EXHIBIT 5
HALE AND DORR LLP
Counsellors At Law
214 Carnegie Center
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
January 16, 2001
CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
41 University Drive
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
Gentlemen:
This opinion is furnished to you in connection with a Registration
Statement on Form S-3 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), for the registration of an aggregate
of 259,462 shares of the common stock, $.01 par value per share (the "Shares"),
of CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"). All
of the Shares are being registered on behalf of certain stockholders of the
Company (the "Selling Stockholders").
We have acted as counsel for the Company in connection with the
registration for resale of the Shares. We have examined signed copies of the
Registration Statement to be filed with the Commission. We have also examined
and relied upon the minutes of meetings of the stockholders and the Board of
Directors of the Company as provided to us by the Company, stock record books of
the Company as provided to us by the Company, the Certificate of Incorporation
and By-Laws of the Company, each as restated and/or amended to date, and such
other documents as we have deemed necessary for purposes of rendering the
opinions hereinafter set forth.
In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us
as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to
us as copies, the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents and the
legal competence of all signatories to such documents.
We assume that the appropriate action will be taken, prior to the offer and
sale of the Shares, to register and qualify the Shares for sale under all
applicable state securities or "blue sky" laws.
We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction
other than the Delaware General Corporation Law.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
Shares have been duly authorized and, when issued in accordance with the terms
of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, will be validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.
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CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
January 16, 2001
Page -2-
It is understood that this opinion is to be used only in connection with
the offer and sale of the Shares while the Registration Statement is in effect.
Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth
herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of
Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act and to the use of our
name therein and in the related prospectus under the caption "Legal Matters." In
giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of
persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the
rules and regulations of the Commission.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Hale and Dorr LLP
HALE AND DORR LLP
