January 16, 2007
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Writers Direct Contact | |||
212.468.8163 | ||||
JTanenbaum@mofo.com |
RE: | Orthodontix, Inc. Schedule 14F-1 filed on December 18, 2006 File No. 005-50118 |
1. | We note your response to prior comment 1. Please provide your analysis as to why you believe Orthodontix should not be considered a party to the merger, particularly in light of the fact that Orthodontix is a party to the Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (Exhibit 10.10 to the Form 8- |
K filed January 8, 2007) and the fact that Orthodontix is also providing the merger consideration in the form of Orthodontix common stock. | |||
The transaction completed pursuant to the Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (Agreement) made and entered as of August 21, 2006, by and among the Company, Protalix Acquisition Co., Ltd., an Israeli company (Acquisition Subsidiary), which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and Protalix Ltd., an Israeli company (Protalix) was completed in the form of a reverse triangular merger. In the reverse triangular merger, Protalix and Acquisition Subsidiary were the parties to the merger itself, not the Company. Protalix merged with and into Acquisition Subsidiary and is the surviving company, and, accordingly, Protalix became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. By completing the transaction in the form of a reverse triangular merger, the Company was not subject to the shareholder consent requirements under the Florida Business Corporation Act, or FBCA, which would have been required if the transaction was effected by way of a direct forward merger. As set forth in our previous letter, Section 607.1101 of the FBCA requires approval only from those shareholders who hold shares in a company that is subject to the merger. | |||
At the time of the merger, Protalix and Acquisition Subsidiary were both Israeli companies and, accordingly, the merger was subject to the Israeli Companies Law. The merger was approved by the shareholders of Protalix and by the sole shareholder of Acquisition Subsidiary, which in this case was the Company. In addition, the merger was approved by the board of directors of each of the Company, Acquisition Subsidiary and Protalix. The merger complied with the Israeli Companies Law. | |||
The fact that the Company was a party to the Agreement does not necessitate that the Company is a party to the merger itself. Rather, the Company was a party to the Agreement to help facilitate the transaction. The Company made the representations, warranties, covenants, and indemnities that are customary in merger agreements and required by the counterparties to the transaction. In addition, the fact that the Company provided the consideration to Protalixs shareholders in connection with the transaction is a feature of a reverse triangular merger and does not make the Company a party to the merger. |
cc: | David Aviezer, Ph.D. Yossi Maimon |