AURORA, Ontario, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Helix BioPharma Corp. announced that its registration statement on Form 20-F has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
Accordingly, Helix's common shares are now registered with the SEC pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Registration of Helix's shares in the United States allows its shares to be solicited and traded by licensed brokers in the United States in compliance with SEC regulations and blue sky requirements in various states in the United States.
"We are excited for this registration which we believe provides us with a necessary foundation as we plan to move toward larger capital markets," said John Docherty, president of Helix BioPharma. "We are continuing to evaluate our options for our next step as we look to broaden our U.S. investor base and trading liquidity."
The Company's registration statement on Form 20-F is a full registration of the Company's common shares with the SEC as a foreign private issuer similar to a Form 10 filing for a domestic issuer in the United States. Helix's registration statement, as amended, has been filed with the SEC and Canadian Securities Administrators and is available online at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml and www.sedar.com, respectively.
As a result of the registration statement being declared effective, Helix will be obligated to file continuous disclosure documentation applicable to foreign private issuers with the SEC and will be obligated to prepare a reconciliation of its annual financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.
About Helix BioPharma Corp.
Helix BioPharma Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the field of cancer therapy. The Company is actively developing innovative products for the prevention and treatment of cancer based on its proprietary technologies. Helix's product development initiatives include its Topical Interferon Alpha-2b and its novel L-DOS47 new drug candidate. Helix is listed on the TSX under the symbol "HBP".
For further information contact:
The Toronto and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this News Release. This News Release contains certain forward-looking statements and information regarding the registration of Helix's common shares with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission and Helix's business, which statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe," "look," "next", "will," "future", "anticipation", "plan", "developing", or variations thereon, or comparable terminology referring to future events or results. Forward looking statements and information are statements and information about the future and are inherently uncertain. Helix's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements and information as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties including without limitation: uncertainty whether Helix's shares will be actively solicited and traded by licensed brokers in the U.S. or that Helix's liquidity and U.S. investor base will be expanded, which may not occur due to a number of factors including potential lack of demand for Helix's shares, the fact that Helix's shares will be "penny stock" and subject to certain restrictions, and the state of the financial and stock markets generally; uncertainty whether the Company's products under development, including Topical Interferon Alpha-2b and L-DOS47 will be successfully developed and commercialized as a drug or at all; the need for additional clinical trials, the occurrence and success of which cannot be assured; product liability and insurance risks; research and development risks; the risk of technical obsolescence; the need for further regulatory approvals, which may not be obtained in a timely matter or at all; intellectual property risks; marketing/manufacturing and partnership/strategic alliance risks; the effect of competition; uncertainty of the size and existence of a market opportunity for Helix's products; as well as a description of other risks and uncertainties affecting Helix and its business, as contained in news releases and filings with the securities regulatory authorities, including its latest Annual Information Form, at www.sedar.com and Form 20-F at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, any of which could cause actual results to vary materially from current results or Helix's anticipated future results. Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs, assumptions, opinions and expectations of Helix's management at the time they are made, and Helix does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required by law.
CONTACT: Ian Stone, Tel: +1-619-528-2220, Fax: +1-619-528-2297, or
ian.stone@russopartnersllc.com, Robert Flamm, Ph.D., +1-212-845-4226, or
robert.flamm@russopartnersllc.com, both of Russo Partners LLC for Helix
BioPharma Corp.