UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-A

For Registration of Certain Classes of Securities

Pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General Instruction A.(c), check the following box. ☒

If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General Instruction A.(d), check the following box. ☐

Securities Act registration statement or Regulation A offering statement file number to which this form relates: Not Applicable

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

On April 7, 2022, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”), to purchase from the Company one one-thousandth of a share of Series H Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (“Series H Preferred Stock”) at a price of $10.00 per one one-thousandth of a share of Series H Preferred Stock (the “Purchase Price”), subject to adjustment as provided in the Rights Agreement (defined below). The dividend is payable to stockholders of record on April 12, 2022 (the “Record Date”). The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Section 382 Rights Agreement, dated as of April 7, 2022, as the same may be amended from time to time, (the “Rights Agreement”), between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent (the “Rights Agent”).

The Rights Agreement is designed to prevent the Company from facing a substantial limitation on its ability to use its Tax Benefits (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) to offset potential future income taxes for federal income tax purposes. The Company’s ability to use its Tax Benefits would be substantially limited if it experiences an “ownership change,” as such term is defined in Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). A company generally experiences an ownership change if the percentage of its shares of stock owned by its “5-percent shareholders,” as such term is defined in Section 382 of the Code, increases by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. The Rights Agreement is intended to reduce the likelihood of an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code by deterring any Person (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) or group of affiliated or associated Persons from acquiring Beneficial Ownership (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) of 4.99% or more of the outstanding Common Stock.

The following is a summary of the terms of the Rights Agreement. The summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Rights Agreement, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 4.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

Effectiveness.

The Rights Agreement became effective on April 7, 2022 (the “Effective Date”). Upon and following the Effective Date, Rights will be issued in respect of all outstanding shares of Common Stock on the Record Date, and for all shares of Common Stock issued after the Record Date and, subject to the terms described in the Rights Agreement, prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date (as defined below), the redemption of the Rights or the expiration of the Rights as provided by the Rights Agreement.

Distribution and Transfer of Rights; Distribution Date; Rights Certificates.

Subject to certain exceptions specified in the Rights Agreement, the Rights will separate from the Common Stock and become exercisable following the earlier of (i) 10 business days from the public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has become an Acquiring Person (as defined below) or such earlier date on which a majority of the Board becomes aware of the existence of an Acquiring Person or (ii) such date (prior to such time as any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person), if any, as may be determined by action of the Board, in its sole discretion, following the commencement of, or public announcement of an intention to commence, a tender or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of such dates being called the “Distribution Date”). A person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an “Acquiring Person” upon acquiring Beneficial Ownership of 4.99% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, except in certain situations (including a person or group of affiliated or associated persons that currently has Beneficial Ownership of the outstanding shares of Common Stock in excess of such thresholds unless and until such person or group becomes the Beneficial Owner of a percentage of shares of Common Stock outstanding that exceeds by 0.5% or more the percentage of shares of Common Stock outstanding that such person or group owned as of the first public announcement of the adoption of the Rights Agreement).

The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be transferred with and only with the Common Stock. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Stock certificates issued after the Record Date upon transfer or new issuances of Common Stock will contain a legend incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference (and notice of such legend will be furnished to holders of book entry shares). Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for shares of Common Stock (or of any book entry shares of Common Stock) outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such legend (or notice of such legend) or a copy of the Summary of Rights, will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the shares of Common Stock represented by such certificate (or book entry). As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights (“Right Certificates”) will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.

The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights will expire on the earliest of (i) April 6, 2025, (ii) the effective date of the repeal of Section 382 or any successor statute if the Board determines in its sole discretion that the Rights Agreement is no longer necessary or desirable for the preservation of NOLs or other tax benefits, (iii) the first day of a taxable year of the Company to which the Board determines in its sole discretion that no NOLs or other Tax Benefits may be carried forward or (iv) the day following the certification of the voting results of the Company’s 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, or any adjournment thereof, if at or before such annual meeting or adjournment thereof, a proposal to approve the Rights Agreement has not been approved by stockholders, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case as described below, or upon the occurrence of certain transactions.

Exempt Persons and Transactions.

The Rights Agreement includes procedures whereby the Board will consider requests to exempt (a) any person or group (an “Exempt Person”) which would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person”, or (b) any transaction (an “Exempt Transaction”) resulting in the Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock, prior to the consummation of such transaction, from the Acquiring Person trigger, in each case as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, provided that it shall only grant such an exemption if it determines in its sole discretion that such ownership would not reasonably be expected to jeopardize or endanger the availability of the NOLs or other tax benefits to the Company or if it otherwise determines that the exemption is in the best interests of the Company; provided further that, (A) in the case of an Exempt Person, if the Board later makes a contrary determination with respect to the effect of such person or group’s Beneficial Ownership with respect to the availability to the Company of its NOLs or other tax benefits, such person or group shall cease to be an Exempt Person and (B) in the case of an Exempt Person or Exempt Transaction, the Board in its sole discretion may require the applicable person or group to make certain representations or undertakings, the violation or attempted violation of which will be subject to such consequences as the Board may determine in its sole discretion, including that such person or group shall become an “Acquiring Person.”

Flip-In Trigger.

If any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right (other than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person, affiliates and associates of the Acquiring Person and certain transferees thereof which will thereupon become null and void) will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise of a Right that number of shares of Common Stock having a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right.

Flip-Over Trigger.

If, after a person or group has become an Acquiring Person, the Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets or earning power are sold, proper provisions will be made so that each holder of a Right (other than Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person, affiliates and associates of the Acquiring Person and certain transferees thereof which will have become null and void) will thereafter have the right to receive upon the exercise of a Right that number of shares of common stock of the person with whom the Company has engaged in the foregoing transaction (or its parent) that at the time of such transaction have a market value of two times the exercise price of the Right.

Exchange.

At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the earlier of one of the events described in the previous paragraph or the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of 50% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Board may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such Acquiring Person, affiliates and associates of the Acquiring Person and certain transferees thereof which will have become null and void), in whole or in part, for shares of Common Stock at an exchange ratio of five shares of Common Stock per Right.

Redemption.

At any time prior to the time any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, the Board may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.001 per Right (the “Redemption Price”) payable, at the option of the Company, in cash, shares of Common Stock or such other form of consideration as the Board shall determine in its sole discretion. The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board in its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.

Amendment of Rights Agreement.

For so long as the Rights are then redeemable, the Company may, except with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the Rights Agreement in any manner. After the Rights are no longer redeemable, the Company may, except with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the Rights Agreement in any manner that does not adversely affect the interests of holders of the Rights (other than an Acquiring Person, affiliates and associates of the Acquiring Person and certain transferees thereof).

Stockholder Rights.

Until a Right is exercised or exchanged, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.

Anti-Dilution Provisions.

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Series H Preferred Stock or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights is subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the Series H Preferred Stock, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Series H Preferred Stock of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Series H Preferred Stock at a price, or securities convertible into Series H Preferred Stock with a conversion price, less than the then-current market price of the Series H Preferred Stock or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Series H Preferred Stock of evidences of indebtedness or assets (other than regular periodic cash dividends or dividends payable in Series H Preferred Stock) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).

The number of outstanding Rights is subject to adjustment in the event of a stock dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock or subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Stock occurring, in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.

Rights and Preferences of Series H Preferred Stock.

Each share of Series H Preferred Stock, if issued, (i) will not be redeemable, (ii) will entitle the holder thereof, when, as and if declared, to quarterly dividend payments equal to the greater of $1.00 per share and 1,000 times the dividend declared per share of Common Stock, (iii) will entitle the holder thereof to receive the greater of $1.00 per share (plus accrued and unpaid dividends) and 1,000 times the payment made per share of Common Stock upon liquidation, and (iv) will entitle the holder thereof to receive 1,000 times the amount received per share of Common Stock if shares of Common Stock are exchanged via merger, consolidation or a similar transaction.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized.