Believes Annual Meeting Outcome is Critical to
Future of the Company and that the Current Board is Best Positioned
to Continue Clinical Trial Momentum, Commercialize Ampligen and
Deliver Long-Term Value for Shareholders
In AIM’s View, the Activist Group’s Plan to
Reimburse Individuals More Than $5 Million for Failed Attempts to
Gain Control of the Board – Without Putting this to a Shareholder
Vote – Is Grossly Irresponsible and Not in the Best Interests of
All Shareholders
Reminds Shareholders that Both Leading
Independent Proxy Advisory Firms – ISS and Glass Lewis –
Recommended Against Giving the Dissident Nominees Control of the
AIM Board, Specifically Citing Their Lack of a Plan, Among Other
Issues
Highlights Activist Group Nominees Todd A.
Deutsch’s and Robert L. Chioini’s Checkered Pasts and Affiliations
with Securities Law Criminals – and that Mr. Chioini Was Fired as
CEO of Rockwell Medical for His “Sustained Mismanagement” and
“Blatant Disregard for Shareholder Concerns”1
Questions How Activist Group Nominee Paul
Sweeney Could Function as an Independent Director Given that Mr.
Kellner is Apparently the Biggest Investor in Mr. Sweeney’s Private
Equity Firm
AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM) (“AIM” or the
“Company”) today issued the following statement in connection with
the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual
Meeting”), presently scheduled for December 17, 2024:
With the Annual Meeting quickly approaching, it is critical that
shareholders vote on the WHITE
universal proxy card to re-elect all four current members of our
Board of Directors (the “Board”). As shareholders consider this
important decision, we ask that they keep the following in
mind:
We tried to settle with the activist
investors (the “Activist Group”) – and their response made crystal
clear that they will accept nothing less than control of AIM’s
Board and are focused on getting millions of dollars in
reimbursement
- The Activist Group rejected several settlement proposals and
persistently demanded upwards of $8 million in reimbursement of
certain litigation expenses from AIM for money its current and
former members spent on failed lawsuits against the Company. We
believe that agreeing to this would not be in the best interests of
all shareholders, especially because the Delaware Supreme Court
concluded that the Activist Group’s members are not entitled to
reimbursement of attorneys’ fees.2
- The Activist Group has made blatantly clear in their definitive
proxy statement that if its nominees are elected, they plan to
reimburse themselves for more than $5 million in litigation
expenses for a failed Board takeover attempt in 2023, in addition
to any costs incurred in connection with the attempt to take over
the Board at this year’s Annual Meeting – without giving
shareholders a direct say on this reimbursement.3
AIM’s clinical development strategy of
partnering with world-renowned institutions and large
pharmaceutical companies is saving shareholders
money
- The Activist Group has flip-flopped in its view of AIM’s use of
grant money and partnerships to fund expensive clinical trials.
- Earlier this week the Activist Group touted its purported
ability to get grant money and forge partnerships for clinical
trials4 and then, one day later, they criticized the Company for
using grant money to pay for trials and for conducting them with
partners.5
- AIM’s clinical pipeline has significant momentum and is laying
the groundwork for commercialization opportunities. We are seeing
exciting data across our research programs, including in two
ongoing studies with AstraZeneca and Merck.
- The fact that world-class organizations and government bodies
are willing to fund trials involving Ampligen is, in our view, an
important endorsement of Ampligen’s potential. We believe electing
the Activist Group’s nominees could potentially jeopardize these
important relationships, considering they have no real plan for AIM
and most of them lack biopharmaceutical industry experience.
- This method of conducting trials also allows the Company to
preserve cash and derisks the trials for shareholders.
- Contrary to what the Activist Group has implied, AIM has not
given up any intellectual property or the rights to develop
Ampligen by partnering with outside institutions on these
trials.
The Activist Group has repeatedly
attempted to mislead AIM shareholders by obfuscating its
interconnections and hiding its prior ties to convicted
felons
- Activist Group nominee Ted Kellner proclaims himself as the
“largest investor in almost every deal”6 put together by PS Capital
Partners, the private equity firm co-founded by fellow Activist
Group nominee Paul Sweeney. This fact is not disclosed in the
Activist Group’s definitive proxy statement,7 preventing the Board
and investors from making an informed decision about the Activist
Group’s nominees. How can Mr. Sweeney be trusted to serve on a
Board with Mr. Kellner and be truly independent of his largest
investor?
- The Delaware Court of Chancery found that the Activist Group
obscured the roles of its nominees in its 2023 nomination notice
and hid the campaign’s true backers8 – two white collar criminals –
in its 2022 nomination notice.
Both leading independent proxy advisory
firms have recommended against giving the Activist Group control of
AIM’s Board and criticized them for lacking a detailed
plan
- In their reports, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
(“ISS”) and Glass, Lewis & Co., LLC (“Glass Lewis”) both
determined that the Activist Group’s proposed plan for AIM is
insufficient while ISS also flagged concerns with the Activist
Group’s nominees:9
- ISS: “…the [Activist Group] plan
is limited, only one of its nominees has relevant life sciences
expertise, and half of its slate has apparent ties to individuals
with concerning backgrounds.”
- Glass Lewis: “…the [Activist
Group’s] presented plan lacks substantive detail. For instance, it
does not provide for a particular clinical strategy and relies on a
full review of Ampligen's indications to define such strategy,
lacks a clear view on the Company's management going forward, and
does not indicate the less dilutive and less expensive financing
options that may be available to the Company.”
- ISS and Glass Lewis both recommended a vote against Activist
Group nominees Todd Deutsch and Robert Chioini (with Glass Lewis
also recommending a vote against Paul Sweeney). Both organizations
highlighted Mr. Chioini’s poor track record:
- ISS: “Given Chioini's track record
at [Rockwell Medical] and his connections to [securities law
felons] Tudor and Xirinachs, he does not appear to be an
appropriate choice for the AIM [B]oard.”
- Glass Lewis: “We believe the board
raised valid concerns regarding Mr. Chioini’s record at Rockwell
Medical, including failing to execute the go-to-market strategy for
its product. As discussed in our proxy paper for Rockwell Medical’s
meeting held on June 01, 2017 (i.e., approximately one year prior
to Mr. Chioini's termination), the entity under his leadership has
failed to deliver on promises of a strong sales stream, despite the
multi-year presence of two marketable products, and was
underperforming relative to its peers in terms of TSRs.”
AIM’s directors have the right
backgrounds and experience needed to oversee the Company’s
strategy
- The Board is composed of proven leaders with expertise in a
variety of areas critical to the success of AIM – including drug
development and commercialization, scientific and medical,
financial management and regulatory experience.
- AIM’s nominees are well-positioned to continue overseeing AIM’s
clinical execution, help patients with unmet lethal medical needs
and realize long-term value for shareholders.
AIM encourages shareholders to vote “FOR” ALL four of the
Board’s incumbent candidates – Stewart L. Appelrouth,
Nancy K. Bryan, Thomas K. Equels and Dr. William
M. Mitchell – in connection with the Annual Meeting, on the
WHITE universal proxy card.
For more information on how to vote, visit:
www.SafeguardAIM.com.
***
About AIM ImmunoTech Inc.
AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the
research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of
cancers, immune disorders and viral diseases, including COVID-19.
The Company’s lead product is a first-in-class investigational drug
called Ampligen® (rintatolimod), a dsRNA and highly selective TLR3
agonist immuno-modulator with broad spectrum activity in clinical
trials for globally important cancers, viral diseases and disorders
of the immune system.
For more information, please visit aimimmuno.com and connect
with the Company on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
(the “PSLRA”). Words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,”
“anticipate,” “continue,” “believe,” “potential,” “upcoming” and
other variations thereon and similar expressions (as well as other
words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances)
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these
forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Data, pre-clinical success and clinical success seen
to date does not guarantee that Ampligen will be approved as a
treatment or therapy for any diseases or conditions. The Company
urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors
identified in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any
risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Current Report on Form 8-K, filed
with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
of this press release. Among other things, for those statements,
the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for
forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. The Company does
not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date
hereof.
Important Additional Information
The Company, its directors and executive officers, Peter W.
Rodino, III and Robert Dickey, IV, are deemed to be “participants”
(as defined in Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended) in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s
stockholders in connection with the Annual Meeting. The Company
filed its definitive proxy statement (the “Definitive Proxy
Statement”) and a WHITE universal proxy card with the SEC on
November 4, 2024 in connection with such solicitation of proxies
from the Company’s stockholders. STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE
STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ SUCH DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT,
ACCOMPANYING WHITE UNIVERSAL PROXY CARD AND ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS
FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY AS THEY CONTAIN
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING. The Definitive
Proxy Statement contains information regarding the identity of the
participants, and their direct and indirect interests, by security
holdings or otherwise, in the Company’s securities and can be found
in the section titled “Principal Stockholders” of the Definitive
Proxy Statement and available here. Information regarding
subsequent changes to their holdings of the Company’s securities
can be found in the SEC filings on Forms 3, 4, and 5, which are
available on the Company’s website available here or through the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Stockholders will be able to obtain
the Definitive Proxy Statement, any amendments or supplements
thereto and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC at no
charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be
available at no charge at the Company’s website at
https://aimimmuno.com/sec-filings/.
_________________________ 1 See Former pharma executives sue
over firings, Modern Healthcare (June 18, 2018), available at:
https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180618/NEWS/180619912/former-pharma-executives-sue-over-firings.
2 See July 29, 2024, Order on Motion for Reargument of the Delaware
Supreme Court. 3 See Definitive Proxy Statement filed by the
Activist Group with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “SEC”) on November 6, 2024. 4 See Ampligen Co-Inventor and
Former CEO Agrees to Join AIM Scientific Advisory Board if Kellner
Group Nominees Are Elected, Globe Newswire (December 10, 2024),
available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/10/2994413/0/en/Ampligen-Co-Inventor-and-Former-CEO-Agrees-to-Join-AIM-Scientific-Advisory-Board-if-Kellner-Group-Nominees-Are-Elected.html.
5 See AIM’s Clinical Strategy Under Incumbent Board Has Totally
Failed, Globe Newswire (December 11, 2024), available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/12/11/2995304/0/en/AIM-s-Clinical-Strategy-Under-Incumbent-Board-Has-Totally-Failed.html.
6 See PS Capital Partners’ Testimonials Page available at:
https://pscapitalpartners.com/testimonials/. 7 See Definitive Proxy
Statement filed by the Activist Group with the SEC on November 6,
2024. 8 December 28, 2023, Opinion of the Delaware Court of
Chancery:
https://courts.delaware.gov/Opinions/Download.aspx?id=357400
(emphasis added). 9 Permission to quote ISS and Glass Lewis was
neither sought nor obtained (emphasis added).
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212763129/en/
Investor Contact: JTC Team, LLC Jenene Thomas
908-824-0775 AIM@jtcir.com
Media Contact: Longacre Square Partners Joe Germani /
Miller Winston AIM@longacresquare.com
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