Form S-8 to Register 1999 Plan
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
S-8
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Chembio
Diagnostics, Inc.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Nevada
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|
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88-0425691
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(State
or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation
or Organization)
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|
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(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
Number)
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3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
New York 11763
(631)
924-1135
(Address,
Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s
Principal Executive Offices)
1999
Equity Incentive Plan
(Full
Name of Plan)
Lawrence A.
Siebert
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
New York 11763
(631)
924-1135
(Name,
Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of
Agent
for Service)
Copy
to:
Alan
Talesnick, Esq.
James
J. Muchmore, Esq.
Patton
Boggs LLP
1660
Lincoln Street, Suite 1900
Denver,
Colorado 80264
(303)
830-1776
CALCULATION
OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title
of Securities to be Registered
|
Amount
to be Registered (1)
|
Proposed
Maximum Offering Price per Share (2)
|
Proposed
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (2)
|
Amount
of Registration Fee (2)
|
Common
Stock, par value $.01 per share (3)
|
1,515,750
|
$0.68
|
$1,030,710
|
$
31.64
|
Common
Stock, par value $.01 per share (4)
|
165,000
|
$0.68
|
$112,200
|
$
3.45
|
Common
Stock, par value $.01 per share (5)
|
1,319,250
|
$0.68
|
$897,090
|
$
27.54
|
Total
(6):
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3,000,000
|
$0.68
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$2,040,000
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$
62.63
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(1) Pursuant
to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this
Registration Statement shall also cover additional shares of Common
Stock
that may become issuable by reason of any stock split, stock dividend,
recapitalization or other similar transactions effected without
consideration that results in an increase in the number of the
Registrant’s shares of outstanding Common Stock. In addition, this
Registration Statement covers the resale by certain Selling Stockholders
named in the Prospectus included in and filed with this Form S-8 of
certain of the shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock subject to this
Registration Statement, for which no additional registration fee
is
required pursuant to Rule 457(h)(3).
(2) Solely
for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, the offering
price
per share and the aggregate offering price have been calculated pursuant
to Rules 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
computed on the basis of the market value of the shares of Common
Stock on
March 16, 2007 estimated in accordance with Rule 457(c).
(3) Represents
shares underlying outstanding options granted under the 1999 Equity
Incentive Plan.
(4) Represents
restricted shares previously issued upon exercise of options granted
under
the 1999 Equity Incentive Plan.
(5) Represents
shares available for future grants under the 1999 Equity Incentive
Plan.
(6) Represents
total restricted shares previously issued upon excercise of options,
shares underlying options granted, and shares available for grant,
of
3,000,000 under the 1999 Equity Incentive
Plan.
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EXPLANATORY
NOTE
This
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) registers
shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Chembio Diagnostics,
Inc.
(the “Company”), consisting of (i) shares previously issued upon the exercise of
options granted under the Company’s 1999 Equity Incentive Plan (the “1999
Plan”); (ii) shares that will be issued, upon the exercise of options granted
under the 1999 Plan; and (iii) shares available to be issued under the 1999
Plan.
This
Registration Statement contains two parts. First, the materials that follow
Part
I of this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) up
to Part II of this Registration Statement constitute the reoffer prospectus,
prepared in accordance with Part I of Form S-3, in accordance with General
Instruction C of Form S-8 (the “Prospectus”). The Prospectus permits reoffers
and resales of those shares referred to above that constitute “restricted
securities” or “control securities”, within the meaning of Form S-8, by certain
of the Company’s stockholders, as more fully set forth therein. The second part
contains information required to be set forth in the registration statement
pursuant to Part II of Form S-8.
PART
I
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS
The
documents containing the information required by Part I of this Registration
Statement will be sent or given to our employees, officers and directors, as
specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
"Securities Act"). Those documents do not need to be filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration
Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424
under the Securities Act. These documents and the documents incorporated by
reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this
Registration Statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets
the
requirement of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act. The Company will provide
without charge to any person, upon written or oral request of such person,
a
copy of each document incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II of this
Registration Statement (which documents are incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus as set forth in Form S-8), other than exhibits to such documents
that
are not specifically incorporated by reference, the other documents required
to
be delivered to eligible employees pursuant to Rule 428(b) under the Securities
Act and additional information about the 1999 Plan. Requests should be directed
to the Company’s Secretary at 3661 Horseblock Road, Medford, New York
11763.
REOFFER
PROSPECTUS
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
1,680,750
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
Acquired
or to be Acquired by the Selling Stockholders Under
1999
Equity Incentive Plan
This
reoffer prospectus (this “Prospectus”) relates to an aggregate of up to
1,680,750 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the
“Common Stock”), of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the
“Company”), consisting of 165,000 outstanding restricted shares and 1,515,750
shares issuable upon exercise of currently outstanding options, which may be
offered and sold from time to time by certain stockholders of the Company (the
“Selling Stockholders”) who have acquired or will acquire such Shares pursuant
to the Company’s 1999 Equity Incentive Plan (the “1999 Plan”). See “Selling
Stockholders”.
This
Prospectus covers the offering for resale of (i) shares acquired by the Selling
Stockholders prior to the filing of the Registration Statement on Form S-8
of which this Prospectus is a part; (ii) shares to be acquired by the Selling
Stockholders upon an exercise of currently outstanding options ((i) and (ii)
collectively referred to as the “Restricted Shares”); and (iii) shares to
be acquired by Selling Stockholders who may be deemed affiliates of the Company
after the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 pursuant to options
currently held by those Selling Stockholders (“Control Shares”).
Shares
acquired pursuant to the 1999 Plan prior to the effective date of a registration
statement covering securities issued under the 1999 Plan are “restricted
securities” pursuant to Rule 144, whether or not held by affiliates of the
Company. This Prospectus has been prepared for the purpose of registering the
shares under the Securities Act to allow for future sales by the Selling
Stockholders, on a continuous or delayed basis, to the public without
restriction. The Selling Stockholders may offer for their own account these
Shares for resale from time to time.
The
Selling Stockholders may sell the Shares covered by this Prospectus through
various means, including directly or indirectly to purchasers, in one or more
transactions on any stock market on which the Shares are traded at the time
of
sale, in privately negotiated transactions, or through a combination of these
methods. Each Selling Stockholder that sells any Shares pursuant to this
Prospectus may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Any commissions
received by a broker or dealer in connection with resales of shares may be
deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act.
For
additional information on the Selling Stockholders’ possible methods of sale,
you should refer to the section in this Prospectus entitled “Plan of
Distribution.”
We
will
not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Shares being offered by the
Selling Stockholders. We will pay all of the expenses associated with this
Prospectus. Brokerage commissions and similar selling expenses, if any,
attributable to the offer or sale of the Shares will be borne by the Selling
Stockholder.
Our
Common Stock is quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “CEMI.” On
March 16, 2007, the closing bid price of our Common Stock on such market
was $0.68 per share.
This
investment involves a high degree of risk. Please
see “Risk Factors” beginning on page 3 of this
Prospectus.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission
has
approved or disapproved of these securities or determined whether this
Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
The
date
of this Prospectus is March 23, 2007.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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1
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2
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3
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11
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12
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13
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15
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15
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15
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16
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You
should only rely on the information incorporated by reference or provided in
this Prospectus or any supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide
you with different information. The Common Stock is not being offered in any
state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the
information in this Prospectus or any supplement is accurate as of any date
other than the date on the front of this Prospectus.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The
Company is subject to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and, in accordance therewith,
files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The reports, proxy statements and other
information filed by the Company with the Commission can be inspected and copied
at the Public Reference Room of the Commission at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material also may be obtained by mail
from the Public Reference Room of the Commission, 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. Information regarding the operation
of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the Commission at
1-800-SEC-0330. Additionally, the Commission maintains an Internet site that
contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information
regarding registrants that file electronically with the Commission and that
is
located at http://www.sec.gov.
This
Prospectus constitutes part of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed on
the
date hereof (herein, together with all amendments and exhibits, referred to
as
the “Registration Statement”) by the Company with the Commission under the
Securities Act. This Prospectus does not contain all of the information set
forth in the Registration Statement, certain parts of which are omitted in
accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commission. For further
information with respect to the Company and the Common Stock, reference is
hereby made to the Registration Statement. Statements contained herein
concerning the provisions of any contract, agreement or other document are
not
necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of
such
contract, agreement or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement or otherwise filed with the Commission. Each such statement is
qualified in its entirety by such reference. Copies of the Registration
Statement together with exhibits may be inspected at the offices of the
Commission as indicated above without charge and copies thereof may be obtained
therefrom upon payment of a prescribed fee.
SPECIAL
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
Prospectus
contains forward-looking statements that may be affected by matters outside
our
control that could cause materially different results.
Some
of
the information in this Prospectus contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. These statements
express, or are based on, our expectations about future events. Forward-looking
statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events.
Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology, such as, “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,”
“project,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” or “continue” or the negative
thereof or similar terminology. They include statements regarding
our:
· |
amount,
nature and timing of capital
expenditures;
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· |
operating
costs and other expenses; and
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· |
cash
flow and anticipated liquidity.
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Although
we believe the expectations and forecasts reflected in these and other
forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will
prove to have been correct. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions
or by
known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from expected results are described under “Risk
Factors” and include:
· |
general
economic conditions;
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· |
currency
exchange volatility;
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· |
the
risks associated with acquiring and integrating new
businesses;
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· |
our
ability to generate sufficient cash flows to
operate;
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· |
availability
of capital;
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· |
the
strength and financial resources of our
competitors;
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· |
regulatory
risks and developments;
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· |
our
ability to find and retain skilled personnel;
and
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· |
the
lack of liquidity of our Common
Stock.
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Any
of
the factors listed above and other factors contained in this Prospectus could
cause our actual results to differ materially from the results implied by these
or any other forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf. We cannot
assure you that our future results will meet our expectations.
When
you
consider these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind these risk
factors and the other cautionary statements in this Prospectus. Our
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made.
The
following summary is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information
and the financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in, or
incorporated by reference into, this Prospectus. Consequently, this summary
does
not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing
in
our Common Stock. You should carefully read the entire Prospectus, including
the
“Risk Factors” section, and the documents and information incorporated by
reference into this Prospectus before making an investment
decision.
This
Prospectus relates to 1,644,750 shares of our Common Stock, consisting of
165,000 outstanding restricted shares and 1,479,750 shares issuable upon
exercise of currently outstanding options, which may be offered for sale from
time to time by the Selling Stockholders identified in this Prospectus. We
anticipate that the Selling Stockholders will offer the Shares for sale at
prevailing market prices on the OTC Bulletin Board on the date of such sale.
We
will not receive any proceeds from these sales. We are paying the expenses
incurred in registering the Shares, but all selling and other expenses incurred
by each of the Selling Stockholders will be borne by such Selling
Stockholder.
Chembio
Diagnostics
Our
Corporate Information
Chembio
Diagnostic Systems Inc. was formed in 1985. Since inception we have been
involved in developing, manufacturing, selling and distributing medical
diagnostic tests, including rapid tests that detect a number of infectious
diseases and for pregnancy. On May 5, 2004, Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc.
completed a merger through which it became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chembio
Diagnostics, Inc., formerly known as Trading Solutions.com, Inc. (“Chembio” or
the “Company”). As a result of this transaction, the management and business of
Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. became the management and business of the
Company.
Our
Business
We
are a
developer, manufacturer and marketer of rapid diagnostic tests that detect
infectious diseases. Our main products presently commercially available are
three rapid tests for the detection of HIV antibodies in whole blood, serum
and
plasma samples, two of which were approved by the FDA last year. These products
employ single path lateral flow technology which we have licensed from Inverness
Medical Innovations, Inc. (“Inverness”), who is also our exclusive marketing
partner for those two products in the United States under its Clearview®
brand. Inverness launched its marketing of these products in the United States
in February, 2007. Chembio’s two HIV STAT-PAK® rapid HIV tests are marketed
outside the United States through different partners and channels under license
from Inverness. We also have a rapid test for Chagas disease (a parasitic
disease endemic in Latin America) as well as a line of rapid tests for
tuberculosis, including tests for tuberculosis in animals for which USDA
approval is pending.
On
March 13, 2007, we were issued United States patent no. 7,189,522 for
its Dual Path Platform (“DPP™”) rapid test system. We believe that as a result
of the patent protection we now have with DPP™, we have a significant
opportunity to develop and license many new rapid tests in a number of fields
including but not limited to infectious diseases. We have already completed
initial development on some products in this new platform. We believe the DPP™
provides significant advantages over standard single path lateral flow assays,
and we are developing most of our new products using this platform.
Our
products are sold to medical laboratories and hospitals, governmental and public
health entities, non-governmental organizations, medical professionals and
retail establishments. Our products are sold either under our STAT-PAK® or
SURE CHECK® registered trademarks and/or the private labels of our marketing
partners, such as the Inverness Clearview® label.
We
have a
history of losses, and we continue to incur operating and net losses. We have
non-exclusive licenses to lateral flow patents held by Inverness and Abbott
Laboratories, Inc., and to reagents including those that are used in our HIV
rapid tests. These licenses do not necessarily insulate us from patent
challenges by other patent holders. We have filed applications for two lateral
flow patents that incorporate features that we believe may further protect
us
from patent challenges.
Our
main
products are as follows:
· |
HIV
Rapid Tests: HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK® Cassette, HIV 1/2 SURE CHECK® and HIV 1/2
STAT-PAK® Dipstick;
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· |
Chagas
Rapid Test: Chagas STAT-PAK; and
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· |
Tuberculosis
(TB): Prima TB STAT-PAK and Veterinary
products.
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We
also
are in the process of developing rapid tests employing our patented DPP™
technology including, but not limited to, an oral fluid rapid HIV test and
a
human tuberculosis test.
We
manufacture all of the products we sell. All of these products, as well as
those
that are under development, employ various formats of lateral flow technology.
Lateral flow, whether single or dual path, generally refers to the process
of a
sample flowing from the point of application on a test strip to provide a test
result on a portion of a strip downstream from either the point of application
of the sample or of another reagent. We believe we have expertise and
proprietary know-how in the field of lateral flow technology.
Our
principal executive offices are located at 3661 Horseblock Road, Medford, New
York 11763. Our telephone number is (631) 924-1135. Our website address is
www.chembio.com.
You
should carefully consider each of the following risk factors and all of the
other information provided in this Prospectus before purchasing our Common
Stock. The risks described below are those we currently believe may materially
affect us. An investment in our Common Stock involves a high degree of risk,
and
should be considered only by persons who can afford the loss of their entire
investment.
Risks
related to our industry, business and strategy
Because
we may not be able to obtain necessary regulatory approvals for some of our
products, we may not generate revenues in the amounts we expect, or in the
amounts necessary to continue our business.
All
of
our proposed and existing products are subject to regulation in the U.S. by
the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and/or
other domestic and international governmental, public health agencies,
regulatory bodies or non-governmental organizations. In particular, we are
subject to strict governmental controls on the development, manufacture,
labeling, distribution and marketing of our products. The process of obtaining
required approvals or clearances varies according to the nature of, and uses
for, a specific product. These processes can involve lengthy and detailed
laboratory testing, human or animal clinical trials, sampling activities, and
other costly, time-consuming procedures. The submission of an application to
a
regulatory authority does not guarantee that the authority will grant an
approval or clearance for product. Each authority may impose its own
requirements and can delay or refuse to grant approval or clearance, even though
a product has been approved in another country.
The
time
taken to obtain approval or clearance varies depending on the nature of the
application and may result in the passage of a significant period of time from
the date of submission of the application. Delays in the approval or clearance
processes increase the risk that we will not succeed in introducing or selling
the subject products, and we may determine to devote our resources to different
products.
Changes
in government regulations could increase our costs and could require us to
undergo additional trials or procedures, or could make it impractical or
impossible for us to market our products for certain uses, in certain markets,
or at all.
Changes
in government regulations may adversely affect our financial condition and
results of operations because we may have to incur additional expenses if we
are
required to change or implement new testing, manufacturing and control
procedures. If we are required to devote resources to develop such new
procedures, we may not have sufficient resources to devote to research and
development, marketing, or other activities that are critical to our business.
For
example, the European Union and other jurisdictions have recently established
a
requirement that diagnostic medical devices used to test human biological
specimens must receive regulatory approval known as a CE mark, or be registered
under the ISO 13.485 medical device directive. The letters “CE” are the
abbreviation of the French phrase “Conforme Européene,” which means “European
conformity.” ISO (“International Organization for Standardization”) is the
world’s largest developer of standards with 148 member countries. As such,
export to the European and other jurisdictions without the CE or ISO 13.485
mark
is not possible. Although we are not currently selling products to countries
requiring CE marking, we expect that we will do so in the near future in order
to grow our business. We are in the process of implementing quality and
documentary procedures in order to obtain CE and ISO 13.485 registration, and
we
are not aware of any material reason why such approvals will not be granted.
However, if for any reason CE or ISO 13.485 registration is not granted, our
ability to export our products could be adversely impacted.
We
can
manufacture and sell our products only if we comply with regulations of
government agencies such as the FDA and USDA. We have implemented a quality
system that is intended to comply with applicable regulations. Although FDA
approval is not required for the export of our products, there are export
regulations promulgated by the FDA that specifically relate to the export of
our
products. Although we believe that we meet the regulatory standards required
for
the export of our products, these regulations could change in a manner that
could adversely impact our ability to export our products.
Our
products may not be able to compete with new diagnostic products or existing
products developed by well-established competitors, which would negatively
affect our business.
The
diagnostic industry is focused on the testing of biological specimens in a
laboratory or at the point-of-care and is highly competitive and rapidly
changing. Our principal competitors often have considerably greater financial,
technical and marketing resources than we do. Several companies produce
diagnostic tests that compete directly with our testing product line, including
but not limited to, Orasure Technologies, Inverness Medical and Trinity Biotech.
As new products enter the market, our products may become obsolete or a
competitor’s products may be more effective or more effectively marketed and
sold than ours. Although we have no specific knowledge of any competitor’s
product that will render our products obsolete, if we fail to maintain and
enhance our competitive position or fail to introduce new products and product
features, our customers may decide to use products developed by competitors,
which could result in a loss of revenues and cash flow.
We
are
developing an oral fluid rapid HIV test as well as other applications utilizing
our DPP™ technology, which we believe could enhance our competitive position in
HIV rapid testing and other fields. However, we have not completed development
of any DPP™ product, and we still have technical, manufacturing, regulatory and
marketing challenges to meet before we will know whether we can successful
commercialize products incorporating this technology. There can be no assurance
that we will overcome these challenges.
We
have
granted Inverness exclusive rights to market our SURE CHECK® HIV 1/2 globally
and our HIV 1/2 STAT PAK® in the U.S. Inverness has no rapid HIV tests that are
approved for marketing in the U.S., we are not aware of any rapid HIV products
that Inverness is even contemplating for the U.S., and Inverness is obligated
to
inform us of any such products as soon as it is able to do so. Inverness does
have rapid HIV tests manufactured by certain of its subsidiaries outside the
U.S. that are being actively marketed outside the U.S., primarily in developing
countries. Our HIV 1/2 STAT PAK cassette and dipstick products compete against
these Inverness Products, and we specifically acknowledge in our agreements
with
Inverness the existence of such other products. Moreover, except for a product
in the HIV barrel field as defined in our agreement with Inverness, Inverness
is
permitted under our agreements to market certain types of permitted competing
rapid HIV tests in the U.S. Under these conditions, we could choose to terminate
the applicable agreement with Inverness or change the agreement to a
non-exclusive agreement, and Inverness would expand the lateral flow license
granted to the Company to allow the Company to market the product independently
or through other marketing partners. While we believe that Inverness is
committed to successfully marketing our products particularly in the U.S. and
other developed countries where our products are or become approved for
marketing, Inverness may choose to develop or acquire competing products for
marketing in the U.S. as well as other markets where they are marketing our
SURE
CHECK HIV 1/2 product, and such an action could have at least a temporary
material adverse effect on the marketing of these products until such time
as
alternative marketing arrangements could be implemented. While we also believe
that the expansion of our license to the Inverness lateral flow patents
substantially facilitates our ability to make alternative marketing
arrangements, there can be no assurance that the modification of marketing
arrangements and the possible corresponding delays or suspension of sales would
not have a material adverse effect on our business.
In
addition, the point-of-care diagnostics industry is undergoing rapid
technological changes, with frequent introductions of new technology-driven
products and services. As new technologies become introduced into the
point-of-care diagnostic testing market, we may be required to commit
considerable additional efforts, time and resources to enhance our current
product portfolio or develop new products. We may not have the available time
and resources to accomplish this and many of our competitors have substantially
greater financial and other resources to invest in technological improvements.
We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products
and
services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our
customers, which would materially harm our operating results.
We
own no
issued patents covering single path lateral flow technology, and the field
of
lateral flow technology is complex and characterized by a substantial amount
of
litigation, so the risk of potential patent challenges is ongoing for us in
spite of our pending patent applications.
Although
we have been granted non-exclusive licenses to lateral flow patents owned by
Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. and Abbott Laboratories, Inc., there is
no
assurance that their lateral flow patents will not be challenged or that
licenses from other parties may not be required, if available at all. In the
event that it is determined that a license is required and it is not possible
to
negotiate a license agreement under a necessary patent, we may be able to modify
our HIV rapid test products and other products such that a license would not
be
necessary. However, this alternative could delay or limit our ability to sell
these products in the U.S. and other markets, which would adversely affect
our
results of operations, cash flows and business.
During
2005 and 2006, we made substantial additions to our intellectual property
portfolio as a result of the development of a new rapid test platform, Dual
Path
Platform (DPP™). This platform has shown improved sensitivity as compared with
conventional platforms in a number of preliminary studies using well
characterized HIV, Tuberculosis and other samples. This technology formed the
basis of two patent applications that we filed, and may result in additional
applications covering additional uses of this technology platform. On
March 13, 2007, one of these patent applications was approved by the United
States Patent & Trademark Office, which issued United States patent
no. 7,189,522 for our DPP™ rapid test system. Also, we believe that this
new lateral flow platform is outside of the scope of currently issued patents
in
the field of lateral flow technology, thereby offering the possibility of a
greater freedom to operate. There is no assurance that our patents or our
products incorporating the patent claims will not be challenged at some time
in
the future.
New
developments in health treatments or new non-diagnostic products may reduce
or
eliminate the demand for our products.
The
development and commercialization of products outside of the diagnostics
industry could adversely affect sales of our product. For example, the
development of a safe and effective vaccine to HIV or treatments for other
diseases or conditions that our products are designed to detect, could reduce,
or eventually eliminate, the demand for our HIV or other diagnostic products
and
result in a loss of revenues.
We
may not have sufficient resources to effectively introduce and market our
products, which could materially harm our operating results.
Introducing
and achieving market acceptance for our rapid HIV tests and other new products
will require substantial marketing efforts and will require us or our contract
partners to make significant expenditures. In the U.S. and other developed
world
markets where we will begin to market our FDA-approved products through
Inverness and through other partners, we have no history upon which to base
market or customer acceptance of these products. In some instances we will
be
totally reliant on the marketing efforts and expenditures of our contract
partners. If they do not have or commit the expertise and resources to
effectively market the products that we manufacture, our operating results
will
be materially harmed.
The
success of our business depends on our ability to raise additional capital
through the sale of debt or equity or through borrowing, and we may not be
able
to raise capital or borrow funds in amounts necessary to continue our business,
or at all.
Although
our revenues and gross margins increased significantly in recent
periods, we sustained significant operating losses in the first nine months
of 2006 and the years 2005 and 2004. At September 30, 2006, we had a
stockholders’ deficiency of $898,030, and a working capital surplus of
$1,836,636. Including the funds received from the Series C 7% Convertible
Preferred Stock offering, we believe our resources are sufficient to
fund our needs through the end of 2007. Our liquidity and cash requirements
will depend on several factors. These factors include: (1) the level of revenue
growth; (2) the extent to which, if any, that revenue growth improves operating
cash flows; (3) our investments in research and development, facilities,
marketing, regulatory approvals and other investments it may determine to make;
and (4) the investment in capital equipment and the extent to which it improves
cash flow through operating efficiencies. If our resources are not sufficient
to
fund our needs through 2007, there are no assurances that we will be
successful in raising sufficient capital.
On
March 30, 2006, we sold $1 million of additional Series B Preferred stock
to a Series B Preferred shareholder pursuant to provisions of the
January 2005 Series B 9% Preferred Stock financing agreements. Such
provisions were exclusive to said shareholder.
On
June 29, 2006, we borrowed $1,300,000. The loan was repaid in part on
September 27, 2006 and the balance converted on October 5, 2006 and is
secured by a lien on our assets.
On
September 29, 2006 and October 5, 2006, we completed the Series C
Offering for $8,150,000. Some of the proceeds were used to repay the loan
borrowed on June 29, 2006. This Series C offering will be enough to supply
our cash needs through the end of 2007.
Our
objective of increasing international sales is critical to our business plan
and
if we fail to meet this objective, we may not generate revenues in the amounts
we expect, or in amounts necessary to continue our
business.
We
intend
to attempt to increase international sales of our products. A number of factors
can slow or prevent international sales, or substantially increase the cost
of
international sales, including:
· |
regulatory
requirements and customs
regulations;
|
· |
cultural
and political differences;
|
· |
foreign
exchange rates, currency fluctuations and
tariffs;
|
· |
dependence
on and difficulties in managing international distributors or
representatives;
|
· |
the
creditworthiness of foreign
entities;
|
· |
difficulties
in foreign accounts receivable collection;
and
|
· |
economic
conditions and the absence of available funding
sources.
|
If
we are
unable to increase our revenues from international sales, our operating results
will be materially harmed.
We
rely on trade secret laws and agreements with our key employees and other third
parties to protect our proprietary rights, and we cannot be sure that these
laws
or agreements adequately protect our rights.
We
believe that factors such as the technological and creative skills of our
personnel, strategic relationships, new product developments, frequent product
enhancements and name recognition are essential to our success. All our
management personnel are bound by non-disclosure agreements. If personnel leave
our employment, in some cases we would be required to protect our intellectual
property rights pursuant to common law theories which may be less protective
than provisions of employment, non-competition or non-disclosure
agreements.
We
seek
to protect our proprietary products under trade secret and copyright laws,
enter
into license agreements for various materials and methods employed in our
products, and enter into strategic relationships for distribution of the
products. These strategies afford only limited protection. We currently have
no
or foreign patents, although we have several license agreements for reagents.
Our Sure Check™ trademark has been registered in the U.S.
Despite
our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt
to copy aspects of our products or to obtain information that we regard as
proprietary. We may be required to expend substantial resources in asserting
or
protecting our intellectual property rights, or in defending suits related
to
intellectual property rights. Disputes regarding intellectual property rights
could substantially delay product development or commercialization activities
because some of our available funds would be diverted away from our business
activities. Disputes regarding intellectual property rights might include state,
federal or foreign court litigation as well as patent interference, patent
reexamination, patent reissue, or trademark opposition proceedings in the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office.
To
facilitate development and commercialization of a proprietary technology base,
we may need to obtain additional licenses to patents or other proprietary rights
from other parties. Obtaining and maintaining these licenses, which may not
be
available, may require the payment of up-front fees and royalties. In addition,
if we are unable to obtain these types of licenses, our product development
and
commercialization efforts may be delayed or precluded.
In
order
to sell our rapid HIV tests and generate expected revenue from these tests,
we
will need to arrange for a license to patents for detection of the HIV-2 virus,
and we may not be able to do so.
Although
the current licensor of the peptides used in our HIV tests claims an HIV-2
patent, other companies have also claimed such patents. Even though HIV-2 is
a
type of the HIV virus estimated to represent only a small fraction of the known
HIV cases worldwide, it is still considered to be an important component in
the
testing regimen for HIV in many markets. HIV-2 patents often are found in most
of the countries of North America and Western Europe, as well as in Japan,
Korea, South Africa and Australia. Access to a license for one or more HIV-2
patents may be necessary to sell HIV-2 tests in countries where such patents
are
in force, or to manufacture in countries where such patents are in force and
then sell into non-patent markets. Since HIV-2 patents are in force in the
U.S.,
we may be restricted from manufacturing a rapid HIV-2 test in the U.S. and
selling into other countries, even if there were no HIV-2 patents in those
other
countries. The license agreement that we have in effect for the use and sale
of
the Adaltis HIV 1 and 2 peptides that are used in our HIV rapid test does not
necessarily insulate us from claims by other parties that we need to obtain
a
license to other HIV-1 and/or HIV-2 patents. Although we have discussed
additional HIV-2 licenses that would be advantageous for some markets, if we
are
unable to complete these discussions successfully our business and operating
results could be materially harmed.
Our
continued growth depends on retaining our current key employees and attracting
additional qualified personnel, and we may not be able to do
so.
Our
success will depend to a large extent upon the skills and experience of our
executive officers, management and sales, marketing, operations and scientific
staff. Although we have not experienced unusual retention and/or recruitment
problems to date, we may not be able to attract or retain qualified employees
in
the future due to the intense competition for qualified personnel among medical
products businesses.
If
we are
not able to attract and retain the necessary personnel to accomplish our
business objectives, we may experience constraints that will adversely affect
our ability to effectively manufacture, sell and market our products, to meet
the demands of our strategic partners in a timely fashion, or to support
internal research and development programs. Although we believe we will be
successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel, competition for
experienced scientists and other personnel from numerous companies and academic
and other research institutions may limit our ability to do so on acceptable
terms.
We
have
entered into employment contracts with our President, Lawrence Siebert, and
our
Vice President of Research and Development, Javan Esfandiari. Due to the
specific knowledge and experience of these executives regarding the industry,
technology and market, the loss of the services of either one of them would
likely have a material adverse effect on the Company. The contract with Mr.
Siebert has a term of two years ending May 2008, and the contract with Mr.
Esfandiari has a term of three years ending May 2007. We have obtained a
key man insurance policy for Mr. Esfandiari.
We
believe our success depends on our ability to participate in large government
programs in the U.S. and worldwide and we may not be able to do
so.
We
believe it to be in our best interests to meaningfully participate in the
Presidential Emergency Plan for Aids Relief Program, UN Global Fund initiatives
and other programs funded by large donors. We have initiated several strategies
to participate in these programs. Participation in these programs requires
alignment with the many other participants in these programs including the
World
Health Organization, U.S. Center for Disease Control, U.S. Agency for
International Development, non-governmental organizations, and HIV service
organizations. If we are unsuccessful in our efforts to participate in these
programs, our operating results could be materially harmed.
We
have a history of incurring net losses and we cannot be certain that we will
be
able to achieve profitability.
Since
the
inception of Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc. in 1985 and through the period
ended December 31,
2005, we have incurred net losses. As of December 31, 2005, we have an
accumulated deficit of $(18,868,428). We incurred net losses of $(3,252,000)
and
$(3,098,891) in 2005 and 2004, respectively.
We
expect
to continue to make substantial expenditures for sales and marketing, regulatory
submissions, product development and other purposes. Our ability to achieve
profitability in the future will primarily depend on our ability to increase
sales of our products, reduce production and other costs and successfully
introduce new products and enhanced versions of our existing products into
the
marketplace. If we are unable to increase our revenues at a rate that is
sufficient to achieve profitability, our operating results would be materially
harmed.
To
the extent that we are unable to obtain sufficient product liability insurance
or that we incur product liability exposure that is not covered by our product
liability insurance, our operating results could be materially
harmed.
We
may be
held liable if any of our products, or any product which is made with the use
or
incorporation of any of the technologies belonging to us, causes injury of
any
type or is found otherwise unsuitable during product testing, manufacturing,
marketing, sale or usage. Although we have obtained product liability insurance,
this insurance may not fully cover our potential liabilities. In addition,
as we
attempt to bring new products to market, we may need to increase our product
liability coverage which would be a significant additional expense that we
may
not be able to afford. If we are unable to obtain sufficient insurance coverage
at an acceptable cost to protect us, we may be forced to abandon efforts to
commercialize our products or those of our strategic partners, which would
reduce our revenues.
Risks
related to our Common
Stock
Our
Common Stock is classified as penny stock and is extremely illiquid, so
investors may not be able to sell as much stock as they want at prevailing
market prices.
Our
Common
Stock is classified as penny stock. Penny stocks generally are equity securities
with a price of less than $5.00 and trade on the over-the-counter market. As
a
result, an investor may find it more difficult to dispose of or obtain accurate
quotations as to the price of the Shares being registered in this registration
statement. In addition, the “penny stock” rules adopted by the Commission under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), subject
the sale of the shares of the Common Stock to regulations that impose sales
practice requirements on broker-dealers, causing many broker-dealers to not
trade penny stocks or to only offer the stocks to sophisticated investors that
meet specified net worth or net income criteria identified by the Commission.
These regulations contribute to the lack of liquidity of penny stocks.
The
average daily trading volume of our Common Stock on the over-the-counter market
was less than 33,000 shares per day over the three months ended
December 31, 2006. If limited trading in our stock continues, it may be
difficult for investors to sell their shares in the public market at any given
time at prevailing prices. Since the certificates of designation creating our
series A and series B preferred stock contain restrictions on our ability
to declare and pay dividends on our Common Stock, the lack of liquidity of
our
Common Stock could negatively impact the rate of return on your
investment.
Sales
of a substantial number of shares of our Common
Stock into the public market by the selling stockholders may result in
significant downward pressure on the price of our Common Stock and could affect
the ability of our stockholders to realize the current trading price of our
Common Stock.
At
the
time of effectiveness of the registration statement, the number of shares of
our
Common
Stock eligible to be immediately sold in the market will increase significantly.
If the selling stockholders sell significant amounts of our stock, our stock
price could drop. Even a perception by the market that selling stockholders
will
sell in large amounts after the registration statement is effective could place
significant downward pressure on our stock price.
You
will experience substantial dilution upon the conversion of the shares of
preferred stock and the exercise of warrants that we issued in three private
placements and the warrants and options that were assumed in connection with
the
merger.
On
May 5,
2004, we completed three separate private placements in which we issued
151.57984 shares of our series A preferred stock and warrants to acquire
9,094,801 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $.90 per share.
The
shares of series A preferred stock are convertible into 7,578,985 shares of
our
Common Stock. We also issued warrants to purchase 425,000 shares of our Common
Stock at an exercise price of $0.72 per share and warrants to purchase 510,000
shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.08 per share to designees
of
our placement agents. We also issued warrants pursuant to an employment
agreement with Mark L. Baum, our former president and former member of our
board
of directors, to purchase 425,000 shares and 425,000 shares of our Common Stock,
respectively, at exercise prices of $0.60 and $0.90 per share, respectively.
In
connection with the acquisition of Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., we assumed
the obligation to issue 690,000 shares of our Common Stock upon the exercise
of
warrants, which warrants are exercisable at prices ranging from $0.45 to $4.00
per share. We also adopted the stock option plan of Chembio Diagnostic Systems
Inc. and assumed the entire obligation to issue 704,000 common shares upon
the
exercise of the options outstanding as of the merger date. On January 28,
2005, we completed a private placement in which we issued 100 shares of our
9%
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, which we refer to as the “Series B Stock,”
together with warrants to purchase 7,786,960 shares of our Common Stock. For
each $.61 invested in this private placement, an investor received (a) $.61
of
face amount of Series B Stock, which is convertible into one share of our Common
Stock, and (b) a five-year warrant to acquire .95 of a share of our Common
Stock. Each full share of the Series B Stock was purchased for $50,000, with
fractional shares of Series B Stock being purchased by investments of less
than
$50,000. In connection with the January 28, 2005 offering, we also issued
to the placement agent Series B Stock in an aggregate amount equal to 5% of
the
amount of cash proceeds from the private placement, together with accompanying
warrants to purchase our Common Stock. We also issued to the placement agent
warrants to purchase 737,712 shares of our Common Stock. As of March 31,
2006, there were 1,529,750 options issued and outstanding under the stock option
plan and 1,470,250 options available for issuance under the stock option plan.
As a result, the conversion of the outstanding preferred stock and the exercise
of the outstanding warrants and options will result in substantial dilution
to
the holders of our Common Stock.
On
March 30, 2006, we issued to an investor 20 shares (face amount $1,000,000)
of the Company’s series B preferred stock with warrants to purchase a total of
1,557,377 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.61 per
share for a period of five years. We agreed to issue, and the investor agreed
to
purchase for $1,000,000, the securities described above pursuant to the terms
of
a Securities Purchase Agreement dated January 26, 2005 by and among the
Company and various purchasers. This transaction represents the second closing
under the Agreement, and was triggered upon the our achievment, as of
the fourth fiscal quarter of 2005, certain financial milestones. As compensation
for services rendered to the Company by Midtown for the second closing, we
agreed to issued to Midtown two shares (face amount $100,000) of its Series
B
Preferred and warrants to purchase a total of 155,738 shares of its Common
Stock
at an exercise price of $.061 per share for a period of five years.
On
June 29,
2006, we issued $1,300,000 of secured debentures to four investors. Pursuant
to
the terms of these debentures, investors agreed to receive back from the Company
the full amount of their principal investment, plus interest on the unpaid
principal sum outstanding at the rate of 0.667% per month. Each investor was
also granted a warrant to purchase up to 400 shares of Common Stock for each
$1,000 of such investor’s subscription amount, with an exercise price of $0.75
per share, exercisable for a five year term.
On
September 29, 2006 and October 5, 2006, we completed a private
placement for $8,150,000, consisting of 165 shares of 7% series C
convertible preferred stock, which we refer to as the “Series C Stock,” together
with warrants to purchase 2,578,125 shares of our Common Stock. For each $0.80
of consideration received, an investor received (a) $0.80 of face amount of
series C stock, which shall pay cumulative dividends in cash or shares at the
rate of 7% per annum payable semiannually beginning in the year 2007, and which
is convertible into one share of the Common Stock, and (b) a five-year warrant
to acquire shares of our Common Stock, equal to 25% of the investor’s
subscription amount divided by $0.85, with an exercise price of $1.00 share.
Each full share of the Series C Stock was purchased for $50,000, with fractional
shares of series C preferred stock being purchased by investments of less than
$50,000. In connection with this private placement, we employed Midtown Partners
& Co., LLC to serve as the placement agent with respect to investors
investing $1,000,000 in this offering. As compensation for services rendered
to
the Company, we agreed to (i) pay Midtown a cash fee equal to 5% of the amount
of cash proceeds we received from the investors Midtown solicited; and (ii)
issue to Midtown warrants to purchase 62,500 shares of our Common Stock. The
warrants issued to Midtown are exercisable for a period of five years from
their
issuance and have an exercise price of $1.00 per share.
Our
management and larger stockholders exercise significant control over our Company
and may approve or take actions that may be adverse to your
interests.
As
of
January 31,
2007, our named executive officers, directors and 5% stockholders beneficially
owned approximately 25.85% of our voting power. For the foreseeable future,
to
the extent that our current stockholders vote similarly, they will be able
to
exercise control over many matters requiring approval by the board of directors
or our stockholders. As a result, they will be able to:
· |
control
the composition of our board of
directors;
|
· |
control
our management and policies;
|
· |
determine
the outcome of significant corporate transactions, including changes
in
control that may be beneficial to stockholders;
and
|
· |
act
in each of their own interests, which may conflict with, or be different
from, the interests of each other or the interests of the other
stockholders.
|
We
will
not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares by the Selling
Stockholders. The Selling Stockholders will pay any underwriting discounts,
commissions and expenses for brokerage, or any other expenses they incur in
disposing of the Shares. We will bear all other costs, fees and expenses
incurred in effecting the registration of the Shares covered by this
Prospectus.
This
Prospectus relates to Shares that are being registered for reoffers and resales
by Selling Stockholders who have acquired (or, in some cases, may acquire)
Shares pursuant to the 1999 Plan. Non-affiliates holding less than 1,000
Restricted Shares issued under the 1999 Plan and who are not named below may
use
this Prospectus for the offer or sale of those Shares.
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Commission, is
based
upon 11,754,015 shares outstanding as of March 16, 2007, and generally
includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Options to
purchase shares of Common Stock that are currently exercisable or exercisable
within 60 days of March 16, 2007 are deemed to be outstanding and to be
beneficially owned by the person holding such options for the purpose of
computing the percentage ownership of such person but are not treated as
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other
person. Information regarding the Selling Stockholders, including the number
of
Shares offered for sale, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement to the
extent required. Of the 1,680,750 shares listed below covered by this
Prospectus, 165,000 shares are restricted shares that have been acquired by
the
Selling Stockholders pursuant to the 1999 Plan, and 1,515,750 shares are shares
to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options issued pursuant to the 1999
Plan, and are being registered for reoffers and resales by the Selling
Stockholders named in the table below. The Selling Stockholders may resell
all,
a portion, or none of the Shares from time to time. Certain unnamed
non-affiliates, each of whom may sell up to 1,000 shares of common stock
issuable upon the exercise of options granted by the 1999 Plan, may use this
reoffer prospectus for reoffers and resales.
The
address of each stockholder listed below is care of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc.,
3661 Horseblock Road, Medford, New York 11763. The following table sets forth
the name and relationship to the Company of each Selling Stockholder and: (1)
the number of shares of Common Stock which each Selling Stockholder beneficially
owned as of March 16, 2007 (which includes options exercisable within 60 days
of
March 16, 2007); (2) the number of shares of Common Stock that each Selling
Stockholder may offer pursuant to this Prospectus (including shares that may
be
issued upon exercise of options); and (3) (if one percent or more) the
percentage of the class to be beneficially owned by such stockholder assuming
the sale of all shares offered pursuant to this Prospectus.
Selling
Stockholder
|
|
Position
|
|
Shares
Beneficially Owned
|
|
Shares
Covered Under this Prospectus
|
|
Percent
Beneficially Owned After the Resale
|
Benway,
Leon H.
|
|
Employee
|
|
6,500
|
|
6,500
|
|
-
|
Brandi,
Louis V.
|
|
Employee
|
|
7,500
|
|
7,500
|
|
-
|
Bruce,
Richard A.
|
|
VP
|
|
125,500
|
|
120,000
|
|
-
|
Carus,
Alan
|
|
Director
|
|
90,000
|
|
102,000
|
|
-
|
Dang,
Kim T.
|
|
Employee
|
|
1,000
|
|
1,000
|
|
-
|
Drosin,
Jay A.
|
|
Employee
|
|
6,000
|
|
6,000
|
|
-
|
Dudnanski,
Cathy J.
|
|
Employee
|
|
4,000
|
|
4,000
|
|
-
|
Eppner,
Gerald
|
|
Ex-Director
|
|
75,000
|
|
87,000
|
|
-
|
Esfandiari,
Javan
|
|
VP
|
|
229,580
|
|
232,500
|
|
-
|
Greenwald,
David A.
|
|
Employee
|
|
12,500
|
|
12,500
|
|
-
|
Greenwald,
Rena
|
|
Employee
|
|
12,500
|
|
12,500
|
|
-
|
Ippolito,
Thomas D.
|
|
VP
|
|
15,000
|
|
15,000
|
|
-
|
Johann-Rera,
Anna M.
|
|
Employee
|
|
12,500
|
|
12,500
|
|
-
|
Kanaujia,
Ganga
|
|
Employee
|
|
15,000
|
|
15,000
|
|
-
|
Larkin,
Richard J.
|
|
CFO
|
|
145,261
|
|
137,500
|
|
-
|
Lyashchenko,
Konstantin
|
|
Employee
|
|
35,500
|
|
30,000
|
|
-
|
Meller,
Gary
|
|
Director
|
|
87,000
|
|
123,000
|
|
-
|
Osipowich,
Carol
|
|
Employee
|
|
7,500
|
|
7,500
|
|
-
|
Pelossof,
Avi
|
|
Employee
(Ex-VP)
|
|
650,113
|
|
400,000
|
|
2.05%
|
Rivera,
Wanda
|
|
Employee
|
|
6,500
|
|
6,500
|
|
-
|
Rojas,
Jennete Z.
|
|
Employee
|
|
15,500
|
|
10,000
|
|
-
|
Siebert,
Lawrence A.
|
|
President
|
|
2,141,919
|
|
220,000
|
|
15.86%
|
Speer,
Sandra K.
|
|
Employee
|
|
95,468
|
|
70,000
|
|
-
|
Stutzman,
Les C.
|
|
VP
|
|
25,000
|
|
35,000
|
|
-
|
Zambrano,
Maria V.
|
|
Employee
|
|
1,000
|
|
1,000
|
|
-
|
TOTALS
|
|
|
|
3,823,341
|
|
1,674,500
|
|
|
The
Shares covered by this Prospectus are being registered by us for the account
of
the Selling Stockholders.
The
Shares offered by this Prospectus may be sold from time to time directly by
or
on behalf of the Selling Stockholders in one or more transactions on the OTC
Bulletin Board or on any stock exchange on which the Common Stock may be listed
at the time of sale, in privately negotiated transactions, or through a
combination of these methods. The Selling Stockholders may sell Shares through
one or more agents, brokers or dealers or directly to purchasers. These brokers
or dealers may receive compensation in the form of commissions, discounts or
concessions from the Selling Stockholders and/or purchasers of the Shares,
or
both. Compensation as to a particular broker or dealer may be in excess of
customary commissions. The Selling Stockholders will act independently of us
in
making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale or
non-sale related transfer. If a Selling Stockholder is an employee, officer
or
director of the Company, he or she will be subject to our policies concerning
trading and other transactions in the Company’s securities.
Each
Selling Stockholder of the Shares and any of their pledgees, assignees and
successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their Shares
on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the shares are traded
or in private transactions. These sales may be at fixed or negotiated prices.
A
Selling Stockholder may use any one or more of the following methods when
selling the Shares:
· |
ordinary
brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer
solicits purchasers;
|
· |
block
trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares
as agent
but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to
facilitate the transaction;
|
· |
purchases
by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for
its
account;
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· |
an
exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable
exchange;
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· |
privately
negotiated transactions;
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· |
settlement
of short sales entered into after the date of this
Prospectus;
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· |
broker-dealers
may agree with the Selling Stockholders to sell a specified number
of such
shares at a stipulated price per
share;
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· |
a
combination of any such methods of
sale;
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· |
through
the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions,
whether through an options exchange or otherwise;
or
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· |
any
other method permitted pursuant to applicable
law.
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The
Selling Stockholders may also sell shares under Rule 144 under the Securities
Act, if available, rather than under this Prospectus. There is no assurance
that
the Selling Stockholders will sell all or a portion of the stock being offered
hereby.
In
connection with the sale of Shares, the Selling Stockholders may enter into
hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which
may in turn engage in short sales of the Shares in the course of hedging the
positions they assume. The Selling Stockholders may also sell the Shares short
and deliver these Shares to close out short positions, or loan or pledge the
Shares to broker-dealers or other financial institutions that in turn may sell
these Shares. The Selling Stockholders may also enter into option or other
transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions that require
the delivery to the broker-dealer or other financial institution of the Shares,
which the broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant
to
this Prospectus, or enter into transactions in which a broker-dealer makes
purchases as a principal for resale for its own account or through other types
of transactions.
In
connection with the sales, a Selling Stockholder and any participating broker
or
dealer may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities
Act, and any commissions they receive and the proceeds of any sale of Shares
may
be deemed to be underwriting discounts or commissions under the Securities
Act.
A Selling Stockholder who is deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of
Section 2(11) of the Securities Act will be subject to the prospectus
delivery requirements of the Securities Act. The Selling Stockholders and any
other person participating in such distribution will be subject to applicable
provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder,
including, without limitation, Regulation M. Regulation M may limit the timing
of purchases and sales of shares of our Common Stock by the Selling Stockholders
and any other person. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict, for a period
of up
to five business days prior to the commencement of the distribution, the ability
of any person engaged in a distribution of shares of our Common Stock to engage
in market-making activities with respect to these shares. All of the foregoing
may affect the marketability of shares of our Common Stock and the ability
of
any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to
shares of our Common Stock.
To
the
extent required, the Shares to be sold, the names of the persons selling the
Shares, the respective purchase prices and public offering prices, the names
of
any agent, dealer or underwriter and any applicable commissions or discounts
with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying
prospectus supplement or, if appropriate, a post-effective amendment to the
registration statement of which this Prospectus is a part.
We
are
bearing all of the fees and expenses relating to the registration of the Shares.
Any underwriting discounts, commissions or other fees payable to broker-dealers
or agents in connection with any sale of the Shares will be borne by the Selling
Stockholders. In order to comply with certain states’ securities laws, if
applicable, the Shares may be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered
or licensed brokers or dealers. In certain states, the Shares may not be sold
unless the Shares have been registered or qualified for sale in such state,
or
unless an exemption from registration or qualification is available and is
obtained and complied with. Sales of the Shares must also be made by the Selling
Stockholders in compliance with all other applicable state securities laws
and
regulations.
The
Selling Stockholders may agree to indemnify any broker-dealer or agent that
participates in transactions involving sales of the Shares against certain
liabilities in connection with the offering of the Shares arising under the
Securities Act.
We
have
notified the Selling Stockholders of the need to deliver a copy of this
Prospectus in connection with any sale of the Shares.
Our
consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2005 and
December 31, 2004 and for the years ended December 31, 2005,
December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, incorporated by reference in
this Prospectus and the related financial statement schedule incorporated by
reference in this Prospectus have been audited by Lazar, Levine & Felix LLP,
a registered independent public accounting firm, as stated in its reports
incorporated by reference herein, and are included in reliance upon the reports
of such firm given upon its authority as an expert in accounting and auditing.
The foregoing financial statements have been incorporated by reference herein
in
reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.
The
validity of the Shares being offered hereby has been passed upon for the Company
by Patton Boggs LLP. A partner of Patton Boggs LLP owns 82,101 shares of Common
Stock, 1.44731 shares of series A preferred stock (which are convertible into
72,365 shares of Common Stock) and a warrant to purchase 94,930 shares of our
Common Stock.
INCORPORATION
OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY
REFERENCE
We
disclose important information to you by referring you to documents that we
have
previously filed with the Commission or documents we will file with the
Commission in the future. We hereby incorporate by reference the following
documents into this Prospectus:
· |
our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2005, filed with the Commission on March 30, 2006;
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· |
our
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for the quarters ended March 31,
2006 (filed May 12, 2006) and June 30, 2006 (filed
August 11, 2006);
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· |
our
Current Reports on Form 8-K filed February 13, 2007, January 30,
2007, December 6, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1
contained therein); November 15, 2006 (except for Items 2.02 and 7.01
and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 contained therein); October 5, 2006
(except for Item 7.01 and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 contained therein),
October 5, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1),
August 9, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 contained
therein), July 3, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibits 99.1, 99.2,
99.3 and 99.4), June 21, 2006, June 14, 2006, April 24,
2006, April 21, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 contained
therein), April 6, 2006 and April 4, 2006 (except for Item 7.01
and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2) pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
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· |
the
description of our Common Stock set forth in our prospectus filed
pursuant
to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended), filed
with the
Commission February 6, 2007, and all amendments and reports filed by
us to update that description.
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Additionally,
all documents filed by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, after the date of this
Prospectus and before the termination or completion of this offering shall
be
deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Prospectus from the respective
dates of filing of such documents. Any information that we subsequently file
with the Commission that is incorporated by reference as described above will
automatically update and supersede any previous information that is part of
this
Prospectus.
Upon
written or oral request, we will provide you without charge, a copy of any
or
all of the documents incorporated by reference, other than exhibits to those
documents unless the exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in
the
documents. Please send requests to Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., 3661 Horseblock
Road, Medford, New York 11763, or call (631) 924-1135.
DISCLOSURE
OF COMMISSION POSITION OF
INDEMNIFICATION
FOR
SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
Our
directors and officers are indemnified by our bylaws against amounts actually
and necessarily incurred by them in connection with the defense of any action,
suit or proceeding in which they are a party by reason of being or having been
directors or officers of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. or of our subsidiary. Our
articles of incorporation provide that none of our directors or officers shall
be personally liable for damages for breach of any fiduciary duty as a director
or officer involving any act or omission of any such director or officer.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act
of
1933, as amended, may be permitted to such directors, officers and controlling
persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised
that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
and
is, therefore, unenforceable.
In
the
event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities, other than
the
payment by Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. of expenses incurred or paid by such
director, officer or controlling person 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, we will, unless in the
opinion of 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 Securities Act and will
be
governed by the final adjudication.
NO
DEALER, SALESMAN OR ANY OTHER PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION
OR TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS,
AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST NOT BE RELIED
UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE COMPANY OR ANY SELLING STOCKHOLDER.
NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS NOR ANY SALE MADE HEREUNDER SHALL,
UNDER
ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, IMPLY THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE
COMPANY OR THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN IS CORRECT AS OF ANY TIME SUBSEQUENT
TO
THE DATE AS OF WHICH SUCH INFORMATION IS GIVEN. THIS PROSPECTUS DOES NOT
CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO BUY ANY OF
THE
SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY TO ANYONE IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER
OR
SOLICITATION IS NOT AUTHORIZED OR IN WHICH THE PERSON MAKING SUCH OFFER OR
SOLICITATION IS NOT QUALIFIED TO DO SO OR TO ANYONE TO WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL
TO
MAKE SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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3
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11
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15
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15
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CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC. HAS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION,
WASHINGTON, D.C., A REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT WITH RESPECT
TO THE SHARES OFFERED HEREBY. THIS PROSPECTUS OMITS CERTAIN INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT. THE INFORMATION OMITTED MAY BE OBTAINED
FROM THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION UPON PAYMENT OF THE REGULAR CHARGE
THEREFORE.
1,680,750
SHARES
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
COMMON
STOCK
REOFFER
PROSPECTUS
March 23,
2007
PART
II
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
ITEM
3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
We
hereby
incorporate by reference the following documents into this Registration
Statement:
· |
our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2005, filed with the Commission on March 30, 2006;
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· |
our
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for the quarters ended March 31,
2006 (filed May 12, 2006) and June 30, 2006 (filed
August 11, 2006);
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· |
our
Current Reports on Form 8-K filed February 13, 2007, January 30,
2007, December 6, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1
contained therein); November 15, 2006 (except for Items 2.02 and 7.01
and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 contained therein); October 5, 2006
(except for Item 7.01 and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 contained therein),
October 5, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1),
August 9, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 contained
therein), July 3, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibits 99.1, 99.2,
99.3 and 99.4), June 21, 2006, June 14, 2006, April 24,
2006, April 21, 2006 (except for Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.1 contained
therein), April 6, 2006 and April 4, 2006 (except for Item 7.01
and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2) pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
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· |
the
description of our Common Stock set forth in our prospectus filed
pursuant
to Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 (as amended), filed
with the
Commission February 6, 2007, and all amendments and reports filed by
us to update that description.
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All
documents we file pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the
Exchange Act subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the filing of a
post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered have been
sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed
to
be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be part
hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in
a
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall
be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration
Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other
subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement
so
modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded,
to constitute a part hereof.
ITEM
4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We
incorporate by reference herein the description of our securities set forth
in
our prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933
(as amended), filed on February 6, 2007, File
No. 333-138266.
ITEM
5. INTEREST OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL
The
validity of the common stock covered by this Registration Statement has been
passed upon for the Company by Patton Boggs LLP. A partner of Patton Boggs
LLP
owns 82,101 shares of common stock, 1.44731 shares of series A preferred stock
(which are convertible into 72,365 shares of common stock) and a warrant to
purchase 94,930 shares of our common stock.
ITEM
6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Our
articles of incorporation provide for the indemnification of the directors,
officers, employees and agents of the Company to the fullest extent permitted
by
the laws of the State of Nevada. Section 78.7502 of the Nevada General
Corporation Law permits a corporation to indemnify any of its directors,
officers, employees or agents against expenses actually and reasonably incurred
by such person in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative
(except for an action by or in right of the corporation) by reason of the fact
that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the
corporation, provided that it is determined that such person acted in good
faith
and in a manner which he 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 his conduct was unlawful.
Section
78.751 of the Nevada General Corporation Law requires that the determination
that indemnification is proper in a specific case must be made by (a) the
stockholders, (b) the board of directors by majority vote of a quorum consisting
of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding or (c)
independent legal counsel in a written opinion (i) if a majority vote of a
quorum consisting of disinterested directors is not possible or (ii) if such
an
opinion is requested by a quorum consisting of disinterested directors.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933
(the
“Securities Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling
persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, 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 Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.
ITEM
7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISRTATION CLAIMED
Not
applicable.
ITEM
8. EXHIBITS
The
following documents are filed as exhibits to this Registration
Statement:
Exhibit
Number Exhibit
24.1 Power
of
Attorney (included on signature page hereto)
ITEM
9. UNDERTAKINGS
The
registrant hereby undertakes:
(a)(1) To
file,
during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective
amendment to this Registration Statement to:
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(i)
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Include
any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities
Act;
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(ii)
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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 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%
change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the
“Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration
statement.
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(iii)
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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;
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provided,
however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the
Registration Statement is on Form S-8 and the information required to be
included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in
periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant
pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by
reference to the Registration Statement.
(2) That,
for
the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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.
(b) The
undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining
any
liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual
report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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) Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be
permitted to the directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant
pursuant to the foregoing provision, or otherwise, the registrant has been
advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against
public policy as expressed in the Securities 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 Securities Act and will be governed by final
adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant certifies that it
has
reasonable grounds to believe that its meets all of the requirements for filing
on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on
its
behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Medford,
State of New York, on this 23rd day of March 2007.
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
By:
/s/
Lawrence A. Siebert
Lawrence
A. Siebert
President,
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Each
person whose signature appears below appoints Lawrence A. Siebert, individually,
as true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution
to sign any amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this
Registration Statement and to each registration statement amended hereby, and
to
file the same, with all exhibits and other related documents, with the
Commission, with full power and authority to perform any necessary or
appropriate act in connection with the amendment(s).
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has
been
signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates
indicated.
By:
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/s/
Lawrence A. Siebert
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March 23,
2007
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Lawrence
A. Siebert
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President,
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
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(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
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By:
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/s/
Richard J. Larkin
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March 23,
2007
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Richard
J. Larkin
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Chief
Financial Officer
|
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(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
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By:
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/s/
Alan Carus
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March 23,
2007
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Alan
Carus
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Director
|
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By:
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/s/ Dr. Gary Meller
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March 23,
2007
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Dr. Gary Meller
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Director
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EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit
Number Exhibit
4.1 1999
Equity Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to the Company’s annual report
on Form 10-KSB filed with the Commission on March 31, 2005.)
5.1 Opinion
and Consent of Patton Boggs LLP
23.1 Consent
of Lazar Levine and Felix LLP
23.2 Consent
of Patton Boggs LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1 Power
of
Attorney (included on signature page hereto)
22