As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 8, 2023

Registration No. 333-        

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

CATALYST PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2014 Stock Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Patrick J. McEnany

355 Alhambra Circle

Suite 801

Coral Gables, Florida 33134

(Name and address of agent for service)

(305) 420-3200

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

With a copy to:

Philip B. Schwartz, Esq.

Andrew E. Schwartz, Esq.

Akerman LLP

201 East Las Olas Boulevard

Suite 1800

Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301

(954) 463-2700

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement has been prepared and filed pursuant to and in accordance with the requirements of General Instruction E to Form S-8 for the purpose of registering an additional 5,000,000 shares of the common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Shares”), of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company” or “Registrant”) that are issuable at any time or from time to time under the Registrant’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as previously amended (the “Plan”), and any additional Common Shares that become issuable under the Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

Pursuant to General Instruction E, the contents of the Registration Statements on Form S-8 filed for the Plan with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on August 13, 2014 (Registration No. 333-198119), including the documents incorporated by reference therein, are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”), except as supplemented by the information set forth below.

PART I

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this filing in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act and the introductory note to Part I of the Form S-8 instructions. The document containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Plan as required by Rule 428(b)(1).

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The following documents previously filed with the Commission are incorporated herein by reference:

(a) The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Commission on March  15, 2023, and the amendment thereto, filed with the Commission on April 24, 2023.

(b) The Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (i) for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, filed with the Commission on May 10, 2023; (ii) for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, filed with the Commission on August 9, 2023; and (iii) for the quarter ended September 30, 2023, filed with the Commission on November 8, 2023.

(c) The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January  23, 2023, January  24, 2023, January  30, 2023 (as amended on April  10, 2023), February  7, 2023, March  7, 2023, March  15, 2023, March  31, 2023, May  9, 2023, May  10, 2023, May  30, 2023, June  1, 2023, June  23, 2023, July  21, 2023, July  28, 2023, August  9, 2023, August  25, 2023, October  13, 2023, October  20, 2023, October  27, 2023, November  3, 2023, November  8, 2023 and December 7, 2023.

(d) The description of the Common Shares filed with the Commission on Form 8-A12B on September  29, 2006, as amended on October 18, 2006.

All other reports and documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (other than Current Reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items) on or after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the date of the

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filing of such reports and documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

You may obtain a copy of any of these documents at no cost by requesting them from us or by writing or calling: Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 801, Coral Gables, Florida, 33134, Attn: Investor Relations, or by calling (305) 420-3200. Copies of each of these filings are also available for no cost on our website, www.catalystpharma.com, or on the SEC’s web site, www.sec.gov.

Please refer to the description of our capital stock contained under the description of the Company’s securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act contained in Exhibit 4.5 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2022, together with any amendment thereto filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating such description.

Not applicable.

Our certificate of incorporation contains provisions that eliminate, to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the personal liability of directors and executive officers for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as a director or officer. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that we shall indemnify our directors and executive officers and may indemnify our employees and other agents to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Sections 145 and 102(b)(7) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware provide that a corporation may indemnify any person made a party to an action by reason of the fact that he or she was a director, executive officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with such action if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, except that, in the case of an action by or in right of the corporation, no indemnification may generally be made in respect of any claim as to which such person is adjudged to be liable to the corporation.

We have purchased and intend to maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of our company against any loss arising from any claim asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, subject to certain exclusions.

Not applicable.

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provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) shall not apply if the information required to be included on a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form S-8 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Coral Gables, State of Florida, on December 8, 2023.

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes Patrick J. McEnany and Alicia Grande, or each of them, as his or her lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendment (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement on Form S-8 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Tamar Thompson

5

Exhibit 5.1

Akerman LLP

201 East Las Olas Boulevard

Suite 1800

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

T: 954 463 2700

F: 954 463 2224

December 8, 2023

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

355 Alhambra Circle

Suite 801

Coral Gables, Florida 33134

Re: Registration Statement on Form S-8

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with that certain Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). The Registration Statement related to the issuance of up to 5,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”) issuable under the Company’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

This opinion is being delivered in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act.

In connection therewith, we have examined and relied upon the original or a copy, certified to our satisfaction, of (i) the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Company, as amended to date, (ii) records of the corporate proceedings of the Company related to the Plan, (iii) the Registration Statement and exhibits thereto; and (iv) such other documents and instruments as we have deemed necessary for the expression of the opinions herein contained. In rendering the opinion set forth below, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as duplicates or certified or conformed copies and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications, assumptions and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that, (i) the Shares have been duly authorized, and (ii) when the Shares have been issued in accordance with the Terms of the Plan, such Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

akerman.com

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

December 8, 2023

Page 2

We do not express any opinion herein concerning any law other than the Delaware General Corporation Law. We neither express nor imply any obligation with respect to any other laws or the laws of any other jurisdiction or of the United States. For purposes of this opinion, we assume that the Shares will be issued in compliance with all applicable state securities or blue sky laws.

This opinion letter speaks only as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to update or supplement this opinion letter if any applicable laws change after the date of this opinion or if we become aware after the date of this opinion letter of any facts, whether existing before or first arising after the date hereof, that might change the opinion expressed above.

This opinion letter is being furnished in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement and may not be relied upon for any other purpose without our prior written consent in each instance. Further, no portion of this letter may be quoted, circulated or referred to in any other document for any other purpose without our prior written consent.

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We have issued our reports dated March 15, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement. We consent to the incorporation by reference of the aforementioned reports in this registration statement.

GRANT THORNTON LLP

Miami, Florida

December 8, 2023

Exhibit 107

Form S-8

(Form Type)

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities

Table 2: Fee Offset Claims and Sources