UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 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)

September 10, 2018

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

1305 O’Brien Drive

Menlo Park, California 94025

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(650) 521-8000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2):

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ☐

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

On September 10, 2018, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing the commencement of an underwritten public offering of its common stock pursuant to a shelf registration statement filed on Form S-3 (File No. 333-219642) with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was declared effective August 18, 2017. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

The Company has updated its disclosure regarding its business. The revised disclosure is filed herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and incorporated herein by reference.

This Current Report on Form 8-K, including the exhibits hereto, shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company, which is being made only by means of a written prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act, nor shall there be any sale of the Company’s securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

(d) Exhibits.

SIGNATURE

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 hereunto duly authorized.

Date: September 10, 2018

Exhibit 99.1

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock

MENLO PARK, CA, September 10, 2018, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ: PACB) today announced that it intends to offer and sell shares of its common stock in an underwritten public offering. Pacific Biosciences also intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 15% of the number of shares of its common stock sold in the offering. The offering is subject to market and other conditions and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

Cowen and Company, LLC and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering.

Pacific Biosciences intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including capital expenditures and working capital. Pacific Biosciences may also use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, technologies, product candidates or other intellectual property, although it has no present commitments or agreements to do so.

A shelf registration statement relating to the shares of common stock was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and declared effective on August 18, 2017. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement (when available) and accompanying prospectus may be obtained from Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY, 11717, Attn: Prospectus Department, by telephone at (631) 592-5973 or by email at PostSaleManualRequests@broadridge.com or Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 499 Park Ave., 6th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or by e-mail at prospectus@cantor.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. Any offer, if at all, will be made only by means of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming a part of the effective registration statement.

About Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.

Pacific Biosciences offers sequencing systems to help scientists resolve genetically complex problems. Based on its novel Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT®) Technology, Pacific Biosciences’ products enable de novo genome assembly to finish genomes in order to more fully identify, annotate and decipher genomic structures; full-length transcript analysis to improve annotations in reference genomes, characterize alternatively spliced isoforms in important gene families, and find novel genes; targeted sequencing to more comprehensively characterize genetic variations; and real-time kinetic information for epigenome characterization. Pacific Biosciences’ technology provides high accuracy, ultra-long reads, uniform coverage, and the ability to simultaneously detect epigenetic changes. PacBio® sequencing systems, including consumables and software, provide a simple, fast, end-to-end workflow for SMRT Sequencing.

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“Safe Harbor” Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to, whether or not Pacific Biosciences will be able to raise capital through the sale of shares of common stock or consummate the offering, the final terms of the offering, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, prevailing market conditions, the anticipated use of the proceeds of the offering which could change as a result of market conditions or for other reasons, and the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally. Additional risks and uncertainties relating to the proposed offering, Pacific Biosciences and its business can be found under the heading “Risk Factors” in Pacific Biosciences’ most recent periodic, quarterly and annual reports filed with the SEC and in the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering to be filed with the SEC. Pacific Biosciences assumes no duty or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Contact:

Attn: Investor Relations

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc.

1305 O’Brien Drive

Menlo Park, California 94025

(650) 521-8450

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Exhibit 99.2

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

As previously disclosed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, sales in China for the three-month period ended June 30, 2018 accounted for approximately 33% of our total revenue, as compared to 26% of our total revenue for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017. To capitalize upon our increasing opportunities in China, we have engaged in ongoing discussions regarding, but have not committed to, entering into strategic transactions with diagnostic and financing partners in China.