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As Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-226497

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted

Common Stock
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase Common Stock

We are offering                                                                                shares of our common stock and, in lieu of common stock to certain investors that so choose, pre-funded warrants to purchase              shares of our common stock. The purchase price of each pre-funded warrant will equal the price per share at which shares of our common stock are being sold to the public in this offering, minus $0.001, and the exercise price of each pre-funded warrant will equal $0.001 per share. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of such pre-funded warrants.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "ISEE". On December 4, 2019, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $4.09 per share. There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrants on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other national securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system.

Our business and an investment in our common stock involve significant risks. These risks are described under the caption "Risk Factors" beginning on page S-6 of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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The underwriters may also purchase up to an additional                           shares from us at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount, within 30 days from the date of the prospectus.

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares against payment in New York, New York on                  , 2019. The pre-funded warrants are expected to be delivered against payment on                  , 2019.

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Book-Running Manager

Cowen

   

                      , 2019

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

        This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering and adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the information contained in the accompanying prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein filed prior to the date of this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement; provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference in the accompanying prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

        We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

        Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the underwriters take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.

        This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any such free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, the securities offered by this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any such free writing prospectus in any jurisdiction to or from any person to whom or from whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation of an offer in such jurisdiction. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and in any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. It is important for you to read and consider all information contained in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, in making your investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections entitled "Where You Can Find More Information" and "Incorporation by Reference" in this prospectus supplement and in the accompanying prospectus.

        Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except

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under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus.

        Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to "IVERIC," "we," "our," "us," and "the Company" refer, collectively, to IVERIC bio, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, or any one or more of them as the context may require. When we refer to "you" in this prospectus supplement, we mean all purchasers of the securities being offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, whether they are the holders or only indirect owners of those securities.

        The trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus are the property of their respective owners. We have omitted the ® and ™ designations, as applicable, for the trademarks named in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus.

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "goals," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.

        The forward-looking statements in this prospectus supplement include, among other things, statements about:

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the potential benefits of our business plan and strategy to develop our therapeutic and gene therapy product candidates and programs and pursue our collaborative gene therapy sponsored research programs;

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our expectations regarding the impact of results from our OPH2003 clinical trial evaluating Zimura for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to dry age-related macular degeneration on our business strategy, including our plans to pursue further development of Zimura and/or seek potential collaboration or outlicensing opportunities;

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our expectations regarding the potential for Zimura to receive regulatory approval for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to dry age-related macular degeneration based on the clinical trial results we have received to date and results from any planned or future clinical trials;

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our estimates regarding expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for, and ability to obtain, additional financing;

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the timing, costs, conduct and outcome of our ongoing and planned research and preclinical development activities, including statements regarding the timing of the initiation of and completion of these activities, and the costs to obtain and timing of receipt of results from such activities, and the impact of the results of such activities on our business strategy;

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the timing, costs, conduct and outcome of our ongoing clinical trials, including statements regarding the timing of the completion of such clinical trials, the costs to obtain and timing of receipt of results from such clinical trials, and the impact of the results of such clinical trials on our business strategy;

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our ability to establish and maintain arrangements and capabilities for the manufacture of our product candidates;

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the timing of and our ability to obtain marketing approval of our product candidates, and the ability of our product candidates to meet existing or future regulatory standards;

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our ability to consummate business development transactions, including for collaboration or out-licensing opportunities for further clinical development and potential commercialization of Zimura or in-license or other opportunities to acquire rights to additional product candidates or technologies to treat retinal diseases;

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the potential advantages of our product candidates and other technologies that we are pursuing, including the advantages and limitations of inhibition of complement C5 and

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HtrA1, gene therapy, including the use of minigenes, and other mechanisms of action for which we are pursuing development of our product candidates;

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our estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for our product candidates;

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our sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and strategy;

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the rate and degree of potential market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates, if approved;

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the potential receipt of revenues from future sales of our product candidates, if approved;

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our intellectual property position;

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the impact of existing and new governmental laws and regulations; our competitive position; and

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our expectations related to our use of proceeds from this offering and our existing cash resources.

        We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. See the "Risk Factors" section of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, the risk factors included in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and in the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for more information. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, licenses, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.

        You should read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

        This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus include statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information.

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RISK FACTORS

        Investing in our common stock and pre-funded warrants involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, including the risks described in the "Risk Factors" section of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2019, before deciding to invest in our common stock or pre-funded warrants. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could suffer materially. In such event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to This Offering

If you purchase shares of common stock or pre-funded warrants in this offering, you will suffer immediate dilution of your investment.

        The price of our common stock and pre-funded warrants in this offering is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock. Therefore, if you purchase shares of our common stock or pre-funded warrants in this offering, you will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds our net tangible book value per share after this offering. To the extent shares subsequently are issued under outstanding options or to the extent that the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering are exercised, you will incur further dilution. Based on a public offering price of $             per share of common stock and a public offering price of $             per pre-funded warrant, you will experience immediate dilution of $             per share of common stock and $             per pre-funded warrant, representing the difference between our as adjusted net tangible book value per share, after giving effect to this offering, and the public offering prices.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

        Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section of this prospectus supplement titled "Use of Proceeds," and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

If a significant portion of our total outstanding shares are sold into the market, the market price of our common stock could drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

        Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.

        We have registered all shares of common stock that we may currently issue under our equity compensation plans and for shares issued pursuant to the Inception 4 acquisition. These shares can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to volume, notice and manner of sale limitations applicable to affiliates.

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        We currently have on file with the SEC an effective universal shelf registration statement which allows us to offer and sell registered common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, depositary shares, units and/or warrants from time to time pursuant to one or more offerings at prices and terms to be determined at the time of sale. In August 2018, we entered into a Sales Agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, pursuant to which, from time to time, we may offer and sell through Cowen up to $50.0 million of the common stock registered under the universal shelf registration statement pursuant to one or more "at the market" offerings.

        Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock or other securities by our stockholders, by Cowen pursuant to the Sales Agreement, under our universal shelf registration statement or otherwise could also dilute our stockholders.

There is no public market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering.

        There is no public trading market for the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to list the pre-funded warrants on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other national securities exchange or nationally recognized trading system. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the pre-funded warrants will be limited.

We will not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrants.

        Each pre-funded warrant will be exercisable from the date of issuance until such warrant is exercised in full and only by means of a cashless exercise, meaning that the holder would not pay a cash purchase price upon exercise, but instead would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the pre-funded warrant. Accordingly, we will not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrants.

Except for the right to participate in certain dividends and distributions, holders of the pre-funded warrants will have no rights as common stockholders until such holders exercise their pre-funded warrants and acquire our common stock.

        Until holders of the pre-funded warrants exercise their pre-funded warrants and acquire shares of our common stock, except for the right to participate in certain dividends and distributions, such holders will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such pre-funded warrants. Upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, the holders will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We estimate that the net proceeds from our issuance and sale of  shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants in this offering will be approximately $                 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares, we estimate that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $                                     million. We will not receive any additional proceeds from the exercise of the pre-funded warrants.

        We plan to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund clinical development of Zimura, to fund preclinical research and development and potential clinical development of our gene therapy portfolio and HtrA1 inhibitor program, and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

        This expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. We have not determined the exact amounts we plan to spend on any of the items listed above or the timing of these expenditures. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures may vary significantly depending on numerous factors, including the actual net proceeds from this offering, the progress of our development efforts, the status of and results from clinical trials and other research and development activities, as well as any collaborations that we may enter into with third parties for our product candidates, and any unforeseen cash needs. As a result, our management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of the net proceeds from this offering.

        As of September 30, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $94.9 million.

        Based upon our current operating plan, we estimate that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements as currently planned at least through the end of 2021. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. See the "Risk Factors" section of this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference for a discussion of the risks affecting our business that could have an adverse effect on our available capital resources.

        We may also use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering for the acquisition or in-license of additional products, product candidates, businesses or technologies, and the research, development and potential commercialization of the same, although we do not currently have any agreements or commitments for any future material acquisition or license of any such additional products, product candidates, businesses or technologies. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S. government securities.

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CAPITALIZATION

        The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of September 30, 2019, as follows:

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on an actual basis; and

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on an as adjusted basis to give effect to our issuance and sale of              shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to         shares of our common stock in this offering at a public offering price of $             per share of common stock and $       per pre-funded warrant (which equals the public offering price per share of the common stock less the $0.001 per share exercise price of each such pre-funded warrant) (and excluding shares of common stock issued upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants or any resulting accounting associated therewith), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        You should read the following table together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes to those statements and the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

        The table above excludes:

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5,467,650 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2019, at a weighted average exercise price of $12.41 per share;

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695,195 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2019;

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2,775,208 additional shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2013 stock incentive plan; and

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881,763 additional shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2016 employee stock purchase plan.

        The table above also excludes shares available for future issuance under our 2019 inducement stock incentive plan, which we adopted in October 2019.

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DILUTION

        If you invest in our common stock or pre-funded warrants in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock and pre-funded warrants and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

        Our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2019 was $88.5 million, or $2.15 per share of our common stock, based on approximately 41,601,639 shares of our common stock then outstanding. Our net tangible book value is the amount of our total tangible assets less our total liabilities. Net tangible book value per share represents our net tangible book value divided by the 41,601,639 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2019.

        After giving effect to our issuance and sale of             shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase up to             shares of our common stock in this offering at a public offering price of $             per share of common stock and $             per pre-funded warrant (which equals the price per share at which shares of common stock are being sold to the public in this offering, minus the $0.001 per share exercise price of each such pre-funded warrant) (and excluding shares of common stock issued upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants or any resulting accounting associated therewith), and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2019 would have been $              million, or $             per share. This represents an immediate increase in as adjusted net tangible book value per share of $             to existing stockholders and immediate dilution of $             in as adjusted net tangible book value per share to new investors purchasing common stock and pre-funded warrants in this offering. Dilution per share to new investors is determined by subtracting as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering from the public offering price per share paid by new investors. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

        If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase             additional shares of our common stock in full at the public offering price of $             per share, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering would be $             per share, representing an increase to existing stockholders of $             per share, and an immediate dilution of $             to new investors in this offering.

        The table and calculations above are based on 41,601,639 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019, and exclude the following:

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5,467,650 shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding as of September 30, 2019, at a weighted average exercise price of $12.41 per share;

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695,195 shares of our common stock issuable upon the vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of September 30, 2019;

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2,775,208 additional shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2013 stock incentive plan; and

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881,763 additional shares of our common stock available for future issuance under our 2016 employee stock purchase plan.

        The table above also excludes shares available for future issuance under our 2019 inducement stock incentive plan, which we adopted in October 2019.

        If any additional shares are issued in connection with the exercise of options, the exercise of the pre-funded warrants being offering in this offering, or pursuant to our sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, you will experience further dilution.

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DESCRIPTION OF PRE-FUNDED WARRANTS

        The following is a brief summary of certain terms and conditions of the pre-funded warrants being offered in this offering. The following description is subject in all respects to the provisions contained in the pre-funded warrants.

Form

        The pre-funded warrants will be issued as individual warrant agreements to the purchasers. The form of pre-funded warrant will be filed as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the SEC.

Term

        The pre-funded warrants will expire on the date the warrant is exercised in full.

Exercisability

        The pre-funded warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance. The pre-funded warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice solely by means of a cashless exercise, in which the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the pre-funded warrant. No fractional shares of our common stock will be issued in connection with the exercise of a pre-funded warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fractional amount multiplied by the last closing trading price of our common stock on the exercise date.

Exercise Limitations

        We may not effect the exercise of any pre-funded warrant, and a holder will not be entitled to exercise any portion of any pre-funded warrant that, upon giving effect to such exercise, would cause: (i) the aggregate number of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 9.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise; or (ii) the combined voting power of our securities beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) to exceed 9.99% of the combined voting power of all of our securities outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrants. However, any holder of a pre-funded warrant may increase or decrease such percentage to any other percentage not in excess of 19.99% upon at least 61 days' prior notice from the holder to us.

Exercise Price

        The exercise price of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrants is $0.001 per share. The exercise price of the pre-funded warrants and the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our common stock, as well as upon any distribution of assets, including cash, stock or other property, to our stockholders. The exercise price of the pre-funded warrants will not be adjusted below the par value of our common stock.

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Transferability

        Subject to applicable laws, the pre-funded warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.

Exchange Listing

        There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrants on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.

Fundamental Transactions

        Upon the consummation of a fundamental transaction (as described in the pre-funded warrants, and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock), the holders of the pre-funded warrants will be entitled to receive, upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants, the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that such holders would have received had they exercised the pre-funded warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction, without regard to any limitations on exercised contained in the pre-funded warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a fundamental transaction where the consideration consists solely of cash, solely of marketable securities or a combination of cash and marketable securities, then each pre-funded warrant shall automatically be deemed to be exercised in full in a cashless exercise effective immediately prior to and contingent upon the consummation of such fundamental transaction.

No Rights as a Stockholder

        Except by virtue of such holder's ownership of shares of our common stock, and except for the right to participate in certain dividends and distributions, the holder of a pre-funded warrant does not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until such holder exercises the pre-funded warrant.

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND PRE-FUNDED WARRANTS

        The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock and pre-funded warrants acquired in this offering. This discussion is based on the current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, existing and proposed U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative rulings and court decisions in effect as of the date of this prospectus supplement, all of which are subject to change or to differing interpretation at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. Any change or differing interpretation could alter the tax consequences to holders described in this prospectus supplement. No ruling has been or will be sought from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, with respect to the matters discussed below, and there can be no assurance the IRS will not take a contrary position regarding the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants, or that any such contrary position would not be sustained by a court.

        We assume in this discussion that the shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants will be held as capital assets (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxes, does not discuss the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax or the alternative minimum tax and does not deal with state or local taxes, U.S. federal gift and estate tax laws, except as specifically provided below with respect to non-U.S. holders, or any non-U.S. tax consequences that may be relevant to holders in light of their particular circumstances. This discussion also does not address the special tax rules applicable to particular holders, such as:

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financial institutions;

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brokers or dealers in securities;

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tax-exempt organizations;

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pension plans;

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owners that hold our common stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, synthetic security or other integrated investment;

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insurance companies;

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controlled non-U.S. corporations;

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passive non-U.S. investment companies; and

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certain U.S. expatriates.

        In addition, this discussion does not address the tax treatment of partnerships or other entities that are pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes or persons who hold their shares of our common stock or pre-funded warrants through partnerships or such other pass-through entities. A partner in a partnership or other pass-through entity that will hold our common stock or pre-funded warrants should consult his, her or its own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants through a partnership or other pass-through entity, as applicable.

        THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE, LEGAL OR TAX ADVICE. PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND PRE-FUNDED WARRANTS.

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        For purposes of this discussion, a "U.S. holder" means a beneficial owner (other than a partnership or other pass-through entity) of our common stock or pre-funded warrants that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

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an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

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a corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

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an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

§

a trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) the trust has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

        A "non-U.S. holder" is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a beneficial owner of common stock or pre-funded warrants that is not a U.S. holder or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Treatment of Pre-Funded Warrants

        Although it is not entirely free from doubt, a pre-funded warrant should be treated as a share of our common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes and a holder of pre-funded warrants should generally be taxed in the same manner as a holder of common stock as described below. Accordingly, upon exercise, the holding period of a pre-funded warrant should carry over to the share of common stock received. Similarly, the tax basis of the pre-funded warrant should carry over to the share of common stock received upon exercise increased by the exercise price of $0.001. Each holder should consult his, her or its own tax advisor regarding the risks associated with the acquisition of a pre-funded warrant pursuant to this offering (including potential alternative characterizations). The balance of this discussion generally assumes that the characterization described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Tax Considerations Applicable to U.S. Holders

Distributions

        In the event that we make distributions on our common stock or pre-funded warrants to a U.S. holder, those distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that is applied against and reduces, but not below zero, a U.S. holder's adjusted tax basis in our common stock or pre-funded warrant, as applicable. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or exchange of our common stock or pre-funded warrant as described below under the section titled "—Disposition of Our Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants."

Disposition of Our Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants

        Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder's adjusted tax basis in the common stock or pre-funded warrants. Capital gain or loss will constitute long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder's holding period for the common stock or pre-funded warrants exceeds one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations. U.S. holders who recognize losses with respect to a

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disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax treatment of such losses.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

        Information reporting requirements generally will apply to payments of dividends on the common stock and pre-funded warrants and to the proceeds of a sale or other disposition of common stock and pre-funded warrants paid by us to a U.S. holder unless such U.S. holder is an exempt recipient, such as a corporation. Backup withholding will apply to those payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide the holder's taxpayer identification number, or certification of exempt status, or if the holder otherwise fails to comply with applicable requirements to establish an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against the U.S. holder's U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Tax Considerations Applicable To Non-U.S. Holders

Distributions

        In the event that we make distributions on our common stock or pre-funded warrants to a non-U.S. holder, those distributions generally will be treated in the manner described in "Tax Considerations Applicable to U.S. Holders—Distributions".

        Any distribution on our common stock or pre-funded warrants that is treated as a dividend paid to a non-U.S. holder that is not effectively connected with the holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States will generally be subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and the non-U.S. holder's country of residence. To obtain a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty, a non-U.S. holder generally will be required to provide the applicable withholding agent with a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other appropriate form, certifying the non-U.S. holder's entitlement to benefits under that treaty. Such form must be provided prior to the payment of dividends and must be updated periodically. If a non-U.S. holder holds stock through a financial institution or other agent acting on the holder's behalf, the holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to such agent. The holder's agent may then be required to provide certification to the applicable withholding agent, either directly or through other intermediaries. If you are eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. withholding tax under an income tax treaty, you should consult with your own tax advisor to determine if you are able to obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for a refund with the IRS.

        We generally are not required to withhold tax on dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder that are effectively connected with the holder's conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that the holder maintains in the United States) if a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI, stating that the dividends are so connected, is furnished to us (or, if stock is held through a financial institution or other agent, to the applicable withholding agent). In general, such effectively connected dividends will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates applicable to U.S. persons. A corporate non-U.S. holder receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional "branch profits tax," which is imposed, under certain circumstances, at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable treaty) on the corporate non-U.S. holder's effectively connected earnings and profits, subject to certain adjustments.

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        See also the sections below titled "—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding" and "—FATCA" for additional withholding rules that may apply to dividends paid to certain non-U.S. financial institutions or non-financial non-U.S. entities.

Disposition of Our Common Stock or Pre-Funded Warrants

        Subject to the discussions below under the headings "Information Reporting and Backup Withholding" and "FATCA," a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax on any gain realized upon such non-U.S. holder's sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants unless:

§

the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder's conduct of a trade or business in the United States, and, if an applicable income tax treaty so provides, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. holder in the United States; in these cases, the non-U.S. holder generally will be taxed on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates and in the manner applicable to U.S. persons (as defined in the Code), and, if the non-U.S. holder is a non-U.S. corporation, the branch profits tax described above under the heading "Distributions" may also apply;

§

the non-U.S. holder is a non-resident alien present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met, in which case the non-U.S. holder will be subject to a 30% tax (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and such holder's country of residence) on the net gain derived from the disposition, which may be offset by certain U.S.-source capital losses of the non-U.S. holder, if any; or

§

we are or have been, at any time during the five-year period preceding such disposition (or the non-U.S. holder's holding period of the common stock or pre-funded warrants, if shorter) a "U.S. real property holding corporation" unless our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market and the non-U.S. holder held no more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, directly or indirectly, during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of the disposition or the period that the non-U.S. holder held our common stock. Special rules may apply to the determination of the 5% threshold in the case of a holder of a pre-funded warrant. Non-U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the effect of holding our pre-funded warrants on the calculation of such 5% threshold. If we are determined to be a U.S. real property holding corporation and the foregoing exception does not apply, then the non-U.S. holder generally will be taxed on its net gain derived from the disposition at the U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to U.S. persons (as defined in the Code). Generally, a corporation is a "U.S. real property holding corporation" if the fair market value of its "U.S. real property interests" (as defined in the Code and applicable regulations) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Although there can be no assurance, we believe that we are not currently, and we do not anticipate becoming, a "U.S. real property holding corporation" for U.S. federal income tax purposes. No assurance can be provided that our common stock will be regularly traded on an established securities market for purposes of the rule described above.

        See the sections titled "—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding" and "—FATCA" below for additional information regarding withholding rules that may apply to proceeds of a disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants paid to non-U.S. financial institutions or non-financial non-U.S. entities.

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U.S. Federal Estate Tax

        Shares of our common stock or pre-funded warrants that are owned or treated as owned by an individual who is a non-U.S. holder (as specially defined for U.S. federal estate tax purposes) at the time of death will be included in the individual's gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes and, therefore, may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax, unless an applicable estate tax or other treaty provides otherwise.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

        We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder the gross amount of the distributions on our common stock or pre-funded warrants paid to such holder and the tax withheld, if any, with respect to such distributions. Non-U.S. holders generally will have to comply with specific certification procedures to establish that the holder is not a U.S. person (as defined in the Code) in order to avoid backup withholding at the applicable rate with respect to dividends on our common stock or pre-funded warrants. Generally, a non-U.S. holder will comply with such procedures if it provides a properly executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable Form W-8), or otherwise meets documentary evidence requirements for establishing that it is a non-U.S. holder, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Dividends paid to non-U.S. holders subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax, as described above under the heading "Distributions," will generally be exempt from U.S. backup withholding.

        Information reporting and backup withholding generally will apply to the proceeds of a disposition of our common stock or pre-funded warrants by a non-U.S. holder effected by or through the U.S. office of any broker, U.S. or non-U.S., unless the holder certifies its status as a non-U.S. holder and satisfies certain other requirements, or otherwise establishes an exemption. Generally, information reporting and backup withholding will not apply to a payment of disposition proceeds to a non-U.S. holder where the transaction is effected outside the United States through a non-U.S. office of a broker. However, for information reporting purposes, dispositions effected through a non-U.S. office of a broker with substantial U.S. ownership or operations generally will be treated in a manner similar to dispositions effected through a U.S. office of a broker. Non-U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of the information reporting and backup withholding rules to them.

        Copies of information returns may be made available to the tax authorities of the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides or is incorporated under the provisions of a specific treaty or agreement.

        Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules from a payment to a non-U.S. holder can be refunded or credited against the non-U.S. holder's U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that an appropriate claim is timely filed with the IRS.

FATCA

        Provisions of the Code commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, generally impose a 30% withholding tax on dividends on, and gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our common stock and pre-funded warrants if paid to a non-U.S. entity unless (1) if the non-U.S. entity is a "non-U.S. financial institution," the non-U.S. entity undertakes certain due diligence, reporting, withholding, and certification obligations, (2) if the non-U.S. entity is not a "non-U.S. financial institution," the non-U.S. entity identifies certain of its U.S. investors, if any, or (3) the non-U.S. entity is otherwise excepted under FATCA.

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        Withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our common stock and pre-funded warrants. While withholding under FATCA may apply to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our common stock and pre-funded warrants, under proposed U.S. Treasury regulations, withholding on payments of gross proceeds is not required. Although such regulations are not final, applicable withholding agents may rely on the proposed regulations until final regulations are issued.

        If withholding under FATCA is required on any payment related to our common stock or pre-funded warrants, investors not otherwise subject to withholding (or that otherwise would be entitled to a reduced rate of withholding) on such payment may be required to seek a refund or credit from the IRS. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable non-U.S. country may modify the requirements described in this section. Non-U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our common stock or pre-funded warrants.

        The preceding discussion of material U.S. federal tax considerations is for informational purposes only. It is not legal or tax advice. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. tax consequences of purchasing, holding and disposing of our common stock or pre-funded warrants, including the consequences of any proposed changes in applicable laws.

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UNDERWRITING

        We and the underwriters for the offering named below have entered into an underwriting agreement with respect to the common stock and pre-funded warrants being offered. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase from us the number of shares of our common stock and pre-funded warrants set forth opposite its name below. Cowen and Company, LLC is the representative of the underwriters.

        The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent and that the underwriters have agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase all of the shares and pre-funded warrants sold under the underwriting agreement if any of these shares or pre-funded warrants are purchased, other than those shares covered by the option to purchase additional shares described below. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

        Our Chief Executive Officer, Glenn Sblendorio, has indicated an interest in purchasing an aggregate of approximately $100,000 of shares of our common stock in this offering at the public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, Mr. Sblendorio may determine to purchase fewer shares than he indicated an interest in purchasing or not to purchase any shares in this offering. It is also possible that Mr. Sblendorio could indicate an interest in purchasing more shares of our common stock. In addition, the underwriters could determine to sell fewer shares to Mr. Sblendorio than Mr. Sblendorio indicates an interest in purchasing or not to sell any shares to Mr. Sblendorio.

        We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.

        Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "ISEE". There is no established public trading market for the pre-funded warrants, and we do not expect a market to develop. We do not intend to list the pre-funded warrants on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, any other national securities exchange or any other nationally recognized trading system.

        The underwriters are offering the shares and pre-funded warrants, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel and other conditions specified in the underwriting agreement. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

        Option to Purchase Additional Shares.    We have granted to the underwriters an option to purchase up to                      additional shares of common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount. This option is exercisable for a period of 30 days. To the extent that the underwriters exercise this option, the underwriters will purchase additional shares from us in approximately the same proportion as shown in the table above.

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        Discounts and Commissions.    The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount and proceeds, before expenses to us. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares.

        We estimate that the total expenses of the offering, excluding underwriting discount, will be approximately $450,000 and are payable by us. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $30,000 for expenses relating to the clearance of this offering with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.

        We are offering to those purchasers whose purchase of shares of common stock in this offering would result in the purchaser, together with its affiliates and certain related parties, beneficially owning more than 9.99% of our outstanding common stock following the consummation of this offering, the opportunity to purchase, in lieu of the shares of our common stock that would result in ownership in excess of 9.99%, pre-funded warrants to purchase such excess shares of our common stock. Each pre-funded warrant will have an exercise price of $0.001. The purchase price for each such pre-funded warrant would equal the per share public offering price for the common stock in this offering less the $0.001 per share exercise price of each such pre-funded warrant.

        The underwriters propose to offer the shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to the public at the public offering prices set forth on the cover of this prospectus. The underwriters may offer the shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants to securities dealers at the public offering price less a concession not in excess of $             per share of common stock and $             per pre-funded warrant. If all of the shares and pre-funded warrants are not sold at the public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering prices and other selling terms.

        Discretionary Accounts.    The underwriters do not intend to confirm sales of the shares or pre-funded warrants to any accounts over which they have discretionary authority.

        Stabilization.    In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, overallotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions, penalty bids and purchases to cover positions created by short sales.

§

Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase shares of common stock so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum, and are engaged in for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock while the offering is in progress.

§

Overallotment transactions involve sales by the underwriters of shares of common stock in excess of the number of shares the underwriters are obligated to purchase. This creates a syndicate short position which may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of shares overallotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of shares that they may purchase in the overallotment option. In a naked short position, the number of shares involved is greater than the number

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of shares in the overallotment option. The underwriters may close out any short position by exercising their overallotment option and/or purchasing shares in the open market.

§

Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of common stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of shares to close out the short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared with the price at which they may purchase shares through exercise of the overallotment option. If the underwriters sell more shares than could be covered by exercise of the overallotment option and, therefore, have a naked short position, the position can be closed out only by buying shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that after pricing there could be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

§

Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the common stock originally sold by that syndicate member is purchased in stabilizing or syndicate covering transactions to cover syndicate short positions.

        These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock in the open market may be higher than it would otherwise be in the absence of these transactions. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. These transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq Stock Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

        Passive Market Making.    In connection with this offering, underwriters and selling group members may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of common stock and extending through the completion of the distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker's bid, such bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

        Lock-Up Agreements.    We and certain of our directors and officers have agreed that, without the prior written consent of Cowen and Company, LLC on behalf of the underwriters, we or such other person, will not, during the period ending 90 days after the date of this prospectus (the "restricted period"):

§

offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) or any securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock;

§

enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the common stock; or

§

publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition of shares of common stock.

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whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. In addition, we and each such person agrees that, without the prior written consent of Cowen and Company, LLC on behalf of the underwriters, we or such other person will not, during the restricted period, make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock.

        The restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph do not apply to us in respect of:

a)

the sale of shares and pre-funded warrants to the underwriters; or

b)

the issuance by us of shares of common stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security described in this prospectus and outstanding on the date hereof; or

c)

any options and other awards granted under a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan described in this prospectus (and the issuance of shares upon the exercise thereof); or

d)

the filing by us of any registration statement on Form S-8 or a successor form thereto relating to the shares of common stock granted pursuant to or reserved for issuance under a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan described in this prospectus; or

e)

the issuance by the Company of shares of common stock upon the Company's achievement of milestones under existing acquisition and licensing agreements, in each case as described in this prospectus; or

f)

the issuance and sale of up to 500,000 shares of common stock at or above the then-prevailing market price in connection with a transaction that includes additional non-dilutive funding for the development of one or more of our product candidates, provided that the recipient of such shares agrees not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of such shares for the remainder of the restricted period without the prior written consent of Cowen and Company, LLC on behalf of the underwriters; or

g)

shares of common stock or other securities issued in connection with a transaction that includes a commercial relationship (including joint ventures, marketing or distribution arrangements, collaboration agreements or intellectual property license agreements) or any acquisition of assets or not less than a majority or controlling portion of the equity of another entity, provided that (x) the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued pursuant to this clause (f) shall not exceed 5.0% of the total number of outstanding shares of common stock and (y) the recipient of any such shares of common stock and securities issued pursuant to this clause (f) during the restricted period shall enter into a lock-up agreement; or

h)

the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of common stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of common stock during the restricted period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by us regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of common stock may be made under such plan during the restricted period.

        The restrictions described in the second immediately preceding paragraph do not apply to directors or officers in respect of:

a)

transfers or dispositions of common stock acquired in this offering or acquired in open market transactions after the completion of this offering; or

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b)

the exercise of options to purchase shares of common stock granted under a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan which is described in this prospectus or the exercise of warrants to purchase shares of common stock described in this prospectus and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, provided that the underlying common stock continues to be subject to the restrictions set forth above; or

c)

the exercise of options to purchase shares of common stock granted under a stock incentive plan or stock purchase plan described in this prospectus pursuant to an arrangement whereby we withhold shares issuable pursuant to such option in payment of the exercise price, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of common stock, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the restricted period in connection with such option exercise, and provided further that the underlying common stock issued upon the exercise of such options continues to be subject to the restrictions set forth above; or

d)

transfers or dispositions to us of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock pursuant to any contractual arrangement in effect on the date of the lock-up agreement that provides for the repurchase by us of the director's or officer's common stock or such other securities or in connection with the termination of the director's or officer's employment with us; or

e)

transfers or dispositions of shares of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock as a bona fide gift; or

f)

transfers or dispositions of shares of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock by will or other testamentary document or by intestacy; or

g)

distributions of shares of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock to limited partners, members, stockholders or trust beneficiaries of the directors or officers or to any investment fund or other entity controlled or managed by the directors or officers; or

h)

transfers or dispositions of shares of common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the director or officer or the immediate family of the director or officer in a transaction not involving a disposition for value; or

provided that (i) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (e), (f), (g) or (h), each donee, transferee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form of the lock-up agreement and (ii) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a), (e), (g) or (h), no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or other public announcement, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of common stock, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the restricted period in connection with such transfer or distribution, or

i)

the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of common stock, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of common stock during the restricted period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of our directors or officers regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of common stock may be made under such plan during the restricted period; or

j)

dispositions, or the withholding of shares of common stock, solely in connection with the payment of taxes due with respect to the vesting of restricted stock unit awards, insofar as such restricted stock units are outstanding as of the date of this prospectus, provided that to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required or

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voluntarily made by or on behalf of us or the director or officer regarding any such disposition or withholding, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that the that the transfer relates to the payment of taxes due with respect to the vesting of such restricted stock unit awards; or

k)

transfers of shares pursuant to sales in the public market undertaken under a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, provided that such trading plan shall have been in effect prior to the date of this prospectus, and provided further that to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required or voluntarily made regarding any such sales, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that sale was made pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act.

        For purposes of the lock-up agreements "immediate family" shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin.

        The representative, in its sole discretion, may release the common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time with or without notice.

        Canada.    The common stock and pre-funded warrants may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

        Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser's province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

        Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

        Switzerland.    The securities will not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in Switzerland and this prospectus does not constitute a public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to article 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations.

        European Economic Area.    In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area, each a Member State, no common stock or pre-funded warrants have been offered or will be offered to the public in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the common stock or pre-funded warrants which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers

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of common stock and pre-funded warrants may be made to the public in that Member State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

a.

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;

b.

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative for any such offer; or

c.

in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

provided that no such offer of common stock and pre-funded warrants shall require the Company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

        Each person in a Member State who initially acquires any common stock or pre-funded warrants or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the Company and the underwriters that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

        In the case of any common stock or pre-funded warrants being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the common stock and pre-funded warrants acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors, as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters have been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.

        The Company, the representative and their respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.

        For the purposes of this provision, the expression an "offer to the public" in relation to any common stock and pre-funded warrants in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any common stock and pre-funded warrants to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any common stock and the expression "Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

        The above selling restriction is in addition to the other selling restrictions set out herein.

        Israel.    In the State of Israel this prospectus shall not be regarded as an offer to the public to purchase shares of common stock or pre-funded warrants under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, which requires a prospectus to be published and authorized by the Israel Securities Authority, if it complies with certain provisions of Section 15 of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, including, inter alia, if: (i) the offer is made, distributed or directed to not more than 35 investors, subject to certain conditions (the "Addressed Investors"); or (ii) the offer is made, distributed or directed to certain qualified investors defined in the First Addendum of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, subject to certain conditions (the "Qualified Investors"). The Qualified Investors shall not be taken into account in the count of the Addressed Investors and may be offered to purchase securities in addition to the 35 Addressed Investors. The Company has not and will not take any action that would require it to publish a prospectus in accordance with and subject to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968. We have not and will not distribute this prospectus or make, distribute or direct an offer to subscribe for our common stock or pre-funded warrants to any person within the State of Israel, other than to Qualified Investors and up to 35 Addressed Investors.

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        United Kingdom.    In the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are "qualified investors" (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19 (5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, or the Order, and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons") or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the common stock in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Service and Markets Act 2000.

        Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is only available to, and will be engaged in with, relevant persons

        Qualified Investors may have to submit written evidence that they meet the definitions set out in of the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968. In particular, we may request, as a condition to be offered common stock or pre-funded warrants, that Qualified Investors will each represent, warrant and certify to us and/or to anyone acting on our behalf: (i) that it is an investor falling within one of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968; (ii) which of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968 regarding Qualified Investors is applicable to it; (iii) that it will abide by all provisions set forth in the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968 and the regulations promulgated thereunder in connection with the offer to be issued common stock; (iv) that the shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants that it will be issued are, subject to exemptions available under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968: (a) for its own account; (b) for investment purposes only; and (c) not issued with a view to resale within the State of Israel, other than in accordance with the provisions of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968; and (v) that it is willing to provide further evidence of its Qualified Investor status. Addressed Investors may have to submit written evidence in respect of their identity and may have to sign and submit a declaration containing, inter alia, the Addressed Investor's name, address and passport number or Israeli identification number.

        We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on our behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters and their respective affiliates, with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this document. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares or pre-funded warrants, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of shares or pre-funded warrants on our behalf or on behalf of the underwriters.

        Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Shares.    A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by one or more of the underwriters or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representative may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on these websites is not part of this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by investors.

        Other Relationships.    Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates for which they have received, and may in the future receive, customary fees. Cowen and Company, LLC is the sales agent under our sales agreement.

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LEGAL MATTERS

        The validity of the securities offered hereby is being passed upon for us by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is acting as counsel for the underwriters in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

        Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our consolidated financial statements and our management's assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 are incorporated herein by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP's reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at www.ivericbio.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.

        This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus supplement omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the accompanying prospectus and the registration statement for further information about us and our consolidated subsidiaries and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus supplement concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the accompany prospectus, the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements. You can obtain a copy of the accompanying prospectus and the registration statement from the SEC's website.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement much of the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus supplement is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus supplement. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents listed below (File No. 001-36080) and any

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future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed) until the offering of the securities under the registration statement is terminated or completed:

§

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, including the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, filed on April 18, 2019;

§

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019, and September 30, 2019;

§

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 7, 2019 (excluding Item 2.02), January 7, 2019 (excluding Items 2.02 and 7.01), April 11, 2019, April 16, 2019, May 16, 2019, July 23, 2019, August 14, 2019 (excluding Item 7.01), October 9, 2019 and October 28, 2019; and

§

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on September 20, 2013, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

        You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

IVERIC bio, Inc.
One Penn Plaza, 35th Floor
New York, NY 10119
(212) 845-8200

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$150,000,000

PROSPECTUS

Ophthotech Corporation

Debt Securities
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Units
Warrants

        We may offer and sell securities from time to time in one or more offerings of up to $150,000,000 in aggregate offering price. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide the specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained in this document. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement before you invest.

        We may offer these securities in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. The securities may be sold directly to you, through agents, or through underwriters and dealers. If agents, underwriters or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement.

        Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "OPHT."

        Investing in these securities involves significant risks. See "Risk Factors" included in any accompanying prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase these securities.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

   

The date of this prospectus is August 15, 2018

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, utilizing a "shelf" registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $150,000,000.

        This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page 3 of this prospectus.

        You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus or such accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

        Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to "Ophthotech," "we," "our," "us" and "the Company" refer, collectively, to Ophthotech Corporation, a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

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RISK FACTORS

        Investing in our securities involves significant risks. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, including the risk factors set forth in our filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein, before making an investment decision pursuant to this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering.

        Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any or all of these risks or by additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial that may adversely affect us in the future.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at http://www.ophthotech.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus and is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room.

        This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information about us and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements. You can obtain a copy of the registration statement from the SEC at the address listed above or from the SEC's website.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

        The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference much of the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below (File No. 001-36080) and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed) between the date of the initial registration statement and the effectiveness of the registration statement and following the effectiveness of the registration statement until the offering of the securities under the registration statement is terminated or completed:

•

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, filed on March 5, 2018, including the information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report on Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;



•

Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2018, filed on May 9, 2018, and June 30, 2018, filed on August 1, 2018;



•

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 5, 2018, January 19, 2018, May 14, 2018, May 29, 2018, June 7, 2018 and July 5, 2018; and



•

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on September 20, 2013, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

        You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

Ophthotech Corporation
One Penn Plaza, 35th Floor
New York, NY 10119
(212) 845-8200

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "goals," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. In addition, any statements that refer to the potential benefits of our business plan and strategy to develop Zimura® (avacincaptad pegol) in age-related retinal diseases or autosomal recessive Stargardt disease and our gene therapy product candidate for rhodopsin-mediated autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and to potentially expand our product pipeline, including through collaborative gene therapy research programs; our ability to in-license or acquire additional products, product candidates or technologies to treat ophthalmic diseases and the timing, costs, conduct and outcome of preclinical development or clinical trials we undertake for these newly acquired assets; our expectations related to our use of available cash; our estimates regarding expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and needs for, and ability to obtain, additional financing; the timing, costs, conduct and outcome of our ongoing and planned clinical trials, including statements regarding the timing of the initiation of and completion of enrollment in such trials, and the costs to obtain and timing of receipt of initial results from, and the completion of, such trials; the timing of and our ability to obtain marketing approval of our product candidates, and the ability of our product candidates to meet existing or future regulatory standards; the potential advantages of our product candidates; the rate and degree of potential market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates, if approved; our estimates regarding the potential market opportunity for our product candidates; the potential receipt of revenue from potential future collaborations; the potential receipt of revenues from future sales of our product candidates, if approved; our sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and strategy; our ability to establish and maintain arrangements for the manufacture of our product candidates; our intellectual property position; the impact of existing and new governmental laws and regulations; and our competitive position are forward-looking statements.

        We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. See the "Risk Factors" section of this prospectus for more information. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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OPHTHOTECH CORPORATION

        We are a science-driven biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of novel therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases, with a focus on age-related and orphan retinal diseases. Our multi-track strategy is to leverage our clinical experience and retina expertise to develop therapies for large market, age-related retinal diseases, where unmet medical needs remain for these patients, and for orphan eye diseases with a focus on underserved patients, and to utilize a disciplined business development approach to obtain additional products, product candidates and technologies in these disease areas. We believe that there are advantages to pursuing drug development for orphan indications, including the potential for regulatory exclusivity, the potential for clinical trials with smaller sample sizes and the potential for accelerated development timelines. Our team has significant ophthalmic drug development experience and deep relationships with global ophthalmology thought leaders. We have an extensive network of ophthalmic clinical trial sites, having worked with over 250 sites worldwide. We believe that the combination of these factors, together with our experience in designing and executing IND-enabling studies and clinical trials for eye diseases, and specifically back of the eye diseases, provide us a competitive advantage.

        Our principal executive offices are located at One Penn Plaza, 35^th Floor, New York, NY 10119, and our telephone number is (212) 845-8200.

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

        The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods indicated. You should read this table in conjunction with the financial statements and notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

        We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include research and development costs, the acquisition or in-license of other products, product candidates, businesses or technologies, repayment and refinancing of debt, working capital and capital expenditures. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment grade, interest bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

        We may offer debt securities, which may be senior or subordinated. We refer to the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities collectively as debt securities. The following description summarizes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities. We will describe the specific terms of the debt securities and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions summarized below apply to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the series and any applicable free writing prospectus that we authorize to be delivered. When we refer to "the Company," "we," "our," and "us" in this section, we mean Ophthotech Corporation excluding, unless the context otherwise requires or as otherwise expressly stated, our subsidiaries.

        We may issue senior debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a senior indenture to be entered into between us and a senior trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the senior trustee. We may issue subordinated debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a subordinated indenture to be entered into between us and a subordinated trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the subordinated trustee. The forms of senior indenture and subordinated indenture are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are referred to individually as an indenture and together as the indentures, and the senior trustee and the subordinated trustee are referred to individually as a trustee and together as the trustees. This section summarizes some of the provisions of the indentures and is qualified in its entirety by the specific text of the indentures, including definitions of terms used in the indentures. Wherever we refer to particular sections of, or defined terms in, the indentures, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. You should review the indentures that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part for additional information.

        Neither indenture will limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. The applicable indenture will provide that debt securities may be issued up to an aggregate principal amount authorized from time to time by us and may be payable in any currency or currency unit designated by us or in amounts determined by reference to an index.

General

        The senior debt securities will constitute our unsecured and unsubordinated general obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with our other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. The subordinated debt securities will constitute our unsecured and subordinated general obligations and will be junior in right of payment to our senior indebtedness (including senior debt securities), as described under the heading "—Certain Terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities—Subordination." The debt securities will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries unless such subsidiaries expressly guarantee such debt securities.

        The debt securities will be our unsecured obligations. Any secured debt or other secured obligations will be effectively senior to the debt securities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt or other obligations.

        The applicable prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus will include any additional or different terms of the debt securities of any series being offered, including the following terms:

•

the title and type of the debt securities;



•

whether the debt securities will be senior or subordinated debt securities, and, with respect to any subordinated debt securities the terms on which they are subordinated;



•

the initial aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

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•

the price or prices at which we will sell the debt securities;



•

the maturity date or dates of the debt securities and the right, if any, to extend such date or dates;



•

the rate or rates, if any, at which the debt securities will bear interest, or the method of determining such rate or rates;



•

the date or dates from which such interest will accrue, the interest payment dates on which such interest will be payable or the method of determination of such dates;



•

the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of that extension;



•

the manner of paying principal and interest and the place or places where principal and interest will be payable;



•

provisions for a sinking fund, purchase fund or other analogous fund, if any;



•

any redemption dates, prices, obligations and restrictions on the debt securities;



•

the currency, currencies or currency units in which the debt securities will be denominated and the currency, currencies or currency units in which principal and interest, if any, on the debt securities may be payable;



•

any conversion or exchange features of the debt securities;



•

whether the debt securities will be subject to the defeasance provisions in the indenture;



•

whether the debt securities will be issued in definitive or global form or in definitive form only upon satisfaction of certain conditions;



•

whether the debt securities will be guaranteed as to payment or performance;



•

any special tax implications of the debt securities;



•

any events of default or covenants in addition to or in lieu of those set forth in the indenture; and



•

any other material terms of the debt securities.

        When we refer to "principal" in this section with reference to the debt securities, we are also referring to "premium, if any."

        We may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the holders of any series of debt securities, create and issue further debt securities of any such series ranking equally with the debt securities of such series in all respects (or in all respects other than (1) the payment of interest accruing prior to the issue date of such further debt securities or (2) the first payment of interest following the issue date of such further debt securities). Such further debt securities may be consolidated and form a single series with the debt securities of such series and have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the debt securities of such series.

        You may present debt securities for exchange and you may present debt securities for transfer in the manner, at the places and subject to the restrictions set forth in the debt securities and the applicable prospectus supplement. We will provide you those services without charge, although you may have to pay any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with any exchange or transfer, as set forth in the indenture.

        Debt securities may bear interest at a fixed rate or a floating rate. Debt securities bearing no interest or interest at a rate that at the time of issuance is below the prevailing market rate (original issue discount securities) may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. U.S. federal

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income tax considerations applicable to any such discounted debt securities or to certain debt securities issued at par which are treated as having been issued at a discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        We may issue debt securities with the principal amount payable on any principal payment date, or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date, to be determined by reference to one or more currency exchange rates, securities or baskets of securities, commodity prices or indices. You may receive a payment of principal on any principal payment date, or a payment of interest on any interest payment date, that is greater than or less than the amount of principal or interest otherwise payable on such dates, depending on the value on such dates of the applicable currency, security or basket of securities, commodity or index. Information as to the methods for determining the amount of principal or interest payable on any date, the currencies, securities or baskets of securities, commodities or indices to which the amount payable on such date is linked and certain related tax considerations will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Certain Terms of the Senior Debt Securities

        Covenants.    Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the senior debt securities will not contain any financial or restrictive covenants, including covenants restricting either us or any of our subsidiaries from incurring, issuing, assuming or guaranteeing any indebtedness secured by a lien on any of our or our subsidiaries' property or capital stock, or restricting either us or any of our subsidiaries from entering into sale and leaseback transactions.

        Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets.    Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, we may not consolidate with or merge into any other person, in a transaction in which we are not the surviving corporation, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any person, in either case, unless:

•

the successor entity, if any, is a U.S. corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust;



•

the successor entity assumes our obligations on the senior debt securities and under the senior indenture;



•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing; and



•

we have delivered to the senior trustee an officer's certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that the consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture, comply with the senior indenture and all conditions precedent provided for in the senior indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.

The restrictions described in the bullets above do not apply (1) to our consolidation with or merging into one of our affiliates, if our board of directors determines in good faith that the purpose of the consolidation or merger is principally to change our state of incorporation or our form of organization to another form or (2) if we merge with or into a single direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ours.

The surviving business entity will succeed to, and be substituted for, us under the senior indenture and the senior debt securities and, except in the case of a lease, we shall be released from all obligations under the senior indenture and the senior debt securities.

        No Protection in the Event of a Change in Control.    Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the senior debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the senior debt securities protection in the event

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we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control).

        Events of Default.    Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the following are events of default under the senior indenture with respect to senior debt securities of each series:

•

failure to pay interest on any senior debt securities of such series when due and payable, if that default continues for a period of 30 days (or such other period as may be specified for such series);



•

failure to pay principal on the senior debt securities of such series when due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise (and, if specified for such series, the continuance of such failure for a specified period);



•

default in the performance of or breach of any of our covenants or agreements in the senior indenture applicable to senior debt securities of such series, other than a covenant breach which is specifically dealt with elsewhere in the senior indenture, and that default or breach continues for a period of 90 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or from the holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the senior debt securities of such series;



•

certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, whether or not voluntary; and



•

any other event of default provided for in such series of senior debt securities as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        The default by us under any other debt, including any other series of debt securities, is not a default under the senior indenture.

        If an event of default other than an event of default specified in the fourth bullet point above occurs with respect to a series of senior debt securities and is continuing under the senior indenture, then, and in each such case, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of such series then outstanding under the senior indenture (each such series voting as a separate class) by written notice to us and to the trustee, if such notice is given by the holders, may, and the trustee at the request of such holders shall, declare the principal amount of and accrued interest on such series of senior debt securities to be immediately due and payable, and upon this declaration, the same shall become immediately due and payable.

        If an event of default specified in the fourth bullet point above occurs and is continuing, the entire principal amount of and accrued interest on each series of senior debt securities then outstanding shall automatically become immediately due and payable.

        Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior debt securities originally issued at a discount, the amount due upon acceleration shall include only the original issue price of the senior debt securities, the amount of original issue discount accrued to the date of acceleration and accrued interest, if any.

        Upon certain conditions, declarations of acceleration may be rescinded and annulled and past defaults may be waived by the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all the senior debt securities of such series affected by the default, each series voting as a separate class. Furthermore, subject to various provisions in the senior indenture, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of a series of senior debt securities, by notice to the trustee, may waive a continuing default or event of default with respect to such senior debt securities and its consequences, except a default in the payment of principal of or interest on such senior debt securities (other than any such default in payment resulting solely from an acceleration of the senior debt securities) or in respect of a covenant or provision of the senior indenture which cannot be modified or amended

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without the consent of the holders of each such senior debt security. Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any event of default with respect to such senior debt securities shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of the senior indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or event of default or impair any right consequent thereto.

        The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of a series of senior debt securities may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to such senior debt securities. However, the trustee may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or the senior indenture, that may involve the trustee in personal liability or that the trustee determines in good faith may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of holders of such series of senior debt securities not joining in the giving of such direction and may take any other action it deems proper that is not inconsistent with any such direction received from holders of such series of senior debt securities. A holder may not pursue any remedy with respect to the senior indenture or any series of senior debt securities unless:

•

the holder gives the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default;



•

the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of such series of senior debt securities make a written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy in respect of such event of default;



•

the requesting holder or holders offer the trustee indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against any costs, liability or expense;



•

the trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer of indemnity; and



•

during such 60-day period, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of such series of senior debt securities do not give the trustee a direction that is inconsistent with the request.

        These limitations, however, do not apply to the right of any holder of a senior debt security of any affected series to receive payment of the principal of and interest on such senior debt security in accordance with the terms of such debt security, or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment in accordance with the terms of such debt security, on or after the due date for the senior debt securities, which right shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of the holder.

        The senior indenture requires certain of our officers to certify, on or before a fixed date in each year in which any senior debt security is outstanding, as to their knowledge of our compliance with all covenants, agreements and conditions under the senior indenture.

        Satisfaction and Discharge.    We can satisfy and discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities if:

•

we have paid or caused to be paid the principal of and interest on all senior debt securities of such series (with certain limited exceptions) when due and payable; or



•

we deliver to the senior trustee for cancellation all senior debt securities of such series theretofore authenticated under the senior indenture (with certain limited exceptions); or



•

all senior debt securities of such series have become due and payable or will become due and payable within one year (or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the senior trustee) and we deposit in trust an amount of cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government securities or foreign government agency securities) sufficient to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates;

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and if, in any such case, we also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable under the senior indenture, as and when the same shall be due and payable and we deliver to the senior trustee an officer's certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that these conditions have been satisfied.

        Under current U.S. federal income tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the debt securities would be treated as though we took back your debt securities and gave you your share of the cash and debt securities or bonds deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or loss on the debt securities you give back to us. Purchasers of the debt securities should consult their own advisers with respect to the tax consequences to them of such deposit and discharge, including the applicability and effect of tax laws other than the U.S. federal income tax law.

        Defeasance.    Unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise, the following discussion of legal defeasance and covenant defeasance will apply to any series of debt securities issued under the indentures.

        Legal Defeasance.    We can legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities of any series (called "legal defeasance") if certain conditions are met, including the following:

•

We deposit in trust for your benefit and the benefit of all other direct holders of the debt securities of the same series cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or, in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government or foreign government agency obligations) that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates.



•

There is a change in current U.S. federal income tax law or an IRS ruling that lets us make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and instead repaid the debt securities ourselves when due. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the debt securities would be treated as though we took back your debt securities and gave you your share of the cash and debt securities or bonds deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or loss on the debt securities you give back to us.



•

We deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming the tax law change or ruling described above.

        If we accomplish legal defeasance, as described above, you would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment of the debt securities. You could not look to us for repayment in the event of any shortfall.

        Covenant Defeasance.    Without any change in current U.S. federal tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from some of the covenants in the debt securities (called "covenant defeasance"). In that event, you would lose the protection of those covenants but would gain the protection of having money and securities set aside in trust to repay the debt securities. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, we must do the following (among other things):

•

We must deposit in trust for your benefit and the benefit of all other direct holders of the debt securities of the same series cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or, in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government or foreign government agency obligations) that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates.

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•

We must deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming that under current U.S. federal income tax law we may make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and instead repaid the debt securities ourselves when due.

        If we accomplish covenant defeasance, you could still look to us for repayment of the debt securities if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit. In fact, if one of the events of default occurred (such as our bankruptcy) and the debt securities become immediately due and payable, there may be such a shortfall. Depending on the events causing the default, you may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.

        Modification and Waiver.    We and the trustee may amend or supplement the senior indenture or the senior debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder:

•

to convey, transfer, assign, mortgage or pledge any assets as security for the senior debt securities of one or more series;



•

to evidence the succession of a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust to us, and the assumption by such successor of our covenants, agreements and obligations under the senior indenture or to otherwise comply with the covenant relating to mergers, consolidations and sales of assets;



•

to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the senior indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "Trust Indenture Act");



•

to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default;



•

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the senior indenture or in any supplemental indenture or to conform the senior indenture or the senior debt securities to the description of senior debt securities of such series set forth in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement;



•

to provide for or add guarantors with respect to the senior debt securities of any series;



•

to establish the form or forms or terms of the senior debt securities as permitted by the senior indenture;



•

to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under the senior indenture by a successor trustee, or to make such changes as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts in the senior indenture by more than one trustee;



•

to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the senior indenture in respect of one or more series of senior debt securities, provided that any such addition, change or elimination shall (a) neither (1) apply to any senior debt security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor (2) modify the rights of the holder of any such senior debt security with respect to such provision or (b) become effective only when there is no senior debt security described in clause (a)(1) outstanding;



•

to make any change to the senior debt securities of any series so long as no senior debt securities of such series are outstanding; or

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•

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder in any material respect.

        Other amendments and modifications of the senior indenture or the senior debt securities issued may be made, and our compliance with any provision of the senior indenture with respect to any series of senior debt securities may be waived, with the consent of the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities of each series affected by the amendment or modification (voting as separate series); provided, however, that each affected holder must consent to any modification, amendment or waiver that:

•

extends the final maturity of any senior debt securities of such series;



•

reduces the principal amount of any senior debt securities of such series;



•

reduces the rate, or extends the time for payment of, interest on any senior debt securities of such series;



•

reduces the amount payable upon the redemption of any senior debt securities of such series;



•

changes the currency of payment of principal of or interest on any senior debt securities of such series;



•

reduces the principal amount of original issue discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity or the amount provable in bankruptcy;



•

waives a continuing default in the payment of principal of or interest on the senior debt securities (other than any such default in payment resulting solely from an acceleration of the senior debt securities);



•

changes the provisions relating to the waiver of past defaults or impairs the right of holders to receive payment or to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment or conversion of any senior debt securities of such series on or after the due date therefor;



•

modifies any of the provisions of these restrictions on amendments and modifications, except to increase any required percentage or to provide that certain other provisions cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each senior debt security of such series affected by the modification;



•

adversely affects the right to convert or exchange senior debt securities into common stock or other property in accordance with the terms of the senior debt securities; or



•

reduces the above-stated percentage of outstanding senior debt securities of such series whose holders must consent to a supplemental indenture or modifies or amends or waives certain provisions of or defaults under the senior indenture.

        It shall not be necessary for the holders to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if the holders' consent approves the substance thereof. After an amendment, supplement or waiver of the senior indenture in accordance with the provisions described in this section becomes effective, the trustee must give to the holders affected thereby certain notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. Any failure by the trustee to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such amendment, supplemental indenture or waiver.

        No Personal Liability of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers, Directors.    The senior indenture provides that no recourse shall be had under any obligation, covenant or agreement of ours in the senior indenture or any supplemental indenture, or in any of the senior debt securities or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, against any of our incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors, past, present or future, or of any predecessor or successor entity thereof under any

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law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise. Each holder, by accepting the senior debt securities, waives and releases all such liability.

        Concerning the Trustee.    The senior indenture provides that, except during the continuance of an event of default, the trustee will not be liable except for the performance of such duties as are specifically set forth in the senior indenture. If an event of default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee will exercise such rights and powers vested in it under the senior indenture and will use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person's own affairs.

        The senior indenture and the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act incorporated by reference therein contain limitations on the rights of the trustee thereunder, should it become a creditor of ours or any of our subsidiaries, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received by it in respect of any such claims, as security or otherwise. The trustee is permitted to engage in other transactions, provided that if it acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act), it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

        We may have normal banking relationships with the senior trustee in the ordinary course of business.

        Unclaimed Funds.    All funds deposited with the trustee or any paying agent for the payment of principal, premium, interest or additional amounts in respect of the senior debt securities that remain unclaimed for two years after the date upon which such amounts became due and payable will be repaid to us. Thereafter, any right of any holder of senior debt securities to such funds shall be enforceable only against us, and the trustee and paying agents will have no liability therefor.

        Governing Law.    The senior indenture and the senior debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York.

Certain Terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities

        Other than the terms of the subordinated indenture and subordinated debt securities relating to subordination or otherwise as described in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of subordinated debt securities, the terms of the subordinated indenture and subordinated debt securities are identical in all material respects to the terms of the senior indenture and senior debt securities.

        Additional or different subordination terms may be specified in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series.

        Subordination.    The indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt securities is subordinate to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness, as defined in the subordinated indenture. During the continuance beyond any applicable grace period of any default in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any of our senior indebtedness, we may not make any payment of principal of or interest on the subordinated debt securities (except for certain sinking fund payments). In addition, upon any payment or distribution of our assets upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the subordinated indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all our senior indebtedness. Because of this subordination, if we dissolve or otherwise liquidate, holders of our subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than holders of our senior indebtedness. The subordination provisions do not prevent the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated indenture.

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        The term "senior indebtedness" of a person means with respect to such person the principal of, premium, if any, interest on, and any other payment due pursuant to any of the following, whether outstanding on the date of the subordinated indenture or incurred by that person in the future:

•

all of the indebtedness of that person for money borrowed;



•

all of the indebtedness of that person evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other securities sold by that person for money;



•

all of the lease obligations that are capitalized on the books of that person in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;



•

all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the first two bullet points above and all lease obligations of others of the kind described in the third bullet point above that the person, in any manner, assumes or guarantees or that the person in effect guarantees through an agreement to purchase, whether that agreement is contingent or otherwise; and



•

all renewals, extensions or refundings of indebtedness of the kinds described in the first, second or fourth bullet point above and all renewals or extensions of leases of the kinds described in the third or fourth bullet point above;

unless, in the case of any particular indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding, the instrument creating or evidencing it or the assumption or guarantee relating to it expressly provides that such indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding is not superior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities. Our senior debt securities constitute senior indebtedness for purposes of the subordinated indenture.

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

        The following description of our capital stock is intended as a summary only and therefore is not a complete description of our capital stock. This description is based upon, and is qualified by reference to, our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws and applicable provisions of Delaware corporate law. You should read our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, for the provisions that are important to you.

        Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 5,000,000 shares of our preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. As of July 31, 2018, we had issued and outstanding 36,198,436 shares of our common stock, and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.

Common Stock

        Annual Meeting.    Annual meetings of our stockholders are held on the date designated in accordance with our by-laws. Written notice must be mailed to each stockholder entitled to vote not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting. The presence in person or by proxy of the holders of record of a majority of our issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at such meeting constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at meetings of the stockholders. Special meetings of the stockholders may be called for any purpose by only the board of directors, the Chairman of the board of directors or the Chief Executive Officer. Except as may be otherwise provided by applicable law, our certificate of incorporation or our by-laws, all elections of directors shall be decided by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on the election, and all other questions shall be decided by the vote of the holders of shares of stock having a majority in voting power of the votes cast by the holders of all of the shares of stock present or represented at the meeting and voting affirmatively or negatively on such matter at a duly held meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present.

        Voting Rights.    Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by stockholders.

        Dividends.    Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, and except as provided by law or in our certificate of incorporation, dividends may be declared and paid or set aside for payment on the common stock out of legally available assets or funds when and as declared by the board of directors.

        Liquidation and Dissolution.    Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, in the event of our liquidation or dissolution, our net assets will be distributed pro rata to the holders of our common stock.

        Other Rights.    Holders of the common stock have no right to:

•

convert the stock into any other security;



•

have the stock redeemed;



•

purchase additional stock; or



•

maintain their proportionate ownership interest.

        The common stock does not have cumulative voting rights. Holders of shares of the common stock are not required to make additional capital contributions.

        Transfer Agent and Registrar.    Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is transfer agent and registrar for the common stock.

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Preferred Stock

        We are authorized to issue "blank check" preferred stock, which may be issued in one or more series upon authorization of our board of directors. Our board of directors is authorized to fix the designations, powers, preferences and the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions of the shares of each series of preferred stock. The authorized shares of our preferred stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed. If the approval of our stockholders is not required for the issuance of shares of our preferred stock, our board may determine not to seek stockholder approval. The specific terms of any series of preferred stock offered pursuant to this prospectus will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to that series of preferred stock.

        A series of our preferred stock could, depending on the terms of such series, impede the completion of a merger, tender offer or other takeover attempt. Our board of directors will make any determination to issue preferred shares based upon its judgment as to the best interests of our stockholders. Our directors, in so acting, could issue preferred stock having terms that could discourage an acquisition attempt through which an acquirer may be able to change the composition of our board of directors, including a tender offer or other transaction that some, or a majority, of our stockholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which stockholders might receive a premium for their stock over the then-current market price of the stock.

        The preferred stock has the terms described below unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock. You should read the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock being offered for specific terms, including:

•

the designation and stated value per share of the preferred stock and the number of shares offered;



•

the amount of liquidation preference per share;



•

the price at which the preferred stock will be issued;



•

the dividend rate, or method of calculation of dividends, the dates on which dividends will be payable, whether dividends will be cumulative or noncumulative and, if cumulative, the dates from which dividends will commence to accumulate;



•

any redemption or sinking fund provisions;



•

if other than the currency of the United States, the currency or currencies including composite currencies in which the preferred stock is denominated and/or in which payments will or may be payable;



•

any conversion provisions;



•

whether we have elected to offer depositary shares as described under "Description of Depositary Shares;" and



•

any other rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions on the preferred stock.

        The preferred stock will, when issued, be fully paid and non-assessable. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, each series of preferred stock will rank equally as to dividends and liquidation rights in all respects with each other series of preferred stock. The rights of holders of shares of each series of preferred stock will be subordinate to those of our general creditors.

        As described under "Description of Depositary Shares," we may, at our option, with respect to any series of preferred stock, elect to offer fractional interests in shares of preferred stock, and provide for

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the issuance of depositary receipts representing depositary shares, each of which will represent a fractional interest in a share of the series of preferred stock. The fractional interest will be specified in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock.

        Rank.    Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will, with respect to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, rank:

•

senior to our common stock and to all equity securities ranking junior to such preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;



•

on a parity with all equity securities issued by us, the terms of which specifically provide that such equity securities rank on a parity with the preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; and



•

junior to all equity securities issued by us, the terms of which specifically provide that such equity securities rank senior to the preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

        The term "equity securities" does not include convertible debt securities.

        Dividends.    Holders of the preferred stock of each series will be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by our board of directors, cash dividends at such rates and on such dates described in the prospectus supplement. Different series of preferred stock may be entitled to dividends at different rates or based on different methods of calculation. The dividend rate may be fixed or variable or both. Dividends will be payable to the holders of record as they appear on our stock books on record dates fixed by our board of directors, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        Dividends on any series of preferred stock may be cumulative or noncumulative, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If our board of directors does not declare a dividend payable on a dividend payment date on any series of noncumulative preferred stock, then the holders of that noncumulative preferred stock will have no right to receive a dividend for that dividend payment date, and we will have no obligation to pay the dividend accrued for that period, whether or not dividends on that series are declared payable on any future dividend payment dates. Dividends on any series of cumulative preferred stock will accrue from the date we initially issue shares of such series or such other date specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        No dividends may be declared or paid or funds set apart for the payment of any dividends on any parity securities unless full dividends have been paid or set apart for payment on the preferred stock. If full dividends are not paid, the preferred stock will share dividends pro rata with the parity securities.

        No dividends may be declared or paid or funds set apart for the payment of dividends on any junior securities unless full dividends for all dividend periods terminating on or prior to the date of the declaration or payment will have been paid or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment set apart for payment on the preferred stock.

        Liquidation Preference.    Upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, then, before we make any distribution or payment to the holders of any common stock or any other class or series of our capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock in the distribution of assets upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, the holders of each series of preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of assets legally available for distribution to stockholders, liquidating distributions in the amount of the liquidation preference per share set forth in the prospectus supplement, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon. Such dividends will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid noncumulative dividends for prior dividend periods.

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Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, after payment of the full amount of their liquidating distributions, the holders of preferred stock will have no right or claim to any of our remaining assets. Upon any such voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, if our available assets are insufficient to pay the amount of the liquidating distributions on all outstanding preferred stock and the corresponding amounts payable on all other classes or series of our capital stock ranking on parity with the preferred stock and all other such classes or series of shares of capital stock ranking on parity with the preferred stock in the distribution of assets, then the holders of the preferred stock and all other such classes or series of capital stock will share ratably in any such distribution of assets in proportion to the full liquidating distributions to which they would otherwise be entitled.

        Upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up and if we have made liquidating distributions in full to all holders of preferred stock, we will distribute our remaining assets among the holders of any other classes or series of capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock according to their respective rights and preferences and, in each case, according to their respective number of shares. For such purposes, our consolidation or merger with or into any other corporation, trust or entity, or the sale, lease or conveyance of all or substantially all of our property or assets will not be deemed to constitute a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

        Redemption.    If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will be subject to mandatory redemption or redemption at our option, as a whole or in part, in each case upon the terms, at the times and at the redemption prices set forth in such prospectus supplement.

        The prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock that is subject to mandatory redemption will specify the number of shares of preferred stock that shall be redeemed by us in each year commencing after a date to be specified, at a redemption price per share to be specified, together with an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon to the date of redemption. Unless the shares have a cumulative dividend, such accrued dividends will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods. We may pay the redemption price in cash or other property, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. If the redemption price for preferred stock of any series is payable only from the net proceeds of the issuance of shares of our capital stock, the terms of such preferred stock may provide that, if no such shares of our capital stock shall have been issued or to the extent the net proceeds from any issuance are insufficient to pay in full the aggregate redemption price then due, such preferred stock shall automatically and mandatorily be converted into the applicable shares of our capital stock pursuant to conversion provisions specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we will not redeem any preferred stock of a series unless:

•

if that series of preferred stock has a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full cumulative dividends on the preferred stock for all past dividend periods and the then current dividend period; or



•

if such series of preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full dividends for the then current dividend period.

        In addition, we will not acquire any preferred stock of a series unless:

•

if that series of preferred stock has a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full cumulative dividends on all outstanding shares of such series of preferred stock for all past dividend periods and the then current dividend period; or

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•

if that series of preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full dividends on the preferred stock of such series for the then current dividend period.

        However, at any time we may purchase or acquire preferred stock of that series (1) pursuant to a purchase or exchange offer made on the same terms to holders of all outstanding preferred stock of such series or (2) by conversion into or exchange for shares of our capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock of such series as to dividends and upon liquidation.

        If fewer than all of the outstanding shares of preferred stock of any series are to be redeemed, we will determine the number of shares that may be redeemed pro rata from the holders of record of such shares in proportion to the number of such shares held or for which redemption is requested by such holder or by any other equitable manner that we determine. Such determination will reflect adjustments to avoid redemption of fractional shares.

        Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, we will mail notice of redemption at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of record of preferred stock to be redeemed at the address shown on our stock transfer books. Each notice shall state:

•

the redemption date;



•

the number of shares and series of preferred stock to be redeemed;



•

the redemption price;



•

the place or places where certificates for such preferred stock are to be surrendered for payment of the redemption price;



•

that dividends on the shares to be redeemed will cease to accrue on such redemption date;



•

the date on which the holder's conversion rights, if any, as to such shares shall terminate; and



•

the specific number of shares to be redeemed from each such holder if fewer than all the shares of any series are to be redeemed.

        If notice of redemption has been given and we have set aside the funds necessary for such redemption in trust for the benefit of the holders of any shares called for redemption, then from and after the redemption date, dividends will cease to accrue on such shares, and all rights of the holders of such shares will terminate, except the right to receive the redemption price.

        Voting Rights.    Holders of preferred stock will not have any voting rights, except as required by law or as indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        Unless otherwise provided for under the terms of any series of preferred stock, no consent or vote of the holders of shares of preferred stock or any series thereof shall be required for any amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would increase the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or the number of authorized shares of any series thereof or decrease the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or the number of authorized shares of any series thereof (but not below the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or such series, as the case may be, then outstanding).

        Conversion Rights.    The terms and conditions, if any, upon which any series of preferred stock is convertible into our common stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating thereto. Such terms will include the number of shares of common stock into which the shares of preferred stock are convertible, the conversion price, rate or manner of calculation thereof, the conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at our option or at the option of the holders of the preferred stock, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting conversion in the event of the redemption.

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        Transfer Agent and Registrar.    The transfer agent and registrar for the preferred stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws and Delaware Law That May Have Anti-Takeover Effects

        Staggered Board; Removal of Directors.    Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws divide our board of directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms. In addition, our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws provide that directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% of our shares of capital stock present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote. Under our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office. Furthermore, our certificate of incorporation provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by the resolution of our board of directors. The classification of our board of directors and the limitations on the ability of our stockholders to remove directors, change the authorized number of directors and fill vacancies could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or discourage a third party from seeking to acquire, control of our company.

        Stockholder Action; Special Meeting of Stockholders; Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations.    Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may only be taken if it is properly brought before such meeting and may not be taken by written action in lieu of a meeting. Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws also provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by the chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer or our board of directors. In addition, our bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders, including proposed nominations of candidates for election to our board of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors, or by a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has delivered timely written notice in proper form to our secretary of the stockholder's intention to bring such business before the meeting. These provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next stockholder meeting stockholder actions that are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities. These provisions also could discourage a third party from making a tender offer for our common stock, because even if it acquired a majority of our outstanding voting stock, it would be able to take action as a stockholder, such as electing new directors or approving a merger, only at a duly called stockholders meeting and not by written consent.

        Super-Majority Voting.    The General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL, provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation's certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless a corporation's certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any annual election of directors. In addition, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any election of directors is required to amend or repeal or to adopt any provisions inconsistent with any of the provisions of our certificate of incorporation described above.

        Delaware Business Combination Statute.    Section 203 of the DGCL is applicable to us. Section 203 of the DGCL restricts some types of transactions and business combinations between a corporation and

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a 15% stockholder. A 15% stockholder is generally considered by Section 203 to be a person owning 15% or more of the corporation's outstanding voting stock. Section 203 refers to a 15% stockholder as an "interested stockholder." Section 203 restricts these transactions for a period of three years from the date the stockholder acquires 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. With some exceptions, unless the transaction is approved by the board of directors and the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation, Section 203 prohibits significant business transactions such as:

•

a merger with, disposition of significant assets to or receipt of disproportionate financial benefits by the interested stockholder, and



•

any other transaction that would increase the interested stockholder's proportionate ownership of any class or series of our capital stock.

        The shares held by the interested stockholder are not counted as outstanding when calculating the two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock needed for approval.

        The prohibition against these transactions does not apply if:

•

prior to the time that any stockholder became an interested stockholder, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction in which such stockholder acquired 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, or



•

the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of our outstanding voting stock as a result of a transaction in which such stockholder acquired 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. Shares held by persons who are both directors and officers or by some types of employee stock plans are not counted as outstanding when making this calculation.

Directors' Liability

        Our certificate of incorporation limits the personal liability of directors for breach of fiduciary duty to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law and provides that no director will have personal liability to us or to our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty or other duty as a director. However, these provisions do not eliminate or limit the liability of any of our directors:

•

for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;



•

for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;



•

for voting or assenting to unlawful payments of dividends, stock repurchases or other distributions; or



•

for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

        Any amendment to or repeal of these provisions will not eliminate or reduce the effect of these provisions in respect of any act, omission or claim that occurred or arose prior to such amendment or repeal. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to provide for further limitations on the personal liability of directors of corporations, then the personal liability of our directors will be further limited to the greatest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.

        Our certificate of incorporation provides that we must indemnify our directors and officers and we must advance expenses, including attorneys' fees, to our directors and officers in connection with legal proceedings, subject to very limited exceptions.

        We maintain a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of our directors and officers arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers. In

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addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers. These indemnification agreements may require us, among other things, to indemnify each such director or executive officer, as applicable, for some expenses, including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by him or her in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as one of our directors or executive officers, as applicable.

        Certain of our non-employee directors may, through their relationships with their employers, be insured or indemnified against certain liabilities incurred in their capacity as members of our board of directors.

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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES

General

        We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, which we call depositary shares, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we do, we will issue to the public receipts, called depositary receipts, for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fraction, to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fractional interest in a share of preferred stock represented by the depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share. Those rights include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights.

        The shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited with a bank or trust company selected by us to act as depositary under a deposit agreement between us, the depositary and the holders of the depositary receipts. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares.

        The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.

        The summary of terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus is not a complete description of the terms of the depositary shares. You should refer to the form of the deposit agreement, our certificate of incorporation and the certificate of designation for the applicable series of preferred stock that are, or will be, filed with the SEC.

Dividends and Other Distributions

        The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares owned by those holders on the relevant record date. The relevant record date for depositary shares will be the same date as the record date for the underlying preferred stock.

        If there is a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property (including securities) received by it to the record holders of depositary shares, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, adopt another method for the distribution, including selling the property and distributing the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.

Liquidation Preference

        If a series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares has a liquidation preference, in the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable series of preferred stock, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Withdrawal of Stock

        Unless the related depositary shares have been previously called for redemption, upon surrender of the depositary receipts at the office of the depositary, the holder of the depositary shares will be entitled to delivery, at the office of the depositary to or upon his or her order, of the number of whole shares of the preferred stock and any money or other property represented by the depositary shares. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the

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number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. In no event will the depositary deliver fractional shares of preferred stock upon surrender of depositary receipts. Holders of preferred stock thus withdrawn may not thereafter deposit those shares under the deposit agreement or receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.

Redemption of Depositary Shares

        Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing shares of the preferred stock so redeemed, so long as we have paid in full to the depositary the redemption price of the preferred stock to be redeemed plus an amount equal to any accumulated and unpaid dividends on the preferred stock to the date fixed for redemption. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the redemption price and any other amounts per share payable on the preferred stock multiplied by the fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by one depositary share. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata or by any other equitable method as may be determined by the depositary.

        After the date fixed for redemption, depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the holders of depositary shares will cease, except the right to receive the monies payable upon redemption and any money or other property to which the holders of the depositary shares were entitled upon redemption upon surrender to the depositary of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares.

Voting the Preferred Stock

        Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts relating to that preferred stock. The record date for the depositary receipts relating to the preferred stock will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary shares on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of preferred stock represented by that holder's depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote the number of shares of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares in accordance with those instructions, and we will agree to take all action that may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will not vote any shares of preferred stock except to the extent it receives specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing that number of shares of preferred stock.

Charges of Depositary

        We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and any redemption of the preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges (including those in connection with the receipt and distribution of dividends, the sale or exercise of rights, the withdrawal of the preferred stock and the transferring, splitting or grouping of depositary receipts) as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts. If these charges have not been paid by the holders of depositary receipts, the depositary may refuse to transfer depositary shares, withhold dividends and distributions and sell the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipt.

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Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement

        The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares, other than fee changes, will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding depositary shares. The deposit agreement may be terminated by the depositary or us only if:

•

all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed; or



•

there has been a final distribution of the preferred stock in connection with our dissolution and such distribution has been made to all the holders of depositary shares.

Resignation and Removal of Depositary

        The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may remove the depositary at any time. Any resignation or removal of the depositary will take effect upon our appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. The successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having the requisite combined capital and surplus as set forth in the applicable agreement.

Notices

        The depositary will forward to holders of depositary receipts all notices, reports and other communications, including proxy solicitation materials received from us, that are delivered to the depositary and that we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any reports and communications we deliver to the depositary as the holder of preferred stock.

Limitation of Liability

        Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if either we or it is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations. Our obligations and those of the depositary will be limited to performance in good faith of our and their duties thereunder. We and the depositary will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by persons presenting preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed to be competent to give such information and on documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

        We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities that may be offered under this prospectus, in any combination. The following, together with the additional information we may include in the applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any units we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately at any time, or at any time before a specified date.

        Any applicable prospectus supplement will describe:

•

the material terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;



•

any material provisions relating to the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and



•

any material provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described above.

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

        We may issue warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares or debt securities. We may offer warrants separately or together with one or more additional warrants, common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares or debt securities, or any combination of those securities in the form of units, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we issue warrants as part of a unit, the accompanying prospectus supplement will specify whether those warrants may be separated from the other securities in the unit prior to the expiration date of the warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe the following terms of any warrants:

•

the specific designation and aggregate number of, and the offering price at which we will issue, the warrants;



•

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;



•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which you may exercise the warrants;



•

whether the warrants are to be sold separately or with other securities as parts of units;



•

whether the warrants will be issued in definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms, although, in any case, the form of a warrant included in a unit will correspond to the form of the unit and of any security included in that unit;



•

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences;



•

the identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents;



•

the proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants on any securities exchange;



•

the designation and terms of any equity securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants;



•

the designation, aggregate principal amount, currency and terms of any debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;



•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the preferred stock or depositary shares with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each security;



•

if applicable, the date from and after which any warrants issued as part of a unit and the related debt securities, preferred stock, depositary shares or common stock will be separately transferable;



•

the number of shares of common stock, preferred stock or depositary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant and the price at which those shares may be purchased;



•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;



•

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;



•

the anti-dilution provisions of, and other provisions for changes to or adjustment in the exercise price of, the warrants, if any;



•

any redemption or call provisions; and



•

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange or exercise of the warrants.

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FORMS OF SECURITIES

        Each debt security, depositary share, unit and warrant will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise, certificated securities in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities, depositary shares, units or warrants represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor's beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.

Global Securities

        We may issue the debt securities, depositary shares, units and warrants in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.

        If not described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.

        Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants' accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in global securities.

        So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture, deposit agreement, warrant agreement or unit agreement. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the applicable indenture, deposit agreement, unit agreement or warrant agreement. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the

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person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture, deposit agreement, unit agreement or warrant agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable indenture, deposit agreement, unit agreement or warrant agreement, the depositary for the global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

        Principal, premium, if any, and interest payments on debt securities, and any payments to holders with respect to depositary shares, warrants or units, represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the global security. None of us, or any trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other agent of ours, or any agent of any trustee, warrant agent or unit agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

        We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a global security, upon receipt of any payment to holders of principal, premium, interest or other distribution of underlying securities or other property on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants' accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers or registered in "street name," and will be the responsibility of those participants.

        If the depositary for any of the securities represented by a global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the global security that had been held by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary's instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global security that had been held by the depositary.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

        We may sell securities:

•

through underwriters;



•

through dealers;



•

through agents;



•

directly to purchasers; or



•

through a combination of any of these methods of sale.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

        We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act, and describe any commissions that we must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis.

        The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

•

at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;



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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;



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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or



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at negotiated prices.

        Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

        The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

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the name of the agent or any underwriters;



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the public offering or purchase price and the proceeds we will receive from the sale of the securities;



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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or re-allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;



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all other items constituting underwriting compensation;



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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers; and



•

any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

        If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

        If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

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        If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

        Remarketing firms, agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

        If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

•

the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and



•

if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

        Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, and/or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

        In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

        Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise or the securities are sold by us to an underwriter in a firm commitment underwritten offering. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for

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your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

        The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

        In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the aggregate maximum discount, commission or agency fees or other items constituting underwriting compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer will not exceed 8% of the proceeds from any offering pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.

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LEGAL MATTERS

        Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the validity of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be passed upon by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

EXPERTS

        Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP's reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

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IVERIC bio, Inc.

Common Stock
Pre-Funded Warrants to Purchase Common Stock

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

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Book-Running Manager

Cowen

                      , 2019

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