which such securities are denominated and the currency in which such securities or any of them may be paid, and any additions to, modifications of or deletions from the terms of the

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debt securities to provide for or to facilitate the issuance of debt securities denominated or payable in a currency other than U.S. dollars;
•
the place or places where principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable and where debt securities that are in registered form can be presented for registration of transfer or exchange;
•
the denominations in which the debt securities will be issuable, if different from $2,000 and multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof;
•
any provisions regarding our right to redeem or purchase debt securities or the right of holders to require us to redeem or purchase debt securities;
•
the right, if any, of holders of the debt securities to convert or exchange them into our common stock or other securities of any kind of us or another obligor, including any provisions intended to prevent dilution of the conversion rights and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which such securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the initial conversion or exchange price or rate or the method of calculation, how and when the conversion price or exchange ratio may be adjusted, whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, the conversion or exchange period, and any other provision in relation thereto;
•
any provisions requiring or permitting us to make payments to a sinking fund to be used to redeem debt securities or a purchase fund to be used to purchase debt securities;
•
the terms, if any, upon which debt securities may be senior or subordinated to our other indebtedness;
•
any additions to, modifications of or deletions from the terms of the debt securities with respect to events of default or covenants or other provisions set forth in the indenture for the series to which the supplemental indenture or authorizing resolution relates;
•
whether and upon what terms the debt securities of such series may be defeased or discharged, if different from the provisions set forth in the indenture for the series to which the supplemental indenture or authorizing resolution relates;
•
whether the debt securities will be issued in registered or bearer form and the terms of these forms;
•
whether the debt securities will be issued in whole or in part in the form of a global security and, if applicable, the identity of the depositary for such global security;
•
any provision for electronic issuance of the debt securities or issuance of the debt securities in uncertificated form; and
•
any other material terms of the debt securities, which may be different from the terms set forth in this prospectus.

The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe any material covenants to which a series of debt securities will be subject and the applicability of those covenants to any of our subsidiaries to be restricted thereby, which are referred to herein as “restricted subsidiaries.” The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe provisions for restricted subsidiaries to cease to be restricted by those covenants.

Events of Default and Remedies

Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, an event of default with respect to any series of debt securities will be defined in the indenture or applicable supplemental indenture or authorizing resolution as being:

•
our failure to pay interest on any debt security of such series when the same becomes due and payable and the continuance of any such failure for a period of 30 days;
•
our failure to pay the principal or premium of any debt security of such series when the same becomes due and payable at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption or otherwise;
•
our failure or the failure of any restricted subsidiary to comply with any of its agreements or covenants in, or provisions of, the debt securities of such series or the indenture (as they relate thereto) and such failure continues for a period of 60 days after our receipt of notice of the default from the trustee or from the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series (except in the case of a default with respect to the provisions of the indenture regarding the consolidation, merger, sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of us (or any other provision specified in the applicable supplemental indenture or authorizing resolution), which will constitute an event of default with notice but without passage of time);
•
default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness (other than non-recourse indebtedness, as defined in the indenture) for

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money borrowed by us or any of our restricted subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by us or any of our restricted subsidiaries), whether such indebtedness or guarantee now exists or is created after the date we issue debt securities, if that default:

(a)
is caused by a failure to pay at final stated maturity the principal amount of such indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such indebtedness on the date of such default (a “Payment Default”); or

(b)
results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior to its express maturity without such indebtedness having been discharged or such acceleration having been cured, waived, rescinded or annulled for the period and after the notice had been provided,

and, in each case, the principal amount of any such indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $50 million or more; or
•
certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur with respect to us or any restricted subsidiary that is a significant subsidiary (as defined in the indenture).

The indenture will provide that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of any series of debt securities of any default, except a default in payment of principal or interest, if any, with respect to such series of debt securities, if the trustee considers it in the interest of the holders of such series of debt securities to do so.

The indenture will provide that if any event of default has occurred and is continuing with respect to any series of debt securities, the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of such series of debt securities then outstanding may declare the principal of all the debt securities of such series to be due and payable immediately. However, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series then outstanding by notice to the trustee may waive any existing default and its consequences with respect to such series of debt securities, other than any event of default in payment of principal or interest. Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration with respect to such series and its consequences, except an acceleration due to nonpayment of principal or interest on such series, if the rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree and if all existing events of default with respect to such series have been cured or waived.

The holders of a majority of the outstanding principal amount of the debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceedings for any remedy available to the trustee with respect to such series, subject to limitations specified in the indenture.

Defeasance

The indenture will permit us to terminate all our respective obligations under the indenture as they relate to any particular series of debt securities, other than the obligation to pay interest, if any, on and the principal of the debt securities of such series and certain other obligations, at any time by:

•
depositing in trust with the trustee, under an irrevocable trust agreement, money or government obligations in an amount sufficient to pay principal of and interest, if any, on the debt securities of such series to their maturity or redemption; and
•
complying with other conditions, including delivery to the trustee of an opinion of counsel to the effect that holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of our exercise of such right and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case otherwise.

The indenture will also permit us to terminate all of our respective obligations under the indenture as they relate to any particular series of debt securities, including the obligations to pay interest, if any, on and the principal of the debt securities of such series and certain other obligations, at any time by:

•
depositing in trust with the trustee, under an irrevocable trust agreement, money or government obligations in an amount sufficient to pay principal and interest, if any, on the debt securities of such series to their maturity or redemption; and

8


•
complying with other conditions, including delivery to the trustee of an opinion of counsel to the effect that (A) we have received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (B) since the date such series of debt securities were originally issued, there has been a change in the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion of counsel shall state that, holders will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of our exercise of such right and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case otherwise.

In addition, the indenture will permit us to terminate substantially all our respective obligations under the indenture as they relate to a particular series of debt securities by depositing with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all principal and interest on such series at its maturity or redemption date if the debt securities of such series will become due and payable at maturity within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year of the deposit.

Transfer and Exchange

A holder will be able to transfer or exchange debt securities only in accordance with the indenture. The registrar may require a holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents, and to pay any taxes and fees required by law or permitted by the indenture.

Amendment, Supplement and Waiver

Without notice to or the consent of any holder, we and the trustee may amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of a series to:

•
cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency;
•
comply with the provisions of the indenture regarding the consolidation, merger, sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets;
•
provide that specific provisions of the indenture shall not apply to a series of debt securities not previously issued or to make a change to specific provisions of the indenture that only applies to any series of debt securities not previously issued or to additional debt securities of a series not previously issued;
•
create a series and establish its terms;
•
provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities;
•
add a guarantor subsidiary in respect of any series of debt securities;
•
secure any series of debt securities;
•
comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;
•
make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder; or
•
conform the provisions of the indenture to the final offering document in respect of any series of debt securities.

With the exceptions discussed below, we and the trustee may amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of a particular series with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series then outstanding. In addition, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the debt securities of such series then outstanding may waive any existing default under, or compliance with, any provision of the debt securities of a particular series or of the indenture relating to a particular series of debt securities, other than any event of default in payment of interest or principal. These consents and waivers may be obtained in connection with a purchase of, or tender offer or exchange offer for, debt securities.

Without the consent of each holder affected, we and the trustee may not:

•
reduce the amount of debt securities of such series whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;
•
reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest, including defaulted interest;
•
reduce the principal of or extend the fixed maturity of any debt security or alter the provisions with respect to redemptions or mandatory offers to repurchase debt securities;

9


•
make any change that adversely affects any right of a holder to convert or exchange any debt security into or for shares of our common stock or other securities, cash or other property in accordance with the terms of such security;
•
modify the ranking or priority of the debt securities;
•
make any change to any provision of the indenture relating to the waiver of existing defaults, the rights of holders to receive payment of principal and interest on the debt securities, or to the provisions regarding amending or supplementing the indenture or the debt securities of a particular series with the written consent of the holders of such series;
•
waive a continuing default or event of default in the payment of principal of or interest on the debt securities; or
•
make any debt security payable at a place or in money other than that stated in the debt security, or impair the right of any holder of a debt security to bring suit as permitted by the indenture.

The right of any holder to participate in any consent required or sought pursuant to any provision of the indenture, and our obligation to obtain any such consent otherwise required from such holder, may be subject to the requirement that such holder shall have been the holder of record of debt securities with respect to which such consent is required or sought as of a record date fixed by us in accordance with the indenture.

Concerning the Trustee

The indenture will contain limitations on the rights of the trustee, should it become our creditor, to obtain payment of claims in specified cases or to realize on property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The indenture will permit the trustee to engage in other transactions; however, if it acquires any conflicting interest, it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

The indenture will provide that in case an event of default occurs and is not cured, the trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use the degree of care of a prudent person in similar circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs. The trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by the Indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders pursuant to the Indenture, unless such holders shall have offered to the trustee security or indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

No Recourse against Others

The indenture will provide that a director, officer, employee or stockholder, as such, of the Company shall not have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of, such obligations or their creation.

Governing Law

The laws of the State of New York will govern the indenture and the debt securities.

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK, PREFERRED STOCK AND DEPOSITARY SHARES

The following is a summary of the material terms of our capital stock, as well as other material terms of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and certain provisions of Delaware law. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. For more information on how you can obtain our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, see the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Our authorized capital stock consists of 350,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. At May 30, 2019, 119,648,198 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.

Common Stock

Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. The vote of the holders of a majority of the stock represented at a meeting at which a quorum is present is generally required to take stockholder action, unless a greater vote is required by law. The holders are not entitled to cumulative voting in the election of directors. Directors are elected by majority vote in uncontested elections, and by plurality

10


vote in contested elections (i.e., where the number of director nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected). If a director does not receive a majority vote for reelection in an uncontested election, our Corporate Governance Guidelines require such director to offer his or her resignation, subject to the approval of the independent directors of our board of directors.

Holders of common stock have no preemptive rights. They are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for such purpose. The common stock is not entitled to any sinking fund, redemption or conversion provisions. On our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock are entitled to share ratably in our net assets remaining after the payment of all creditors and liquidation preferences of preferred stock, if any. The outstanding shares of common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. There will be a prospectus supplement relating to any offering of common stock offered by this prospectus.

The transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is Computershare, Inc, 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.

The following provisions in our charter or bylaws may make a takeover of our Company more difficult:

•
a provision in our charter that our board of directors will be a classified board pursuant to which one-third of our directors will be elected each year to serve for a three-year term;
•
a bylaw limiting the persons who may call special meetings of stockholders to our board of directors; and
•
bylaws establishing an advance written notice procedure for stockholders seeking to nominate candidates for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters which can be acted upon at stockholders’ meetings.

These provisions may delay stockholder actions with respect to business combinations and the election of new members to our board of directors. As such, the provisions could discourage open market purchases of our common stock because a stockholder who desires to participate in a business combination or elect a new director may consider them disadvantageous. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock could delay or prevent a change of control or other corporate action.

Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute. As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prevents an “interested stockholder” from engaging in a “business combination” with us for three years following the date that person became an interested stockholder, unless:

•
before that person became an interested stockholder, our board of directors approved the transaction in which the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder or approved the business combination;
•
upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the interested stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding stock held by persons who are both directors and officers of our corporation or by certain employee stock plans; or
•
on or following the date on which that person became an interested stockholder, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of stockholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock excluding shares held by the interested stockholder.

An “interested stockholder” is generally a person owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. A “business combination” includes mergers, asset sales and other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder.

Preferred Stock

We may issue preferred stock in series with any rights and preferences that may be authorized by our board of directors. We will distribute a prospectus supplement with regard to each particular series of preferred stock. Each prospectus supplement will describe, as to the series of preferred stock to which it relates:

•
the title of the series of preferred stock;
•
any limit upon the number of shares of the series of preferred stock that may be issued;
•
the preference, if any, to which holders of the series of preferred stock will be entitled upon our liquidation;
•
the date or dates on which we will be required or permitted to redeem the preferred stock;

11


•
the terms, if any, on which we or holders of the preferred stock will have the option to cause the preferred stock to be redeemed or purchased;
•
the voting rights, if any, of the holders of the preferred stock;
•
the dividends, if any, that will be payable with regard to the series of preferred stock, which may be fixed dividends or participating dividends and may be cumulative or non-cumulative;
•
the right, if any, of holders of the preferred stock to convert it into another class of our stock or securities, including provisions intended to prevent dilution of those conversion rights;
•
any provisions by which we will be required or permitted to make payments to a sinking fund to be used to redeem preferred stock or a purchase fund to be used to purchase preferred stock; and
•
any other material terms of the preferred stock.

Holders of shares of preferred stock will not have preemptive rights.

Depositary Shares

We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we exercise this option, we will issue to the public receipts for depositary shares, and each of these depositary shares will represent a fraction (to be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement) of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. The following summary of the deposit agreement, the depositary shares and the depositary receipts are not complete. You should refer to the forms of the deposit agreement and depositary receipts that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the offering of the specific depositary shares.

The shares of any series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited under a deposit agreement between us and a bank or trust company selected by us. The depositary will have its principal office in the United States and a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fraction of a share of preferred stock underlying that depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock underlying that depositary share. Those rights may include dividend, voting, redemption and liquidation rights.

The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Depositary receipts will be distributed to those persons purchasing the fractional shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares, in accordance with the terms of the offering. Copies of the forms of deposit agreement and depositary receipt will be filed as exhibits to current or other reports we file with the SEC.

Pending the preparation of definitive depositary receipts, the depositary may, upon our written order, issue temporary depositary receipts substantially identical to the definitive depositary receipts but not in definitive form. These temporary depositary receipts entitle their holders to all the rights of definitive depositary receipts that are to be prepared without unreasonable delay. Temporary depositary receipts will then be exchangeable for definitive depositary receipts at our expense.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities or units of two or more of these types of securities. We may enter into a warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address and other information regarding the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any particular warrants.

We will distribute a prospectus supplement with regard to each issue of warrants. Each prospectus supplement will describe:

•
the title of the warrants;
•
the offering price for the warrants, if any;
•
the aggregate number of warrants offered;
•
the designation, number and terms of the common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities or other securities that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants and procedures by which the number of these securities may be adjusted;
•
the exercise price of the warrants;

12


•
the period during which you may exercise the warrants;
•
any minimum or maximum amount of warrants that may be exercised at any one time;
•
any provision adjusting the securities that may be purchased on exercise of the warrants, and the exercise price of the warrants, to prevent dilution or otherwise;
•
if the exercise price is not payable in U.S. dollars, the foreign currency, currency unit or composite currency in which the exercise price is denominated;
•
any terms relating to the modification of the warrants;
•
information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;
•
a discussion of any applicable material federal income tax consequences;
•
any terms, procedures and limitations relating to the transferability, exchange or exercise of the warrants; and
•
any other material terms of the warrants.

Prior to the exercise of any warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities or other securities, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities or other securities purchasable upon exercise, including:

•
in the case of warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares, the right to vote or to receive any payments of dividends on the common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares purchasable upon exercise; or
•
in the case of warrants for the purchase of debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, any premium or interest on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

As specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, units will consist of one or more warrants, debt securities, preferred stock, common stock, depositary shares or any combination thereof. You should refer to the applicable prospectus supplement for:

•
all terms of the units and of the warrants, debt securities, shares of preferred stock, shares of common stock, depositary shares or any combination thereof comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may or may not be traded separately;
•
a description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; and
•
a description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities covered by this prospectus from time to time in any manner permitted under the Securities Act. Registration of the securities covered by this prospectus does not mean, however, that those securities will necessarily be offered or sold.

Any of the securities being offered by this prospectus may be sold:

•
through agents;
•
to or through underwriters;
•
through dealers;
•
through brokers;
•
directly by us to purchasers or to a single purchaser; or
•
through a combination of any such methods of sale.


13


The securities may be sold at a fixed price or prices that may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices or varying prices determined at the time of sale. We will describe the method of the distribution of the securities and the terms of the offering in the prospectus supplement.
The distribution of securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions by means of one or more of the following transactions, which may include cross or block trades:

•
transactions on NASDAQ or any other organized market where the securities may be traded;
•
in the over-the-counter market;
•
in negotiated transactions;
•
through put or call option transactions relating to the securities;
•
under delayed delivery contracts or other contractual commitments;
•
in connection with hedging transactions; or
•
a combination of such methods of sale.

If underwriters are used in the sale of securities, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more of the transactions described above. Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or firm commitment basis. The securities may be either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters. Generally, the underwriters’ obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they purchase any of the securities. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, the nature of any such relationship.

In any sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profit on the resale of securities they realize may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. The applicable prospectus supplement will identify any such underwriter, dealer or agent and describe any compensation received by them from us. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.

Agents, underwriters and dealers may be entitled under agreements that may be entered into with us to indemnification by us against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution by us to payments they may be required to make in respect of such liabilities. The prospectus supplement will describe the terms and conditions of such indemnification or contribution. Some of the agents, underwriters or dealers, or their affiliates may be customers of ours, or engage in transactions with or perform services for us and our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.

LEGAL MATTERS

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP has rendered an opinion with respect to the validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus. We have filed the opinion as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. If counsel for any underwriters passes on legal matters in connection with an offering made by this prospectus, we will name that counsel in the prospectus supplement relating to that offering.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.


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pdllogo01.jpg

PDL BioPharma, Inc.
Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Warrants
Units of these Securities

____________________
PROSPECTUS
____________________


, 2019




PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth the estimated fees and expenses payable by us in connection with offering of the securities being registered, other than discounts and commissions. All amounts shown are estimates.

Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee
 
$
30,300

Printing and engraving fees and expenses
 
*

Trustees’ fees and expenses
 
*

Accountants’ fees and expenses
 
*

Legal fees and expenses
 
*

Rating agency fees
 
*

Miscellaneous
 
*

Total
 
$ *


* These fees are not presently known and cannot be estimated at this time, as they will be based upon, among other things, the amount and type of security being offered as well as the number of offerings.
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

PDL BioPharma, Inc.’s certificate of incorporation, as amended, eliminates the personal liability of its directors to the extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). PDL BioPharma, Inc.’s Bylaws provide that PDL BioPharma, Inc. shall, to the full extent permitted by the DGCL, indemnify each person who is or was a director or officer of PDL BioPharma, Inc., and each person who is or was serving at the request of PDL BioPharma, Inc. as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. PDL BioPharma, Inc. has entered into an indemnification agreement with each of its directors and executive officers.

Section 145 of the DGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its directors and officers against expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought by third parties, if such directors or officers acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. In a derivative action, i.e., one by or in the right of the corporation, indemnification may be made only for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by directors and officers in connection with the defense or settlement of an action or suit, and only with respect to a matter as to which they shall have acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made if such person shall have been adjudged liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her respective duties to the corporation, although the court in which the action or suit was brought may determine upon application that the defendant officers or directors are fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses despite such adjudication of liability.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation may eliminate or limit the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provisions shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) under section 174 of the DGCL, or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. No such provision shall eliminate or limit the liability of a director for any act or omission occurring before the date when such provision becomes effective. PDL BioPharma, Inc.’s certificate of incorporation provides for such limitations on liability.

Any underwriting agreement, which will be filed as Exhibit 1.1 by amendment hereto or pursuant to a current report on Form 8- K to be incorporated herein by reference, will provide that the underwriters named therein will indemnify and hold harmless PDL BioPharma, Inc. and each director, officer who signs this registration statement or controlling person of PDL BioPharma, Inc. from and against specific liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

II-1



PDL BioPharma, Inc. also has obtained directors and officers liability insurance that provides insurance coverage for certain liabilities which may be incurred by directors and officers of PDL BioPharma, Inc. in their capacity as such.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Schedules.

Exhibit Number
Description
1.1*
Form of Underwriting Agreement.
4.1
Restated Certificate of Incorporation effective March 23, 1993 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed March 31, 1993 (File No. 000-19756)).
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6#
4.7*
Form of Supplemental Indenture.
4.8*
Form of Deposit Agreement and Deposit Receipt.
4.9*
Form of Warrant Agreement (including form of warrant).
4.10*
Form of Unit Agreement.
4.11
4.12*
Specimen of Preferred Stock Certificate.
5.1#
23.1#
23.2
Consent of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1
Powers of Attorney (included on the signature pages of this registration statement).
25.1**
Statement of eligibility of trustee on Form T-1 for Debt Securities.
________________________
#    Filed herewith.
*    To be filed by amendment hereto or pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K to be incorporated herein by reference.
**
Pursuant to Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the trustee will be designated on a delayed basis and will separately file a Form T-1 under the electronic form type “305B2”.

Item 17. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i)
To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii)
To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

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(iii)
To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(A)
Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B)
Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i)
Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii)
Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii)
The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or their securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv)
Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of PDL BioPharma, Inc.’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities

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Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(i)
For purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time the Securities and Exchange Commission declared it effective.

(ii)
For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(d) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions described in Item 15, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(e) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Incline Village, State of Nevada, on May 31, 2019.

PDL BIOPHARMA, INC.

By:
/s/ Dominique Monnet
 
 
Dominique Monnet
 
 
President and Chief Executive Officer
 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Dominique Monnet, Christopher L. Stone and Nathan Kryszak, and each of them, as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full and several power of substitution and resubstitution and to act without the others, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this registration statement, including post-effective amendments and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto each such attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do so and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each such attorney-in-fact and agent, or their substitute or resubstitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.


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Signature
Title
Date
/s/ Dominique Monnet
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
 
Dominique Monnet
(Principal Executive Officer)
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Peter S. Garcia
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 
Peter S. Garcia
(Principal Financial Officer and Acting Principal Accounting Officer)
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ John P. McLaughlin
 
 
John P. McLaughlin

Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Elizabeth O’Farrell
 
 
Elizabeth O’Farrell

Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Dr. Samuel R. Saks
 
 
Dr. Samuel R. Saks
Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Paul W. Sandman
 
 
Paul W. Sandman
Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Harold E. Selick
 
 
Harold E. Selick
Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ Shlomo Yanai
 
 
Shlomo Yanai

Director
May 31, 2019
 
 
 
/s/ David W. Gryska
 
 
David W. Gryska
Director
May 31, 2019


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