As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 13, 2020

Registration No. 333-        

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

MERRIMACK PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

2011 Stock Incentive Plan

(Full Title of the Plan)

Gary L. Crocker

President

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

One Broadway, 14th Floor

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

(617) 441-1000

(Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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.  ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement on Form S-8, relating to the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Registrant”), is being filed for the purpose of registering additional securities of the same class as other securities for which a Registration Statement on Form S-8 has previously been filed and is effective. Accordingly, this Registration Statement incorporates by reference the contents of (i) the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-180996, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 27, 2012 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 1999 Stock Option Plan, as amended, 2008 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, and 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, (ii)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-186370, filed with the SEC on February 1, 2013 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, (iii)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-194313, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2014 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, (iv)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-202346, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2015 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, (v)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-209745, filed with the SEC on February 26, 2016 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, (vi)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-223577, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2018 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, and (vii)  the Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-230084, filed with the SEC on March 6, 2019 by the Registrant, relating to the Registrant’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan, in each case except for Item 8, Exhibits.

Item 8. Exhibits

1

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant 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 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on this 13th day of March, 2020.

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Gary L. Crocker and Tim Surgenor, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to any of them, and to each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all amendments to said Registration Statement, and generally to do all such things in our name and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

2

Exhibit 5.1

[WilmerHale Letterhead]

March 13, 2020

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

One Broadway, 14th Floor

Cambridge, MA 02142

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (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”), relating to an aggregate of 450,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Shares”), of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), issuable under the Company’s 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

We have examined the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, each as amended and restated to date, and originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction, of all pertinent records of the meetings of the directors and stockholders of the Company, the Registration Statement and such other documents relating to the Company as we have deemed material for the purposes of this opinion.

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 certified, photostatic or other copies, the authenticity of the originals of any such 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 in accordance with the Plan, 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 state laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the federal laws of the United States of America.

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.

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and, when the Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

March 13, 2020

Page 2

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission in connection with the Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. 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.

Exhibit 23.2

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on Form S-8 of our report dated March 12, 2020, with respect to our audit of the consolidated financial statements of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of December 31, 2019 and for the year ended December 31, 2019 and our report dated March 12, 2020 with respect to our audit of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of December 31, 2019 appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Exhibit 23.3

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of our report dated March 6, 2019 relating to the financial statements, which appears in Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.