EPOCH PHARMACEUTICALS INC
8-K, 2000-05-08
IN VITRO & IN VIVO DIAGNOSTIC SUBSTANCES
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<PAGE>   1
                         SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                               Washington, D.C. 20549

                         ----------------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K
                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

      Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)     May 8, 2000
                                                           -----------

                           EPOCH PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter)

           Delaware                  0-22170               91-1311592
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 (State or other jurisdiction      (Commission          (I.R.S. Employer
       of incorporation)           File Number)         Identification No.)

    12277 134th Court NE, Suite 110,
           Redmond, Washington                            98052
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 (Address of principal executive offices)               (Zip Code)

      Registrant's telephone number, including area code   (425) 821-7535
                                                           --------------

                                 Not Applicable
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed, since last report.)


                                Page 1 of 6 Pages
                           Exhibit Index is on Page 4
<PAGE>   2
      ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.

      On May 8, 2000, Epoch Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation, doing
business as Epoch Biosciences (the "Company"), issued a press release announcing
that it had been approved for listing on the Nasdaq National Market. A copy of
the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by this
reference.

    Exhibit
    Number
    -------
      99.1     Press Release, dated May 8, 2000, entitled "Epoch Biosciences
               Approved for Nasdaq National Market"


                                       2
<PAGE>   3
                                   SIGNATURES

      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                          EPOCH PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Date:  May 8, 2000                        By:   /s/ Sanford S. Zweifach
                                                --------------------------------
                                                Sanford S. Zweifach
                                                President and Chief Financial
                                                Officer

<PAGE>   4
                                   EXHIBIT INDEX

      The following exhibits are attached hereto and incorporated herein by
reference:

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
   Exhibit                                                       Sequentially
    Number                                                       Numbered Page
   -------                                                       -------------
<S>            <C>                                               <C>
      99.1     Press Release, dated May 8, 2000, entitled            5
               "Epoch Biosciences Approved for Nasdaq
               National Market"
</TABLE>


<PAGE>   1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                          Contact: Sanford S. Zweifach
                                               President/Chief Financial Officer
                                               Epoch Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
                                               (425) 821-7535


              Epoch Biosciences Approved for Nasdaq National Market


      REDMOND, WA - MAY 8, 2000 - EPOCH BIOSCIENCES (OTCBB: EPPH), formerly
Epoch Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of proprietary
chemistry with commercial applications in the fields of genomics and molecular
diagnostics, announced today it has been advised by Nasdaq that its common
stock, currently traded on the Bulletin Board, will begin trading on the Nasdaq
National Market on Wednesday, May 10. Epoch Biosciences will trade on the Nasdaq
National Market under the new ticker symbol: EBIO.

William G. Gerber, M.D., chief executive officer of Epoch, said, "Epoch's move
to the Nasdaq National Market is testimony to our strong financial progress. We
anticipate that this listing will significantly enhance visibility in the
investment community among analysts and institutions, and ultimately broaden our
existing shareholder base."

Epoch Biosciences, Redmond, Washington, previously discovered that the compounds
and technologies developed for its gene modification therapeutic program could
be adapted to several gene analysis systems that are currently in use or being
developed by others. In January 1999, the Company announced it had licensed
selected technology to PE Biosystems. The Company believes that its technologies
have significant commercial applications in the fields of molecular diagnostics
and genomics, including the detection of inherited diseases and single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify individuals at risk for disease or
adverse drug reactions.



<PAGE>   2
      Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set
forth in this press release, are forward-looking statements within the meaning
of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties
that may cause actual results to differ materially. As discussed in the
Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, these risks include the
possibility that the potential products utilizing the Company's technology may
at any time be found to be ineffective or, although effective, may be
uneconomical to market, or that third parties hold proprietary rights that
preclude Epoch or its licensees from marketing them, or that third parties
market a superior or equivalent product.

      Contact:

      Stephanie Stern

      Stern & Co.

      212/888-0044

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