UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

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

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 4, 2017

 

ALTIMMUNE, INC.

 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   001-32587   20-2726770
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)   (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer Identification No.)
         
19 Firstfield Road, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, Maryland
  20878
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number including area code: (240) 654-1450

 

PHARMATHENE, INC.

One Park Place, Suite 450
Annapolis, Maryland, 21401

 

(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:

 

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨ 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 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

 

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 

 

Item 2.01 Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets.

 

The Merger

 

On May 4, 2017, PharmAthene, Inc. (“PharmAthene”), now named Altimmune, Inc. (the “Company”), completed its business combination with Altimmune, Inc. (“Altimmune”), in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated as of January 18, 2017 (as amended on March 29, 2017, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, Mustang Merger Sub Corp I Inc. (“Merger Sub Corp”), Mustang Merger Sub II LLC (“Merger Sub LLC”) and Altimmune, pursuant to which (i) Merger Sub Corp merged with and into Altimmune, with Altimmune surviving as the surviving corporation in such merger (“Merger 1”), and immediately thereafter, Altimmune merged with and into Merger Sub LLC, with Merger Sub LLC surviving as the surviving entity in such merger (“Merger 2” and together with Merger 1, each a “Merger” and collectively the “Mergers”).

 

Also on May 4, 2017, in connection with, and prior to completion of, the Mergers, the Company effected a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of its common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”) and, following the Mergers, changed its name to “Altimmune, Inc.” Unless otherwise noted herein, all references to share amounts reflect the Reverse Stock Split. Following the completion of the Mergers, the business being conducted by the Company became primarily the business formerly conducted by Altimmune, which was a clinical stage immunotherapeutics company focused on the development of products to stimulate robust and durable immune responses for the prevention and treatment of disease.

 

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company issued shares of its common stock to Altimmune’s stockholders, at an exchange ratio of 0.749106 of a share of common stock (post the Reverse Stock Split), in exchange for each share of Altimmune common stock outstanding as of the Effective Time. The Company also assumed all of the Altimmune stock options and warrants, with such stock options and warrants henceforth representing the right to purchase a number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to 0.749106 multiplied by the number of shares of Altimmune’s common stock previously represented by such stock options and warrants, as applicable.

 

Immediately following the Effective Time, there were 15,450,602 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding (post the Reverse Stock Split). Immediately following the Effective Time, the former Altimmune stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders owned 58.2% of the Company, with PharmAthene’s stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders immediately prior to the Mergers, whose warrants, options and shares of the Company’s common stock remain outstanding after the Mergers, owning 41.8% of the Company.

 

The issuance of the shares of the Company’s common stock to the former stockholders of Altimmune was registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Reg. No. 333-215891) (the “Registration Statement”). The issuance of the shares of the Company’s common stock to holders of stock options issued, or to be issued, under the Altimmune stock option plans will be registered with the SEC on a Registration Statement on Form S-8.

 

The Company’s shares of common stock, which were previously listed on NYSE MKT, LLC and traded through the close of business on May 4, 2017 under the ticker symbol “PIP,” commenced trading on The Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), under the ticker symbol “ALT” on May 5, 2017. The Company’s common stock has a new CUSIP number, 02155H 101.

 

The descriptions of the Mergers and Merger Agreement included herein are not complete and are subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to the Merger Agreement, a copy of which was attached as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 19, 2017, and Amendment No. 1 to the Merger Agreement, a copy of which was attached as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 29, 2017, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

 

On May 4, 2017, the Company issued a press release announcing the completion of the Mergers. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

 

Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing

 

(d) The information set forth in Item 2.01 regarding the transfer of the Company’s listing from the NYSE MKT to Nasdaq is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.01.

 

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Item 3.03 Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.

 

As disclosed below under Item 5.07, at the special meeting of the Company’s stockholders held on May 4, 2017, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Company’s restated certificate of incorporation, as amended (the “Restated Certificate”) to effect the Reverse Stock Split (the “Split Amendment”).

 

Additionally, pursuant to the approval by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) on May 4, 2017, on May 4, 2017, the Company filed an additional amendment to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation to change the Company’s name from “PharmAthene, Inc.” to “Altimmune, Inc.” (the “Name Change Amendment”).

 

On May 4, 2017, immediately prior to the effective time of the Mergers, the Company filed the Split Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware and, after the effective time of the Mergers, the Company filed the Name Change Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

 

In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, the Company’s bylaws, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, were amended and restated in their entirety (the “Amended and Restated Bylaws”).

 

The foregoing descriptions of the Split Amendment and Name Change Amendment are not complete and are subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Split Amendment and Name Change Amendment, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and Exhibit 3.2, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the Amended and Restated Bylaws is filed as Exhibit 3.3 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 4.01 Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant.

 

Prior to the Mergers described in Item 2.01 above, Ernst & Young LLP served as PharmAthene’s independent registered public accounting firm and BDO USA, LLP served as Altimmune’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Board of Directors of the Company has not yet engaged or selected an independent registered public accounting firm subsequent to the completion of the Mergers. The Company expects that the audit committee of the Company’s Board of Directors will approve the engagement of an independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017 prior to the end of the second fiscal quarter.

 

The report of Ernst & Young LLP on PharmAthene’s consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor was it qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.

 

During the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, and the subsequent interim period through May 5, 2017, there were no: (1) disagreements (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions) with Ernst & Young LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedures, which disagreement if not resolved to the satisfaction of Ernst & Young LLP would have caused Ernst & Young LLP to make reference thereto in its reports on the consolidated financial statements for such years, or (2) reportable events (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K).

 

The Company delivered a copy of this Current Report on Form 8-K to Ernst & Young LLP on May 4, 2017 and requested that it provide a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether or not Ernst & Young LLP agrees with the statements made in response to this Ite m 4.01 and , if not, stating the respects in which it does not agree. Ernst & Young LLP responded with a letter dated May 5, 2017, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 16.1, stating that Ernst & Young LLP agrees with the statements set forth above.

 

Item 5.01 Changes in Control of Registrant.

 

The information set forth in Item 2.01 regarding the Mergers and the information set forth in Item 5.02 regarding the Company’s board of directors is incorporated by reference into this Item 5.01.

 

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

 

Officers

 

After the effective time of the Mergers, on May 4, 2017, the Company’s Board appointed William Enright as President and Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth A. Czerepak as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Financial Officer, M. Scot Roberts, Ph.D. as Chief Scientific Officer and Sybil Tasker, M.D., M.P.H. as Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development.

 

William Enright — Chief Executive Officer and President

 

Mr. Enright currently serves as President and CEO of the Company and is a member of its Board of Directors. He joined Altimmune as President and a member of the Board of Directors in June 2008 and was named CEO shortly thereafter. Mr. Enright brings more than 25 years of experience in a variety of positions within the life science and biotech industries. Prior to joining Altimmune, Mr. Enright spent six years with GenVec, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNVC) with increasing responsibilities culminating in the Head of Business Development. Mr. Enright was responsible for helping to build GenVec’s vaccine business including generating approximately $140 million of funding for vaccine-related initiatives and moving four vaccines into clinical development. Prior to GenVec, Mr. Enright was a self-employed consultant providing business development and strategic marketing services to academic institutions and a number of small to mid-size life science companies. Prior to becoming a consultant, and after spending several years as a bench scientist at SUNY at Buffalo, Mr. Enright spent 12 years with Life Technologies, Inc., working in various licensing, business management, manufacturing and research roles. Mr. Enright received a Master of Arts in Biology from SUNY at Buffalo and a Master of Science in Business Management from Johns Hopkins University.

 

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Elizabeth A. Czerepak — Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development

 

Ms. Czerepak currently serves as CFO and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development of the Company. Ms. Czerepak joined Altimmune in April 2015 as its Chief Financial Officer and received the additional title of Executive Vice President of Corporate Development in January 2017. An experienced finance executive, Ms. Czerepak has led a broad range of initiatives at public and privately held pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. As a venture capital investor and board member of several portfolio companies at Bear Stearns Health Innoventures (BSHI), she played a key role in raising hundreds of millions of dollars in private financings and IPOs, and the successful sale of two portfolio companies. From April 2014 until April 2015, Ms. Czerepak served as CFO and Chief Business Officer at Isarna Therapeutics BV and, earlier, from January 2011 until March 2014, as CFO and Principal Accounting Officer at Cancer Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CGIX). Prior to CGIX, from April 2000 until June 2009, she was a founding general partner at BSHI, and from April 2000 until December 2008, she was a managing director and an NASD Registered Representative at JP Morgan Inc. and Bear Stearns & Co. Earlier in her career, Ms. Czerepak was Vice President of Business Development and a member of the U.S. executive board at BASF Pharma, and held senior-level finance, licensing and corporate development positions at Hoffmann-La Roche and Merck & Co. Ms. Czerepak has an MBA from Rutgers University and a BA magna cum laude from Marshall University.

 

M. Scot Roberts, Ph.D. — Chief Scientific Officer

 

Dr. Roberts currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Company. Dr. Roberts joined Altimmune in December 2012 and has nearly 20 years of senior technical leadership experience, most recently at ImQuest BioSciences, Inc., where as Chief Scientific Officer from November 2010 until November 2012, he was responsible for managing scientific operations as well as business development opportunities in cancer and antivirals. Dr. Roberts held key positions at Wellstat Biologics Corporation from August 1996 until October 2010, including Director of Research and Development where he was responsible for a portfolio of biologic candidates in oncology including a clinical stage asset. He also led bioassay development efforts for the company and assumed leadership roles in upstream process development and animal pharmacology while at Wellstat. Dr. Roberts has significant experience in both small molecule and biologics drug development with a focus on viral vectors and antiviral therapies. Dr. Roberts completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Molecular Virology and has numerous patents and publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has been an invited speaker and Chair at numerous international conferences. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences.

 

Sybil Tasker, M.D.,M.P.H., FACP, FIDSA — Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development

 

Dr. Tasker serves as Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development of the Company. Dr. Tasker joined Altimmune as Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development in April 2016, and is an experienced infectious disease clinician and fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Prior to joining Altimmune, she led development of a therapeutic herpes simplex vaccine at Genocea Biosciences and had positions of increasing responsibility in infectious disease product development strategy at two global CROs. A prior career military officer, she was the senior U.S. Navy infectious disease physician and technical advisor to Department of Defense leaders about a wide variety of infectious disease policy issues, including HIV, tropical disease, vaccination, infection control, bioterrorism and pandemic preparedness. She has extensive antimicrobial, vaccine and infectious disease-related device and diagnostic development experience across all phases of the clinical development process. She holds a California medical license and is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. Dr. Tasker earned an A.B. degree in Biochemistry from Princeton University, an M.D. degree from Columbia University and an M.P.H. degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

 

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Employment Agreement with William Enright

 

Altimmune entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with William Enright, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, that became effective on May 4, 2017, the date of the closing of the Mergers. The amended agreement has an initial term that will expire on December 31, 2018. Unless either the Company or Mr. Enright elect not to renew the agreement, Mr. Enright’s agreement will automatically renew for successive one-year terms effective January 1, 2019 and each January 1 thereafter.

 

Under the agreement, Mr. Enright will receive a base salary of $375,000 and will be eligible to receive an annual discretionary incentive bonus of up to 50% of his base salary based on achievement of performance goals established by the compensation committee of the Company’s Board (the “Compensation Committee”). Mr. Enright will be eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefit plans made available to its similarly situated senior executives. In addition, the Company will pay the premium costs for a term life insurance policy for Mr. Enright with a benefit equal to Mr. Enright’s base salary and for short- and long-term disability plans that provide for an annual benefit of at least 60% of Mr. Enright’s base salary for as long as the disability continues. During the term of Mr. Enright’s employment, and subject to applicable securities laws or listing standards, the Company will use its best efforts to cause Mr. Enright to be nominated for election as a member of the Company’s board of directors at each annual meeting of stockholders at which Mr. Enright is up for election.

 

On May 4, 2017, the effective date of the agreement, the Compensation Committee granted Mr. Enright an option to purchase 99,927 shares of common stock of the Company at an exercise price of $6.50 per share (which is equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the NYSE MKT on May 4, 2017, as adjusted for the Reverse Stock Split).  Twenty five percent of the shares underlying the option are vested on the date of grant and the remaining 75% of the shares vest and become exercisable in substantially equal monthly installments over the 36 months following the date of grant; provided, that if, in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee, the Company successfully completes a public offering then an additional 25% of the shares underlying the option shall immediately vest and the remaining 50% of the shares will vest and become exercisable in substantially equal monthly installments over the 24 months following the date of grant.  The option was granted under the terms of the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (formerly called the PharmAthene, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan) and is subject to the terms and conditions thereof.

 

In the event of an employment termination, the Company will pay Mr. Enright his earned but unpaid base salary through the date of termination, accrued but unused vacation pay, unreimbursed business expenses and such employee benefits as may be due to Mr. Enright under the terms of the applicable benefit plans (the “Accrued Benefits”).

 

If the Company terminates Mr. Enright’s employment without cause or Mr. Enright resigns his employment for good reason, in addition to the Accrued Benefits, Mr. Enright will be entitled to receive 12 months of base salary continuation payments, 12 months of continued coverage under the health insurance plans in which Mr. Enright participates at the time of the termination and payment of any unpaid prior year’s annual bonus. If such employment termination or resignation occurs within one year following a change of control, Mr. Enright is entitled to receive an amount equal to the sum of 18 months of his base salary plus his target annual discretionary incentive bonus for the year of termination, 12 months of continued coverage under the health insurance plans in which Mr. Enright participates at the time of the termination, payment of any unpaid prior year’s annual bonus and, in addition, all of Mr. Enright’s outstanding unvested equity awards will become vested. If any payments, whether under Mr. Enright’s employment agreement or otherwise, would be subject to the golden parachute excise tax under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), such payments will be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid the excise tax if doing so would result in a greater net after tax payment to Mr. Enright. Mr. Enright is required to execute and not revoke a release of claims in order to be eligible to receive severance payments or benefits, other than the Accrued Benefits.

 

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Under the agreement, “cause” generally means Mr. Enright’s (i) material breach of his fiduciary duties, (ii) material breach of his employment agreement, (iii) willful failure or refusal to follow written policies, (iv) conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony, or (v) continuing and willful refusal to act as directed by the Company’s board of directors. Under the agreement, “good reason” generally means (i) a reduction in Mr. Enright’s base salary or target annual bonus opportunity, (ii) a material diminution in Mr. Enright’s authorities, duties or responsibilities, or (iii) a relocation of Mr. Enright’s principal place of employment more than 50 miles from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

 

Mr. Enright will be subject to restrictive covenants during the term of his employment and for a period of one year following the termination of his employment. In particular, Mr. Enright will be prohibited from soliciting the Company’s customers, clients and employees and from engaging in sales, marketing or related activities on behalf of himself or another entity that directly competes with the Company and does business in the same geographical areas in which the Company does business, except that the post-employment restriction on competition does not apply if Mr. Enright’s employment is terminated for cause.

 

Employment Agreements with Elizabeth A. Czerepak, M. Scot Roberts and Sybil Tasker

 

Altimmune entered into an employment agreement with each of Elizabeth A. Czerepak, the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, and M. Scot Roberts, Ph.D., the Chief Scientific Officer, that became effective on December 7, 2015. In addition, Altimmune entered into an employment agreement with Sybil Tasker, M.D., the Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Development. Upon the closing of the Mergers, each of these agreements have become agreements of the Company. Each of these agreements provides for an initial term that will expire on December 31, 2017. Unless either party elects not to renew the agreement, the agreement will automatically renew for successive one-year terms effective January 1, 2018 and each January 1 thereafter.

 

The agreements provide each of Ms. Czerepak and Dr. Tasker with an initial base salary of $290,000 and Dr. Roberts with an initial base salary of $200,000. Upon the closing of the Mergers, the base salary amounts for Ms. Czerepak and Dr. Roberts were increased to $325,000 and $220,000, respectively. In addition, Ms. Czerepak and Drs. Roberts and Tasker are each eligible to receive an annual discretionary incentive bonus of up to 30% of their respective base salaries based on achievement of performance goals previously established by the compensation committee of Private Altimmune’s board of directors. Ms. Czerepak and Drs. Roberts and Tasker will be eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefit plans made available to its similarly situated senior executives.

 

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If, prior to a change in control, the Company terminates the employment of Ms. Czerepak or Drs. Roberts or Tasker without cause or if such executive resigns for good reason, in addition to the executive’s Accrued Benefits (to which the executive is entitled on any termination of employment), the executive will be entitled to receive severance equal to six months of base salary continuation payments, six months of continued coverage under the health insurance plans in which the executive participated at the time of the termination and payment of any unpaid prior year’s annual bonus. If such employment termination or resignation occurs within the one-year period following a change in control, the executive would be entitled to receive a severance amount equal to the sum of 12 months of the executive’s base salary plus the executive’s target annual discretionary incentive bonus for the year of termination, six months of continued coverage under the health insurance plans in which the executive participates at the time of termination, payment of any unpaid prior year’s annual bonus and, in addition, all of the executive’s outstanding unvested equity awards will become vested. The agreements also provide that if any payments, whether under the agreements or otherwise, payable to the executive would be subject to the golden parachute excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code, such payments will be reduced to the extent necessary to avoid the excise tax if doing so would result in a greater net after tax payment to the executive. The executive is required to execute and not revoke a release of claims in Altimmune’s favor in order to be eligible to receive the severance payments and benefits.

 

Under the agreements with Ms. Czerepak and Drs. Roberts and Tasker, “cause” generally means the executive’s (i) material breach of her or his fiduciary duties to us, (ii) material breach of her or his agreement, (iii) willful failure or refusal to follow Altimmune’s written policies, (iv) conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony or (v) continuing and willful failure to act as directed by Altimmune’s board of directors or its chief executive officer. Under the agreements, “good reason” generally means (i) a reduction in the executive’s base salary or target annual bonus opportunity, (ii) a material diminution in authority, duties or responsibilities or (iii) a relocation of the executive’s principal place of employment more than 50 miles from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

 

Under the agreements, Ms. Czerepak and Drs. Roberts and Tasker will be subject to restrictive covenants during the term of their employment and for a period of six months following termination of employment. In particular, the executives will be prohibited from soliciting the Company’s customers, clients and employees and from engaging in sales, marketing or related activities on the executive’s behalf or another entity that directly competes with the Company.

 

Directors

 

In accordance with the Merger Agreement, on May 4, 2017, effective immediately prior to the effective time of the Mergers, each of Eric I. Richman, Steven St. Peter, M.D., and Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D. resigned from the Company’s Board and any respective committees of the Board on which they served, which resignations were not the result of any disagreements with the Company relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.

 

In accordance with the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Mergers, on May 4, 2017, the Board and its committees were reconstituted, with William Enright, David J. Drutz, Philip Hodges and Klaus Schafer appointed as directors of the Company.

 

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David J. Drutz, M.D. — Chairman of the Board

 

Dr. Drutz, was first elected to Altimmune’s board of directors in January 2010 and has served as Chairman of the board since October 2011. Dr. Drutz is the President of Pacific Biopharma Associates, a biopharmaceutical consulting company that he founded in January 1999. Between 2008 and 2015, he served as Director (March 2008 – December 2015), Chief Executive Officer (December 2011 – June 2014), Executive Chairman (June 2014 – December 2015) and Chief Medical Officer (January 2012 – December 2015) of DARA BioSciences (NASDAQ:DARA), an oncology supportive care company located in Raleigh, NC, which was acquired by Midatech Pharma in December 2015. Dr. Drutz served previously as Chairman of Tranzyme, Inc. (NASDAQ:TZYM) from 2000 to 2010, which was acquired by Ocera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OCRX); Director of MethylGene, Inc. (TSX:MYG) from 2000 to 2010, which was acquired by Mirati Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRTX); and Director of Gentris Corporation from 2007 to 2014, which was acquired by Cancer Genetics (NASDAQ:CGIX). From 1999 to 2008 he was a general partner with Pacific Rim Ventures, a Tokyo-based international venture capital firm. He is a former member of the Science and Industry Advisory Committee (SIAC) of Genome Canada, which advises Genome Canada’s board of directors regarding genomics investments throughout Canada. Dr. Drutz’s management experience includes tenures as VP Biological Sciences and VP Clinical Research at Smith Kline & French Laboratories, VP Clinical Development at Daiichi Pharmaceutical Corporation, and CEO of Inspire Pharmaceuticals (1995 – 1998) and Sennes Drug Innovations (1994 – 1995). Earlier in his career, Dr. Drutz was Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and prior to that appointment was Assistant Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Drutz received his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and postgraduate training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, serving subsequently as a research medical officer (infectious diseases) in the U.S. Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts for presentation. Dr. Drutz brings significant experience in biotechnology investment and as a physician to Altimmune’s board of directors.

 

Philip L. Hodges

 

Mr. Hodges was first elected to Altimmune’s board of directors in September 2003. He is Managing Partner of Redmont Capital, a private equity firm located in Birmingham, Alabama, which he joined at its inception in 1997. Redmont Capital is a co-founder of Altimmune. Mr. Hodges’ investment strategy is focused on high-growth small businesses within the health care, life science and technology sectors. He currently serves as a director for several of the firm’s portfolio companies. Mr. Hodges holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Brock School of Business at Samford University. Mr. Hodges brings significant experience as a life science investor and co-founder to the Company’s board of directors.

 

Brigadier General (ret.) Klaus O. Schafer, M.D., MPH

 

Brigadier General (ret.), Klaus Schafer, M.D., MPH, has over 30 years of leadership experience, having held senior positions in government and industry. He was first elected to Altimmune’s board of directors in July 2012. As the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for chemical and biological defense, a position he held from April 2004 through June 2005, he oversaw the management of the Department of Defense’s $1.0 billion program for vaccine, therapeutics, medical device and sensor development. He retired from the Air Force as the Assistant Surgeon General with extensive experience managing all aspects of large integrated health care delivery systems. Prior private sector experience includes VP of business development for Compressus Inc., a telemedicine start-up, former CEO and cofounder of TessArae LLC, a start-up biotech genetic testing company. He is currently Chief Medical Officer and VP, business development, Health for CACI International, a publicly traded Fortune 1000 company. Dr. Schafer brings significant experience as a physician and biotechnology investor, in government and as a board member and advisor in the health care biodefense industry to the Company’s board of directors.

 

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In connection with the expansion of the Board, the Board has effected certain changes to the composition of various Board committees. Effective May 4, 2017, the composition of each of the Board’s standing committees is as follows:

 

Audit Committee Compensation Committee Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee
Mitchel B. Sayare (Chairman) David J. Drutz (Chairman) Philip L. Hodges (Chairman)
Klaus O. Schafer Derace D. Schaffer David J. Drutz
Philip L. Hodges Philip L. Hodges Mitchel B. Sayare

  

Adoption of Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan

 

On May 4, 2017, the Company adopted the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) which became effective upon the receipt of stockholder approval. A complete copy of the Plan is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 and incorporated into this Item 5.02 by reference.

 

Approval of New Forms of Stock Option Agreements

 

On May 4, 2017, the Compensation Committee, pursuant to the Plan, approved two forms of stock option agreements for use under the Plan. The first form of stock option agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.2 and incorporated by reference herein, is for use in connection with grants of incentive stock options to eligible participants under the Plan.  The second form of stock option agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.3 and incorporated by reference herein, is for use in connection with grants of non-qualified stock options to eligible participants under the Plan.

 

Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

 

The information contained in Item 2.01 and Item 3.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference herein. 

 

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

On May 4, 2017, the Company held a special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to consider five proposals related to the Mergers. Each of the Company’s proposals was approved by the requisite vote of the Company’s stockholders as described below.

 

At the close of business on March 22, 2017, the record date for the Special Meeting, the Company had 68,815,195 shares of common stock issued and outstanding (this and the other share numbers in this Item 5.07 do not give effect to the Reverse Stock Split). The holders of a total of 38,491,979 shares of common stock were represented at the Special Meeting by proxy, representing approximately 55.9% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock as of the record date, which total constituted a quorum for the Special Meeting in accordance with the Company’s bylaws.

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the PharmAthene common stock outstanding, entitled to vote on the proposal and present in person or represented by proxy, was required for the approval of PharmAthene Proposals 1, 2, 4 and 5. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the PharmAthene common stock outstanding and entitled to vote on the proposal was required for the approval of PharmAthene Proposal No. 3. The final voting results for each of these proposals is set forth below. Brokers did not have discretionary authority to vote for Proposal Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 for the shares of the Company’s common stock held in street name, and as a result, no broker non-votes were received for any of these proposals. For more information on these proposals, please refer to the Company’s proxy statement/prospectus/consent solicitation included in the Registration Statement.

 

  9  

 

 

The final voting results for each of these proposals is set forth below. Brokers did not have discretionary authority to vote for Proposal Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 for the shares of the Company’s common stock held in street name, and as a result, no broker non-votes were received for any of these proposals.

 

Proposal 1 - To approve the issuance of PharmAthene common stock pursuant to the Merger Agreement:

 

For Against Abstain  
37,216,161 998,319 277,499  

 

Proposal 2 - To approve the Merger Agreement:

 

For Against Abstain  
37,430,963 839,933 221,083  

 

Proposal 3 - To approve an amendment of PharmAthene’s Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split prior to the effective time of the Mergers at a ratio of not less than 1-for-10 and not more than 1-for-75:

 

For Against Abstain  
35,980,290 2,173,328 338,361  

 

Proposal 4 - To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan:

 

For Against Abstain  
23,667,677 14,079,594 744,708  

 

Proposal 5. To adjourn the Special Meeting, if necessary, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes in favor of Proposal Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4:

 

For Against Abstain  
26,767,863 10,461,234 1,262,882  

 

  10  

 

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(a) Financial Statements of Businesses Acquired.

 

The Company intends to file the financial statements of Altimmune required by Item 9.01(a) as part of an amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K not later than 71 calendar days after the date this Current Report on Form 8-K is required to be filed.

 

(b) Pro Forma Financial Information

 

The Company intends to file the pro forma financial information required by Item 9.01(b) as part of an amendment to this Current Report on Form 8-K not later than 71 calendar days after the date this Current Report on Form 8-K is required to be filed.

 

(d) Exhibits.

 

No.   Description
3.1   Certificate of Amendment (Reverse Stock Split) to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, dated May 4, 2017
3.2   Certificate of Amendment (Name Change) to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, dated May 4, 2017
3.3   Amended and Restated Bylaws of Altimmune, Inc.
10.1   Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
10.2   Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement under the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
10.3   Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Agreement under the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan
16.1   Letter dated May 5, 2017 from Ernst & Young LLP to the SEC
99.1   Press release issued by Altimmune, Inc. on May 4, 2017

 

  11  

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  ALTIMMUNE, INC.
   
   
  By: /s/ William Enright
    Name: William Enright
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Dated May 8, 2017

 

  12  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
PHARMATHENE, INC.

 

(Pursuant to Section 242 of the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)

 

Pursuant to Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “General Corporation Law”), PharmAthene, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), does hereby certify as follows:

 

1.       That the name of the Corporation is PharmAthene, Inc., and that the Corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the General Corporation Law on April 25, 2005 under the name Healthcare Acquisition Corp.

 

2.       That the Board of Directors of the Corporation duly adopted resolutions, pursuant to Section 242 of the General Corporation Law, proposing to amend the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended to date, declaring said amendments to be advisable and in the best interests of the Corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the appropriate officers of the Corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor.

 

3.       That thereafter, the stockholders of the Corporation duly approved the following amendments to the Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as previously amended:

 

Article FOURTH is hereby amended by adding the following to the end of the first paragraph:

 

“Upon the effectiveness (the “Effective Time”) of this Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, adding this paragraph thereto, each share of the Corporation’s common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Old Common Stock”), either issued or outstanding or held by the Corporation as treasury stock, immediately prior to the Effective Time, will be automatically reclassified as and converted (without any further act) into 1/10 of a fully paid and nonassessable share of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of the Corporation (the “New Common Stock”) without increasing or decreasing the amount of stated capital or paid-in surplus of the Corporation (the “Reverse Stock Split”), provided that no fractional shares shall be issued to any registered holder of Old Common Stock immediately prior to the Effective Time, and that instead of issuing such fractional shares to such holders, such fractional shares shall be rounded up to the next even number of shares of New Common Stock issued as a result of this Reverse Stock Split at no cost to the stockholder. Any stock certificate that, immediately prior to the Effective Time, represented shares of the Old Common Stock will, from and after the Effective Time, automatically and without the necessity of presenting the same for exchange, represent the number of shares of New Common Stock as equals the product obtained by multiplying the number of shares of Old Common Stock represented by such certificate immediately prior to the Effective Time by 1/10, subject to the rounding up of fractional shares as described above.”

 

4.        That this Certificate of Amendment shall be effective as of May 4, 2017 at 4:01 p.m. EDT.

 

[Signature page follows]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be signed by its President and Chief Executive Officer on this 4th day of May, 2017.

 

  PHARMATHENE, INC.
     
  By: /s/ John M. Gill
    Name: John M. Gill
    Title: President and Chief Executive Officer

  

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.2

 

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT

TO THE

AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

PHARMATHENE, INC.

 

PharmAthene, Inc. (the “ Corporation ”), a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, does hereby certify:

 

FIRST: That at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “ Board ”) resolutions were duly adopted setting forth a proposed amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, declaring said amendment to be advisable. The resolution setting forth the proposed amendment is as follows:

 

RESOLVED, that the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation be amended by changing Article I thereof so that, as amended, said Article shall be and read as follows:

 

ARTICLE I

NAME

 

The name of this corporation is Altimmune, Inc. (the “ Corporation ”).

 

SECOND: That said amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

 

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation to be signed this 4 th day of May, 2017.

 

  PHARMATHENE, INC.
     
  By: /s/ William Enright
  Name: William Enright
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

  

 

 

[Signature Page to Amendment to Charter]

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.3

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

 

OF

 

ALTIMMUNE, INC.

 

SECTION 1 - STOCKHOLDERS

Section 1.1. Annual Meeting .

 

An annual meeting of the stockholders of Altimmune, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Corporation ”) for the election of directors to succeed those whose term expire and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting shall be held at the place, if any, within or without the State of Delaware, on the date and at the time that the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “ Board of Directors ”) shall each year fix. Unless stated otherwise in the notice of the annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, such annual meeting shall be at the principal office of the Corporation.

 

Section 1.2. Advance Notice of Proposals of Business and Nominations .

 

(a) Business at Annual Meetings of Stockholders

 

(1) Proposals for business (other than nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors, which must be made in compliance with and are governed exclusively by Section 1.2(b) hereto) to be transacted by the stockholders at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice with respect to such meeting (or any supplement thereto), (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof or (iii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who (A) was a stockholder of record at the time of the giving of such stockholder’s notice as contemplated in this Section 1.2(a), (B) is entitled to vote at such meeting and (C) has given notice to the Corporation in full compliance with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 1.2(a). Subject to Section 1.2(i) and except as otherwise required by law, clause (iii)    of this Section 1.2(a)(1) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to propose business (other than nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors, which must be made in compliance with and are governed exclusively by Section 1.2(b) hereto) before an annual meeting of stockholders.

 

(2) Subject to Section 1.2(i) and except as otherwise required by law, for proposals (other than nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors, which must be made in compliance with and are governed exclusively by Section 1.2(b) hereto) to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (iii) of Section 1.2(a)(1), (i) the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation (the “ Secretary ”) with the information contemplated by Section 1.2(a)(3), and (ii) the business must be a proper matter for stockholder action under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “ DGCL ”). The notice requirements of this Section 1.2(a) shall be deemed satisfied by a stockholder with respect to business other than a nomination (which shall be governed exclusively by Section 1.2(b) hereto) if the stockholder has notified the Corporation of his, her or its intention to present a proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (as amended from time to time, the “ Act ”) and such stockholder’s proposal has been included in a proxy statement prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for such annual meeting.

 

  - 1 -  

 

 

(3) To be timely for purposes of Section 1.2(a), a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation on a date not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting or, if there was no annual meeting in the prior year or if the date of the current year’s annual meeting is more than 30 days before or after the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting, on or before 10 days after the day on which the date of the current year’s annual meeting is first disclosed in a public announcement (as defined in Section 1.2(d)). In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period for the delivery of such notice. Such notice from a stockholder must state (i) as to each proposal that the stockholder seeks to bring before the meeting, a brief description of such proposal, the reasons for making the proposal at the meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend these bylaws of the Corporation (these “ Bylaws ”), the language of the proposed amendment) and any material interest that the stockholder has in the proposal; and (ii) (A) the name and address of the stockholder giving the notice on whose behalf the proposal is made, (B) the class (and, if applicable, series) and number of shares of stock of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by the stockholder, (C) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class (or, if applicable, series) of shares of stock of the Corporation or with a value derived in whole or in part from the value of any class (or, if applicable, series) of shares of stock of the Corporation, whether or not such instrument or right shall be subject to settlement in the underlying class or series of capital stock of the Corporation or otherwise (each, a “ Derivative Instrument ”) directly or indirectly owned beneficially or of record by such stockholder and any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of stock of the Corporation of the stockholder, (D) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship pursuant to which such stockholder has a right to vote any securities of the Corporation, (E) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which such stockholder is a general partner or beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, an interest in a general partner, (F) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that such stockholder is entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of the shares of stock of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, (G) any other information relating to such stockholder, if any, required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for, as applicable, the proposal and/or for the election of directors in an election contest pursuant to and in accordance with Section 14(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, (H) a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such business, (I) a certification as to whether or not the stockholder has complied with all applicable federal, state and other legal requirements in connection with the stockholder’s acquisition of shares of capital stock or other securities of the Corporation and the stockholder’s acts or omissions as a stockholder (or beneficial owner of securities) of the Corporation, and (J) whether the stockholder intends to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s voting shares required under applicable law to carry the proposal. The information required to be included in a notice pursuant to this Section 1.2(a)(3) shall be provided as of the date of such notice. The information required to be included in a notice pursuant to this Section 1.2(a)(3) shall not include any ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is directed to prepare and submit the notice required by this Section 1.2(a)(3) on behalf of a beneficial owner of the shares held of record by such broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and who is not otherwise affiliated or associated with such beneficial owner.

 

  - 2 -  

 

 

(4) Notwithstanding anything in these Bylaws to the contrary, no business (other than nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors, which must be made in compliance with and are governed exclusively by Section 1(b) hereto) shall be conducted at an annual meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.2(a).

 

(b) Nominations at Annual Meetings of Stockholders

 

(1) Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice with respect to such meeting (or any supplement thereto), (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof or (iii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who (A) was a stockholder of record at the time of the giving of such stockholder’s notice contemplated in Section 1.2(b), (B) is entitled to vote at such meeting and (C) has given notice to the Corporation in full compliance with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 1.2(b). Subject to Section 1.2(i) and except as otherwise required by law, clause
(iii) of this Section 1.2(b)(1) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to make nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors before an annual meeting of stockholders.

 

(2) Subject to Section 1.2(i) and except as otherwise required by law, for nominations to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (iii) of this Section 1.2(b)(2), the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary with the information contemplated by Section 1.2(b)(3).

 

  - 3 -  

 

 

(3) To be timely for purposes of Section 1.2(b), a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation on a date not later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, prior to the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting or, if there was no annual meeting in the prior year or if the date of the current year’s annual meeting is more than 30 days before or after the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting, on or before 10 days after the day on which the date of the current year’s annual meeting is first disclosed in a public announcement (as defined in Section 1.2(d)). In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the announcement thereof commence a new time period for the delivery of such notice. Such notice from a stockholder must state (i) as to each nominee that the stockholder proposes for election or reelection as a director, (A) all information relating to such nominee that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of such nominee as a director pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Act and such nominee’s written consent to serve as a director if elected, and (B) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary arrangements, agreements or understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationship, if any, between or concerning such stockholder, or any of their respective affiliates or associates, on the one hand, and the proposed nominee or any of his or her affiliates or associates, on the other hand; and (ii) (A) the name and address of the stockholder giving the notice on whose behalf the nomination is made, (B) the class (and, if applicable, series) and number of shares of stock of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by the stockholder, (C) any option, warrant, convertible security, stock appreciation right or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege or a settlement payment or mechanism at a price related to any class (or, if applicable, series) of shares of stock of the Corporation or a Derivative Instrument directly or indirectly owned beneficially or of record by such stockholder and any other direct or indirect opportunity to profit or share in any profit derived from any increase or decrease in the value of shares of stock of the Corporation of the stockholder, (D) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship pursuant to which such stockholder has a right to vote any securities of the Corporation, (E) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which such stockholder is a general partner or beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, an interest in a general partner, (F) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that such stockholder is entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of the shares of stock of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, (G) any other information relating to such stockholder, if any, required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for the election of directors in an election contest pursuant to and in accordance with Section 14(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, (H) a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to propose such nomination, (I) a certification as to whether or not the stockholder has complied with all applicable federal, state and other legal requirements in connection with the stockholder’s acquisition of shares of capital stock or other securities of the Corporation and the stockholder’s acts or omissions as a stockholder (or beneficial owner of securities) of the Corporation, and (J) whether the stockholder intends to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of a sufficient number of holders of the Corporation’s voting shares reasonably believed by such stockholder to be sufficient to elect such nominee or nominees or otherwise to solicit proxies or votes from stockholders in support of such nomination. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may be reasonably requested by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of the proposed nominee to serve as an independent director of the Corporation or that could be material to a reasonable stockholder’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of the nominee. The information required to be included in a notice pursuant to this Section 1.2(b)(3) shall be provided as of the date of such notice. The information required to be included in a notice pursuant to this Section 1.2(b)(3) shall not include any ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is directed to prepare and submit the notice required by this Section 1.2(b)(3) on behalf of a beneficial owner of the shares held of record by such broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and who is not otherwise affiliated or associated with such beneficial owner.

 

  - 4 -  

 

 

(c) Subject to the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation (the “ Certificate of Incorporation ”) and applicable law, only persons nominated in accordance with procedures stated in Section 1.2(b) shall be eligible for election as and to serve as members of the Board of Directors and the only other business that shall be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders is the business that has been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 1.2(a). The chairman of the meeting shall have the power and the duty to determine whether a nomination or any proposal has been made according to the procedures stated in this Section 1.2 and, if any nomination or proposal does not comply with this Section 1.2, unless otherwise required by law, the nomination or proposal shall be disregarded.

 

(d) For purposes of this Section 1.2, “ public announcement ” means disclosure in a press release issued by the Corporation and reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or a comparable news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Act.

 

  - 5 -  

 

 

(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.2, unless otherwise required by law, if a stockholder (or a qualified representative of such stockholder) does not appear at the annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present a nomination or proposed business or does not provide the information required by Section 1.2(a) or 1.2(b), as applicable, including any required supplement thereto pursuant to Section 1.2(g), any such proposed nomination may be disregarded and any such proposed business shall not be transacted, as the case may be, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such matter(s) may have been received by the Corporation. For purposes of this Section 1.2, to be considered a qualified representative of a stockholder, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or must be authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders.

 

(f) Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Such nominations may be made (1) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof or (2) provided that the Board of Directors has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who (A) is a stockholder of record at the time the notice provided for in this Section 1.2(f) is delivered to the Secretary, (B) is entitled to vote at the meeting, and (C) gives notice to the Corporation in full compliance with the notice procedures set forth in Section 1.2(b). In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board of Directors, any such stockholder entitled to vote in such election of directors may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position(s) as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, if the stockholder’s notice required by this Section 1.2(f) shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth 10th day following the day on which public announcement (as defined in Section 1.2(d)) is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. In no event shall the public announcement (as defined in Section 1.2(d)) of an adjournment or postponement of a special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

 

(g) Any stockholder who submits a notice of proposal for business or nomination for election pursuant to this Section 1.2 is required to update and supplement the information disclosed in such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice shall be true and correct as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting of stockholders and as of the date that is 10 business days prior to such meeting of the stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the fifth business day after the record date for the meeting of stockholders (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date), and not later than the close of business on the eighth business day prior to the date for the meeting of stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of 10 business days prior to the meeting of stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof).

 

  - 6 -  

 

 

(h) To be qualified to be a nominee for election or re-election as a director of the Corporation, a person must deliver (in the case of a person nominated by a stockholder in accordance with Section 1.2(b) or 1.2(f), in accordance with the time periods prescribed for delivery of notice under such sections) to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation a written questionnaire with respect to the background and qualification of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Secretary upon written request) and a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) that such person (i) is not and will not become a party to (A) any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such person, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “ Voting Commitment ”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or (B) any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such person’s ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such person’s fiduciary duties under applicable law, (ii) is not and will not become a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed therein and (iii) would be in compliance, and if elected as a director of the Corporation will comply, with all applicable publicly disclosed corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Corporation. The Corporation may also require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve either as a director of the Corporation or as an independent director of the Corporation under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission and stock exchange rules and the Corporation’s publicly disclosed corporate governance guidelines, or that could be material to a reasonable stockholder’s understanding of the qualifications and/or independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee.

 

(i) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of these Bylaws, a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in these Bylaws; provided , however , that any references in these Bylaws to the Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder are not intended to and shall not limit the requirements applicable to any nomination or other business to be considered pursuant to this Section 1.2.

 

  - 7 -  

 

 

Section 1.3. Special Meetings; Notice .

 

(a) General . Special meetings of stockholders may be called at any time for any purpose or purposes by majority vote of the Board of Directors or by the Chief Executive Officer. A special meeting of stockholders called pursuant to this Section 3(a) may be cancelled by the Board of Directors at any prior to the scheduled commencement of the special meeting.

 

(b) Time and Place of Special Meetings Called by the Board of Directors or by the Chief Executive Officer . Each special meeting called pursuant to Section 3(a) shall be held at such date, time and place either within or without the State of Delaware as may be stated in the notice of the meeting.

 

(c) Stockholder Requests for Special Meetings .

 

(1) Special meetings of stockholders (each a “ Stockholder Requested Special Meeting ”) shall be called by the Secretary upon the written request of a stockholder, or a group of stockholders formed for the purpose of making such request, that beneficially own 20% or more of the outstanding common stock (the “ Threshold Percentage ”) as of the date of submission of the written request. Compliance by the requesting stockholder or group with the requirements of this Section 1.3(c) and related provisions of these By-Laws shall be determined by the Board of Directors, which determination shall be conclusive and binding on the stockholder or stockholders making such request for a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting. Except in accordance with this Section 1.3, stockholders shall not be permitted to propose business to be brought before a special meeting of stockholders.

 

(2) A request for a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting must be in writing and signed by the beneficial owners of the Threshold Percentage of the common stock (or their duly authorized agents) and be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company by registered mail, return receipt requested. Such request shall (A) set forth a statement of the specific purpose or purposes of the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at such Stockholder Requested Special Meeting (including the text of any resolution or resolutions proposed for consideration), (B) bear the date of signature of each stockholder (or duly authorized agent) signing the request, (C) set forth (1) the name and address, as they appear in the Corporation’s books, of each stockholder signing such request (or on whose behalf the request is signed), (2)   the number of shares of common stock as to which such stockholder has beneficial ownership and (3) include evidence of the fact and duration of such stockholder’s beneficial ownership of such stock consistent with that which is required under Regulation 14A under the Act, (D) set forth all information relating to each such stockholder that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case, pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Act, (E) describe any material interest of each such stockholder in the specific purpose or purposes of the meeting, (F) describe any agreement, arrangement or understanding between or among the stockholders requesting the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting or between or among the stockholder or stockholders requesting the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting and any other person or entity in connection with the request or the matters proposed to be acted on at the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting and (G) include an acknowledgment by each stockholder and any duly authorized agent that any disposition of shares of common stock as to which such stockholder has beneficial ownership as of the date of delivery of the request and prior to the record date for the proposed Stockholder Requested Special Meeting requested by such stockholder shall constitute a revocation of such request with respect to such shares. In addition, the stockholder and any duly authorized agent shall promptly provide any other information reasonably requested by the Corporation to allow it to satisfy its obligations under applicable law. Any requesting stockholder may revoke a request for a special meeting at any time prior to the commencement of the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting by written revocation delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation. If, following such revocation at any time before the commencement of the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting, the remaining requests are from stockholders holding in the aggregate less than the Threshold Percentage, the Board of Directors, in its discretion, may cancel the Stockholder Requested Special Meeting.

 

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(3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Secretary shall not be required to call a Stockholder Requested Special Meeting if (A) the request for such special meeting does not comply with this Section 1.3(c), (B) the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer has called or calls an annual or special meeting of stockholders to be held not later than ninety (90) days after the date on which a valid request has been delivered to the Secretary (the “ Delivery Date ”), (C) the request is received by the Secretary during the period commencing ninety (90) days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the immediately preceding annual meeting and ending on the date of the next annual meeting, (D) the request contains an identical or substantially similar item (a “ Similar Item ”) to an item that was presented at any meeting of stockholders held within one hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the Delivery Date (and, for purposes of this clause (D) the election of directors shall be deemed a “Similar Item” with respect to all items of business involving the election or removal of directors), (E) the request relates to an item of business that is not a proper subject for action by the stockholders of the Company under applicable law or (F) the request was made in a manner that involved a violation of Regulation 14A under the Act or other applicable law.

 

(4) Any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be held at such date, time and place within or without the state of Delaware as may be fixed by the Board of Directors; provided , that the date of any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be not more than sixty (60) days after the record date for such meeting, which shall be fixed in accordance with these By-Laws.Business transacted at any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting shall be limited to the purpose(s) stated in the request; provided, however, that nothing herein shall prohibit the Company from submitting matters to a vote of the stockholders at any Stockholder Requested Special Meeting.

 

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Section 1.4. Notice of Meetings .

 

Notice of the place, date and time of all meetings of stockholders of the Corporation, the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (if such date is different from the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting) and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed present and vote at such meeting, and, in the case of all special meetings of stockholders, the purpose or purposes of the meeting, shall be given not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date on which such meeting is to be held, to each stockholder entitled to notice of the meeting.

 

The Corporation may postpone or cancel any previously called annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation by making a public announcement (as defined in Section 1.2(d)) of such postponement or cancellation prior to the meeting. When a previously called annual or special meeting is postponed to another time, date or place, notice of the place, date and time of the postponed meeting, the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (if such date is different from the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting) and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed present and vote at such postponed meeting, shall be given in conformity with this Section 1.4; provided that if such meeting is postponed to a date that is not more than 60 days after the date that the initial notice of the meeting was provided in conformity with this Section 1.4, then the record date shall remain the same as stated in the initial notice.

 

When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting if the time and place thereof and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken; provided , however , that if the adjournment is for more than 30 days, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting or, if after the adjournment a new record date for stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board of Directors shall fix a new record date for notice of such adjourned meeting in conformity herewith and such notice shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such adjourned meeting as of the record date for notice of such adjourned meeting. At any adjourned meeting, any business may be transacted that may have been transacted at the original meeting.

 

Section 1.5. Quorum .

 

At any meeting of the stockholders, the holders of shares of stock of the Corporation entitled to cast a majority of the total votes entitled to be cast by the holders of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (“ Voting Stock ”), present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for all purposes, unless or except to the extent that the presence of a larger number is required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation. If a separate vote by one or more classes or series is required, the holders of shares entitled to cast a majority of the total votes entitled to be cast by the holders of the shares of the class or classes or series, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum entitled to take action with respect to that vote on that matter. If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, the chairman of the meeting may adjourn the meeting to another place, date and time.

 

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Section 1.6. Organization .

 

The chairman of the Board of Directors or, in his or her absence, the person whom the Board of Directors designates or, in the absence of that person or the failure of the Board of Directors to designate a person, the President of the Corporation or, in his or her absence, the person chosen by the holders of a majority of the shares of capital stock entitled to vote who are present, in person or by proxy, shall call to order any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation and act as chairman of the meeting. In the absence of the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Corporation, the secretary of the meeting shall be the person the chairman appoints.

 

Section 1.7. Conduct of Business .

 

The chairman of any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation shall determine the order of business and the rules of procedure for the conduct of such meeting, including the manner of voting and the conduct of discussion as he or she determines to be in order. The chairman shall have the power to adjourn the meeting to another place, date and time. The date and time of the opening and closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at the meeting shall be announced at the meeting. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairman of the meeting shall have the right and authority to convene and (for any or no reason) to adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iii) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (iv) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (v) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. The chairman of the meeting of stockholders, in addition to making any other determinations that may be appropriate to the conduct of the meeting, shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that a nomination or matter of business was not properly brought before the meeting and if such chairman should so determine, such chairman shall so declare to the meeting and any such matter or business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted or considered.

 

Section 1.8. Proxies; Inspectors .

 

(a) At any meeting of the stockholders, every stockholder entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy authorized by an instrument in writing or by a transmission permitted by applicable law.

 

(b) Prior to a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, the Corporation shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at a meeting of stockholders of the Corporation and make a written report thereof. The Corporation may designate one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of stockholders, the person presiding at the meeting may, and to the extent required by applicable law, shall, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before beginning the discharge of his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The inspectors may appoint or retain other persons or entities to assist the inspectors in the performance of the duties of inspectors. The inspectors shall have the duties prescribed by applicable law.

 

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Section 1.9. Voting .

 

Except as otherwise required by the rules or regulations of any stock exchange applicable to the Corporation or pursuant to any law or regulation applicable to the Corporation or by the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, all matters other than the election of directors shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast on the matter affirmatively or negatively. All elections of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast.

 

Section 1.10. Action by Written Consent .

 

Except as otherwise may be provided in the Certificate of Incorporation, stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting of stockholders.

 

Section 1.11. Stock List .

 

A complete list of stockholders of the Corporation entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation, arranged in alphabetical order for each class of stock and showing the address of each such stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of such stockholder, shall be open to the examination of any such stockholder, for any purpose germane to a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, for a period of at least 10 days before the meeting (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting or (ii) during ordinary business hours at the principal place of business of the Corporation; provided , however , if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than 10 days before the meeting date, the list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the 10th day before such meeting date. If the meeting is to be held at a place, then a list of stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof and may be examined by any stockholder who is present. If the meeting is to be held solely by means of remote communication, then the list shall also be open to the examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of the meeting.

 

Except as otherwise provided by law, the stock ledger shall be the sole evidence of the identity of the stockholders entitled to vote at a meeting and the number of shares held by each stockholder.

 

SECTION 2 - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Section 2.1. General Powers and Qualifications of Directors .

 

The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and authorities these Bylaws expressly confer upon them, the Board of Directors may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by the DGCL or by the Certificate of Incorporation or by these Bylaws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders. Directors need not be stockholders of the Corporation to be qualified for election or service as a director of the Corporation.

 

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Section 2.2. Number of Directors .

 

Subject to the special rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect directors, the number of directors which shall constitute the Board of Directors shall be determined exclusively by the Board of Directors from time to time by resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office.

 

Section 2.3. Removal; Resignation .

 

Any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed, but only with cause, by the holders of 75% of the voting power of the Voting Stock, voting together as a single class. Any director may resign at any time upon notice given in writing, including by electronic transmission, to the Corporation.

 

Section 2.4. Regular Meetings .

 

Regular meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at the place, on the date and at the time as shall have been established by the Board of Directors and publicized among all directors. A notice of a regular meeting, the date of which has been so publicized, shall not be required.

 

Section 2.5. Special Meetings .

 

Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman, President or by two or more directors then in office. Notice of the place, if any, date and time of each special meeting shall be given to each director either (a) by mailing written notice thereof not less than five days before the meeting, or (b) by telephone, facsimile or other means of electronic transmission providing notice thereof not less than twenty-four hours before the meeting. A meeting may be held at any time without notice if all the directors are present (except as otherwise provided by law) or if those not present waive notice of the meeting in writing, either before or after such meeting. Any and all business may be transacted at a special meeting of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 2.6. Quorum .

 

At any meeting of the Board of Directors, a majority of the total number of directors then in office shall constitute a quorum for all purposes.

 

If a quorum shall fail to attend any meeting, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting to another place, date or time, without further notice or waiver thereof.

 

Section 2.7. Participation in Meetings By Conference Telephone or Other Communications Equipment .

 

Members of the Board of Directors, or of any committee thereof, may participate in a meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all directors participating in the meeting can hear each other director, and such participation shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.

 

Section 2.8. Conduct of Business .

 

At any meeting of the Board of Directors, business shall be transacted in the order and manner that the Board of Directors may from time to time determine, and all matters shall be determined by the vote of a majority of the directors present, provided that a quorum is present at the time such matter is acted upon, except as otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws or required by applicable law. The Board of Directors or any committee thereof may take action without a meeting if all members thereof consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings, or electronic transmission or electronic transmissions, are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

 

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Section 2.9. Chairman of the Board .

 

The Board of Directors may elect or remove, by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office, a Chairman. Any Chairman must be a director of the Corporation and may or may not be an officer or employee of the Corporation. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and at all meetings of the stockholders and, subject to the provisions of these Bylaws and the direction of the Board of Directors, the Chairman shall have such powers and perform such duties that are commonly incident to the position of chairman of the board or as may be prescribed from time to time by the Board of Directors or provided in these Bylaws.

 

Section 2.10. Compensation of Directors .

 

The Board of Directors shall be authorized to fix the compensation of directors. The directors of the Corporation shall be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be reimbursed a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors, paid an annual retainer or paid other compensation, including equity compensation, as the Board of Directors determines. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of committees shall have their expenses, if any, of attendance of each meeting of such committee reimbursed and may be paid additional compensation for attending committee meetings or being a member of a committee.

 

SECTION 3 - COMMITTEES

 

Section 3.1. Committees of the Board of Directors .

 

The Board of Directors may designate committees of the Board of Directors, with such lawfully delegable powers and duties as it thereby confers, to serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and shall, for those committees, appoint a director or directors to serve as the member or members, designating, if it desires, other directors as alternate members who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of such committee. Such designations and appointments shall be determined by the vote of a majority of directors present at a meeting such matters are acted upon in accordance with Section 2; provided , however , that the chairperson of each committee shall be appointed, and may only be removed, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office.

 

SECTION 4 - OFFICERS

 

Section 4.1. Generally .

 

The officers of the Corporation shall consist of one or more of the following: a President and Chief Executive Officer, one or more Senior Vice Presidents, one or more Vice Presidents, a Secretary, one or more Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer, one or more Assistant Treasurers, a Chief Financial Officer and other officers as may from time to time be appointed by the Board of Directors. Each officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation or removal. Any number of offices may be held by the same person. The compensation of officers appointed by the Board of Directors shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof or by the officers as may be designated by resolution of the Board of Directors.

 

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Section 4.2. President .

 

Unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors, the President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. Subject to the provisions of these Bylaws and to the direction of the Board of Directors, he or she shall have the responsibility for the general management and control of the business and affairs of the Corporation and shall perform all duties and have all powers that are commonly incident to the office of chief executive or which are delegated to him or her by the Board of Directors. He or she shall have the power to sign all stock certificates, contracts and other instruments of the Corporation that are authorized and shall have general supervision and direction of all of the other officers, employees and agents of the Corporation.

 

Section 4.3. Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents .

 

Each Senior Vice President and Vice President shall have the powers and duties delegated to him or her by the Board of Directors or the President. One Senior Vice President may be designated by the Board of Directors to perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in the event of the President’s absence or disability.

 

Section 4.4. Secretary and Assistant Secretaries .

 

The Secretary shall issue all authorized notices for, and shall keep minutes of, all meetings of the stockholders and the Board of Directors. He or she shall have charge of the corporate books and shall perform other duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe.

 

Any Assistant Secretary shall perform such duties and possess such powers as the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the Secretary may from time to time prescribe. In the event of the absence, inability or refusal to act of the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, (or if there shall be more than one, the Assistant Secretaries in the order determined by the Board of Directors) shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Secretary.

 

Section 4.5. Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurers .

 

The Chief Financial Officer shall keep or cause to be kept the books of account of the Corporation in a thorough and proper manner and shall render statements of the financial affairs of the Corporation in such form and as often as required by the Board of Directors or the President. The Chief Financial Officer, subject to the order of the Board of Directors, shall have the custody of all funds and securities of the Corporation. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform other duties commonly incident to his office and shall also perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors or the President shall designate from time to time. The President may direct the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer to assume and perform the duties of the Chief Financial Officer in the absence or disability of the Chief Financial Officer, and each Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer shall perform other duties commonly incident to his office and shall also perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors or the President shall designate from time to time.

 

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Section 4.6. Delegation of Authority .

 

The Board of Directors may from time to time delegate the powers or duties of any officer to any other officer or agent, notwithstanding any provision hereof.

 

Section 4.7. Removal .

 

The Board of Directors may remove any officer of the Corporation at any time, with or without cause, subject to the terms of any employment agreement then in effect.

 

Section 4.8. Action with Respect to Securities of Other Companies .

 

Unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors, the President, or any officer of the Corporation authorized by the President, shall have power to vote and otherwise act on behalf of the Corporation, in person or by proxy, at any meeting of stockholders or equityholders of, or with respect to any action of, stockholders or equityholders of any other entity in which the Corporation may hold securities and otherwise to exercise any and all rights and powers which the Corporation may possess by reason of its ownership of securities in such other entity.

 

SECTION 5 - STOCK

 

Section 5.1. Certificates of Stock .

 

Shares of the capital stock of the Corporation may be certificated or uncertificated, as provided in the DGCL. Stock certificates shall be signed by, or in the name of the Corporation by, (i) the chairman of the Board of Directors (if any) or the vice-chairman of the Board of Directors (if any), or the President or a Senior Vice President, and (ii) the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, or the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer, or the Chief Financial Officer, certifying the number of shares owned by such stockholder. Any signatures on a certificate may be by facsimile.

 

Section 5.2. Transfers of Stock .

 

Transfers of stock shall be made only upon the transfer books of the Corporation kept at an office of the Corporation (within or outside of the State of Delaware) or by transfer agents designated to transfer shares of the stock of the Corporation.

 

Section 5.3. Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates .

 

In the event of the loss, theft or destruction of any certificate of stock, another may be issued in its place pursuant to regulations as the Board of Directors may establish concerning proof of the loss, theft or destruction and concerning the giving of a satisfactory bond or indemnity, if deemed appropriate.

 

Section 5.4. Regulations .

 

The issue, transfer, conversion and registration of certificates of stock of the Corporation shall be governed by other regulations as the Board of Directors may establish.

 

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Section 5.5. Record Date .

 

(a) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which record date shall, unless otherwise required by law, not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If the Board of Directors so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board of Directors determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such determination, subject to applicable law. If no record date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided , however , that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance herewith at the adjourned meeting.

 

(b) In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which shall not be more than sixty (60) days prior to such other action. If no such record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.

 

SECTION 6 - INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF EXPENSES

 

Section 6.1. Right to Indemnification and Advancement .

 

The Corporation shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, any person (an “ Indemnitee ”) who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved (including involvement, without limitation, as a witness) in any actual or-threatened action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “ Proceeding ”), by reason of the fact that he or she, or a person for whom he or she is the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as an employee or agent of the Corporation or as a director, officer, partner, member, trustee, administrator, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, nonprofit entity or other enterprise (including, but not limited to, service with respect to an employee benefit) (any such entity, an “ Other Entity ”), whether the basis of such Proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director or officer or in any other capacity while serving as a director or officer, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior thereto), against all expense, liability and loss (including, but not limited to, attorneys’ fees and expenses) related disbursements, judgments, fines, excise taxes, penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with such Proceeding and such indemnification shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, partner, member, trustee, administrator, employee or agent. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the Corporation shall be required to indemnify an Indemnitee in connection with a Proceeding (or part thereof) commenced by such Indemnitee only if the commencement of such Proceeding (or part thereof) by the Indemnitee was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation or the Proceeding (or part thereof) relates to the enforcement of the Corporation’s obligations under this Section 6.1. The right to indemnification conferred in this Section 6.1 shall be a contract right. The Corporation may also, by action of its Board of Directors, provide indemnification and advancement of expenses to employees and agents of the Corporation.

 

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Section 6.2. Advancement of Expenses .

 

The Corporation shall to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law pay, on an as-incurred basis, all expenses (including, but not limited to attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition. Such advancement shall be unconditional, unsecured and interest free and shall be made without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay any expenses advanced; provided , that, to the extent required by law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding shall be made upon receipt of an unsecured undertaking by the Indemnitee to repay all amounts advanced if it should be ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section 6 or otherwise.

 

Section 6.3. Procedure for Indemnification .

 

Any indemnification of a director or officer of the Corporation or advancement of expenses (including attorneys’ fees, costs and charges) under this Section 6 shall be made promptly. If a claim for indemnification pursuant to this Section 6 is not paid in full within 60 days after the Corporation has received a written request for indemnity, or a claim for the advancement of expenses is not paid in full within 30 days after the Corporation has received a statement or statements requesting such amounts to be advanced, the indemnitee shall thereupon (but not before) be entitled to file suit to recover the unpaid amount of such claim. Such person’s costs and expenses incurred in connection with successfully establishing his or her right to indemnification or advancement of expense, in whole or in part, in any such action shall also be paid by the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for the advancement of expenses where the undertaking required pursuant to Section 6.1, if any, has been tendered to the Corporation) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the DGCL for the Corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of such defense shall be on the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of the claimant is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or its stockholders) that the claimant has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the claimant has not met the applicable standard of conduct. The procedure for indemnification of other employees and agents for whom indemnification and advancement of expenses is provided pursuant to Section 6.1 and/or Section 6.2 shall be the same procedure set forth in this Section 6.3 for directors or officers, unless otherwise set forth in the action of the Board of Directors providing indemnification and advancement of expenses for such employee or agent.

 

  - 18 -  

 

 

Section 6.4. Insurance .

 

The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on its own behalf and on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, employee or agent of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, trustee, employee or agent of an Other Entity against any expense, liability or loss asserted against him or her and incurred by him or her in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such expenses, liability or loss under the provisions of this Section 6 or the DGCL.

 

Section 6.5. Service for Subsidiaries .

 

Any person serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of an Other Entity, at least 50% of whose equity interests are owned by the Corporation (a “subsidiary” for this Section 6) shall be conclusively presumed to be serving in such capacity at the request of the Corporation.

 

Section 6.6. Non-Exclusivity of Rights; Continuation of Rights to Indemnification .

 

The rights to indemnification and to the advance of expenses conferred on any Indemnitee by this Section 6 shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under the Certificate of Incorporation or under any statute, bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives of such Indemnitee. All rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses and other rights contained in this Section 6 shall be deemed to be a contract between the Corporation and each person who may be an Indemnitee based on his or her or its service to or at the direction of the Corporation at any time while this Section 6 is in effect.

 

Section 6.7. Reliance .

 

Indemnitees who after the date of the adoption of this Section 6 become or remain an Indemnitee described in Section 6.1 will be conclusively presumed to have relied on the rights to indemnity, advancement of expenses and other rights contained in this Section 6 in entering into or continuing the service. The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred in this Section 6 will apply to claims made against any Indemnitee described in Section 6.1 arising out of acts or omissions that occurred or occur either before or after the adoption of this Section 6 in respect of service as a director or officer of the corporation or other service described in Section 6.1.

 

Section 6.8. Amounts Received from an Other Entity .

 

The Corporation’s obligation, if any, to indemnify or to advance expenses to any Indemnitee who was or is serving at the Corporation’s request as a director, officer, employee or agent of an Other Entity shall be reduced by any amount such Indemnitee may collect as indemnification or advancement of expenses from such Other Entity.

 

  - 19 -  

 

 

Section 6.9. Merger or Consolidation .

 

For purposes of this Section 6, references to the “Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this Section 6 with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as he or she would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

Section 6.10. Amendment or Repeal .

 

Any repeal or modification of this Section 6 or any repeal or modification of relevant provisions of the DGCL or any other applicable laws shall not in any way diminish any rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses of an Indemnitee or the obligations of the Corporation arising hereunder with respect to any Proceeding arising out of, or relating to, any actions, transactions or facts occurring prior to the final adoption of such repeal or modification.

 

Section 6.11. Other Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses .

 

This Section 6 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the extent and in the manner permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than Indemnitees when and as authorized by appropriate corporate action.

 

Section 6.12. Successful Defense .

 

In the event that any Proceeding to which an Indemnitee is a party is resolved in any manner other than by adverse judgment against the Indemnitee (including, without limitation, settlement of such proceeding with or without payment of money or other consideration) it shall be presumed that the Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in such proceeding for purposes of Section 145(c) of the DGCL. Anyone seeking to overcome this presumption shall have the burden of proof and the burden of persuasion by clear and convincing evidence.

 

Section 6.13. Savings Clause .

 

If this Section 6 or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Corporation shall nevertheless indemnify and advance expenses to each person entitled to indemnification under Section 6.1 as to all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees and related disbursements, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties, penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred or suffered by such person and for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is available to such person pursuant to this Section 6 to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Section 6 that shall not have been invalidated and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

 

  - 20 -  

 

 

SECTION 7 - NOTICES

Section 7.1. Notices .

 

Except as otherwise provided herein or permitted by applicable law, notices to directors and stockholders shall be in writing and delivered personally, electronically or mailed to the directors or stockholders at their addresses appearing on the books of the Corporation. If mailed, notice to a stockholder of the Corporation shall be deemed given when deposited in the mail, postage prepaid, directed to a stockholder at such stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively to stockholders, any notice to stockholders of the Corporation may be given by electronic transmission in the manner provided in Section 232 of the DGCL.

 

Section 7.2. Waivers .

 

A written waiver of any notice, signed by a stockholder or director, or a waiver by electronic transmission by such person or entity, whether given before or after the time of the event for which notice is to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to the notice required to be given to such person or entity. Neither the business nor the purpose of any meeting need be specified in the waiver. Attendance at any meeting shall constitute waiver of notice except attendance for the sole purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.

 

SECTION 8 - MISCELLANEOUS

 

Section 8.1. Corporate Seal .

 

The Board of Directors may provide a suitable seal, containing the name of the Corporation, which seal shall be in the charge of the Secretary. If and when so directed by the Board of Directors, duplicates of the seal may be kept and used by the Treasurer or by an Assistant Secretary, Assistant Treasurer or the Chief Financial Officer.

 

Section 8.2. Reliance upon Books, Reports, and Records .

 

Each director and each member of any committee designated by the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall, in the performance of his or her duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the books and records of the Corporation and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Corporation by any of its officers, agents or employees, or committees of the Board of Directors so designated, or by any other person or entity as to matters which such director or committee member reasonably believes are within such other person’s or entity’s professional or expert competence and that has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Corporation.

 

Section 8.3. Fiscal Year .

 

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be as fixed by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 8.4. Time Periods .

 

In applying any provision of these Bylaws that requires that an act be done or not be done a specified number of days before an event or that an act be done during a specified number of days before an event, calendar days shall be used, the day of the doing of the act shall be excluded, and the day of the event shall be included.

 

  - 21 -  

 

 

SECTION 9 - ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES

 

Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director or officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation or any director or officer or other employee of the Corporation arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws (any of which may be amended from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation or any director or officer or other employee of the Corporation governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, the federal District Court for the District of Delaware).

 

SECTION 10 - AMENDMENTS

 

These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation and the DGCL.

 

  - 22 -  

 

Exhibit 10.1

ALTIMMUNE, INC.

 

 

 

2017 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

 

ARTICLE I PURPOSE 1
ARTICLE II DEFINITIONS 1
2.1     “Acquisition Event” 1
2.2     “Affiliate” 1
2.3     “Appreciation Award” 1
2.4     “Award” 1
2.5     “Board” 1
2.6     “Cause” 2
2.7     “Change in Control” 2
2.8     “Change in Control Price” 2
2.9     “Code” 2
2.10   “Committee” 2
2.11   “Common Stock” 3
2.12   “Company” 3
2.13   “Competitor” 3
2.14   “Consultant” 3
2.15   “Detrimental Activity” 3
2.16   “Disability” 4
2.17   “Disparagement” 4
2.18   “Effective Date” 4
2.19   “Eligible Employee” 4
2.20   “Exchange Act” 4
2.21   “Exercisable Awards” 4
2.22   “Fair Market Value” 4
2.23   “Family Member” 5
2.24   “HMRC” 5
2.25   “Incentive Stock Option” 5
2.26   “Individual Target Award” 5
2.27   “Lead Underwriter” 5
2.28   “Lock-Up Period” 5
2.29   “Non-Employee Director” 5
2.30   “Non-Qualified Stock Option” 5
2.31   “Other Extraordinary Event” 5
2.32   “Other Stock-Based Award” 5
2.33   “Parent” 5
2.34   “Participant” 5
2.35   “Performance-Based Cash Award” 5
2.36   “Performance Criteria” 5
2.37   “Performance Period” 5
2.38   “Performance Share” 5

 

i  

 

 

 

2.39   “Performance Unit” 6
2.40   “Person” 6
2.41   “Plan” 6
2.42   “Registration Date” 6
2.43   “Restricted Stock” 6
2.44   “Restriction Period” 6
2.45   “Rule 16b-3” 6
2.46   “Secondary Contributions” 6
2.47   “Secondary Contributor” 6
2.48   “Section 162(m)” 6
2.49   “Section 4.2 Event” 6
2.50   “Section 409A Covered Award” 6
2.51   “Section 409A” 6
2.52   “Securities Act” 6
2.53   “Stock Option” or “Option” 6
2.54   “Subsidiary” 6
2.55   “Ten Percent Stockholder” 6
2.56   “Termination” 6
2.57   “Termination of Consultancy” 7
2.58   “Termination of Directorship” 7
2.59   “Termination of Employment” 7
2.60   “Transfer” 7
ARTICLE III ADMINISTRATION 7
3.1   The Committee. 7
3.2   Grant and Administration of Awards. 8
3.3   Award Agreements. 8
3.4   Guidelines. 8
3.5   [Reserved]. 9
3.6   Delegation; Advisors. 9
3.7   Decisions Final. 9
3.8   Procedures. 9
3.9   Liability; Indemnification. 9
ARTICLE IV SHARE LIMITATIONS 10
4.1   Shares. 10
4.2   Changes. 11
4.3   Minimum Purchase Price. 12
ARTICLE V ELIGIBILITY 12
5.1   General Eligibility. 12
5.2   Incentive Stock Options. 13
5.3   General Requirement. 13

ii  

 

 

 

ARTICLE VI STOCK OPTIONS

13
6.1   Stock Options. 13
6.2   Incentive Stock Options. 13
6.3   Terms of Stock Options. 13
ARTICLE VII RESTRICTED STOCK 16
7.1   Awards of Restricted Stock. 16
7.2   Awards and Certificates. 17
7.3   Restrictions and Conditions. 17
ARTICLE VIII OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS 19
8.1   Other Awards. 19
8.2   Terms and Conditions. 19
ARTICLE IX PERFORMANCE-BASED CASH AWARDS 21
9.1   Performance-Based Cash Awards. 21
9.2   Terms and Conditions. 21
ARTICLE X CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS 23
ARTICLE XI TERMINATION OR AMENDMENT OF PLAN 23
ARTICLE XII UNFUNDED PLAN 24
ARTICLE XIII GENERAL PROVISIONS 24
13.1     Legend. 24
13.2     Other Plans. 25
13.3     No Right to Employment/Consultancy/Directorship. 25
13.4     Withholding of Taxes. 25
13.5     No Assignment of Benefits. 25
13.6     Listing and Other Conditions. 25
13.7     Governing Law. 26
13.8     Construction. 26
13.9     No Acquired Rights. 26
13.10   Data Protection. 26
13.11   Costs. 27
13.12   No Right to Same Benefits. 27
13.13   Death/Disability. 27
13.14   Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. 27
13.15   Section 409A. 27
13.16   Successor and Assigns. 28
13.17   Severability of Provisions. 28
13.18   Participants Subject to Taxation Outside the U.S.; No Tax Equalization. 28

 

iii  

 

 

 

13.19   Payments to Minors, Etc. 28
13.20   Headings and Captions. 29
13.21   Recoupment. 29
13.22   Reformation. 29
13.23   Electronic Communications. 29
13.24   Agreement. 29
13.25   Defense of Trade Secrets Act. 29
ARTICLE XIV EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN 30
ARTICLE XV TERM OF PLAN 30
EXHIBIT A  Performance CRITERIA i
UK ADDENDUM 1
1.   Purpose 1
2.   Definitions 1
3.   Terms 1
4.   Withholding Obligations 1
5.   Section 431 Elections 2

iv  

 

 

 

ALTIMMUNE, INC.

 

__________________________

 

2017 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

__________________________

 

ARTICLE I

PURPOSE

 

The purpose of this Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan is to enhance the profitability and value of the Company for the benefit of its stockholders by enabling the Company to offer Eligible Employees, Consultants and Non-Employee Directors incentive awards to attract, retain and reward such individuals and strengthen the mutuality of interests between such individuals and the Company’s stockholders. The Plan, as set forth herein, is effective as of the Effective Date (as defined in Article XIV). All references to “share”, “shares”, “option” or “options” under this Plan have been adjusted to reflect the Company’s ten-for-one reverse stock split effected on May 4, 2017.

 

ARTICLE II

DEFINITIONS

 

For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

2.1            Acquisition Event means a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity, any transaction that results in the acquisition of all or substantially all of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock by a single person or entity or by a group of persons or entities acting in concert, or the sale or transfer of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.

 

2.2            Affiliate means each of the following: (a) any Subsidiary; (b) any Parent; (c) any corporation, trade or business (including a partnership or limited liability company) that is directly or indirectly controlled 50% or more (whether by ownership of stock, assets or an equivalent ownership interest or voting interest) by the Company or any Affiliate; (d) any corporation, trade or business (including a partnership or limited liability company) that directly or indirectly controls 50% or more (whether by ownership of stock, assets or an equivalent ownership interest or voting interest) of the Company; and (e) any other entity in which the Company or any Affiliate has a material equity interest and that is designated as an “Affiliate” by resolution of the Committee.

 

2.3            Appreciation Award means any Stock Option or any Other Stock-Based Award that is based on the appreciation in value of a share of Common Stock in excess of an amount at least equal to the Fair Market Value on the date such Stock Option or Other Stock-Based Award is granted.

 

2.4           Award means any award granted or made under the Plan of any Stock Option, Restricted Stock, Other Stock-Based Award or Performance-Based Cash Award.

 

2.5            Board means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

 

 

 

 

2.6            Cause means, with respect to a Participant’s Termination of Employment or Termination of Consultancy: unless otherwise defined in the applicable Award agreement or other written agreement approved by the Committee, a termination due to (i) the Participant’s conviction of, or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony; (ii) perpetration by the Participant of an illegal act, dishonesty or fraud that could have a significant adverse effect on the Company or its assets or reputation; or (iii) the Participant’s willful misconduct with regard to the Company, as determined by the Committee. With respect to a Participant’s Termination of Directorship, “cause” means an act or failure to act that constitutes cause for removal of a director under Delaware law.

 

2.7            Change in Control unless otherwise defined in the applicable Award agreement or other written agreement approved by the Committee and subject to Section 13.14(b), means the occurrence of any of the following:

 

(a)        the acquisition (including through purchase, reorganization, merger, consolidation or similar transaction), directly or indirectly, in one or more transactions by a Person of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of securities representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of the securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Board, calculated on a fully diluted basis after giving effect to such acquisition;

 

(b)        an election of Persons to the Board that causes two-thirds of the Board to consist of Persons other than (i) members of the Board on the Effective Date and (ii) Persons who were nominated for election as members of the Board at a time when two-thirds of the Board consisted of Persons who were members of the Board on the Effective Date; provided that any Person nominated for election by a Board at least two-thirds of which consisted of Persons described in clauses (i) or (ii) or by Persons who were themselves nominated by such Board shall be deemed to have been nominated by a Board consisting of Persons described in clause (i); or

 

(c)        the sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any Person;

 

provided , however , that a Change in Control shall be deemed to not have occurred if such Change in Control results from the issuance, in connection with a bona fide transaction or series of transactions with the primary purpose of providing equity financing to the Company or any of its Affiliates, of voting securities of the Company or any of its Affiliates or any rights to acquire voting securities of the Company or any of its Affiliates which are convertible into voting securities.

 

2.8            Change in Control Price ” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.1.

 

2.9           Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a section of the Code shall also be a reference to any successor provision and any Treasury Regulation promulgated thereunder.

 

2.10          Committee ” means: (a) with respect to the application of the Plan to Eligible Employees and Consultants, the Compensation Committee of the Board or such other committee or subcommittee that is appointed by the Board, in each case, consisting of two or more non-employee directors, each of whom is intended to be (i) to the extent required by Rule 16b-3, a “nonemployee director” as defined in Rule 16b-3; (ii) to the extent required by Section 162(m), an “outside director” as defined under Section 162(m); and (iii) as applicable, an “independent director” as defined under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, the NYSE Listed Company Manual or other applicable stock exchange rules; and (b) with respect to the application of the Plan to Non-Employee Directors, the Board. It is intended that, absent an affirmative decision by the Board to appoint a separate Committee, the Compensation Committee of the Board shall serve as the “Committee” with respect to the application of the Plan to Eligible Employees and Consultants. To the extent that no Committee exists that has the authority to administer the Plan, the functions of the Committee shall be exercised by the Board and all references herein to the Committee shall be deemed references to the Board. If for any reason the appointed Committee does not meet the requirements of Rule 16b-3 or Section 162(m), such noncompliance shall not affect the validity of Awards, grants, interpretations or other actions of the Committee.

 

 

2

 

 

2.11         Common Stock ” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share.

 

2.12         Company ” means Altimmune, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its successors by operation of law.

 

2.13         Competitor means any Person that is, directly or indirectly, in competition with the business or activities of the Company and its Affiliates.

 

2.14         Consultant means any natural person who provides bona fide consulting or advisory services to the Company or its Affiliates, provided that 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 or its Affiliates’ securities.

 

2.15         Detrimental Activity means, unless otherwise defined in the applicable Award agreement or other written agreement approved by the Committee:

 

(a)        without written authorization from the Company, disclosure to any Person outside the Company and its Affiliates or the use in any manner, except as necessary in the furtherance of Participant’s responsibilities to the Company or any of its Affiliates, at any time, of any confidential information, trade secrets or proprietary information relating to the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates that is acquired by the Participant at any time prior to the Participant’s Termination;

 

(b)        any activity while employed or performing services that results, or if known could have reasonably been expected to result, in the Participant’s Termination for Cause;

 

(c)        without written authorization from the Company, directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever, (i) own, manage, operate, control, be employed by (whether as an employee, consultant, independent contractor or otherwise, and whether or not for compensation) or render services to any Competitor; (ii) solicit, aid or induce any customer of the Company or any Subsidiary to curtail, reduce or terminate its business relationship with the Company or any Subsidiary, or in any other way interfere with any such business relationships with the Company or any Subsidiary; (iii) solicit, aid or induce any employee, representative or agent of the Company or any Subsidiary to leave such employment or retention or to accept employment with or render services to or with any other person, firm, corporation or other entity unaffiliated with the Company or hire or retain any such employee, representative or agent or take any action to materially assist or aid any other person, firm, corporation or other entity in identifying, hiring or soliciting any such employee, representative or agent; or (iv) interfere, or aid or induce any other person or entity in interfering, with the relationship between the Company, its Subsidiaries and any of their respective vendors, joint venturers or licensors;

 

 

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(d)        a material breach of any restrictive covenant contained in any agreement between the Participant and the Company or an Affiliate; or

 

(e)        the Participant’s Disparagement, or inducement of other to do so, of the Company or its Affiliates or their past or present officers, directors, employees or products.

 

Only the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer of the Company (or his or her designee, as evidenced in writing) shall have the authority to provide the Participant, except for himself or herself, with written authorization to engage in the activities contemplated in subsections (a) and (c).

 

2.16         Disability means, unless otherwise defined in the applicable Award agreement or other written agreement approved by the Committee, with respect to a Participant’s Termination, a permanent and total disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code. A Disability shall only be deemed to occur at the time of the determination by the Committee of the Disability. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for an Award that provides for payment or settlement triggered upon a Disability and that constitutes a Section 409A Covered Award, the foregoing definition shall apply for purposes of vesting of such Award, provided that for purposes of payment or settlement of such Award, such Award shall not be paid (or otherwise settled) until the earliest of: (A) the Participant’s “disability” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(C)(i) or (ii) of the Code, (B) the Participant’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and (C) the date such Award would otherwise be settled pursuant to the terms of the Award agreement.

 

2.17        Disparagement means making comments or statements to the press, the Company’s or its Affiliates’ employees, consultants or any individual or entity with whom the Company or its Affiliates has a business relationship which could reasonably be expected to adversely affect in any manner: (a) the conduct of the business of the Company or its Affiliates (including, without limitation, any products or business plans or prospects); or (b) the business reputation of the Company or its Affiliates, or any of their products, or their past or present officers, directors or employees.

 

2.18         Effective Date means the effective date of the Plan as defined in Article XIV.

 

2.19         Eligible Employee means an employee of the Company or an Affiliate.

 

2.20         Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Any references to any section of the Exchange Act shall also be a reference to any successor provision.

 

2.21         Exercisable Awards has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2(d).

 

2.22         Fair Market Value unless otherwise required by any applicable provision of the Code, means as of any date and except as provided below, (a) the closing price reported for the Common Stock on such date: (i) as reported on the principal national securities exchange in the United States on which it is then traded; or (ii) if not traded on any such national securities exchange, as quoted on an automated quotation system sponsored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or (b) if the Common Stock shall not have been reported or quoted on such date, on the first day prior thereto on which the Common Stock was reported or quoted. If the Common Stock is not traded, listed or otherwise reported or quoted, then Fair Market Value means the fair market value of the Common Stock as determined by the Committee in good faith in whatever manner it considers appropriate taking into account the requirements of Section 409A or Section 422 of the Code, as applicable. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, for purposes of any Stock Options that are granted effective on the Registration Date, the Fair Market Value shall equal the initial public offering price of the Common Stock.

 

 

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2.23         Family Member means “family member” as defined in Section A.1.(5) of the general instructions of Form S-8, as may be amended from time to time.

 

2.24         HMRC means HM Revenue and Customs, the taxing authority in the United Kingdom.

 

2.25         Incentive Stock Option means any Stock Option awarded to an Eligible Employee of the Company, its Subsidiaries or its Parent intended to be and designated as an “Incentive Stock Option” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

 

2.26         Individual Target Award has the meaning in Section 9.1.

 

2.27         Lead Underwriter has the meaning in Section 13.24.

 

2.28         Lock-Up Period has the meaning in Section 13.24.

 

2.29         Non-Employee Director means a director of the Company or an Affiliate who is not an active employee of the Company or an Affiliate.

 

2.30         Non-Qualified Stock Option means any Stock Option that is not an Incentive Stock Option.

 

2.31         Other Extraordinary Event has the meaning in Section 4.2(b).

 

2.32         Other Stock-Based Award means an Award under Article VIII that is valued in whole or in part by reference to, or is payable in or otherwise based on, Common Stock.

 

2.33         Parent means any parent corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(e) of the Code.

 

2.34         Participant means an Eligible Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant to whom an Award has been granted pursuant to the Plan.

 

2.35         Performance-Based Cash Award means a cash Award under Article IX that is payable or otherwise based on the attainment of certain pre-established performance goals during a Performance Period.

 

2.36         Performance Criteria has the meaning set forth in Exhibit A .

 

2.37         Performance Period means each fiscal year of the Company or such other period (as specified by the Committee) over which the attainment of performance goals is measured.

 

2.38         Performance Share means an Other Stock-Based Award of the right to receive a number of shares of Common Stock or cash of an equivalent value at the end of a specified Performance Period.

 

 

5

 

 

2.39         Performance Unit means an Other Stock-Based Award of the right to receive a fixed dollar amount, payable in cash or Common Stock or a combination of both, at the end of a specified Performance Period.

 

2.40         Person means any individual, entity (including any employee benefit plan or any trust for an employee benefit plan) or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act, or any successor provision).

 

2.41         Plan means this Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

2.42         Registration Date means the first date on or after the Effective Date (a) on which the Company sells its Common Stock in a bona fide, firm commitment underwriting pursuant to a registration statement under the Securities Act or (b) any class of common equity securities of the Company is required to be registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

 

2.43         Restricted Stock means an Award of shares of Common Stock that is subject to restrictions pursuant to Article VII.

 

2.44         Restriction Period has the meaning set forth in Section 7.3(a).

 

2.45         Rule 16b-3 means Rule 16b-3 under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act as then in effect or any successor provision.

 

2.46         Secondary Contributions has the meaning in Section 13.4(b).

 

2.47         Secondary Contributor has the meaning in Section 13.4(b).

 

2.48         Section 162(m) means the exception for performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

2.49         Section 4.2 Event has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2(b).

 

2.50         Section 409A Covered Award has the meaning set forth in Section 13.15.

 

2.51         Section 409A means the nonqualified deferred compensation rules under Section 409A of the Code.

 

2.52         Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Any reference to any section of the Securities Act shall also be a reference to any successor provision.

 

2.53         Stock Option or Option means any option to purchase shares of Common Stock granted to Eligible Employees, Non-Employee Directors or Consultants pursuant to Article VI.

 

2.54         Subsidiary means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

2.55         Ten Percent Stockholder means a person owning stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, its Subsidiaries or its Parent.

 

2.56         Termination means a Termination of Consultancy, Termination of Directorship or Termination of Employment, as applicable.

 

 

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2.57         Termination of Consultancy means: (a) that the Consultant is no longer acting as a consultant to the Company or an Affiliate; or (b) when an entity that is retaining a Participant as a Consultant ceases to be an Affiliate unless the Participant otherwise is, or thereupon becomes, a Consultant to the Company or another Affiliate at the time the entity ceases to be an Affiliate. In the event that a Consultant becomes an Eligible Employee or a Non-Employee Director upon the termination of his consultancy, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, no Termination of Consultancy shall be deemed to occur until such time as such Consultant is no longer a Consultant, an Eligible Employee or a Non-Employee Director. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may otherwise define Termination of Consultancy in the Award agreement or, if no rights of a Participant are reduced, may otherwise define Termination of Consultancy thereafter.

 

2.58         Termination of Directorship means that the Non-Employee Director has ceased to be a director of the Company; except that if a Non-Employee Director becomes an Eligible Employee or a Consultant upon the termination of his directorship, his ceasing to be a director of the Company shall not be treated as a Termination of Directorship unless and until the Participant has a Termination of Employment or Termination of Consultancy, as the case may be.

 

2.59         Termination of Employment means: (a) a termination of employment (for reasons other than a military or approved personal leave of absence) of a Participant from the Company and its Affiliates; or (b) when an entity that is employing a Participant ceases to be an Affiliate, unless the Participant otherwise is, or thereupon becomes, employed by the Company or another Affiliate at the time the entity ceases to be an Affiliate. In the event that an Eligible Employee becomes a Consultant or a Non-Employee Director upon the termination of his employment, unless otherwise determined by the Committee, no Termination of Employment shall be deemed to occur until such time as such Eligible Employee is no longer an Eligible Employee, a Consultant or a Non-Employee Director. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may otherwise define Termination of Employment in the Award agreement or, if no rights of a Participant are reduced, may otherwise define Termination of Employment thereafter.

 

2.60         Transfer means: (a) when used as a noun, any direct or indirect transfer, sale, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance or other disposition (including the issuance of equity in a Person), whether for value or no value and whether voluntary or involuntary (including by operation of law), and (b) when used as a verb, to directly or indirectly transfer, sell, assign, pledge, encumber, charge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of (including the issuance of equity in a Person) whether for value or for no value and whether voluntarily or involuntarily (including by operation of law). “Transferred” and “Transferable” shall have a correlative meaning.

 

ARTICLE III

ADMINISTRATION

 

3.1            The Committee . The Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Committee.

 

 

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3.2            Grant and Administration of Awards . The Committee shall have full authority and discretion, as provided in Section 3.7, to grant and administer Awards including the authority to:

 

(a)        select the Eligible Employees, Consultants and Non-Employee Directors to whom Awards may from time to time be granted;

 

(b)        determine the number of shares of Common Stock to be covered by each Award;

 

(c)        determine the type and the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of each Award (including, but not limited to, the exercise or purchase price (if any), any restriction or limitation or any vesting schedule or acceleration thereof);

 

(d)        determine whether a Stock Option is an Incentive Stock Option or Non-Qualified Stock Option;

 

(e)        determine whether to require a Participant, as a condition of the granting of any Award, to refrain from selling or otherwise disposing of Common Stock acquired pursuant to such Award for a period of time as determined by the Committee;

 

(f)         condition the grant, vesting or payment of any Award on the attainment of performance goals (including goals based on the Performance Criteria) over a Performance Period, set such goals and such period, and certify the attainment of such goals;

 

(g)        amend, after the date of grant, the terms that apply to an Award upon a Participant’s Termination, provided that such amendment does not reduce the Participant’s rights under the Award;

 

(h)       determine the circumstances under which Common Stock and other amounts payable with respect to an Award may be deferred automatically or at the election of the Participant, in each case in a manner intended to comply with or be exempt from Section 409A;

 

(i)         generally, exercise such powers and perform such acts as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to promote the best interests of the Company in connection with the Plan that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan;

 

(j)         construe and interpret the terms and provisions of the Plan and any Award (and any agreements relating thereto); and

 

(k)        correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any agreement relating thereto.

 

3.3            Award Agreements . All Awards shall be evidenced by, and subject to the terms and conditions of, a written notice provided by the Company to the Participant or a written agreement executed by the Company and the Participant.

 

3.4            Guidelines . The Committee shall have the authority to adopt, alter and repeal such administrative rules, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall, from time to time, deem necessary or advisable. The Committee may adopt special guidelines and provisions for persons who are residing in or employed in, or subject to, the taxes of, any domestic or foreign jurisdiction to comply with applicable tax and securities laws and may impose such limitations and restrictions that it deems necessary or advisable to comply with the applicable tax and securities laws of such domestic or foreign jurisdiction.

 

 

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3.5            [Reserved] .

 

3.6           Delegation; Advisors . The Committee may, as it from time to time as it deems advisable, to the extent permitted by applicable law and stock exchange rules: 

 

(a)        delegate its responsibilities to officers or employees of the Company and its Affiliates, including delegating authority to officers to grant Awards or execute agreements or other documents on behalf of the Committee; and

 

(b)        engage legal counsel, consultants, professional advisors and agents to assist in the administration of the Plan and rely upon any opinion or computation received from any such Person. Expenses incurred by the Committee or the Board in the engagement of any such person shall be paid by the Company.

 

3.7            Decisions Final . All determinations, evaluations, elections, approvals, authorizations, consents, decisions, interpretations and other actions made or taken by or at the direction of the Company, the Board or the Committee (or any of its members) arising out of or in connection with the Plan shall be within the sole and absolute discretion of all and each of them, and shall be final, binding and conclusive on all employees and Participants and their respective beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

 

3.8            Procedures . If the Committee is appointed, the Board shall designate one of the members of the Committee as chairman and the Committee shall hold meetings, subject to the By-Laws of the Company, at such times and places as it shall deem advisable, including by telephone conference or by written consent to the extent permitted by applicable law. A majority of the Committee members shall constitute a quorum. All determinations of the Committee shall be made by a majority of its members. Any decision or determination reduced to writing and signed by all of the Committee members in accordance with the By-Laws of the Company, shall be fully effective as if it had been made by a vote at a meeting duly called and held. The Committee shall keep minutes of its meetings and shall make such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it shall deem advisable.

 

3.9            Liability; Indemnification .

 

(a)        The Committee, its members and any delegate or Person engaged pursuant to Section 3.6 shall not be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, no officer or employee of the Company or any Affiliate or member or former member of the Committee or of the Board shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Award granted under it.

 

(b)        To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Company and to the extent not covered by insurance directly insuring such person, each current or former officer or employee of the Company or any Affiliate and member of the Committee or the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company against any cost or expense (including reasonable fees of counsel reasonably acceptable to the Committee) or liability (including any sum paid in settlement of a claim with the approval of the Committee), and advanced amounts necessary to pay the foregoing at the earliest time and to the fullest extent permitted, arising out of any act or omission to act in connection with the administration of the Plan, except to the extent arising out of such person’s own fraud or bad faith. Such indemnification shall be in addition to any rights of indemnification provided for under applicable law or under the Certificate of Incorporation or By-Laws of the Company or any Affiliate. Notwithstanding anything else herein, this indemnification will not apply to the actions or determinations made by an individual with regard to Awards granted to him.

 

 

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ARTICLE IV

SHARE LIMITATIONS

 

4.1            Shares.

 

(a)        General Limitations .

 

(i)              Subject to Section 4.2, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued or used for reference purposes or with respect to which Awards under the Plan may be granted over the term of the Plan is 1,500,000. Subject to Section 4.2, no more than 1,500,000 shares of Common Stock in the aggregate may be issued under the Plan in respect of Incentive Stock Options. At all times, the Company will reserve and keep available a sufficient number of Common Stock as will be required to satisfy the requirements of all Awards granted and outstanding under the Plan. The aggregate share reserve specified in this Section 4.1(a)(i) will be increased on January 1 of each year commencing in 2018 and ending on (and including) January 1, 2027 in an amount equal to the least of: (i) 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock, (ii) four (4) percent (4%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on a fully diluted basis as of December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year, and (iii) such number of shares of Common Stock, if any, determined by the Board.

 

(ii)            If any Appreciation Award expires, terminates or is canceled for any reason without having been exercised in full, the number of shares of Common Stock underlying any unexercised portion shall again be available under the Plan. If shares of Restricted Stock or Other Stock-Based Awards that are not Appreciation Awards are forfeited for any reason, the number of forfeited shares comprising or underlying the Award shall again be available under the Plan.

 

(iii)           Shares of Common Stock that are not issued pursuant to net settlement or which are used to pay any exercise price or tax withholding obligation with respect to any Award shall not be available under the Plan. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Awards that may be settled solely in cash shall not be deemed to use any shares under the Plan.

 

(iv)           Shares issued under the Plan may be either authorized and unissued Common Stock or Common Stock held in or acquired for the treasury of the Company, or both.

 

(b)        Individual Participant Limitations . Except as otherwise provided herein, at all times:

 

(i)              the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be made subject to Stock Options, Restricted Stock or Other Stock-Based Awards denominated in shares of Common Stock granted to each Eligible Employee or Consultant during any fiscal year of the Company is 800,000 shares per type of Award (subject to increase or decrease pursuant to Section 4.2); provided that the maximum number of shares of Common Stock for all types of Awards during any fiscal year of the Company that may be granted to each Eligible Employee or Consultant is 800,000 (subject to increase or decrease pursuant to Section 4.2); and

 

 

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(ii)            the aggregate amount of compensation to be paid to any one Participant in respect of all Other Stock-Based Awards denominated in dollars and Performance-Based Cash Awards, and granted to such Participant in any one fiscal year of the Company, shall not exceed $5,000,000 and any Awards that are cancelled during the year shall be counted against this limit to the extent required by Section 162(m) of the Code; provided , further , that the foregoing limit shall be adjusted on a proportionate basis for any Performance Period that is not based on one fiscal year of the Company;

 

(iii)           the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be made subject to Awards granted to each Non-Employee Director during any fiscal year of the Company is 500,000 shares (subject to increase or decrease pursuant to Section 4.2);

 

4.2            Changes .

 

(a)        The existence of the Plan and the Awards shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Board or the stockholders of the Company to make or authorize (i) any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in the Company’s capital structure or its business, (ii) any merger or consolidation of the Company or any Affiliate, (iii) any issuance of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference stock ahead of or affecting the Common Stock, (iv) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any Affiliate, (v) any sale or transfer of all or part of the assets or business of the Company or any Affiliate, (vi) any Section 4.2 Event or (vii) any other corporate act or proceeding.

 

(b)        Subject to the provisions of Section 4.2(d), in the event of any change in the capital structure or business of the Company by reason of any stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, spin off, split off, reorganization or partial or complete liquidation, issuance of rights or warrants to purchase Common Stock or securities convertible into Common Stock, sale or transfer of all or part of the Company’s assets or business, or other corporate transaction or event that would be considered an “equity restructuring” within the meaning of FASB ASC Topic 718 (each, a “ Section 4.2 Event ”), then (i) the aggregate number or kind of shares that thereafter may be issued under the Plan, (ii) the number or kind of shares or other property (including cash) subject to an Award, (iii) the purchase or exercise price of Awards, or (iv) the individual Participant limits set forth in Section 4.1(b) (other than cash limitations) shall be adjusted by the Committee as the Committee determines, in good faith, to be necessary or advisable to prevent substantial dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants under the Plan. In connection with any Section 4.2 Event, the Committee may provide for the cancellation of outstanding Awards and payment in cash or other property in exchange therefor. In addition, subject to Section 4.2(d), in the event of any change in the capital structure of the Company that is not a Section 4.2 Event (an “ Other Extraordinary Event ”), then the Committee may make the adjustments described in clauses (i) through (iv) above as it determines, in good faith, to be necessary or advisable to prevent substantial dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants under the Plan. Notice of any such adjustment shall be given by the Committee to each Participant whose Award has been adjusted and such adjustment (whether or not such notice is given) shall be binding for all purposes of the Plan. Except as expressly provided in this Section 4.2(b) or in the applicable Award agreement, a Participant shall have no rights by reason of any Section 4.2 Event or any Other Extraordinary Event. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (x) any adjustments made pursuant to Section 4.2(b) to Awards that are considered “non-qualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A shall be made in a manner intended to comply with the requirements of Section 409A; and (y) any adjustments made pursuant to Section 4.2(b) to Awards that are not considered “non-qualified deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A shall be made in a manner intended to ensure that after such adjustment, the Awards either (A) continue to be exempt from Section 409A or (B) comply with the requirements of Section 409A.

 

 

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(c)        Fractional shares of Common Stock resulting from any adjustment in Awards pursuant to Section 4.2(a) or (b) shall be aggregated until, and eliminated at, the time of exercise by rounding-down for fractions less than one-half and rounding-up for fractions equal to or greater than one-half. No cash settlements shall be made with respect to fractional shares eliminated by rounding.

 

(d)        Upon the occurrence of an Acquisition Event, the Committee may terminate all outstanding and unexercised Stock Options or any Other Stock-Based Award that provides for a Participant-elected exercise (collectively, “ Exercisable Awards ”), effective as of the date of the Acquisition Event, by delivering notice of termination to each Participant at least 20 days prior to the date of consummation of the Acquisition Event, in which case during the period from the date on which such notice of termination is delivered to the consummation of the Acquisition Event, each such Participant shall have the right to exercise in full all of such Exercisable Awards that are then outstanding to the extent vested on the date such notice of termination is given (or, at the discretion of the Committee, without regard to any limitations on exercisability otherwise contained in the Award agreements), but any such exercise shall be contingent on the occurrence of the Acquisition Event, and, provided that, if the Acquisition Event does not take place within a specified period after giving such notice for any reason whatsoever, the notice and exercise pursuant thereto shall be null and void and the applicable provisions of Section 4.2(b) and Article X shall apply. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of an Acquisition Event, the Committee may terminate any Exercisable Award for which the exercise price is equal to or exceeds the Fair Market Value on the date of the Acquisition Event without payment of consideration therefor. If an Acquisition Event occurs but the Committee does not terminate the outstanding Awards pursuant to this Section 4.2(d), then the provisions of Section 4.2(b) and Article X shall apply.

 

4.3            Minimum Purchase Price . Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, if authorized but previously unissued shares of Common Stock are issued under the Plan, such shares shall not be issued for a consideration that is less than permitted under applicable law.

 

ARTICLE V

ELIGIBILITY

 

5.1            General Eligibility . All current and prospective Eligible Employees and Consultants, and current Non-Employee Directors, are eligible to be granted Awards. Eligibility for the grant of Awards and actual participation in the Plan shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no Award under which a Participant may receive shares of Common Stock may be granted to an Eligible Employee, Consultant or Non-Employee Director of any Affiliate if such shares of Common Stock do not constitute “service recipient stock” for purposes of Section 409A with respect to such Eligible Employee, Consultant or Non-Employee Director if such shares are required to constitute “service recipient stock” for such Award to comply with, or be exempt from, Section 409A of the Code.

 

 

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5.2            Incentive Stock Options . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, only Eligible Employees of the Company, its Subsidiaries and its Parent (if any) are eligible to be granted Incentive Stock Options under the Plan. Eligibility for the grant of an Incentive Stock Option and actual participation in the Plan shall be determined by the Committee.

 

5.3            General Requirement . The grant of Awards to a prospective Eligible Employee or Consultant and the vesting and exercise of such Awards shall be conditioned upon such Person actually becoming an Eligible Employee or Consultant; provided , however , that no Award may be granted to a prospective Eligible Employee or Consultant unless the Company determines that the Award will comply with applicable laws, including the securities laws of all relevant jurisdictions (and, in the case of an Award to an Eligible Employee or Consultant pursuant to which Common Stock would be issued prior to such Person performing services for the Company, the Company may require payment of not less than the par value of the Common Stock by cash or check in order to ensure proper issuance of the shares in compliance with applicable law). Awards may be awarded in consideration for past services actually rendered to the Company or an Affiliate.

 

ARTICLE VI

STOCK OPTIONS

 

6.1            Stock Options . Each Stock Option shall be one of two types: (a) an Incentive Stock Option or (b) a Non-Qualified Stock Option. The Committee shall have the authority to grant to any Eligible Employee Incentive Stock Options, Non-Qualified Stock Options, or both types of Stock Options. The Committee shall have the authority to grant any Consultant or Non-Employee Director Non-Qualified Stock Options. To the extent that any Stock Option does not qualify as an Incentive Stock Option (whether because of its provisions or the time or manner of its exercise or otherwise), such Stock Option or the portion thereof that does not qualify shall constitute a separate Non-Qualified Stock Option.

 

6.2            Incentive Stock Options . Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, no term of the Plan relating to Incentive Stock Options shall be interpreted, amended or altered, nor shall any discretion or authority granted under the Plan be so exercised, so as to disqualify the Plan under Section 422 of the Code, or, without the consent of the Participants affected, to disqualify any Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code.

 

6.3            Terms of Stock Options . Stock Options granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and conditions and shall be in such form and contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:

 

 

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(a)        Exercise Price . The exercise price per share of Common Stock subject to a Stock Option shall be determined by the Committee on or before the date of grant, provided that the per share exercise price of a Stock Option shall not be less than 100% (or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder, 110%) of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date of grant.

 

(b)        Stock Option Term . The term of each Stock Option shall be fixed by the Committee, provided that no Stock Option shall be exercisable more than ten years after the date such Stock Option is granted (or, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder, five years).

 

(c)        Exercisability .

 

(i)              Stock Options shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement. The Committee may waive any limitations on exercisability at any time at or after grant in whole or in part, in its discretion.

 

(ii)            Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, (A) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity prior to any exercise of the Stock Option, all Stock Options held by the Participant shall thereupon terminate and expire, (B) as a condition of the exercise of a Stock Option, the Participant shall be required to certify in a manner acceptable to the Company (or shall be deemed to have certified) that the Participant is in compliance with the terms and conditions of the Plan and that the Participant has not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, any Detrimental Activity, and (C) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity during the one-year period commencing on the earlier of the date the Stock Option is exercised or the date of the Participant’s Termination, the Company shall be entitled to recover from the Participant at any time within one year after such date, and the Participant shall pay over to the Company, an amount equal to any gain realized (whether at the time of exercise or thereafter) as a result of the exercise. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, this Section 6.3(c)(ii) shall cease to apply upon a Change in Control.

 

(d)        Method of Exercise . To the extent vested, a Stock Option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time during the Option term, by giving written notice of exercise to the Committee (or its designee) specifying the number of shares of Common Stock to be purchased. Such notice shall be in a form acceptable to the Committee and shall be accompanied by payment in full of the purchase price as follows: (i) in cash or by check, bank draft or money order payable to the order of the Company; (ii) solely to the extent permitted by applicable law and authorized by the Committee, if the Common Stock is traded on a national securities exchange or quoted on a national quotation system sponsored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, through a procedure whereby the Participant delivers irrevocable instructions to a broker reasonably acceptable to the Committee to deliver promptly to the Company an amount equal to the purchase price; or (iii) on such other terms and conditions as may be acceptable to the Committee (including the relinquishment of Stock Options or by payment in full or in part in the form of Common Stock owned by the Participant (for which the Participant has good title free and clear of any liens and encumbrances)). No shares of Common Stock shall be issued until payment therefor, as provided herein, has been made or provided for.

 

 

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(e)        Non-Transferability of Options . No Stock Option shall be Transferable by the Participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and all Stock Options shall be exercisable, during the Participant’s lifetime, only by the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may determine that a Non-Qualified Stock Option that otherwise is not Transferable pursuant to this section is Transferable to a Family Member in whole or in part, and in such circumstances, and under such conditions as specified by the Committee. A Non-Qualified Stock Option that is Transferred to a Family Member pursuant to the preceding sentence (i) may not be Transferred subsequently other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and (ii) remains subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award agreement. Any shares of Common Stock acquired upon the exercise of a Non-Qualified Stock Option by a permissible transferee of a Non-Qualified Stock Option or a permissible transferee pursuant to a Transfer after the exercise of the Non-Qualified Stock Option shall be subject to the terms of this Plan and the applicable Award agreement.

 

(f)         Termination by Death or Disability . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant ( or, if no rights of the Participant (or, in the case of his death, his estate) are reduced, thereafter) , if a Participant’s Termination is by reason of death or Disability, all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s Termination may be exercised by the Participant (or, in the case of death, by the legal representative of the Participant’s estate) at any time within a period of one year after the date of such Termination, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

 

(g)        Involuntary Termination Without Cause . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant ( or, if no rights of the Participant (or, in the case of his death, his estate) are reduced, thereafter) , if a Participant’s Termination is by involuntary termination by the Company or an Affiliate without Cause, all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s Termination may be exercised by the Participant at any time within a period of 90 days after the date of such Termination, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

 

(h)       Voluntary Termination . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant ( or, if no rights of the Participant (or, in the case of his death, his estate) are reduced, thereafter) , if a Participant’s Termination is voluntary (other than a voluntary Termination described in subsection (i)(B) below), all Stock Options that are held by such Participant that are vested and exercisable on the date of the Participant’s Termination may be exercised by the Participant at any time within a period of 30 days after the date of such Termination, but in no event beyond the expiration of the stated term of such Stock Options.

 

(i)         Termination for Cause . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at grant ( or, if no rights of the Participant (or, in the case of his death, his estate) are reduced, thereafter) , if a Participant’s Termination (A) is for Cause or (B) is a voluntary Termination after the occurrence of an event that would be grounds for a Termination for Cause, all Stock Options, whether vested or not vested, that are held by such Participant shall terminate and expire on the date of such Termination.

 

(j)         Unvested Stock Options . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, Stock Options that are not vested as of the date of a Participant’s Termination for any reason shall terminate and expire on the date of such Termination.

 

 

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(k)        Incentive Stock Option Limitations . To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date of grant) with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by an Eligible Employee during any calendar year under the Plan and any other stock option plan of the Company, any Subsidiary or any Parent exceeds $100,000, such Incentive Stock Options shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options. In addition, if an Eligible Employee does not remain employed by the Company, any Subsidiary or any Parent at all times from the date an Incentive Stock Option is granted until three months prior to the date of exercise thereof (or such other period as required by applicable law), such Stock Option shall be treated as a Non-Qualified Stock Option. Should any provision of the Plan not be necessary in order for the Stock Options to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, or should any additional provisions be required, the Committee may amend the Plan accordingly, without the necessity of obtaining the approval of the stockholders of the Company.

 

(l)         Form, Modification, Extension and Renewal of Stock Options . Stock Options may be evidenced by such form of agreement as is approved by the Committee. The Committee may (i) modify, extend or renew outstanding Stock Options ( provided that (A) the rights of a Participant are not reduced without his consent and (B) such action does not subject the Stock Options to Section 409A or otherwise extend the Stock Options beyond their stated term), and (ii) accept the surrender of outstanding Stock Options and authorize the granting of new Stock Options in substitution therefor. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, an outstanding Option may not be modified to reduce the exercise price thereof nor may a new Option at a lower exercise price be substituted for a surrendered Option (other than adjustments or substitutions in accordance with Section 4.2), unless such action is approved by the stockholders of the Company.

 

(m)      No Reload Options . Options shall not provide for the grant of the same number of Options as the number of shares used to pay for the exercise price of Options or shares used to pay withholding taxes (i.e., “reloads”).

 

ARTICLE VII

RESTRICTED STOCK

 

7.1            Awards of Restricted Stock . The Committee shall determine the Participants to whom, and the time or times at which, grants of Restricted Stock shall be made, the number of shares to be awarded, the purchase price (if any) to be paid by the Participant (subject to Section 7.2), the time or times at which such Awards may be subject to forfeiture or to restrictions on transfer, and all other terms and conditions of the Awards.

 

Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, (A) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity prior to any vesting of Restricted Stock, all unvested Restricted Stock shall be immediately forfeited, and (B) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity during the one year period after any vesting of such Restricted Stock, the Committee shall be entitled to recover from the Participant (at any time within one year after such engagement in Detrimental Activity) an amount equal to the Fair Market Value as of the vesting date(s) of any Restricted Stock that had vested in the period referred to above. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, this paragraph shall cease to apply upon a Change in Control.

 

 

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The Committee may condition the grant or vesting of Restricted Stock upon the attainment of specified performance goals (including goals based on the Performance Criteria) or such other factors as the Committee may determine.

 

7.2            Awards and Certificates . The Committee may require, as a condition to the effectiveness of an Award of Restricted Stock, that the Participant execute and deliver to the Company an Award agreement or other documentation and comply with the terms of such Award agreement or other documentation. Further, Restricted Stock shall be subject to the following conditions:

 

(a)        Purchase Price . The purchase price of Restricted Stock, if any, shall be fixed by the Committee. In accordance with Section 4.3, the purchase price for shares of Restricted Stock may be zero to the extent permitted by applicable law, and, to the extent not so permitted, such purchase price may not be less than par value.

 

(b)        Legend . Each Participant receiving Restricted Stock shall be issued a stock certificate in respect of such shares of Restricted Stock, unless the Committee elects to use another system, such as book entries by the transfer agent, as evidencing ownership of shares of Restricted Stock. Such certificate shall be registered in the name of such Participant, and shall, in addition to such legends required by applicable securities laws, bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Award, substantially in the following form:

 

“The anticipation, alienation, attachment, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance or charge of the shares of stock represented hereby are subject to the terms and conditions (including forfeiture) of the Altimmune, Inc. (the “ Company ”) 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (as amended from time to time, the “ Plan ”), and an Award Agreement entered into between the registered owner and the Company dated __________. Copies of such Plan and Agreement are on file at the principal office of the Company.”

 

(c)        Custody . If stock certificates are issued in respect of shares of Restricted Stock, the Committee may require that any stock certificates evidencing such shares be held in custody by the Company until the restrictions thereon shall have lapsed, and that, as a condition of any grant of Restricted Stock, the Participant shall have delivered a duly signed stock power or other instruments of assignment (including a power of attorney), each endorsed in blank with a guarantee of signature if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Company, which would permit transfer to the Company of all or a portion of the shares subject to the Award of Restricted Stock in the event that such Award is forfeited in whole or part.

 

7.3            Restrictions and Conditions . Restricted Stock shall be subject to the following restrictions and conditions:

 

(a)        Restriction Period .

 

(i)              The Participant shall not be permitted to Transfer shares of Restricted Stock, and the Restricted Stock shall be subject to a risk of forfeiture (collectively, “restrictions”) during the period or periods set by the Committee (the “ Restriction Periods ”), as set forth in the Restricted Stock Award agreement. The Committee may provide for the lapse of the restrictions in whole or in part (including in installments) based on service, attainment of performance goals or such other factors or criteria as the Committee may determine, and may waive all or any part of the restrictions at any time subject to Section 7.3(a)(iii).

 

 

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(ii)            If the grant of Restricted Stock or the lapse of restrictions is based on the attainment of performance goals, such performance goals shall be established by the Committee in writing on or before the date the grant of Restricted Stock is made and while the outcome of the performance goals is substantially uncertain and that is permitted under Section 162(m) with regard to an Award of Restricted Stock that is intended to comply with Section 162(m). Such performance goals may incorporate provisions for disregarding (or adjusting for) changes in accounting methods, corporate transactions (including dispositions and acquisitions) and other similar events or circumstances. With regard to an Award of Restricted Stock that is intended to comply with Section 162(m), (A) to the extent that any such provision set forth in the prior sentence would create impermissible discretion under Section 162(m) or otherwise violate Section 162(m), such provision shall be of no force or effect and (B) the applicable performance goals shall be based on one or more of the Performance Criteria.

 

(b)        Rights as a Stockholder . Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, the Participant shall have all the rights of a holder of shares of Common Stock of the Company with respect to Restricted Stock, subject to the following provisions of this Section 7.3(b). Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, (i) the Participant shall have no right to tender shares of Restricted Stock, (ii) dividends or other distributions (collectively, “dividends”) on shares of Restricted Stock shall be withheld, in each case, while the Restricted Stock is subject to restrictions, and (iii) in no event shall dividends or other distributions payable thereunder be paid unless and until the shares of Restricted Stock to which they relate no longer are subject to a risk of forfeiture. Dividends that are not paid currently shall be credited to bookkeeping accounts on the Company’s records for purposes of the Plan and, except as otherwise determined by the Committee, shall not accrue interest. Such dividends shall be paid to the Participant in the same form as paid on the Common Stock upon the lapse of the restrictions. The obligation of the Company to pay any dividends hereunder upon lapse of the applicable restrictions shall be a general, unsecured obligation of the Company payable solely from the general assets of the Company. In no event shall the Company be required, or have any obligation, to set aside, or hold in escrow or trust, any funds for the purpose of paying such dividends.

 

(c)        Termination . Upon a Participant’s Termination for any reason during the Restriction Period, all Restricted Stock still subject to restriction will vest or be forfeited in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the Committee at grant, or, if no rights of a Participant are reduced, thereafter.

 

(d)        Lapse of Restrictions . If and when the Restriction Period expires without a prior forfeiture of the Restricted Stock, the certificates for such shares shall be delivered to the Participant, and any and all unpaid distributions or dividends payable thereunder shall be paid. All legends shall be removed from said certificates at the time of delivery to the Participant, except as otherwise required by applicable law or other limitations imposed by the Committee.

 

 

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ARTICLE VIII

OTHER STOCK-BASED AWARDS

 

8.1            Other Awards . The Committee is authorized to grant Other Stock-Based Awards that are payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on or related to shares of Common Stock, including but not limited to, shares of Common Stock awarded purely as a bonus and not subject to any restrictions or conditions, shares of Common Stock in payment of the amounts due under an incentive or performance plan sponsored or maintained by the Company or an Affiliate, stock appreciation rights, stock equivalent units, restricted stock units, Performance Shares, Performance Units and Awards valued by reference to book value of shares of Common Stock.

 

The Committee shall have authority to determine the Participants to whom, and the time or times at which, Other Stock-Based Awards shall be made, the number of shares of Common Stock to be awarded pursuant to such Awards, and all other terms and conditions of the Awards.

 

The Committee may condition the grant or vesting of Other Stock-Based Awards upon the attainment of performance goals (including, performance goals based on the Performance Criteria) or such other factors as the Committee may determine. If the grant or vesting of an Other Stock-Based Award is based on the attainment of performance goals, such performance goals shall be established by the Committee in writing on or before the date the grant of Other Stock-Based Award is made and while the outcome of the performance goals is substantially uncertain and that is permitted under Section 162(m) with regard to an Other Stock-Based Award that is intended to comply with Section 162(m). Such performance goals may incorporate provisions for disregarding (or adjusting for) changes in accounting methods, corporate transactions (including dispositions and acquisitions) and other similar events or circumstances. With regard to an Other Stock-Based Award that is intended to comply with Section 162(m), (a) to the extent any such provision set forth in the prior sentence would create impermissible discretion under Section 162(m) or otherwise violate Section 162(m), such provision shall be of no force or effect and (b) the applicable performance goals shall be based on one or more of the Performance Criteria.

 

8.2            Terms and Conditions . Other Stock-Based Awards made pursuant to this Article VIII shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

(a)        Non-Transferability . The Participant may not Transfer Other Stock-Based Awards or the Common Stock underlying such Awards prior to the date on which the underlying Common Stock is issued, or, if later, the date on which any restriction, performance or deferral period applicable to such Common Stock lapses.

 

(b)        Dividends . The Committee shall determine to what extent, and under what conditions, the Participant shall have the right to receive dividends, dividend equivalents or other distributions (collectively, “dividends”) with respect to shares of Common Stock covered by Other Stock-Based Awards. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, dividends with respect to unvested Other Stock-Based Awards shall be withheld until such Other Stock-Based Awards vest. Dividends that are not paid currently shall be credited to bookkeeping accounts on the Company’s records for purposes of the Plan and, except as otherwise determined by the Committee, shall not accrue interest. Such dividends shall be paid to the Participant in the same form as paid on the Common Stock or such other form as is determined by the Committee upon the lapse of the restrictions. The obligation of the Company to pay any dividends hereunder upon lapse of the applicable restrictions shall be a general, unsecured obligation of the Company payable solely from the general assets of the Company. In no event shall the Company be required, or have any obligation, to set aside, or hold in escrow or trust, any funds for the purpose of paying such dividends.

 

 

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(c)        Vesting . Other Stock Based Awards and any underlying Common Stock shall vest or be forfeited to the extent set forth in the applicable Award agreement or as otherwise determined by the Committee. At the expiration of any applicable Performance Period, the Committee shall determine the extent to which the relevant performance goals are achieved and the portion of each Other Stock-Based Award that has been earned. The Committee may, at or after grant, accelerate the vesting of all or any part of any Other Stock-Based Award.

 

(d)        Payment . Following the Committee’s determination in accordance with subsection (c) above, shares of Common Stock or, as determined by the Committee, the cash equivalent of such shares, shall be delivered to the Participant, or his legal representative, in an amount equal to such individual’s earned Other Stock-Based Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may exercise negative discretion by providing in an Other Stock-Based Award the discretion to pay an amount less than otherwise would be provided under the applicable level of attainment of the performance goals or subject the payment of all or part of any Other Stock-Based Award to additional vesting, forfeiture and deferral conditions as it deems appropriate.

 

(e)        Detrimental Activity . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, (A) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity prior to any vesting of such Other Stock-Based Award, all unvested Other Stock-Based Award shall be immediately forfeited, and (B) in the event the Participant engages in Detrimental Activity during the one year period after any vesting of such Other Stock-Based Award, the Committee shall be entitled to recover from the Participant (at any time within the one-year period after such engagement in Detrimental Activity) an amount equal to any gain the Participant realized from any Other Stock-Based Award that had vested in the period referred to above. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, this Section 8.2(e) shall cease to apply upon a Change in Control.

 

(f)         Price . Common Stock issued on a bonus basis under this Article VIII may be issued for no cash consideration; Common Stock purchased pursuant to a purchase right awarded under this Article VIII shall be priced as determined by the Committee.

 

(g)        Termination . Upon a Participant’s Termination for any reason during the Performance Period, the Other Stock-Based Awards will vest or be forfeited in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the Committee at grant or, if no rights of the Participant are reduced, thereafter.

 

 

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ARTICLE IX

PERFORMANCE-BASED CASH AWARDS

 

9.1            Performance-Based Cash Awards . The Committee shall have authority to determine the Eligible Employees and Consultants to whom, and the time or times at which, Performance-Based Cash Awards shall be made, the dollar amount to be awarded pursuant to such Performance-Based Cash Award, and all other conditions for the payment of the Performance-Based Cash Award.

 

Except as otherwise provided herein, the Committee shall condition the right to payment of any Performance-Based Cash Award upon the attainment of specified performance goals (including performance goals based on the Performance Criteria) established pursuant to Section 9.2(c) and such other factors as the Committee may determine, including to comply with the requirements of Section 162(m). The Committee may establish different performance goals for different Participants.

 

Subject to Section 9.2(c), for any Participant the Committee may specify a targeted Performance-Based Cash Award for a Performance Period (each an “ Individual Target Award ”).  An Individual Target Award may be expressed, at the Committee’s discretion, as a fixed dollar amount, a percentage of the Participant’s base pay, as a percentage of a bonus pool funded by a formula based on achievement of performance goals, or an amount determined pursuant to an objective formula or standard.  The Committee’s establishment of an Individual Target Award for a Participant for a Performance Period shall not imply or require that the same level or any Individual Target Award be established for the Participant for any subsequent Performance Period or for any other Participant for that Performance Period or any subsequent Performance Period.  At the time the performance goals are established (as provided in Section 9.2(c)), the Committee shall prescribe a formula to determine the maximum and minimum percentages (which may be greater or less than 100% of an Individual Target Award) that may be earned or payable based upon the degree of attainment of the performance goals during the Performance Period.  Notwithstanding anything else herein, the Committee may exercise negative discretion by providing in an Individual Target Award the discretion to pay a Participant an amount that is less than the Participant’s Individual Target Award (or attained percentages thereof) regardless of the degree of attainment of the performance goals; provided that, except as otherwise specified by the Committee with respect to an Individual Target Award, no discretion to reduce a Performance-Based Cash Award earned based on achievement of the applicable performance goals shall be permitted for any Performance Period in which a Change in Control occurs, or during such Performance Period with regard to the prior Performance Periods if the Performance-Based Cash Awards for the prior Performance Periods have not been paid by the time of the Change in Control, with regard to individuals who were Participants at the time of the Change in Control.

 

9.2            Terms and Conditions . Performance-Based Cash Awards shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

(a)        Committee Certification .  At the expiration of the applicable Performance Period, the Committee shall determine and certify in writing the extent to which the performance goals established pursuant to Section 9.2(c) are achieved and, if applicable, the percentage of the Performance-Based Cash Award that has been vested and earned.

 

 

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(b)        Waiver of Limitation .  In the event of the Participant’s Disability or death, or in cases of special circumstances (to the extent permitted under Section 162(m) with regard to a Performance-Based Cash Award that is intended to comply with Section 162(m)), the Committee may waive in whole or in part any or all of the limitations imposed thereunder with respect to any or all of a Performance-Based Cash Award.

 

(c)        Performance Goals, Formulae or Standards .  The performance goals for the earning of Performance-Based Cash Awards shall be established by the Committee in writing on or before the date the grant of Performance-Based Cash Award is made and while the outcome of the performance goals is substantially uncertain and that is permitted under Section 162(m) with regard to a Performance-Based Cash Award that is intended to comply with Section 162(m). Such performance goals may incorporate provisions for disregarding (or adjusting for) changes in accounting methods, corporate transactions (including dispositions and acquisitions) and other similar type events or circumstances. With regard to a Performance-Based Cash Award that is intended to comply with Section 162(m), (i) to the extent any such provision set forth in the prior sentence would create impermissible discretion under Section 162(m) or otherwise violate Section 162(m), such provision shall be of no force or effect and (ii) the applicable performance goals shall be based on one or more of the Performance Criteria.

 

(d)        Payment .  Following the Committee’s determination and certification in accordance with subsection (a) above, the earned Performance-Based Cash Award amount shall be paid to the Participant or his legal representative, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Performance-Based Cash Award agreement, but in no event, except as provided in the next sentence, shall such amount be paid later than the later of: (i) March 15 of the year following the year in which the applicable Performance Period ends (or, if later, the year in which the Award is earned); or (ii) two and one-half months after the expiration of the fiscal year of the Company in which the applicable Performance Period ends.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may place such conditions on the payment of all or any portion of any Performance-Based Cash Award as the Committee may determine and prior to the beginning of a Performance Period, the Committee may (A) provide that the payment of all or any portion of any Performance-Based Cash Award shall be deferred and (B) permit a Participant to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of any Performance-Based Cash Award.  Any Performance-Based Cash Award deferred by a Participant in accordance with the terms and conditions established by the Committee shall not increase (between the date on which the Performance-Based Cash Award is credited to any deferred compensation program applicable to such Participant and the payment date) by an amount that would result in such deferral being deemed as an “increase in the amount of compensation” under Section 162(m).  To the extent applicable, any deferral under this Section 9.2(d) shall be made in a manner intended to comply with or be exempt from the applicable requirements of Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may exercise negative discretion by providing in a Performance-Based Cash Award the discretion to pay an amount less than otherwise would be provided under the applicable level of attainment of the performance goals.

 

(e)        Termination . Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of grant (or, if no rights of the Participant (or, in the case of his death, his estate) are reduced, thereafter), no Performance-Based Cash Award or pro rata portion thereof shall be payable to any Participant who incurs a Termination prior to the date such Performance-Based Cash Award is paid and the Performance-Based Cash Awards only shall be deemed to be earned when actually paid.

 

 

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ARTICLE X

CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS

 

10.1         In the event of a Change in Control of the Company, except as otherwise provided by the Committee in an Award agreement or otherwise in writing, a Participant’s unvested Award shall not vest and a Participant’s Award shall be treated in accordance with one of the following methods as determined by the Committee:

 

(a)        Awards, whether or not then vested, may be continued, assumed, have new rights substituted therefor or be treated in accordance with Section 4.2(d), and Restricted Stock or other Awards may, where appropriate in the discretion of the Committee, receive the same distribution as other Common Stock on such terms as determined by the Committee; provided that, the Committee may decide to award additional Restricted Stock or any other Award in lieu of any cash distribution. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, any assumption or substitution of Incentive Stock Options shall be structured in a manner intended to comply with the requirements of Treasury Regulation §1.424-1 (and any amendments thereto).

 

(b)        Awards may be canceled in exchange for an amount of cash equal to the Change in Control Price (as defined below) per share of Common Stock covered by such Awards), less, in the case of an Appreciation Award, the exercise price per share of Common Stock covered by such Award. The “ Change in Control Price ” means the price per share of Common Stock paid in the Change in Control transaction.

 

(c)        Appreciation Awards may be cancelled without payment, if the Change in Control Price is less than the exercise price per share of such Appreciation Awards.

 

Notwithstanding anything else herein, the Committee may provide for accelerated vesting or lapse of restrictions, of an Award at any time.

 

ARTICLE XI

TERMINATION OR AMENDMENT OF PLAN

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Board, or the Committee (to the extent permitted by law), may at any time, and from time to time, amend, in whole or in part, any or all of the provisions of the Plan (including any amendment deemed necessary or advisable to ensure that the Company may comply with any regulatory requirement referred to in Article XIII or Section 409A), or suspend or terminate it entirely, retroactively or otherwise; provided , however , that, unless otherwise required by law or specifically provided herein, the rights of a Participant with respect to Awards granted prior to such amendment, suspension or termination, may not be reduced in any material respect without the consent of such Participant and, provided further , without the approval of the holders of the Company’s Common Stock entitled to vote in accordance with applicable law, no amendment may be made that would (a) increase the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation of Section 4.2); (b) increase the maximum individual Participant limits under Section 4.1(b) (except by operation of Section 4.2); (c) change the classification of individuals eligible to receive Awards under the Plan; (d) extend the maximum term of Options; (e)  alter the Performance Criteria; (f) other than adjustments or substitutions in accordance with Section 4.2, amend the terms of outstanding Awards to reduce the exercise price of outstanding Stock Options or Appreciation Awards, or cancel outstanding Stock Options or Appreciation Awards (where, prior to the reduction or cancellation, the exercise price exceeds the Fair Market Value on the date of cancellation) in exchange for cash, other Awards or Stock Options or Appreciation Awards with an exercise price that is less than the exercise price of the original Stock Options or Appreciation Awards; or (g) otherwise require stockholder approval in order for the Plan or any of the Awards issued hereunder to continue to comply with applicable law (including Code Sections 162(m) and 422) or the rules of any applicable securities exchange or system on which the Company’s securities are listed or traded at the request of the Company.

 

 

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The Committee may amend the terms of any Award theretofore granted, prospectively or retroactively; provided that no such amendment reduces in any material respect the rights of any Participant without the Participant’s consent. Actions taken by the Committee in accordance with Article IV shall not be deemed to reduce the rights of any Participant.

 

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Board or the Committee may amend the Plan or any Award at any time without a Participant’s consent to comply with Section 409A or any other applicable law. 

 

ARTICLE XII

UNFUNDED PLAN

 

The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments as to which a Participant has a fixed and vested interest but which are not yet made to a Participant by the Company, nothing contained herein shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general unsecured creditor of the Company.

 

ARTICLE XIII

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

13.1         Legend . The Committee may require each person receiving shares of Common Stock pursuant to an Award to represent to and agree with the Company in writing that the Participant is acquiring the shares without a view to distribution thereof and such other securities law related representations as the Committee shall request. In addition to any legend required by the Plan, the certificates or book entry accounts for such shares may include any legend that the Committee deems appropriate to reflect any restrictions on Transfer.

 

All certificates or book entry accounts for shares of Common Stock delivered under the Plan shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, any stock exchange upon which the Common Stock is then listed or any national automated quotation system on which the Common Stock is then quoted, any applicable Federal or state securities law, and any applicable corporate law, and the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions. If necessary or advisable in order to prevent a violation of applicable securities laws or to avoid the imposition of public company reporting requirements, then, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any stock-settled Awards shall be paid in cash in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value on the date of settlement of such Awards.

 

 

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13.2         Other Plans . Nothing contained in the Plan shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, subject to stockholder approval if such approval is required; and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.

 

13.3         No Right to Employment/Consultancy/Directorship . Neither the Plan nor the grant of any Award thereunder shall give any Participant or other person any right to employment, consultancy or directorship by the Company or any Affiliate, or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Affiliate by which an employee is employed or a Consultant or Non-Employee Director is retained to terminate his employment, consultancy or directorship at any time.

 

13.4         Withholding of Taxes . (a) The Company or any Affiliate shall have the right to deduct from any payment to be made pursuant to the Plan, or to otherwise require, prior to the issuance or delivery of any shares of Common Stock or the payment of any cash thereunder, payment by the Participant of, any Federal, foreign, state or local taxes required by law to be withheld. Upon the vesting of Restricted Stock (or other Award that is taxable upon vesting), or upon making an election under Section 83(b) of the Code, a Participant shall pay all required withholding to the Company or any Affiliate. Any statutorily required withholding obligation with regard to any Participant may be satisfied, subject to the consent of the Committee, by reducing the number of shares of Common Stock otherwise deliverable or by delivering shares of Common Stock already owned. Any fraction of a share of Common Stock required to satisfy such tax obligations shall be disregarded and the amount due shall be paid instead in cash by the Participant.

 

13.5         No Assignment of Benefits . No Award or other benefit payable under the Plan shall, except as otherwise specifically provided in the Plan or permitted by the Committee, be Transferable in any manner, and any attempt to Transfer any such benefit shall be void, and any such benefit shall not in any manner be liable for or subject to the debts, contracts, liabilities, engagements or torts of any person who shall be entitled to such benefit, nor shall it be subject to attachment or legal process for or against such person.

 

13.6         Listing and Other Conditions . (a) Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, as long as the Common Stock is listed on a national securities exchange or system sponsored by a national securities association, the issuance of shares of Common Stock pursuant to an Award shall be conditioned upon such shares being listed on such exchange or system. The Company shall have no obligation to issue such shares unless and until such shares are so listed, and the right to exercise any Stock Option or other Exercisable Award with respect to such shares shall be suspended until such listing has been effected.

 

(b)        If at any time counsel to the Company shall be of the opinion that any offer or sale of Common Stock pursuant to an Award is or may be unlawful or prohibited, or will or may result in the imposition of excise taxes on the Company, under the statutes, rules or regulations of any applicable jurisdiction or under the rules of the national securities exchange on which the Common Stock then is listed, the Company shall have no obligation to make such offer or sale, or to make any application or to effect or to maintain any qualification or registration under the Securities Act or otherwise, with respect to the Common Stock or Awards, and the right to exercise any Stock Option or other Exercisable Award shall be suspended until, in the opinion of said counsel, such offer or sale shall be lawful, permitted or will not result in the imposition of excise taxes on the Company.

 

 

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(c)        Upon termination of any period of suspension under this Section 13.6, any Award affected by such suspension which shall not then have expired or terminated shall be reinstated as to all shares available before such suspension and as to shares which would otherwise have become available during the period of such suspension, but no such suspension shall extend the term of any Award.

 

(d)        A Participant shall be required to supply the Company with certificates, representations and information that the Company requests and otherwise cooperate with the Company in obtaining any listing, registration, qualification, exemption, consent or approval the Company deems necessary or appropriate.

 

13.7         Governing Law . The Plan and matters arising under or related to it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to its principles of conflicts of laws.

 

13.8         Construction . Wherever any words are used in the Plan in the masculine gender they shall be construed as though they were also used in the feminine gender in all cases where they would so apply. As used herein, (a) ”or” shall mean “and/or” and (b) ”including” or “include” shall mean “including, without limitation.” Any reference herein to an agreement in writing shall be deemed to include an electronic writing to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

13.9         No Acquired Rights . In participating in the Plan, each Participant is deemed to acknowledge and accept that the Committee has the sole discretion to amend or terminate the Plan, to the extent permitted hereunder, at any time and that the opportunity given to a Participant to participate in the Plan is at the sole discretion of the Committee and does not obligate the Company or any Affiliate to offer such participation in the future (whether on the same or different terms). In participating in the Plan, each Participant is deemed further to acknowledge and accept that (i) such Participant’s participation in the Plan is not to be considered part of any normal or expected compensation, (ii) the value of Awards granted to a Participant shall not be used for purposes of determining any benefits or compensation payable to the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiaries or estate under any benefit arrangement of the Company or its Affiliates and (iii) the termination of the Participant’s employment with the Company or an Affiliate under any circumstance whatsoever will not give the Participant any claim or right of action against the Company or any of its Affiliates in respect of any lost rights under the Plan that may arise as a result of such termination of employment.

 

13.10      Data Protection .

 

By participating in the Plan, each Participant shall consent to the holding and processing of personal information provided by such Participant to the Company, any Affiliate, trustee or third-party service provider, for all purposes relating to the operation of the Plan. These include, but are not limited to: (i) administering and maintaining Participant records; (ii) providing information to the Company, Affiliates, trustees of any employee benefit trust, registrars, brokers or third-party administrators of the Plan; (iii) providing information to future purchasers or merger partners of the Company or any Affiliate, or the business in which the Participant works; and (iv) transferring personal information about the Participant to any country or territory that may not provide the same protection for the information as the Participant’s home country. Such personal information may include, without limitation, the Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares or directorships held in the Company or an Affiliate and details of all Awards or other entitlement to shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in a Participant’s favor.

 

 

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13.11      Costs . The Company shall bear all expenses associated with administering the Plan, including expenses of issuing Common Stock pursuant to any Awards.

 

13.12      No Right to Same Benefits . The provisions of Awards need not be the same with respect to each Participant, and each Award to an individual Participant need not be the same.

 

13.13      Death/Disability . The Committee may require the transferee of a Participant to supply it with written notice of the Participant’s death or Disability and to supply it with a copy of the will (in the case of the Participant’s death) or such other evidence as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to establish the validity of the transfer of an Award. The Committee also may require that the transferee agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the Plan.

 

13.14      Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act . All elections and transactions under the Plan by persons subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act involving shares of Common Stock are intended to comply with any applicable exemptive condition under Rule 16b-3. The Committee may establish and adopt written administrative guidelines, designed to facilitate compliance with Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, as it may deem necessary or advisable for the administration and operation of the Plan and the transaction of business thereunder.

 

13.15      Section 409A . Although the Company does not guarantee to a Participant the particular tax treatment of any Award, all Awards are intended to comply with, or be exempt from, the requirements of Section 409A and the Plan and any Award agreement shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. To the extent that any Award constitutes “non-qualified deferred compensation” pursuant to Section 409A (a “ Section 409A Covered Award ”), it is intended to be paid in a manner that will comply with Section 409A. In no event shall the Company be liable for any additional tax, interest or penalties that may be imposed on a Participant by Section 409A or for any damages for failing to comply with Section 409A. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or in an Award to the contrary, the following provisions shall apply to Section 409A Covered Awards:

 

(a)        A termination of employment shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of any provision of a Section 409A Covered Award providing for payment upon or following a termination of the Participant’s employment unless such termination is also a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A and, for purposes of any such provision of a Section 409A Covered Award, references to a “termination,” “termination of employment” or like terms shall mean separation from service. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in the Plan or the Award, if the Participant is deemed on the date of the Participant’s Termination to be a “specified employee” within the meaning of that term under Section 409A(a)(2)(B) of the Code and using the identification methodology selected by the Company from time to time, or if none, the default methodology set forth in Section 409A, then with regard to any such payment under a Section 409A Covered Award, to the extent required to be delayed in compliance with Section 409A(a)(2)(B) of the Code, such payment shall not be made prior to the earlier of (i) the expiration of the six-month period measured from the date of the Participant’s separation from service, and (ii) the date of the Participant’s death. All payments delayed pursuant to this Section 13.15(a) shall be paid to the Participant on the first day of the seventh month following the date of the Participant’s separation from service or, if earlier, on the date of the Participant’s death.

 

 

27

 

 

(b)        With respect to any payment pursuant to a Section 409A Covered Award that is triggered upon a Change in Control, the settlement of such Award shall not occur until the earliest of (i) the Change in Control if such Change in Control constitutes a “change in the ownership of the corporation,” a “change in effective control of the corporation” or a “change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the corporation,” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code, (ii) the date such Award otherwise would be settled pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award agreement and (iii) the Participant’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, subject to Section 13.15(a).

 

(c)        For purposes of Code Section 409A, a Participant’s right to receive any installment payments under the Plan or pursuant to an Award shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate and distinct payments.

 

(d)        Whenever a payment under the Plan or pursuant to an Award specifies a payment period with reference to a number of days (e.g., “payment shall be made within 30 days following the date of termination”), the actual date of payment within the specified period shall be within the sole discretion of the Company.

 

13.16      Successor and Assigns . The Plan shall be binding on all successors and permitted assigns of a Participant, including the estate of such Participant and the executor, administrator or trustee of such estate.

 

13.17      Severability of Provisions . If any provision of the Plan shall be held invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other provisions hereof, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if such provisions had not been included.

 

13.18      Participants Subject to Taxation Outside the U.S.; No Tax Equalization . With respect to a Participant who is subject to taxation in a country other than the United States, the Committee may grant Awards to such Participant on such terms and conditions as the Committee deems appropriate to comply with the laws of the applicable country, and the Committee may create such procedures, addenda and subplans and make such modifications as may, in the Committee’s discretion, be necessary or desirable to comply with such laws. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall have any responsibility to such Participant with respect to any taxes owed or owing in or to any jurisdiction that such Participant incurs as a result of receiving an Award and becoming a Participant in the Plan, nor shall the Company or any Affiliate provide any tax equalization payment to any Participant in respect of taxes owed or owing in or to any jurisdiction by a Participant.

 

13.19      Payments to Minors, Etc . Any benefit payable to or for the benefit of a minor, an incompetent person or other person incapable of receipt thereof shall be deemed paid when paid to such person’s guardian or to the party providing or reasonably appearing to provide for the care of such person, and such payment shall fully discharge the Committee, the Board, the Company, its Affiliates and their employees, agents and representatives with respect thereto.

 

 

28

 

 

13.20      Headings and Captions . The headings and captions herein are provided for reference and convenience only, shall not be considered part of the Plan, and shall not be employed in the construction of the Plan.

 

13.21      Recoupment . All Awards granted or other compensation paid by the Company under the Plan, including any shares of Common Stock issued under any Award thereunder, will be subject to: (i) any compensation recapture policies established by the Board or the Committee from time to time and in effect at the time of grant of the Award, and (ii) any compensation recapture policies to the extent required pursuant to any applicable law (including, without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Act) or the rules and regulations of any national securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are then traded.

 

13.22      Reformation . If any provision regarding Detrimental Activity or any other provision set forth in the Plan or an Award agreement is found by any court of competent jurisdiction or arbitrator to be invalid, void or unenforceable or to be excessively broad as to duration, activity, geographic application or subject, such provision or provisions shall be construed, by limiting or reducing them to the extent legally permitted, so as to be enforceable to the maximum extent compatible with then applicable law.

 

13.23      Electronic Communications . Notwithstanding anything else herein to the contrary, any Award agreement, notice of exercise of an Exercisable Award, or other document or notice required or permitted by the Plan or an Award that is required to be delivered in writing may, to the extent determined by the Committee, be delivered and accepted electronically. Signatures also may be electronic if permitted by the Committee. The term “written agreement” as used in the Plan shall include any document that is delivered and/or accepted electronically.

 

13.24      Agreement . As a condition to the grant of an Award, if requested by the Company and the lead underwriter of any public offering of the Common Stock (the “ Lead Underwriter ”), a Participant shall irrevocably agree not to sell, contract to sell, grant any option to purchase, transfer the economic risk of ownership in, make any short sale of, pledge or otherwise transfer or dispose of, any interest in any Common Stock or any securities convertible into, derivative of, or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock, or any other rights to purchase or acquire Common Stock (except Common Stock included in such public offering or acquired on the public market after such offering) during such period of time following the effective date of a registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act that the Lead Underwriter shall specify (the “ Lock-up Period ”). The Participant shall further agree to sign such documents as may be requested by the Lead Underwriter to effect the foregoing and agree that the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to Common Stock acquired pursuant to an Award until the end of such Lock-up Period.

 

13.25      Defense of Trade Secrets Act.

 

Pursuant to 18 USC § 1833(b), an individual may not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for disclosure of a trade secret made: (i) in confidence to a government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney, solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; and/or (ii) in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. Additionally, an individual suing an employer for retaliation based on the reporting of a suspected violation of law may disclose a trade secret to his or her attorney and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, so long as any document containing the trade secret is filed under seal and the individual does not disclose the trade secret except pursuant to court order.

 

 

29

 

 

ARTICLE XIV

EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN

 

The Plan was adopted by the Board on March 29, 2017. The Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company on May 4, 2017, effective on such date (the “ Effective Date ”).

 

ARTICLE XV

TERM OF PLAN

 

No Award shall be granted on or after the tenth anniversary of the earlier of (a) the date the Plan is adopted by the Board or (b) the date of stockholder approval of the Plan, provided that Awards granted prior to such tenth anniversary may extend beyond that date in accordance with the terms of the Plan. The Company may seek stockholder reapproval of the Performance Criteria and to the extent that such stockholder approval is obtained no later than the first stockholder meeting that occurs in the fifth year following the year in which such stockholders previously approved the Performance Criteria, Awards (other than Stock Options or stock appreciation rights) may be based on such Performance Criteria in order to qualify for the “performance-based compensation” exception under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

 

30

 

EXHIBIT A

Performance CRITERIA

 

Performance goals established for purposes of the grant or vesting of performance-based Awards of Restricted Stock, Other Stock-Based Awards or Performance-Based Cash Awards that are intended to be “performance-based” under Section 162(m) shall be based on one or more of the following performance criteria (“ Performance Criteria ”):

 

(1) enterprise value or value creation targets;

 

(2) income or net income; operating income; net operating income or net operating income after tax; operating profit or net operating profit;

 

(3) cash flow including, but not limited to, from operations or free cash flow;

 

(4) specified objectives with regard to limiting the level of increase in all or a portion of bank debt or other long-term or short-term public or private debt or other similar financial obligations, or other capital structure improvements, which may be calculated net of cash balances or other offsets and adjustments as may be established by the Committee;

 

(5) net sales, revenues, net income or earnings before income tax or other exclusions;

 

(6) operating margin; return on operating revenue or return on operating profit;

 

(7) return measures (after tax or pre-tax), including return on capital employed, return on invested capital; return on equity, return on assets, return on net assets;

 

(8) market capitalization, earnings per share, fair market value of the shares of the Company’s Shares, franchise value (net of debt), economic value added;

 

(9) total stockholder return or growth in total stockholder return (with or without dividend reinvestment);

 

(10) financing and other capital raising transactions;

 

(11) proprietary investment results;

 

(12) estimated market share;

 

(13) expansion of sales in additional geographies or markets;

 

(14) expense management/control or reduction (including without limitation, compensation and benefits expense);

 

(15) customer satisfaction;

 

(16) technological improvements/implementation, new product innovation;

 

 

i

 

 

(17) collections and recoveries;

 

(18) property/asset purchases;

 

(19) litigation and regulatory resolution/implementation goals;

 

(20) leases, contracts or financings (including renewals, overhead, savings, G&A and other expense control goals);

 

(21) risk management/implementation;

 

(22) development and implementation of strategic plans or organizational restructuring goals;

 

(23) development and implementation of risk and crisis management programs; compliance requirements and compliance relief; productivity goals; workforce management and succession planning goals;

 

(24) employee satisfaction or staff development;

 

(25) formations of joint ventures or partnerships or the completion of other similar transactions intended to enhance revenue or profitability or to enhance its customer base;

 

(26) licensing or partnership arrangements;

 

(27) progress of partnered programs and partner satisfaction;

 

(28) progress of internal research or development programs;

 

(29) submission of a new drug application (“ NDA ”) or the approval of the NDA by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“ FDA ”);

 

(30) submission of an investigational new drug application (“ IND ”) or the approval of the IND by the FDA;

 

(31) submission of a therapeutic biologics license application (“ BLA ”) or the approval of the BLA by the FDA;

 

(32) submission to, or approval by, a foreign regulatory body of an applicable filing or a product;

 

(33) strategic partnerships or transactions (including in-licensing and out-licensing of intellectual property;

 

(34) the achievement of a launch of a new drug;

 

(35) the initiation or completion of a clinical trial phase;

 

 

ii

 

 

(36) implementation or completion of critical projects;

 

(37) achievement of specified milestones in the discovery and development of one or more of the Company’s products;

 

(38) achievement of specified milestones in the commercialization of one or more of the Company’s products;

 

(39) achievement of specified milestones in the manufacturing of one or more of the Company’s products;

 

(40) the achievement of specified regulatory milestones relating to one or more of the Company’s products; or

 

(41) completion of a merger, acquisition or any transaction that results in the sale of all or substantially all of the stock or assets.

 

All Performance Criteria may be based upon the attainment of specified levels of (or a specified increase or decrease in) the Company (or Affiliate, division, other operational unit, business segment or administrative department of the Company or any Affiliate) performance under one or more of the measures described above and may be measured relative to the performance of other corporations (or an affiliate, subsidiary, division, other operational unit, business segment or administrative department of another corporation or its affiliates). Any goal may be expressed as a dollar figure, on a percentage basis (if applicable) or on a per share basis, and goals may be either absolute, relative to a selected peer group or index, or a combination of both. To the extent permitted under Section 162(m), (including compliance with any requirements for stockholder approval), the Committee may: (i) designate additional business criteria on which the Performance Criteria may be based or (ii) adjust, modify or amend the aforementioned business criteria.

 

Except as otherwise determined by the Committee in the applicable Award agreement, the measures used in Performance Criteria set under the Plan shall be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“ GAAP ”) and in a manner consistent with the methods used in the Company’s regular reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, without regard to any of the following unless otherwise determined by the Committee consistent with the requirements of Code Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code and the regulations thereunder:

 

(a)       all items of gain, loss or expense for the fiscal year or other applicable performance period that are related to special, unusual or non-recurring items, events or circumstances affecting the Company (or Affiliate, division, other operational unit, business segment or administrative department of the Company or any Affiliate) or the financial statements of the Company (or Affiliate, division, other operational unit, business segment or administrative department of the Company or any Affiliate);

 

(b)       all items of gain, loss or expense for the fiscal year or other applicable performance period that are related to (i) the disposal of a business or discontinued operations or (ii) the operations of any business acquired by the Company (or Affiliate, division, other operational unit, business segment or administrative department of the Company or any Affiliate) during the fiscal year or other applicable performance period; and

 

 

iii

 

 

(c)       all items of gain, loss or expense for the fiscal year or other applicable performance period that are related to changes in accounting principles or to changes in applicable law or regulations.

 

To the extent any Performance Criteria are expressed using any measures that require deviations from GAAP, such deviations shall be at the discretion of the Committee as exercised at the time the Performance Criteria are set, to the extent permitted under Section 162(m).

 

 

iv

 

ALTIMMUNE, INC.

 

2017 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

UK ADDENDUM

 

1. Purpose

 

1.1 The purpose of this UK Addendum to the Plan is to enable the Committee to grant Awards (being Stock Options, Restricted Stock, Other Stock-Based Awards or Performance-Based Cash Awards) to certain employees and full-time directors of the Company who are based in the United Kingdom only.

 

1.2 Awards granted pursuant to the UK Addendum will be non-tax advantaged for UK tax purposes and, to the extent relevant, Awards are granted pursuant to an “ employee share scheme ” for the purposes of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

 

2. Definitions

 

Any terms not defined in this UK Addendum will have the meaning set out in Article II of the Plan.

 

3. Terms

 

Awards granted pursuant to the UK Addendum shall be governed by the terms of the Plan, subject to any such amendments set out below and by the terms of the individual Award agreement entered into between the Company and the Participant.

 

4. Withholding Obligations

 

4.1 The Participant shall be accountable for any income tax and, subject to the following provisions, national insurance liability which is chargeable on any assessable income deriving from the grant, vesting, exercise, transfer or cancellation (whether for consideration or otherwise) of an Award, or in respect of any additional share or cash consideration acquired as a result of distribution of a dividend, or otherwise in respect of the exercise of an Award.  In respect of such assessable income, the Participant shall indemnify the Company and (at the direction of the Company) any Affiliate which is or may be treated as the employer of the Participant in respect of the following (together, the “Tax Liabilities”):

 

(a) any income tax liability which falls to be paid to HMRC by the Company (or the relevant employing Affiliate) under the PAYE system as it applies to income tax under the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (“ ITEPA ”) and the Pay As You Earn (“ PAYE ”) regulations referred to therein; and

 

(b) any national insurance liability which falls to be paid to HMRC by the Company (or the relevant employing Affiliate) under the PAYE system as it applies for national insurance purposes under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 and regulations referred to therein, including:

 

(i) all the employee’s primary Class 1 national insurance contributions; and

 

 

1

 

 

(ii) to the extent permitted by law, all of the employer’s secondary Class 1 national insurance contributions.

 

4.2 Pursuant to the indemnity referred to in clause 4.1 above, the Participant shall make such arrangements as the Company requires to meet the cost of the Tax Liabilities, including, at the direction of the Company, any of the following:

 

(a) making a cash payment of an appropriate amount to the relevant employing company whether by cheque, banker’s draft or deduction from salary in time to enable the Company to remit such amount to HMRC before the 14th day following the end of the month in which the event giving rise to the Tax Liabilities occurred;

 

(b) appointing the Company as agent and/or attorney for the sale of sufficient Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of any Stock Options or pursuant to the grant, exercise or vesting of an Award to cover the Tax Liabilities and authorising the payment to the relevant company of the appropriate amount (including all reasonable fees, commissions and expenses incurred by the relevant employing company in relation to such sale) out of the net proceeds of sale of such Shares; or

 

(c) to the extent permitted by law, entering into:

 

(i) an agreement that allows the Participant’s employer to recover the whole or any portion of any employer’s secondary Class 1 National Insurance Contributions in respect of the vesting or exercise of the Award from the Participant; or

 

(ii) an election whereby the employer’s liability for secondary Class 1 national insurance contributions is transferred to the Participant on terms set out in the election, as approved by HMRC.

 

4.3 The failure by a Participant to make arrangements in line with clause 4.2 above at the request of the Company shall result in the vesting of such Award (other than an Exercisable Award) or the exercise of such Exercisable Award (as applicable) being ineffective, null and void.

 

5. Section 431 Elections

 

Where Shares to be acquired on the exercise or vesting of an Award are considered (at the sole discretion of the Company) to be “restricted securities” for the purposes of Part 7 of ITEPA, it is a condition of exercise that the Participant (if so directed by the Company) enter into a joint election with the Company (or, if different, the relevant employing Affiliate) pursuant to section 431 ITEPA electing that the market value of the shares to be acquired on the exercise or vesting of the Award be calculated as if the Shares were not “restricted securities”.

 

 

2

 

Exhibit 10.2

 

INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

PURSUANT TO THE

ALTIMMUNE, INC. 2017 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

* * * * *

 

Participant: ________________________

 

Grant Date: _________________________

 

Per Share Exercise Price: $_____

 

Number of Shares of Common Stock subject to this Option: _____________________

 

Vesting schedule: This Option may be exercised with respect to the first 25% of the shares subject to this Option on the first anniversary date of the Grant Date and an additional 25% of the shares subject to this Option upon each subsequent anniversary date thereafter.

 

* * * * *

 

THIS INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of the Grant Date specified above, is entered into by and between Altimmune, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and the Participant specified above, pursuant to the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as in effect and as amended from time to time (the “ Plan ”), which is administered by the Committee; and

 

WHEREAS, it has been determined under the Plan that it would be in the best interests of the Company to grant the incentive stock option provided for herein to the Participant.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable consideration, the parties hereto hereby mutually covenant and agree as follows:

 

1.        Incorporation By Reference; Plan Document Receipt . This Agreement is subject in all respects to the terms and provisions of the Plan (including, without limitation, any amendments thereto adopted at any time and from time to time unless such amendments are expressly intended not to apply to the award provided hereunder), all of which terms and provisions are made a part of and incorporated in this Agreement as if they were each expressly set forth herein. Any capitalized term not defined in this Agreement shall have the same meaning as is ascribed thereto in the Plan. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a true copy of the Plan and that the Participant has read the Plan carefully and fully understands its content. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control.

 

2.        Grant of Option . The Company hereby grants to the Participant, as of the Grant Date specified above, an incentive stock option (this “ Option ”) to acquire from the Company at the Per Share Exercise Price specified above, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock specified above (the “ Option Shares ”). Except as otherwise provided by the Plan, the Participant agrees and understands that nothing contained in this Agreement provides, or is intended to provide, the Participant with any protection against potential future dilution of the Participant’s interest in the Company for any reason. The Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares of Common Stock covered by this Option unless and until the Participant has become the holder of record of the shares of Common Stock, and no adjustments shall be made for dividends in cash or other property, distributions or other rights in respect of any such shares, except as otherwise specifically provided for in the Plan or this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

3.        Tax Matters . The Option granted hereby is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Option will not qualify as an “incentive stock option,” among other events, (a) if the Participant disposes of the Option Shares at any time during the two-year period following the date of this Agreement or the one-year period following the date of any exercise of the Option; (b) except in the event of the Participant’s death or Disability, if the Participant is not employed by the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary at all times during the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the day that is three months before the date of any exercise of the Option; or (c) to the extent the aggregate fair market value of the Common Stock subject to “incentive stock options” held by the Participant which become exercisable for the first time in any calendar year (under all plans of the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000. For purposes of clause (c) above, the “fair market value” of the Common Stock shall be determined as of the Grant Date. To the extent that the Option does not qualify as an “incentive stock option,” it shall not affect the validity of the Option and shall constitute a separate non-qualified stock option. In the event that the Participant disposes of the Option Shares within either two (2) years following the Grant Date or one year following the date of exercise of the Option, the Participant must deliver to the Company, within seven (7) days following such disposition, a written notice specifying the date on which such shares were disposed of, the number of shares of Common Stock so disposed, and, if such disposition was by a sale or exchange, the amount of consideration received.

 

4.        Vesting; Detrimental Activity; Expiration .

 

(a)   Vesting . The Option subject to this grant shall become vested in accordance with the vesting schedule specified above. All vesting of the Option granted hereunder shall occur only on the appropriate vesting date specified above, subject to the Participant’s continued service with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries through each applicable vesting date. There shall be no proportionate or partial vesting in the periods prior to each vesting date.

 

(b) Effect of Detrimental Activity . The provisions of Section 6.3(c)(ii) of the Plan regarding Detrimental Activity shall apply to the Option. The Participant acknowledges and agrees that the restrictions herein and in the Plan regarding Detrimental Activity are necessary for the protection of the business and goodwill of the Company and its Affiliates, and are considered by the Participant to be reasonable for such purposes. Without intending to limit the legal or equitable remedies available in the Plan and in this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges that engaging in Detrimental Activity will cause the Company and its Affiliates material irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law, that it will not be possible to measure damages for such injuries precisely and that, in the event of such activity or threat thereof, the Company shall be entitled, in addition to the remedies provided under the Plan, to obtain from any court of competent jurisdiction a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction restraining the Participant from engaging in Detrimental Activity or such other relief as may be required to specifically enforce any of the covenants in the Plan and this Agreement without the necessity of posting a bond, and in the case of a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, without having to prove special damages.

 

(c)   Expiration . The term of the Option shall be until the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date, after which time it shall expire (such tenth anniversary date, the “ Expiration Date ”), subject to earlier termination in the event of the Participant’s Termination as specified in the Plan and this Agreement. Upon the Expiration Date, the Option (whether vested or not) shall automatically be cancelled for no consideration, shall no longer be exercisable, and shall cease to be outstanding.

 

  2  

 

 

5.        Termination . Subject to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, the Option, to the extent vested at the time of the Participant’s Termination, shall remain exercisable as follows:

 

(a)   Termination due to Death or Disability . In the event of the Participant’s Termination by reason of death or Disability, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) one year from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(b)   Termination Without Cause . In the event of the Participant’s involuntary Termination by the Company without Cause, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) ninety (90) days from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(c)   Voluntary Termination . In the event of the Participant’s voluntary Termination, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) thirty (30) days from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(d)   Termination for Cause.  In the event of the Participant’s Termination by the Company for Cause (or in the event of a voluntary Termination by the Participant after the occurrence of an event that would be grounds for a Termination for Cause), the Option granted hereunder (whether or not vested) shall terminate and expire upon such Termination.

 

(e)   Treatment of Unvested Option upon Termination . Any portion of this Option that is not vested as of the date of the Participant’s Termination for any reason shall terminate and expire as of the date of such Termination.

 

6.        Method of Exercise and Payment . Subject to Section 9 hereof, to the extent that the Option has become vested and exercisable with respect to a number of shares of Common Stock as provided herein, the Option may thereafter be exercised by the Participant, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time prior to the expiration of the Option as provided herein and in accordance with Section 6.3 of the Plan, including, without limitation, by the delivery of any form of exercise notice as may be required by the Committee and payment in full of the Per Share Exercise Price multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the portion of the Option exercised.

 

7.        Non-transferability .  The Option, and any rights and interests with respect thereto, issued under this Agreement and the Plan shall not, prior to vesting, be sold, exchanged, Transferred, assigned or otherwise disposed of in any way by the Participant (or any beneficiary(ies) of the Participant), other than by testamentary disposition by the Participant or the laws of descent and distribution. Any attempt to sell, exchange, Transfer, assign, pledge, encumber or otherwise dispose of or hypothecate in any way the Option, or the levy of any execution, attachment or similar legal process upon the Option, contrary to the terms and provisions of this Agreement and/or the Plan shall be null and void and without legal force or effect.

 

8.        Governing Law . All questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to choice of law principles (whether of the State of Delaware or otherwise) that would result in the application of the law of any other jurisdiction.

 

9.        Withholding of Tax .  The Company or any Affiliate shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, require the Participant to remit to the Company or such Affiliate, or make any other arrangements as it considers appropriate to ensure that it has received, an amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state, local and foreign taxes of any kind (including, but not limited to, the Participant’s FICA and SDI obligations) which the Company, in its sole discretion, deems necessary to be withheld or remitted to comply with the Code and/or any other applicable law, rule or regulation with respect to the Option and, if the Participant fails to do so, the Company may otherwise refuse to issue or Transfer any shares of Common Stock otherwise required to be issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

  3  

 

 

10.        Recoupment Policy . The Participant acknowledges and agrees that this Option (including any shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise thereof) shall be subject to the terms and provisions of any “clawback” or recoupment policy that may be adopted by the Company or its Affiliates from time to time or as may be required by any applicable law (including, without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and implementing rules and regulations thereunder).

 

11.        Notices . Any notice or communication given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given: (i) when delivered in person; (ii) two (2) days after being sent by United States mail; or (iii) on the first business day following the date of deposit if delivered by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, in each case, to the appropriate party at the address set forth below (or such other address as the party may from time to time specify):

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Altimmune, Inc.
19 Firstfield Road, Suite 200

Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Proskauer Rose LLP
One International Place
Boston, MA 02110
Attention: Ori Solomon, Esq.

 

If to the Participant, to the address on file with the Company.

 

12.        No Right to Employment . Nothing contained in this Agreement shall affect the right of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate the Participant’s employment at any time, with or without Cause, or shall be deemed to create any rights to employment or continued employment. The rights and obligations arising under this Agreement are not intended to and do not affect the Participant’s employment relationship that otherwise exists between the Participant and the Company or any of its Affiliates, whether such employment relationship is at will or defined by an employment contract. Moreover, this Agreement is not intended to and does not amend any existing employment contract between the Participant and the Company or any of its Affiliates; to the extent there is a conflict between this Agreement and such an employment contract, the employment contract shall govern and take priority .

 

13.        Data Protection .   By executing this Agreement, the Participant hereby consents to the holding and processing of personal information provided by the Participant to the Company, any Affiliate thereof, trustee or third party service provider, for all purposes relating to the operation of the Plan. These include, but are not limited to: (i) administering and maintaining Participant records; (ii) providing information to the Company, its Affiliates, trustees of any employee benefit trust, registrars, brokers or third party administrators of the Plan; (iii) providing information to future purchasers or merger partners of the Company or any Affiliate thereof, or the business in which the Participant works; and (iv) transferring information about the Participant to any country or territory that may not provide the same protection for the information as the Participant’s home country.

 

  4  

 

 

14.        Market Stand-Off . If requested by the Company, any Affiliate or the lead underwriter of any public offering of the shares of Common Stock (the “ Lead Underwriter ”), the Participant shall irrevocably agree not to sell, contract to sell, grant any option to purchase, transfer the economic risk of ownership in, make any short sale of, pledge or otherwise Transfer or dispose of, any interest in any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, derivative of, or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, or any other rights to purchase or acquire shares of Common Stock (except shares of Common Stock included in such public offering or acquired on the public market after such offering) during such period of time following the effective date of a registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act that the Lead Underwriter shall specify (the “ Lock-up Period ”). The Participant shall further agree to sign such documents as may be requested by the Lead Underwriter, the Company or any Affiliate to effect the foregoing and agree that the Company or an Affiliate may impose stop transfer instructions with respect to shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to an Award until the end of such Lock-up Period.

 

15.        Compliance with Laws . The issuance of this Option (and the shares of Common Stock upon exercise of this Option) pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to, and shall comply with, any applicable requirements of any foreign and U.S. federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations (including, without limitation, the provisions of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and in each case any respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) and any other law or regulation applicable thereto. The Company shall not be obligated to issue this Option or any of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement if any such issuance would violate any such requirements.

 

16.        Section 409A . Notwithstanding anything herein or in the Plan to the contrary, the Option is intended to be exempt from the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent.

 

17.        Binding Agreement; Assignment . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, be binding upon, and be enforceable by the Company and its successors and assigns. The Participant shall not assign any part of this Agreement without the prior express written consent of the Company.

 

18.        Headings . The titles and headings of the various sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed to be a part of this Agreement.

 

19.        Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

20.        Severability . The invalidity or unenforceability of any provisions of this Agreement in any jurisdiction shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in such jurisdiction or the validity, legality or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction, it being intended that all rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

21.        Entire Agreement; Amendment . This Agreement, together with the Plan, contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein, and supersedes all prior agreements or prior understandings, whether written or oral, between the parties relating to such subject matter. The Committee shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or amend this Agreement from time to time in accordance with and as provided in the Plan. This Agreement may also be modified or amended by a writing signed by both the Company and the Participant. The Company shall give written notice to the Participant of any such modification or amendment of this Agreement as soon as practicable after the adoption thereof.

 

  5  

 

 

22.        Mode of Communications . The Participant agrees, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in lieu of receiving documents in paper format, to accept electronic delivery of any documents that the Company or any of its Affiliates may deliver in connection with this Option grant and any other grants offered by the Company or its Affiliates, including, without limitation, prospectuses, grant notifications, account statements, annual or quarterly reports, and other communications. Electronic delivery of a document may be made via the Company’s email system or by reference to a location on the Company’s intranet or website or the online brokerage account system.

 

23.        Acquired Rights . The Participant acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Company may terminate or amend the Plan at any time; (b) the award of the Option made under this Agreement is completely independent of any other award or grant and is made at the sole discretion of the Company; (c) no past grants or awards (including, without limitation, the Option awarded hereunder) give the Participant any right to any grants or awards in the future whatsoever; and (d) any benefits granted under this Agreement are not part of the Participant’s ordinary salary, and shall not be considered as part of such salary in the event of severance, redundancy or resignation.

 

 

 

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

 

 

  6  

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  ALTIMMUNE, INC.
     
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  
   
   
  PARTICIPANT
   
   
  Name:      
  Social Security Number:  

 

  7  

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.3

 

NONQUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

PURSUANT TO THE

ALTIMMUNE, INC. 2017 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

 

* * * * *

 

Participant:                                          

 

Grant Date:                                          

 

Per Share Exercise Price: $             

 

Number of Shares of Common Stock subject to this Option:                                          

 

Vesting schedule: This Option may be exercised with respect to the first 25% of the shares subject to this Option on the first anniversary date of the Grant Date and an additional 25% of the shares subject to this Option upon each subsequent anniversary date thereafter

 

* * * * *

 

THIS NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of the Grant Date specified above, is entered into by and between Altimmune, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and the Participant specified above, pursuant to the Altimmune, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as in effect and as amended from time to time (the “ Plan ”), which is administered by the Committee; and

 

WHEREAS, it has been determined under the Plan that it would be in the best interests of the Company to grant the non-qualified stock option provided for herein to the Participant.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and promises hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable consideration, the parties hereto hereby mutually covenant and agree as follows:

 

1.              Incorporation By Reference; Plan Document Receipt .  This Agreement is subject in all respects to the terms and provisions of the Plan (including, without limitation, any amendments thereto adopted at any time and from time to time unless such amendments are expressly intended not to apply to the award provided hereunder), all of which terms and provisions are made a part of and incorporated in this Agreement as if they were each expressly set forth herein. Any capitalized term not defined in this Agreement shall have the same meaning as is ascribed thereto in the Plan. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a true copy of the Plan and that the Participant has read the Plan carefully and fully understands its content. In the event of any conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of the Plan, the terms of the Plan shall control. No part of the Option granted hereby is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code.

 

2.              Grant of Option .  The Company hereby grants to the Participant, as of the Grant Date specified above, a non-qualified stock option (this “ Option ”) to acquire from the Company at the Per Share Exercise Price specified above, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock specified above (the “ Option Shares ”). Except as otherwise provided by the Plan, the Participant agrees and understands that nothing contained in this Agreement provides, or is intended to provide, the Participant with any protection against potential future dilution of the Participant’s interest in the Company for any reason. The Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares of Common Stock covered by this Option unless and until the Participant has become the holder of record of the shares of Common Stock, and no adjustments shall be made for dividends in cash or other property, distributions or other rights in respect of any such shares, except as otherwise specifically provided for in the Plan or this Agreement.

 

 

 

 

3.              Vesting; Detrimental Activity; Expiration .

 

(a)   Vesting . The Option subject to this grant shall become vested in accordance with the vesting schedule specified above. All vesting of the Option granted hereunder shall occur only on the appropriate vesting date specified above, subject to the Participant’s continued service with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries through each applicable vesting date. There shall be no proportionate or partial vesting in the periods prior to each vesting date.

 

(b)         Effect of Detrimental Activity . The provisions of Section 6.3(c)(ii) of the Plan regarding Detrimental Activity shall apply to the Option. The Participant acknowledges and agrees that the restrictions herein and in the Plan regarding Detrimental Activity are necessary for the protection of the business and goodwill of the Company and its Affiliates, and are considered by the Participant to be reasonable for such purposes. Without intending to limit the legal or equitable remedies available in the Plan and in this Agreement, the Participant acknowledges that engaging in Detrimental Activity will cause the Company and its Affiliates material irreparable injury for which there is no adequate remedy at law, that it will not be possible to measure damages for such injuries precisely and that, in the event of such activity or threat thereof, the Company shall be entitled, in addition to the remedies provided under the Plan, to obtain from any court of competent jurisdiction a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction restraining the Participant from engaging in Detrimental Activity or such other relief as may be required to specifically enforce any of the covenants in the Plan and this Agreement without the necessity of posting a bond, and in the case of a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction, without having to prove special damages.

 

(c)   Expiration . The term of the Option shall be until the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date, after which time it shall expire (such tenth anniversary date, the “ Expiration Date ”), subject to earlier termination in the event of the Participant’s Termination as specified in the Plan and this Agreement. Upon the Expiration Date, the Option (whether vested or not) shall automatically be cancelled for no consideration, shall no longer be exercisable, and shall cease to be outstanding.

 

4.              Termination . Subject to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, the Option, to the extent vested at the time of the Participant’s Termination, shall remain exercisable as follows:

 

(a)   Termination due to Death or Disability . In the event of the Participant’s Termination by reason of death or Disability, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) one year from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(b)   Termination Without Cause . In the event of the Participant’s involuntary Termination by the Company without Cause, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) ninety (90) days from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(c)   Voluntary Termination . In the event of the Participant’s voluntary Termination, the vested portion of this Option shall remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) thirty (30) days from the date of such Termination, and (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(d)   Termination for Cause.  In the event of the Participant’s Termination by the Company for Cause (or in the event of a voluntary Termination by the Participant after the occurrence of an event that would be grounds for a Termination for Cause), the Option granted hereunder (whether or not vested) shall terminate and expire upon such Termination.

 

  2  

 

 

(e)   Treatment of Unvested Option upon Termination . Any portion of this Option that is not vested as of the date of the Participant’s Termination for any reason shall terminate and expire as of the date of such Termination.

 

5.              Method of Exercise and Payment . Subject to Section 8 hereof, to the extent that the Option has become vested and exercisable with respect to a number of shares of Common Stock as provided herein, the Option may thereafter be exercised by the Participant, in whole or in part, at any time or from time to time prior to the expiration of the Option as provided herein and in accordance with Section 6.3 of the Plan, including, without limitation, by the delivery of any form of exercise notice as may be required by the Committee and payment in full of the Per Share Exercise Price multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the portion of the Option exercised.

 

6.              Non-transferability .  The Option, and any rights and interests with respect thereto, issued under this Agreement and the Plan shall not, prior to vesting, be sold, exchanged, Transferred, assigned or otherwise disposed of in any way by the Participant (or any beneficiary(ies) of the Participant), other than by testamentary disposition by the Participant or the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, permit the Option to be Transferred to a Family Member for no value, provided that such Transfer shall only be valid upon execution of a written instrument in form and substance acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion evidencing such Transfer and the transferee’s acceptance thereof signed by the Participant and the transferee, and provided, further, that the Option may not be subsequently Transferred otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or to another Family Member (as permitted by the Committee in its sole discretion) in accordance with the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, and shall remain subject to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement. Any attempt to sell, exchange, Transfer, assign, pledge, encumber or otherwise dispose of or hypothecate in any way the Option, or the levy of any execution, attachment or similar legal process upon the Option, contrary to the terms and provisions of this Agreement and/or the Plan shall be null and void and without legal force or effect.

 

7.              Governing Law . All questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to choice of law principles (whether of the State of Delaware or otherwise) that would result in the application of the law of any other jurisdiction.

 

8.              Withholding of Tax .  The Company or any Affiliate shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, require the Participant to remit to the Company or such Affiliate, or make any other arrangements as it considers appropriate to ensure that it has received, an amount sufficient to satisfy any federal, state, local and foreign taxes of any kind (including, but not limited to, the Participant’s FICA and SDI obligations) which the Company, in its sole discretion, deems necessary to be withheld or remitted to comply with the Code and/or any other applicable law, rule or regulation with respect to the Option and, if the Participant fails to do so, the Company may otherwise refuse to issue or Transfer any shares of Common Stock otherwise required to be issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

9.              Recoupment Policy . The Participant acknowledges and agrees that this Option (including any shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise thereof) shall be subject to the terms and provisions of any “clawback” or recoupment policy that may be adopted by the Company or its Affiliates from time to time or as may be required by any applicable law (including, without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and implementing rules and regulations thereunder).

 

  3  

 

 

10.           Notices . Any notice or communication given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given: (i) when delivered in person; (ii) two (2) days after being sent by United States mail; or (iii) on the first business day following the date of deposit if delivered by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, in each case, to the appropriate party at the address set forth below (or such other address as the party may from time to time specify):

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Altimmune, Inc.
19 Firstfield Road, Suite 200

Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Attention: Chief Executive Officer

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Proskauer Rose LLP
One International Place
Boston, MA 02110
Attention: Ori Solomon, Esq.

 

If to the Participant, to the address on file with the Company.

 

11.           No Right to Employment . Nothing contained in this Agreement shall affect the right of the Company or any of its Affiliates to terminate the Participant’s employment at any time, with or without Cause, or shall be deemed to create any rights to employment or continued employment. The rights and obligations arising under this Agreement are not intended to and do not affect the Participant’s employment relationship that otherwise exists between the Participant and the Company or any of its Affiliates, whether such employment relationship is at will or defined by an employment contract. Moreover, this Agreement is not intended to and does not amend any existing employment contract between the Participant and the Company or any of its Affiliates; to the extent there is a conflict between this Agreement and such an employment contract, the employment contract shall govern and take priority .

 

12.           Data Protection .   By executing this Agreement, the Participant hereby consents to the holding and processing of personal information provided by the Participant to the Company, any Affiliate thereof, trustee or third party service provider, for all purposes relating to the operation of the Plan. These include, but are not limited to: (i) administering and maintaining Participant records; (ii) providing information to the Company, its Affiliates, trustees of any employee benefit trust, registrars, brokers or third party administrators of the Plan; (iii) providing information to future purchasers or merger partners of the Company or any Affiliate thereof, or the business in which the Participant works; and (iv) transferring information about the Participant to any country or territory that may not provide the same protection for the information as the Participant’s home country.

 

13.         Market Stand-Off . If requested by the Company, any Affiliate or the lead underwriter of any public offering of the shares of Common Stock (the “ Lead Underwriter ”), the Participant shall irrevocably agree not to sell, contract to sell, grant any option to purchase, transfer the economic risk of ownership in, make any short sale of, pledge or otherwise Transfer or dispose of, any interest in any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into, derivative of, or exchangeable or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, or any other rights to purchase or acquire shares of Common Stock (except shares of Common Stock included in such public offering or acquired on the public market after such offering) during such period of time following the effective date of a registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act that the Lead Underwriter shall specify (the “ Lock-up Period ”). The Participant shall further agree to sign such documents as may be requested by the Lead Underwriter, the Company or any Affiliate to effect the foregoing and agree that the Company or an Affiliate may impose stop transfer instructions with respect to shares of Common Stock acquired pursuant to an Award until the end of such Lock-up Period.

 

  4  

 

 

14.            Compliance with Laws . The issuance of this Option (and the shares of Common Stock upon exercise of this Option) pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to, and shall comply with, any applicable requirements of any foreign and U.S. federal and state securities laws, rules and regulations (including, without limitation, the provisions of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and in each case any respective rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) and any other law or regulation applicable thereto. The Company shall not be obligated to issue this Option or any of the shares of Common Stock pursuant to this Agreement if any such issuance would violate any such requirements.

 

15.            Section 409A . Notwithstanding anything herein or in the Plan to the contrary, the Option is intended to be exempt from the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and shall be limited, construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent.

 

16.            Binding Agreement; Assignment . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of, be binding upon, and be enforceable by the Company and its successors and assigns. The Participant shall not assign any part of this Agreement without the prior express written consent of the Company.

 

17.            Headings . The titles and headings of the various sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed to be a part of this Agreement.

 

18.            Counterparts .  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.

 

19.            Severability . The invalidity or unenforceability of any provisions of this Agreement in any jurisdiction shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of the remainder of this Agreement in such jurisdiction or the validity, legality or enforceability of any provision of this Agreement in any other jurisdiction, it being intended that all rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

20.            Entire Agreement; Amendment . This Agreement, together with the Plan, contains the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter contained herein, and supersedes all prior agreements or prior understandings, whether written or oral, between the parties relating to such subject matter. The Committee shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or amend this Agreement from time to time in accordance with and as provided in the Plan. This Agreement may also be modified or amended by a writing signed by both the Company and the Participant. The Company shall give written notice to the Participant of any such modification or amendment of this Agreement as soon as practicable after the adoption thereof.

 

21.            Mode of Communications . The Participant agrees, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in lieu of receiving documents in paper format, to accept electronic delivery of any documents that the Company or any of its Affiliates may deliver in connection with this Option grant and any other grants offered by the Company or its Affiliates, including, without limitation, prospectuses, grant notifications, account statements, annual or quarterly reports, and other communications. Electronic delivery of a document may be made via the Company’s email system or by reference to a location on the Company’s intranet or website or the online brokerage account system.

 

  5  

 

 

22.            Acquired Rights . The Participant acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Company may terminate or amend the Plan at any time; (b) the award of the Option made under this Agreement is completely independent of any other award or grant and is made at the sole discretion of the Company; (c) no past grants or awards (including, without limitation, the Option awarded hereunder) give the Participant any right to any grants or awards in the future whatsoever; and (d) any benefits granted under this Agreement are not part of the Participant’s ordinary salary, and shall not be considered as part of such salary in the event of severance, redundancy or resignation.

 

 

 

[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank]

 

 

 

  6  

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF , the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  ALTIMMUNE, INC.
     
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  
   
   
  PARTICIPANT
   
   
  Name:      
  Social Security Number:  

 

  7  

 

 

 

Exhibit 16.1

 

Securities and Exchange Commission May 5, 2017
100 F Street, N.E.  
Washington, DC 20549  

 

Ladies and Gentleman:

 

We have read Item 4.01 of Form 8-K dated May 5, 2017, of Altimmune, Inc. and are in agreement with the statements contained in paragraphs 6-8 on page 3 therein. We have no basis to agree or disagree with other statements of the registrant contained therein.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

Contact:

 

Matthew Duffy

Investor Relations

212-915-0685  

matthew@lifesciadvisors.com  

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

 

Altimmune Completes Merger with PharmAthene Creating Immunotherapeutics Company Targeting Infectious Diseases

 

 

Gaithersburg, MD, May 4, 2017 – Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALT) announced today the completion of its merger with PharmAthene, Inc., effective May 4, 2017. Upon the completion of the merger, the combined company was renamed Altimmune, Inc., and will commence trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “ALT” on May 5, 2017. The combined company is a fully integrated and diversified immunotherapeutics company with one preclinical-stage and four clinical-stage drug-development programs.

 

Bill Enright, President and Chief Executive Officer of Altimmune, and Elizabeth Czerepak, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development of Altimmune, will serve in their respective positions in the combined company. The new board of directors will be initially comprised of three PharmAthene directors and four Altimmune directors. The combined company’s headquarters is located in Gaithersburg, MD.

 

Additionally, the company announced that immediately prior to the merger, it effectuated a 1-for-10 reverse stock split of outstanding shares of its common stock. As a result of the reverse stock split, each 10 shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to the merger were converted into one share of common stock.

 

Mr. Enright stated: “We congratulate and thank the employees and shareholders of both companies for their approval of this merger, which will bring together complementary vaccine development programs and allow us to leverage our substantial financial and human resources effectively in support of these programs.”

 

 

 

 

Altimmune will focus its drug-development activities on the following proprietary vaccine candidates:

 

NasoVAX: an intranasal, single dose, state-of-the-art recombinant influenza vaccine that in preclinical studies demonstrated early and universal activity. Phase 2 is expected to commence during 3Q2017 with initial data expected in 1Q18.
HepTcell: a first-in-class immunotherapeutic for chronic hepatitis B with the potential to offer a functional cure. Phase 1 is ongoing with initial data expected 4Q17.
SparVax-L: a next generation lyophilized anthrax vaccine (NIAID funded) that may be stored at room temperature and provides extended shelf life. A non-human primate bridging study is anticipated to begin during the second half of 2017 with data anticipated during the first half of 2018.
NasoShield: an intranasal, single-dose, first-in-class anthrax vaccine (BARDA funded) that based on preclinical studies may offer protection within a few weeks of administration. A Phase 1 trial is expected to begin during 1Q18 with data anticipated 2Q18.
In addition to the clinical-stage product candidates, Altimmune has one preclinical program, Oncosyn, driven by its proprietary Densigen synthetic peptide technology that is being evaluated in immuno-oncology indications.

 

About Altimmune, Inc.

 

Altimmune is a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company focused on the development of products to stimulate robust and durable immune responses for the prevention and treatment of disease and on the development of two next-generation anthrax vaccines that are intended to improve protection and safety while having favorable dosage and storage requirements compared to other anthrax vaccines. The company has two proprietary platform technologies, RespirVec and Densigen, each of which has been shown to activate the immune system in distinctly different ways than traditional vaccines.

 

 

 

 

Forward-Looking Statement

 

Any statements made in this press release relating to future financial or business performance, conditions, plans, prospects, trends, or strategies and other financial and business matters, including without limitation, the amount of Altimmune's net cash, the prospects for commercializing or selling any product or drug candidates, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, when or if used in this press release, the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to PharmAthene, Altimmune or the management of either company, before or after the aforementioned merger, may identify forward-looking statements. The company cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, which change over time. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward looking statements or historical experience include risks and uncertainties, including the failure by Altimmune to secure and maintain relationships with collaborators; risks relating to clinical trials; risks relating to the commercialization, if any, of Altimmune's proposed product candidates (such as marketing, regulatory, product liability, supply, competition, and other risks); dependence on the efforts of third parties; dependence on intellectual property; and risks that Altimmune may lack the financial resources and access to capital to fund proposed operations. Further information on the factors and risks that could affect Altimmune's business, financial conditions and results of operations are contained in the company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov.

 

 

 

 

###