10-K/A
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

 

 

(Mark One)

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File No. 001-37627

 

 

WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Singapore   Not applicable

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

7 Straits View #12-00, Marina One East Tower

Singapore

  018936
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

+65 6236 3388

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class

 

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered

$0 Par Value Ordinary Shares   The Nasdaq Global Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer   ☐  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting and non-voting ordinary shares held by non-affiliates of the registrant (without admitting that any person whose shares are not included in such calculation is an affiliate) computed by reference to the price at which the ordinary shares were last sold as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2017) was $288,724,657.

The number of outstanding ordinary shares of the registrant as of April 2, 2018 was 29,090,229.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) amends the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” or “Wave”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, as originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 12, 2018 (the “Original 10-K”). The purpose of this Amendment is to include information required by Part III of the Annual Report on Form 10-K that was intentionally omitted from Part III of the Original 10-K. In addition, this Amendment amends Item 15 of Part IV of the Original 10-K to update the exhibit list and to include new certifications by our principal executive officer and principal financial officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Except as described above, no other changes have been made to the Original 10-K. The Original 10-K continues to speak as of the dates described in the Original 10-K, and we have not updated the disclosures contained therein to reflect any events that occurred subsequent to such dates. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Company’s filings made with the SEC subsequent to the filing of the Original 10-K, as information in such filings may update or supersede certain information contained in this Amendment. As used in this Amendment, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise indicates, references to “Wave,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” or similar terms refer to Wave Life Sciences Ltd. and our wholly owned subsidiaries.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Amendment contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, forward-looking statements are identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “goals,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “ongoing,” “objective,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will” and “would” or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this Amendment, such statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. Forward-looking statements include statements about our ability to fund our working capital requirements; our success, cost and timing of our product development activities and clinical trials; the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates; our ability to identify and develop new product candidates; our intellectual property position; our commercialization, marketing and manufacturing capabilities and strategy; our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities; our estimates regarding future expenses and needs for additional financing; our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel; our financial performance; and developments and projections relating to our competitors in the industry. You should refer to the “Risk Factors” section in the Original 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Amendment will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, these statements should not be regarded as representations or warranties by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY—SCALED DISCLOSURE

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), enacted in April 2012. We intend to take advantage of certain exemptions under the JOBS Act from various public company reporting requirements, including not being required to have our internal control over financial reporting audited by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years after our initial public offering that occurred in November 2015 or until we are otherwise no longer an emerging growth company, whichever is earlier.

 

i


Table of Contents

WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

FORM 10-K/A

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PART III

  

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

     1  

Item 11. Executive Compensation

     7  

Item  12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

     11  

Item  13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

     13  

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

     16  

PART IV

  

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

     17  

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

     19  

Signatures

     20  

 

ii


Table of Contents

PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.

Board of Directors

Pursuant to our Constitution, there is no maximum number of directors that may hold office at any time. Our Board of Directors currently consists of seven members and each of our directors is elected annually.

Set forth below are the names of our directors, their ages as of April 2, 2018, their offices in the Company, if any, their principal occupations or employment for at least the past five years, the length of their tenure as directors and the names of other public companies in which such persons hold or have held directorships during the past five years. Additionally, information about the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led to our Board of Directors’ conclusion at the time of filing of this Amendment that each person listed below should serve as a director is set forth below:

 

Name

  

Age

  

Position/Title

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.    44    President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Christian Henry    50    Chairman of the Board of Directors
Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D.    41    Director
Koji Miura    69    Director
Adrian Rawcliffe    46    Director
Ken Takanashi    53    Director
Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D.    58    Director

Our Board of Directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with the Company, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our Board has determined that the following members of the Board are “independent directors” as defined by the Nasdaq Stock Market: Dr. Kolchinsky and Messrs. Henry, Miura, Rawcliffe, and Takanashi.

Paul B. Bolno, M.D. has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director since December 2013. Prior to joining us, he served at GlaxoSmithKline from 2009 to 2013 in various roles, including Vice President, Worldwide Business Development—Head of Asia BD and Investments, Head of Global Neuroscience BD, a director of Glaxo Welcome Manufacturing, Pte. Ltd. in Singapore and Vice President, Business Development for the Oncology Business Unit, where he helped establish GlaxoSmithKline’s global oncology business and served as a member of the Oncology Executive Team, Oncology Commercial Board and Cancer Research Executive Team. Prior to GlaxoSmithKline, he served as director of Research at Two River LLC, a health care private equity firm from 2004 to 2009. Dr. Bolno earned a medical degree from MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from Drexel University. He was a general surgery resident and cardiothoracic surgery postdoctoral research fellow at Drexel University College of Medicine. We believe that Dr. Bolno’s experience serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors and his experience leading biopharmaceutical companies qualify him to serve on our Board of Directors.

Christian Henry has served as a director since November 2016, and as Chairman of our Board of Directors since October 2017. Mr. Henry served as Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer of Illumina, Inc. from 2015 through January 2017, and previously served as Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer from 2014 to 2015, Senior Vice President & General Manager Genomic Solutions from 2012 to 2014, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & General Manager Life Sciences from 2010 to 2012, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2010, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2009, and Vice President & Chief Financial Officer from 2005 to 2006. Prior to joining Illumina, Inc., Mr. Henry served as the Chief Financial Officer of Tickets.com, Inc. from 2003 to 2005. From 1999 to 2003, Mr. Henry served as Vice President, Finance & Corporate Controller of Affymetrix, Inc. (acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2016). In 1997, Mr. Henry joined Nektar Therapeutics (formerly Inhale Therapeutic Systems, Inc.), as Corporate Controller, and later as its Chief Accounting Officer from 1997 to 1999. In 1996, Mr. Henry served as General Accounting Manager of Sugen, Inc. Mr. Henry began his career in 1992 at Ernst & Young LLP, where he was a Senior Accountant through 1996. Mr. Henry earned his B.A. in biochemistry and cell biology from the University of California, San Diego, and his M.B.A., with a concentration in finance, from the University of California, Irvine. We believe he is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his strengths in corporate strategy, finance and operations, along with his extensive experience leading various functions at one of the largest and most innovative genetic healthcare companies.

Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D. has served as a director since January 2015. Dr. Kolchinsky is a founder, Portfolio Manager, and Managing Director of RA Capital Management, LLC, a multi-stage investment manager which is dedicated to evidence-based investing in healthcare and life science companies, where he has worked since 2001. RA Capital Management, LLC is the general partner of RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, as well as a number of private companies. Dr. Kolchinsky authored “Entrepreneur’s Guide to a Biotech Startup” and served on the Board of Global Science

 

1


Table of Contents

and Technology for the National Academics of Sciences from 2009 to 2012. Dr. Kolchinsky earned his Ph.D. in virology from Harvard University and earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Cornell University. We believe Dr. Kolchinsky is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his business experience including his experience as an institutional investor and his experience serving on the boards of various healthcare and life science companies.

Koji Miura has served as a director since October 2012. Mr. Miura is the founder and Managing Director of Miura & Associates Management Consultants Pte. Ltd. and serves on the boards of directors of Azeus Systems Holdings Ltd., Marine Tec Tachibana Pte. Ltd., Matsuura Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mercury Investment Holding Pte. Ltd., Sunmoon Pte. Ltd., and Triple Farm Singapore Pte. Ltd. Mr. Miura holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Aoyama Gakuin, Tokyo, Japan. We believe he is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his broad business experience including his diverse background serving on the board of directors of various companies, both private and publicly-held, across multiple industries.

Adrian Rawcliffe has served as a director since February 2017. Mr. Rawcliffe currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc, where he has worked since 2015. Prior to joining Adaptimmune, Mr. Rawcliffe served in various roles at GlaxoSmithKline plc, including Senior Vice President Finance, North America Pharmaceuticals and Global Franchises from 2011 to 2015; Senior Vice President, Worldwide Business Development and R&D Finance from 2006 to 2011; Vice President, Worldwide Business Development Transactions and Ventures from 2003 to 2005; and Vice President, Deal Structuring from 2001 to 2003. From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Rawcliffe served as the President and Managing Partner of SR One Ltd. Mr. Rawcliffe began his career as a supervisor at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) from 1993 to 1997. Mr. Rawcliffe received his B.Sc. in Natural Sciences from the University of Durham, England. Mr. Rawcliffe also received Chartered Accountancy training through The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). We believe he is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his global expertise, along with extensive business and operating experience at one of the world’s largest global healthcare companies.

Ken Takanashi has served as a director since July 2012. Since 2002, Mr. Takanashi has served in various executive management and director roles at Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., or SNBL, and its affiliates and currently serves as its Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Takanashi was the Chief Financial Officer of SNBL USA, Ltd., a subsidiary of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, from 2012 to 2014. Mr. Takanashi earned an M.B.A. from the University of Warwick and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tokyo and is a Chartered Public Accountant. We believe he is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his extensive experience leading research and development for biopharmaceutical companies and his business, financial and accounting credentials.

Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D., is one of our founders and has served as a director since July 2013. He was our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer from our inception through December 2013 and served as Chairman of our Board of Directors from July 2013 through September 2017. Since 1989, Dr. Verdine has served as the Erving Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Verdine co-founded the non-profit Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and Gloucester Biotechnology Academy in 2013 and served as the Founding President until 2016. He is the co-founder of Fog Pharmaceuticals Inc. and LifeMine Therapeutics Inc. and serves as Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer for both companies. He is also the founder of Warp Drive Bio and has served in various roles, from Chief Scientific Officer to Chief Executive Officer, from the company’s inception in 2012 until April 2016. Dr. Verdine founded Enanta Pharmaceuticals and served as a director of the company from 1990 through its successful initial public offering in 2013. He is a Venture Partner at WuXi Healthcare Ventures, and has previously served as Venture Partner at AppleTree Ventures, TPG Biotech and Third Rock Ventures. He has served on the Board of Scientific Counsellors of the National Cancer Institute, and is on the Board of Scientific Consultants of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and he is a Senior Advisor to Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. Dr. Verdine is also the co-founder of Eleven Biotherapeutics, Tokai Therapeutics, Aileron Therapeutics, and Gloucester Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Celgene in 2010). He has also served as a director of the Chemical Biology Initiative and the Program in Cancer Chemical Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Verdine received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University and completed postdoctoral work in Molecular Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. We believe he is qualified to serve on our Board of Directors because of his expertise and deep knowledge of our company, its technology and our industry and his long track record of creating and advising successful biopharmaceutical companies.

Pursuant to the Singapore Companies Act, Chapter 50 (the “Singapore Companies Act”) and our Constitution, our Board must have at least one director who is ordinarily resident in Singapore. Mr. Miura is our Singapore resident director.

Committees of the Board of Directors and Meetings

Meeting Attendance. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, there were six meetings of our Board of Directors, and the various committees of the Board met a total of 12 times. No director, with the exception of Masaharu Tanaka, who served as a director during 2017 from January 1, 2017 through August 10, 2017, the date of our Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, attended fewer

 

2


Table of Contents

than 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board and of committees of the Board on which he served during 2017. The Board has adopted a policy under which each member of the Board has agreed to make reasonable efforts to attend annual general meetings of our shareholders.

Audit Committee. Our Audit Committee held four meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Our Audit Committee currently has three members: Mr. Henry (Chairman) and Messrs. Miura and Rawcliffe. On February 1, 2017, Mr. Rawcliffe replaced Masaharu Tanaka, who served as a director of our Board during 2017 from January 1, 2017 through August 10, 2017, the date of our Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, as a member of our Audit Committee. Our Audit Committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the Audit Committee’s written charter and include the responsibility to retain and terminate the services of our independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, the Audit Committee reviews annual financial statements, considers matters relating to accounting policy and internal controls and reviews the scope of annual audits.

Messrs. Henry, Miura and Rawcliffe satisfy the current independence standards promulgated by the SEC and by the Nasdaq Stock Market, as such standards apply specifically to members of audit committees. The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee meets the financial literacy requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and that each of Messrs. Henry and Rawcliffe qualifies an “audit committee financial expert,” as the SEC has defined that term in Item 407 of Regulation S-K.

A copy of the Audit Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.wavelifesciences.com.

Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The Compensation Committee currently has three members: Mr. Henry (Chairman), Dr. Kolchinsky and Mr. Takanashi. On March 9, 2017, Mr. Henry joined as a member of our Compensation Committee and, on December 12, 2017, replaced Dr. Kolchinsky as the Chairman of our Compensation Committee. During the period of January 1, 2017 through March 9, 2017, our Compensation Committee was comprised of Dr. Kolchinsky (Chairman) and Mr. Takanashi. Our Compensation Committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the Compensation Committee’s written charter and includes reviewing, approving and making recommendations regarding our compensation policies, practices and procedures to ensure that legal and fiduciary responsibilities of the Board of Directors are carried out and that such policies, practices and procedures contribute to our success. Our Compensation Committee also administers our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2014 Equity Incentive Plan”). The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the compensation of our executive officers.

Each member of the Compensation Committee qualifies as independent under the definition promulgated by the Nasdaq Stock Market.

A copy of the Compensation Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.wavelifesciences.com.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee currently has three members: Mr. Henry (Chairman), Mr. Takanashi and Dr. Kolchinsky. On March 9, 2017, Mr. Henry joined as a member of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and, on December 12, 2017, replaced Mr. Takanashi as the Chairman of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. During the period of January 1, 2017 through March 9, 2017, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was comprised of Mr. Takanashi (Chairman) and Dr. Kolchinsky. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s written charter and include evaluating and making recommendations to the full Board as to the size and composition of the Board and its committees, evaluating and making recommendations as to potential candidates, and evaluating current Board members’ performance.

Each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee qualifies as independent under the definition promulgated by the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the Board, and recommending the persons to be nominated for election as directors, except where we are legally required by contract, law or otherwise to provide third parties with the right to nominate.

The process followed by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to identify and evaluate director candidates includes making requests to Board members and others for recommendations, holding meetings from time to time to evaluate biographical information and reviewing background material relating to potential candidates and interviews of selected candidates by members of the committee and the Board. The qualifications, qualities and skills that the committee believes must be met by a committee-recommended nominee for a position on our Board of Directors are as follows:

 

    Nominees should have a reputation for integrity, honesty and adherence to high ethical standards.

 

3


Table of Contents
    Nominees should have demonstrated business acumen, experience and ability to exercise sound judgments in matters that relate to the Company’s current and long-term objectives and should be willing and able to contribute positively to the Company’s decision-making process.

 

    Nominees should have a commitment to understand the Company and its industry and to regularly attend and participate in meetings of the Board and its committees.

 

    Nominees should have the interest and ability to understand the sometimes conflicting interests of our various constituencies, which include shareholders, employees, customers, governmental units, creditors and the general public, and to act in the interests of all shareholders.

 

    Nominees should not have, nor appear to have, a conflict of interest that would impair the nominee’s ability to represent the interests of all of our shareholders and to fulfill the responsibilities of a director.

 

    Nominees shall not be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis proscribed by law. The value of diversity on the Board is considered.

 

    Nominees should normally be able to serve for at least five years before reaching the age of 70.

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers issues of diversity among its members in identifying and considering nominees for director, and strives where appropriate to achieve a diverse balance of backgrounds, perspectives, experience, age, gender, ethnicity and country of citizenship on the Board and its committees.

A copy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.wavelifesciences.com.

Procedures by which Shareholders may Nominate Directors

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall review and evaluate information available to it regarding candidates proposed by shareholders and shall apply the same criteria, and shall follow substantially the same process in considering them, as it does in considering other candidates. The factors generally considered by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are set out in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which are publicly available on the “For Investors & Media” section of our website at http://ir.wavelifesciences.com/ under the heading “Corporate Governance.” If a shareholder wishes to nominate a candidate to be considered for election as a director at our Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, it must comply with the procedures set forth in our Constitution. All shareholder proposals should be marked for the attention of General Counsel, Wave Life Sciences Ltd., 733 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation.

During 2017, the members of our Compensation Committee were Dr. Kolchinsky and Messrs. Henry and Takanashi. Dr. Kolchinsky is the managing member of RA Capital Management, LLC, the general partner of RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P., one of our shareholders. Mr. Takanashi is a director and executive officer of Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. and its affiliates, one of our shareholders. We have entered into certain transactions with affiliates of RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. and Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., as further described under “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” below.

No officer or employee has served as a member of the Compensation Committee. None of our executive officers serve as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

Familial Relationships

There are no familial relationships between any of our executive officers and directors.

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

The positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer are presently separated at the Company. We believe that separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing our Chairman of the Board to lead the Board of Directors in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independent oversight of, management. Our Board of Directors recognizes the time, effort and energy that the Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our Chairman, particularly as the Board of Directors’ oversight responsibilities continue to grow. Our Board of Directors also believes that this structure ensures a greater role for the

 

4


Table of Contents

independent directors in the oversight of our Company and active participation of the independent directors in setting agendas and establishing priorities and procedures for the work of our Board of Directors. The Board retains the authority to modify this leadership structure as and when appropriate to best address the Company’s unique circumstances at any given time and to serve the best interests of our shareholders.

Our Board of Directors oversees the risk management activities designed and implemented by our management. Our Board of Directors executes its oversight responsibility for risk management both directly and through its committees. Our Board of Directors also considers specific risk topics, including risks associated with our strategic plan, business operations and capital structure. In addition, our Board of Directors receives detailed regular reports from members of our management team and other personnel that include assessments and potential mitigation of the risks and exposures involved with their respective areas of responsibility. Our Board of Directors may delegate to the Audit Committee oversight of our risk management process. Our other Board committees will also consider and address risk as they perform their respective committee responsibilities. Specifically, the Audit Committee receives regular reports from members of senior management on areas of material risk to the Company, including operational, financial, legal, regulatory, strategic and reputational risks. As part of its charter, our Audit Committee regularly discusses with management our major risk exposures, their potential financial impact on our Company and the steps we take to manage them. Our Compensation Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management and risks arising from our compensation policies and programs. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks associated with Board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our directors and executive officers and corporate governance. All committees report to the full Board of Directors as appropriate, including when a matter rises to the level of a material or enterprise level risk.

Shareholder Communications to the Board

Generally, shareholders who have questions or concerns or who wish to address questions regarding our business directly with the Board of Directors, or any individual director, should direct his or her questions in writing to IR@wavelifesci.com. Communications will be distributed to the Board, or to any individual director or directors as appropriate, depending on the facts and circumstances outlined in the communications. Items that are unrelated to the duties and responsibilities of the Board may be excluded, such as junk mail and mass mailings, resumes and other forms of job inquiries, surveys and solicitations or advertisements. In addition, any material that is unduly hostile, threatening, or illegal in nature may be excluded, provided that any communication that is filtered out will be made available to any outside director upon request.

Executive Officers

Set forth below is information as of April 2, 2018 regarding our executive officers who are not also directors.

 

Name

  

Age

  

Title

Christopher Francis, Ph.D.

   40    Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Head of Emerging Areas

Michael Panzara, M.D., MPH

   51    Franchise Lead, Neurology

Keith C. Regnante

   48    Chief Financial Officer

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D.

   56    Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery

Christopher Francis, Ph.D. has served as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Head of Emerging Areas since May 2017. During the period January 2017 to May 2017, Dr. Francis served as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Portfolio Management. Prior to that, Dr. Francis served as our Vice President, Head of Business Development since April 2014. Prior to joining us, Dr. Francis held senior operational, strategic and business development roles within GlaxoSmithKline Oncology from 2009 to 2014 and was a member of the team that established GlaxoSmithKline’s Rare Disease Unit. Before GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. Francis was a health care private equity associate at Two River LLC from 2008 to 2009. He began his career in pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement consulting at IMS Health. Dr. Francis earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Melbourne and was a doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge.

Michael Panzara, M.D., MPH joined us as our Franchise Lead, Neurology in July 2016. Prior to joining us, Dr. Panzara served in various roles at Sanofi Genzyme (and Genzyme Corporation before its merger with Sanofi in 2011) from 2009 to July 2016, most recently serving as Head of the Multiple Sclerosis, Neurology and Ophthalmology Therapeutic Area for Global Development and prior to that, serving as Group Vice President, Therapeutic Area Head, Multiple Sclerosis and Neurology. Prior to joining Genzyme, Dr. Panzara served in roles of increasing responsibility at Biogen, including Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Neurology from 2006 to 2009 and in various roles in the Medical Research group from 2001 to 2006. In addition, from 1999 to 2011, Dr. Panzara was an Instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He trained in neurology at MGH from 1994 to 1998, and completed his post-doctoral training in immunology and rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Panzara holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine, and a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

 

5


Table of Contents

Keith C. Regnante has served as our Chief Financial Officer since August 2016. Prior to joining us, from February 2014 to August 2016, Mr. Regnante served as Vice President of Finance at Shire Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Regnante also served on the Financial Leadership Team and the R&D Leadership Team while he was at Shire. From September 2013 to February 2014, he served as Head of R&D Finance for ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. From January 1999 to August 2013, Mr. Regnante held multiple positions within finance for Biogen Inc., including Senior Director of Corporate Finance from 2011 to 2013, Senior Director of Worldwide R&D Finance from 2008 to 2011, and several other positions dating back to 1999. Prior to joining finance organizations for biotechnology companies, Mr. Regnante worked as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D. has served as our Senior Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery since August 2014. Before joining us, Dr. Vargeese served as Novartis’ Executive Director and Head of RNA Chemistry and Delivery, a position she held from 2008 to 2014. Prior to joining Novartis, Dr. Vargeese led siRNA delivery in the RNA Therapeutics division at Merck & Co., where she served as Senior Director and Head of RNA Chemistry and Delivery. Dr. Vargeese joined Merck through its acquisition of Sirna Therapeutics, where she was Vice President of Chemistry. Before Sirna, Dr. Vargeese served as Associate Director of Chemistry at NeXstar Pharmaceuticals and is the co-inventor of Macugen (pegaptanib), an approved therapy for treating wet AMD. Dr. Vargeese earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India and completed post-doctoral work at the University of Rhode Island.

SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

With the exception of the Form 4s to report the receipt of annual option grants to our non-employee directors Drs. Kolchinsky and Verdine, and Messrs. Henry, Miura, Rawcliffe, and Takanashi, on August 10, 2017, the date of our 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, pursuant to our publicly filed non-employee director compensation policy, which were filed on August 17, 2017 (but were due on August 14, 2017), our records reflect that all reports that were required to be filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act were filed on a timely basis.

CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS

We have adopted a code of business conduct and ethics that applies to all of our employees. The text of the code of conduct and ethics is posted on our website at www.wavelifesciences.com. Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or waivers from, provisions of the code of conduct and ethics that apply to our directors, principal executive officer or principal financial officer will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days following the date of the amendment or waiver, unless website posting or the issuance of a press release of such amendments or waivers is then permitted by the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

 

6


Table of Contents
Item 11. Executive Compensation.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table shows the total compensation paid or accrued during the last two fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 to our President and Chief Executive Officer and our two next most highly compensated executive officers who earned more than $100,000 during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and were serving as executive officers as of such date.

 

Name and Principal Position

   Year      Salary
($)
     Bonus
($)
     Share
Awards
($)(1)
     Option
Awards
($)(2)
     Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
     All Other
Compensation
($)(3)
     Total ($)  

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

     2017        515,300        —          1,054,515      1,342,902        283,400        528        3,196,645  

President and Chief Executive Officer

     2016        490,000        329,000        —          2,505,377        245,000        25,486        3,594,863  

Christopher Francis, Ph.D.

     2017        330,000        —          284,690        361,194        127,100        528        1,103,512  

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Head of Emerging Areas

                       

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D.

     2017        350,000        —          284,690        361,194        154,000        7,380        1,157,264  

Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery

                       

 

(1) Amount represents the aggregate grant date fair value for the share awards identified, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. A discussion of the assumptions used in determining grant date fair value may be found in Note 7 to the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.
(2) Amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value for the option awards identified, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. A discussion of the assumptions used in determining grant date fair value may be found in Note 7 to the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.
(3) Amounts include 401(k) matching contributions made to Dr. Vargeese and the value of annual premiums paid by us with respect to a life insurance policy for the benefit of each of the named executive officers. For 2016, amounts for Dr. Bolno also include reimbursement of relocation expenses of $15,461 and the related tax gross up of $8,500 as well as certain commuting expenses.

Narrative to Summary Compensation Table

Our Compensation Committee reviews and discusses our executive officers’ proposed compensation with the Chief Executive Officer for all executives other than the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer’s compensation is determined by the Compensation Committee.

Employment Agreements

Paul B. Bolno, M.D. Effective as of January 1, 2016, Dr. Bolno’s annual base salary was increased to $490,000 and his annual target bonus percentage for his 2016 bonus was increased to 50%. Effective as of January 1, 2017, Dr. Bolno’s annual base salary was increased to $515,300, and effective as of January 1, 2018, his annual base salary was increased to $541,100. In January 2018, in recognition of his 2017 performance supporting the achievement of our corporate goals discussed below, Dr. Bolno received a cash bonus of $283,400 that was equal to 110% of his target bonus of 50%. He also received an option to purchase 109,000 of our ordinary shares and 54,500 restricted share units under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan as long-term incentive plan awards. In addition, effective as of January 1, 2018, Dr. Bolno’s annual target bonus percentage was increased to 55%.

Christopher Francis, Ph.D. In March 2014, we entered into an offer letter with Dr. Francis pursuant to which he served as our Vice President, Head of Business Development, and now serves as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Head of Emerging Areas. Effective as of January 1, 2017, Dr. Francis’s annual base salary was increased to $330,000, and effective as of January 1, 2018, his annual base salary was increased to $363,000. In January 2018, in recognition of his 2017 performance supporting the achievement of our corporate goals discussed below, Dr. Francis received a cash bonus of $127,100 that was equal to 110% of his annual target bonus percentage of 35%. In addition, he received an option to purchase 26,000 of our ordinary shares and 13,000 restricted share units under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan as long-term incentive plan awards.

 

7


Table of Contents

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D. In July 2014, we entered into an offer letter with Dr. Vargeese pursuant to which she served as our Senior Vice President, Drug Discovery. Effective as of January 1, 2017, Dr. Vargeese’s annual base salary was increased to $350,000, and effective as of January 1, 2018, her annual base salary was increased to $400,000. In January 2018, in recognition of her 2017 performance supporting the achievement of our corporate goals discussed below, Dr. Vargeese received a cash bonus of $154,000 that was equal to 110% of her annual target bonus percentage of 40%. In addition, she received an option to purchase 35,000 of our ordinary shares and 17,500 restricted share units under our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan as long-term incentive plan awards.

Our named executive officers are also entitled to certain benefits in connection with a termination of employment or a change of control, which are discussed below under “—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change of Control.”

In addition, as a condition of their employment, each of our named executive officers has entered into a non-competition and non-solicitation agreement pursuant to which he or she has agreed not to compete with us for a period of 12 months following the termination of his or her employment. All agreements generally provide for at-will employment and that our named executive officers are eligible to participate in employee benefit plans of general applicability to other senior executives, which we maintain from time to time.

2017 Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation

Each of our named executive officers is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus calculated based on a target percentage of base salary, subject to the achievement of annual performance goals as determined by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion. Performance goals considered by our Board of Directors to determine bonuses for 2017 included advancing our pipeline by initiating three clinical programs in neurology and identifying clinical candidates outside of neurology; investing in platform technologies to enhance our discovery engine; and establishing internal cGMP manufacturing capabilities to meet our clinical deliverables. In recognition of these achievements, each of our named executive officers received their annual bonuses at 110% of their target bonus percentage.

2014 Equity Incentive Plan

Our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan was amended on August 10, 2017 (the “2014 Equity Incentive Plan”), following shareholder approval at our 2017 Annual General Meeting. Accordingly, our board and shareholders have authorized 6,064,544 ordinary shares for the granting of incentive options, non-qualified options, or NQSOs, share appreciation rights and restricted share unit awards, plus annual increases on the first day of July 2018, 2019 and 2020 equal to the lesser of (A) 3% of the ordinary shares outstanding on the day prior to the increase; and (B) such lesser number of ordinary shares as determined by the Board; provided that no more than 10,000,000 ordinary shares may be issued upon the exercise of incentive share options. The maximum number of ordinary shares with respect to awards which may be granted to any participant in any fiscal year under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan is 600,000 shares. In the event of a share dividend, split, recapitalization or reorganization or other change in change in capital structure, our board will make appropriate adjustments to these amounts.

Any shares subject to an award that is canceled, forfeited or expires prior to exercise or realization, either in full or in part, will again become available for issuance under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan. However, shares subject to an award under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan will not again be made available for issuance or delivery under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan if such shares are (a) shares tendered in payment of an option; (b) shares delivered or withheld by us to satisfy any tax withholding obligation; or (c) shares covered by a share-settled share appreciation right or other awards that were not issued upon the settlement of the award.

If we are acquired, our Board of Directors (or Compensation Committee) will with respect to options and share appreciation rights: (i) make appropriate provision for the continuation of the option or share appreciation right by substituting on an equitable basis for the ordinary shares then subject to such option or share appreciation right either the consideration payable with respect to the outstanding ordinary shares in connection with the corporate transaction or securities of any successor or acquiring entity; (ii) cancel or arrange for the cancellation of the options or share appreciation rights, to the extent not vested or exercised prior to the effective time of the transaction, in exchange for a payment in cash or ordinary shares as determined by the Board of Directors, in an amount equal to the amount by which the then-fair market value of the ordinary shares subject to such vested option or share appreciation right exceeds the exercise price; or (iii) after giving holders an opportunity to exercise to the extent vested their outstanding options or share appreciation rights, terminate any or all unexercised options and share appreciation rights at such time as the board deems appropriate. If we are acquired, our Board of Directors (or Compensation Committee) will with respect to outstanding restricted awards make appropriate provision for the continuation of such restricted awards on the same terms and conditions by substituting on an equitable basis for the ordinary shares then subject to such restricted awards either the consideration payable with respect to the outstanding ordinary shares in connection with the transaction or securities of any successor or acquiring entity. In lieu of the foregoing, if we are acquired, the Board of Directors may provide that, upon consummation of the acquisition, each outstanding restricted award shall be terminated in exchange for payment of an amount equal to the consideration payable upon consummation of such transaction to a holder of the number of ordinary shares comprising such restricted award to the extent then vested.

 

8


Table of Contents

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2017 Fiscal Year-End

The following table shows grants of options and grants of unvested restricted share unit awards outstanding on the last day of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 to each of the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table.

 

     Option Awards      Share Awards  

Name

   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options

(#)
Exercisable
     Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options

(#)
Unexercisable
    Option
Exercise
Price ($)
     Option
Expiration
Date
     Number of
Shares or Share
Units That
Have Not
Vested (#)
    Market Value of
Shares or Share
Units That Have
Not Vested ($)
 

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

     544,025        —       $ 2.48        3/10/2025       
     88,650        147,750 (1)    $ 18.79        6/16/2026       
     —          72,500 (2)    $ 29.05        1/25/2027       
                36,300 (3)    $ 1,274,130  

Christopher Francis, Ph.D.

     134,726        12,250 (4)    $ 2.48        3/10/2025       
     13,913        23,187 (1)    $ 18.79        6/16/2026       
     —          19,500 (2)    $ 29.05        1/25/2027       
                9,800 (3)    $ 343,980  

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D.

     182,220        36,744 (5)    $ 2.48        3/10/2025       
     18,598        31,002 (1)    $ 18.79        6/16/2026       
     —          19,500 (2)    $ 29.05        1/25/2027       
                9,800 (3)    $ 343,980  

 

(1) Vests in equal monthly installments over 36 months, commencing on June 16, 2017, subject to such officer’s continued service with us on each such vesting date. The option shall become fully vested upon a change of control.
(2) 25% vests on February 15, 2018 and the remainder of the option vests in equal monthly installments over 36 months, subject to such officer’s continued service with us on each such vesting date. The option shall become fully vested upon a change of control.
(3) 25% vests on February 15, 2018 and the remainder of the award vests in equal annual installments over 3 years, subject to such officer’s continued service with us on each such vesting date. The award shall become fully vested upon a change of control.
(4) Vests in equal monthly installments over 36 months, commencing on April 15, 2015, subject to such officer’s continued service with us on each such vesting date. The option shall become fully vested upon a change of control.
(5) Vests in equal monthly installments over 36 months, commencing on August 1, 2015, subject to such officer’s continued service with us on each such vesting date. The option shall become fully vested upon a change of control.

401(k) Plan

We maintain a 401(k) plan that is intended to qualify under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986, as amended. In general, all of our employees, including our named executive officers, are eligible to participate in the 401(k) plan. Under the 401(k) plan, employees may elect to reduce their current compensation by up to the statutorily prescribed annual limit, equal to $18,000 in 2017, and to have the amount of such reduction contributed to the 401(k) plan. We currently match 50% of an employee’s 401(k) contributions up to a maximum of 6% of the participant’s compensation. Matching contributions are 100% vested upon completion of one year of service with the Company. Matching contributions made to each of our named executive officers are included in the “Summary Compensation Table” above.

Potential Payments upon Termination or Change-In-Control

Pursuant to applicable equity agreements with each of Drs. Bolno, Francis and Vargeese, all unvested shares underlying outstanding options and restricted share units that were granted through December 31, 2017 will become fully vested upon a change of control which is defined as follows: (A) a merger or consolidation of the Company whether or not approved by the Board of Directors, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or the parent of such corporation) more than 50% of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or parent of such corporation, as the case may be, outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or (B) the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets in a transaction requiring shareholder approval.

 

9


Table of Contents

Pursuant to applicable equity agreements with each of Drs. Bolno, Francis and Vargeese, all unvested shares underlying outstanding options and restricted share units that are granted after December 31, 2017 will become fully vested upon termination without cause or for good reason within 12 months following a change of control, as defined above.

In addition, if we terminate Dr. Bolno’s employment without cause, then he will be entitled to receive as of the date of termination continued payment of his base salary for 12 months. Drs. Francis and Vargeese do not have any severance arrangements with the Company.

Director Compensation

The following table shows the total compensation paid or accrued during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 to each of our non-employee directors. Directors who are also employees are not compensated for their service on our Board of Directors.

 

Name

   Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash ($) (1)
     Option Awards ($) (2)      All Other
Compensation ($)
    Total ($)  

Christian Henry

     63,431        78,241          141,672  

Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D.

     49,000        78,241        —         127,241  

Koji Miura

     42,500        78,241        —         120,741  

Adrian Rawcliffe

     38,745        408,167        —         446,912  

Ken Takanashi

     48,000        78,241        —         126,241  

Masaharu Tanaka

     22,069        —          —         22,069  

Gregory Verdine, Ph.D.

     53,886        78,241        150,000 (3)      282,127  

Takeshi Wada, Ph.D.

     2,973        —          26,290 (4)      29,262  

 

(1) Amounts represent fees earned during 2017 under our Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy.
(2) Amount represents the aggregate grant date fair value for the option awards identified, computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. A discussion of the assumptions used in determining grant date fair value may be found in Note 7 to the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.
(3) Amount paid pursuant to a consulting agreement between the Company and Dr. Verdine.
(4) Amount paid as a fee for the provision of scientific advisory services to Wave Life Sciences Japan, Inc., or Wave Japan, our wholly owned subsidiary, and reflects the converted to U.S. dollar value of ¥2,935,000 at an average conversion rate for 2017 of 112.50 yen per U.S. dollar.

The following is a description of the standard compensation arrangements under which our directors are compensated for their service as directors, including as members of the various committees of our Board of Directors. At the 2017 Annual General Meeting, our shareholders approved a compensation policy for our non-employee directors, or the Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy, which remains in effect through the date on which our 2018 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders is held at which time we will be required under Singapore law to ask our shareholders to approve next year’s director compensation. Our non-employee directors are entitled to receive the following compensation under the Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy:

 

    Annual cash compensation of $35,000 to each non-employee director, other than the Chairman of the Board, and cash compensation of $60,000 to the non-employee Chairman of the Board.

 

    Additional annual cash compensation of $15,000 to the Chairman of the Audit Committee and $7,500 to each member of the Audit Committee other than the Chairman, in each case provided that such person is an independent director.

 

    Additional annual cash compensation of $10,000 to the Chairman of the Compensation Committee and $5,000 to each member of the Compensation Committee other than the Chairman, in each case provided that such person is an independent director.

 

    Additional annual cash compensation of $8,000 to the Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and $4,000 to each member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee other than the Chairman, in each case provided that such person is an independent director.

 

    One-time equity grant upon initial appointment or election to the Board of an option to purchase 18,000 ordinary shares, 25% of which shall vest on the first anniversary of the grant and the remaining 75% of which shall vest monthly thereafter for three years.

 

    Annual equity grant of an option to purchase 9,000 ordinary shares, all of which shall vest on the first anniversary of the grant.

 

10


Table of Contents
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of April 2, 2018 for (i) the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table appearing elsewhere in this Amendment, (ii) each of our directors and director nominees, (iii) all of our current directors and executive officers as a group and (iv) each shareholder known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our ordinary shares. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. We deem ordinary shares that may be acquired by an individual or group within 60 days of April 2, 2018 pursuant to the exercise of options and the conversion of our outstanding Series A preferred shares into ordinary shares to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such individual or group, but such shares are not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person shown in the table. Except as indicated in footnotes to this table, we believe that the shareholders named in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares shown to be beneficially owned by them based on information provided to us by these shareholders. Percentage ownership is based on 29,090,229 ordinary shares outstanding on April 2, 2018.

 

     Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned  

Name

   Shares      Percent  

5% Beneficial Owners

     

RA Capital Management, LLC(1)

     7,512,049        25.8

Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.(2)

     5,885,478        17.8

Kagoshima Sinsangyo Sousei Investment Limited Partnership(3)

     2,494,865        8.6

Redmile Group, LLC(4)

     2,209,107        7.6

Pfizer Inc.(5)

     1,875,000        6.4

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.(6)

     1,726,956        5.9

Directors and Named Executive Officers

     

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.(7)

     857,941        2.9

Christopher Francis, Ph.D.(8)

     144,509        *  

Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D.(8)

     223,570        *  

Christian Henry(8)

     5,999        *  

Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D.(9)

     7,521,049        25.8

Koji Miura(8)

     9,000        *  

Adrian Rawcliffe(8)

     5,249        *  

Ken Takanashi(10)

     5,894,478        17.9

Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D.(11)

     616,842        2.1

All directors and executive officers as a group (11 individuals)(12)

     15,375,953        44.3
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

* Represents less than 1% of ordinary shares outstanding on April 2, 2018.
(1) Based on information reported by RA Capital Management, LLC, or RA Capital, on Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on November 15, 2017. Such shares are held by RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P., or the Fund, and in a separately managed account, or the Account. RA Capital is the general partner of the Fund and serves as investment advisor for the Account. Peter Kolchinsky, Ph.D., a member of our Board of Directors, is the manager of RA Capital. RA Capital and Dr. Kolchinsky share voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. The address of RA Capital is 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1200, Boston, MA 02116.
(2) Based on information reported by Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd., or SNBL, on Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on April 26, 2018. Consists of (i) 1,697,467 ordinary shares held by SNBL; (ii) 286,663 ordinary shares held by SNBL USA, Ltd., or SNBL USA; (iii) 1,801,348 Series A preferred shares held by SNBL; and (iv) 2,100,000 Series A preferred shares held by SNBL USA. The Series A preferred shares can be converted at any time on a one-for-one basis into ordinary shares at the discretion of the holder. SNBL USA has pledged 286,663 ordinary shares for the benefit of The Kagoshima Bank, Ltd., or Kagoshima Bank, in order to secure the obligations of SNBL under a loan agreement, dated December 28, 2016, between SNBL and Kagoshima Bank. SNBL has pledged 915,464 ordinary shares for the benefit of Kagoshima Bank in order to secure the obligations of SNBL under a loan agreement, dated September 23, 2016, between SNBL and Kagoshima Bank. SNBL has pledged 720,063 ordinary shares for the benefit of Kagoshima Bank and certain other lenders in order to secure the obligations of SNBL under a loan agreement, dated September 15, 2017, between SNBL, Kagoshima Bank and certain other lenders. Ken Takanashi, a member of our Board of Directors, is a director and executive officer of SNBL and a director of SNBL USA. SNBL and Mr. Takanashi share voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. The address of SNBL is St. Luke’s Tower 12F, 8-1, Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0044, Japan.

 

11


Table of Contents
(3) Based on information reported by Kagoshima Shinsangyo Sousei Investment Limited Partnership, or KSS, on Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on March 22, 2018. Kagoshima Development Co. Ltd., or Kagoshima Development, is the general partner of KSS. KSS and Kagoshima Development share voting and dispositive power with respect to such shares, and Kagoshima Development may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. The address of KSS is 1-10 Yamanokuchi-cho, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima, 892-0844, Japan.
(4) Based on information reported by Redmile Group, LLC on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2018, such shares are held by Redmile Group, LLC or its direct or indirect subsidiaries. Jeremy C. Green is managing member of Redmile Group, LLC and may be deemed to beneficially own such shares. The address of Redmile Group, LLC is One Letterman Drive, Building D, Suite D3-300, San Francisco, CA 94129.
(5) Based on information reported by Pfizer Inc., on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on May 12, 2016. Such shares are held by C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., or the Shareholder, a Netherlands limited partnership. Pfizer Production LLC and Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, or the General Partners, are the general partners for C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V. Pfizer Inc. may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such shares since the Shareholder and the General Partners are indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Pfizer Inc. The General Partners may be deemed to have beneficial ownership over such shares as the general partners of the Shareholder. The address of Pfizer Inc., the General Partners and the Shareholder is 235 E. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017.
(6) Based on information reported by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., or T. Rowe Price, on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2018. T. Rowe Price does not serve as custodian of the assets of any of its clients. Accordingly, in each instance only the client or the client’s custodian or trustee bank has the right to receive dividends paid with respect to, and proceeds from the sale of, such securities. The ultimate power to direct the receipt of dividends paid with respect to, and the proceeds from the sale of, such securities, is vested in the individual and institutional clients which T. Rowe Price serves as investment adviser. Any and all discretionary authority which has been delegated to T. Rowe Price may be revoked in whole or in part at any time. The address of T. Rowe Price is 100 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
(7) Consists of (i) 190,856 ordinary shares held by Dr. Bolno and (ii) 667,085 ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018.
(8) Consists of ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018.
(9) See Footnote (1) above. Also consists of 9,000 ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018.
(10) See Footnote (2) above. Also consists of 9,000 ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018 held by Mr. Takanashi.
(11) Consists of (i) 75,039 ordinary shares held by Dr. Verdine, and (ii) 541,803 ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018.
(12) Consists of (i) 1,712,531 ordinary shares underlying options exercisable within 60 days of April 2, 2018, held by our directors and executive officers, (ii) 9,762,074 ordinary shares beneficially owned by our directors and executive officers and entities affiliated with certain of our directors and (iii) 3,901,348 Series A preferred shares, which can be converted at any time on a one-for-one basis into ordinary shares at the discretion of the holder, held by an entity affiliated with one of our directors.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table provides certain information with respect to our 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, which was our only equity compensation plan in effect as of December 31, 2017.

 

Plan Category

   Number of Securities
to be Issued upon
Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
    Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding
Options, Warrants
and Rights
    Number of
Securities
Remaining
Available for Future
Issuance under
Equity
Compensation Plans
 

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

     3,921,589 (1)    $ 12.69 (2)      1,716,110  

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

     —         —         —    

Total

     3,921,589 (1)    $ 12.69 (2)      1,716,110  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (1) Consists of options to purchase 3,767,130 shares of our common stock outstanding under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and 154,459 shares of our common stock subject to RSUs outstanding under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.
  (2) Reflects the weighted average exercise price of the options to purchase 3,767,130 shares of our common stock outstanding under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

12


Table of Contents
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

The following includes a summary of transactions since January 1, 2017 to which we have been a party, in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeded $120,000, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or beneficial owners of more than 5% of our ordinary shares, on an as-converted basis, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, other than equity and other compensation, termination, change in control and other arrangements, which are described in Item 11, “Executive Compensation.” We refer to such transactions as “related party transactions” and such persons as “related parties.” With the approval of our Board of Directors, we have engaged in the related party transactions described below.

Related Party Transaction Policy

Our Board of Directors has adopted a written policy that requires our management to identify proposed related party transactions and present information about the proposed related party transaction to our Audit Committee, or if Audit Committee approval would be inappropriate, to another independent body of our Board of Directors, for review and if deemed appropriate, for approval by the committee. In approving or rejecting such proposed related party transaction, the committee is required to consider relevant facts and circumstances. The committee approves only those transactions that, in light of known circumstances, are deemed to be in our best interests. In the event that any member of the committee is not a disinterested person with respect to the related party transaction under review, that member is excluded from the review and approval or rejection of such related party transaction; provided, however, that such committee member may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at the meeting of the committee at which such transaction is considered. If we become aware of an existing related party transaction which has not been approved under the policy, the matter will be referred to the committee. The committee evaluates all options available, including ratification, revision or termination of such transaction. In the event that management determines that it is impractical or undesirable to wait until a meeting of the committee to consummate a related party transaction, the chair of the committee may approve such transaction in accordance with the related person transaction approval policy. Any such approval must be reported to the committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Indemnification Agreements with Officers and Directors

We have entered into deeds of indemnity with our directors and our executive officers. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Singapore law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified. These indemnification rights shall not be exclusive of any other right which an indemnified person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of our Constitution, agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise if he or she is subsequently found to have been negligent or otherwise have breached his or her trust or fiduciary duties or to be in default thereof, or where the Singapore courts have declined to grant relief.

Registration Rights

Registration Rights Under Our Investors’ Rights Agreement

As of April 2, 2018, the holders of approximately 7.3 million of our ordinary shares are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of these shares under the Securities Act pursuant to the terms of the Investors’ Rights Agreement dated as of August 14, 2015 between us and the holders of these shares. The rights include demand registration rights, Form S-3 registration rights and piggyback registration rights. We are generally required to bear all registration expenses incurred in connection with the demand, Form S-3 and piggyback registrations described below, other than underwriting commissions and discounts, and will pay the reasonable fees and expenses, not to exceed $25,000, of one special counsel to represent all participating shareholders in a registration. The holders of registration rights as of April 2, 2018 under the Investors’ Rights Agreement include the following related parties:

 

Name

   Securities  

Entities affiliated with Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd.(1)

     1,859,130  

Entities affiliated with RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P.(2)

     5,213,651  

Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D.

     75,039  

 

13


Table of Contents

Name

   Securities  

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

     190,856  

 

(1) Consists of (i) 1,697,467 ordinary shares held by SNBL and (ii) 161,663 ordinary shares held by SNBL USA, an affiliate of SNBL.
(2) Consists of (i) 5,012,057 ordinary shares held by RA Capital and (ii) 201,594 shares held in a separately managed account for which RA Capital Management, LLC, the general partner of RA Capital, is investment advisor.

Demand Registration Rights

Under the terms of the Investors’ Rights Agreement, we will be required, upon the request of holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding shares of Registrable Securities, as such term is defined in the Investors’ Rights Agreement, requesting registration of at least 50% of the then-outstanding shares of Registrable Securities having an anticipated aggregate offering price of at least $25.0 million, net of selling expenses, to effect the registration of such shares on Form S-1 for public resale. We are required to effect only one registration pursuant to this provision of the Investors’ Rights Agreement.

Form S-3 Registration Rights

At any time that we are entitled under the Securities Act to register our shares on Form S-3 and the holders of at least 30% of the then-outstanding Registrable Securities request that we register their shares for public resale on Form S-3 with an aggregate offering price of the shares to be registered of at least $5.0 million, net of selling expenses, we will be required to effect such registration. If, however, our Chief Executive Officer certifies that, in the good faith judgment of our Board of Directors, it would be materially detrimental to us and our shareholders for such registration to become or remain effective because such action would (i) materially interfere with a significant acquisition, corporate reorganization or similar transaction involving us, (ii) require premature disclosure of material information that we have a bona fide business purpose for preserving as confidential, or (iii) render us unable to comply with requirements under the Securities Act or Exchange Act, then we will have the right to defer the registration for up to 120 days. We are only obligated to effect up to one registration on Form S-3 within any 12-month period.

Piggyback Registration Rights

If we register any of our securities either for our own account or for the account of other shareholders, the holders of these shares are entitled to include their shares in the registration. Subject to certain exceptions, we and the underwriters may limit the number of shares included in the underwritten offering if the underwriters believe that including these shares would adversely affect the offering.

Indemnification

Our Investors’ Rights Agreement contains customary cross-indemnification provisions, under which we are obligated to indemnify holders of registrable securities in the event of material misstatements or omissions in the registration statement attributable to us, and they are obligated to indemnify us for material misstatements or omissions attributable to them.

Termination of Registration Rights

The registration rights granted under the Investors’ Rights Agreement will terminate on the third anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering (November 16, 2018), or, with respect to any holder of registrable securities, such earlier time as all such registrable securities held by such holder are available for resale without limitation during a three-month period without registration, pursuant to Rule 144 or another similar exemption under the Securities Act.

Registration Rights under our Share Purchase Agreement

Under the terms of the Pfizer Equity Agreement (defined below), the Pfizer Affiliate (defined below) agreed that the 1,875,000 ordinary shares that the Pfizer Affiliate purchased from us under the Pfizer Equity Agreement (the “Pfizer Shares”) are subject to a lock-up restriction, such that the Pfizer Affiliate will not, and will also cause its affiliates not to, without our prior approval, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the Pfizer Shares until certain specified periods of time after the effective date of the Pfizer Equity Agreement. For a certain period following the expiration of the lock-up period, subject to certain conditions and limitations, we agreed to provide certain demand registration rights to the Pfizer Affiliate in order to register all or a portion of the Pfizer Shares purchased by the Pfizer Affiliate. We also provided the Pfizer Affiliate with certain “piggyback” registration rights for a certain period following the expiration of the lock-up period, subject to certain conditions and limitations, such that when we propose to register our ordinary shares for our account, the Pfizer Affiliate will have the right to include some or all of the Pfizer Shares in such registration. The Pfizer Equity Agreement also contains other customary terms and conditions of the parties with respect to the registration of the Pfizer Shares.

 

14


Table of Contents

Consulting Agreement with Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D.

Gregory L. Verdine, Ph.D., a member of our Board of Directors, entered into a consulting agreement with Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc., or Wave USA, our wholly owned subsidiary, dated as of April 1, 2012, pursuant to which Dr. Verdine serves as a scientific advisor. The consulting agreement does not have a specified term and may be terminated by either party upon 14 days’ prior written notice. Wave USA pays Dr. Verdine $12,500 per month and, in 2017, Dr. Verdine was paid an aggregate of $150,000 under this agreement.

Scientific Advisory Arrangement with Takeshi Wada, Ph.D.

Takeshi Wada, Ph.D., elected to step down from our Board of Directors, effective January 31, 2017, and is continuing to work with us as a scientific advisor. During 2017, Dr. Wada continued to provide scientific advisory services to Wave Life Sciences Japan, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary. In January 2017, he was compensated under a pre-existing arrangement that entitled him to ¥250,000 per month, which amounted to approximately $2,000 per month. For the remainder of 2017, Dr. Wada was compensated under a new scientific advisory services agreement, which entitled him to ¥335,000 per month, and amounted to approximately $3,000 per month. In 2017, we paid Dr. Wada approximately $26,290 in the aggregate for these scientific advisory services.

Agreements with SNBL

Ken Takanashi, a member of our Board of Directors, is a director and executive officer of SNBL and its affiliates. Previously, we leased our corporate office space in Boston, Massachusetts under a non-cancellable operating sublease with SNBL, a related party. On September 22, 2015, we terminated our sublease with SNBL and exited the premises on October 2, 2015. In connection with the termination, we agreed to guarantee SNBL certain obligations of an unrelated third party who entered into a sublease agreement with SNBL effective October 2, 2015. The guarantee provides that in the event the sub-lessee does not meet its lease obligations to SNBL, we will make the required payments. The guarantee agreement is effective through August 2019, when the final lease payments are due, and coincides with the original expiration of the lease. We simultaneously entered into an indemnification agreement with the sub-lessee to indemnify us for any costs incurred under the guaranty made by us to SNBL. The maximum amount of the guarantee over the three-year and six-month sublease period is $0.6 million, exclusive of any indemnification from the sub-lessee.

In addition, pursuant to the terms of certain service agreements we have with SNBL, in 2017, we paid SNBL $0.5 million for contract research services provided to us and our affiliates.

Banking Relationship with KSS

Masaharu Tanaka, a member of our Board of Directors through August 2017, served as the President of Kagoshima Development Co. Ltd., the general partner of KSS, from June 2014 to March 2017. We maintained depository accounts at Kagoshima Bank, Ltd. during 2017, an affiliate of KSS, where we held certain of our cash balances. These accounts were closed in 2018. During the year ended December 31, 2017, we had end-of-quarter cash balances of up to approximately $127 thousand in these depository accounts.

Agreements with Pfizer and its Affiliate

On May 5, 2016, we entered into a Research, License and Option Agreement with Pfizer Inc., which we refer to herein as the “Pfizer Collaboration Agreement.” Simultaneously with the entry into the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, on May 5, 2016, we entered into a Share Purchase Agreement, or the “Pfizer Equity Agreement,” with C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., an affiliate of Pfizer, or the “Pfizer Affiliate.” We refer to the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement and the Pfizer Equity Agreement herein collectively as the “Pfizer Agreements.”

Pursuant to the terms of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, we and Pfizer have agreed to collaborate on the discovery, development and commercialization of stereopure oligonucleotide therapeutics for up to five programs (each, a “Pfizer Program”), each directed at a genetically-defined hepatic target selected by Pfizer. Under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, the parties agreed to collaborate during a four-year research term. The term of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement runs from the effective date until the date of the last to expire payment obligations with respect to each Pfizer Program and with respect to each Company program, and expires on a program-by-program basis accordingly.

Under the terms of the Pfizer Agreements, Pfizer paid us $40.0 million upfront, $30.0 million of which was in the form of an equity investment in our ordinary shares. Subject to option exercises by Pfizer, assuming five potential products are successfully developed and commercialized, we may earn potential research, development and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties, tiered up to low double-digits, on sales of any products that may result from the collaboration pursuant to the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement.

 

15


Table of Contents

Under the Pfizer Equity Agreement, we issued 1,875,000 ordinary shares, or the “Pfizer Shares,” to the Pfizer Affiliate at a purchase price of $16.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $30.0 million. Under the terms of the Pfizer Equity Agreement, the Pfizer Affiliate agreed that the Pfizer Shares will be subject to a lock-up restriction, such that the Pfizer Affiliate will not, and will also cause its affiliates not to, without our prior approval, sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the Pfizer Shares until certain specified periods of time after the effective date of the Pfizer Equity Agreement. We also agreed to provide the Pfizer Affiliate with registration rights, as described under “Registration Rights” above.

DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Our Board of Directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with the Company, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our Board has determined that the following members of the Board are “independent directors” as defined by the Nasdaq Stock Market: Dr. Kolchinsky and Messrs. Henry, Miura, Rawcliffe, and Takanashi.

 

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.

The following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered by KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accountant firm, for the services described in the table.

 

     2017      2016  

Audit fees(1)

   $ 1,143,931      $ 633,671  

Audit-related fees(2)

     —          —    

Tax fees(2)

     —          —    

All other fees(2)

     —          —    

 

(1) Audit fees consisted of audit work performed in the preparation of financial statements, as well as work generally only the independent registered public accounting firm can reasonably be expected to provide, such as statutory audits and the provision of consents in connection with the filing of registration statements and related amendments, as well as other filings.
(2) There were no audit-related, tax or other fees in 2016 or 2017.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Public Accountant

In connection with our initial public offering, we adopted a policy under which the Audit Committee must pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. As part of its review, the Audit Committee also considers whether the categories of pre-approved services are consistent with the rules on accountant independence of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The Audit Committee pre-approved all services performed since the pre-approval policy was adopted.

Prior to engagement of an independent registered public accounting firm for the next year’s audit, management will submit an aggregate of services expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of services to the Audit Committee for approval.

1. Audit services include audit work performed in the preparation of financial statements, as well as work that generally only an independent registered public accounting firm can reasonably be expected to provide, including comfort letters, statutory audits, and attest services and consultation regarding financial accounting and/or reporting standards.

2. Audit-related services are for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed by an independent registered public accounting firm, including due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit plan audits, and special procedures required to meet certain regulatory requirements.

3. Tax services include all services performed by an independent registered public accounting firm’s tax personnel except those services specifically related to the audit of the financial statements, and includes fees in the areas of tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice.

4. Other fees are those associated with services not captured in the other categories. The Company generally does not request such services from our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

16


Table of Contents

Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves these services by category of service. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage our independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances, the Audit Committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging our independent registered public accounting firm.

The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The member to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational purposes only, any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.

 

Item 15(a).    The documents listed below are filed as part of this Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A.
Item 15(a)(1) and (2).    See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1 of the Original 10-K. Other financial statement schedules have not been included because they are not applicable or the information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto.
Item 15(a)(3).    Exhibits: The exhibits listed below are filed with, or incorporated by reference in, this Amendment.

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit Description

  

Filed

with

this

Report

  

Incorporated by

Reference herein

from Form or

Schedule

  

Filing Date

  

SEC

File/Reg.

Number

  3.1    Constitution (formerly known as Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association)      

Amendment No. 5

to Form S-1

(Exhibit 3.2)

   11/10/2015    333-207379
  4.1    Form of Specimen Ordinary Share Certificate      

Amendment No. 3

to Form S-1

(Exhibit 4.1)

   11/06/2015    333-207379
  4.2    Investors’ Rights Agreement by and among the Registrant and certain of its shareholders, dated as of August 14, 2015      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 4.2)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
  4.3†    Share Purchase Agreement by and between the Registrant and C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., dated as of May 5, 2016      

Form10-Q

(Exhibit 10.2)

   08/15/2016    001-37627
Lease Agreements            
10.1    Lease Agreement by and among Harvard Real Estate—Allston, Inc., Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd., dated June 25,  2009      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.2)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.2    Commercial Lease Agreement by and among SNBL USA, Ltd. and Ontorii, Inc. (now Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc.), dated as of January  1, 2010      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.4)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.3    Consent to Office Space Sublease by and among SNBL USA, Ltd, Ontorii, Inc. (now Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc.) and Harvard Real Estate—Allston, Inc., dated as of January 1, 2010      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.3)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.4    Amendment 1 to the Commercial Lease Agreement by and between SNBL USA, Ltd. and Ontorii, Inc. (now Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc.), dated as of July 1, 2011      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.5)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.5    Lease Agreement by and between the Registrant and King 733 Concord LLC, dated as of April 6, 2015      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.7)

   10/09/2015    333-207379

 

17


Table of Contents

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit Description

  

Filed

with

this

Report

  

Incorporated by

Reference herein

from Form or

Schedule

  

Filing Date

  

SEC

File/Reg.

Number

10.6    Lease Agreement by and between Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. and King 115 Hartwell LLC, dated as of September 26, 2016.      

Form 8-K

(Exhibit 10.1)

   09/27/2016    001-37627
10.7    First Amendment (to Lease) by and between Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. and King 115 Hartwell LLC, dated as of December 31, 2016      

Form 8-K

(Exhibit 10.1)

   01/06/2017    001-37627
Collaboration and License Agreements      
10.8†    Co-Exclusive License Agreement by and between the Registrant and Max-Planck-Innovation GmbH, dated as of June 8, 2015      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.10)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.9.1†    Research, License and Option Agreement by and between the Registrant and Pfizer Inc., dated as of May 5, 2016      

Form10-Q

(Exhibit 10.1)

   08/15/2016    001-37627
10.9.2    Amendment No. 1 to Research, License and Option Agreement by and between the Registrant and Pfizer Inc., dated as of November  5, 2017      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 10.9.2)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
Agreements with Executive Officers and Directors
10.10+    Form of Deed of Indemnity by and between the Registrant and each of its directors and certain of its officers      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.11)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.11+    Employment Agreement by and between the Registrant and Paul B. Bolno, M.D., dated as of December 12, 2013      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.12)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.12+    Offer Letter by and between the Registrant and Chandra Vargeese, Ph.D., dated as of July 2, 2014      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.14)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.13+    Offer Letter by and between the Registrant and Christopher Francis, Ph.D., dated as of March 10, 2014      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.15)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.14+    Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Michael Panzara, M.D. dated as of July 11, 2016      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.4)

   11/09/2016    001-37627
10.15+    Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Keith C. Regnante dated as of August 16, 2016      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.5)

   11/09/2016    001-37627
10.16+    Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy effective as of November 10, 2016.      

Form 8-K

(Exhibit 10.1)

   11/10/2016    001-37627
10.17+    Consulting Agreement by and between Ontorii, Inc. (now Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc.) and Gregory Verdine, dated as of April 1,  2012      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.16)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
10.18+    Nominee Director Fee Agreement by and between the Registrant and Miura  & Associates Management Consultants Pte. Ltd., dated as of October 23, 2012      

Form S-1

(Exhibit 10.17)

   10/09/2015    333-207379
Equity and Other Compensation Plans   
10.19+    Wave Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.1)

   11/09/2017    001-37627
10.20+    Form of Non-qualified Share Option Agreement under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.2)

   11/09/2017    001-37627
10.21+    Form of Incentive Share Option Agreement under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.3)

   11/09/2017    001-37627

 

18


Table of Contents

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit Description

  

Filed

with

this

Report

  

Incorporated by

Reference herein

from Form or

Schedule

  

Filing Date

  

SEC

File/Reg.

Number

10.22+    Form of Restricted Share Unit Agreement under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.4)

   11/09/2017    001-37627
10.23+    Form of Non-qualified Share Option Agreement for UK Participants under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended      

Form 10-Q

(Exhibit 10.5)

   11/09/2017    001-37627
21.1    List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 21.1)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
23.1    Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 23.1)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
24.1    Power of Attorney (included on signature page to the Original 10-K)            
31.1    Certifications of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)    X         
31.2    Certifications of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)    X         
32    Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section  906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, by Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer.      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 32)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.INS    XBRL Instance Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.INS)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.SCH    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.SCH)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.CAL    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.CAL)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.DEF    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.DEF)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.LAB    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.LAB)

   03/12/2018    001-37627
101.PRE    XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document      

Form 10-K

(Exhibit 101.PRE)

   03/12/2018    001-37627

 

(+) Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
(†) Confidential treatment has been granted with respect to certain portions of this exhibit. Omitted portions have been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.

None.

 

19


Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

    Wave Life Sciences Ltd.
Date: April 27, 2018     By:  

/s/ Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

      Paul B. Bolno, M.D.
      President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

20

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Paul B. Bolno, M.D., certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A of Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report.

Date: April 27, 2018

 

/s/ Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

President and Chief Executive Officer

(principal executive officer)

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

SECTION 302 OF

THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Keith C. Regnante, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A of Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report.

Date: April 27, 2018

 

/s/ Keith C. Regnante

Keith C. Regnante

Chief Financial Officer

(principal financial officer and

principal accounting officer)