CHEMBIO DIAGNOSTICS, INC. (NASDAQ:CEMI) Files An 8-K Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

On September 3, 2019, we, as borrower, and certain of our subsidiaries, as guarantors, entered into a Credit Agreement and Guaranty, or the Credit Agreement, with Perceptive Credit Holdings II, LP, which, together with its successors and assigns from time to time, we refer to as the Lenders.

Principal Amount. The Credit Agreement provides for a $20,000,000 senior secured term loan credit facility, which was drawn in full on September 4, 2019. Under the terms of the Credit Agreement, we may use the proceeds (i) for general working capital purposes and other permitted corporate purposes, (ii) to refinance certain of our existing indebtedness and (iii) to pay fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with the Credit Agreement, including the Lenders’ closing cost amount of $550,000, which was netted from the proceeds, and a financing fee of $600,000 (3.0% of gross proceeds) payable to Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC, our financial advisor for the financing.

Interest Rate. Principal outstanding under the Credit Agreement bears interest at a rate per annum equal to the sum of (a) the greater of the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate and 2.5% plus (b) 8.75%. At any time at which an event of default (as described under “—Default Provisions” below) has occurred and is continuing, the interest rate will increase by 4.0%. Accrued interest is payable on a monthly basis.

Scheduled Repayment. No principal repayments are due prior to September 30, 2022, unless we elect to prepay principal as described under “—Optional Prepayment” below or principal is accelerated to an event of default as described under “—Default Provisions” below. Principal installments in the amount of $300,000 are payable on the last day of each of the eleven months from September 2022 through July 2023, and all remaining principal is payable at maturity on September 3, 2023.

Optional Prepayment. We may prepay outstanding principal from time to time, subject to payment of a premium on the prepaid principal amount equal to 10% through September 3, 2020, 8% from September 4, 2020 through September 3, 2021, and 4% from September 4, 2021 through September 3, 2022. No premium will be due with respect to any prepayment made on or after September 4, 2022.

Guaranties. Our subsidiaries Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. and Chembio Diagnostics Malaysia Sdn Bhd. have guaranteed, and the Lenders from time to time may require our other subsidiaries to guarantee, our obligations under the Credit Agreement.

Security. Our obligations under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first priority, perfected lien on substantially all of our property and assets, including our equity interests in our subsidiaries. Our subsidiary Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. has secured its guarantee of our Credit Agreement obligations with a lien on substantially all of its assets, and the Lenders from time to time may require Chembio Diagnostics Malaysia Sdn Bhd. and any of our other subsidiaries that has guaranteed our Credit Agreement obligations to do the same.

Representations and Warranties; Financial and Other Covenants. In the Credit Agreement we made customary representations and warranties as well as customary affirmative and negative covenants, including covenants limiting additional indebtedness, liens, guaranties, mergers and acquisitions, substantial asset sales, investments and loans, sale and leasebacks, transactions with affiliates, and fundamental changes. The Credit Agreement also contains financial covenants requiring that (i) we maintain aggregate unrestricted cash of not less than $3,000,000 at all times and (ii) we achieve specified minimum rolling four-quarter (“last twelve month”) total revenue amounts as of September 30, 2019 and the last day of each calendar quarter thereafter. The minimum total revenue amounts, which range from $32.0 million to $50.1 million, were developed for purposes of the Credit Agreement and do not reflect the internal estimates and plans used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance, to establish budgets, and to establish operational goals for managing our business. We therefore do not believe that the covenant requirements provide useful information to investors or others in enhancing an understanding of our future prospects.

Default Provisions. The Credit Agreement provides for customary events of default, including events of default based on non-payment of amounts due under the Credit Agreement, defaults on other debt, misrepresentations, covenant breaches, changes of control, insolvency, bankruptcy and the occurrence of a material adverse effect on the Company. Upon an event of default resulting from a voluntary or involuntary proceeding for bankruptcy, insolvency or receivership, the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement will become immediately due and payable and the Lenders’ commitments will be automatically terminated. Upon the occurrence and continuation of any other event of default, Lenders holding a majority of the outstanding loans and commitments may accelerate payment of all obligations and terminate the Lenders’ commitments under the Credit Agreement. Upon an acceleration of payment following an event of default occurring prior to September 4, 2021, the amounts due and payable by us will include a prepayment premium on accelerated principal in the amount described under “—Optional Prepayment” above.

The foregoing description of the Credit Agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Credit Agreement, which is included as Exhibit 10.1 to this report and is incorporated herein by reference.

In connection with entering into the Credit Agreement, on September 3, 2019, we issued to Perceptive Credit Holdings II, LP a seven-year warrant, or the Warrant, to purchase up to 550,000 shares of our common stock at a per-share exercise price of $5.22. The Warrant is exercisable for cash or on a net, or “cashless,” basis, and the exercise price of the Warrant is subject to price-based, weighted-average antidilution adjustments for one year after issuance.

The foregoing description of the Warrant does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full text of the Warrant, which is included as Exhibit 4.1 to this report and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information set forth under “Credit Agreement” in Item 1.01 regarding our entering into, and borrowings under, the Credit Agreement is incorporated herein by reference.

On September 4, 2019, we issued a press release entitled “Chembio Diagnostics Announces $20 Million Term Loan with Perceptive Advisors.” A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report. The information contained in this Item 7.01 and in the press release furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section or Section 11 or 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. The information contained in this Item 7.01 and in the press release furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made by us whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

CHEMBIO DIAGNOSTICS, INC. Exhibit
EX-4.1 2 ex4_1.htm EXHIBIT 4.1 Exhibit 4.1 Execution Version NEITHER THIS SECURITY NOR THE SECURITIES FOR WHICH THIS SECURITY IS EXERCISABLE HAVE BEEN REGISTERED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR THE SECURITIES COMMISSION OF ANY STATE IN RELIANCE UPON AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,…
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About CHEMBIO DIAGNOSTICS, INC. (NASDAQ:CEMI)

Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. (Chembio), and its subsidiary, Chembio Diagnostic Systems, Inc., develop, manufacture, market and license rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests (POCTs) that detect infectious diseases. The Company’s products available are rapid tests for the detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) 1/2 antibodies, and a multiplex rapid test for the detection of HIV and Syphilis antibodies. The HIV 1/2 rapid tests employ in-licensed and lateral flow technologies that are used with all blood matrices as samples, and are manufactured in a standard cassette format, a dipstick format and a barrel format. Its HIV 1/2 rapid antibody detection test incorporates the Dual Path Platform (DPP) POCT technology. The DPP HIV 1/2 Assay detects antibodies to HIV 1 and 2 in oral fluid samples, as well as in all blood matrices. The Company’s product pipeline includes a multiplex rapid test for earlier detection of HIV and a multiplex test that detects HIV and Syphilis specific antibodies.