UNITED STATES

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): August 7, 2018

 

BEIGENE, LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)

 

001-37686
(Commission File Number)

 

98-1209416
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

c/o Mourant Ozannes Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited

94 Solaris Avenue, Camana Bay

Grand Cayman KY1-1108

Cayman Islands
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

+1 (345) 949 4123

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Not Applicable

(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:

 

o  Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o  Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o  Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

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 o

 

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. o

 

 

 



 

Item 5.02                                            Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

The disclosure in Item 8.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K related to the 2018 ESPP and the 2016 Plan (each as defined below) is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 8.01                                            Other Events.

 

Amendments to Equity Plans

 

On August 7, 2018, the Board of Directors of BeiGene, Ltd. (the “Company”) approved certain amendments to the 2018 Inducement Equity Plan (the “Inducement Plan”), the BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “2018 ESPP”) and the BeiGene, Ltd. 2016 Share Option and Incentive Plan (the “2016 Plan” and, together with the Inducement Plan and the 2018 ESPP, the “Plans”), which amendments took effect on August 8, 2018.

 

The amendments to the Plans were entered into for the purpose of complying with the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Exchange Rules”) in connection with the Company’s previously announced listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, which was completed on August 8, 2018. The Exchange Rules include, among other things, a prohibition on automatic annual increases in the number of shares available under the Plans (i.e., so-called “evergreen” provisions) and a requirement that the total number of securities which may be issued upon exercise of all options to be granted under all plans of the Company must not, in the aggregate, exceed ten percent (10%) of the relevant class of securities outstanding as of the date of approval of each relevant plan.

 

2018 Inducement Equity Plan

 

The amendments to the Inducement Plan include, among other changes: (i) the imposition of a maximum number of shares issued and issuable upon the exercise of options granted and to be granted under the Inducement Plan and any other plan of the Company to an individual within any 12-month period (of 1% of the Company’s total outstanding share capital at the date of any grant); (ii) the establishment of a minimum exercise price of any option granted under the Inducement Plan (which shall be no less than the higher of the trading price on NASDAQ on the date of the grant or the average trading price for the five business days immediately preceding the day of grant); (iii) the ability of the administrator of the Inducement Plan to set minimum hold periods or performance targets before options granted under the plan may be exercised; and (iv) the automatic cancellation of any option granted but not exercised by the end of its term.

 

2018 ESPP

 

The amendments to the 2018 ESPP include: (i) the elimination of a provision for the automatic annual increase in the number of shares available for issuance under the 2018 ESPP; and (ii) to the extent the 2018 ESPP is deemed an option plan for the purpose of the Exchange Rules, the establishment of a methodology for determining, with respect to shares purchased under the 2018 ESPP, the number of shares that shall be deemed to be option shares and the number of shares that shall be deemed to be a share award in compliance with the Exchange Rules.

 

2016 Share Option and Incentive Plan

 

The amendments to the 2016 Plan include, among other changes: (i) the imposition of a maximum limit of shares issued and issuable upon the exercise of options granted and to be granted under the 2016 Plan and any other plan of the Company to an individual within any 12-month period (of 1% of the Company’s total outstanding share capital at the date of any grant); (ii) a provision capping the shares reserved for issuance under the 2016 Plan, the 2018 ESPP and the Inducement Plan at ten percent (10%) of the Company’s issued share capital; (iii) the elimination of a provision for the automatic annual increase in the number of shares available for issuance under the 2016 Plan; (iv) the establishment

 

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of a minimum exercise price of any option granted under the 2016 Plan (which shall be no less than the higher of the trading price on NASDAQ on the date of the grant or the average trading price for the five business days immediately preceding the day of grant); (v) the ability of the administrator of the 2016 Plan to set minimum hold periods or performance targets before options granted under the plan may be exercised; and (vi) the automatic cancellation of any option granted but not exercised by the end of its term.

 

*     *     *

 

The amendments to the Plans did not increase the number of shares available for issuance under the Plans, nor impact the requirements for employees to be eligible to receive awards under the Plans. The nature of these amendments did not require shareholder approval under the terms of the Plans, applicable law, the rules of the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Exchange Rules.

 

Complete copies of the Inducement Plan, the 2018 ESPP, and the 2016 Plan, as amended and restated, are filed herewith as Exhibits 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference. The above summary of the amendments to the Plans does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibits.

 

Business Updates

 

On August 9, 2018, the Company issued a press release announcing that the first patient was dosed in a Phase 3 clinical trial of tislelizumab, an investigational anti-PD-1 antibody, combined with chemotherapy, as a potential first-line treatment in China for patients with Stage IIIB or IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The full text of this press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01                                            Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)          Exhibits.

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

10.1

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Inducement Equity Plan

10.2

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Employee Share Purchase Plan

10.3

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2016 Share Option and Incentive Plan

99.1

 

Press Release issued on August 9, 2018

 

*     *     *

 

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Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

10.1

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Inducement Equity Plan

10.2

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Employee Share Purchase Plan

10.3

 

Amended and Restated BeiGene, Ltd. 2016 Share Option and Incentive Plan

99.1

 

Press Release issued on August 9, 2018

 

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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 hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

BEIGENE, LTD.

 

 

Date: August 13, 2018

By:

/s/ Scott. A Samuels

 

Name:

Scott A. Samuels

 

Title:

Senior Vice President, General Counsel

 

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Exhibit 10.1

 

BEIGENE, LTD.

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

2018 INDUCEMENT EQUITY PLAN

 

SECTION 1. GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE PLAN; DEFINITIONS

 

The name of the plan is the BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Inducement Equity Plan (the “Plan”). The purpose of the Plan is to enable BeiGene, Ltd. (the “Company”) and its Subsidiaries to grant equity awards to induce highly-qualified prospective officers and employees who are not currently employed by the Company or its Subsidiaries to accept employment and to provide them with a proprietary interest in the Company. It is anticipated that providing such persons with a direct stake in the Company will assure a closer identification of their interests with those of the Company and its shareholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on the Company’s behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with the Company. The Company intends that the Plan be reserved for persons to whom the Company may issue securities without stockholder approval as an inducement pursuant to Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Marketplace Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc.

 

The following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

 

“Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

“Administrator” means either the Board or the compensation committee of the Board or a similar committee performing the functions of the compensation committee and which is comprised of not less than two Non-Employee Directors who are independent.

 

“ADSs” means American depositary shares. Each ADS represents 13 Shares.

 

ASC 718 ” means Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation.

 

“Award” or “Awards,” except where referring to a particular category of grant under the Plan, shall include Non-Qualified Share Options, Share Appreciation Rights, Restricted Share Units, Restricted Share Awards, Unrestricted Share Awards and Dividend Equivalent Rights.

 

“Award Certificate” means a written or electronic document setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan. Each Award Certificate is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor Code, and related rules, regulations and interpretations.

 

“Dividend Equivalent Right” means an Award entitling the Grantee to receive credits based on cash dividends that would have been paid on the Shares specified in the Dividend Equivalent Right (or other award to which it relates) if such Shares had been issued to and held by the Grantee.

 

“Effective Date” means the date on which the Plan is approved by the Board as set forth in Section 17.

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 



 

“Fair Market Value” of the Shares on any given date means the fair market value of the Shares determined in good faith by the Administrator; provided, however, that if the ADSs are admitted to quotation on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”), NASDAQ Global Market or another national securities exchange, the determination shall be made by reference to market quotations. If there are no market quotations for such date, the determination shall be made by reference to the last date preceding such date for which there are market quotations.

 

“Grantee” is a recipient of an Award under this Plan.

 

“Non-Qualified Share Option” means any Share Option that is not an incentive share option.

 

“Option” or “Share Option” means any option to purchase Shares granted pursuant to Section 5.

 

“Restricted Shares” means the Shares underlying a Restricted Share Award that remain subject to a risk of forfeiture or the Company’s right of repurchase.

 

“Restricted Share Award” means an Award of Restricted Shares subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.

 

“Restricted Share Units” means an Award of share units subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.

 

“Sale Event” shall mean (i) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company on a consolidated basis to an unrelated person or entity, (ii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation pursuant to which the holders of the Company’s outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares immediately prior to such transaction do not own a majority of the outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares or other equity interests of the resulting or successor entity (or its ultimate parent, if applicable) immediately upon completion of such transaction, (iii) the sale of all of the Shares of the Company to an unrelated person, entity or group thereof acting in concert, or (iv) any other transaction in which the owners of the Company’s outstanding voting power immediately prior to such transaction do not own at least a majority of the outstanding voting power of the Company or any successor entity immediately upon completion of the transaction other than as a result of the acquisition of securities directly from the Company.

 

Sale Price ” means the value as determined by the Administrator of the consideration payable, or otherwise to be received by the Company’s shareholders, per Share pursuant to a Sale Event.

 

“Shares” means the ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company, subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 3.

 

“Share Appreciation Right” means an Award entitling the recipient to receive Shares having a value equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price of the Share Appreciation Right multiplied by the number of Shares with respect to which the Share Appreciation Right shall have been exercised.

 

“Subsidiary” means any corporation or other entity (other than the Company) in which the Company has at least a 50 percent interest, either directly or indirectly.

 

“Unrestricted Share Award” means an Award of Shares free of any restrictions.

 

SECTION 2. ADMINISTRATION OF PLAN; ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORITY TO SELECT GRANTEES AND DETERMINE AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Administration of Plan. The Plan shall be administered by the Administrator.

 

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(b)                                  Powers of Administrator. The Administrator shall have the power and authority to grant Awards consistent with the terms of the Plan, including the power and authority:

 

(i)             to select the individuals to whom Awards may from time to time be granted;

 

(ii)            to determine the time or times of grant, and the extent, if any, of Non-Qualified Share Options, Share Appreciation Rights, Restricted Share Awards, Restricted Share Units, Unrestricted Share Awards and Dividend Equivalent Rights, or any combination of the foregoing, granted to any one or more Grantees;

 

(iii)           to determine the number of Shares to be covered by any Award;

 

(iv)           to determine and modify from time to time the terms and conditions, including restrictions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award, which terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees, and to approve the forms of Award Certificates;

 

(v)            to accelerate at any time the exercisability or vesting of all or any portion of any Award in circumstances involving the Grantee’s death, disability, retirement or termination of employment, or a change in control (including a Sale Event);

 

(vi)           subject to the provisions of Section 5(c), to extend at any time the period in which Share Options may be exercised; and

 

(vii)          at any time to adopt, alter and repeal such rules, guidelines and practices for administration of the Plan and for its own acts and proceedings as it shall deem advisable; to interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award (including related written instruments); to make all determinations it deems advisable for the administration of the Plan; to decide all disputes arising in connection with the Plan; and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan.

 

All decisions and interpretations of the Administrator shall be binding on all persons, including the Company and Plan Grantees.

 

To the extent required under the rules of any securities exchange or market system on which the Shares are listed,  amendments to the terms of Share Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to approval by the Company’ shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders.

 

(c)                                   Award Certificate. Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Certificates that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include, without limitation, the term of an Award and the provisions applicable in the event employment or service terminates.

 

(d)                                  Indemnification. Neither the Board nor the Administrator, nor any member of either or any delegate thereof, shall be liable for any act, omission, interpretation, construction or determination made in good faith in connection with the Plan, and the members of the Board and the Administrator (and any delegate thereof) shall be entitled in all cases to indemnification and reimbursement by the Company in respect of any claim, loss, damage or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising or resulting therefrom to the fullest extent permitted by law and/or under the Company’s articles of association or any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage which may be in effect from time to time and/or any indemnification agreement between such individual and the Company.

 

(e)                                   Foreign Award Recipients. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate or have employees or other individuals eligible for Awards, the

 

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Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to: (i) determine which Subsidiaries shall be covered by the Plan; (ii) determine which individuals outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Plan; (iii) modify the terms and conditions of any Award granted to individuals outside the United States to comply with applicable foreign laws; (iv) establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures, to the extent the Administrator determines such actions to be necessary or advisable (and such subplans and/or modifications shall be attached to this Plan as appendices); provided, however, that no such subplans and/or modifications shall increase the share limitations contained in Section 3(a); and (v) take any action, before or after an Award is made, that the Administrator determines to be necessary or advisable to obtain approval or comply with any local governmental regulatory exemptions or approvals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate the Act or any other United States securities law, the Code, or any other United States governing statute or law.

 

SECTION 3. SHARES ISSUABLE UNDER THE PLAN; MERGERS; SUBSTITUTION

 

(a)                                  Shares Issuable. The maximum number of Shares reserved and available for issuance under the Plan shall be Twelve Million (12,000,000)(1), of which 11,480,208 Shares are reserved and remain available for issuance as of August 8, 2018 (being the effective date of the approval of this amended and restated Plan by the Board (the “Amended Effective Date”)) (representing approximately 1.5% of the issued share capital of the Company as of the Amended Effective Date). For purposes of this limitation, the Shares underlying any awards granted under this Plan that are forfeited, canceled, held back upon exercise of an Option or settlement of an award to cover the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by the Company prior to vesting, satisfied without the issuance of Shares or otherwise terminated (other than by exercise or settlement) shall be added back to the Shares available for issuance under the Plan. In the event the Company repurchases Shares on the open market, such Shares shall not be added to the Shares available for issuance under the Plan. Subject to such overall limitations, Shares may be issued up to such maximum number pursuant to any type or types of Award. The Shares available for issuance under the Plan may be authorized but unissued Shares or Shares reacquired by the Company.

 

(b)                                  Maximum Individual Limit. Unless approved by the Company’s shareholders in general meeting, the total number of Shares issued and to be issued upon the exercise of Share Options granted and to be granted under the Plan and any other plan of the Company to a Grantee within any 12-month period shall not exceed 1% of the Shares in issue at the date of any grant.

 

(c)                                   Changes in Shares. Subject to Section 3(d), if, as a result of any reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, share dividend, share split, reverse share split or other similar change in the Company’s share capital, the outstanding Shares are increased or decreased or are exchanged for a different number or kind of shares or other securities of the Company, or additional shares or new or different shares or other securities of the Company or other non-cash assets are distributed with respect to such Shares or other securities, or, if, as a result of any merger or consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, the outstanding Shares are converted into or exchanged for securities of the Company or any successor entity (or a parent or subsidiary thereof), the Administrator shall make an appropriate or proportionate adjustment in (i) the maximum number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, (ii) the number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to any then outstanding Awards under the Plan, (iii) the repurchase price, if any, per Share subject to each outstanding Restricted Share Award, and (iv) the exercise price for each Share subject to any then outstanding Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights under the Plan, without changing the aggregate exercise price (i.e., the exercise price multiplied by the number of Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights) as to which such Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights remain exercisable. The Administrator shall also make equitable or proportionate

 


(1) This is the maximum number of Shares reserved and available for issuance as authorized under the Plan pursuant to the terms of the Plan in effect immediately prior to the Amended Effective Date.

 

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adjustments in the number of Shares subject to outstanding Awards and the exercise price and the terms of outstanding Awards to take into consideration cash dividends paid other than in the ordinary course or any other extraordinary corporate event. The adjustment by the Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive. No fractional Shares shall be issued under the Plan resulting from any such adjustment, but the Administrator in its discretion may make a cash payment in lieu of fractional Shares.

 

(d)                                  Mergers and Other Transactions. In the case of and subject to the consummation of a Sale Event, the parties may cause the assumption or continuation of Awards previously granted by the successor entity, or the substitution of such Awards with new Awards of the successor entity or its parent, with appropriate adjustment as to the number and kind of shares and, if appropriate, the per share exercise prices, as such parties shall agree. To the extent the parties to such Sale Event do not provide for the assumption, continuation or substitution of Awards, upon the effective time of the Sale Event, the Plan and all outstanding Awards granted under this Plan shall terminate. In such case, except as may be otherwise provided in the relevant Award Certificate, all Options and Share Appreciation Rights that are not exercisable immediately prior to the effective time of the Sale Event shall become fully exercisable as of the effective time of the Sale Event, all other Awards with time-based vesting, conditions or restrictions shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable as of the effective time of the Sale Event, and all Awards with conditions and restrictions relating to the achievement of performance goals may become vested and nonforfeitable in connection with a Sale Event in the Administrator’s discretion or to the extent specified in the relevant Award Certificate. In the event of such termination, (i) the Company shall have the option (in its sole discretion) to make or provide for a payment, in cash or in kind, to the Grantees holding Options and Share Appreciation Rights, in exchange for the cancellation thereof, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the Sale Price multiplied by the number of Shares subject to outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights (to the extent then exercisable at prices not in excess of the Sale Price) and (B) the aggregate exercise price of all such outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights; or (ii) each Grantee shall be permitted, within a specified period of time prior to the consummation of the Sale Event as determined by the Administrator, to exercise all outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights (to the extent then exercisable) held by such Grantee. The Company shall also have the option (in its sole discretion) to make or provide for a payment, in cash or in kind, to the Grantees holding other Awards in an amount equal to the Sale Price multiplied by the number of vested Shares under such Awards.

 

SECTION 4. ELIGIBILITY

 

Grantees under the Plan will be such full- or part-time officers and other employees of the Company and its Subsidiaries to whom the Company may issue securities without stockholder approval in accordance with Rule 5635 (c)(4) of the Marketplace Rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc., as selected from time to time by the Administrator in its sole discretion.

 

SECTION 5. SHARE OPTIONS

 

(a)                                  Award of Share Options. The Administrator may grant Share Options under the Plan. Any Share Option granted under the Plan shall be in such form as the Administrator may from time to time approve. Share Options granted under the Plan are Non-Qualified Share Options.

 

Share Options granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable.

 

(b)                                  Exercise Price. The exercise price per Share covered by a Share Option granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of grant but shall not be less than the higher of: (i) the Fair Market Value of a Share on

 

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the date of grant; and (ii) the average Fair Market Value of the Shares for the five business days immediately preceding the day of grant.

 

(c)                                   Option Term. The term of each Share Option shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Share Option shall be exercisable more than ten years after the date the Share Option is granted. Any Share Option granted but not exercised by the end of its option term will automatically lapse and be cancelled.

 

(d)                                  Exercisability; Rights of a Shareholder. Share Options shall become exercisable at such time or times, whether or not in installments, as shall be determined by the Administrator at or after the grant date. The Administrator may determine at the time of grant any minimum period(s) for which a Share Option must be held and/or any minimum performance target(s) that must be achieved, before the Share Option can be exercised in whole or in part, and may include at the discretion of the Administrators such other terms either on a case by case basis or generally. The Administrator may at any time accelerate the exercisability of all or any portion of any Share Option. An optionee shall have the rights of a shareholder only as to Shares acquired upon the exercise of a Share Option and not as to unexercised Share Options. Accordingly, an optionee shall not have any voting rights, or rights to participate in any dividends or distributions (including those arising on a liquidation of the Company) declared or recommended or resolved to be paid to the shareholders on the register of members of the Company on a date prior to the name of such optionee being registered on such register.

 

(e)                                   Method of Exercise. Share Options may be exercised in whole or in part, by giving written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company, specifying the number of Shares to be purchased. Payment of the purchase price may be made by one or more of the following methods except to the extent otherwise provided in the option award certificate:

 

(i)             In cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the Administrator;

 

(ii)            Through the delivery (or attestation to the ownership following such procedures as the Company may prescribe (“attestation method”)) of Shares that are not then subject to restrictions under any Company plan. Such surrendered Shares shall be valued at Fair Market Value on the exercise date;

 

(iii)           By the optionee delivering to the Company a properly executed exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to a broker to promptly deliver to the Company cash or a check payable and acceptable to the Company for the purchase price; provided that in the event the optionee chooses to pay the purchase price as so provided, the optionee and the broker shall comply with such procedures and enter into such agreements of indemnity and other agreements as the Company shall prescribe as a condition of such payment procedure; or

 

(iv)           If permitted by the Administrator, by a “net exercise” arrangement pursuant to which the Company will reduce the number of Shares issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price.

 

Payment instruments will be received subject to collection. The transfer to the optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent of the Shares to be purchased pursuant to the exercise of a Share Option will be contingent upon receipt from the optionee (or a purchaser acting in his stead in accordance with the provisions of the Share Option) by the Company of the full purchase price for such Shares and the fulfillment of any other requirements contained in the option award certificate or applicable provisions of laws (including the satisfaction of any withholding taxes that the Company is obligated to withhold with respect to the optionee). In the event an optionee chooses to pay the purchase price by previously-owned Shares through the

 

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attestation method, the number of Shares transferred to the optionee upon the exercise of the Share Option shall be net of the number of attested Shares. In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the exercise of Share Options, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless exercise of Share Options may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

 

SECTION 6. SHARE APPRECIATION RIGHTS

 

(a)                                  Award of Share Appreciation Rights. The Administrator may grant Share Appreciation Rights under the Plan. A Share Appreciation Right is an Award entitling the recipient to receive Shares having a value equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price of the Share Appreciation Right multiplied by the number of Shares with respect to which the Share Appreciation Right shall have been exercised.

 

(b)                                  Exercise Price of Share Appreciation Rights. The exercise price of a Share Appreciation Right shall not be less than 100 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of grant in the case of any grant to a Grantee who is subject to U.S. income tax.

 

(c)                                   Grant and Exercise of Share Appreciation Rights. Share Appreciation Rights may be granted by the Administrator independently of any Share Option granted pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan.

 

(d)                                  Terms and Conditions of Share Appreciation Rights. Share Appreciation Rights shall be subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of the grant. Such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees. The term of a Share Appreciation Right may not exceed ten years.

 

SECTION 7. RESTRICTED SHARE AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Nature of Restricted Share Awards. The Administrator may grant Restricted Share Awards under the Plan. A Restricted Share Award is any Award of Restricted Shares subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant. Conditions may be based on continuing employment (or other service relationship) and/or achievement of pre-established performance goals and objectives. The terms and conditions of each such Award shall be determined by the Administrator, and such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees.

 

(b)                                  Rights as a Shareholder. Upon the grant of a Restricted Share Award and payment of the purchase price, if any, subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth in the award certificate, a Grantee shall have all the rights of a shareholder with respect to Restricted Shares, including the voting of the Restricted Shares and receipt of dividends; provided that if the lapse of restrictions with respect to the Restricted Share Award is tied to the achievement of performance goals, any dividends paid by the Company during the performance period shall accrue and not be paid to the Grantee except to the extent the performance goals are met with respect to the Restricted Share Award. Unless the Administrator shall otherwise determine, (i) uncertificated Restricted Shares shall be accompanied by a notation on the records of the Company or the transfer agent to the effect that they are subject to forfeiture until such Restricted Shares are vested as provided in Section 7(d), and (ii) certificated Restricted Shares shall remain in the possession of the Company until such Restricted Shares are vested as provided in Section 7(d), and the Grantee shall be required, as a condition of the grant, to deliver to the Company such instruments of transfer as the Administrator may prescribe.

 

(c)                                   Restrictions. Restricted Shares may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of except as specifically provided in the

 

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Restricted Share Award Certificate. Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, if a Grantee’s employment (or other service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries terminates for any reason, any Restricted Shares that have not vested at the time of termination shall automatically and without any requirement of notice to such Grantee from or other action by or on behalf of, the Company be deemed to have been reacquired by the Company at its original purchase price (if any) from such Grantee or such Grantee’s legal representative simultaneously with such termination of employment (or other service relationship), and after the reacquisition shall cease to represent any ownership of the Company by the Grantee or rights of the Grantee as a shareholder. Following such deemed reacquisition of Restricted Shares that are represented by physical certificates, a Grantee shall surrender such certificates to the Company upon request without consideration.

 

(d)                                  Vesting of Restricted Shares. The Administrator at the time of grant shall specify the date or dates and/or the performance goals, objectives and other conditions on which the non-transferability of the Restricted Shares and the Company’s right of repurchase or forfeiture shall lapse. Subsequent to such date or dates and/or the achievement of such performance goals, objectives and other conditions, the shares as to which the Company’s right of repurchase or forfeiture has lapsed shall no longer be Restricted Shares and shall be deemed “vested.”

 

SECTION 8. RESTRICTED SHARE UNITS

 

(a)                                  Nature of Restricted Share Units. The Administrator may grant Restricted Share Units under the Plan. A Restricted Share Unit is an Award of share units that may be settled in Shares upon the satisfaction of such restrictions and conditions at the time of grant. Conditions may be based on continuing employment (or other service relationship) and/or in the case of a Grantee who is not a U.S. taxpayer, achievement of pre-established performance goals and objectives. The terms and conditions of each such Award shall be determined by the Administrator, and such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees. At the end of the vesting period, the Restricted Share Units, to the extent vested, shall be settled in the form of Shares.

 

(b)                                  Rights as a Shareholder. A Grantee shall have the rights as a shareholder only as to Shares acquired by the Grantee upon settlement of Restricted Share Units; provided, however, that the Grantee may be credited with Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the share units underlying his Restricted Share Units, subject to the provisions of Section 10 and such terms and conditions as the Administrator may determine.

 

(c)                                   Termination. Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, a Grantee’s right in all Restricted Share Units that have not vested shall automatically terminate upon the Grantee’s termination of employment (or cessation of service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason.

 

SECTION 9. UNRESTRICTED SHARE AWARDS

 

Grant or Sale of Unrestricted Shares. The Administrator may grant (or sell at par value or such higher purchase price determined by the Administrator) an Unrestricted Share Award under the Plan. An Unrestricted Share Award is an Award pursuant to which the Grantee may receive Shares free of any restrictions under the Plan. Unrestricted Share Awards may be granted in respect of past services or other valid consideration, or in lieu of cash compensation due to such Grantee.

 

SECTION 10. DIVIDEND EQUIVALENT RIGHTS

 

(a)                                  Dividend Equivalent Rights. The Administrator may grant Dividend Equivalent Rights under the Plan. A Dividend Equivalent Right is an Award entitling the

 

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Grantee to receive credits based on cash dividends that would have been paid on the Shares specified in the Dividend Equivalent Right (or other Award to which it relates) if such Shares had been issued to the Grantee. A Dividend Equivalent Right may be granted to any Grantee as a component of an award of Restricted Share Units or as a freestanding award. The terms and conditions of Dividend Equivalent Rights shall be specified in the Award Certificate. Dividend equivalents credited to the holder of a Dividend Equivalent Right shall be paid currently. Dividend Equivalent Rights may be settled in cash or Shares or a combination of cash and Shares. A Dividend Equivalent Right granted as a component of an Award of Restricted Share Units shall provide that such Dividend Equivalent Right shall be settled only upon settlement or payment of, or lapse of restrictions on, such other Award, and that such Dividend Equivalent Right shall expire or be forfeited or annulled under the same conditions as such other Award.

 

(b)                                  Termination. Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, a Grantee’s rights in all Dividend Equivalent Rights shall automatically terminate upon the Grantee’s termination of employment (or cessation of service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason.

 

SECTION 11. TRANSFERABILITY OF AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Transferability. Except as provided in Section 11(b), during a Grantee’s lifetime, his or her Awards shall be exercisable only by the Grantee, or by the grantee’s legal representative or guardian in the event of the Grantee’s incapacity. No Awards shall be sold, assigned, transferred or otherwise encumbered or disposed of by a Grantee other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a domestic relations order. No Awards shall be subject, in whole or in part, to attachment, execution, or levy of any kind, and any purported transfer in violation of this Section 11(a) shall be null and void.

 

(b)                                  Administrator Action. Notwithstanding Section 11(a), the Administrator, in its discretion, may permit either in the Award Certificate for a given Award or by subsequent written approval the Grantee to transfer Non-Qualified Share Options to the Grantee’s immediate family members, to trusts for the benefit of such family members, or to partnerships in which such family members are the only partners, provided that the transferee agrees in writing with the Company to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Plan and the applicable Award. In no event may an Award be transferred by a Grantee for value.

 

(c)                                   Family Member. For purposes of Section 11(b), “family member” shall mean a Grantee’s child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships, any person sharing the grantee’s household (other than a tenant of the Grantee), a trust in which these persons (or the Grantee) have more than 50 percent of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the Grantee) control the management of assets, and any other entity in which these persons (or the Grantee) own more than 50 percent of the voting interests.

 

(d)                                  Designation of Beneficiary. To the extent permitted by the Company, each Grantee to whom an Award has been made under the Plan may designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise any Award or receive any payment under any Award payable on or after the Grantee’s death. Any such designation shall be on a form provided for that purpose by the Administrator and shall not be effective until received by the Administrator. If no beneficiary has been designated by a deceased Grantee, or if the designated beneficiaries have predeceased the Grantee, the beneficiary shall be the Grantee’s estate.

 

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SECTION 12. TAX WITHHOLDING

 

(a)                                  Payment by Grantee. Each Grantee shall, no later than the date as of which the value of an Award or of any Shares or cash received under the Award first becomes includable in the gross income of the Grantee for income, employment or other tax purposes, pay to the Company or a Subsidiary, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator regarding payment of, any taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld by the Company or a Subsidiary with respect to such income. The Company and its Subsidiaries shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to the Grantee. The Company’s obligation to deliver evidence of book entry (or share certificates) to any Grantee is subject to and conditioned on tax withholding obligations being satisfied by the Grantee.

 

(b)                                  Payment in Shares. Subject to approval by the Administrator, a Grantee may elect to have the Company’s or Subsidiary’s required tax withholding obligation satisfied, in whole or in part, by authorizing the Company to withhold from Shares to be issued pursuant to any Award a number of Shares with an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the date the withholding is effected) that would satisfy the withholding amount due; provided however, that the amount withheld does not exceed the maximum statutory rate or such lesser amount as is necessary to avoid liability accounting treatment. The Administrator may also require Awards to be subject to mandatory share withholding up to the required withholding amount. For purposes of share withholding, the Fair Market Value of withheld Shares shall be determined in the same manner as the value of the Shares includible in income of the Grantees.

 

SECTION 13. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT, TRANSFER, LEAVE OF ABSENCE, ETC.

 

(a)                                  Termination of Employment. If the Grantee’s employer ceases to be a Subsidiary, the Grantee shall be deemed to have terminated employment for purposes of the Plan.

 

(b)                                  For purposes of the Plan, the following events shall not be deemed a termination of employment:

 

(i)             a transfer to the employment of the Company from a Subsidiary or from the Company to a Subsidiary, or from one Subsidiary to another; or

 

(ii)            an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness, or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the employee’s right to re-employment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Administrator otherwise so provides in writing.

 

SECTION 14. AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION

 

The Board may, at any time, amend (including to increase the number of Shares reserved and available for issuance hereunder) or discontinue the Plan and the Administrator may, at any time, amend or cancel any outstanding Award for the purpose of satisfying changes in law or for any other lawful purpose, but no such action shall adversely affect rights under any outstanding Award without the holder’s consent. Except as provided in Section 3(c) or 3(d), without prior shareholder approval, in no event may the Administrator exercise its discretion to reduce the exercise price of outstanding Share Options or Share Appreciation Rights or effect repricing through cancellation and re-grants or cancellation of Share Options or Share Appreciation Rights in exchange for cash or other Awards. To the extent required under the rules of any securities exchange or market system on which the Shares are listed, Plan amendments shall be subject to approval by the Company shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders. Nothing in this Section 14 shall limit the Administrator’s authority to take any action permitted pursuant to Section 3(c) or 3(d).

 

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In the event that the Plan is terminated while any Share Option remains outstanding and unexercised, the provisions of this Plan shall remain in full force to the extent necessary to give effect to the exercise of any such Share Option.

 

SECTION 15. STATUS OF PLAN

 

With respect to the portion of any Award that has not been settled or exercised and any payments in cash, Shares or other consideration not received by a Grantee, a Grantee shall have no rights greater than those of a general creditor of the Company unless the Administrator shall otherwise expressly determine in connection with any Award or Awards. In its sole discretion, the Administrator may authorize the creation of trusts or other arrangements to meet the Company’s obligations to deliver Shares or make payments with respect to Awards, provided that the existence of such trusts or other arrangements is consistent with the foregoing sentence.

 

SECTION 16. GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

(a)                                  No Distribution. The Administrator may require each person acquiring Shares pursuant to an Award to represent to and agree with the Company in writing that such person is acquiring the Shares without a view to their distribution.

 

(b)                                  Delivery of Share Certificates. Share certificates to Grantees under this Plan shall be deemed delivered for all purposes when the Company or a share transfer agent of the Company has mailed such certificates to the Grantee at the Grantee’s last known address on file with the Company. Uncertificated Shares shall be deemed delivered for all purposes when the Company or a share transfer agent of the Company shall have given to the Grantee by electronic mail (with proof of receipt) or by mail to the Grantee at the Grantee’s last known address on file with the Company, notice of issuance and recorded the issuance in its records (which may include electronic “book entry” records). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates evidencing Shares pursuant to the exercise of any Award, unless and until the Administrator has determined, with advice of counsel (to the extent the Administrator deems such advice necessary or advisable), that the issuance and delivery of such certificates is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations of governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any exchange on which the Shares or ADSs are listed, quoted or traded. All share certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan shall be subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to comply with federal, state or foreign jurisdiction, securities or other laws, rules and quotation system on which the Shares or ADSs are listed, quoted or traded. The Administrator may place legends on any share certificate to reference restrictions applicable to the Shares. In addition to the terms and conditions of this Plan, the Administrator may require that an individual make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Administrator, in its discretion, deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or requirements. The Administrator shall have the right to require any individual to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement or exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the discretion of the Administrator.

 

(c)                                   Shareholder Rights. Until the name of the Grantee appears in the register of members of the Company, which is prima facie evidence that the Grantee is a shareholder of the Company, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights of a shareholder will exist with respect to Shares to be issued in connection with an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of a Share Option or any other action by the Grantee with respect to an Award.

 

(d)                                  Other Compensation Arrangements; No Employment Rights. Nothing contained in this Plan shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, including trusts, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases. The adoption of this Plan and the grant of Awards do not confer upon any employee any right to continued employment with the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

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(e)                                   Trading Policy Restrictions. Option exercises and other Awards under the Plan shall be subject to the Company’s insider trading policies and procedures, as in effect from time to time.

 

(f)                                    Clawback Policy. Awards under the Plan shall be subject to the Company’s clawback policy, as in effect from time to time.

 

SECTION 17. EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN

 

This Plan shall become effective immediately upon approval by the Board.

 

SECTION 18. GOVERNING LAW

 

This Plan and all Awards and actions taken under them shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands. In relation to any proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Plan, the Company and the Grantees irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands courts.

 

DATE APPROVED BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: June 6, 2018

 

DATE OF APPROVAL OF AMENDED AND RESTATED PLAN BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: August 7, 2018

 

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Exhibit 10.2

 

BEIGENE, LTD.

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2018 EMPLOYEE SHARE PURCHASE PLAN

 

The purpose of the BeiGene, Ltd. 2018 Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) is to provide eligible employees of BeiGene, Ltd. (the “Company”) and each Designated Subsidiary (as defined in Section 11) with opportunities to purchase Shares (either in the form of Ordinary Shares or ADSs). 3,500,000 Ordinary Shares(1) (including the number of Ordinary Shares represented by ADSs purchased under the Plan) (representing approximately 0.5% of the issued share capital of the Company as at August 8, 2018, being the effective date of the approval of this amended and restated Plan by the Board (the “Amended Effective Date”) in the aggregate have been approved and reserved for this purpose. The Plan is intended to constitute an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423(b) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and shall be interpreted in accordance with that intent.

 

1.     Administration.     The Plan will be administered by the person or persons (the “Administrator”) appointed by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) for such purpose. The Administrator has authority at any time to: (i) adopt, alter and repeal such rules, guidelines and practices for the administration of the Plan and for its own acts and proceedings as it shall deem advisable; (ii) interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan; (iii) make all determinations it deems advisable for the administration of the Plan; (iv) decide all disputes arising in connection with the Plan; (v) implement any procedures, steps, additional or different requirements as may be necessary to comply with any local laws, including the laws of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and the other countries in which the Company operates, that may be applicable to this Plan, any Options or any related documents; and (vi) otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan, in its sole and absolute discretion and taking into account any matters in its sole and absolute discretion. All interpretations and decisions of the Administrator shall be binding on all persons, including the Company and the Participants. No member of the Board or individual exercising administrative authority with respect to the Plan shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any option granted hereunder.

 

2.     Offerings.     The Company will make one or more offerings to eligible employees to purchase Shares under the Plan (“Offerings”). Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the initial Offering will begin on the first business day occurring on or after September1, 2018 and will end on last business day occurring on or before February 28, 2019 (the “Initial Offering”). Thereafter, unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, an Offering will begin on the first business day occurring on or after each March 1 st  and September 1 st  and will end on the last business day occurring on or before the following February 28 th  (or February 29 th , if applicable) and August 31 st , respectively. The Administrator may, in its discretion, designate a different period for any Offering, provided that no Offering shall exceed 27 months in duration.

 

3.     Eligibility.     All individuals classified as employees on the payroll records of the Company and each Designated Subsidiary are eligible to participate in any one or more of the Offerings under the Plan, provided that as of the first day of the applicable Offering (the “Offering Date”) they are employed by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary and have completed at least six months of employment. Participation shall not otherwise be subject to any minimum performance targets. Notwithstanding any other provision herein, individuals who are not classified as employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary for purposes of the Company’s or applicable Designated Subsidiary’s payroll system as of the Offering Date are not considered to be eligible employees of the Company or any Designated Subsidiary and shall not be eligible to participate in the Plan. In the event any such individuals are reclassified as employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary for any purpose, including, without limitation, common law or statutory employees, by any action of any third party, including, without limitation, any government agency, or as a result of any private lawsuit, action or administrative proceeding, such individuals shall, notwithstanding such reclassification, remain ineligible for participation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive means for individuals who are not classified as employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary on the Company’s or Designated Subsidiary’s payroll system as of the Offering Date to become eligible to participate in

 


(1)  This is the maximum number of Shares reserved and available for issuance as authorized under the Plan pursuant to the terms of the Plan in effect immediately prior to the Amended Effective Date.

 

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this Plan is through an amendment to this Plan, duly executed by the Company, which specifically renders such individuals eligible to participate herein.

 

4.     Participation.

 

(a)   An eligible employee who is not a Participant in any prior Offering may participate in a subsequent Offering by submitting an enrollment form to the Company at least 15 business days before the Offering Date (or by such other deadline as shall be established by the Administrator for the Offering).

 

(b)     Enrollment.     The enrollment form will (a) state a whole percentage or the amount to be deducted from an eligible employee’s Compensation (as defined in Section 11) per pay period, (b) authorize the purchase of Shares in each Offering in accordance with the terms of the Plan and (c) specify the exact name or names in which Shares purchased for such individual are to be issued pursuant to Section 10, and (d) provide such other terms as required by the Company. An employee who does not enroll in accordance with these procedures will be deemed to have waived the right to participate. Unless a Participant files a new enrollment form or withdraws from the Plan, such Participant’s deductions and purchases will continue at the same percentage or amount of Compensation for future Offerings, provided he or she remains eligible.

 

(c)   Notwithstanding the foregoing, participation in the Plan will neither be permitted nor be denied contrary to the requirements of the Code.

 

5.     Employee Contributions.     Each eligible employee may authorize payroll deductions from his or her after tax Compensation at a minimum of 1 percent up to a maximum of 10 percent of such employee’s Compensation for each pay period. The Company will maintain book accounts showing the amount of payroll deductions made by each Participant for each Offering. No interest will accrue or be paid on payroll deductions.

 

6.     Deduction Changes.     Except as may be determined by the Administrator in advance of an Offering, a Participant may not increase or decrease his or her payroll deduction during any Offering, but may increase or decrease his or her payroll deduction with respect to the next Offering (subject to the limitations of Section 5) by filing a new enrollment form at least 15 business days before the next Offering Date (or by such other deadline as shall be established by the Administrator for the Offering). The Administrator may, in advance of any Offering, establish rules permitting a Participant to increase, decrease or terminate his or her payroll deduction during an Offering.

 

7.     Withdrawal.     A Participant may withdraw from participation in the Plan by delivering a written notice of withdrawal to the Company. The Participant’s withdrawal will be effective as of the next business day. Following a Participant’s withdrawal, the Company will promptly refund such individual’s entire account balance under the Plan to him or her (after payment for any Shares purchased before the effective date of withdrawal). Partial withdrawals are not permitted. Such an employee may not begin participation again during the remainder of the Offering, but may enroll in a subsequent Offering in accordance with Section 4.

 

8.     Grant of Options.     On each Offering Date, the Company will grant to each eligible employee who is then a Participant in the Plan an option (“Option”) to purchase on the last day of such Offering (the “Exercise Date”), at the Option Price hereinafter provided for, the lowest of (a) a number of Shares determined by dividing such Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on such Exercise Date by the lower of (i) 85 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Offering Date, or (ii) 85 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Exercise Date, (b) a number of Shares determined by multiplying $2,083 by the number of full months in the Offering and dividing the result by the Fair Market Value on the Offering Date; or (c) such other lesser maximum number of Shares as shall have been established by the Administrator in advance of the Offering; provided, however, that such Option shall be subject to the limitations set forth below. Each Participant’s Option shall be exercisable only to the extent of such Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the Exercise Date. The purchase price for each Share purchased under each Option (the “Option Price”) will be 85 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Offering Date or the Exercise Date, whichever is less.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Participant may be granted an option hereunder if such Participant, immediately after the option was granted, would be treated as owning Shares possessing 5 percent or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of share capital of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary (as defined in Section 11). For purposes of the preceding sentence, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code shall apply in determining the share ownership of a Participant, and all Shares which the Participant has a contractual right to purchase shall be treated as Shares owned by the Participant. In addition, no Participant may be granted an Option which permits his or her rights to purchase Shares under the Plan, and any other employee share purchase plan of the Company and its Parents and Subsidiaries, to accrue at a rate which exceeds $25,000 of the fair market value of such Shares (determined on the option grant date or dates) for each calendar year in which the Option is outstanding at any time. The purpose of the limitation in the preceding sentence is to comply with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and shall be applied taking Options into account in the order in which they were granted. Furthermore, unless approved by the Company’s shareholders in a general meeting, the total number of Ordinary Shares issued and to be issued upon the exercise of Options granted and to be granted under the Plan and any other plan of the Company to a Participant within any 12-month period shall not exceed 1% of the Ordinary Shares of the Company in issue at the date of any grant.

 

9.     Exercise of Option and Purchase of Shares.     Each employee who continues to be a Participant in the Plan on the Exercise Date shall be deemed to have exercised his or her Option on such date and shall acquire from the Company such number of whole Shares reserved for the purpose of the Plan as his or her accumulated payroll deductions on such date will purchase at the Option Price, subject to any other limitations contained in the Plan. Any amount remaining in a Participant’s account at the end of an Offering solely by reason of the inability to purchase a fractional Share will be carried forward to the next Offering; any other balance remaining in a Participant’s account at the end of an Offering will be refunded to the Participant promptly. Any Option granted but not exercised by the end of an Offering will automatically lapse and be cancelled. The Administrator may take all actions necessary to alter the method of Option exercise and the exchange and transmittal of proceeds with respect to Participants resident in the PRC not having permanent residence in a country other than the PRC in order to comply with applicable PRC foreign exchange and tax regulations, and any other applicable PRC laws and regulations.

 

10.     Issuance of Certificates.     Certificates representing Shares purchased under the Plan may be issued only in the name of the employee, in the name of the employee and another person of legal age as joint tenants with rights of survivorship, or in the name of a broker authorized by the employee to be his, her or their, nominee for such purpose.

 

11.     Definitions.

 

The term “ADSs” means American depositary shares. Each ADS represents 13 Ordinary Shares.

 

The term “Change in Control” means (i) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company on a consolidated basis to an unrelated person or entity, (ii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation pursuant to which the holders of the Company’s outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares immediately prior to such transaction do not own a majority of the outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares or other equity interests of the resulting or successor entity (or its ultimate parent, if applicable) immediately upon completion of such transaction, (iii) the sale of all of the Shares of the Company to an unrelated person, entity or group thereof acting in concert, or (iv) any other transaction in which the owners of the Company’s outstanding voting power immediately prior to such transaction do not own at least a majority of the outstanding voting power of the Company or any successor entity immediately upon completion of the transaction other than as a result of the acquisition of securities directly from the Company.

 

The term “Compensation” means the amount of base pay (including overtime and commissions, to the extent determined by the Administrator), prior to salary reduction pursuant to Sections 125, 132(f) or 401(k) of the Code, but excluding incentive or bonus awards, allowances and reimbursements for expenses such as relocation allowances or travel expenses, income or gains on the exercise of Company share options, and similar items.

 

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The term “Designated Subsidiary” means any present or future Subsidiary (as defined below) that has been designated by the Board to participate in the Plan. The Board may so designate any Subsidiary, or revoke any such designation, at any time and from time to time, either before or after the Plan is approved by the shareholders. The current list of Designated Subsidiaries is attached hereto as Appendix A.

 

The term “Fair Market Value of the Shares” on any given date means the fair market value of the Shares determined in good faith by the Administrator; provided, however, that if the ADSs are admitted to quotation on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”), NASDAQ Global Market or another national securities exchange, the determination shall be made by reference to the closing price on such date. If there is no closing price for such date, the determination shall be made by reference to the last date preceding such date for which there is a closing price.

 

The term “Ordinary Shares” means the ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company.

 

The term “Parent” means a “parent corporation” with respect to the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.

 

The term “Participant” means an individual who is eligible as determined in Section 3 and who has complied with the provisions of Section 4.

 

The term “Shares” means the Ordinary Shares or ADSs, as the context so requires.

 

The term “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation” with respect to the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

12.     Rights on Termination of Employment.     If a Participant’s employment terminates for any reason before the Exercise Date for any Offering, no payroll deduction will be taken from any pay due and owing to the Participant and the balance in the Participant’s account will be paid to such Participant or, in the case of such Participant’s death, to his or her designated beneficiary as if such Participant had withdrawn from the Plan under Section 7. An employee will be deemed to have terminated employment, for this purpose, if the corporation that employs him or her, having been a Designated Subsidiary, ceases to be a Subsidiary, or if the employee is transferred to any corporation other than the Company or a Designated Subsidiary. An employee will not be deemed to have terminated employment for this purpose, if the employee is on an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the employee’s right to reemployment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Administrator otherwise provides in writing.

 

13.     Special Rules; Non-U.S. Employees.     Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrator may adopt special rules applicable to the employees of a particular Designated Subsidiary, whenever the Administrator determines that such rules are necessary or appropriate for the implementation of the Plan in a jurisdiction where such Designated Subsidiary has employees; provided that such rules are consistent with the requirements of Section 423(b) of the Code. Any special rules established pursuant to this Section 13 shall, to the extent possible, result in the employees subject to such rules having substantially the same rights as other Participants in the Plan. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Plan, employees of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary who are citizens or residents of a non-United States jurisdiction (without regard to whether they are also citizens or resident aliens (within the meaning of Section 7701(b)(1)(A) of the Code)) may be excluded from eligibility under the Plan if (a) the grant of an Option under the Plan to a citizen or resident of the non-United States jurisdiction is prohibited under the laws of such jurisdiction or (b) compliance with the laws of the foreign jurisdiction would cause the Plan to violate the requirements of Section 423 of the Code.

 

14.     Optionees Not Shareholders.     Neither the granting of an Option to a Participant nor the deductions from his or her pay shall constitute such Participant a holder of the Shares covered by an Option under the Plan until such Shares have been purchased by and issued to him or her. Accordingly, Participants shall not have any voting rights, or rights to participate in any dividends or distributions (including those arising on a liquidation of the Company)

 

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declared or recommended or resolved to be paid to the shareholders on the register on a date prior to such Shares having been purchased by and issued to him or her.

 

15.     Rights Not Transferable.     Rights under the Plan are not transferable by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and are exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant.

 

16.     Application of Funds.     All funds received or held by the Company under the Plan may be combined with other corporate funds and may be used for any corporate purpose.

 

17.     Adjustment in Case of Changes Affecting Shares; Change in Control.

 

(a)   In the event of a subdivision of outstanding Shares, the payment of a dividend in Shares or any other change affecting the Shares, the number of Shares approved for the Plan and the share limitation set forth in Section 8 shall be equitably or proportionately adjusted to give proper effect to such event.

 

(b)   In the event of a Change in Control, each outstanding Option will be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the Option, the Offering with respect to which such Option relates will be shortened by setting a new Exercise Date (the “New Exercise Date”) on which such Offering Period shall end. The New Exercise Date will occur before the date of the proposed Change in Control. The Administrator will notify each Participant in writing or electronically prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the Participant’s Option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the Participant’s Option will be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering as provided in Section 7 hereof.

 

18.     Amendment of the Plan.     The Board may at any time and from time to time amend the Plan in any respect, except that without the approval of the shareholders, no amendment shall be made increasing the number of Ordinary Shares approved for the Plan or making any other change that would require shareholder approval in order for the Plan, as amended, to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423(b) of the Code.

 

19.     Insufficient Shares.     If the total number of Shares that would otherwise be purchased on any Exercise Date plus the number of Shares purchased under previous Offerings under the Plan exceeds the maximum number of Shares issuable under the Plan, the Shares then available shall be apportioned among Participants in proportion to the amount of payroll deductions accumulated on behalf of each Participant that would otherwise be used to purchase Shares on such Exercise Date.

 

20.     Termination of the Plan.     The Plan may be terminated at any time by the Board. Upon termination of the Plan, all amounts in the accounts of Participants shall be promptly refunded.

 

21.     Application of Hong Kong Listing Rules.   Solely for the purposes of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “ Listing Rules ”), to the extent that the Plan is deemed to be an option plan for the purposes of Chapter 17 of the Listing Rules, the number of Shares purchased by a Participant pursuant to Section 8 (the “ Purchased Shares ”) shall be deemed to comprise of (i) first, such number of Shares determined by dividing the Participant’s accumulated payroll deductions on the Exercise Date by the higher of (A) the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the Offering Date and (B) the average Fair Market Value of the Shares on the five business days immediately preceding the Offering Date (the “ Deemed Option Shares ”), and (ii) the number of Shares determined by deducting the Deemed Option Shares from the Purchased Shares, which shall be deemed to be a share award by the Company.

 

22.     Governmental Regulations.     The Company’s obligation to sell and deliver Shares under the Plan is subject to obtaining all governmental approvals required in connection with the authorization, issuance, or sale of such Shares. In the event that the Plan is terminated while any Option remains outstanding and unexercised, then any such Options shall lapse and be cancelled.

 

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23.     Participants’ Compliance with Laws.     Participants shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to their participation in the Plan.

 

24.     Governing Law.     This Plan and all Options and actions taken thereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands, applied without regard to conflict of law principles. In relation to any proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Plan, the Company and the Participants irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands courts.

 

25.     Issuance of Shares.     Shares may be issued upon exercise of an Option from authorized but unissued Shares, from Shares held in the treasury of the Company, or from any other proper source.

 

26.     Tax Withholding.     Participation in the Plan is subject to any minimum required tax and/or social security withholding on income of the Participant in connection with the Plan. Each Participant agrees, by entering the Plan, that the Company and its Subsidiaries shall have the right to deduct any such taxes and/or social security from any payment of any kind otherwise due to the Participant, including Shares issuable under the Plan.

 

27.     Notification Upon Sale of Shares.     Each Participant who is or may become subject to U.S. income tax agrees, by entering the Plan, to give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of Shares purchased under the Plan where such disposition occurs within two years after the date of grant of the Option pursuant to which such Shares were purchased or within one year after the date such Shares were purchased.

 

28.     Effective Date and Approval of Shareholders.     The Plan shall take effect on the later of the date it is adopted by the Board and the date it is approved by the holders of a majority of the votes cast at a meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is present (such date, the “Effective Date”) and shall remain in effect for ten years from the Effective Date unless terminated earlier by the Board in accordance with Section 28.

 

DATE APPROVED BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: June 6, 2018

 

DATE OF APPROVAL OF AMENDED AND RESTATED PLAN BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: August 7, 2018

 

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APPENDIX A

 

Designated Subsidiaries

 

BeiGene (Hong Kong) Co., Limited

 

BeiGene (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene AUS PTY LTD.

 

BeiGene 101

 

BeiGene (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene USA, Inc.

 

BeiGene Biologics Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene Guangzhou Biologics Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

 

BeiGene Switzerland GmbH

 

BeiGene Ireland Limited

 

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Exhibit 10.3

 

BEIGENE, LTD.

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED
20
16
SHARE OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

 

SECTION 1.  GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE PLAN; DEFINITIONS

 

The name of the plan is the BeiGene, Ltd. 2016 Share Option and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).  The purpose of the Plan is to encourage and enable the officers, employees, Non-Employee Directors and Consultants of BeiGene, Ltd. (the “Company”) and its Subsidiaries upon whose judgment, initiative and efforts the Company largely depends for the successful conduct of its businesses to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company.  It is anticipated that providing such persons with a direct stake in the Company will assure a closer identification of their interests with those of the Company and its shareholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on the Company’s behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with the Company.

 

The following terms shall be defined as set forth below:

 

“Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

“Administrator” means either the Board or the compensation committee of the Board or a similar committee performing the functions of the compensation committee and which is comprised of not less than two Non-Employee Directors who are independent.

 

“ADSs” means American depositary shares.  Each ADS represents 13 Shares.

 

ASC 718 ” means Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation.

 

“Award” or “Awards,” except where referring to a particular category of grant under the Plan, shall include Non-Qualified Share Options, Share Appreciation Rights, Restricted Share Units, Restricted Share Awards, Unrestricted Share Awards and Dividend Equivalent Rights.

 

“Award Certificate” means a written or electronic document setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan.  Each Award Certificate is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successor Code, and related rules, regulations and interpretations.

 

“Consultant” means any natural person that provides bona fide services to the Company, and such services are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising

 



 

transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities.

 

“Dividend Equivalent Right” means an Award entitling the Grantee to receive credits based on cash dividends that would have been paid on the Shares specified in the Dividend Equivalent Right (or other award to which it relates) if such Shares had been issued to and held by the Grantee.

 

“Effective Date” means the date on which the Plan becomes effective as set forth in Section 17.

 

“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

“Fair Market Value” of the Shares on any given date means the fair market value of the Shares determined in good faith by the Administrator; provided, however, that if the ADSs are admitted to quotation on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”), NASDAQ Global Market or another national securities exchange, the determination shall be made by reference to market quotations.  If there are no market quotations for such date, the determination shall be made by reference to the last date preceding such date for which there are market quotations; provided further, however, that if the date for which Fair Market Value is determined is the first day when trading prices for the ADSs are reported on a national securities exchange, the Fair Market Value shall be the “Price to the Public” (or equivalent) for each ADR set forth on the cover page for the final prospectus relating to the Company’s Initial Public Offering, as converted to a per Share basis.

 

“Grantee” is a recipient of an Award under this Plan.

 

“Initial Public Offering” means the first underwritten, firm commitment public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Act covering the offer and sale by the Company of its equity securities, or such other event as a result of or following which the ADSs shall be publicly held.

 

“Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not also an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

“Non-Qualified Share Option” means any Share Option that is not an incentive share option.

 

“Option” or “Share Option” means any option to purchase Shares granted pursuant to Section 5.

 

“Restricted Shares” means the Shares underlying a Restricted Share Award that remain subject to a risk of forfeiture or the Company’s right of repurchase.

 

“Restricted Share Award” means an Award of Restricted Shares subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.

 

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“Restricted Share Units” means an Award of share units subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.

 

“Sale Event” shall mean (i) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company on a consolidated basis to an unrelated person or entity, (ii) a merger, reorganization or consolidation pursuant to which the holders of the Company’s outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares immediately prior to such transaction do not own a majority of the outstanding voting power and outstanding Shares or other equity interests of the resulting or successor entity (or its ultimate parent, if applicable) immediately upon completion of such transaction, (iii) the sale of all of the Shares of the Company to an unrelated person, entity or group thereof acting in concert, or (iv) any other transaction in which the owners of the Company’s outstanding voting power immediately prior to such transaction do not own at least a majority of the outstanding voting power of the Company or any successor entity immediately upon completion of the transaction other than as a result of the acquisition of securities directly from the Company.

 

Sale Price ” means the value as determined by the Administrator of the consideration payable, or otherwise to be received by the Company’s shareholders, per Share pursuant to a Sale Event.

 

“Shares” means the ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of the Company, subject to adjustments pursuant to Section 3.

 

“Share Appreciation Right” means an Award entitling the recipient to receive Shares having a value equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price of the Share Appreciation Right multiplied by the number of Shares with respect to which the Share Appreciation Right shall have been exercised.

 

“Subsidiary” means any corporation or other entity (other than the Company) in which the Company has at least a 50 percent interest, either directly or indirectly.

 

“Unrestricted Share Award” means an Award of Shares free of any restrictions.

 

SECTION 2.  ADMINISTRATION OF PLAN; ADMINISTRATOR AUTHORITY TO SELECT GRANTEES AND DETERMINE AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Administration of Plan .  The Plan shall be administered by the Administrator.

 

(b)                                  Powers of Administrator .  The Administrator shall have the power and authority to grant Awards consistent with the terms of the Plan, including the power and authority:

 

(i)                                      to select the individuals to whom Awards may from time to time be granted;

 

(ii)                                   to determine the time or times of grant, and the extent, if any, of Non-Qualified Share Options, Share Appreciation Rights, Restricted Share Awards, Restricted Share Units, Unrestricted Share Awards and Dividend Equivalent Rights, or any combination of the foregoing, granted to any one or more Grantees;

 

3



 

(iii)                                to determine the number of Shares to be covered by any Award;

 

(iv)                               to determine and modify from time to time the terms and conditions, including restrictions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award, which terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees, and to approve the forms of Award Certificates;

 

(v)                                  to accelerate at any time the exercisability or vesting of all or any portion of any Award in circumstances involving the Grantee’s death, disability, retirement or termination of employment, or a change in control (including a Sale Event);

 

(vi)                               subject to the provisions of Section 5(c), to extend at any time the period in which Share Options may be exercised; and

 

(vii)                            at any time to adopt, alter and repeal such rules, guidelines and practices for administration of the Plan and for its own acts and proceedings as it shall deem advisable; to interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award (including related written instruments); to make all determinations it deems advisable for the administration of the Plan; to decide all disputes arising in connection with the Plan; and to otherwise supervise the administration of the Plan.

 

All decisions and interpretations of the Administrator shall be binding on all persons, including the Company and Plan Grantees.

 

To the extent required under the rules of any securities exchange or market system on which the Shares are listed,  amendments to the terms of Share Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to approval by the Company’ shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders.

 

(c)                                   Delegation of Authority to Grant Awards .  Subject to applicable law, the Administrator, in its discretion, may delegate to the chairman of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company all or part of the Administrator’s authority and duties with respect to the granting of Awards.  Subject to applicable law, the Administrator, in its discretion, may delegate to the Chief Executive Officer and/or Chief Financial Officer of the Company all or part of the Administrator’s authority and duties with respect to the granting of Awards to individuals who are not subject to the reporting of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.  Any such delegation by the Administrator shall include a limitation as to the number of Shares underlying Awards that may be granted during the period of the delegation and shall contain guidelines as to the determination of the exercise price and the criteria for exercisability or vesting.  The Administrator may revoke or amend the terms of a delegation at any time, but such action shall not invalidate any prior actions of the Administrator’s delegate or delegates that were consistent with the terms of the Plan

 

(d)                                  Award Certificate .  Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Certificates that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include, without limitation, the term of an Award and the provisions applicable in the event employment or service terminates.

 

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(e)                                   Indemnification .  Neither the Board nor the Administrator, nor any member of either or any delegate thereof, shall be liable for any act, omission, interpretation, construction or determination made in good faith in connection with the Plan, and the members of the Board and the Administrator (and any delegate thereof) shall be entitled in all cases to indemnification and reimbursement by the Company in respect of any claim, loss, damage or expense (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising or resulting therefrom to the fullest extent permitted by law and/or under the Company’s articles of association or any directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage which may be in effect from time to time and/or any indemnification agreement between such individual and the Company.

 

(f)                                    Foreign Award Recipients .  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate or have employees or other individuals eligible for Awards, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to:  (i) determine which Subsidiaries shall be covered by the Plan; (ii) determine which individuals outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Plan; (iii) modify the terms and conditions of any Award granted to individuals outside the United States to comply with applicable foreign laws; (iv) establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures, to the extent the Administrator determines such actions to be necessary or advisable (and such subplans and/or modifications shall be attached to this Plan as appendices); provided, however, that no such subplans and/or modifications shall increase the share limitations contained in Section 3(a); and (v) take any action, before or after an Award is made, that the Administrator determines to be necessary or advisable to obtain approval or comply with any local governmental regulatory exemptions or approvals.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrator may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate the Act or any other United States securities law, the Code, or any other United States governing statute or law.

 

SECTION 3.  SHARES ISSUABLE UNDER THE PLAN; MERGERS; SUBSTITUTION

 

(a)                                  Shares Issuable .  The maximum number of Shares that have been reserved and available for issuance under the Plan shall be 121,598,798[1] Shares, of which 18,748,598 Shares are reserved and remain available for issuance as of August 8, 2018 (being the effective date of the approval of this amended and restated Plan by the Board (the “Amended Effective Date”)) (representing approximately 2.4% of the issued share capital of the Company as of the Amended Effective Date), plus the Shares available under the Company’s 2011 Option Plan (the “2011 Plan”) and not subject to outstanding options as of the Amended Effective Date. For purposes of this limitation, the Shares underlying any awards granted under this Plan or the 2011 Plan (including any grants made prior to the Amended Effective Date) that are forfeited, canceled, held back upon exercise of an Option or settlement of an award to cover the exercise price or tax withholding, reacquired by the Company prior to vesting, satisfied without the issuance of Shares or otherwise terminated (other than by exercise) shall be added back to the Shares available for issuance under the Plan, provided that (i) the Shares reserved and available for issuance under the Plan, the Company’s 2018 Inducement Equity Plan (as amended and restated) and the Company’s 2018 Employee Share Purchase Plan (as amended and restated) shall not exceed 76,716,318 Shares as of the

 


(1) This is the maximum number of Shares reserved and available for issuance as authorized under the Plan pursuant to the terms of the Plan in effect (including the Shares available under the Company’s 2011 Option Plan) immediately prior to the Amended Effective Date.

 

5



 

Amended Effective Date, being 10% of the issued share capital of the Company as of the Amended Effective Date, and (ii) where the Company cancels an Option and issues a new Option to the same Grantee, the issue of such new Option shall be made only to the extent that there are Shares reserved and available for issuance excluding the cancelled Option. In the event the Company repurchases Shares on the open market, such Shares shall not be added to the Shares available for issuance under the Plan.  Subject to such overall limitations, Shares may be issued up to such maximum number pursuant to any type or types of Award.  The Shares available for issuance under the Plan may be authorized but unissued Shares or Shares reacquired by the Company.

 

(b)                                  Maximum Awards to Non-Employee Directors .  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan, the value of all Awards awarded under this Plan and all other cash compensation paid by the Company to any Non-Employee Director in any calendar year shall not exceed $500,000.  For the purpose of this limitation, the value of any Award shall be its grant date fair value, as determined in accordance with ASC 718 or successor provision but excluding the impact of estimated forfeitures related to service-based vesting provisions.

 

(c)                                   Maximum Individual Limit . Unless approved by the Company’s shareholders in general meeting, the total number of Shares issued and to be issued upon the exercise of Share Options granted and to be granted under the Plan and any other plan of the Company to a Grantee within any 12-month period shall not exceed 1% of the Shares in issue at the date of any grant.

 

(d)                                  Changes in Shares .  Subject to Section 3(d), if, as a result of any reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, share dividend, share split, reverse share split or other similar change in the Company’s share capital, the outstanding Shares are increased or decreased or are exchanged for a different number or kind of shares or other securities of the Company, or additional shares or new or different shares or other securities of the Company or other non-cash assets are distributed with respect to such Shares or other securities, or, if, as a result of any merger or consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, the outstanding Shares are converted into or exchanged for securities of the Company or any successor entity (or a parent or subsidiary thereof), the Administrator shall make an appropriate or proportionate adjustment in (i) the maximum number of Shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, (ii) the number and kind of Shares or other securities subject to any then outstanding Awards under the Plan, (iii) the repurchase price, if any, per Share subject to each outstanding Restricted Share Award, and (iv) the exercise price for each Share subject to any then outstanding Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights under the Plan, without changing the aggregate exercise price (i.e., the exercise price multiplied by the number of Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights) as to which such Share Options and Share Appreciation Rights remain exercisable.  The Administrator shall also make equitable or proportionate adjustments in the number of Shares subject to outstanding Awards and the exercise price and the terms of outstanding Awards to take into consideration cash dividends paid other than in the ordinary course or any other extraordinary corporate event.  The adjustment by the Administrator shall be final, binding and conclusive.  No fractional Shares shall be issued under the Plan resulting from any such adjustment, but the Administrator in its discretion may make a cash payment in lieu of fractional Shares.

 

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(e)                                   Mergers and Other Transactions .  In the case of and subject to the consummation of a Sale Event, the parties may cause the assumption or continuation of Awards previously granted by the successor entity, or the substitution of such Awards with new Awards of the successor entity or its parent, with appropriate adjustment as to the number and kind of shares and, if appropriate, the per share exercise prices, as such parties shall agree.  To the extent the parties to such Sale Event do not provide for the assumption, continuation or substitution of Awards, upon the effective time of the Sale Event, the Plan and all outstanding Awards granted under this Plan shall terminate.  In such case, except as may be otherwise provided in the relevant Award Certificate, all Options and Share Appreciation Rights that are not exercisable immediately prior to the effective time of the Sale Event shall become fully exercisable as of the effective time of the Sale Event, all other Awards with time-based vesting, conditions or restrictions shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable as of the effective time of the Sale Event, and all Awards with conditions and restrictions relating to the achievement of performance goals may become vested and nonforfeitable in connection with a Sale Event in the Administrator’s discretion or to the extent specified in the relevant Award Certificate.  In the event of such termination, (i) the Company shall have the option (in its sole discretion) to make or provide for a payment, in cash or in kind, to the Grantees holding Options and Share Appreciation Rights, in exchange for the cancellation thereof, in an amount equal to the difference between (A) the Sale Price multiplied by the number of Shares subject to outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights (to the extent then exercisable  at prices not in excess of the Sale Price) and (B) the aggregate exercise price of all such outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights; or (ii) each Grantee shall be permitted, within a specified period of time prior to the consummation of the Sale Event as determined by the Administrator, to exercise all outstanding Options and Share Appreciation Rights (to the extent then exercisable) held by such Grantee.  The Company shall also have the option (in its sole discretion) to make or provide for a payment, in cash or in kind, to the Grantees holding other Awards in an amount equal to the Sale Price multiplied by the number of vested Shares under such Awards.

 

SECTION 4.  ELIGIBILITY

 

Grantees under the Plan will be such full- or part-time officers and other employees, Non-Employee Directors and Consultants of the Company and its Subsidiaries as are selected from time to time by the Administrator in its sole discretion.

 

SECTION 5.  SHARE OPTIONS

 

(a)                                  Award of Share Options .  The Administrator may grant Share Options under the Plan.  Any Share Option granted under the Plan shall be in such form as the Administrator may from time to time approve.  Share Options granted under the Plan are Non-Qualified Share Options.

 

Share Options granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions and shall contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator shall deem desirable.  If the Administrator so determines, Share Options may be granted in lieu of cash compensation at the optionee’s election, subject to such terms and conditions as the Administrator may establish.

 

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(b)                                  Exercise Price .  The exercise price per Share covered by a Share Option granted pursuant to this Section 5 shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of grant but shall not be less than the higher of: (i) the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant; and (ii) the average Fair Market Value of the Shares for the five business days immediately preceding the day of grant.

 

(c)                                   Option Term .  The term of each Share Option shall be fixed by the Administrator, but no Share Option shall be exercisable more than ten years after the date the Share Option is granted. Any Share Option granted but not exercised by the end of its option term will automatically lapse and be cancelled.

 

(d)                                  Exercisability; Rights of a Shareholder .  Share Options shall become exercisable at such time or times, whether or not in installments, as shall be determined by the Administrator at or after the grant date.  The Administrators may determine at the time of grant any minimum period(s) for which a Share Option must be held and/or any minimum performance target(s) that must be achieved, before the Share Option can be exercised in whole or in part, and may include at the discretion of the Administrators such other terms either on a case by case basis or generally. The Administrator may at any time accelerate the exercisability of all or any portion of any Share Option.  An optionee shall have the rights of a shareholder only as to Shares acquired upon the exercise of a Share Option and not as to unexercised Share Options.  Accordingly, an optionee shall not have any voting rights, or rights to participate in any dividends or distributions (including those arising on a liquidation of the Company) declared or recommended or resolved to be paid to the shareholders on the register of members of the Company on a date prior to the name of such optionee being registered on such register.

 

(e)                                   Method of Exercise .  Share Options may be exercised in whole or in part, by giving written or electronic notice of exercise to the Company, specifying the number of Shares to be purchased.  Payment of the purchase price may be made by one or more of the following methods except to the extent otherwise provided in the option award certificate:

 

(i)                                      In cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the Administrator;

 

(ii)                                   Through the delivery (or attestation to the ownership following such procedures as the Company may prescribe (“attestation method”)) of Shares that are not then subject to restrictions under any Company plan.  Such surrendered Shares shall be valued at Fair Market Value on the exercise date;

 

(iii)                                By the optionee delivering to the Company a properly executed exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to a broker to promptly deliver to the Company cash or a check payable and acceptable to the Company for the purchase price; provided that in the event the optionee chooses to pay the purchase price as so provided, the optionee and the broker shall comply with such procedures and enter into such agreements of indemnity and other agreements as the Company shall prescribe as a condition of such payment procedure; or

 

(iv)                               If permitted by the Administrator, by a “net exercise” arrangement pursuant to which the Company will reduce the number of Shares issuable upon exercise by the

 

8



 

largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price.

 

Payment instruments will be received subject to collection.  The transfer to the optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent of the Shares to be purchased pursuant to the exercise of a Share Option will be contingent upon receipt from the optionee (or a purchaser acting in his stead in accordance with the provisions of the Share Option) by the Company of the full purchase price for such Shares and the fulfillment of any other requirements contained in the option award certificate or applicable provisions of laws (including the satisfaction of any withholding taxes that the Company is obligated to withhold with respect to the optionee).  In the event an optionee chooses to pay the purchase price by previously-owned Shares through the attestation method, the number of Shares transferred to the optionee upon the exercise of the Share Option shall be net of the number of attested Shares.  In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the exercise of Share Options, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless exercise of Share Options may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

 

SECTION 6.  SHARE APPRECIATION RIGHTS

 

(a)                                  Award of Share Appreciation Rights .  The Administrator may grant Share Appreciation Rights under the Plan.  A Share Appreciation Right is an Award entitling the recipient to receive Shares having a value equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price of the Share Appreciation Right multiplied by the number of Shares with respect to which the Share Appreciation Right shall have been exercised.

 

(b)                                  Exercise Price of Share Appreciation Rights .  The exercise price of a Share Appreciation Right shall not be less than 100 percent of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of grant in the case of any grant to a Grantee who is subject to U.S. income tax.

 

(c)                                   Grant and Exercise of Share Appreciation Rights .  Share Appreciation Rights may be granted by the Administrator independently of any Share Option granted pursuant to Section 5 of the Plan.

 

(d)                                  Terms and Conditions of Share Appreciation Rights .  Share Appreciation Rights shall be subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Administrator at the time of the grant.  Such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees.  The term of a Share Appreciation Right may not exceed ten years.

 

SECTION 7.  RESTRICTED SHARE AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Nature of Restricted Share Awards .  The Administrator may grant Restricted Share Awards under the Plan.  A Restricted Share Award is any Award of Restricted Shares subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Administrator may determine at the time of grant.  Conditions may be based on continuing employment (or other service relationship) and/or achievement of pre-established performance goals and objectives.  The terms and conditions of

 

9



 

each such Award shall be determined by the Administrator, and such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees.

 

(b)                                  Rights as a Shareholder .  Upon the grant of a Restricted Share Award and payment of the purchase price, if any, subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth in the award certificate, a Grantee shall have all the rights of a shareholder with respect to Restricted Shares, including the voting of the Restricted Shares and receipt of dividends; provided that if the lapse of restrictions with respect to the Restricted Share Award is tied to the achievement of performance goals, any dividends paid by the Company during the performance period shall accrue and not be paid to the Grantee except to the extent the performance goals are met with respect to the Restricted Share Award.  Unless the Administrator shall otherwise determine, (i) uncertificated Restricted Shares shall be accompanied by a notation on the records of the Company or the transfer agent to the effect that they are subject to forfeiture until such Restricted Shares are vested as provided in Section 7(d), and (ii) certificated Restricted Shares shall remain in the possession of the Company until such Restricted Shares are vested as provided in Section 7(d), and the Grantee shall be required, as a condition of the grant, to deliver to the Company such instruments of transfer as the Administrator may prescribe.

 

(c)                                   Restrictions .  Restricted Shares may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of except as specifically provided in the Restricted Share Award Certificate.  Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, if a Grantee’s employment (or other service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries terminates for any reason, any Restricted Shares that have not vested at the time of termination shall automatically and without any requirement of notice to such Grantee from or other action by or on behalf of, the Company be deemed to have been reacquired by the Company at its original purchase price (if any) from such Grantee or such Grantee’s legal representative simultaneously with such termination of employment (or other service relationship), and after the reacquisition shall cease to represent any ownership of the Company by the Grantee or rights of the Grantee as a shareholder.  Following such deemed reacquisition of Restricted Shares that are represented by physical certificates, a Grantee shall surrender such certificates to the Company upon request without consideration.

 

(d)                                  Vesting of Restricted Shares .  The Administrator at the time of grant shall specify the date or dates and/or the performance goals, objectives and other conditions on which the non-transferability of the Restricted Shares and the Company’s right of repurchase or forfeiture shall lapse.  Subsequent to such date or dates and/or the achievement of such performance goals, objectives and other conditions, the shares as to which the Company’s right of repurchase or forfeiture has lapsed shall no longer be Restricted Shares and shall be deemed “vested.”

 

SECTION 8.  RESTRICTED SHARE UNITS

 

(a)                                  Nature of Restricted Share Units .  The Administrator may grant Restricted Share Units under the Plan.  A Restricted Share Unit is an Award of share units that may be settled in Shares upon the satisfaction of such restrictions and conditions at the time of grant.  Conditions may be based on continuing employment (or other service relationship) and/or in the case of a Grantee who is not a U.S. taxpayer, achievement of pre-established performance goals and

 

10



 

objectives.  The terms and conditions of each such Award shall be determined by the Administrator, and such terms and conditions may differ among individual Awards and Grantees.  At the end of the vesting period, the Restricted Share Units, to the extent vested, shall be settled in the form of Shares.

 

(b)                                  Rights as a Shareholder .  A Grantee shall have the rights as a shareholder only as to Shares acquired by the Grantee upon settlement of Restricted Share Units; provided, however, that the Grantee may be credited with Dividend Equivalent Rights with respect to the share units underlying his Restricted Share Units, subject to the provisions of Section 10 and such terms and conditions as the Administrator may determine.

 

(c)                                   Termination .  Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, a Grantee’s right in all Restricted Share Units that have not vested shall automatically terminate upon the Grantee’s termination of employment (or cessation of service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason.

 

SECTION 9.  UNRESTRICTED SHARE AWARDS

 

Grant or Sale of Unrestricted Shares .  The Administrator may grant (or sell at par value or such higher purchase price determined by the Administrator) an Unrestricted Share Award under the Plan.  An Unrestricted Share Award is an Award pursuant to which the Grantee may receive Shares free of any restrictions under the Plan.  Unrestricted Share Awards may be granted in respect of past services or other valid consideration, or in lieu of cash compensation due to such Grantee.

 

SECTION 10.  DIVIDEND EQUIVALENT RIGHTS

 

(a)                                  Dividend Equivalent Rights .  The Administrator may grant Dividend Equivalent Rights under the Plan.  A Dividend Equivalent Right is an Award entitling the Grantee to receive credits based on cash dividends that would have been paid on the Shares specified in the Dividend Equivalent Right (or other Award to which it relates) if such Shares had been issued to the Grantee.  A Dividend Equivalent Right may be granted to any Grantee as a component of an award of Restricted Share Units or as a freestanding award.  The terms and conditions of Dividend Equivalent Rights shall be specified in the Award Certificate.  Dividend equivalents credited to the holder of a Dividend Equivalent Right shall be paid currently.  Dividend Equivalent Rights may be settled in cash or Shares or a combination of cash and Shares.  A Dividend Equivalent Right granted as a component of an Award of Restricted Share Units shall provide that such Dividend Equivalent Right shall be settled only upon settlement or payment of, or lapse of restrictions on, such other Award, and that such Dividend Equivalent Right shall expire or be forfeited or annulled under the same conditions as such other Award.

 

(b)                                  Termination .  Except as may otherwise be provided by the Administrator either in the Award Certificate or, subject to Section 15, in writing after the Award is issued, a Grantee’s rights in all Dividend Equivalent Rights shall automatically terminate upon the Grantee’s termination of employment (or cessation of service relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason.

 

11



 

SECTION 11.  TRANSFERABILITY OF AWARDS

 

(a)                                  Transferability .  Except as provided in Section 11(b), during a Grantee’s lifetime, his or her Awards shall be exercisable only by the Grantee, or by the grantee’s legal representative or guardian in the event of the Grantee’s incapacity.  No Awards shall be sold, assigned, transferred or otherwise encumbered or disposed of by a Grantee other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a domestic relations order.  No Awards shall be subject, in whole or in part, to attachment, execution, or levy of any kind, and any purported transfer in violation of this Section 11(a) shall be null and void.

 

(b)                                  Administrator Action .  Notwithstanding Section 11(a), the Administrator, in its discretion, may permit either in the Award Certificate for a given Award or by subsequent written approval the Grantee  to transfer Non-Qualified Share Options to the Grantee’s immediate family members, to trusts for the benefit of such family members, or to partnerships in which such family members are the only partners, provided that the transferee agrees in writing with the Company to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Plan and the applicable Award.  In no event may an Award be transferred by a Grantee for value.

 

(c)                                   Family Member .  For purposes of Section 11(b), “family member” shall mean a Grantee’s child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships, any person sharing the grantee’s household (other than a tenant of the Grantee), a trust in which these persons (or the Grantee) have more than 50 percent of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the Grantee) control the management of assets, and any other entity in which these persons (or the Grantee) own more than 50 percent of the voting interests.

 

(d)                                  Designation of Beneficiary .  To the extent permitted by the Company, each Grantee to whom an Award has been made under the Plan may designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise any Award or receive any payment under any Award payable on or after the Grantee’s death.  Any such designation shall be on a form provided for that purpose by the Administrator and shall not be effective until received by the Administrator.  If no beneficiary has been designated by a deceased Grantee, or if the designated beneficiaries have predeceased the Grantee, the beneficiary shall be the Grantee’s estate.

 

(e)                                   Lockup Provisions in an Initial Public Offering .  If requested by the Company, a Grantee shall not sell or otherwise transfer or dispose of any Awards or Shares issued in respect to that Award (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act) held by Grantee for such period following the effective date of the Initial Public Offering as the Company shall specify reasonably and in good faith.  If requested by the underwriter engaged by the Company for the Initial Public Offering, each Grantee shall execute a separate letter confirming  Grantee’s agreement to comply with this Section.

 

SECTION 12.  TAX WITHHOLDING

 

(a)                                  Payment by Grantee .  Each Grantee shall, no later than the date as of which the value of an Award or of any Shares or cash received under the Award first becomes includable in

 

12



 

the gross income of the Grantee for income, employment or other tax purposes, pay to the Company or a Subsidiary, or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator regarding payment of, any taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld by the Company or a Subsidiary with respect to such income.  The Company and its Subsidiaries shall, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind otherwise due to the Grantee.  The Company’s obligation to deliver evidence of book entry (or share certificates) to any Grantee is subject to and conditioned on tax withholding obligations being satisfied by the Grantee.

 

(b)                                  Payment in Shares .  Subject to approval by the Administrator, a Grantee may elect to have the Company’s or Subsidiary’s minimum required tax withholding obligation satisfied, in whole or in part, by authorizing the Company to withhold from Shares to be issued pursuant to any Award a number of Shares with an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the date the withholding is effected) that would satisfy the withholding amount due.  The Administrator may also require Awards to be subject to mandatory share withholding up to the required withholding amount.  For purposes of share withholding, the Fair Market Value of withheld Shares shall be determined in the same manner as the value of the Shares includible in income of the Grantees.

 

SECTION 13.  TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT, TRANSFER, LEAVE OF ABSENCE, ETC.

 

(a)                                  Termination of Employment .  If the Grantee’s employer ceases to be a Subsidiary, the Grantee shall be deemed to have terminated employment for purposes of the Plan.

 

(b)                                  For purposes of the Plan, the following events shall not be deemed a termination of employment:

 

(i)                                      a transfer to the employment of the Company from a Subsidiary or from the Company to a Subsidiary, or from one Subsidiary to another; or

 

(ii)                                   an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness, or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the employee’s right to re-employment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Administrator otherwise so provides in writing.

 

SECTION 14.  AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION

 

The Board may, at any time, amend or discontinue the Plan and the Administrator may, at any time, amend or cancel any outstanding Award for the purpose of satisfying changes in law or for any other lawful purpose, but no such action shall adversely affect rights under any outstanding Award without the holder’s consent.  Except as provided in Section 3(c) or 3(d), without prior shareholder approval, in no event may the Administrator exercise its discretion to reduce the exercise price of outstanding Share Options or Share Appreciation Rights or effect repricing through cancellation and re-grants or cancellation of Share Options or Share Appreciation Rights in exchange for cash or other Awards.  To the extent required under the rules of any securities exchange or market system on which the Shares are listed, Plan

 

13



 

amendments shall be subject to approval by the Company shareholders entitled to vote at a meeting of shareholders.  Nothing in this Section 14 shall limit the Administrator’s authority to take any action permitted pursuant to Section 3(c) or 3(d).

 

In the event that the Plan is terminated while any Share Option remains outstanding and unexercised, the provisions of this Plan shall remain in full force to the extent necessary to give effect to the exercise of any such Share Option.

 

SECTION 15.  STATUS OF PLAN

 

With respect to the portion of any Award that has not been exercised and any payments in cash, Shares or other consideration not received by a Grantee, a Grantee shall have no rights greater than those of a general creditor of the Company unless the Administrator shall otherwise expressly determine in connection with any Award or Awards.  In its sole discretion, the Administrator may authorize the creation of trusts or other arrangements to meet the Company’s obligations to deliver Shares or make payments with respect to Awards, provided that the existence of such trusts or other arrangements is consistent with the foregoing sentence.

 

SECTION 16.  GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

(a)                                  No Distribution .  The Administrator may require each person acquiring Shares pursuant to an Award to represent to and agree with the Company in writing that such person is acquiring the Shares without a view to their distribution.

 

(b)                                  Delivery of Share Certificates .  Share certificates to Grantees under this Plan shall be deemed delivered for all purposes when the Company or a share transfer agent of the Company has mailed such certificates to the Grantee at the Grantee’s last known address on file with the Company.  Uncertificated Shares shall be deemed delivered for all purposes when the Company or a share transfer agent of the Company shall have given to the Grantee by electronic mail (with proof of receipt) or by mail to the Grantee at the Grantee’s last known address on file with the Company, notice of issuance and recorded the issuance in its records (which may include electronic “book entry” records).  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Plan, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates evidencing Shares pursuant to the exercise of any Award, unless and until the Administrator has determined, with advice of counsel (to the extent the Administrator deems such advice necessary or advisable), that the issuance and delivery of such certificates is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations of governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any exchange on which the Shares or ADSs are listed, quoted or traded.  All share certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan shall be subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Administrator deems necessary or advisable to comply with federal, state or foreign jurisdiction, securities or other laws, rules and quotation system on which the Shares or ADSs are listed, quoted or traded.  The Administrator may place legends on any share certificate to reference restrictions applicable to the Shares.  In addition to the terms and conditions of this Plan, the Administrator may require that an individual make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Administrator, in its discretion, deems necessary or advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or requirements.  The Administrator shall have the right to require any individual to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement or

 

14



 

exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the discretion of the Administrator.

 

(c)                                   Shareholder Rights .  Until the name of the Grantee appears in the register of members of the Company, which is prima facie evidence that the Grantee is a shareholder of the Company, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights of a shareholder will exist with respect to Shares to be issued in connection with an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of a Share Option or any other action by the Grantee with respect to an Award.

 

(d)                                  Other Compensation Arrangements; No Employment Rights .  Nothing contained in this Plan shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, including trusts, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.  The adoption of this Plan and the grant of Awards do not confer upon any employee any right to continued employment with the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

(e)                                   Trading Policy Restrictions .  Option exercises and other Awards under the Plan shall be subject to the Company’s insider trading policies and procedures, as in effect from time to time.

 

(f)                                    Clawback Policy .  Awards under the Plan shall be subject to the Company’s clawback policy, as in effect from time to time.

 

SECTION 17.  EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN

 

This Plan shall become effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Company’s Registration Statement relating to the Initial Public Offering, following shareholder approval in accordance with the law of the Cayman Islands and the Company’s articles of association.  No grants of Share Options and other Awards may be made under this Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.

 

SECTION 18.  GOVERNING LAW

 

This Plan and all Awards and actions taken under them shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands. In relation to any proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Plan, the Company and the Grantees irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Cayman Islands courts.

 

DATE APPROVED BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS:  January 14, 2016

 

DATE APPROVED BY SHAREHOLDERS: January 14, 2016

 

DATE OF APPROVAL OF AMENDED AND RESTATED PLAN BY BOARD OF DIRECTORS: August 7, 2018

 

15


Exhibit 99.1

 

BeiGene, Ltd .

 

 

 

BeiGene Initiates New Phase 3 Trial of Anti-PD-1 Antibody Tislelizumab Combined with Chemotherapy as First-line Treatment for Patients with Advanced Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in China

 

BEIJING, China, and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 9, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE; HKEX: 06160), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, announced today that the first patient was dosed in a Phase 3 clinical trial of tislelizumab, an investigational anti-PD-1 antibody, combined with chemotherapy, as a potential first-line treatment in China for patients with Stage IIIB or IV squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

 

Tislelizumab is also being studied in global Phase 3 trials in solid tumors, including second-line NSCLC, first-line hepatocellular carcinoma, and second-line esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; two global Phase 2 trials in previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and relapsed/refractory mature T- and natural killer-cell lymphomas; a Phase 3 trial in China in non-squamous NSCLC; and two pivotal Phase 2 trials in China in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma and second-line urothelial cancer.

 

“With the start of this important Phase 3 trial in China for patients with squamous NSCLC, our broad development program for tislelizumab, an advanced immuno-oncology therapy, continues to make great progress in China and globally. More than 1,500 patients have been enrolled in clinical trials with tislelizumab over the past three years, and we are excited to evaluate its potential when combined with both paclitaxel and carboplatin, the worldwide standard of care, or nab-paclitaxel (ABRAXANE®) and carboplatin, a newer regimen which has not yet gained approval in China but is approved in other geographies,” commented Amy Peterson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Immuno-Oncology at BeiGene.

 



 

“Despite some recent developments, available data indicate that outcomes in patients with squamous NSCLC may be worse than those in patients with other forms of lung cancer. As shown by most recent data with other checkpoint inhibitors, combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy consisting of platinum and paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel improves anti-tumor activity and significantly improves outcomes for patients with advanced squamous NSCLC. This Phase 3 study, in addition to our Phase 3 first line trial in China for patients with non-squamous NSCLC, will assess the impact of  tislelizumab given in combination with chemotherapy, as a potential way to improve outcomes in Chinese patients with advanced lung cancer, for whom prognoses are typically quite poor,” commented Lai Wang, Ph.D., Head of China Development at BeiGene.

 

The Phase 3, open-label, multi-center trial is expected to enroll approximately 340 chemotherapy naïve patients with Stage IIIB or IV squamous NSCLC in mainland China who will be randomized to receive i) carboplatin and paclitaxel, ii) carboplatin, paclitaxel and tislelizumab, or iii) carboplatin, nab-paclitaxel (ABRAXANE, which is commercialized by BeiGene in China) and tislelizumab. The trial is designed to compare progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by the Independent Review Committee (IRC) per RECIST v1.1. Key secondary endpoints include overall survival, overall response rate, duration of response, PFS by investigator assessment, and safety and tolerability.

 

For more information about the trial, patients and physicians should email BeiGene at clinicaltrials@beigene.com.

 

About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

 

In China, there were an estimated 733,300 new cases of lung cancer in 2015.[1] Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women, with an estimated 610,200 deaths in China in 2015.[1] According to the American Cancer

 



 

Society, about 80 to 85 percent of lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and there are three main subtypes: adenocarcinoma, squamous cell (epidermoid) carcinoma and large cell (undifferentiated). For patients with advanced NSCLC, five-year survival rates are approximately 26 percent for Stage IIIB, 10 percent for Stage IVA, and 1 percent for Stage IVB.[2]

 

About Tislelizumab

 

Tislelizumab (BGB-A317) is an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody that belongs to a class of immuno-oncology agents known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Discovered by BeiGene scientists in Beijing, tislelizumab is designed to bind to PD-1, a cell surface receptor that plays an important role in downregulating the immune system by preventing the activation of T-cells. Tislelizumab has demonstrated high affinity and specificity for PD-1. It is potentially differentiated from the currently approved PD-1 antibodies in an engineered Fc region, which is believed to minimize potentially negative interactions with other immune cells, based on preclinical data. Tislelizumab is being developed as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies for the treatment of a broad array of both solid tumor and hematologic cancers. BeiGene and Celgene Corporation have a global strategic collaboration for the development of tislelizumab in solid tumor cancers outside of Asia (except Japan).

 

About BeiGene

 

BeiGene is a global, commercial-stage, research-based biotechnology company focused on molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics. With a team of over 1,300 employees in China, the United States, Australia and Switzerland, BeiGene is advancing a pipeline consisting of novel oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for cancer. BeiGene is also working to create combination solutions aimed to have both a meaningful and lasting impact on cancer patients. BeiGene markets ABRAXANE ®   (nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel), REVLIMID ®   (lenalidomide), and VIDAZA ®   (azacitidine) in China under a license from Celgene Corporation[3].

 



 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws, including statements regarding BeiGene’s advancement of, and anticipated clinical development, regulatory milestones and commercialization of tislelizumab. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including BeiGene’s ability to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of its drug candidates; the clinical results for its drug candidates, which may not support further development or marketing approval; actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials and marketing approval; BeiGene’s ability to achieve  commercial success for its marketed products and drug candidates, if approved; BeiGene’s ability to obtain and maintain protection of intellectual property for its technology and drugs; BeiGene’s reliance on third parties to conduct drug development, manufacturing and other services; BeiGene’s limited operating history and BeiGene’s ability to obtain additional funding for operations and to complete the development and commercialization of its drug candidates, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in BeiGene’s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in BeiGene’s subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  All information in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and BeiGene undertakes no duty to update such information unless required by law.

 



 

Investor Contact

Media Contact

 

 

Lucy Li, Ph.D.

Liza Heapes

+1 781-801-1800

+ 1 857-302-5663

ir@beigene.com

media@beigene.com

 


(1) Chen et al., CA Cancer J Clin, 2016.

 

(2) American Cancer Society. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/nonsmall-cell-lung-cancer.html. Accessed 07 February 2017.

 

(3) ABRAXANE ® , REVLIMID ® , and VIDAZA ®  are registered trademarks of Celgene Corporation.