UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

March 4, 2021

(Commission File No. 001-38475)

 

 

ASLAN PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED

(REG. NO. 289175)

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

CAYMAN ISLANDS

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organisation)

83 CLEMENCEAU AVENUE

#12-03 UE SQUARE

SINGAPORE 239920

(Address of registrant’s principal executive office)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F  ☒             Form 40-F  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101 (b) (1):

Yes  ☐            No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101 (b) (7):

Yes  ☐            No  ☒

 

 

 


Underwriting Agreement

On March 2, 2021, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited (the “Company”) entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Jefferies LLC and Piper Sandler & Co., relating to the underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 15,000,000 American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, representing 75,000,000 ordinary shares, at a price to the public of $4.00 per ADS. The gross proceeds to the Company from the Offering are expected to be $60.0 million, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and estimated offering expenses. The Offering is expected to close on or about March 5, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional ADSs at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The Offering was made pursuant to the Company’s effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-252575), which was filed on January 29, 2021 and declared effective on February 11, 2021, as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated March 2, 2021.

In the Underwriting Agreement, the Company makes customary representations, warranties and covenants and also agrees to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or to contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make because of such liabilities. Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the underwriter has agreed to purchase the ADSs at the public offering price, less an underwriting discount of 6% per ADS. The foregoing is only a brief description of the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, does not purport to be a complete description of the rights and obligations of the parties thereunder, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Underwriting Agreement that is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Form 6-K and incorporated by reference herein. The legal opinion of Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership relating to the ordinary shares is filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Form 6-K and incorporated by reference herein.

On March 1, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing the Offering. On March 2, 2021, the Company issued another press release announcing the pricing of the Offering. Copies of these press releases are filed as Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2, respectively, to this Form 6-K and incorporated by reference herein.

The information contained in this Form 6-K, including Exhibits 1.1 and 5.1 hereto, but excluding Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-234405), Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-252575) and Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-252118).

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this Form 6-K that are not strictly historical in nature, including statements regarding the Company’s expectations with respect to the closing of the Offering, are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions based on current information and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in any of such statements due to various factors, including market risks and uncertainties and risks relating to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions for an offering of securities. For a discussion of these and other factors, please refer to the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the section captioned “Risk Factors” in Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 1, 2021. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update this report to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.

Exhibits

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit Description

  1.1    Underwriting Agreement.
  5.1    Opinion of Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership, Cayman Islands counsel to the Company.
23.1    Consent of Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership (included in Exhibit 5.1).
99.1    Press Release dated March 1, 2021.
99.2    Press Release dated March 2, 2021.


SIGNATURES

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

 

ASLAN PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED
(Registrant)
By:  

/s/ Kiran Kumar Asarpota

Name:   Kiran Kumar Asarpota
Title:   Chief Operating Officer

Date: March 4, 2021

Exhibit 1.1

15,000,000 American Depositary Shares

Representing 75,000,000 Ordinary Shares

(Nominal Value $0.01 Per Share)

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

March 2, 2021

JEFFERIES LLC

PIPER SANDLER & CO.

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

c/o JEFFERIES LLC

520 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10022

c/o PIPER SANDLER & CO.

U.S. Bancorp Center

800 Nicollet Mall

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Introductory. ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited, an exempted company incorporated with limited liability in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), each representing five (5) ordinary shares, nominal value $0.01 per share, of the Company (each, an “Ordinary Share”). The 15,000,000 ADSs to be sold by the Company are called the “Firm ADSs.” In addition, the Company has granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 ADSs as provided in Section 2. The additional 2,250,000 ADSs to be sold by the Company pursuant to such option are collectively called the “Optional ADSs.” The Firm ADSs and, if and to the extent such option is exercised, the Optional ADSs are collectively called the “Offered ADSs.” The Ordinary Shares represented by the Firm ADSs are hereinafter called the “Firm Shares,” the Ordinary Shares represented by the Optional ADSs are hereinafter called the “Optional Shares,” and the Firm Shares and Optional Shares are hereinafter collectively called the “Shares.” Unless the context otherwise requires, each reference to the Firm ADSs, the Optional ADSs or the Offered ADSs herein also includes the Shares. Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) and Piper Sandler & Co. (“Piper Sandler”) have agreed to act as representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representatives”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered ADSs. To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A, the term “Representatives” as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the term “Underwriters” shall mean either the singular or the plural, as the context requires.

The ADSs will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (the “ADRs”) to be issued pursuant to that certain amended and restated deposit agreement, dated September 8, 2020 (the “Deposit Agreement”), among the Company, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as depositary (the “Depositary”), and the holders from time to time of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs issued thereunder. The Company shall, following subscription by the Underwriters of the Firm ADSs and, if applicable, the Optional ADSs, deposit, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Shares represented by such ADSs with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as custodian (the “Depositary Custodian”) for the Depositary, which shall deliver such ADSs to the Representatives for the account of the several Underwriters for subsequent delivery to the other several Underwriters or the investors, as the case may be.

 


The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a shelf registration statement on Form F-3, File No. 333-234405 with respect to the Shares underlying the Offered ADSs, including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”) to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Offered ADSs. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein and any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered ADSs is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of any such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Company and the Depositary have prepared and filed with the Commission registration statements on Form F-6 (File Nos. 333- 224273 and 333-248632) relating to the Offered ADSs. Such registration statements, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which they became effective under the Securities Act, including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, are hereinafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statements.” The preliminary prospectus supplement dated March 1, 2021 describing the Offered ADSs and the offering thereof (the “Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, is called the “Preliminary Prospectus,” and the Preliminary Prospectus and any other prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus in preliminary form that describes the Offered ADSs and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus (as defined below), together with the Base Prospectus, is called a “preliminary prospectus.” As used herein, the term “Prospectus” shall mean the final prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus that describes the Offered ADSs and the offering thereof (the “Final Prospectus Supplement”), together with the Base Prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to confirm sales of the Offered ADSs or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act. References herein to the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus shall refer to both the prospectus supplement and the Base Prospectus components of such prospectus.

As used herein, “Applicable Time” is 6:15 p.m. (New York City time) on March 2, 2021. As used herein, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus, as amended or supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time, together with the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B hereto. As used herein, “Road Show” means a “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) relating to the offering of the Offered ADSs contemplated hereby that is a “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act). As used herein, “Section 5(d) Written Communication” means each written communication (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that is made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company to one or more potential investors that are qualified institutional buyers (“QIBs”) and/or institutions that are accredited investors (“IAIs”), as such terms are respectively defined in Rule 144A and Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act, to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered ADSs; “Section 5(d) Oral Communication” means each oral communication, if any, made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company made to one or more QIBs and/or one or more IAIs to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered ADSs; “Marketing Materials” means any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Offered ADSs, including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); and “Permitted Section 5(d) Communication” means the Section 5(d) Written Communication(s) and Marketing Materials listed on Schedule C attached hereto.

 

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All references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus and the Prospectus shall include the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which are “contained,” “included” or “stated” in, or “part of” the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, and all other references of like import, shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be. All references in this Agreement to (i) the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus, any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, or any free writing prospectus, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) and (ii) the Prospectus shall be deemed to include any “electronic Prospectus” provided for use in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs as contemplated by Section 3(n) of this Agreement.

In the event that the Company has only one subsidiary, then all references herein to “subsidiaries” of the Company shall be deemed to refer to such single subsidiary, mutatis mutandis.

The Company hereby confirms its agreements with the Underwriters as follows:

Section 1.    Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to each Underwriter, as of the date of this Agreement, as of the First Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and as of each Option Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) (each, a “Closing Date”), if any, as follows:

(a)    Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statements have each become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction, with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission. At (i) the time the Registration Statement was originally filed with the Commission, and at the time the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (the “Annual Report”) was filed with the Commission, the Company met the then applicable requirements for the use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act and (ii) on the date of this Agreement the Company meets the applicable requirements for the use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act specified in FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(B)(7)(C)(i). The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, or became effective under the Exchange Act, as the case may be, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

 

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(b)    Disclosure. Each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus when filed complied in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed by electronic transmission pursuant to EDGAR, was identical (except as may be permitted by Regulation S-T under the Securities Act) to the copy thereof delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered ADSs. Each of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto and the ADS Registration Statements and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became or becomes effective, complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. As of the Applicable Time, the Time of Sale Prospectus did not, and at the First Closing Date (as defined in Section 2) and at each applicable Option Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date, did not, and at the First Closing Date and at each applicable Option Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties set forth in the three immediately preceding sentences do not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, the ADS Registration Statements or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. There are no contracts or other documents required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements which have not been described or filed as required.

(c)    Free Writing Prospectuses; Road Show. As of the determination date referenced in Rule 164(h) under the Securities Act, the Company was not, is not or will not be (as applicable) an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act, including timely filing with the Commission, retention and legending, as applicable, and each such free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered ADSs did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus unless such information has been superseded or modified as of such time. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to you before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior written consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. Each Road Show, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

 

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(d)    Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. Prior to the later of (i) the expiration or termination of the option granted to the several Underwriters in Section 2 and (ii) the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Offered ADSs, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered ADSs other than the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representatives, the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified on Schedule B hereto and any Permitted Section 5(d) Communications.

(e)    The Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(f)    Authorization of the Shares and the Offered ADSs. The Shares have been duly authorized and, when allotted and issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and not subject to any calls for additional payments (nonassessable) and free of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Shares. The Shares may be freely deposited by the Company with the Depositary or its nominee against issuance of ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs, as contemplated by the Deposit Agreement. The Offered ADSs have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Offered ADSs. Upon the sale and delivery to the Underwriters of the Offered ADSs, and payment therefor, the Underwriters will acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Offered ADSs, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances.

(g)    No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, other than those rights that have been disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and have been waived.

(h)    No Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus: (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that could be expected to result in a material adverse change, in (A) the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations, operating results, assets, liabilities or prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity or (B) the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or perform its obligations hereunder (any such change being referred to herein as a “Material Adverse Change”); (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, including without limitation any losses or interference with their business from fire, explosion, flood, earthquakes, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any strike, labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, that are material, individually or in the aggregate, to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, and have not entered into any material transactions not in the ordinary course of business; and (iii) there has not been any material decrease in the share capital or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries and there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, by any of the Company’s subsidiaries on any class of share capital, or any repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any class of share capital.

 

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(i)    The Deposit Agreement; ADRs. The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally or by general equitable principles. Upon due issuance by the Depositary of the ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs against the deposit of the Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement. The issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs by the Company and the deposit of the Shares with the Depositary and the issuance of the ADRs evidencing the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will neither (i) cause any holder of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs or options, warrants or other rights to purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs or any other securities of the Company to have any right to acquire any preferred shares of the Company nor (ii) trigger any anti-dilution rights of any such holder with respect to such Shares, ADSs, securities, options, warrants or rights. The Deposit Agreement and the ADRs conform in all material respects to each description thereof in the Time of Sale Prospectus. Each holder of ADRs issued pursuant to the Deposit Agreement shall be entitled, subject to the Deposit Agreement, to seek enforcement of its rights through the Depositary or its nominee registered as a representative of the holders of the ADRs in a direct suit, action or proceeding against the Company.

(j)    Independent Accountants. Deloitte & Touche, which has expressed its opinion with respect to the financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is (i) an independent registered public accounting firm as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), (ii) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.

(k)    Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, comply as to form in all material respects with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries (as defined below) at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with the International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”), as the case may be, applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, present fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with IFRS the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included therein. Except as included therein, no historical or pro forma financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus under the Securities Act. To the Company’s knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

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(l)    Companys Accounting System. The Company and each of its subsidiaries make and keep accurate books and records and maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto in all material respects.

(m)    Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Deficiencies in or Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive and its principal financial officer, by others within those entities, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms;; and (ii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there have been no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal control over financial reporting that has occurred during its most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(n)    Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company is in compliance, in all material respects, with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(o)    Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as an exempted company in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing (to the extent such concept is recognized) in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to be so qualified or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Change.

(p)    Subsidiaries. Each of the Company’s “subsidiaries” (for purposes of this Agreement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) has been duly organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to be so qualified or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary. The only subsidiaries are the entities listed on Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 20-F and Jaguahr Therapeutics Pte. Ltd. No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company, except as described in or contemplated by the Prospectus.

 

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(q)    Capitalization and Other Share Capital Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding shares in the capital of the Company are as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the heading “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances, if any, (A) pursuant to this Agreement, (B) pursuant to reservations, agreements or employee benefit plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or (C) pursuant to the conversion of convertible securities or exercise of options referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus). The ADSs (including the Shares) conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares and all outstanding ADSs have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. None of the outstanding Ordinary Shares or ADSs was issued in violation of the preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and in the Prospectus, there are no options, warrants, agreements, contracts or other rights in existence to purchase or acquire from the Company or any subsidiary of the Company any shares of the capital stock of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company. The description of the Company’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements (the “Company Stock Plans”), and the options (the “Options”) or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights. Each grant of an Option (A) was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Option was by its terms to be effective by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto and (B) was made in accordance with the terms of the applicable Company Stock Plan, and all applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including all applicable federal securities laws.

(r)    Stock Exchange Listing. The Offered ADSs are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”), and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Offered ADSs under the Exchange Act or delisting the Offered ADSs from Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. To the Company’s knowledge, it is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable listing requirements of Nasdaq.

 

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(s)    Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, loan, credit agreement, note, lease, license agreement, contract, franchise or other instrument (including, without limitation, any pledge agreement, security agreement, mortgage or other instrument or agreement evidencing, guaranteeing, securing or relating to indebtedness) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of their respective properties or assets are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, by the Deposit Agreement and by the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs (including the use of proceeds from the sale of the Offered ADSs as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, of the Company or any subsidiary (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, by the Deposit Agreement and by the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act and such as may be required under applicable state securities or blue sky laws or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”). As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

(t)    Compliance with Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries have been and are in compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations, except where failure to be so in compliance would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(u)    No Material Actions or Proceedings. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, there is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any legal or governmental entity (including, without limitation, any action, suit proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or comparable foreign regulatory agencies (together with the FDA, the “Regulatory Authorities”) now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or with the employees of any principal supplier, manufacturer, customer or contractor of the Company, exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent.

(v)    Intellectual Property. To the knowledge of the Company and except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its subsidiaries owns or has valid, binding and enforceable licenses or other rights under the patents, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (including all goodwill associated with, and all registrations and applications for registration of, the foregoing) (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted and as proposed in the manner described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; to the knowledge of the Company and except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, all Intellectual Property owned or licensed by the Company and its subsidiaries is valid, enforceable, and subsisting; and other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (A) the Company is not obligated to pay a material royalty, grant a license to, or provide other material consideration to any third party in connection with the Intellectual Property, (B) the Company has not received any notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or conflict with any asserted rights of others with respect to any of the Company’s product candidates processes or Intellectual Property, (C) to the knowledge of the Company, neither the sale nor use of any of the discoveries, inventions, product candidates or processes of the Company referred to in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus do or will, to the knowledge of the Company, infringe, misappropriate or violate any right or valid patent claim of any third party, (D) the founders, current and former employees, contractors, consultants and other parties involved in the development of Intellectual Property for the Company have assigned such Intellectual Property to the Company, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no third party has any ownership right in or to any Intellectual Property that is owned by the Company and there is no material infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property, and (E) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any Intellectual Property. The product candidates described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as under development by the Company or any subsidiary fall within the scope of the claims of one or more patents or patent applications owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Company or any subsidiary.

 

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(w)    Patents and Patent Applications. All patents and patent applications owned by or licensed to the Company or under which the Company has rights have, to the knowledge of the Company, been duly and properly filed and maintained in all material respects; to the knowledge of the Company, the parties prosecuting such patent applications have complied with their duty of candor and disclosure to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) in connection with such applications; and the Company is not aware of any facts required to be disclosed to the USPTO that were not disclosed to the USPTO and which would preclude the grant of a patent in connection with any such application or would reasonably be expected to form the basis of a finding of invalidity with respect to any patents that have been issued with respect to such applications.

(x)    Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate Governmental Entities necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. All of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(y)    Title to Properties. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real and personal property owned by them (and good title to all other properties owned by them), in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (A) are described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or (B) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has received any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

 

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(z)    Tax Law Compliance. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable national, provincial, local, non-U.S. tax law and U.S. law, except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a Material Adverse Change, and has paid all taxes due and payable pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been established by the Company. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Change.

(aa)    Reserved.

(bb)    Insurance. Except as otherwise disclosed in Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, each of the Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are reasonably deemed adequate and customary for their businesses including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction, acts of vandalism and earthquakes and policies covering the Company and its subsidiaries for product liability claims and clinical trial liability claims. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.

(cc)    Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, (A) neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or, to the knowledge of the Company threatened, administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any subsidiary and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or Governmental Entity, against or affecting the Company or any subsidiary relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

 

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(dd)    ERISA Compliance. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”) of which the Company or such subsidiary is a member. No “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA), for which notice has not been waived. Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.

(ee)    No Outstanding Loans or Other Extensions of Credit. The Company does not have any outstanding extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan, to or for any director or executive officer (or equivalent thereof) of the Company except for such extensions of credit as are expressly permitted by Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

(ff)    Company Not an Investment Company. The Company is not, and will not be, either after receipt of payment for the Offered ADSs or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, required to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act).

(ee) Passive Foreign Investment Company. The Company does not believe that it was a “passive foreign investment company,” as such term is defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), for the last completed fiscal year for which audited financial statements of the Company have been filed with the Commission.

(gg)    No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, without giving any effect to the activities by the Underwriters, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (Regulation M)) with respect to the Offered ADSs, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered ADSs or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.

(hh)    Related-Party Transactions. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus that have not been described as required.

 

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(ii)    Broker-Dealer Status; FINRA Matters. The Company is not required to register as a “broker” or “dealer” in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Act and does not, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control or have any other association with (within the meaning of Article I of the By-laws of FINRA) any member firm of FINRA. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers or shareholders of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the rules of FINRA to be described in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Prospectus which is not so described. All of the information (including, but not limited to, information regarding affiliations, security ownership and trading activity) provided to the Representatives or to counsel for the Representatives by the Company, and, to the Company’s knowledge, its counsel, its officers and directors and certain holders of any securities (debt or equity) or warrants, options or rights to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs is true, complete, correct and compliant in all material respects with FINRA’s rules and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA by the Company, and, to the Company’s knowledge, its counsel, its officers and directors and certain holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct in all material respects.

(jj)    Parties to Lock-Up Agreements. The Company has furnished to the Underwriters a letter agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Lock-up Agreement”) from each of the persons listed on Exhibit B. Such Exhibit B lists under an appropriate caption the directors and executive officers of the Company. If any additional persons shall become directors or executive officers of the Company prior to the end of the Company Lock-up Period (as defined below), the Company shall cause each such person, prior to or contemporaneously with their appointment or election as a director or executive officer of the Company, to execute and deliver to the Representatives a Lock-up Agreement.

(kk)    Statistical and Market-Related Data. All statistical, demographic and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably believes to be reliable and accurate in all material respects and, to the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources.

(ll)    No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent thereof, which acting on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any applicable law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

(mm)    Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any director, officer, or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its subsidiaries (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken any act in furtherance of an offer, promise, or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government official or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or public international organization, or any political party, party official, or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), the UK Bribery Act 2010, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption law; or (iv) made, offered, authorized, requested, or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the Company’s affiliates have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.

 

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(nn)    Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are, and have been conducted at all times, in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

(oo)    Sanctions. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors, officers, or employees, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, after reasonable inquiry, any agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”); nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria; and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, or any joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of or business with any person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of such financing, is the subject or the target of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of applicable Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.

(pp)    Brokers. Except pursuant to this Agreement or as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus or Prospectus, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

(qq)    Forward-Looking Statements. Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Securities Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement. No such statement was made with the knowledge of an executive officer or director of the Company that it was false or misleading.

 

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(rr)    Cybersecurity. The Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, and to the knowledge of the Company, are free and clear of all material bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change. The Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintain commercially reasonable physical, technical and administrative controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data, including “Personal Data,” used in connection with their businesses. “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph, social security number or tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, credit card number, bank information, or customer or account number; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (ii) “personal data” as defined by the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679); (iii) any information which would qualify as “protected health information” under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (collectively, “HIPAA”); and (iv) any other piece of information that allows the identification of such natural person, or his or her family, or permits the collection or analysis of any data related to an identified person’s health or sexual orientation. To the knowledge of the Company, there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to same, except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any other person, nor any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. The Company and its subsidiaries have been and are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data, including Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.

(ss)    Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are, and at all times prior were, in material compliance with all applicable state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, including without limitation HIPAA, and the Company and its subsidiaries have taken commercially reasonable actions to prepare to comply with, and since May 25, 2018, have been and currently are in material compliance with, GDPR (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”). The Company and its subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take commercially reasonable steps designed to comply in all material respects with their policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, disclosure, handling, and analysis of Personal Data (the “Policies”). The Company and its subsidiaries have at all times made all disclosures to users or customers required by applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, and none of such disclosures made or contained in any Policy have, to the knowledge of the Company, been materially inaccurate or in violation of any applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements in any material respect. The Company further certifies that neither it nor any subsidiary: (i) has received written notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any of the Privacy Laws, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree or settlement agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.

(tt)    Emerging Growth Company Status. From the time of the initial filing of the Company’s initial registration statement with the Commission through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).

 

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(uu)    Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

(vv)    Communications. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in communications with potential investors in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act other than Permitted Section 5(d) Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are QIBs or IAIs and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in such communications; the Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Marketing Materials, Section 5(d) Oral Communications and Section 5(d) Written Communications; as of the Applicable Time, each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, if any, does not, as of the date hereof, conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(ww)    Regulatory Compliance. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or as would not, singly or in the aggregate result in a Material Adverse Change, the Company: (A) is and at all times has been in compliance with all statutes, rules or regulations of the Regulatory Authorities applicable to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product under development, manufactured or distributed by the Company (“Applicable Laws”); (B) has not received any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from any Regulatory Authority alleging or asserting noncompliance with any Applicable Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, exemptions, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such Applicable Laws (“Authorizations”); (C) possesses all Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and the Company is not in violation of any term of any such Authorizations; (D) has not received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any Regulatory Authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Applicable Laws or Authorizations and has no knowledge that any Regulatory Authority or third party is threatening to initiate any such claim, litigation, arbitration, action, suit, investigation or proceeding; (E) has not received written notice that any Regulatory Authority has taken, is taking or intends to take action to limit, suspend, modify or revoke any Authorizations and has no knowledge that any Regulatory Authority is threatening to initiate such action; and (F) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Applicable Laws or Authorizations or that are described or referred to in the Prospectus and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and correct on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission), and except as described in the Prospectus, no deficiencies regarding compliance with Applicable Laws have been asserted by any applicable Regulatory Authority with respect to any such filings, reports or submissions.

(xx)    Tests, Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies. The studies, tests and preclinical and clinical trials that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted, to the Company’s knowledge, in all material respects in accordance with experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to, where applicable, accepted professional scientific standards and all Authorizations and Applicable Laws, including, without limitation, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, “FFDCA”) and Good Clinical Practice and Good Laboratory Practice requirements, to the extent applicable; the descriptions of the results of such studies, tests and trials contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are, to the Company’s knowledge, accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies, tests and trials; except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company is not aware of any studies, tests or trials, the results of which the Company believes reasonably call into question the study, test, or trial results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical state of development; and, except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, the Company has not received any notices or correspondence from the FDA or any Governmental Entity requiring the termination or suspension of any studies, tests or preclinical or clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company.

 

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(yy)    Compliance with Health Care Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are, and at all times have been, in material compliance with all Health Care Laws. For purposes of this Agreement, “Health Care Laws” means, to the extent applicable to the Company,: (i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. Section 301 et seq.), the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder; (ii) all applicable federal, state, local and foreign health care fraud and abuse laws, including, without limitation, the Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(b)), the Civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Section 3729 et seq.), the criminal false statements law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(a)), 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, the health care fraud criminal provisions under the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.), the Stark Law (42 U.S.C. Section 1395nn), the civil monetary penalties law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7a), the exclusion law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7), the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1320-7h), and applicable laws governing government funded or sponsored healthcare programs; (iii) HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.); (iv) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010; (v) licensure, quality, safety and accreditation requirements under applicable federal, state, local or foreign laws or regulatory bodies; and (vi) all other local, state, federal, national, supranational and foreign health care laws, relating to the regulation of the Company or its subsidiaries, and (vii) the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes and any state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Health Care Laws nor, to the Company’s knowledge, is any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action currently threatened. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments to the extent required by any Health Care Laws, and all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and accurate in all material respects on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission). Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority. Additionally, neither the Company, any of its subsidiaries nor any of their respective employees, officers, directors, or agents has been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or, to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other similar action that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.

(zz)    No Contract Terminations. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sent or received any communication regarding termination of, or intent not to renew, any of the contracts or agreements referred to or described in any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus, or referred to or described in, or filed as an exhibit to, the Registration Statement, or any document incorporated by reference therein, and no such termination or non-renewal has been threatened by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party to any such contract or agreement, which threat of termination or non-renewal has not been rescinded as of the date hereof.

 

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(aaa)    Dividend Restrictions. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no subsidiary of the Company is prohibited or restricted, directly or indirectly, from paying dividends to the Company, or from making any other distribution with respect to such subsidiary’s equity securities or from repaying to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company any amounts that may from time to time become due under any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any property or assets to the Company or to any other subsidiary.

Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and delivered to any Underwriter or to counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering, or the purchase and sale, of the Offered ADSs shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

The Company has a reasonable basis for making each of the representations set forth in this Section 1. The Company acknowledges that the Underwriters and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 6 hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Underwriters, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.

Section 2.    Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Offered ADSs.

(a)    The Firm ADSs. Upon the terms herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters an aggregate of 15,000,000 Firm ADSs. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Underwriters agree, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite their names on Schedule A. The purchase price per Firm ADS to be paid by the several Underwriters to the Company shall be $3.76 per ADS.

(b)    The First Closing Date. Delivery of certificates for the Firm ADSs to be purchased by the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of Goodwin Procter LLP (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives) at 9:00 a.m. New York City time, on March 5, 2021 or such other time and date not later than 1:30 p.m. New York City time on March 5, 2021 as the Representatives shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “First Closing Date”). The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances under which the Representatives may provide notice to postpone the First Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are not limited to, any determination by the Company or the Representatives to recirculate to the public copies of an amended or supplemented Prospectus or a delay as contemplated by the provisions of Section 11.

(c)    The Optional ADSs; Option Closing Date. In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 Optional ADSs from the Company at the purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm ADSs. The option granted hereunder may be exercised at any time and from time to time in whole or in part upon notice by the Representatives to the Company, which notice may be given at any time within 30 days from the date of this Agreement. Such notice shall set forth (i) the aggregate number of Optional ADSs as to which the Underwriters are exercising the option and (ii) the time, date and place at which certificates for the Optional ADSs will be delivered (which time and date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the First Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the First Closing Date, the term “First Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of the Firm ADSs and such Optional ADSs). Any such time and date of delivery, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called an “Option Closing Date,” and shall be determined by the Representatives and shall not be earlier than two or later than five full business days after delivery of such notice of exercise. If any Optional ADSs are to be purchased, each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Optional ADSs (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Optional ADSs to be purchased as the number of Firm ADSs set forth on Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm ADSs. The Representatives may cancel the option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.

 

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(d)    Public Offering of the Offered ADSs. The Representatives hereby advise the Company that the Underwriters intend to offer for sale to the public, initially on the terms set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, their respective portions of the Offered ADSs as soon after this Agreement has been executed as the Representatives, in their sole judgment, have determined is advisable and practicable.

(e)    Payment for the Offered ADSs.

(i)    Payment for the Offered ADSs shall be made at the First Closing Date (and, if applicable, payment for the Optional ADSs shall be made at each Option Closing Date, as applicable) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the order of the Company.

(ii)    It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for their own account and the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Firm ADSs and any Optional ADSs the Underwriters have agreed to purchase. Each of Jefferies and Piper Sandler, individually and not as the Representatives of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment for any Offered ADSs to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not have been received by the Representatives by the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the account of such Underwriter, but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations under this Agreement.

(f)    Delivery of the Offered ADSs. The Company shall deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters ADRs for the Firm ADSs to be sold at the First Closing Date, against release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. The Company shall also deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Representatives for the accounts of the several Underwriters, ADRs for the Optional ADSs the Underwriters have agreed to purchase at the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, against the release of a wire transfer of immediately available funds for the amount of the purchase price therefor. If the Representatives so elect, the ADRs for the Offered ADSs shall be in definitive form and registered in such names and denominations as the Representatives shall have requested at least two full business days prior to the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) and shall be made available for inspection on the business day preceding the First Closing Date (or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be) at a location in New York City as the Representatives may designate. Time shall be of the essence, and delivery at the time and place specified in this Agreement is a further condition to the obligations of the Underwriters.

Section 3.    Additional Covenants of the Company.

(a)    Delivery of Registration Statement, ADS Registration Statements, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus. The Company shall furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered ADSs, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements as you may reasonably request.

 

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(b)    Representatives’ Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. During the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), the Company (i) will furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable period of time prior to the proposed time of filing of any proposed amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements, a copy of each such amendment or supplement and (ii) will not amend or supplement the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements (including, in each case, any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act) without the Representatives’ prior written consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. Prior to amending or supplementing any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (including any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act), the Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the time of filing or use of the proposed amendment or supplement, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement. The Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Representatives’ prior written consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Company shall file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.

(c)    Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto without the Representatives’ prior written consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Company shall furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by or referred to by the Company as such Underwriter may reasonably request. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) in connection with sales of the Offered ADSs (but in any event if at any time through and including the First Closing Date) there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, the Company shall promptly amend or supplement such free writing prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict or so that the statements in such free writing prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances prevailing at such time, not misleading, as the case may be; provided, however, that prior to amending or supplementing any such free writing prospectus, the Company shall furnish to the Representatives for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus without the Representatives’ prior written consent, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

 

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(d)    Filing of Underwriter Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall not take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that such Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.

(e)    Amendments and Supplements to Time of Sale Prospectus. If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Offered ADSs at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the Time of Sale Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company shall (subject to Section 3(b) and Section 3(c) hereof) promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances when delivered to a prospective purchaser, not misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.

(f)    Certain Notifications and Required Actions. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Representatives in writing of: (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus; (iii) the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements becomes effective; and (iv) the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or the ADS Registration Statements or any post-effective amendment thereto or any amendment or supplement to any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the Offered ADSs from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 424(b), Rule 433, Rule 430A and Rule 430B under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.

 

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(g)    Amendments and Supplements to the Prospectus and Other Securities Act Matters. If any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus so that the Prospectus does not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the reasonable opinion of the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, the Company agrees (subject to Section 3(b) and Section 3(c)) hereof to promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) to a purchaser, not misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law. Neither the Representatives’ consent to, nor delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c). As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Offered ADSs as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Offered ADSs by any Underwriter or dealer.

(h)    Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters to qualify or register the Offered ADSs for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws (or other foreign laws) of those jurisdictions designated by the Representatives, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered ADSs. The Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such jurisdiction where it is not presently qualified or where it would be subject to taxation as a foreign corporation. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Offered ADSs for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(i)    Use of Proceeds. The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Offered ADSs sold by it substantially in the manner described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(j)    Transfer Agent. The Company shall maintain a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of organization of the Company, a registrar for the Shares.

(k)    Earnings Statement. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered ADSs as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and Nasdaq all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.

(l)    Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered ADSs as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and Nasdaq all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act.

 

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(m)    Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the listing of its ADSs on Nasdaq.

(n)    Company to Provide Copy of the Prospectus in Form That May be Downloaded from the Internet. If requested by the Representatives, the Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered, at its expense, within one business day from the effective date of this Agreement, to the Representatives an “electronic Prospectus” to be used in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered ADSs. As used herein, the term “electronic Prospectus” means a form of Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representatives, that may be transmitted electronically by the Representatives and other Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Offered ADSs; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper Prospectus, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic Prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to Jefferies, that will allow investors to store and have continuously ready access to the Prospectus at any future time, without charge to investors (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time). The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in the Time of Sale Prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR or otherwise with the Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request by an investor or his or her representative, the Company shall transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the Prospectus.

(o)    Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Shares. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through and including the 90th day following the date of the Prospectus (the “Lock-up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Jefferies and Piper Sandler (which consent may be withheld in their sole discretion), directly or indirectly: (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities (as defined below); (ii) effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities; (iii) pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities; (iv) in any other way transfer or dispose of any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities; (v) enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise; (vi) announce the offering of any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities (other than those being sold pursuant hereto); (vii) submit or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities (other than (A) as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Offered ADSs, (B) any registration statement that (1) the Company is required to or has agreed to file pursuant to that certain Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 24, 2021, by and among the Company and the purchasers who are signatories thereto and (2) the Company may be required to file in order to continue to offer, issue and sell ADSs or Ordinary Shares pursuant to that certain Open Market Sale AgreementSM, dated October 9, 2020, by and between the Company and Jefferies LLC (the “Sale Agreement”) and (C) any registration statement on Form S-8 to register Ordinary Shares and ADSs issuable pursuant to the terms of stock option, stock bonus or other stock plan or inducement arrangement); (viii) effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Ordinary Shares; or (ix) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing; provided, however, that the Company may (A) effect the transactions contemplated hereby; (B) repurchase ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities pursuant to an agreement to repurchase such ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities outstanding on the date of this Agreement; (C) issue ADSs or Ordinary Shares, options to purchase ADSs or Ordinary Shares or restricted stock units, or issue ADSs or Ordinary Shares upon exercise of options, warrants or settlement of restricted stock units, pursuant to any stock option, warrant, stock bonus or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided that any directors or officers who are recipients thereof have provided the a signed Lock-Up Agreement in the form attached as Exhibit A hereto; (D) issue Ordinary Shares pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities or exercise of warrants outstanding on the date of this Agreement; (E) keep in effect the Sale Agreement, and on or after the two weeks from the last Closing Date under this Agreement, offer, issue and sell ADSs or Ordinary Shares pursuant thereto; (F) assist any shareholder of the Company in the establishment of a trading plan by such shareholder pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of ADSs or Ordinary Shares; provided (x) that such plan does not provide for the transfer of ADSs or Ordinary Shares during the Lock-up Period, (y) the establishment of such plan does not require or otherwise result in any public filing or other public announcement of such plan during such Lock-up Period and (z) such plan is otherwise permitted to be implemented during the Lock-up Period pursuant to the terms of the lock-up agreement between such shareholder and the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs; (G) issue ADSs or Ordinary Shares in connection with the acquisition by the Company of the securities, business, property or other assets of another person or business entity or pursuant to any employee benefit plan assumed by the Company in connection with any such acquisition; or (H) issue ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities, in each case, in connection with joint ventures, commercial relationships, lending relationships or other strategic transactions; provided that, in the case of immediately preceding clauses (G) and (H), (x) the aggregate number of ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities issued in connection with, or issuable pursuant to the exercise of any options or warrants issued in connection with, all such acquisitions and other transactions does not exceed 5% of the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately following the offering of the Offered ADSs pursuant to this Agreement and (y) the recipients of such ADSs, Ordinary Shares and Related Securities provide to Jefferies and Piper Sandler a signed Lock-Up Agreement in the form set forth as Exhibit A hereto. For purposes of the foregoing, “Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire ADSs or Ordinary Shares or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ADSs or Ordinary Shares, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for, or convertible into, ADSs or Ordinary Shares.

 

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(p)    Future Reports to the Representatives. During the period of five years hereafter, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, c/o Jefferies, at 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Global Head of Syndicate and c/o Piper Sandler & Co., at U.S. Bancorp Center, 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, Attention: General Counsel: (i) as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and statements of income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 20-F, Report on Form 6-K or other public report filed by the Company with the Commission, FINRA or any securities exchange; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report or communication of the Company furnished or made available generally to holders of its share capital; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 3(p) shall be satisfied to the extent that such reports, statement, communications, financial statements or other documents are available on EDGAR.

(q)    Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Offered ADSs in such a manner as would require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

(r)    No Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. The Company will not take, and will ensure that no affiliate of the Company will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Offered ADSs or any reference security with respect to the Offered ADSs, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered ADSs or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M.

 

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(s)    Enforce Lock-Up Agreements. During the Lock-up Period, the Company will enforce all agreements between the Company and any of its securityholders that restrict or prohibit, expressly or in operation, the offer, sale or transfer of ADSs, Ordinary Shares or Related Securities or any of the other actions restricted or prohibited under the terms of the form of Lock-up Agreement. In addition, the Company will direct the transfer agent, to the extent permitted under applicable law, to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such securities of the Company that are bound by such “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements, including, without limitation, “lock-up” agreements entered into by the Company’s officers and directors and certain shareholders pursuant to Section 6(l) hereof.

(t)    Company to Provide Interim Financial Statements. Prior to the First Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date, the Company will furnish the Underwriters, as soon as practicable as they have been prepared by or are available to the Company, a copy of any unaudited interim financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(u)    Amendments and Supplements to Permitted Section 5(d) Communications. If at any time following the distribution of any Permitted Section 5(d) Communication during the period when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Permitted Section 5(d) Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Permitted Section 5(d) Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.

(v)    Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) the time when a prospectus relating to the Offered ADSs is not required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) and (ii) the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as defined herein).

(w)    Deposit Agreement. Prior to the First Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date, the Company agrees (i) to deposit Shares with the Depositary in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and will otherwise comply with the Deposit Agreement so that ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs will be executed (and, if applicable, countersigned) and issued by the Depositary against receipt of such Shares and delivered to the Underwriters at such Closing Date and (ii) to otherwise comply with the terms of the Deposit Agreement, including without limitation, the covenants set forth in the Deposit Agreement.

(x)    Tax Indemnity. The Company will indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters against any transfer taxes (including any interest and penalties) payable in connection with (i) the delivery of the Ordinary Shares by the Company to the Depositary Custodian in the manner contemplated by the Deposit Agreement, (ii) the issuance of the Offered ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs) by the Depositary, and the delivery of the Offered ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs) to or for the account of the Underwriters, in each case in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (iii) the initial sale and delivery by the Underwriters of the Offered ADSs (or the ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs) to purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by this Agreement; or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

 

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(y)    Sales Taxes. If the performance by the Underwriters of any of their obligations under this Agreement shall represent for VAT purposes under any applicable law the making by the Underwriters of any supply of goods or services to the Company (to the extent applicable), the Company shall pay to the Underwriters, in addition to the amounts otherwise payable by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, an amount equal to the VAT chargeable on any such supply of goods and services provided that the Underwriters have issued the Company with an appropriate VAT invoice in respect of the supply to which the payment relates. Where a sum (a “Relevant Sum”) is paid or reimbursed to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any cost, expense or other amount and that cost, expense or other amount includes an amount in respect of irrecoverable VAT (the “VAT Element”) which has been certified as such by the Underwriters (acting reasonably), then the Company, to the extent applicable, shall, in addition, pay an amount equal to the VAT Element to the Underwriters. For the purposes of this Agreement, “VAT” means a “value-added tax” as defined under applicable law.

The Representatives, on behalf of the several Underwriters, may, in their sole discretion, waive in writing the performance by the Company of any one or more of the foregoing covenants or extend the time for their performance.

Section 4.    Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation (i) all expenses incident to the issuance, sale and delivery of the Offered ADSs (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Shares, (iii) all fees and expenses of the Depositary related to the Offered ADSs, (iv) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs to the Underwriters, (v) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (vi) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the ADS Registration Statements, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, each free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and each preliminary prospectus, each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vii) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Offered ADSs for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the provincial securities laws of Canada, and, if requested by the Representatives, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum and a “Canadian wrapper”, and any supplements thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in an amount not to exceed $5,000, (viii) the costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with determining their compliance with the rules and regulations of FINRA related to the Underwriters’ participation in the offering and distribution of the Offered ADSs, including any related filing fees and the legal fees of, and disbursements by, counsel to the Underwriters, provided that such legal fees of, and disbursements by, counsel to the Underwriters shall not exceed $25,000, (ix) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show”, any Permitted Section 5(d) Communication or any Section 5(d) Oral Communication undertaken in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the employees and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of 50% of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show and (x) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Offered ADSs on Nasdaq. Except as provided in this Section 4 or in Section 7, Section 9 or Section 10 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel, their own travel and lodging expenses and 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show.

 

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Section 5.    Covenant of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally and not jointly covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not, but for such actions, be required to be filed by the Company under Rule 433(d).

Section 6.    Conditions of the Obligations of the Underwriters. The respective obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder to purchase and pay for the Offered ADSs as provided herein on the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional ADSs, each Option Closing Date, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the First Closing Date as though then made and, with respect to the Optional ADSs, as of each Option Closing Date as though then made, to the timely performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:

(a)    Comfort Letter. On the date hereof, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche, independent registered public accountants for the Company, a letter dated the date hereof addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, and each free writing prospectus, if any.

(b)    Compliance with Registration Requirements; No Stop Order; No Objection from FINRA. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional ADSs purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:

(i)    The Company shall have filed the Prospectus with the Commission (including the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act) in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act; or the Company shall have filed a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement containing the information previously omitted from the Registration Statement pursuant to such Rule 430B, and such post-effective amendment shall have become effective.

(ii)    No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements or any post-effective amendment to the ADS Registration Statements shall be in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose shall have been instituted or threatened by the Commission.

(iii)    If a filing has been made with FINRA, FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

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(c)    No Material Adverse Change or Ratings Agency Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional ADSs purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date:

(i)    in the judgment of the Representatives there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and

(ii)    there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as that term is used in Rule 15c3-1(c)(2)(vi)(F) under the Exchange Act.

(d)    Opinion of U.S. Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Cooley LLP, U.S. counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(e)    Opinion of Cayman Island Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Walkers, Cayman Island counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in the form previously agreed to by, and reasonably satisfactory to, the Representatives.

(f)    Opinion of IP Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Sterling IP, counsel for the Company with respect to intellectual property matters, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(g)    Opinion of Counsel for the Depositary. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Ziegler, Ziegler & Associates LLP, counsel for the Depositary, dated as of such date, in the form previously agreed to by, and reasonably satisfactory to, the Representatives

(h)    Opinion of Counsel for the Underwriters. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter of Goodwin Procter LLP, counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered ADSs, each dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.

(i)    Officers Certificate. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a certificate executed by the Chief Executive Officer or President of the Company and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company solely in their capacity as such, dated as of such date, to the effect set forth in Section 6(b)(ii) and further to the effect that:

(i)    for the period from and including the date of this Agreement through and including such date, there has not occurred any Material Adverse Change;

(ii)    the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company set forth in Section 1 of this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made on and as of such date; and

(iii)    the Company has complied with all the agreements hereunder and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such date.

(j)    PFO Certificate. At the time of the execution of this Agreement and on each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received a certificate executed by the Principal Financial Officer of the Company solely in his capacity as such, in a form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Representatives and customary for the type of offering contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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(k)    Bring-down Comfort Letter. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche, independent registered public accountants for the Company, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, which letter shall: (i) reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished by them pursuant to Section 6(a), except that the specified date referred to therein for the carrying out of procedures shall be no more than three business days prior to the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be; and (ii) cover certain financial information contained in the Prospectus.

(l)    Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives an agreement in the form of Exhibit A hereto from each of the persons listed on Exhibit B hereto, and each such agreement shall be in full force and effect on each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date.

(m)    Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. In the event that a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed in connection with the offering contemplated by this Agreement, such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission on the date of this Agreement and shall have become effective automatically upon such filing.

(n)    Deposit Agreement. The Company and the Depositary shall have executed and delivered the Deposit Agreement and the Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect. The Depositary shall have delivered to the Company certificates satisfactory to the Underwriters evidencing the deposit with the Depositary or its nominee of the Shares being so deposited against issuance of ADRs evidencing the Offered ADSs to be delivered by the Company at such Closing Date, and the execution, countersignature (if applicable), issuance and delivery of ADRs evidencing such Offered ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.

(o)    Additional Documents . On or before each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably request for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered ADSs as contemplated herein and in connection with the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters.

If any condition specified in this Section 6 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives by notice from Jefferies to the Company at any time on or prior to the First Closing Date and, with respect to the Optional ADSs, at any time on or prior to the applicable Option Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 4, Section 7, Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

Section 7.    Reimbursement of Underwriters Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 6, Section 11 or Section 12, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Offered ADSs on the First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Offered ADSs, including, but not limited to, fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges, provided, however, that in the event any such termination is effected after the First Closing Date, but prior to any Option Closing Date with respect to the purchase of any Optional ADSs, the Company shall only reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses reasonably incurred after the First Closing Date in connection with the proposed purchase of any such Optional Shares. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section 7 to the contrary, in no event shall the Company be required to reimburse any amount to any defaulting Underwriter.

 

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Section 8.    Effectiveness of this Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

Section 9.    Indemnification.

(a)    Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered ADSs have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, any Marketing Material, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) any act or failure to act or any alleged act or failure to act by any Underwriter in connection with, or relating in any manner to, the Shares or the offering contemplated hereby, and which is included as part of or referred to in any loss, claim, damage, liability or action arising out of or based upon any matter covered by clause (i) or (ii) above; and to reimburse each Underwriter and each such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent and controlling person for any and all reasonable expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by such Underwriter or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representatives in writing expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any such free writing prospectus, any Marketing Material, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information consists of the information described in Section 9(b) below. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

 

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(b)    Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company or any such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other U.S. federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of non-U.S. jurisdictions where Offered ADSs have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements, or any amendment to the Registration Statement or ADS Registration Statements, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated in the Registration Statement or ADS Registration Statements or necessary to make the statements in the Registration Statement or ADS Registration Statements not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 of the Securities Act, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, such preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, such free writing prospectus, such Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement), in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representatives in writing expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any and all documented expenses (including the documented fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Representatives have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statements, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing) are the statements set forth in the first sentence of the third paragraph under the caption “Underwriting,” the first two sentences of the first paragraph under the caption “Underwriting—Commission and Expenses” and the first sentence of the first paragraph under the caption “Underwriting—Stabilization” in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and the Final Prospectus Supplement. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

 

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(c)    Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 9 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 9, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party to the extent the indemnifying party is not materially prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure and shall not in any event relieve the indemnifying party from any liability that it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election to so assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 9 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (together with local counsel), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), which counsel (together with any local counsel) for the indemnified parties shall be selected by Jefferies (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(a) above) or by the Company (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 9(b) above)) or (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.

(d)    Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 9 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 9(c) hereof, the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.

 

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Section 10.    Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 9 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered ADSs pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered ADSs pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Offered ADSs pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Offered ADSs as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in Section 9(c), any legal or other fees or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with investigating or defending any action or claim. The provisions set forth in Section 9(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 10; provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 9(c) for purposes of indemnification.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 10 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 10.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 10, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Offered ADSs underwritten by it and distributed to the public. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 10 are several, and not joint, in proportion to their respective underwriting commitments as set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A. For purposes of this Section 10, each affiliate, director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statements, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company.

Section 11.    Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered ADSs that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Offered ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of the Offered ADSs to be purchased on such date, the Representatives may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered ADSs by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are made by such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, in the proportions that the number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A bears to the aggregate number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as may be specified by the Representatives with the consent of the non-defaulting Underwriters, to purchase the Offered ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered ADSs and the aggregate number of Offered ADSs with respect to which such default occurs exceeds 10% of the aggregate number of Offered ADSs to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Offered ADSs are not made within 48 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4, Section 7, Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the First Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be, but in no event for longer than seven days in order that the required changes, if any, to the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or any other documents or arrangements may be effected.

 

33


As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” shall be deemed to include any person substituted for a defaulting Underwriter under this Section 11. Any action taken under this Section 11 shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.

Section 12.    Termination of this Agreement. Prior to the purchase of the Firm ADSs by the Underwriters on the First Closing Date, this Agreement may be terminated by Jefferies and Piper Sandler by notice given to the Company if at any time: (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by Nasdaq, or trading in securities generally on either Nasdaq or the NYSE shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal, New York or California authorities; (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of national or international hostilities or any crisis or calamity, or any change in the United States or international financial markets, or any substantial change or development involving a prospective substantial change in United States’ or international political, financial or economic conditions, as in the judgment of Jefferies and Piper Sandler is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Offered ADSs in the manner and on the terms described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities; (iv) in the judgment of Jefferies and Piper Sandler there shall have occurred any Material Adverse Change; or (v) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character as in the judgment of Jefferies and Piper Sandler may interfere materially with the conduct of the business and operations of the Company regardless of whether or not such loss shall have been insured. Any termination pursuant to this Section 12 shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company to any Underwriter, except that the Company shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Representatives and the Underwriters pursuant to Section 4 or Section 7 hereof or (b) any Underwriter to the Company; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 9 and Section 10 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

Section 13.    No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Offered ADSs pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Offered ADSs and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its shareholders, or its creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

 

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Section 14.    Representations and Indemnities to Survive Delivery. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the several Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Offered ADSs sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.

Section 15.    Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be mailed, hand delivered or telecopied and confirmed to the parties hereto as follows:

 

If to the Representatives:

  

Jefferies LLC

  

520 Madison Avenue

  

New York, New York 10022

  

Facsimile: (646) 619-4437

  

Attention: General Counsel

  

Piper Sandler & Co.

  

U.S. Bancorp Center

  

800 Nicollet Mall

  

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

  

Attention: General Counsel

  

legalcapmarkets@psc.com

with a copy to:

  

Goodwin Procter LLP

  

601 Marshall St.

  

Redwood City, CA 94063

  

Attention: Heidi A. Mayon

If to the Company:

  

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited

  

83 Clemenceau Avenue, #12-03 UE Square

  

Singapore 239920

  

Attention: Chief Executive Officer

with a copy to:

  

Cooley LLP

  

4401 Eastgate Mall

  

San Diego, CA 92101

  

Attention: Patrick Loofbourrow

Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others.

Section 16.    Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, including any substitute Underwriters pursuant to Section 11 hereof, and to the benefit of the affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 9 and Section 10, and in each case their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Offered ADSs as such from any of the Underwriters merely by reason of such purchase.

 

35


Section 17.    Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement is for any reason determined to be invalid or unenforceable, there shall be deemed to be made such minor changes (and only such minor changes) as are necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

Section 18.    Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

(a)    In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

(b)    In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

For purposes of this Agreement, (A) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Section 19.    Governing Law Provisions. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (“Related Proceedings”) may be instituted in the federal courts of the United States of America located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York or the courts of the State of New York in each case located in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York (collectively, the “Specified Courts”), and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company and each other party not located in the United States has irrevocably appointed Cogency Global Inc., which currently maintains an office at 122 E 42nd Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10168 United States of America, as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any U.S. state or federal court in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York, United States of America.

 

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With respect to any Related Proceeding, each party irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all immunity (whether on the basis of sovereignty or otherwise) from jurisdiction, service of process, attachment (both before and after judgment) and execution to which it might otherwise be entitled in the Specified Courts, and with respect to any Related Judgment, each party waives any such immunity in the Specified Courts or any other court of competent jurisdiction, and will not raise or claim or cause to be pleaded any such immunity at or in respect of any such Related Proceeding or Related Judgment, including, without limitation, any immunity pursuant to the United States Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976, as amended.

The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following receipt by any Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency. If the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter in United States dollars hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, such Underwriter agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder.

All payments made by the Company under this Agreement, if any, will be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature (other than taxes on net income) imposed or levied by or on behalf of Ireland or any political subdivision or any taxing authority thereof or therein unless the Company is or becomes required by law to withhold or deduct such taxes, duties, assessments or other governmental charges. In such event, the Company will pay such additional amounts as will result, after such withholding or deduction, in the receipt by each Underwriter and each person controlling any Underwriter, as the case may be, of the amounts that would otherwise have been receivable in respect thereof.

Section 20.    General Provisions. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. This Agreement may not be amended or modified unless in writing by all of the parties hereto, and no condition herein (express or implied) may be waived unless waived in writing by each party whom the condition is meant to benefit. The section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.

Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that it is a sophisticated business person who was adequately represented by counsel during negotiations regarding the provisions hereof, including, without limitation, the indemnification provisions of Section 9 and the contribution provisions of Section 10, and is fully informed regarding said provisions. Each of the parties hereto further acknowledges that the provisions of Section 9 and Section 10 hereof fairly allocate the risks in light of the ability of the parties to investigate the Company, its affairs and its business in order to assure that adequate disclosure has been made in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, each free writing prospectus and the Prospectus (and any amendments and supplements to the foregoing), as contemplated by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, kindly sign and return to the Company the enclosed copies hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts hereof, shall become a binding agreement in accordance with its terms.

 

Very truly yours,

ASLAN PHARMACEUTICALS LIMITED

By:

 

/s/ Carl Firth

 

Name: Carl Firth

 

Title: CEO

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


The foregoing Underwriting Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Representatives in New York, New York as of the date first above written.

 

JEFFERIES LLC
PIPER SANDLER & CO.

Acting individually and as Representatives

of the several Underwriters named in

the attached Schedule A.

JEFFERIES LLC

By:

 

/s/ Michael Brinkman

 

Name: Michael Brinkman

 

Title:   Managing Director

PIPER SANDLER & CO.

By:

 

/s/ Neil Riley

 

Name: Neil Riley

 

Title:   Managing Director

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Schedule A

 

Underwriters    Number of
Firm ADSs
to be Purchased
 

Jefferies LLC

     7,350,000  

Piper Sandler

     5,850,000  

HC Wainwright

     1,800,000  
  

 

 

 

Total

     15,000,000  
  

 

 

 


Schedule B

Free Writing Prospectuses Included in the Time of Sale Prospectus

None.


Schedule C

Permitted Section 5(d) Communications

None.


Exhibit A

Form of Lock-up Agreement

 

A-1


[Date]

Jefferies LLC

Piper Sandler & Co.

As Representatives of the Several Underwriters

c/o Jefferies LLC

520 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10022

and

c/o Piper Sandler & Co.

U.S. Bancorp Center

800 Nicollet Mall

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402

 

  RE:

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited (the “Company”)

Ladies & Gentlemen:

The undersigned is an owner of ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (“Shares”) or of securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Shares. The Company proposes to conduct a public offering of Shares, which may be in the form of American Depositary Shares of the Company (“ADSs”), each representing five Shares (the “Offering”), for which Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) and Piper Sandler (“Piper”) will act as the representatives of the underwriters. The undersigned recognizes that the Offering will benefit each of the Company and the undersigned. The undersigned acknowledges that the underwriters are relying on the representations and agreements of the undersigned contained in this letter agreement in conducting the Offering and, at a subsequent date, in entering into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) and other underwriting arrangements with the Company with respect to the Offering.

Annex A sets forth definitions for capitalized terms used in this letter agreement that are not defined in the body of this letter agreement. Those definitions are a part of this letter agreement.

In consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, during the Lock-up Period, the undersigned will not (and will use reasonable best efforts to cause any Family Member not to), subject to the exceptions set forth in this letter agreement, without the prior written consent of Jefferies and Piper, which may withhold their consent in their sole discretion:

 

   

Sell or Offer to Sell any ADSs, Shares or Related Securities currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) by the undersigned or such Family Member,

 

   

enter into any Swap,

 

   

make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of any ADSs, Shares or Related Securities, or cause to be filed a registration statement, prospectus or prospectus supplement (or an amendment or supplement thereto) with respect to any such registration, or

 

   

publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing.

 

A-2


The foregoing restrictions shall not apply to:

(1) if the undersigned is a natural person, any transfers made by the undersigned (a) as a bona fide gift to any Family Member or to a trust the beneficiaries of which are exclusively the undersigned or a Family Member of the undersigned, (b) by will or intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned or (c) as a bona fide gift to a charity or educational institution;

(2) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, any transfers to any shareholder, partner or member of, or owner of a similar equity interest in, the undersigned, as the case may be, if, in any such case, such transfer is not for value;

(3) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity, any transfer made by the undersigned (a) in connection with the sale or other bona fide transfer in a single transaction of all or substantially all of the undersigned’s capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests or other similar equity interests, as the case may be, or all or substantially all of the undersigned’s assets, in any such case not undertaken for the purpose of avoiding the restrictions imposed by this letter agreement or (b) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business entity so long as the transferee is an Affiliate of the undersigned and such transfer is not for value;

(4) transactions relating to ADSs, Shares or Related Securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Offering, provided that no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or the rules promulgated thereunder, or the rules of The Nasdaq Global Market, shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with subsequent sales of ADSs, Shares or Related Securities acquired in such open market transactions;

(5) (a) the exercise of a stock option granted under a stock incentive plan described in the Final Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) by the undersigned, and the receipt by the undersigned from the Company of ADSs or Shares upon such exercise, insofar as such option is outstanding as of the date of the Final Prospectus, provided that the underlying ADSs or Shares shall continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this letter agreement; and (b) dispositions pursuant to any exercise or vesting described in sub clause (a) of this clause (5) on a “cashless” or “net” exercise basis or otherwise for the purpose of satisfying any applicable taxes (including estimated taxes) due in connection with such exercise;

(6) the transfer of ADSs, Shares or Related Securities pursuant to a qualified domestic order or in connection with a divorce settlement;

(7) transfers to the Company in connection with the repurchase of ADSs or Shares in connection with the termination of the undersigned’s employment with the Company pursuant to contractual agreements with the Company as in effect as of the date of the Final Prospectus, provided, that no filing or notification under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or the rules promulgated thereunder, or the rules of The Nasdaq Global Market during the Lock-up Period in connection with such transfers pursuant to this clause (7);

(8) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer for all outstanding ADSs and Shares of the Company, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Company’s securities involving a change of control of the Company (including, without limitation, the entering into any lock-up, voting or similar agreement pursuant to which the undersigned may agree to transfer, sell, tender or otherwise dispose of ADSs, Shares or other such securities in connection with such transaction, or vote any ADSs, Shares or other such securities in favor of any such transaction), provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, such securities held by the undersigned shall remain subject to the provisions of this letter agreement; or

 

A-3


(9) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of ADSs or Shares, provided that (a) such plan does not provide for the transfer of ADSs or Shares during the Lock-up Period and (b) the entry into such plan is not publicly disclosed, including in any filings under the Exchange Act, during the Lock-up Period;

provided, however, that in the case of any transfer described in clause (1), (2), (3) or (6) above, it shall be a condition to the transfer that (A) each resulting transferee of the Company’s securities executes and delivers to the Representatives an agreement satisfactory to the Representatives certifying that such transferee is bound by the terms of this letter agreement and has been in compliance with the terms hereof since the date first above written as if it had been an original party hereto and to the extent any interest in the Company’s securities is retained by the undersigned (or such Family Member), such securities shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this letter agreement, and (B) there shall be no required or voluntary filing of any reports under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or the rules promulgated thereunder, or the rules of The Nasdaq Global Market during the Lock-up Period.

The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of ADSs, Shares or Related Securities held by the undersigned and the undersigned’s Family Members, if any, except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.

With respect to the Offering only, the undersigned waives any registration rights relating to registration under the Securities Act of the offer and sale of any ADSs, Shares and/or any Related Securities owned either of record or beneficially by the undersigned, including any rights to receive notice of the Offering.

The undersigned confirms that the undersigned has not, and has no knowledge that any Family Member has, directly or indirectly, taken any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale of the ADSs or Shares. The undersigned will not, and will cause any Family Member not to take, directly or indirectly, any such action.

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Offering and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate.

Whether or not the Offering occurs as currently contemplated or at all depends on market conditions and other factors. The Offering will only be made pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the underwriters.

If (i) the Company notifies Jefferies and Piper in writing that it does not intend to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the Underwriting Agreement is not executed before March 31, 2021 (provided that the Company may by written notice to the undersigned prior to March 31, 2021, extend such date for a period of up to an additional three months, in the event that the Underwriting Agreement has not been executed by such date) or (iii) the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof that survive termination) terminates or is terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the ADSs or Shares to be sold thereunder, then in each case, this letter agreement shall automatically, and without any action on the part of any other party, terminate and be of no further force and effect, and the undersigned shall automatically be released from the obligations under this letter agreement.

 

A-4


The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power, capacity and authority to enter into this letter agreement. This letter agreement is irrevocable and will be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned.

This letter agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.

 

A-5


 

Signature

 

Printed Name of Person Signing

(Indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian or trustee, or on behalf of an entity)

 

A-6


Certain Defined Terms

Used in Lock-up Agreement

For purposes of the letter agreement to which this Annex A is attached and of which it is made a part:

 

   

Call Equivalent Position shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act.

 

   

Exchange Act shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

   

Family Member” shall mean the spouse of the undersigned, an immediate family member of the undersigned or an immediate family member of the undersigned’s spouse, in each case living in the undersigned’s household or whose principal residence is the undersigned’s household (regardless of whether such spouse or family member may at the time be living elsewhere due to educational activities, health care treatment, military service, temporary internship or employment or otherwise).

 

   

Immediate family member” as used above shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(e) under the Exchange Act.

 

   

Lock-up Periodshall mean the period beginning on the date hereof and continuing through the close of trading on the date that is 90 days after the date of the Final Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement).

 

   

Put Equivalent Position” shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act.

 

   

Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire ADSs or Shares or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ADSs or Shares, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ADSs or Shares.

 

   

Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

   

Sell or Offer to Sell” shall mean to:

 

1.

  

  

sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend,

2.

  

  

effect any short sale or establish or increase a Put Equivalent Position or liquidate or decrease any Call Equivalent Position

3.

  

  

pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in, or

4.

  

  

in any other way transfer or dispose of,

in each case whether effected directly or indirectly.

 

   

Swap” shall mean any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of ADSs, Shares or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise.

Capitalized terms not defined in this Annex A shall have the meanings given to them in the body of this letter agreement.

 

A-7


Exhibit B

Directors and Executive Officers

Signing Lock-up Agreement

 

   

Andrew Howden

 

   

Ben Goodger

 

   

Carl Firth

 

   

Damien Lim

 

   

Robert Hoffman

 

   

Kiran Asarpota

 

   

Stephen Doyle

 

   

Ken Kobayashi

 

   

Neil Graham

 

B-1

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO

 

4 March 2021

   Our Ref: JT/MK/A6231-S11774

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited

Walkers Corporate Limited

190 Elgin Avenue

George Town

Grand Cayman KY1-9008

Cayman Islands

Dear Sirs

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited

We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to ASLAN Pharmaceuticals Limited (the “Company”) in connection with the offering by the Company of up to 17,250,000 American Depositary Shares (the “ADSs”) representing 86,250,000 ordinary shares of the Company of a par value of US$0.01 each (the “Ordinary Shares” and, together with the ADSs, the “Securities”), including up to 2,250,000 ADSs that may be sold pursuant to the exercise of an option to purchase additional ADSs, pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form F-3 (Registration No. 333-252575), including all amendments or supplements thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed on 29 January 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (the “Base Prospectus”), and the prospectus supplement dated 2 March 2021 relating to the Securities (together with the Base Prospectus, the “Prospectus”). We are furnishing this opinion as exhibit 5.1 to the Company’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 4 March 2021.

For the purposes of giving this opinion, we have examined and relied upon the originals, copies or translations of the documents listed in Schedule 1.

In giving this opinion we have relied upon the assumptions set out in Schedule 2, which we have not independently verified.

We are Cayman Islands Attorneys at Law and express no opinion as to any laws other than the laws of the Cayman Islands in force and as interpreted at the date of this opinion. We have not, for the purposes of this opinion, made any investigation of the laws, rules or regulations of any other jurisdiction. Except as explicitly stated herein, we express no opinion in relation to any representation or warranty contained in any of the documents cited in this opinion nor upon matters of fact or the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion.

Based upon the examinations and assumptions stated herein and upon such searches as we have conducted and having regard to legal considerations which we consider relevant, and subject to the qualifications set out in Schedule 3, and under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we give the following opinions in relation to the matters set out below.

Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership

UEN/Reg. No. T09LL0833E

3 Church Street, 16-02 Samsung Hub, Singapore 049483

T +65 6595 4670 F +65 6595 4671 www.walkersglobal.com

Bermuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Dubai | Dublin | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Jersey | London | Singapore


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   Page 2

 

1.

The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated with limited liability, validly existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is in good standing with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.

 

2.

The authorised share capital of the Company is currently US$5,000,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.01 each.

 

3.

The issue and allotment of the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs pursuant to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus has been duly authorised. When allotted, issued and fully paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and when appropriate entries have been made in the Register of Members of the Company, the Ordinary Shares to be issued by the Company will be validly issued, allotted, fully paid and non-assessable, and there will be no further obligation on the holder of any of the Ordinary Shares to make any further payment to the Company in respect of such Ordinary Shares.

We hereby consent to the use of this opinion in, and the filing hereof, as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the headings “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities”, “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the Base Prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

This opinion is limited to the matters referred to herein and shall not be construed as extending to any other matter or document not referred to herein.

This opinion shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.

Yours faithfully

/s/ Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership

Walkers (Singapore) Limited Liability Partnership


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SCHEDULE 1

LIST OF DOCUMENTS EXAMINED

 

1.

The Certificate of Incorporation dated 23 June 2014, the Tenth Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association as adopted on 16 November 2020 by special resolution passed on 4 September 2020 (the “Memorandum and Articles”), Register of Members and Register of Directors, in each case, of the Company, copies of which have been provided to us by its registered office in the Cayman Islands and/or the Company’s advisers (together the “Company Records”).

 

2.

A copy of a Certificate of Good Standing dated 19 February 2021 in respect of the Company issued by the Registrar (the “Certificate of Good Standing”).

 

3.

The Cayman Online Registry Information System (CORIS), the Cayman Islands’ General Registry’s online database, searched on 3 March 2021.

 

4.

The Register of Writs and other Originating Process of the Grand Court kept at the Clerk of Court’s Office, George Town, Grand Cayman (the “Court Register”), examined at 09:00 a.m. on 2 March 2021 (the “Search Time”).

 

5.

Copies of executed minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of the Company dated, respectively, 28 January 2021 and 1 March 2021 setting out the resolutions adopted at each such meeting.

 

6.

A certificate from a director of the Company dated 3 March 2021 (the “Director’s Certificate”).

 

7.

The Registration Statement.

 

8.

The Prospectus.


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SCHEDULE 2

ASSUMPTIONS

 

1.

The originals of all documents examined in connection with this opinion are authentic. All documents purporting to be sealed have been so sealed. All copies are complete and conform to their originals.

 

2.

The Company Records are complete and accurate and all matters required by law and the Memorandum and Articles to be recorded therein are completely and accurately so recorded.

 

3.

The Director’s Certificate is true and correct as of the date hereof.

 

4.

The conversion of any shares in the capital of the Company will be effected via legally available means under Cayman law.


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SCHEDULE 3

QUALIFICATIONS

 

1.

Our opinion as to good standing is based solely upon receipt of the Certificate of Good Standing issued by the Registrar. The Company shall be deemed to be in good standing under section 200A of the Companies Act on the date of issue of the certificate if all fees and penalties under the Companies Act have been paid and the Registrar has no knowledge that the Company is in default under the Companies Act.

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

ASLAN PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

Singapore, 1 March 2021 – ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ASLN), a clinical-stage immunology focused biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to transform the lives of patients, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $60.0 million of its American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) representing ordinary shares. In addition, ASLAN expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $9.0 million of ADSs in the public offering on the same terms and conditions. All ADSs to be sold in the offering will be offered by ASLAN. The offering is subject to market conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

ASLAN expects to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, primarily to fund its planned ASLAN004 Phase 2b dose-range finding trial in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients. ASLAN is also required to repay $2.25 million of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest under its loan facilities entered into in October and November 2019 with the net proceeds from this offering. The remainder of the net proceeds, if any, will be used to fund new and other ongoing research and development activities, working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Jefferies LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by ASLAN pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3, including a base prospectus, that was previously filed by ASLAN with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and that was declared effective on February 11, 2021. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available for free on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov. Before you invest, you should read the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus and other documents we have filed with the SEC for more complete information about us and this offering. An electronic copy of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained by contacting Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by e-mail at prospectus_department@jefferies.com or by telephone at (877) 821-7388; or Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or by telephone at 800-747-3924 or by email at prospectus@psc.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About ASLAN Pharmaceuticals

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ASLN) is a clinical-stage immunology focused biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to transform the lives of patients. Led by a senior management team with extensive experience in global development and commercialisation, ASLAN has a clinical portfolio comprised of a potential first-in-class monoclonal therapy, ASLAN004, that is being developed in atopic dermatitis and other immunology indications, and ASLAN003, that it plans to develop for autoimmune disease.


Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The press release may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the size, completion and timing of the proposed public offering and the anticipated use of proceeds therefrom. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks and uncertainties related to completion of the proposed public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the proposed public offering. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by ASLAN is contained in the section captioned “Risk Factors” in Exhibit 99.1 to ASLAN’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2021. Any forward-looking statements that are made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. ASLAN assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

Media contact

 

Emma Thompson

Spurwing Communications

Tel: +65 6571 2021

Email: ASLAN@spurwingcomms.com

  

Robert Uhl

Westwicke Partners

Tel: +1 858 356 5932

Email: robert.uhl@westwicke.com

Exhibit 99.2

 

LOGO

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

ASLAN PHARMACEUTICALS ANNOUNCES PRICING OF PUBLIC OFFERING OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

Singapore, 2 March 2021 – ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ASLN), a clinical-stage immunology focused biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to transform the lives of patients, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 15,000,000 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) representing 75,000,000 ordinary shares at a price to the public of $4.00 per ADS. The gross proceeds from this offering are expected to be $60.0 million, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by ASLAN. The offering is expected to close on or about March 5, 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, ASLAN has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional ADSs at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

ASLAN expects to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with its existing cash and cash equivalents, primarily to fund its planned ASLAN004 Phase 2b dose-range-finding trial in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients. ASLAN is also required to repay $2.25 million of principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest under its loan facilities entered into in October and November 2019 with the net proceeds from this offering. The remainder of the net proceeds, if any, will be used to fund new and other ongoing research and development activities, working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Jefferies LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as lead manager for the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by ASLAN pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form F-3, including a base prospectus, that was previously filed by ASLAN with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and that was declared effective on February 11, 2021. A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available for free on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov. Before you invest, you should read the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus and other documents ASLAN has filed with the SEC for more complete information about ASLAN and this offering. An electronic copy of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained by contacting Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by e-mail at prospectus_department@jefferies.com or by telephone at (877) 821-7388; or Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or by telephone at 800-747-3924 or by email at prospectus@psc.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About ASLAN Pharmaceuticals

ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ASLN) is a clinical-stage immunology focused biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to transform the lives of patients. Led by a senior management team with extensive experience in global development and commercialisation, ASLAN has a clinical portfolio comprised of a potential first-in-class monoclonal therapy, ASLAN004, that is being developed in atopic dermatitis and other immunology indications, and ASLAN003, that it plans to develop for autoimmune disease.


Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The press release may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the completion of the public offering and the timing thereof, and the anticipated use of proceeds therefrom. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks and uncertainties related to completion of the public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, market conditions and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions related to the public offering. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by ASLAN is contained in the section captioned “Risk Factors” in Exhibit 99.1 to ASLAN’s Report on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2021. Any forward-looking statements that are made in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. ASLAN assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

Media contact

 

Emma Thompson

Spurwing Communications

Tel: +65 6571 2021

Email: ASLAN@spurwingcomms.com

  

Robert Uhl

Westwicke Partners

Tel: +1 858 356 5932

Email: robert.uhl@westwicke.com