wve-10q_20170930.htm

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 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

State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

Not applicable

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

 

 

8 Cross Street #10-00, PWC Building

Singapore 048424

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

+65 6236 3388

(Registrant’s telephone number)

 

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 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 number of outstanding ordinary shares of the registrant as of November 1, 2017 was 27,790,022.

 

 

 

 

 


WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

Page

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

3

Item 1. Financial Statements

 

3

Unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets

 

3

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations

 

4

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

 

5

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 

6

Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements

 

7

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

13

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

22

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

23

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

23

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

23

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

24

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

24

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

 

24

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

 

24

Item 5. Other Information

 

24

Item 6. Exhibits

 

32

 

 

2


PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

 

September 30, 2017

 

 

December 31, 2016

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

168,464

 

 

$

150,293

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

5,370

 

 

 

1,483

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

214

 

Total current assets

 

 

173,834

 

 

 

151,990

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

24,584

 

 

 

8,607

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

560

 

Restricted cash

 

 

3,608

 

 

 

3,601

 

Other assets

 

 

60

 

 

 

53

 

Total assets

 

$

202,086

 

 

$

164,811

 

Liabilities, Series A preferred shares and shareholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

4,705

 

 

$

4,943

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

6,953

 

 

 

4,434

 

Current portion of capital lease obligation

 

 

31

 

 

 

62

 

Current portion of deferred rent

 

 

50

 

 

 

 

Current portion of deferred revenue

 

 

2,705

 

 

 

2,705

 

Current portion of lease incentive obligation

 

 

678

 

 

 

11

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

15,122

 

 

 

12,155

 

Long-term liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital lease obligation, net of current portion

 

 

 

 

 

16

 

Deferred rent, net of current portion

 

 

3,837

 

 

 

680

 

Deferred revenue, net of current portion

 

 

6,283

 

 

 

8,311

 

Lease incentive obligation, net of current portion

 

 

2,093

 

 

 

116

 

Other liabilities

 

 

1,021

 

 

 

796

 

Total long-term liabilities

 

 

13,234

 

 

 

9,919

 

Total liabilities

 

$

28,356

 

 

$

22,074

 

Series A preferred shares, no par value; 3,901,348 shares issued and outstanding

   at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016

 

$

7,874

 

 

$

7,874

 

Shareholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordinary shares, no par value; 27,767,905 and 23,502,169 shares issued and

   outstanding at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively

 

$

309,434

 

 

$

215,602

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

18,995

 

 

 

10,029

 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

 

(272

)

 

 

(291

)

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(162,301

)

 

 

(90,477

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

$

165,856

 

 

$

134,863

 

Total liabilities, Series A preferred shares and shareholders’ equity

 

$

202,086

 

 

$

164,811

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

 

3


WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

Revenue

 

$

676

 

 

$

392

 

 

$

2,028

 

 

$

809

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

20,097

 

 

 

13,686

 

 

 

53,940

 

 

 

26,823

 

General and administrative

 

 

7,571

 

 

 

3,939

 

 

 

20,088

 

 

 

10,809

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

27,668

 

 

 

17,625

 

 

 

74,028

 

 

 

37,632

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(26,992

)

 

 

(17,233

)

 

 

(72,000

)

 

 

(36,823

)

Other income (expense):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dividend income

 

 

515

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,287

 

 

 

 

Interest income (expense), net

 

 

1

 

 

 

118

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

328

 

Other income (expense), net

 

 

(75

)

 

 

(36

)

 

 

(211

)

 

 

(25

)

Total other income (expense), net

 

 

441

 

 

 

82

 

 

 

1,081

 

 

 

303

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(26,551

)

 

 

(17,151

)

 

 

(70,919

)

 

 

(36,520

)

Income tax benefit (provision)

 

 

416

 

 

 

(384

)

 

 

(905

)

 

 

(427

)

Net loss

 

$

(26,135

)

 

$

(17,535

)

 

$

(71,824

)

 

$

(36,947

)

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders—

   basic and diluted

 

$

(0.94

)

 

$

(0.75

)

 

$

(2.75

)

 

$

(1.64

)

Weighted-average ordinary shares used in computing net loss

   per share attributable to ordinary shareholders—basic

   and diluted

 

 

27,758,792

 

 

 

23,445,673

 

 

 

26,078,696

 

 

 

22,571,575

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

 

4


WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(In thousands)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

Net loss

 

$

(26,135

)

 

$

(17,535

)

 

$

(71,824

)

 

$

(36,947

)

Other comprehensive income (loss):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation

 

 

1

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

19

 

 

 

43

 

Comprehensive loss

 

$

(26,134

)

 

$

(17,527

)

 

$

(71,805

)

 

$

(36,904

)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

 

5


WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(71,824

)

 

$

(36,947

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amortization of lease incentive obligation

 

 

(131

)

 

 

 

Depreciation of property and equipment

 

 

1,266

 

 

 

525

 

Share-based compensation expense

 

 

8,966

 

 

 

4,319

 

Deferred rent

 

 

3,207

 

 

 

371

 

Tax benefit related to share-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

(67

)

Deferred income taxes

 

 

774

 

 

 

178

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

 

 

 

(2,500

)

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

(3,887

)

 

 

(466

)

Other non-current assets

 

 

(7

)

 

 

(53

)

Accounts payable

 

 

624

 

 

 

1,899

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

1,898

 

 

 

2,484

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

(2,028

)

 

 

11,692

 

Other non-current liabilities

 

 

225

 

 

 

(13

)

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(60,917

)

 

 

(18,578

)

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase in restricted cash

 

 

(7

)

 

 

 

Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(14,808

)

 

 

(2,838

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(14,815

)

 

 

(2,834

)

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares, net of offering costs

 

 

93,509

 

 

 

30,000

 

Costs associated with initial public offering

 

 

 

 

 

(1,075

)

Payments on capital lease obligation

 

 

(47

)

 

 

(47

)

Tax benefit related to share-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

67

 

Proceeds from the exercise of share options

 

 

323

 

 

 

161

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

93,785

 

 

 

29,106

 

Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash

 

 

118

 

 

 

101

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

18,171

 

 

 

7,795

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

150,293

 

 

 

161,220

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

168,464

 

 

$

169,015

 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tenant improvements paid for by the landlord during the period

 

$

2,774

 

 

$

 

Property and equipment purchases in accounts payable and

  accrued expenses at period end

 

$

1,419

 

 

$

1,595

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

 

6


Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements

 

1. THE COMPANY

Organization

Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (together with its subsidiaries, “Wave” or the “Company”) is a biotechnology company with an innovative and proprietary synthetic chemistry drug development platform that the Company is using to design, develop and commercialize a broad pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class nucleic acid therapeutic candidates for genetically defined diseases. The Company is initially developing oligonucleotides that target genetic defects to either reduce the expression of disease-promoting proteins or transform the production of dysfunctional mutant proteins into the production of functional proteins.

The Company was incorporated in Singapore on July 23, 2012 and has its principal U.S. office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Company was incorporated with the purpose of combining two commonly held companies, Wave Life Sciences USA, Inc. (“Wave USA”), a Delaware corporation (formerly Ontorii, Inc.), and Wave Life Sciences Japan, Inc. (“Wave Japan”), a company organized under the laws of Japan (formerly Chiralgen., Ltd.), which occurred on September 13, 2012. On May 31, 2016, Wave Life Sciences Ireland Limited (“Wave Ireland”) was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. On April 3, 2017, Wave Life Sciences UK Limited (“Wave UK”) was formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

The Company’s primary activities since inception have been developing a synthetic chemistry drug development platform to design, develop and commercialize nucleic acid therapeutic programs, advancing the Company’s neurology franchise, expanding the Company’s research and development activities, advancing programs into the clinic, furthering clinical development of such clinical-stage programs, building the Company’s intellectual property, recruiting personnel and assuring adequate capital to support these activities.

Risks and Uncertainties

The Company is subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry including, but not limited to, new technological innovations, protection of proprietary technology, developing internal manufacturing capabilities, dependence on key personnel, compliance with government regulations and the need to obtain additional financing. The Company’s therapeutic programs will require significant additional research and development efforts, including extensive preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval, prior to commercialization of any product candidates. These efforts require significant amounts of additional capital, adequate personnel infrastructure and extensive compliance-reporting capabilities. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully completed, that adequate protection for the Company’s intellectual property will be obtained, that any products developed will obtain necessary government regulatory approval or that any approved products will be commercially viable. Even if the Company’s product development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, the Company will generate significant revenue from product sales. The Company operates in an environment of rapid change in technology and substantial competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company is dependent upon the services of its employees and consultants.

Basis of Presentation

The Company has prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and in U.S. dollars.

 

 

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The significant accounting policies described in the Company’s audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016, and the notes thereto, which are included in the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 16, 2017, have had no material changes during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

Unaudited Interim Financial Data

The accompanying interim consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2017, the related interim consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 and cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, and the related interim information contained within the notes to the consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and the notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The

7


financial data and other information disclosed in these notes related to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position and results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017 or any other interim period or future year or period.

Principles of Consolidation

The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

The recently issued accounting pronouncements described in the Company’s audited financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2016, and the notes thereto, which are included in the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017, have had no material changes during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, except as described below.

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes all existing revenue recognition requirements, including most industry-specific guidance. The new standard requires a company to recognize revenue when it transfers goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the company expects to receive for those goods or services. The new standard will be effective on January 1, 2018 and earlier application is permitted only for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period.  For the year ended December 31, 2016 and the nine months ended September 30, 2017, revenue was generated exclusively from the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact that ASU 2014-09 may have on its financial position and results of operations as it relates to this single arrangement, and expects to elect the modified retrospective application as its transition method.

In November 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-17, Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU 2015-17”), which requires entities to present deferred tax assets and liabilities, along with any related valuation allowance, as noncurrent on the balance sheet. The new standard is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2016. During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company elected to adopt ASU 2015-17 on a prospective basis. The adoption of this standard resulted in the reclassification of short-term deferred tax assets to long-term deferred tax assets.

In October 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory (“ASU 2016-16”).  The new standard requires companies to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when the transfer occurs. Prior to the issuance of this standard, existing guidance prohibited the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. ASU 2016-16 will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact that the adoption of ASU 2016-16 may have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

3. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

The Wave Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”) authorizes the board of directors or a committee of the board to grant incentive share options, non-qualified share options, share appreciation rights and restricted share awards to eligible employees, outside directors and consultants of the Company. Options generally vest over periods of one to four years, and options that expire or are forfeited are available to be granted again. The contractual life of all options is generally five or ten years from the grant date.

As of September 30, 2017, 1,730,546 ordinary shares remained available for future grant under the 2014 Plan.

The Company measures and records the value of options granted to non-employees over the period of time that services are provided and, as such, unvested portions are subject to re-measurement at subsequent reporting periods.

8


Share Options

Share option activity under the 2014 Plan for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is summarized as follows:

 

 

 

Number of

Shares

 

 

Weighted-

Average

Exercise Price

 

Options outstanding as of January 1, 2017

 

 

3,577,766

 

 

$

10.58

 

Granted

 

 

414,000

 

 

 

25.55

 

Exercised

 

 

(76,319

)

 

 

4.24

 

Canceled or forfeited

 

 

(109,652

)

 

 

16.79

 

Outstanding as of September 30, 2017

 

 

3,805,795

 

 

 

12.26

 

Options exercisable as of September 30, 2017

 

 

2,042,259

 

 

 

6.62

 

Options unvested as of September 30, 2017

 

 

1,763,536

 

 

 

18.79

 

 

The Company recorded share-based compensation expense related to options granted to non-employees in the amount of $0.6 million and $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded share-based compensation expense related to options granted to non-employees in the amount of $1.9 million and $1.9 million, respectively. Share-based compensation expense related to non-employees is recorded in research and development expenses.

 

Restricted Share Units

 

Restricted share unit (“RSU”) activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 is summarized as follows:

 

 

 

RSUs

 

 

Average Grant

Date Fair Value

(in dollars

per share)

 

RSUs Outstanding as of January 1, 2017

 

 

22,750

 

 

$

21.69

 

Granted

 

 

170,859

 

 

 

29.05

 

Vested

 

 

(22,750

)

 

 

21.69

 

Canceled or forfeited

 

 

(8,579

)

 

 

29.05

 

RSUs Outstanding at September 30, 2017

 

 

162,280

 

 

 

29.05

 

 

The RSUs granted in 2016 fully vested during the three months ended September 30, 2017 upon the first anniversary of the grant date. The RSUs granted in 2017 vest over a four-year period. Any RSUs that are forfeited or canceled are available to be granted again.

 

Share-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was classified in the consolidated statements of operations as follows:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Research and development expenses

 

$

1,759

 

 

$

1,695

 

 

$

5,527

 

 

$

3,207

 

General and administrative expenses

 

 

1,241

 

 

 

486

 

 

 

3,439

 

 

 

1,112

 

Total share-based compensation

 

$

3,000

 

 

$

2,181

 

 

$

8,966

 

 

$

4,319

 

 

 

4. PFIZER COLLABORATION AND SHARE PURCHASE AGREEMENT

On May 5, 2016, the Company entered into a Research, License and Option Agreement (the “Pfizer Collaboration Agreement”) with Pfizer Inc. (“Pfizer”). Pursuant to the terms of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, the Company and Pfizer agreed to collaborate on the discovery, development and commercialization of stereopure oligonucleotide therapeutics for up to five programs (the “Pfizer Programs”), each directed at a genetically-defined hepatic target selected by Pfizer (the “Collaboration”).  The Company received $10.0 million as an upfront license fee under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement.  Subject to option exercises by Pfizer, assuming five potential products are successfully developed and commercialized, the Company may earn up to $871.0 million in 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. None of the payments under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement are refundable.

9


Simultaneously with the entry into the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, the Company entered into a Share Purchase Agreement (the “Pfizer Equity Agreement,” and together with the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, the “Pfizer Agreements”) with C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., an affiliate of Pfizer (the “Pfizer Affiliate”). Pursuant to the terms of the Pfizer Equity Agreement, the Pfizer Affiliate purchased 1,875,000 of the Company’s ordinary shares (the “Shares”) at a purchase price of $16.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $30.0 million. The Company did not incur any material costs in connection with the issuance of the Shares.

Under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, the parties agreed to collaborate during the four-year Research Term. During the Research Term, the Company is responsible to use its commercially reasonable efforts to advance up to five programs through to the selection of clinical candidates. At that stage, Pfizer may elect to license any of these Pfizer Programs exclusively and to have exclusive rights to undertake the clinical development of the resulting clinical candidates into products and the potential commercialization of any such products thereafter. In addition, the Company receives a non-exclusive, royalty-bearing sublicensable license to use Pfizer’s hepatic targeting technology in any of the Company’s own hepatic programs that are outside the scope of the Collaboration (the “Wave Programs”). If the Company uses this technology on the Wave Programs, Pfizer is eligible to receive potential development and commercial milestone payments from the Company. Pfizer is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on sales of any products that include Pfizer’s hepatic targeting technology.

Pfizer nominated two hepatic targets upon entry into the Collaboration in May 2016. In August 2016, Pfizer nominated the third hepatic target under the Collaboration and pursuant to the terms of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, Pfizer had the option to nominate two additional targets by November 5, 2017. On November 5, 2017, the Company amended its Pfizer Collaboration Agreement to extend the target nomination period from November 5, 2017 to May 5, 2018. This amendment provides Pfizer with an additional six months to nominate the two remaining hepatic targets under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement. The Collaboration is managed by a joint steering committee in which both parties are represented equally, which will oversee the scientific progression of each Pfizer Program up to the clinical candidate stage. During the four-year Research Term and for a period of two years thereafter, the Company has agreed to work exclusively with Pfizer with respect to using any of the Company’s stereopure oligonucleotide technology that is specific for the applicable hepatic target which is the basis of any Pfizer Program.  

The stated term of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement commenced on May 5, 2016 and terminates, with respect to each Pfizer Program, on the date of the last to expire payment obligations and expires, with respect to each Wave Program, on a program-by-program basis accordingly. Pfizer may terminate its rights related to a Pfizer Program under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement at its own convenience upon 90 days’ notice to the Company. The Company may also terminate its rights related to a Wave Program at its own convenience upon 90 days’ notice to Pfizer. The Pfizer Collaboration Agreement may also be terminated by either party in the event of an uncured material breach of the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement by the other party.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recognized revenue of $0.7 million and $2.0 million, respectively, under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the Company recognized revenue of $0.4 million and $0.8 million, respectively, under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement. Deferred revenue amounted to $9.0 million at September 30, 2017, of which $2.7 million is included in current liabilities.  

 

 

5. NET LOSS PER ORDINARY SHARE

The Company applies the two-class method to calculate its basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, as its Series A preferred shares are participating securities. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that treats a participating security as having rights to earnings that otherwise would have been available to ordinary shareholders. However, for the periods presented, the two-class method does not impact the net loss per ordinary share as the Company was in a net loss position for each of the periods presented and holders of Series A preferred shares do not participate in losses.

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders.

The Company’s potentially dilutive shares, which include outstanding share options to purchase ordinary shares and Series A preferred shares, are considered to be ordinary share equivalents and are only included in the calculation of diluted net loss per share when their effect is dilutive.

10


The following ordinary share equivalents, presented based on amounts outstanding at each period end, were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the periods indicated because including them would have had an anti-dilutive effect:

 

 

 

As of September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

Options to purchase ordinary shares

 

 

3,805,795

 

 

 

3,509,242

 

Restricted share units

 

 

162,280

 

 

 

22,750

 

Series A preferred shares

 

 

3,901,348

 

 

 

3,901,348

 

 

 

6. INCOME TAXES

The Company is a multi-national company subject to taxation in the United States and various other jurisdictions. During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $0.4 million and an income tax provision of $0.4 million, respectively. The income tax benefit recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2017 was due to the implementation of a revised international corporate structure aligned with the Company’s international operations. The income tax provision recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily the result of U.S. income generated under research and management services arrangements between the Company’s U.S. and Singapore entities.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded an income tax provision of $0.9 million and $0.4 million, respectively. The increase in the income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was a result of the Company’s establishment of a valuation allowance against the Company’s U.S. deferred tax assets.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded no income tax benefits for the net operating losses incurred in Japan, Singapore, Ireland or the United Kingdom, due to its uncertainty of realizing a benefit from those items.

The Company’s reserves related to taxes and its accounting for uncertain tax positions are based on a determination of whether and how much of a tax benefit taken by the Company in its tax filings or positions is more-likely-than-not to be realized following resolution of any potential contingencies present related to the tax benefit.

 

 

7. RELATED PARTIES

The Company had the following related party transactions for the periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements, which have not otherwise been discussed in these notes to the consolidated financial statements:

 

The Company had cash of $109 thousand and $118 thousand at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, in depository accounts with Kagoshima Bank, Ltd., an affiliate of one of the Company’s shareholders, Kagoshima Shinsangyo Sousei Investment Limited Partnership.

 

Pursuant to the terms of various service agreements with Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. (“SNBL”), one of the Company’s shareholders, the Company paid SNBL $83 thousand and $4 thousand during the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $161 thousand and $329 thousand during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, for contract research services provided to the Company and its affiliates.

 

In 2012, the Company entered into a consulting agreement for scientific advisory services with Dr. Gregory L. Verdine, one of the Company’s founders and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. The consulting agreement does not have a specific term and may be terminated by either party upon 14 days’ prior written notice. Pursuant to the consulting agreement, the Company pays Dr. Verdine approximately $13 thousand per month, plus reimbursement of certain expenses.

 

11


8. GEOGRAPHIC DATA

The Company’s long-lived assets consist of property and equipment, net and are located in the following geographical areas:

 

 

 

September 30, 2017

 

 

December 31, 2016

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Asia

 

$

13

 

 

$

136

 

United States

 

 

24,571

 

 

 

8,471

 

Total long-lived assets

 

$

24,584

 

 

$

8,607

 

 

 

9. SUBSEQUENT EVENT

On November 5, 2017, the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement was amended to extend the target nomination period from November 5, 2017 to May 5, 2018. This amendment provides Pfizer with an additional six months to nominate the two remaining hepatic targets under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement.

 

 

12


Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 16, 2017 (the “2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K”). Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. As a result of many factors, including those factors set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our actual results could differ materially from the results described in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, 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. Forward-looking statements include statements about our ability to fund our working capital requirements; the success, cost and timing of our product development activities and current and future 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 manufacturing, commercialization and marketing capabilities and strategy; our ability to develop sales and marketing capabilities; our use of proceeds from our equity offerings; our estimates regarding future expenses and needs for additional financing; our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel; our financial performance; our competitive position; our liquidity and working capital requirements; and the expected impact of new accounting standards. These forward-looking 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 statements, including the following: the ability of our preclinical studies to produce data sufficient to support the filing of global clinical trial applications and the timing thereof; our ability to continue to build and maintain the company infrastructure and personnel needed to achieve our goals; the clinical results of our programs, which may not support further development of our product candidates; actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of clinical trials; our effectiveness in managing current and future clinical trials and regulatory processes; the success of our platform in identifying viable candidates; the continued development and acceptance of nucleic acid therapeutics as a class of drugs; our ability to demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of our stereopure candidates in clinical trials, including our ability to develop candidates across multiple therapeutic modalities; our ability to obtain, maintain and protect intellectual property; our ability to enforce our patents against infringers and defend our patent portfolio against challenges from third parties; our ability to fund our operations and to raise additional capital as needed; and competition from others developing therapies for similar uses, as well as the information under the caption “Risk Factors” contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in other filings we make with the SEC. 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.

As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, 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.

Overview

We are a biotechnology company with an innovative and proprietary synthetic chemistry drug development platform that we are using to design, develop and commercialize a broad pipeline of first-in-class or best-in-class nucleic acid therapeutic candidates for genetically-defined diseases. Nucleic acid therapeutics are a growing and innovative class of drugs that have the potential to address diseases that have historically been difficult to treat with small molecule drugs or biologics. Oligonucleotides are comprised of a sequence of nucleotides that are linked together by a backbone of chemical bonds. We are initially developing oligonucleotides that target genetic defects to either reduce the expression of disease-promoting proteins or transform the production of dysfunctional mutant proteins into the production of functional proteins.

The nucleic acid therapeutics we are developing are stereopure. A stereopure oligonucleotide is comprised of molecules with atoms precisely arranged in three-dimensional orientations at each linkage. We believe controlling the position of the sulfur atom in the phosphorothioate (“PS”) moiety will optimize the pharmacological profile of our therapeutics by maximizing therapeutic effect while minimizing the potential for side effects and safety risks. The stereopure therapies we are developing differ from the mixture-based

13


nucleic acid therapeutics currently on the market and in development by others. Our preclinical studies have demonstrated that our stereopure nucleic acid therapeutics may achieve superior pharmacologic properties as compared to mixture-based nucleic acid therapeutics. Our platform is designed to enable us to rationally design, optimize and produce stereopure nucleic acid therapeutics, which were previously thought to be too difficult to make and too expensive to manufacture. Further, our platform has the potential to design therapies that use any of the major molecular mechanisms employed by nucleic acid therapeutics, including antisense, ribonucleic acid interference (“RNAi”) splicing, and exon skipping.

Our goal is to develop disease-modifying drugs for indications with a high degree of unmet medical need in genetically-defined diseases. We are focused on designing single-stranded nucleic acid therapeutics that can distribute broadly within the human body, allowing us to target diseases across multiple organ systems and tissues, through both systemic and local administration. In addition to our current programs in development, we are also leveraging our platform to explore the next generation of stereopure nucleic acid therapeutics that have the potential to selectively target certain cell types.

Our core focus for our wholly-owned proprietary programs is neurology, which we broadly define as genetic diseases within the central nervous system and neuromuscular system. We have initiated clinical trials of our two lead programs in Huntington’s disease (“HD”) and our lead program in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (“DMD”) targeting exon 51. As a part of our portfolio strategy, we expect to initiate three additional development programs by the end of 2018, targeting exon 53 in DMD and C9orf72 (chromosome 9 open reading frame 72) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) and frontotemporal dementia (“FTD”). Further details regarding our programs are set forth below.

 

In HD, we have two separate programs, WVE-120101 and WVE-120102, each targeting a different disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphism (“SNP”) within the huntingtin gene: rs362307 (“SNP1”) and rs362331 (“SNP2”). SNPs are naturally occurring variations within a given genetic sequence and in certain instances can be used to distinguish between two related copies of a gene where only one is responsible for causing production of a defective protein which causes disease. It has been shown that by targeting SNP1 or SNP2, the production of disease-causing proteins associated with HD can be reduced. In July 2017, we initiated PRECISION-HD1 and PRECISION-HD2, our two Phase 1b/2a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that will primarily evaluate the safety and tolerability of single and multiple doses of WVE-120101 and WVE-120102, respectively, administered intrathecally in HD patients.

 

In DMD, we have developed WVE-210201, which targets exon 51, a region within the ribonucleic acid (“RNA”), transcribed from the dystrophin gene. DMD is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that results in dysfunctional dystrophin protein. In November 2017, we initiated our Phase 1 multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and plasma concentrations of single ascending doses of WVE-210201 administered intravenously in DMD patients with gene mutations amenable to exon 51 skipping. In addition, in September 2017, we announced that our next development program will target exon 53 in DMD and is expected to initiate clinical trials in the first quarter of 2019.

 

In ALS and FTD, we are targeting pathological C9orf72 mutations resulting from repeat expansions in the gene. These expansions are currently known as the largest genetic cause of familial ALS and FTD, accounting for approximately one-third and one-quarter of patients, respectively. Mutations of C9orf72 are also considered to be a strong genetic risk factor for the more common, non-inherited, sporadic forms of ALS and FTD, both of which are fatal, complex, neurodegenerative disorders. We expect to initiate clinical development in ALS and FTD in the fourth quarter of 2018.

 

In May 2016, we entered into a collaboration with Pfizer focused on the advancement of genetically-defined targets for the treatment of metabolic diseases, bringing together our proprietary drug development platform, across antisense and single-stranded RNAi modalities, along with GalNAc and Pfizer’s hepatic targeting technology for delivery to the liver. The collaboration seeks to leverage our stereochemistry platform across antisense and RNAi modalities and may incorporate GalNAc and Pfizer’s hepatic targeting technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer will select, and we will advance, up to five targets from discovery through to the selection of clinical candidates, at which point Pfizer may elect to exclusively license the programs and undertake further development and potential commercialization. Two targets were declared upon initiation of the agreement, including Apolipoprotein C-III. In the third quarter of 2016, Pfizer nominated its third target. In November 2017, we amended the agreement with Pfizer to extend the target nomination period for the remaining two targets. Per the terms of the amended agreement, Pfizer is entitled to nominate the remaining two targets by May 2018.

We have never been profitable, and since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our net loss was $71.8 million and $36.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we had an accumulated deficit of $162.3 million and $90.5 million, respectively. We expect to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future.

14


Recent Developments

In July 2017, we commenced occupancy of our new 90,000 square foot manufacturing, laboratory and office facility in Lexington, Massachusetts. The facility is designed to produce active pharmaceutical ingredient under current good manufacturing practice (“cGMP”) and to have oligonucleotide synthesis capacity ranging from high throughput to large scale production. Our primary objectives for building this facility are to provide us and our current and future partners increased visibility and control of our drug product supply chain, greater independence, capacity and flexibility in conducting clinical trials, and the possibility of bringing disease-modifying therapies to patients in a potentially expedited manner.

Financial Operations Overview

Revenue

We have not generated any product revenue since our inception and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products for the foreseeable future. Our revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 represents revenue earned under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, which was entered into in May 2016.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses since inception have consisted primarily of research and development costs and general and administrative costs.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for our research activities, including our discovery efforts, and the development of our product candidates, which include:

 

compensation-related expenses, including employee salaries, bonuses, share-based compensation expense and other related benefits costs, for personnel in our research and development organization;

 

expenses incurred under agreements with third parties, including contract research organizations (“CROs”) that conduct research, preclinical and clinical activities on our behalf, as well as contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”) that manufacture drug products for use in our preclinical and clinical trials;

 

costs of third-party consultants, including fees, share-based compensation and related travel expenses;

 

the cost of sponsored research, which includes laboratory supplies and facility-related expenses, including rent, maintenance and other operating costs; and

 

costs related to compliance with regulatory requirements.

We recognize research and development costs as incurred. We recognize external development costs based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our vendors. Payments for these activities are based on the terms of the individual agreements, which may differ from the pattern of costs incurred, and are reflected in our financial statements as prepaid or accrued research and development expenses.

Our primary research and development focus since inception has been the development of our innovative and proprietary synthetic chemistry drug development platform. We are using our platform to design, develop and commercialize a broad pipeline of nucleic acid therapeutic candidates.

Our direct research and development expenses are tracked on a program-by-program basis and consist primarily of CROs, CMOs, consultants, and other external costs incurred in connection with our preclinical and clinical studies and regulatory fees. However, we do not allocate the cost of sponsored research on a program-by-program basis, because these costs are deployed across multiple product programs under development and, as such, are classified as costs of our research. The cost of sponsored research includes laboratory supplies, equipment repairs and maintenance and facility-related expenses.

15


The table below summarizes our research and development expenses incurred on our platform and by program:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

HD programs

 

$

2,144

 

 

$

3,791

 

 

$

6,637

 

 

$

6,949

 

DMD programs

 

 

4,178

 

 

 

994

 

 

 

11,089

 

 

 

1,861

 

ALS and FTD programs

 

 

183

 

 

 

 

 

 

693

 

 

 

 

Other discovery programs, platform development

   and identification of potential drug discovery

   candidates

 

 

13,592

 

 

 

8,901

 

 

 

35,521

 

 

 

18,013

 

Total research and development expenses

 

$

20,097

 

 

$

13,686

 

 

$

53,940

 

 

$

26,823

 

 

Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. We expect that our compensation-related expenses, including salaries, bonuses, share-based compensation and other related benefits costs, will increase in the future as we attract and maintain additional personnel. We expect that our research and development expenses will continue to increase in the foreseeable future as we continue to conduct and initiate clinical trials for certain of our product candidates, continue to discover and develop additional product candidates, and pursue later stages of clinical development of our product candidates. Additionally, we expect our facility-related expenses to increase related to the lease we entered into in 2016 for space in Lexington, Massachusetts, which we intend to use primarily for our cGMP manufacturing, as well as for additional laboratory and office space.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation-related expenses, including salaries, bonuses, share-based compensation and other related benefits costs, for personnel in our executive, finance, corporate, business development, legal and administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include legal fees relating to intellectual property and general corporate matters; expenses associated with being a public company; professional fees for accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services; insurance costs; travel expenses; other operating costs; and facility-related expenses.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future, primarily due to additional compensation-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, incentive arrangements and share-based compensation awards, as we increase our employee headcount to support the expected growth in our research and development activities and the potential commercialization of our product candidates.

Other Income (Expense), net

Other income (expense), net for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 consists primarily of dividend and interest income earned on cash and cash equivalents balances.

Income Taxes

We are a multi-national company subject to taxation in the United States and various other jurisdictions. The income tax provision recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily the result of U.S. income generated under research and management services arrangements between our U.S. and Singapore entities. The income tax benefit recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2017 was the result of the implementation of a revised international corporate structure aligned with our international operations. The income tax provision recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was mainly the result of the establishment of a valuation allowance against our U.S. deferred tax assets.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. The preparation of our financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amount of assets, liabilities, costs and expenses, revenue, and related disclosures.

16


Our critical accounting policies are described under the caption “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations— Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates” in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017. We believe that of our critical accounting policies, the accounting policies with respect to revenue recognition and income taxes involve the most judgment and complexity. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, there were no material changes to our critical accounting policies.

Accordingly, we believe these identified policies are critical to fully understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations. If actual results or events differ materially from the estimates, judgments and assumptions used by us in applying these policies, our reported financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

Change

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

$

676

 

 

 

392

 

 

$

284

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

20,097

 

 

 

13,686

 

 

 

6,411

 

General and administrative

 

 

7,571

 

 

 

3,939

 

 

 

3,632

 

Total operating expense

 

 

27,668

 

 

 

17,625

 

 

 

10,043

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(26,992

)

 

 

(17,233

)

 

 

(9,759

)

Other income (expense), net

 

 

441

 

 

 

82

 

 

 

359

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(26,551

)

 

 

(17,151

)

 

 

(9,400

)

Income tax benefit (provision)

 

 

416

 

 

 

(384

)

 

 

800

 

Net loss

 

$

(26,135

)

 

$

(17,535

)

 

$

(8,600

)

 

Revenue

The revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was earned under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, which was entered into in May 2016. There was $0.7 million of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2017, which represents an increase of $0.3 million over the $0.4 million of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2016. This increase was the result of the nomination of the third target in August 2016.

Research and Development Expenses

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

Change

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

HD programs

 

$

2,144

 

 

$

3,791

 

 

$

(1,647

)

DMD programs

 

 

4,178

 

 

 

994

 

 

 

3,184

 

ALS and FTD programs

 

 

183

 

 

 

 

 

 

183

 

Other discovery programs, platform development

   and identification of potential drug discovery

   candidates

 

 

13,592

 

 

 

8,901

 

 

 

4,691

 

Total research and development expenses

 

$

20,097

 

 

$

13,686

 

 

$

6,411

 

Research and development expenses were $20.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $13.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016. The increase of $6.4 million was due primarily to the following:

 

a decrease of $1.6 million in preclinical and clinical expenses related to our two HD programs;

 

an increase of $3.2 million in preclinical and clinical expenses related to our DMD programs, mainly driven by activities related to WVE-210201;

 

an increase of $0.2 million in preclinical expenses related to our ALS program and our FTD program, each of which targets the C9orf72 mutation; and

17


 

an increase of $4.7 million in research and development expenses related to other discovery programs, platform development and identification of potential drug discovery candidates, due to an increase of $2.8 million in compensation-related expenses, which is the result of an increase in employee headcount, and an increase of $1.9 million in research and development supplies and services expenses and facility-related expenses.

Foreign currency translation did not have a significant impact on changes in our consolidated research and development expenses from the three months ended September 30, 2016 to the three months ended September 30, 2017.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses were $7.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to $3.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2016. The increase of $3.7 million was the result of the increases in compensation-related expenses, which is the result of the increase in employee headcount, as well as increases in facility-related expenses and other general operating expenses.

Foreign currency translation did not have a significant impact on changes in our consolidated general and administrative expenses from the three months ended September 30, 2016 to the three months ended September 30, 2017.

Income Tax Benefit (Provision)

During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, we recorded an income tax benefit of $0.4 million and an income tax provision of $0.4 million, respectively. The income tax provision recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily the result of U.S. income generated under research and management services arrangements between our U.S. and Singapore entities. The income tax benefit recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2017, was the result of the implementation of a revised international corporate structure aligned with our international operations. During the three months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, we recorded no income tax benefits for the net operating losses incurred in Japan, Singapore, Ireland or the United Kingdom, due to uncertainty regarding future taxable income in these jurisdictions.

Comparison of the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016:

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016:

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

Change

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Revenue

 

$

2,028

 

 

 

809

 

 

$

1,219

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

53,940

 

 

 

26,823

 

 

 

27,117

 

General and administrative

 

 

20,088

 

 

 

10,809

 

 

 

9,279

 

Total operating expense

 

 

74,028

 

 

 

37,632

 

 

 

36,396

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(72,000

)

 

 

(36,823

)

 

 

(35,177

)

Other income (expense), net

 

 

1,081

 

 

 

303

 

 

 

778

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(70,919

)

 

 

(36,520

)

 

 

(34,399

)

Income tax benefit (provision)

 

 

(905

)

 

 

(427

)

 

 

(478

)

Net loss

 

$

(71,824

)

 

$

(36,947

)

 

$

(34,877

)

 

Revenue

The revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016 was earned under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement, which was entered into in May 2016. There was $2.0 million in revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, which represents an increase of approximately $1.2 million in revenue over the $0.8 million of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. This increase is due to the fact that nine months of revenue were earned under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement during the nine months ended September 30, 2017, as compared to the five months of revenue that were earned under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 from the May 2016 effective date through September 30, 2016 as well as the fact that the third target was nominated in August 2016.

18


Research and Development Expenses

The table below summarizes our research and development expenses incurred for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016:

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

Change

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

HD programs

 

$

6,637

 

 

$

6,949

 

 

$

(312

)

DMD programs

 

 

11,089

 

 

 

1,861

 

 

 

9,228

 

ALS and FTD programs

 

 

693

 

 

 

 

 

 

693

 

Other discovery programs, platform development

   and identification of potential drug discovery

   candidates

 

 

35,521

 

 

 

18,013

 

 

 

17,508

 

Total research and development expenses

 

$

53,940

 

 

$

26,823

 

 

$

27,117

 

 

Research and development expenses were $53.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to $26.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The increase of $27.1 million was due to the following:

 

a decrease of $0.3 million in preclinical and clinical expenses related to our two HD programs;

 

an increase of $9.2 million in preclinical and clinical expenses related to our DMD programs, mainly driven by activities related to WVE-210201;

 

an increase of $0.7 million in preclinical expenses related to our ALS program and our FTD program, each of which targets the C9orf72 mutation; and

 

an increase of $17.5 million in research and development expenses related to other discovery programs, platform development and identification of potential drug discovery candidates, due to an increase of $10.4 million in compensation-related expenses, including an increase of $2.3 million in share-based compensation expense, which is the result of an increase in employee headcount, as well as an increase of $7.1 million in research and development supplies and services expenses and facility-related expenses.

Foreign currency translation did not have a significant impact on changes in our consolidated research and development expenses from the nine months ended September 30, 2016 to the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses were $20.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $10.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The increase of $9.3 million was the result of the increases in compensation-related expenses, which is the result of the increase in employee headcount, as well as increases in facility-related expenses and other general operating expenses.

Foreign currency translation did not have a significant impact on changes in our consolidated general and administrative expenses from the nine months ended September 30, 2016 to the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

Income Tax Benefit (Provision)

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, we recorded an income tax provision of $0.9 million and $0.4 million, respectively. The increase in the income tax provision was mainly the result of the establishment of a valuation allowance against our U.S. deferred tax assets. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, we recorded no income tax benefits for the net operating losses incurred in Japan, Singapore, Ireland or the United Kingdom, due to uncertainty regarding future taxable income in these jurisdictions.

19


Liquidity and Capital Resources

To date we have primarily funded our operations through private placements of debt and equity securities, public offerings of our ordinary shares and collaborations. Through September 30, 2017, we have received an aggregate of approximately $323.2 million in net proceeds from these transactions. We received $89.3 million in net proceeds from private placements of our debt and equity securities, $100.4 million in net proceeds ($111.9 million gross proceeds) from our initial public offering, inclusive of the over-allotment exercise, $40.0 million under the Pfizer Agreements, including $10.0 million as an upfront payment under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement and $30.0 million in the form of an equity investment, and $93.5 million in net proceeds ($100.0 million gross proceeds) from our April 2017 follow-on underwritten public offering.

Since our inception, we have not generated any product revenue and have incurred recurring net losses.

As of September 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents totaling $168.5 million and an accumulated deficit of $162.3 million and restricted cash of $3.6 million related to letters of credit for our leased premises in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Lexington, Massachusetts.

We expect that the capital resources available to us as of September 30, 2017, together with anticipated milestone payments under our existing collaboration with Pfizer, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into mid-2019. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and we may use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. In addition, we may elect to raise additional funds before we need them if the conditions for raising capital are favorable due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.

Until we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, which may include collaborations with third parties. On January 4, 2017, we filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the SEC on February 6, 2017, on which we registered for sale up to $500.0 million of any combination of our ordinary shares, debt securities, warrants, rights, purchase contracts and/or units from time to time and at prices and on terms that we may determine. After the closing of our follow-on underwritten public offering on April 18, 2017, approximately $400.0 million of securities remain available for issuance under this shelf registration. This shelf registration statement will remain in effect for up to three years from the date it was declared effective. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. Our inability to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy. We will need to generate significant revenue to achieve profitability, and we may never do so.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash and cash equivalents for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016:

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2017

 

 

2016

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Cash used in operating activities

 

$

(60,917

)

 

$

(18,578

)

Cash used in investing activities

 

 

(14,815

)

 

 

(2,834

)

Cash provided by financing activities

 

 

93,785

 

 

 

29,106

 

Effect of foreign exchange rates of cash

 

 

118

 

 

 

101

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

$

18,171

 

 

$

7,795

 

 

Operating Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, operating activities used approximately $60.9 million of cash, which was the result of our net loss of $71.8 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.2 million, partially offset by non-cash charges of $14.1 million. The non-cash charges were mainly related to the share-based compensation expense of $9.0 million and the $3.2 million increase in deferred rent.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, operating activities used $18.6 million of cash, which was the result of our net loss of $36.9 million, partially offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities of $13.0 million and non-cash charges of $5.3 million. The non-cash charges were related primarily to share-based compensation of $4.3 million. The cash provided from changes in operating assets and liabilities was primarily the result of the $11.7 million increase in deferred revenue as a result of the upfront payments received pursuant to the Pfizer Agreements.

20


Investing Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, investing activities used $14.8 million of cash, consisting primarily of purchases of property and equipment.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, investing activities used $2.8 million of cash, consisting primarily of purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, net cash provided by financing activities was $93.8 million, which was primarily due to the $93.5 million in net proceeds from the April 2017 follow-on underwritten public offering of 4,166,667 ordinary shares.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, net cash provided by financing activities was $29.1 million, which was primarily due to the $30.0 million in proceeds from the issuance of 1,875,000 ordinary shares to an affiliate of Pfizer related to the Pfizer Equity Agreement.

Effect of Foreign Exchange Rates on Cash

During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on cash was an increase in cash of $0.1 million, primarily due to changes in the Japanese yen from December 31, 2016 to September 30, 2017.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on cash was an increase in cash of $0.1 million, primarily due to changes in the Japanese yen from December 31, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

Funding Requirements

We expect our expenses to continue to increase in connection with our ongoing research and development activities and the establishment of our internal cGMP manufacturing capabilities. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:

 

continue to conduct our two Phase 1b/2a clinical trials evaluating our product candidates WVE 102101 and WVE 102102 in patients with HD and our Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating our product candidate WVE-210201 in patients with DMD;

 

conduct research and preclinical development of discovery targets and advance additional programs into clinical development;

 

file clinical trial applications with global regulatory agencies and conduct clinical trials for our programs;

 

make strategic investments in expanding our R&D platform capabilities and in optimizing our manufacturing processes and formulations;

 

develop manufacturing capabilities through outsourcing and establishing a scalable manufacturing facility;

 

maintain our intellectual property portfolio and consider the acquisition of complementary intellectual property;

 

seek and obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates; and

 

establish and build capabilities to market, manufacture and distribute our product candidates.

We may experience delays or encounter issues with any of the above, including but not limited to failed studies, complex results, safety issues or other regulatory challenges.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of drug candidates and because the extent to which we may enter into collaborations with third parties for development of product candidates is unknown, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the research and development for our therapeutic programs. Our future capital requirements for our therapeutic programs will depend on many factors, including:

 

the progress and results of conducting research and continued preclinical and clinical development within our therapeutic programs and with respect to future potential pipeline candidates;

 

the cost of manufacturing clinical supplies of our product candidates;

 

the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;

21


 

the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

 

the revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;

 

the costs and timing of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending any intellectual property-related claims;

 

the effect of competing technological and market developments; and

 

the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products and technologies, including entering into licensing or collaboration arrangements for product candidates.

Identifying potential product candidates and conducting preclinical testing and clinical trials is a time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete, and we may never generate the necessary data or results required to obtain marketing approval and achieve product sales. In addition, our product candidates, if approved, may not achieve commercial success. Our product revenue, if any, will be derived from sales of products that we do not expect to be commercially available for many years, if ever. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funds to achieve our business objectives. Adequate additional funds may not be available to us on acceptable terms when we need them, or at all. We do not currently have any committed external source of funds, except for possible future payments from Pfizer if milestones under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement are achieved. On January 4, 2017, we filed a universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3, which was declared effective by the SEC on February 6, 2017 (the “2017 Shelf”), on which we registered for sale up to $500.0 million of any combination of our ordinary shares, debt securities, warrants, rights, purchase contracts and/or units from time to time and at prices and on terms that we may determine. On April 18, 2017, we closed a follow-on underwritten public offering of 4,166,667 for gross proceeds of $100.0 million under the 2017 Shelf. Following that closing, approximately $400.0 million of securities remains available for issuance under the 2017 Shelf. This registration statement will remain in effect for up to three years from the date it was declared effective. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our existing shareholders will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our shareholders. Additional debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends and may require the issuance of warrants, which could potentially dilute our shareholders’ ownership interests.

If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we are unable to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development programs or any future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

There have been no material changes to our contractual obligations and commitments set forth under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations- Contractual Obligations and Commitments” in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We had no off-balance sheet arrangements (as that term is defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K) as of September 30, 2017 that had or were reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

For detailed information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements and the expected impact on our consolidated financial statements, see Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to the consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily the result of fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange rates as well as, to a lesser extent, inflation, and capital market risk.

22


Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk in the ordinary course of our business. Our cash and cash equivalents are held in readily available checking and money market accounts.

Foreign Currency Risk

We are exposed to market risk related to changes in the value of the Japanese yen, which is the currency in which our Japanese subsidiary conducts its business. As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, 0.1% and 0.2% of our assets, respectively, were located in Japan. Additionally, 0.8% and 0.5% of our general and administrative expenses were transacted in Japanese yen during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Furthermore, 1.0% and 2.1% of our research and development expenses were transacted in Japanese yen during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. When the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to the yen, our U.S. dollar reported revenue and expense from non-U.S. dollar denominated income and operating costs will decrease. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar weakens relative to the yen, our U.S. dollar reported revenue and expenses from non-U.S. dollar denominated income and operating costs will increase. Changes in the relative values of currencies occur regularly and, in some instances, could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. Our foreign currency sensitivity is affected by changes in the Japanese yen, which is impacted by economic factors both locally in Japan and worldwide. A hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency rates would not have a material impact on our historical financial position or results of operations.

Inflation Risk

We do not believe that inflation had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016.

Capital Market Risk

We currently have no product revenues and depend on funds raised through other sources. One possible source of funding is through further equity offerings. Our ability to raise funds in this manner depends in part upon capital market forces affecting our share price.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2017. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to its management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2017, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings.

23


Item 1A. Risk Factors.

In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should carefully consider the factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” that appear in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017 (the “2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K”), and in Item 1A of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2017, which was filed with the SEC on August 9, 2017 (the “June 30 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q”), which could materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. There have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in the 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented and amended by the risk factors disclosed in the June 30 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

(a)

Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities

None.

(b)

Use of Proceeds

On November 10, 2015, the SEC declared our registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-207379) effective for our initial public offering and we registered additional ordinary shares for our initial public offering on a registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-207940) filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The aggregate net proceeds to us from the offering, inclusive of the over-allotment exercise, were approximately $100.4 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us. There has been no material change in the planned use of proceeds from our initial public offering as described in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on November 12, 2015 pursuant to Rule 424(b). We have used the net offering proceeds to advance our product candidates and for working capital and general corporate purposes. As of September 30, 2017, we have used all of the net initial public offering proceeds.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information.

Amendment to Pfizer Collaboration Agreement

The information set forth in this paragraph is included herein for the purpose of providing the disclosure required under “Item 1.01 - Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement” of Form 8-K. On November 5, 2017, we amended our Research, License and Option Agreement (the “Pfizer Collaboration Agreement”) with Pfizer, Inc. (“Pfizer”) to extend the target nomination period from November 5, 2017 to May 5, 2018. This amendment provides Pfizer with an additional six months to nominate the two remaining hepatic targets under the Pfizer Collaboration Agreement.

Amendments to 2014 Equity Incentive Plan

As disclosed on Form 8-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on August 17, 2017, our shareholders approved, at our 2017 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on August 10, 2017, amendments to the Wave Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”) to increase the total number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the plan by 1,000,000 shares, to increase by 150,000 shares the maximum number of shares available for grant to any participant in any fiscal year for purposes of meeting the requirements for qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and to provide our Compensation Committee with discretion to grant awards intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code.  A description of the terms and conditions of the amendments to the 2014 Plan is set forth in our definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on July 6, 2017, under the heading “Proposal 4: Approval of Amendments to 2014 Equity Incentive Plan,” and is incorporated herein by reference. Such description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual terms of the plan, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

24


Description of Share Capital

The information set forth below in this “Item 5. Other Information” is included to amend the description of our share capital contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with SEC, on November 9, 2015. We intend to incorporate the following description by reference into certain filings with the SEC, including registration statements on Form S-3 and Form S-8.

General

For the purposes of this section, references to “shareholders” mean those persons whose names and number of shares are entered in our register of members. Only persons who are registered in our register of members are recognized under Singapore law as shareholders of our company with legal standing to institute shareholder actions against us or otherwise seek to enforce their rights as shareholders. Our branch register of members is maintained by our transfer agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (“Computershare”).

Certain of our ordinary shares are held through the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”). Accordingly, DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., is the shareholder on record registered in our register of members for such shares. The holder of our shares held in book-entry through DTC or its nominee may become a registered shareholder by exchanging its interest in our shares for certificated shares and being registered in our register of members. The procedures by which a holder of book-entry interests held through DTC or its nominee may exchange such interests for certificated shares are determined by DTC and Computershare, in accordance with their internal policies and guidelines regulating the withdrawal and exchange of book-entry interests for certificated shares, and following such an exchange Computershare will perform the procedures to register the shares in the register.

Under the Singapore Companies Act, if (a) the name of any person is without sufficient cause entered in or omitted from the register of members; or (b) default is made or there is unnecessary delay in entering in the register of members the fact of any person having ceased to be a member, the person aggrieved or any member of the public company or the company itself, may apply to the Singapore courts for rectification of the register of members. The Singapore courts may either refuse the application or order rectification of the register of members, and may direct the company to pay any damages sustained by any party to the application. The Singapore courts will not entertain any application for the rectification of a register of members in respect of an entry which was made in the register of members more than 30 years before the date of the application.

As of September 30, 2017, there were outstanding:

 

27,767,905 ordinary shares;

 

3,901,348 Series A preferred shares held by one shareholder of record;

 

162,280 ordinary shares issuable upon vesting of outstanding restricted share units;

 

3,805,795 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding share options; and

 

1,730,546 ordinary shares reserved for issuance in connection with future grants under our equity incentive plan.

The following description of our share capital and provisions of our constitution (formerly known as our memorandum and articles of association) are summaries and are qualified by reference to the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution. A copy of our constitution has been filed with the SEC as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017 and amended on April 28, 2017.

Ordinary Shares

As of September 30, 2017, our issued and paid-up ordinary share capital consists of 27,767,905 ordinary shares. We currently have only one class of issued ordinary shares, which have identical rights in all respects and rank equally with one another. Our ordinary shares have no par value and there is no authorized share capital under Singapore law. There is a provision in our constitution which provides that we may issue shares with such preferred, deferred or other special rights or such restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise as our board of directors may determine.

All our shares presently issued are fully paid-up, and existing shareholders are not subject to any calls on these shares. Although Singapore law does not recognize the concept of “non-assessability” with respect to newly-issued shares, we note that any purchaser of our shares who has fully paid up all amounts due with respect to such shares will not be subject under Singapore law to any personal liability to contribute to the assets or liabilities of our company in such purchaser’s capacity solely as a holder of such shares. We believe that this interpretation is substantively consistent with the concept of “non-assessability” under most, if not all, U.S. state corporations laws. All our shares are in registered form. We cannot, except in the circumstances permitted by the Singapore Companies Act, grant any financial assistance for the acquisition or proposed acquisition of our own shares. Except as described below under “— Takeovers,” there are no limitations imposed by the Singapore Companies Act or by our constitution on the right of shareholders not resident in Singapore to hold or vote ordinary shares.

25


Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

NASDAQ Global Market

Our ordinary shares are listed for quotation on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “WVE.”

New Shares

Under the Singapore Companies Act, new shares may be issued only with the prior approval of our shareholders in a general meeting. General approval may be sought from our shareholders in a general meeting for the issue of shares. Approval, if granted, will lapse at the earlier of:

 

the conclusion of the next annual general meeting; or

 

the expiration of the period within which the next annual general meeting is required by law to be held (i.e., once every calendar year and within 15 months from the last preceding annual general meeting),

but any approval may be revoked or varied by the company in a general meeting.

Our shareholders have provided such general authority to issue new ordinary shares until the conclusion of our 2018 annual general meeting. Such approval will lapse in accordance with the preceding paragraph if our shareholders do not grant a new approval at our 2018 annual general meeting. Subject to this and the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution, our board of directors may allot and issue or grant options over or otherwise dispose of new ordinary shares to such persons on such terms and conditions and with the rights and restrictions as they may think fit to impose.

Preferred Shares

Series A Preferred Shares

As of September 30, 2017, we have 3,901,348 Series A preferred shares outstanding. These shares are currently held by one of our largest shareholders, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd. The terms of the Series A preferred shares as set out in our constitution include (1) no voting rights at any general meeting other than in limited circumstances, (2) a liquidation preference equal to $0.002 per Series A preferred share, (3) no entitlement to dividends and (4) the right to convert the Series A preferred shares at any time on a one-for-one basis into ordinary shares at the discretion of the holder in accordance with the constitution.

The holders of the Series A preferred shares are not entitled to vote at any general meeting. The only instances in which the holders of the Series A preferred shares are able to vote at a general meeting would be if (but only if): the matters to be discussed at the meeting relate to or there is intent to pass resolutions on (i) abrogating or changing the rights attached to the Series A preferred shares; and (ii) for the winding up of the Company. Such resolutions would require the unanimous approval of the holders of the Series A preferred shares.

Other Preferred Shares

Under the Singapore Companies Act, different classes of shares in a public company may be issued only if (a) the issue of the class or classes of shares is provided for in the constitution of the public company and (b) the constitution of the public company sets out in respect of each class of shares the rights attached to that class of shares. Our constitution provides that we may issue shares of a different class with preferred, deferred or other special rights, or such restrictions, whether in regard to dividend, voting, return of capital or otherwise as our board of directors may determine. Under Singapore law, our preferred shareholders will have the right to attend any general meeting and in a poll at such general meeting, to have at least one vote for every preferred share held:

 

upon any resolution concerning the voluntary winding-up of our company under Section 290 of the Singapore Companies Act;

 

upon any resolution which varies the rights attached to such preferred shares; or

 

in the case of preferred shares issued after August 15, 1984, but before the commencement of Section 96 of the Companies (Amendment) Act 2014, when the dividends to be paid on our preferred shares or any part thereof are more than twelve months in arrears and unpaid, for the period they remain in arrears and unpaid.

26


We may, subject to the Singapore Companies Act and the prior approval in a general meeting of our shareholders, issue preferred shares which are, or at our option or are to be, subject to redemption provided that such preferred shares may not be redeemed out of capital unless:

 

all the directors have made a solvency statement in relation to such redemption; and

 

we have lodged a copy of the statement with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore.

Further, such shares must be fully paid-up before they are redeemed.

As of September 30, 2017, we have no preferred shares outstanding other than the Series A preferred shares described above. At present, we have no plans to issue additional preferred shares.

Registration Rights Under Our Investors’ Rights Agreement

As of September 30, 2017, the holders of approximately 7.4 million of our ordinary shares are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of these shares under the Securities Act. These rights are provided under the terms of the Investors’ Rights Agreement dated as of August 14, 2015 between us and the holders of these shares, and 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.

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.

27


Registration Rights under our Share Purchase Agreement

Under the terms of our Share Purchase Agreement dated as of May 5, 2016 with an affiliate of Pfizer Inc. (the “Pfizer Affiliate”), the Pfizer Affiliate agreed that the 1,875,000 ordinary shares that the Pfizer Affiliate purchased from us under the Share Purchase 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 Share Purchase 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 Share Purchase Agreement also contains other customary terms and conditions of the parties with respect to the registration of the Pfizer Shares.

Transfer of Ordinary Shares

Subject to applicable securities laws in relevant jurisdictions and our constitution, our ordinary shares are freely transferable. Our constitution provides that shares may be transferred by a duly signed instrument of transfer in any usual or common form or in a form approved by the directors and NASDAQ. The directors may decline to register any transfer unless, among other things, evidence of payment of any stamp duty payable with respect to the transfer is provided together with other evidence of ownership and title as the directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. We will replace lost or destroyed certificates for shares upon notice to us and upon, among other things, the applicant furnishing evidence and indemnity as the directors may require and the payment of all applicable fees.

Election and Re-election of Directors

We may, by ordinary resolution, remove any director before the expiration of his or her period of office, notwithstanding anything in our constitution or in any agreement between us and such director. We may also, by an ordinary resolution, appoint another person in place of a director removed from office pursuant to the foregoing.

Under our constitution, subject to the Singapore Companies Act, any director shall retire at the next annual general meeting and shall then be eligible for re-election at that meeting.

Our board of directors shall have the power, at any time and from time to time, to appoint any person to be a director either to fill a casual vacancy or as an additional director so long as the total number of directors shall not at any time exceed the maximum number (if any) fixed by or in accordance with our constitution.

Shareholders’ Meetings

We are required to hold an annual general meeting each calendar year and not more than 15 months after the date of our most recent annual general meeting. The directors may convene an extraordinary general meeting whenever they think fit and they must do so upon the written request of shareholders holding not less than 10% of the total number of paid-up shares as of the date of deposit of the requisition carrying the right to vote at a general meeting. In addition, two or more shareholders holding not less than 10% of our total number of issued shares (excluding our treasury shares) may call a meeting of our shareholders.

The Singapore Companies Act provides that a shareholder is entitled to attend any general meeting and speak on any resolution put before the general meeting. Unless otherwise required by law or by our constitution, resolutions put forth at general meetings may be decided by ordinary resolution, requiring the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the resolution. An ordinary resolution suffices, for example, for appointments of directors. A special resolution, requiring an affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths of the shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the resolution, is necessary for certain matters under Singapore law, such as an alteration of our constitution. A shareholder entitled to attend and vote at a meeting of the company, or at a meeting of any class of shareholders of the company, shall be entitled to appoint another person or persons, whether a shareholder of the company or not, as his proxy to attend and vote instead of the shareholder at the meeting. Under the Singapore Companies Act, a proxy appointed to attend and vote instead of the shareholder shall also have the same right as the shareholder to speak at the meeting, but unless the constitution of the company otherwise provides, (i) a proxy shall not be entitled to vote except on a poll, (ii) a shareholder shall not be entitled to appoint more than two proxies to attend and vote at the same meeting and (iii) where a shareholder appoints two proxies the appointment shall be invalid unless the shareholder specifies the proportions of his holdings to be represented by each proxy.

28


Notwithstanding the foregoing, a registered shareholder entitled to attend and vote at a meeting of the company held pursuant to an order of court under Section 210(1) of the Singapore Companies Act, or at any adjourned meeting under Section 210(3) of the Singapore Companies Act, is, unless the court orders otherwise, entitled to appoint only one proxy to attend and vote at the same meeting, and except where the aforementioned applies, a registered shareholder having a share capital who is a relevant intermediary (as defined under the Singapore Companies Act) may appoint more than two proxies in relation to a meeting to exercise all or any of his rights to attend and to speak and vote at the meeting, but each proxy must be appointed to exercise the rights attached to a different share or shares held by him (which number and class of shares shall be specified), and at such meeting, the proxy has the right to vote on a show of hands.

Only registered shareholders of our company, and their proxies, will be entitled to attend, speak and vote at any meeting of shareholders. Under the Singapore Companies Act, public companies may issue non-voting shares and shares that confer special, limited or conditional voting rights, such that the holder of a share may vote on a resolution before a general meeting of the company if, in accordance with the provisions of Section 64 of the Singapore Companies Act, the share confers on the holder a right to vote on that resolution.

Voting Rights

As provided under our constitution and the Singapore Companies Act, voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll has been demanded prior to the declaration of the result of the show of hands by, among others, (i) the chairman or (ii) at least one shareholder present in person or by proxy or by attorney or, in the case of a corporation, by a representative entitled to vote thereat, in each case representing in the aggregate not less than 5% of the total voting rights of all shareholders having the right to vote at the general meeting, provided that no poll shall be demanded in respect of an election of a chairman or relating to any adjournment of such meeting. On a poll every shareholder who is present in person or by proxy or by attorney, or in the case of a corporation, by a representative, has one vote for every share held by such shareholder. Proxies need not be shareholders.

Only those shareholders who are registered in our register of members as holders of ordinary shares will be entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders. Therefore, DTC, or its nominee, will grant an omnibus proxy to DTC participants holding our shares in book-entry form through a broker, bank, nominee, or other institution that is a direct or indirect participant in the DTC. Such shareholders will have the right to instruct their broker, bank, nominee or other institution holding these shares on how to vote such shares by completing the voting instruction form provided by the applicable broker, bank, nominee, or other institution. Whether voting is by a show of hands or by a poll, DTC’s vote will be voted by the chairman of the meeting according to the results of the DTC’s participants’ votes (which results will reflect the instructions received from shareholders that own our shares electronically in book-entry form).

Minority Rights

The rights of minority shareholders of Singapore companies are protected, among other things, under Section 216 of the Singapore Companies Act, which gives the Singapore courts a general power to make any order, upon application by any shareholder of a company, as they think fit to remedy any of the following situations:

 

the affairs of a company are being conducted or the powers of the board of directors are being exercised in a manner oppressive to, or in disregard of the interests of, one or more of the shareholders, including the applicant; or

 

a company takes an action, or threatens to take an action, or the shareholders pass a resolution, or propose to pass a resolution, which unfairly discriminates against, or is otherwise prejudicial to, one or more of the shareholders, including the applicant.

Singapore courts have wide discretion as to the remedy they may grant, and the remedies listed in the Singapore Companies Act itself are not exclusive. In general, Singapore courts may, with a view to bringing to an end or remedying the matters complained of:

 

direct or prohibit any act or cancel or modify any transaction or resolution;

 

regulate the conduct of the affairs of the company in the future;

 

authorize civil proceedings to be brought in the name of, or on behalf of, the company by a person or persons and on such terms as the court may direct;

 

provide for the purchase of a minority shareholder’s shares by the other shareholders or by the company itself;

 

in the case of a purchase of shares by the company provide for a reduction accordingly of the company’s capital; or

 

provide that the company be wound up.

29


Dividends

Subject to any preferential rights of holders of any outstanding preferred shares, holders of our ordinary shares will be entitled to receive dividends and other distributions in cash, shares or property as may be declared by our company from time to time. We may, by ordinary resolution, declare dividends at a general meeting of shareholders, but we are restricted from paying dividends in excess of the amount recommended by our board of directors. Pursuant to Singapore law and our constitution, no dividend may be paid except out of our profits. To date, we have not declared any cash dividends on our ordinary shares and have no current plans to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

Bonus and Rights Issues

In a general meeting, our shareholders may, upon the recommendation of the directors, capitalize any reserves or profits and distribute them as bonus shares, credited as paid-up, to the shareholders in proportion to their shareholdings.

Subject to the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act and our constitution, our directors may also issue rights to take up additional ordinary shares to our shareholders in proportion to their respective ownership. Such rights are subject to any condition attached to such issue and the regulations of any stock exchange on which our shares are listed, as well as U.S. federal and blue sky securities laws applicable to such issue.

Takeovers

The Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers applies to, among other things, the acquisition of voting shares of Singapore-incorporated public companies. Any person acquiring, whether by a series of transactions over a period of time or not, either on his or her own or together with parties acting in concert with such person, 30% or more of our voting shares, or, if such person holds, either on his or her own or together with parties acting in concert with such person, between 30% and 50% (both amounts inclusive) of our voting shares, and if such person (or parties acting in concert with such person) acquires additional voting shares representing more than 1% of our voting shares in any six-month period, must, except with the consent of the Securities Industry Council in Singapore, extend a mandatory takeover offer for the remaining voting shares in accordance with the provisions of the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers. Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers rests with parties (including company directors) to a take-over or merger and their advisors.

“Parties acting in concert” comprise individuals or companies who, pursuant to an agreement or understanding (whether formal or informal), cooperate, through the acquisition by any of them of shares in a company, to obtain or consolidate effective control of that company. Certain persons are presumed (unless the presumption is rebutted) to be acting in concert with each other. They are as follows:

 

a company, its parent company, subsidiaries and fellow subsidiaries, the associated companies of any of the company and its related companies, subsidiaries and fellow subsidiaries, companies whose associated companies include any of these companies and any person who has provided financial assistance (other than a bank in the ordinary course of business) to any of the foregoing for the purchase of voting rights;

 

a company with any of its directors (together with their close relatives, related trusts and companies controlled by any of the directors, their close relatives and related trusts);

 

a company with any of its pension funds and employee share schemes;

 

a person with any investment company, unit trust or other fund whose investment such person manages on a discretionary basis, but only in respect of the investment account which such person manages;

 

a financial or other professional adviser, including a stockbroker, with its client in respect of the shareholdings of (i) the adviser and persons controlling, controlled by or under the same control as the adviser and (ii) all the funds managed by the adviser on a discretionary basis, where the shareholdings of the adviser and any of those funds in the client total 10% or more of the client’s equity share capital;

 

directors of a company (together with their close relatives, related trusts and companies controlled by any of such directors, their close relatives and related trusts) which is subject to an offer or where the directors have reason to believe a bona fide offer for their company may be imminent;

 

partners; and

 

an individual and (i) such person’s close relatives, (ii) such person’s related trusts, (iii) any person who is accustomed to act in accordance with such person’s instructions, (iv) companies controlled by the individual, such person’s close relatives, related trusts or any person who is accustomed to act in accordance with such person’s instructions and (v) any person who has provided financial assistance (other than a bank in the ordinary course of business) to any of the foregoing for the purchase of voting rights.

30


Subject to certain exceptions, a mandatory offer must be in cash or be accompanied by a cash alternative at not less than the highest price paid by the offeror or parties acting in concert with the offeror during the offer period and within the six months prior to its commencement.

Under the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers, where effective control of a company is acquired or consolidated by a person, or persons acting in concert, a general offer to all other shareholders is normally required. An offeror must treat all shareholders of the same class in an offeree company equally. A fundamental requirement is that shareholders in the company subject to the takeover offer must be given sufficient information, advice and time to consider and decide on the offer. These legal requirements may impede or delay a takeover of our company by a third-party.

We may submit an application to the Securities Industry Council of Singapore for a waiver from the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers so that the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers will not apply to our company for so long as we are not listed on a securities exchange in Singapore. We will make an appropriate announcement if we submit the application and when the result of the application is known.

Liquidation or Other Return of Capital

On a winding-up or other return of capital, subject to any special rights attaching the Series A preferred shares or to any other class of shares, holders of ordinary shares will be entitled to participate in any surplus assets in proportion to their shareholdings.

Limitations of Liability and Indemnification Matters

Under Section 172 of the Singapore Companies Act, any provision exempting or indemnifying the officers of a company (including directors) against any liability that would otherwise attach to them in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the company is void. However, a company is not prohibited from (a) purchasing and maintaining for any such individual insurance against liability incurred by him or her in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the company, or (b) indemnifying the individual against liability incurred by him or her to a person other than the company except when the indemnity is against any liability (i) of the individual to pay a fine in criminal proceedings, (ii) of the individual to pay a penalty in respect of non-compliance with any requirements of a regulatory nature (howsoever arising), (iii) incurred by the individual in defending criminal proceedings in which he or she is convicted, (iv) incurred by the individual in defending civil proceedings brought by the company or a related company in which judgment is given against him or her, or (v) incurred by the individual in connection with an application for relief under Section 76A(13) or Section 391 of the Singapore Companies Act in which the court refuses to grant him or her relief.

Subject to the Singapore Companies Act and every other Singapore statute for the time being in force concerning companies and affecting us, our constitution provides that each of our directors and other officers and those of our subsidiaries and affiliates shall be entitled to be indemnified by us or such subsidiary against any liability incurred by him or her arising out of or in connection with any acts, omissions or conduct, actual or alleged, by such individual acting in his or her capacity as either director, officer, secretary or employee of us or the relevant subsidiary, except to such extent as would not be permitted under applicable Singapore laws or which would otherwise result in such indemnity being void in accordance with the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act.

Subject to the Singapore Companies Act and every other Singapore statute for the time being in force and affecting our company, we may indemnify our directors and officers against costs, charges, fees and other expenses that may be incurred by any of them in defending any proceedings (whether civil or criminal) relating to anything done or omitted or alleged to be done or omitted by such person acting in his or her capacity as a director, officer or employee of our company, in which judgment is given in his or her favor, or in which he or she is acquitted or in which the courts have granted relief pursuant to the provisions of the Singapore Companies Act, provided that such indemnity shall not extend to any liability which by law would otherwise attach to him or her in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which he may be guilty in relation to our company, or which would otherwise result in such indemnity being voided under applicable Singapore laws.

No director or officer of our company shall be liable for any acts, omissions, neglects, defaults or other conduct of any other director or officer, and to the extent permitted by Singapore law, our company shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by a director or officer in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of such director or officer, taking into consideration any other relevant equitable considerations, including acts of other directors or officers and our company, and the relative fault of such parties in respect thereof.

In addition, subject to the Singapore Companies Act and every other Singapore statute for the time being in force and affecting our company, no director, managing director or other officer shall be liable for the acts, receipts, neglects or defaults of any other director or officer, or for joining in any receipt or other act for conformity, or for any loss or expense incurred by us, through the insufficiency or deficiency of title to any property acquired by order of the directors for us or for the insufficiency or deficiency of any security upon which any of our moneys are invested or for any loss or damage arising from the bankruptcy, insolvency or tortious act of any person with whom any moneys, securities or effects are deposited, or any other loss, damage or misfortune which happens in the execution of his duties, unless the same happens through his own negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust.

31


We have entered into deeds of indemnity with each of our directors and officers. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under our constitution and the Singapore Companies Act against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us as a director or officer of the company (as the case may be), and to advance expenses incurred in connection with any proceeding against them by reason of their status as a director, officer, agent or employee of the company in accordance with the terms of the deeds. These indemnification rights shall not be exclusive of any other right which an indemnified person may have or thereafter acquire under any applicable law, provision of our constitution, agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.

We expect to maintain standard policies of insurance that provide coverage (1) to our directors and officers against loss rising from claims made by reason of breach of duty or other wrongful act and (2) to us with respect to indemnification payments that we may make to such directors and officers.

Item 6. Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

Number

 

Exhibit Description

 

Filed

with this

Report

 

Incorporated by

Reference herein

from Form or

Schedule

 

Filing

Date

 

SEC

File/Reg.

Number

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10.1+

 

Wave Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10.2+

 

Form of Non-qualified Share Option Agreement under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10.3+

 

Form of Incentive Share Option Agreement under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10.4+

 

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

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 10.5+

 

Form of Non-qualified Share Option Agreement for UK Participants under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 31.1

 

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Principal Executive Officer

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 31.2

 

Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Principal Financial Officer

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 32*

 

Section 1350 Certifications of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS

 

XBRL Instance Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.CAL

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.LAB

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.PRE

 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*)

The certifications attached as Exhibit 32 that accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (whether made before or after the date of such Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

(+)

Indicates management contract or compensatory plan.

 

 

 

32


SIGNATURES

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

Date: November 9, 2017

 

WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

 

 

 

By:

 

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

 

 

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

 

33

wve-ex101_97.htm

Exhibit 10.1

Effective Date: August 10, 2017

WAVE LIFE SCIENCES LTD.

2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN, AS AMENDED

1.Purpose; Eligibility.

1.1General Purpose. The name of this plan is the WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The purposes of the Plan are to (i) provide eligible Employees, Consultants, and Directors with the opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest, or otherwise increase their proprietary interest, in the Company as an incentive for them to remain in the service of WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a corporation formed in Singapore (the “Company”), and any Affiliate; and (ii) promote the success of the Company’s business.

1.2Eligible Award Recipients. The persons eligible to receive Awards are the Employees, Consultants, and Directors of the Company and its Affiliates.

1.3Available Awards. Awards that may be granted under the Plan include: (a) Incentive Share Options; (b) Non-qualified Share Options; (c) Share Appreciation Rights; (d) Restricted Awards and (e) Performance Awards.

2.Definitions.

Affiliate” means a corporation or other entity that, directly or through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by or is under common control with, the Company.

Applicable Laws” means the requirements related to or implicated by the administration of the Plan under (i) applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore, including but not limited to, the Singaporean Equity Remuneration Incentive Scheme and the Income Tax Act of Singapore; (ii) applicable laws of the United States, including but not limited to, United States federal and state securities laws and the Code; (iii) applicable laws of Japan, including but not limited to, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan; (iv) any stock exchange or quotation system on which the  Ordinary Shares are listed or quoted; and (v) the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan.

Award” means any right granted under the Plan, including an Incentive Share Option, a Non-qualified Share Option, a Share Appreciation Right, a Restricted Award or a Performance Award.

Award Agreement” means a written agreement, contract, certificate or other instrument or document evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Award granted under the Plan which may, in the discretion of the Company, be transmitted electronically to any Participant. Each Award Agreement shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company, as constituted at any time.


Cause” means: With respect to any Employee or Consultant: (a) if the Employee or Consultant is a party to an employment or service agreement with the Company or its Affiliates and such agreement provides for a definition of Cause, the definition contained therein; or (b) if no such agreement exists, or if such agreement does not define Cause: (i) the commission of, or plea of guilty or no contest to, a felony or a crime involving fraud, embezzlement or any other act of moral turpitude or the commission of any other act involving willful malfeasance or material fiduciary breach with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; (ii) conduct that results in or is reasonably likely to result in harm to the reputation or business of the Company or any of its Affiliates; (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; (iv) material breach of any employment, consulting, advisory, nondisclosure, non-solicitation, non-competition or similar agreement with the Company or its Affiliates; or (v) material violation of state or federal securities laws. With respect to any Director, a determination by a majority of the disinterested Board members that the Director has engaged in any of the following: (a) gross misconduct or neglect; (b) false or fraudulent misrepresentation inducing the Director's appointment; or (c) willful conversion of corporate funds. The Committee, in its absolute discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to whether a Participant has been discharged for Cause.

Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it may be amended from time to time. Any reference to a section of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any regulations promulgated thereunder.

Committee” means a committee of one or more members of the Board appointed by the Board to administer the Plan in accordance with Section 3.3 the composition of which shall at all times satisfy the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code.

Company” means WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a corporation formed in Singapore, and any successor thereto.

Consultant” means any individual who is engaged by the Company or any Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services.

Continuous Service” means that the Participant's service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Consultant or Director, is not interrupted or terminated. The Participant's Continuous Service shall not be deemed to have terminated merely because of a change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Consultant or Director or a change in the entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant's Continuous Service; provided further that if any Award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, this sentence shall only be given effect to the extent consistent with Section 409A of the Code.

Corporate Transaction” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.1.

Director” means a member of the Board.

2


Disability” means that the Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment; provided, however, for purposes of determining the term of an Incentive Share Option pursuant to Section 6.10 hereof, the term Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to it under Section 22(e)(3) of the Code. The determination of whether an individual has a Disability shall be determined under procedures established by the Committee. Except in situations where the Committee is determining Disability for purposes of the term of an Incentive Share Option pursuant to Section 6.10 hereof within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code, the Committee may rely on any determination that a Participant is disabled for purposes of benefits under any long-term disability plan maintained by the Company or any Affiliate in which a Participant participates.

Disqualifying Disposition” has the meaning set forth in Section 14.8.

Effective Date” shall mean the date as of which this Plan is adopted by the Board (December 10, 2014).

Employee” means any person, including an Officer or Director, employed by the Company or an Affiliate; provided, that, for purposes of determining eligibility to receive Incentive Share Options, an Employee shall mean an employee of the Company or a parent or subsidiary corporation within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code.

Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of an Ordinary Share as determined below. If an Ordinary Share is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ Stock Market, the Fair Market Value shall be the closing price of an Ordinary Share (or if no sales were reported the closing price on the date immediately preceding such date) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. In the absence of an established market for an Ordinary Share, the Fair Market Value shall be determined in good faith by the Committee and such determination shall be conclusive and binding on all persons.

Grant Date” means the date on which the Committee adopts a resolution, or takes other appropriate action, expressly granting an Award to a Participant that specifies the key terms and conditions of the Award or, if a later date is set forth in such resolution, then such date as is set forth in such resolution.

Incentive Share Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.

Non-Employee Director” means a Director who is a "non-employee director" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3.

Non-qualified Share Option” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Share Option.

Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

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Option” means an Incentive Share Option or a Non-qualified Share Option granted pursuant to the Plan.

Optionholder” means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.

Option Exercise Price” means the price at which an Ordinary Share may be purchased upon the exercise of an Option.

Ordinary Shares” means ordinary shares in the capital of the Company, or such other securities of the Company as may be designated by the Committee from time to time in substitution thereof.

Participant” means an eligible person to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Award.

Performance Award” means a Restricted Award which vests based on the attainment of written Performance Goals as set forth in Section 7.2(g).

Performance Goals” mean performance goals based on one or more of the following criteria: (i) pre-tax income or after-tax income; (ii) income or earnings including operating income, earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, amortization, and/or extraordinary or special items; (iii) net income excluding amortization of intangible assets, depreciation and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and/or excluding charges attributable to the adoption of new accounting pronouncements; (iv) earnings or book value per share (basic or diluted); (v) return on assets (gross or net), return on investment, return on capital, return on invested capital or return on equity; (vi) return on revenues; (vii) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment (discounted or otherwise), net cash provided by operations, or cash flow in excess of cost of capital; (viii) economic value created; (ix) operating margin or profit margin; (x) share price or total shareholder return; (xi) income or earnings from continuing operations; (xii) cost targets, reductions and savings, expense management, productivity and efficiencies; (xiii) operational objectives, consisting of one or more objectives based on achieving progress in research and development programs or achieving regulatory milestones related to development and or approval of products; and (xiv) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified market penetration or market share of one or more products or customers, geographic business expansion, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, human resources management, supervision of litigation, information technology, and goals relating to acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and similar transactions. Where applicable, the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of a relative measure against a set of identified peer group companies, attaining a specified level of the particular criterion or the attainment of a percentage increase or decrease in the particular criterion, and may be applied to one or more of the Company or an Affiliate of the Company, or a division or strategic business unit of the Company, all as determined by the Committee. The Performance Goals may include a threshold level of performance below which no Performance Award will be issued or no vesting will occur, levels of performance at which Performance Awards will be issued or specified vesting will occur, and a maximum level of performance above which no additional issuances will be made or at which full vesting will occur. Each of the foregoing Performance Goals shall be evaluated in an objectively determinable manner in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Code and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles where applicable, unless otherwise specified by the Committee, and shall be subject to certification by the Committee. The Committee shall have the authority to make equitable adjustments to the Performance Goals in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company or any Affiliate or the financial statements of the Company or any Affiliate, in response to changes in applicable laws or regulations, or to account for items of gain, loss or expense determined to be extraordinary or unusual in nature or infrequent in occurrence or related to the disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting principles provided that any such change shall at all times satisfy the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code.

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Permitted Transferee” means the following if prior approval is obtained from the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion: (a) a member of the Optionholder's immediate family (child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, spouse, former spouse, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships), any person sharing the Optionholder's household (other than a tenant or employee), a trust in which these persons have more than 50% of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the Optionholder) control the management of assets; and any other entity in which these persons (or the Optionholder) own more than 50% of the voting interests; and (b) such other transferees as may be permitted by the Committee in its sole discretion and in compliance with Applicable Laws.

Plan” means WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and/or amended and restated from time to time.

Restricted Award” means any Award granted pursuant to Section 7.2(a).

Restricted Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.2(a).

Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect from time to time.

Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Share Appreciation Right” means the right pursuant to an Award granted under Section 7.1 to receive, upon exercise, an amount payable in cash or Ordinary Shares equal to the number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Share Appreciation Right that is being exercised multiplied by the excess of (a) the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share on the date the Award is exercised, over (b) the exercise price specified in the Share Appreciation Right Award Agreement.

Ten Percent Shareholder” means a person who owns (or is deemed to own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or of any of its Affiliates.

3.Administration.

3.1Authority of Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee or, in the Board’s sole discretion, by the Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may not take any action that would cause any outstanding Award that would otherwise qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code to fail to so qualify.  Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee’s charter and Applicable Laws, and in addition to other express powers and authorization conferred by the Plan, the Committee shall have the authority:

(a)to construe and interpret the Plan and apply its provisions;

(b)to promulgate, amend, and rescind rules and regulations relating to the administration of the Plan;

(c)to authorize any person to execute, on behalf of the Company, any instrument required to carry out the purposes of the Plan;

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(d)to determine when Awards are to be granted under the Plan and the applicable Grant Date;

(e)from time to time to select, subject to the limitations set forth in this Plan, those Participants to whom Awards shall be granted;

(f)to determine the number of Ordinary Shares to be made subject to each Award provided that no Award shall be granted to any Participant with respect to more than 600,000 Ordinary Shares in any fiscal year;

(g)to determine whether each Option is to be an Incentive Share Option or a Non-qualified Share Option;

(h)to prescribe the terms and conditions of each Award, including, without limitation, the exercise price and medium of payment and vesting provisions, and to specify the provisions of the Award Agreement relating to such grant;

(i)to amend any outstanding Awards, including for the purpose of modifying the time or manner of vesting, or the term of any outstanding Award; provided, however, that any such amendment shall be subject to the Participant's consent if required pursuant to Section 13.5

(j)to make decisions with respect to outstanding Awards that may become necessary upon a change in corporate control or an event that triggers anti-dilution adjustments;

(k)to interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in and/or supply any omission in the Plan and any instrument or agreement relating to, or Award granted under, the Plan;

(l)to exercise discretion to make any and all other determinations which it determines to be necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan; and

(m)to adopt sub-plans that, when taken together with the Plan, shall constitute the Plan for those certain tax residents identified in the applicable sub-plan.

The Committee also may modify the purchase price or the exercise price of any outstanding Award, provided that if the modification affects a repricing, shareholder approval shall be required before the repricing is effective.

3.2Committee Decisions Final. All decisions made by the Committee pursuant to the provisions of the Plan shall be final and binding on the Company and the Participants, unless such decisions are determined by a court having jurisdiction to be arbitrary and capricious.

3.3Delegation. The Committee, or if no Committee has been appointed, the Board, may delegate administration of the Plan to a committee or committees of one or more members of the Board, and the term “Committee” shall apply to any person or persons to whom such authority has been delegated. The Committee shall have the power to delegate to a subcommittee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise (and references in this Plan to the Board or the Committee shall thereafter be to the committee or subcommittee), subject, however, to Applicable Laws and such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. The Board may abolish the Committee at any time and revest in the Board the administration of the Plan.

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3.4Indemnification. In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as Directors or members of the Committee, and to the extent allowed by Applicable Laws, the Committee shall be indemnified by the Company against the reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees, actually incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding or in connection with any appeal therein, to which the Committee may be party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan or any Award granted under the Plan, and against all amounts paid by the Committee in settlement thereof (provided, however, that the settlement has been approved by the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) or paid by the Committee in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such Committee did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company, or in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reason to believe that the conduct complained of was unlawful; provided, however, that within 60 days after institution of any such action, suit or proceeding, such Committee shall, in writing, offer the Company the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend such action, suit or proceeding.

4.Shares Subject to the Plan.

4.1Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 11, a total of  (i) 6,064,544 Ordinary Shares shall be available for the grant of Awards under the Plan, and (ii) an annual increase 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.  During the terms of the Awards, the Company shall keep available at all times the number of Ordinary Shares required to satisfy such Awards. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, Awards that provide for the delivery of Ordinary Shares subsequent to the applicable grant date may be granted in excess of the share limits set forth in this paragraph if such Awards provide for the forfeiture of such Awards to the extent that insufficient Ordinary Shares remain at the time that the Ordinary Shares would otherwise be issued in respect of such Award.  

4.2Ordinary Shares available for distribution under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued shares, treasury shares or shares reacquired by the Company in any manner.

4.3Any Ordinary Shares subject to an Award that is canceled, forfeited or expires prior to exercise or realization, either in full or in part, shall again become available for issuance under the Plan.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Ordinary Shares subject to an Award under the Plan shall not again be made available for issuance or delivery under the Plan if such Ordinary Shares are (a) Ordinary Shares tendered in payment of an Option; (b) Ordinary Shares delivered or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation; (c) Ordinary Shares covered by a share-settled Share Appreciation Right or other Awards that were not issued upon the settlement of the Award, or (d) Ordinary Shares repurchased by the Company on the open market with the proceeds of the exercise price of an Option or Share Appreciation Right.

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5.Eligibility.

5.1Eligibility for Specific Awards. Incentive Share Options may be granted only to Employees who are tax residents of the United States and shall not include Employees who are solely Officers and Directors. Awards other than Incentive Share Options may be granted to Employees, Consultants and Directors.

5.2Ten Percent Shareholders. A Ten Percent Shareholder shall not be granted an Incentive Share Option unless the Option Exercise Price is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share at the Grant Date and the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five years from the Grant Date.

5.3Section 162(m) Limitations. In no event shall Awards with respect to more than 600,000 Ordinary Shares be granted to any Participant in any fiscal year.

6.Option Provisions. Each Option granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Option so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 6, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement. All Options shall be separately designated Incentive Share Options or Non-qualified Share Options at the time of grant, and, if certificates are issued, a separate certificate or certificates will be issued for Ordinary Shares purchased on exercise of each type of Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall have no liability to any Participant or any other person if an Option designated as an Incentive Share Option fails to qualify as such at any time or if an Option is determined to constitute “nonqualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and the terms of such Option do not satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The provisions of separate Options need not be identical, but each Option shall include (through incorporation of provisions hereof by reference in the Option or otherwise) the substance of each of the following provisions:

6.1Term. Subject to the provisions of Section 5.2 regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, no Incentive Share Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of 10 years from the Grant Date. The term of a Non-qualified Share Option granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, no Non-qualified Share Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of 10 years from the Grant Date.

6.2Exercise Price of An Incentive Share Option. Subject to the provisions of Section 5.2 regarding Ten Percent Shareholders, the Option Exercise Price of each Incentive Share Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share subject to the Option on the Grant Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Incentive Share Option may be granted with an Option Exercise Price lower than that set forth in the preceding sentence if such Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner satisfying the provisions of Section 424(a) of the Code.

6.3Exercise Price of a Non-qualified Share Option. The Option Exercise Price of each Non-qualified Share Option shall be not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share subject to the Option on the Grant Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Non-qualified Share Option may be granted with an Option Exercise Price lower than that set forth in the preceding sentence if such Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option in a manner satisfying the provisions of Section 409A of the Code.

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6.4Consideration. The Option Exercise Price of an Ordinary Share acquired pursuant to an Option shall be paid, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, either (a) in cash or by certified or bank check at the time the Option is exercised; or (b) in the discretion of the Committee, upon such terms as the Committee shall approve, the Option Exercise Price may be paid: (i) by reduction in the number of Ordinary Shares otherwise deliverable upon exercise of such Option with a Fair Market Value equal to the aggregate Option Exercise Price at the time of exercise; (ii) in accordance with a cashless exercise program established with a securities brokerage firm, or (iii) in any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the Committee.

6.5Transferability of An Incentive Share Option. An Incentive Share Option shall not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Optionholder only by the Optionholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Optionholder may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party who, in the event of the death of the Optionholder, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option.

6.6Transferability of a Non-qualified Share Option. A Non-qualified Share Option may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, be transferable for no consideration to a Permitted Transferee, upon written approval by the Committee to the extent provided in the Award Agreement. If the Non-qualified Share Option does not provide for transferability, then the Non-qualified Share Option shall not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution and shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Optionholder only by the Optionholder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Optionholder may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party who, in the event of the death of the Optionholder, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option.

6.7Vesting of Options.  Each Option may, but need not, vest and therefore become exercisable in periodic installments that may, but need not, be equal. The Option may be subject to such other terms and conditions on the time or times when it may be exercised (which may be based on performance or other criteria) as the Committee may deem appropriate. The vesting provisions of individual Options may vary. No Option may be exercised for a fraction of an Ordinary Share. The Committee may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event.

6.8Termination of Continuous Service. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or in an employment agreement the terms of which have been approved by the Committee, in the event an Optionholder’s Continuous Service terminates (other than upon the Optionholder’s death or Disability), the Optionholder may exercise his or her Option (to the extent that the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of termination) but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (a) the date three months following the termination of the Optionholder’s Continuous Service; or (b) the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement; provided that, if the termination of Continuous Service is by the Company for Cause, all outstanding Options (whether or not vested) shall immediately terminate and cease to be exercisable.

6.9Extension of Termination Date. An Optionholder’s Award Agreement may also provide that if the exercise of the Option following the termination of the Optionholder's Continuous Service for any reason would be prohibited at any time because the issuance of Ordinary Shares would violate the

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registration requirements under the Securities Act or any other Applicable Laws, then the Option shall terminate on the earlier of (a) the expiration of the term of the Option in accordance with Section 6.1; or (b) the expiration of a period after termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service that is three months after the end of the period during which the exercise of the Option would be in violation of such registration or other securities law requirements.

6.10Disability of Optionholder. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, in the event that an Optionholder's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Optionholder's Disability, the Optionholder may exercise his or her Option (to the extent that the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of termination), but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (a) the date 12 months following such termination; or (b) the expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after termination, the Optionholder does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein or in the Award Agreement, the Option shall terminate.

6.11Death of Optionholder. Unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, in the event an Optionholder's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Optionholder's death, then the Option may be exercised (to the extent the Optionholder was entitled to exercise such Option as of the date of death) by the Optionholder's estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by a person designated to exercise the Option upon the Optionholder's death, but only within the period ending on the earlier of (a) the date 12 months following the date of death; or (b) the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement. If, after the Optionholder’s death, the Option is not exercised within the time specified herein or in the Award Agreement, the Option shall terminate.

6.12Incentive Share Option $100,000 Limitation. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at the time of grant) of an Ordinary Share with respect to which Incentive Share Options are exercisable for the first time by any Optionholder during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and its Affiliates) exceeds U.S. $100,000, the Options or portions thereof which exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted in accordance with Section 422(d) of the Code) shall be treated as Non-qualified Share Options.

7.Provisions of Awards Other Than Options.

7.1Share Appreciation Rights.  

(a)General.  Each Share Appreciation Right granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Share Appreciation Right so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 7.1, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement. Share Appreciation Rights may be granted alone or in tandem with an Option granted under the Plan.

(b)Grant Requirements.  Any Share Appreciation Right that relates to a Non-qualified Share Option may be granted at the same time the Option is granted or at any time thereafter but before the exercise or expiration of the Option. Any Share Appreciation Right that relates to an Incentive Share Option must be granted at the same time the Incentive Share Option is granted.

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(c)Term of Share Appreciation Rights.  The term of a Share Appreciation Right granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, no Share Appreciation Right shall be exercisable later than the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date.

(d)Vesting of Share Appreciation Rights.  Each Share Appreciation Right may, but need not, vest and therefore become exercisable in periodic installments that may, but need not, be equal. The Share Appreciation Right may be subject to such other terms and conditions on the time or times when it may be exercised as the Committee may deem appropriate. The vesting provisions of individual Share Appreciation Rights may vary. No Share Appreciation Right may be exercised for a fraction of an Ordinary Share. The Committee may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting and exercisability in the terms of any Share Appreciation Right upon the occurrence of a specified event.

(e)Exercise.  Upon exercise of a Share Appreciation Right, the holder shall be entitled to receive from the Company an amount equal to the number of Ordinary Shares subject to the Share Appreciation Right that is being exercised multiplied by the excess of (i) the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share on the date the Award is exercised, over (ii) the exercise price specified in the Share Appreciation Right or related Option.

(f)Exercise Price.  The exercise price of a Share Appreciation Right shall be determined by the Committee, but shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of one Ordinary Share on the Grant Date of such Share Appreciation Right. A Share Appreciation Right granted simultaneously with or subsequent to the grant of an Option and in conjunction therewith or in the alternative thereto shall have the same exercise price as the related Option, shall be transferable only upon the same terms and conditions as the related Option, and shall be exercisable only to the same extent as the related Option; provided, however, that a Share Appreciation Right, by its terms, shall be exercisable only when the Fair Market Value per Ordinary Share subject to the Share Appreciation Right and related Option exceeds the exercise price per share thereof and no Share Appreciation Rights may be granted in tandem with an Option unless the Committee determines that the requirements of Section 7.1(b) are satisfied.

7.2Restricted Awards.  

(a)General.  A Restricted Award is an Award of actual Ordinary Shares (“Restricted Share”) or hypothetical Ordinary Share units (“Restricted Share Units”) having a value equal to the Fair Market Value of an identical number of Ordinary Shares, which may, but need not, provide that such Restricted Award may not be sold, assigned, transferred or otherwise disposed of, pledged or hypothecated as collateral for a loan or as security for the performance of any obligation or for any other purpose for such period (the “Restricted Period”) as the Committee shall determine. Each Restricted Award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Restricted Award so granted shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Section 7.2, and to such other conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be reflected in the applicable Award Agreement.

(b)Restricted Share and Restricted Share Units.

 

(i)

Each Participant granted Restricted Share shall execute and deliver to the Company an Award Agreement with respect to the Restricted Share setting forth the restrictions and other terms and conditions applicable to such Restricted Share. If the Committee determines that the Restricted Share shall be held by the Company or in escrow rather

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than delivered to the Participant pending the release of the applicable restrictions, the Committee may require the Participant to additionally execute and deliver to the Company (A) an escrow agreement satisfactory to the Committee, if applicable; and (B) the appropriate blank share power with respect to the Restricted Share covered by such agreement. If a Participant fails to execute an agreement evidencing an Award of Restricted Share and, if applicable, an escrow agreement and Share power, the Award shall be null and void. Subject to the restrictions set forth in the Award, the Participant generally shall have the rights and privileges of a shareholder as to such Restricted Share, including the right to vote such Restricted Share and the right to receive dividends; provided however that dividends (other than share dividends to be issued pursuant to Section 11) may accrue but shall not be paid prior to the time, and only to the extent that, the restrictions on the Ordinary Shares subject to the Restricted Share to which it relates lapses.

 

(ii)

The terms and conditions of a grant of Restricted Share Units shall be reflected in an Award Agreement. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued at the time a Restricted Share Unit is granted, and the Company will not be required to set aside a fund for the payment of any such Award. A Participant shall have no voting rights with respect to any Restricted Share Units granted hereunder.  At the discretion of the Committee, each Restricted Share Unit (representing one Ordinary Share) may be credited with cash paid by the Company in respect of one Ordinary Share (“Dividend Equivalents”). Dividend Equivalents shall be paid only upon the vesting of a Restricted Share Unit and in accordance with Section 409A of the Code if paid to a tax resident of the United States.

(c)Restrictions.

 

(i)

Restricted Share awarded to a Participant shall be subject to the following restrictions until the expiration of the Restricted Period, and to such other terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement: (A) if an escrow arrangement is used, the Participant shall not be entitled to delivery of the share certificate; (B) the shares shall be subject to the restrictions on transferability set forth in the Award Agreement; (C) the shares shall be subject to forfeiture to the extent provided in the applicable Award Agreement; and (D) to the extent such shares are forfeited, the share certificates shall be returned to the Company, and all rights of the Participant to such shares and as a shareholder with respect to such shares shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Company.

 

(ii)

Restricted Share Units awarded to any Participant shall be subject to (A) forfeiture until the expiration of the Restricted Period, to the extent provided in the applicable Award Agreement, and to the extent such Restricted Share Units are forfeited, all rights of the Participant to such Restricted Share Units, including Dividend Equivalents, shall terminate without further obligation on the part of the Company; and (B) such other terms and conditions as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

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(iii)

The Committee shall have the authority to remove any or all of the restrictions on the Restricted Share, Restricted Share Units whenever it may determine that, by reason of changes in Applicable Laws or other changes in circumstances arising after the date the Restricted Share or Restricted Share Units are granted, such action is appropriate.

(d)Restricted Period.  With respect to Restricted Awards, the Restricted Period shall commence on the Grant Date and end at the time or times set forth on a schedule established by the Committee in the applicable Award Agreement.  No Restricted Award may be granted or settled for a fraction of an Ordinary Share. The Committee may, but shall not be required to, provide for an acceleration of vesting in the terms of any Award Agreement upon the occurrence of a specified event.

(e)Delivery of Restricted Shares; Settlement of Restricted Share Units.  Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any Restricted Shares, the restrictions set forth in Section 7.2(c) and the applicable Award Agreement shall be of no further force or effect with respect to such shares, except as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement. If an escrow arrangement is used, upon such expiration, the Company shall deliver to the Participant, or his or her beneficiary, without charge, the share certificate evidencing the Restricted Shares which have not then been forfeited and with respect to which the Restricted Period has expired (to the nearest full share) and any cash dividends or share dividends credited to the Participant's account with respect to such Restricted Shares and the interest thereon, if any. Upon the expiration of the Restricted Period with respect to any outstanding Restricted Share Units unless payment is further deferred in compliance with Applicable Laws including, but not limited to Section 409A of the Code, the Company shall deliver to the Participant, or his or her beneficiary, without charge, one Ordinary Share for each outstanding vested Restricted Share Unit and cash equal to any Dividend Equivalents credited with respect to each such vested Restricted Share Unit in accordance with Section 7.2(b)(ii) hereof and the interest thereon or, at the discretion of the Committee, in Ordinary Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to such Dividend Equivalents and the interest thereon, if any; provided, however, that, if explicitly provided in the applicable Award Agreement, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, elect to pay cash or part cash and part Ordinary Shares in lieu of delivering only Ordinary Shares for vested Restricted Share Units. If a cash payment is made in lieu of delivering Ordinary Shares, the amount of such payment shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of an Ordinary Share as of the date on which the Restricted Period lapsed in the case of Restricted Share Units.

(f)Share Restrictions.  Each certificate representing Restricted Share awarded under the Plan shall bear a legend in such form as the Company deems appropriate.

(g) Performance Awards.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, during any period when Section 162(m) of the Code is applicable to the Company and the Plan, Restricted Awards may be granted at the sole discretion of the Committee, by the Committee in a manner which is deductible by the Company under Section 162(m) of the Code.  A Participant’s Performance Award shall be determined based on the attainment of written Performance Goals, which must be objective and approved by the Committee for a performance period of between one and five years established by the Committee (I) while the outcome for that performance period is substantially uncertain and (II) no more than 90 days after the commencement of the performance period to which the Performance Goal relates or, if less, the number of days which is equal to 25% of the relevant performance period.  The Committee shall determine whether, with respect to a performance period, the applicable Performance

13


Goals have been met with respect to a given Participant and, if they have, to so certify and ascertain the amount of the applicable Performance Award.  No Performance Awards will be issued for such performance period until such certification is made by the Committee.  The number Ordinary Shares issued in respect of a Performance Award to a given Participant may be less than the amount determined by the applicable Performance Goal formula, at the discretion of the Committee.  The number of Ordinary Shares issued in respect of a Performance Award determined by the Committee for a performance period shall be paid to the Participant at such time as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion after the end of such performance period and any dividends (other than share dividends to be issued pursuant to Section 11) or dividend equivalents that accrue shall only be paid in respect of the number of Ordinary Shares earned in respect of a Performance Award.

8.Securities Law Compliance. Each Award Agreement shall provide that no Ordinary Shares shall be purchased or sold thereunder unless and until (a) any then Applicable Laws have been fully complied with to the satisfaction of the Company and its counsel; and (b) if required to do so by the Company, the Participant has executed and delivered to the Company a letter of investment intent in such form and containing such provisions as the Committee may require. The Company shall use reasonable efforts to seek to obtain from each regulatory commission or agency having jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be required to grant Awards and to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Awards; provided, however, that this undertaking shall not require the Company to register the Ordinary Shares, the Plan or any Award under the Securities Act with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission or with any state securities commission or stock exchange or under any other Applicable Laws. If, after reasonable efforts, the Company is unable to obtain from any such regulatory commission or agency the authority which counsel for the Company deems necessary for the lawful issuance and sale of Ordinary Shares under the Plan, the Company shall be relieved from any liability for failure to issue and sell Ordinary Shares upon exercise of such Awards unless and until such authority is obtained.

9.Use of Proceeds from Shares. Proceeds from the sale of Ordinary Shares pursuant to Awards, or upon exercise thereof, shall constitute general funds of the Company.

10.Miscellaneous.

10.1Acceleration of Exercisability and Vesting. The Committee shall have the power to accelerate the time at which an Award may first be exercised or the time during which an Award or any part thereof will vest in accordance with the Plan, notwithstanding the provisions in the Award stating the time at which it may first be exercised or the time during which it will vest.

10.2Shareholder Rights. Except as provided in the Plan or an Award Agreement, no Participant shall be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any Ordinary Shares subject to such Award unless and until such Participant has satisfied all requirements for exercise of the Award pursuant to its terms and no adjustment shall be made for dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash, securities or other property) or distributions of other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such Ordinary Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 11 hereof.  Any dividends or dividend equivalents shall in all events be subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions as apply to the Award to which they relate.

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10.3No Employment or Other Service Rights. Nothing in the Plan or any instrument executed or Award granted pursuant thereto shall confer upon any Participant any right to continue to serve the Company or an Affiliate in the capacity in effect at the time the Award was granted or shall affect the right of the Company or an Affiliate to terminate (a) the employment of an Employee with or without notice and with or without Cause; or (b) the service of a Director pursuant to the Articles of Association of the Company or an Affiliate, and any applicable provisions of the corporate law of the state in which the Company or the Affiliate is incorporated, as the case may be.

10.4Transfer; Approved Leave of Absence. For purposes of the Plan, no termination of employment by an Employee shall be deemed to result from either (a) a transfer of employment to the Company from an Affiliate or from the Company to an Affiliate, or from one Affiliate to another; or (b) an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness, or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the Employee's right to reemployment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Committee otherwise so provides in writing, in either case, except to the extent inconsistent with Applicable Laws, including but not limited to Section 409A of the Code if the applicable Award is subject thereto.

10.5Withholding Obligations. To the extent provided by the terms of an Award Agreement and subject to the discretion of the Committee, the Participant may satisfy any foreign, federal, state or local tax withholding obligation relating to the exercise or acquisition of Ordinary Shares under an Award by any of the following means (in addition to the Company's right to withhold from any compensation paid to the Participant by the Company) or by a combination of such means: (a) tendering a cash payment; (b) authorizing the Company to withhold Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares otherwise issuable to the Participant as a result of the exercise or acquisition of Ordinary Shares under the Award, provided, however, that no Ordinary Shares are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by Applicable Laws; or (c) delivering to the Company previously owned and unencumbered Ordinary Shares of the Company.

11.Adjustments Upon Changes in Shares. In the event of changes in the outstanding Ordinary Shares or in the capital structure of the Company by reason of any share or extraordinary cash dividend, share split, reverse share split, an extraordinary corporate transaction such as any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange, or other relevant change in capitalization occurring after the Grant Date of any Award, Awards granted under the Plan and any Award Agreements, the exercise price of Options and Share Appreciation Rights, the maximum number of Ordinary Shares subject to all Awards stated in Section 4 will be equitably adjusted or substituted, as to the number, price or kind of an Ordinary Share or other consideration subject to such Awards to the extent necessary to preserve the economic intent of such Award. In the case of adjustments made pursuant to this Section 11, unless the Committee specifically determines that such adjustment is in the best interests of the Company or its Affiliates, the Committee shall, in the case of Incentive Share Options, ensure that any adjustments under this Section 11 will not constitute a modification, extension or renewal of the Incentive Share Options within the meaning of Section 424(h)(3) of the Code and in the case of Non-qualified Share Options, ensure that any adjustments under this Section 11 will not constitute a modification of such Non-qualified Share Options within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and shall be made in accordance with Section 162(m) of the Code for Performance Awards. The Company shall give each Participant notice of an adjustment hereunder and, upon notice, such adjustment shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes.

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12.Effect of Corporate Transaction.

12.1The obligations of the Company under the Plan and the Award Agreements shall be binding upon any successor corporation or organization resulting from the merger, consolidation or other reorganization of the Company, or upon any successor corporation or organization succeeding to all or substantially all of the assets and business of the Company and its Affiliates, taken as a whole (a “Corporate Transaction”).

12.2In the event of a Corporate Transaction, the Board may take one or more of the following actions 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) require that Participants surrender their outstanding Options or Share Appreciation Rights in exchange for a payment by the Company, in cash or Ordinary Shares as determined by the Board, 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 Participants 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.  Such surrender or termination shall take place as of the date of the Corporate Transaction or such other date as the Board may specify.

12.3In the event of a Corporate Transaction with respect to outstanding Restricted Awards, the Board, shall 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 Corporate Transaction or securities of any successor or acquiring entity.  In lieu of the foregoing, in connection with any Corporate Transaction, the Board may provide that, upon consummation of the Corporate Transaction, each outstanding Restricted Award shall be terminated in exchange for payment of an amount equal to the consideration payable upon consummation of such Corporate Transaction to a holder of the number of Ordinary Shares comprising such Restricted Award to then extent then vested.

13.Amendment of the Plan and Awards.

13.1Amendment of Plan. The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend or terminate the Plan. However, except as provided in Section 11 relating to adjustments upon changes in Ordinary Shares and Section 13.3, no amendment shall be effective unless approved by the shareholders of the Company to the extent shareholder approval is necessary to satisfy any Applicable Laws. At the time of such amendment, the Board shall determine, upon advice from counsel, whether such amendment will be contingent on shareholder approval.

13.2Shareholder Approval. The Board may, in its sole discretion, submit any other amendment to the Plan for shareholder approval, including, but not limited to, amendments to the Plan intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code regarding the exclusion of performance-based compensation from the limit on corporate deductibility of compensation paid to certain executive

16


officers. Other than as set forth in Section 12 of the Plan, the Board may not without shareholder approval reduce the exercise price of a share option or share appreciation right or cancel any outstanding Share Option or Share Appreciation Right Award in exchange for a replacement Award having a lower exercise price, any other Award or for cash. In addition, the Board shall not take any other action that is considered a direct or indirect “repricing” for purposes of the shareholder approval rules of the applicable securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the Ordinary Shares are listed, including any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles.

13.3Contemplated Amendments. It is expressly contemplated that the Board may amend the Plan in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable to provide eligible Employees, Consultants and Directors with the maximum benefits provided or to be provided under the provisions of the Code relating to Incentive Share Options or to the nonqualified deferred compensation provisions of Section 409A of the Code and/or to bring the Plan and/or Awards granted under it into compliance therewith.

13.4No Impairment of Rights. Rights under any Award granted before amendment of the Plan shall not adversely affect the Participant’s material rights by any amendment of the Plan unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing.

13.5Amendment of Awards. The Committee at any time, and from time to time, may amend the terms of any one or more Awards; provided, however, that the Committee may not affect any amendment which would adversely affect the Participant’s material rights under any Award unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing. In the case of any Performance Award, the Committee may adjust downwards, but not upwards, the number of Ordinary Shares payable pursuant to a Performance Award, and the Committee may not waive the achievement of the applicable Performance Goals except in the case of death or disability of the Participant.

14.General Provisions.

14.1Other Compensation Arrangements. Nothing contained in this Plan shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, subject to shareholder approval if such approval is required; and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.

14.2Unfunded Plan. The Plan shall be unfunded. Neither the Company, the Board nor the Committee shall be required to establish any special or separate fund or to segregate any assets to assure the performance of its obligations under the Plan.

14.3Recapitalizations and Reorganizations. Each Award Agreement shall contain provisions required to reflect the provisions of Sections 11 and 12.

14.4Delivery. Upon exercise of a right granted under this Plan, the Company shall issue Ordinary Shares or pay any amounts due within a reasonable period of time thereafter. Subject to any statutory or regulatory obligations the Company may otherwise have, for purposes of this Plan, 30 days shall be considered a reasonable period of time.

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14.5No Fractional Shares. No fractional Ordinary Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan. The Committee shall determine whether cash, additional Awards or other securities or property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional Ordinary Shares or whether any fractional shares should be rounded, forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

14.6Other Provisions. The Award Agreements authorized under the Plan may contain such other provisions not inconsistent with this Plan, including, without limitation, restrictions upon the exercise of the Awards, as the Committee may deem advisable.

14.7Section 409A. The Plan is intended to comply with Section 409A of the Code to the extent subject thereto, and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, the Plan shall be interpreted and administered to be in compliance therewith. Any payments described in the Plan that are due within the "short-term deferral period" as defined in Section 409A of the Code shall not be treated as deferred compensation unless Applicable Laws require otherwise. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan, to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation and tax penalties under Section 409A of the Code, amounts that would otherwise be payable and benefits that would otherwise be provided pursuant to the Plan during the 6 month period immediately following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service shall instead be paid on the first payroll date after the 6 month anniversary of the Participant's separation from service (or the Participant's death, if earlier). Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Company nor the Committee shall have any obligation to take any action to prevent the assessment of any excise tax or penalty on any Participant under Section 409A of the Code and neither the Company nor the Committee will have any liability to any Participant for such tax or penalty.

14.8Disqualifying Dispositions. Any Participant who shall make a “disposition” (as defined in Section 424 of the Code) of all or any portion of Ordinary Shares acquired upon exercise of an Incentive Share Option within two years from the Grant Date of such Incentive Share Option or within one year after the issuance of the Ordinary Shares acquired upon exercise of such Incentive Share Option (a “Disqualifying Disposition”) shall be required to immediately advise the Company in writing as to the occurrence of the sale and the price realized upon the sale of such Ordinary Shares.

14.9Section 16. It is the intent of the Company that the Plan satisfy, and be interpreted in a manner that satisfies, the applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3 as promulgated under Section 16 of the Exchange Act so that Participants will be entitled to the benefit of Rule 16b-3, or any other rule promulgated under Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and will not be subject to short-swing liability under Section 16 of the Exchange Act. Accordingly, if the operation of any provision of the Plan would conflict with the intent expressed in this Section 14.9 such provision to the extent possible shall be interpreted and/or deemed amended so as to avoid such conflict.

14.10Beneficiary Designation. Each Participant under the Plan may from time to time name any beneficiary or beneficiaries by whom any right under the Plan is to be exercised in case of such Participant's death. Each designation will revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form reasonably prescribed by the Committee and shall be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant's lifetime.

14.11Expenses. The costs of administering the Plan shall be paid by the Company.

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14.12Severability. If any of the provisions of the Plan or any Award Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, whether in whole or in part, such provision shall be deemed modified to the extent, but only to the extent, of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability and the remaining provisions shall not be affected thereby.

14.13Plan Headings. The headings in the Plan are for purposes of convenience only and are not intended to define or limit the construction of the provisions hereof.

14.14Non-Uniform Treatment. The Committee's determinations under the Plan need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among persons who are eligible to receive, or actually receive, Awards. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled to make non-uniform and selective determinations, amendments and adjustments, and to enter into non-uniform and selective Award Agreements.

15.Effective Date of Plan. The Plan shall become effective as of the Effective Date, but no Award shall be exercised (or, in the case of a Restricted Share Award, shall be granted) unless and until the Plan has been approved by the shareholders of the Company, which approval shall be within 12 months before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board.

16.Termination or Suspension of the Plan. The Plan shall terminate on December 10, 2024. No Award shall be granted pursuant to the Plan after such date, but Awards theretofore granted may extend beyond that date. The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any earlier date pursuant to Section 13.1 hereof. No Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is terminated

17.Choice of Law. The applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore shall govern all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Plan unless this Plan so specifies the interpretation of other Applicable Laws then, in such case, those Applicable Laws shall govern.

18.Clawback.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Plan, the Company may recover from a Participant any compensation received from any Award (whether or not vested or settled) or cause a Participant to forfeit any Award (whether or not vested) in the event that the Company’s Clawback Policy then in effect is triggered.

19

wve-ex102_96.htm

Exhibit 10.2

Grant No. __

Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice

Under the Company’s Non-qualified Share Option Agreement

 

A.

 

Name of Participant:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.

 

Grant Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[For employees:

C.

 

Expiration Date:

 

10-year anniversary of the Grant Date

 

 

 

 

 

[For non-employee directors:

C.

 

Expiration Date:

 

5-year anniversary of the Grant Date

 

 

 

 

 

D.

 

Maximum Number of Ordinary Shares for

 

 

 

 

which this Option is exercisable:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E.

 

Exercise (purchase) Price per Ordinary Share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F.

 

Vesting Start Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

G.

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

 

 

This Option shall become vested and exercisable with respect to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth below provided that at all times the Participant is providing Continuous Service:

 

[__].

[__].

 

The Company and the Participant acknowledge receipt of this Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice and agree to the terms of the Non-qualified Share Option Agreement attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein, the Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the terms of this Option Grant as set forth above.

 

WAVE Life Sciences Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 


 

Participant

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

 

2


NON-QUALIFIED SHARE OPTION AGREEMENT - INCORPORATED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Non-qualified Share Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the Grant Date by and between WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a company incorporated in Singapore (the “Company”), and the “Participant” whose name appears on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice.

1.Grant of Option.

1.1Grant; Type of Option. The Company hereby grants to the Participant an option (the “Option”) to purchase (subscribe for) the total number of Ordinary Shares of the Company equal to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice, at the Exercise Price per Ordinary Share set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice. The Option is being granted pursuant to the terms of the WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Option is intended to be a Non-qualified Share Option and not an Incentive Share Option.

1.2Consideration; Subject to Plan. The grant of the Option is made in consideration of the services to be rendered by the Participant to the Company and is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the meaning ascribed to them in the Plan.

2.Exercise Period; Vesting.

2.1Vesting Schedule. The Option will become vested and exercisable as set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice.  

2.2Unvested Option. The unvested portion of the Option will not be exercisable on or after the Participant's termination of Continuous Service.

2.3Expiration. The Option will expire on the Expiration Date set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice, or earlier as provided in this Agreement or the Plan.

3.Termination of Continuous Service.

3.1Termination for Reasons Other Than Cause, Death, Disability. If the Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for any reason other than Cause, death or Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date three months following the termination of the Participant's Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

3.2Termination for Cause. If the Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option (whether vested or unvested) shall immediately terminate and cease to be exercisable.

3.3Termination Due to Disability. If the Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

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3.4Termination Due to Death. If the Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s death, or the Participant dies within a period following termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service during which the vested portion of the Option remains exercisable, the vested portion of the Option may be exercised by the Participant’s estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by the person designated to exercise the Option upon the Participant’s death, but only within the time period ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

4.Manner of Exercise.

4.1Election to Exercise. To exercise the Option, the Participant (or in the case of exercise after the Participant’s death or incapacity, the Participant’s executor, administrator, heir or legatee, as the case may be) must deliver to the Company a notice of intent to exercise in the manner designated by the Board or the Committee.  If someone other than the Participant exercises the Option, then such person must submit documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company verifying that such person has the legal right to exercise the Option.

4.2Payment of Exercise Price. The entire Exercise Price of the Option shall be payable in full at the time of exercise in any form of legal consideration allowed pursuant to Section 6.4 of the Plan.

4.3Withholding. Prior to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of the Option, the Participant must make arrangements satisfactory to the Company to pay or provide for any applicable foreign, federal, state and local withholding obligations of the Company. The Participant may satisfy any foreign, federal, state or local tax withholding obligation relating to the exercise of the Option by any of the following means:

(a)tendering a cash payment; or

(b)authorizing the Company to withhold Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares otherwise issuable to the Participant as a result of the exercise of the Option; provided, however, that no Ordinary Shares are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by Applicable Laws.

The Company has the right to withhold from any compensation paid to a Participant.

4.4Issuance of Shares. Provided that the exercise notice and payment are in compliance with the Plan and in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, the Company shall issue the Ordinary Shares registered in the name of the Participant, the Participant’s authorized assignee, or the Participant's legal representative, which shall be evidenced by share certificates representing the shares with the appropriate legends affixed thereto, appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent, or other appropriate means as determined by the Company.

5.No Right to Continued Employment; No Rights as Shareholder. Neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to be retained in any position, as an Employee, Consultant or Director of the Company or its Affiliates. Further, nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall be construed to limit the discretion of the Company to terminate the Participant's Continuous Service at any time, with or without Cause. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any Ordinary Shares subject to the Option prior to the date of exercise of the Option.

4


6.Transferability. The Option is not transferable by the Participant other than to a designated beneficiary upon the Participant's death or by will or the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order as defined by Applicable Laws, and otherwise shall be exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by him or her unless the Board allows transfer to a Permitted Transferee. No assignment or transfer of the Option, or the rights represented thereby, whether voluntary or involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise (except to a designated beneficiary, upon death, by will or the laws of descent or distribution) will vest in the assignee or transferee any interest or right herein whatsoever, but immediately upon such assignment or transfer the Option will terminate and become of no further effect.

In addition, the Ordinary Shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option granted hereby shall not be transferred by the Participant except as permitted by the Shareholders Agreement.

7.Corporate Transactions and Adjustments. The Ordinary Shares subject to the Option may be adjusted or terminated in any manner as contemplated by Sections 11and 12 of the Plan.

8.Tax Liability and Withholding. Notwithstanding any action the Company takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains the Participant's responsibility and the Company (a) makes no representation or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option or the subsequent sale of any shares acquired on exercise; and (b) does not commit to structure the Option to reduce or eliminate the Participant's liability for Tax-Related Items.

9.Compliance with Law. The exercise of the Option and the issuance and transfer of Ordinary Shares shall be subject to compliance by the Company and the Participant with all Applicable Laws. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued pursuant to this Option unless and until any then Applicable Laws have been fully complied with to the satisfaction of the Company and its counsel. The Participant understands that the Company is under no obligation to register the Ordinary Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or any stock exchange or under any other Applicable Laws to effect such compliance.

10.Governing Law. This Agreement will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore and any other Applicable Laws, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For the purpose of litigating any dispute that arises under this Agreement, if the Participant is a tax resident of the United States the parties hereby consent to exclusive jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and agree that such litigation shall be conducted in the state courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts or the federal courts of the United States for the District of Massachusetts and if the Participant is a resident of any other country the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction in the country in which such Participant resides.

11.Lock-Up Agreement. The Participant agrees that in the event the Company proposes to offer for sale to the public any of its equity securities and such Participant is requested by the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company in connection with such offering to sign an agreement restricting the sale or other transfer of shares, then it will promptly sign such agreement and will not transfer, whether in privately negotiated transactions or to the public in open market transactions or otherwise, any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company held by the Participant during such period as is

5


determined by the Company and the underwriters, not to exceed 180 days following the closing of the offering, plus such additional period of time as may be required to comply with NASD Rule 2711 or similar rules thereto (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”).  Such agreement shall be in writing and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company and such underwriter and pursuant to customary and prevailing terms and conditions.  Notwithstanding whether the Participant has signed such an agreement, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares or other securities of the Company subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

12.Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Agreement shall be submitted by the Participant or the Company to the Committee for review. The resolution of such dispute by the Committee shall be final and binding on the Participant and the Company.

13.Options Subject to Plan. This Agreement is subject to the Plan as approved by the Company’s shareholders. The terms and provisions of the Plan as it may be amended from time to time are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the event of a conflict between any term or provision contained herein and a term or provision of the Plan, the applicable terms and provisions of the Plan will govern and prevail.

14.Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant's beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the person(s) to whom this Agreement may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution.

15.Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan or this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, and each provision of the Plan and this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.

16.Discretionary Nature of Plan. The Plan is discretionary and may be amended, cancelled or terminated by the Company at any time, in its discretion. The grant of the Option in this Agreement does not create any contractual right or other right to receive any Options or other Awards in the future. Future Awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification, or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of the Participant's employment with the Company.

17.Amendment. The Committee has the right to amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or cancel the Option, prospectively or retroactively; provided, that, no such amendment shall adversely affect the Participant's material rights under this Agreement unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing.

18.No Impact on Other Benefits. The value of the Participant's Option is not part of his or her normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, retirement, welfare, insurance or similar employee benefit.

6


19.Data Privacy. By entering into this Agreement, the Participant:  (i) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate, and any agent of the Company or any Affiliate administering the Plan or providing Plan recordkeeping services, to disclose to the Company or any of its Affiliates such information and data as the Company or any such Affiliate shall request in order to facilitate the grant of options and the administration of the Plan; and (ii) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate to store and transmit such information in electronic form for the purposes set forth in this Agreement.

20.Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Counterpart signature pages to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in portable document format (.pdf), or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing an original signature.

21.Acceptance. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant has read and understands the terms and provisions thereof, and accepts the Option subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the restrictions contained in the Shareholders’ Agreement. The Participant acknowledges that there may be adverse tax consequences upon exercise of the Option or disposition of the underlying shares and that the Participant should consult a tax advisor prior to such exercise or disposition.

22.Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act. Except as provided in the Plan, no person other than the Company (or its subsidiaries) or a Participant shall have any right to enforce any provision of the Plan or this Agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Chapter 53B of Singapore).

7

wve-ex103_95.htm

Exhibit 10.3

 

Grant No.    

Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Incentive Share Option Grant Notice

under the Company’s Incentive Share Option Agreement

 

A.

Name of Participant:

 

 

 

 

B.

Grant Date:

 

 

 

 

C.

Expiration Date:

10-year anniversary of the Grant Date

 

 

 

D.

Maximum Number of Ordinary Shares for

which this Option is exercisable:

 

 

 

 

E.

Exercise (purchase) Price per Ordinary Share:

 

 

 

 

F.

Vesting Start Date:

 

 

 

 

G.

Vesting Schedule:

 

 

This Option shall become vested and exercisable with respect to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth below provided that at all times the Participant is providing Continuous Service:

 

[__].

[__].

 

The Company and the Participant acknowledge receipt of this Incentive Share Option Grant Notice and agree to the terms of the Incentive Share Option Agreement attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein, the Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the terms of this Option Grant as set forth above.

 

 

WAVE Life Sciences Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name: Paul B. Bolno

 

Title:

 

 

 

Participant

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 


 

INCENTIVE SHARE OPTION AGREEMENT - INCORPORATED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Incentive Share Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the Grant Date by and between WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a company incorporated in Singapore (the “Company”), and the “Participant” whose name appears on the Incentive Share Option Grant Notice.

1.Grant of Option.

1.1Grant; Type of Option. The Company hereby grants to the Participant an option (the “Option”) to purchase (subscribe for) the total number of Ordinary Shares of the Company equal to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth on the Incentive Share Option Grant Notice , at the Exercise Price per Ordinary Share set forth on the Incentive Share Option Grant Notice. The Option is being granted pursuant to the terms of the WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Option is intended to be an Incentive Share Option under Section 422 of the Code, although the Company makes no representation or guarantee that the Option will qualify as an Incentive Share Option. To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined on the Grant Date) of the Ordinary Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and its Affiliates) exceeds U.S. $100,000, the Options or portions thereof which exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted in accordance with Section 422(d) of the Code) shall be treated as Non-qualified Share Options.

1.2Consideration; Subject to Plan. The grant of the Option is made in consideration of the services to be rendered by the Participant to the Company and is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the meaning ascribed to them in the Plan.

2.Exercise Period; Vesting.

2.1Vesting Schedule.  The Option will become vested and exercisable as set forth on the Incentive Share Option Grant Notice.  

2.2Unvested Option.  The unvested portion of the Option will not be exercisable on or after the Participant's termination of Continuous Service.

2.3Expiration. The Option will expire on the Expiration Date set forth on the Incentive Share Option Grant Notice, or earlier as provided in this Agreement or the Plan.

2


 

3.Termination of Continuous Service.

3.1Termination for Reasons Other Than Cause, Death, Disability. If the Participant's Continuous Service is terminated for any reason other than Cause, death or Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date three months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date. If the Participant ceases to be an Employee but provides Continuous Service after termination of employment as a Director or Consultant, the Option shall automatically convert and be deemed a Non-qualified Share Option as of the date that is three months from termination of the Participant's employment and this Option shall continue on the same terms and conditions set forth herein until termination of Participant’s Continuous Service.

3.2Termination for Cause. If the Participant's Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option (whether vested or unvested) shall immediately terminate and cease to be exercisable.

3.3Termination Due to Disability. If the Participant's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant's Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

3.4Termination Due to Death. If the Participant's Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant's death, the vested portion of the Option may be exercised by the Participant's estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by the person designated to exercise the Option upon the Participant's death, but only within the time period ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

4.Manner of Exercise.

4.1Election to Exercise. To exercise the Option, the Participant (or in the case of exercise after the Participant's death or incapacity, the Participant's executor, administrator, heir or legatee, as the case may be) must deliver to the Company a notice of intent to exercise in the manner designated by the Board or the Committee.  If someone other than the Participant exercises the Option, then such person must submit documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company verifying that such person has the legal right to exercise the Option.

4.2Payment of Exercise Price. The entire Exercise Price of the Option shall be payable in full at the time of exercise in any form of legal consideration allowed pursuant to Section 6.4 of the Plan.

4.3Withholding. If the Company, in its discretion, determines that it is obligated to withhold any tax in connection with the exercise of the Option, the Participant must make arrangements satisfactory to the Company to pay or provide for any applicable foreign, federal, state and local withholding obligations of the Company. The Participant may satisfy any foreign, federal, state or local tax withholding obligation relating to the exercise of the Option by any of the following means:

(a)tendering a cash payment; or

3


 

(b)authorizing the Company to withhold Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares otherwise issuable to the Participant as a result of the exercise of the Option; provided, however, that no Ordinary Shares are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by Applicable Laws.

The Company has the right to withhold from any compensation paid to a Participant.

4.4Issuance of Shares. Provided that the exercise notice and payment are in compliance with the Plan and in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, the Company shall issue the Ordinary Shares registered in the name of the Participant, the Participant's authorized assignee, or the Participant's legal representative which shall be evidenced by share certificates representing the shares with the appropriate legends affixed thereto, appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent, or other appropriate means as determined by the Company.

5.No Right to Continued Employment; No Rights as Shareholder. Neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to be retained in any position, as an Employee, Consultant or Director of the Company or its Affiliates. Further, nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall be construed to limit the discretion of the Company to terminate the Participant's Continuous Service at any time, with or without Cause.  The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any Ordinary Shares subject to the Option prior to the date of exercise of the Option.

6.Transferability. The Option is not transferable by the Participant other than to a designated beneficiary upon the Participant's death or by will or the laws of descent and distribution and is exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by him or her. No assignment or transfer of the Option, or the rights represented thereby, whether voluntary or involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise (except to a designated beneficiary, upon death, by will or the laws of descent or distribution) will vest in the assignee or transferee any interest or right herein whatsoever, but immediately upon such assignment or transfer the Option will terminate and become of no further effect.

In addition, the Ordinary Shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option granted hereby shall not be transferred by the Participant except as permitted by the Shareholders Agreement.

7.Corporate Transactions and Adjustments. The Ordinary Shares subject to the Option may be adjusted or terminated in any manner as contemplated by Sections 11and 12 of the Plan.

8.Tax Liability and Withholding. Notwithstanding any action the Company takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains the Participant's responsibility and the Company (a) makes no representation or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option or the subsequent sale of any shares acquired on exercise; and (b) does not commit to structure the Option to reduce or eliminate the Participant's liability for Tax-Related Items.

4


 

9.Qualification as an Incentive Share Option. It is understood that this Option is intended to qualify as an incentive stock option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Accordingly, the Participant understands that in order to obtain the benefits of an Incentive Share Option, no sale or other disposition may be made of shares for which Incentive Share Option treatment is desired within 1 year following the date of exercise of the Option or within 2 years from the Grant Date. The Participant understands and agrees that the Company shall not be liable or responsible for any additional tax liability the Participant incurs in the event that the Internal Revenue Service for any reason determines that this Option does not qualify as an Incentive Share Option.

10.Disqualifying Disposition. If the Participant disposes of the Ordinary Shares prior to the expiration of either 2 years from the Grant Date or 1 year from the date the shares are transferred to the Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option (a “Disqualifying Disposition”), the Participant shall notify the Company in writing within 30 days after such disposition of the date and terms of such disposition. The Participant also agrees to provide the Company with any information concerning any such dispositions as the Company requires for tax purposes.

11.Compliance with Law. The exercise of the Option and the issuance and transfer of Ordinary Shares shall be subject to compliance by the Company and the Participant with all Applicable Laws. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued pursuant to this Option unless and until any then Applicable Laws have been fully complied with to the satisfaction of the Company and its counsel. The Participant understands that the Company is under no obligation to register the Ordinary Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or any stock exchange or under any other Applicable Laws to effect such compliance.

12.Governing Law. This Agreement will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore and any other Applicable Laws, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For the purpose of litigating any dispute that arises under this Agreement, if the Participant is a tax resident of the United States the parties hereby consent to exclusive jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and agree that such litigation shall be conducted in the state courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts or the federal courts of the United States for the District of Massachusetts and if the Participant is a resident of any other country the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction in the country in which such Participant resides.

13.Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Agreement shall be submitted by the Participant or the Company to the Committee for review. The resolution of such dispute by the Committee shall be final and binding on the Participant and the Company.

14.Options Subject to Plan. This Agreement is subject to the Plan as approved by the Company's shareholders. The terms and provisions of the Plan as it may be amended from time to time are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the event of a conflict between any term or provision contained herein and a term or provision of the Plan, the applicable terms and provisions of the Plan will govern and prevail.

5


 

15.Lock-Up Agreement. The Participant agrees that in the event the Company proposes to offer for sale to the public any of its equity securities and such Participant is requested by the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company in connection with such offering to sign an agreement restricting the sale or other transfer of shares, then it will promptly sign such agreement and will not transfer, whether in privately negotiated transactions or to the public in open market transactions or otherwise, any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company held by the Participant during such period as is determined by the Company and the underwriters, not to exceed 180 days following the closing of the offering, plus such additional period of time as may be required to comply with NASD Rule 2711 or similar rules thereto (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”).  Such agreement shall be in writing and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company and such underwriter and pursuant to customary and prevailing terms and conditions.  Notwithstanding whether the Participant has signed such an agreement, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares or other securities of the Company subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

16.Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant's beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the person(s) to whom this Agreement may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution.

17.Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan or this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, and each provision of the Plan and this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.

18.Discretionary Nature of Plan. The Plan is discretionary and may be amended, cancelled or terminated by the Company at any time, in its discretion. The grant of the Option in this Agreement does not create any contractual right or other right to receive any Options or other Awards in the future. Future Awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification, or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of the Participant's employment with the Company.

19.Amendment. The Committee has the right to amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or cancel the Option, prospectively or retroactively; provided, that, no such amendment shall adversely affect the Participant's material rights under this Agreement unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing.

20.No Impact on Other Benefits. The value of the Participant's Option is not part of his or her normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, retirement, welfare, insurance or similar employee benefit.

6


 

21.Data Privacy. By entering into this Agreement, the Participant:  (i) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate, and any agent of the Company or any Affiliate administering the Plan or providing Plan recordkeeping services, to disclose to the Company or any of its Affiliates such information and data as the Company or any such Affiliate shall request in order to facilitate the grant of options and the administration of the Plan; and (ii) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate to store and transmit such information in electronic form for the purposes set forth in this Agreement.

22.Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Counterpart signature pages to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in portable document format (.pdf), or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing an original signature.

23.Acceptance. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant has read and understands the terms and provisions thereof, and accepts the Option subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the restrictions contained in the Shareholders’ Agreement. The Participant acknowledges that there may be adverse tax consequences upon exercise of the Option or disposition of the underlying shares and that the Participant should consult a tax advisor prior to such exercise or disposition.

24.Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act. Except as provided in the Plan, no person other than the Company (or its subsidiaries) or a Participant shall have any right to enforce any provision of the Plan or this Agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Chapter 53B of Singapore).

 

7

wve-ex104_94.htm

 

Exhibit 10.4

Grant. No. RSU-[__]

 

Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

Restricted Share Unit Award Grant Notice for

Restricted Share Unit Agreement

 

A.

 

Name of Participant:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B.

 

Grant Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C.

 

Maximum Number of Shares Underlying

 

 

 

 

Restricted Share Unit Award:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.

 

Vesting Start Date:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E.

 

Vesting Schedule:

 

 

 

This Restricted Share Unit Award shall vest as follows provided the Participant remains in Continuous Service through the applicable vesting date:  

 

[__].

 

[__].

 


 


 

The Company and the Participant acknowledge receipt of this Restricted Share Unit Award Grant Notice and agree to the terms of the Restricted Share Unit Agreement attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein, the Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the terms of this Restricted Share Unit Award as set forth above.

 

WAVE Life Sciences Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

Participant

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

 


2


 

RESTRICTED SHARE UNIT AGREEMENT - INCORPORATED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Restricted Share Unit Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the Grant Date by and between WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a company incorporated in Singapore (the “Company”), and the individual whose name appears on the Restricted Share Unit Award Grant Notice (the “Participant” ).

WHEREAS, the Company has adopted the WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) pursuant to which awards of Restricted Share Units may be granted; and

 

WHEREAS, the Board or the Committee has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to grant the award of Restricted Share Units provided for herein.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:

1.Grant of Restricted Share Units.  Pursuant to Section 7.2 of the Plan, the Company hereby issues to the Participant on the Grant Date set forth in the Restricted Share Unit Award Grant Notice (the “Award”) the number of Restricted Share Units (the “Restricted Share Units”) set forth in the Award. Each Restricted Share Unit represents a contingent right to receive one Ordinary Share, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and the Plan. Capitalized terms that are used but not defined herein have the meaning ascribed to them in the Plan.

2.Consideration.  The grant of the Restricted Share Units is made in consideration of the services to be rendered by the Participant to the Company.

3.Vesting.

3.1Except as otherwise provided herein, provided that the Participant remains in Continuous Service through the applicable vesting date, the Restricted Share Units will vest, and no longer be subject to any restrictions, in accordance with the schedule set forth in the Award (the period during which restrictions apply, the “Restricted Period”):

3.2The foregoing vesting schedule notwithstanding, if the Participant's Continuous Service terminates for any reason at any time before all of his or her Restricted Share Units have vested, the Participant's unvested Restricted Share Units shall be automatically forfeited upon such termination of Continuous Service and neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall have any further obligations to the Participant under this Agreement.

4.Rights as Shareholder; Dividend Equivalents.

4.1The Participant shall not have any rights of a shareholder with respect to the Ordinary Shares underlying the Restricted Share Units (including, without limitation, any voting rights or any right to dividends paid with respect to the Ordinary Shares underlying the Restricted Share Units).

4.2The Participant shall not be entitled to any Dividend Equivalents in respect of the Restricted Share Units.

3


 

5.Settlement of Restricted Share Units.

5.1Within ten days of the vesting of a Restricted Share Unit, the Company shall issue Ordinary Shares registered in the name of the Participant, the Participant’s authorized assignee, or the Participant's legal representative, which shall be evidenced by share certificates representing the shares with the appropriate legends affixed thereto, appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent, or other appropriate means as determined by the Company.

5.2To the extent that the Participant does not vest in any Restricted Share Units, all interest in such Restricted Share Units shall be forfeited. The Participant has no right or interest in any Restricted Share Units that are forfeited.

6.Tax Liability and Withholding.

6.1The Participant shall be required to pay to the Company, and the Company shall have the right to deduct from any compensation paid to the Participant pursuant to the vesting of the Restricted Share Units, the amount of any applicable foreign, federal, state and local withholding obligations of the Company in respect of the Restricted Share Units and to take all such other action as the  Company deems necessary to satisfy all obligations for the payment of such withholding taxes. The Company shall not deliver any shares to the Participant until it is satisfied that all required withholdings have been made.  By execution of this Agreement, the Participant has authorized the Company, on behalf of the Participant, to instruct a registered broker chosen by the Company, at a time when the Participant is not in possession of material nonpublic information, to sell on the applicable vesting date such number of Ordinary Shares as the Company deems necessary to satisfy the Company’s withholding obligation, after deduction of the broker’s commission, and the broker shall be required to remit to the Company the cash necessary in order for the Company to satisfy its withholding obligation.  To the extent the proceeds of such sale exceed the Company’s withholding obligation the Company agrees to pay such excess cash to the Participant as soon as practicable.  In addition, if such sale is not sufficient to pay the Company’s withholding obligation the Participant agrees to pay to the Company as soon as practicable, including through additional payroll withholding, the amount of any withholding obligation that is not satisfied by the sale of shares. The Participant agrees to hold the Company and the broker harmless from all costs, damages or expenses relating to any such sale.  The Participant acknowledges that the Company and the broker are under no obligation to arrange for such sale at any particular price.  In connection with such sale of shares, the Participant shall execute any such documents requested by the broker in order to effectuate the sale of Ordinary Shares and payment of the withholding obligation to the Company.  The Participant acknowledges that this paragraph is intended to comply with Section 10b5-1(c)(1(i)(B) under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

6.2The Participant may, prior to the date of sale set forth in Section 6.1, provide a cash payment to the Company that the Company deems sufficient to cover the anticipated tax withholdings  from the vesting of the Restricted Share Units and in such case no sale of Ordinary Shares shall occur.

6.3Notwithstanding any action the Company takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains the Participant's responsibility and the Company (a) makes no representation or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with the grant, vesting or settlement of the Restricted Share Units; and (b) does not commit to structure the Restricted Share Units to reduce or eliminate the Participant's liability for Tax-Related Items.

4


 

7.No Right to Continued Service; No Rights as Shareholder. Neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to be retained in any position, as an Employee, Consultant or Director of the Company. Further, nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall be construed to limit the discretion of the Company to terminate the Participant's Continuous Service at any time, with or without Cause. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any Ordinary Shares subject to the Restricted Share Units prior to the date of settlement.

8.Transferability. The Restricted Share Units are not transferable by the Participant other than to a designated beneficiary upon the Participant's death or by will or the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order as defined by Applicable Laws. No assignment or transfer of the Restricted Share Units, or the rights represented thereby, whether voluntary or involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise (except to a designated beneficiary, upon death, by will or the laws of descent or distribution) will vest in the assignee or transferee any interest or right herein whatsoever, but immediately upon such assignment or transfer the Restricted Share Units will be forfeited by the Participant and all of the Participant's rights to such Restricted Share Units shall immediately terminate without payment or consideration by the Company and become of no further effect.

9.Corporate Transaction and Adjustments. The Ordinary Shares subject to the Restricted Share Units may be adjusted or terminated in any manner as contemplated by Sections 11 and 12 of the Plan.

10.Compliance with Law. This Award and the issuance and transfer of Ordinary Shares shall be subject to compliance by the Company and the Participant with all Applicable Laws. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued upon vesting of the Restricted Share Units unless and until any then Applicable Laws have been fully complied with to the satisfaction of the Company and its counsel. The Participant understands that the Company is under no obligation to register the Ordinary Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or any stock exchange or under any other Applicable Laws to effect such compliance.

11.Governing Law. This Agreement will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore and any other Applicable Laws, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For the purpose of litigating any dispute that arises under this Agreement, if the Participant is a tax resident of the United States the parties hereby consent to exclusive jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and agree that such litigation shall be conducted in the state courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts or the federal courts of the United States for the District of Massachusetts and if the Participant is a resident of any other country the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction in the country in which such Participant resides.

12.Lock-Up Agreement. The Participant agrees that in the event the Company proposes to offer for sale to the public any of its equity securities and such Participant is requested by the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company in connection with such offering to sign an agreement restricting the sale or other transfer of shares, then it will promptly sign such agreement and will not transfer, whether in privately negotiated transactions or to the public in open market transactions or otherwise, any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company held by the Participant during such period as is determined by the Company and the underwriters, not to exceed 180 days following the closing of the offering, plus such additional period of time as may be required to comply with NASD Rule 2711 or similar rules thereto (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”).  Such agreement shall be in writing and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company and such underwriter and pursuant to customary and prevailing terms and conditions.  Notwithstanding whether the Participant has signed such an agreement, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares or other securities of the Company subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

5


 

13.Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Agreement shall be submitted by the Participant or the Company to the Committee for review. The resolution of such dispute by the Committee shall be final and binding on the Participant and the Company.

14.Restricted Share Units Subject to Plan. This Agreement is subject to the Plan as approved by the Company's shareholders. The terms and provisions of the Plan as it may be amended from time to time are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the event of a conflict between any term or provision contained herein and a term or provision of the Plan, the applicable terms and provisions of the Plan will govern and prevail.

15.Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant's beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the person(s) to whom the Restricted Share Units may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution.

16.Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan or this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, and each provision of the Plan and this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.

17.Discretionary Nature of Plan. The Plan is discretionary and may be amended, cancelled or terminated by the Company at any time, in its discretion. The grant of the Restricted Share Units in this Agreement does not create any contractual right or other right to receive any Restricted Share Units or other Awards in the future. Future Awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification, or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of the Participant's employment with the Company.

18.Amendment. The Committee has the right to amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or cancel the Restricted Share Units, prospectively or retroactively; provided, that, no such amendment shall adversely affect the Participant's material rights under this Agreement unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing.

19.Section 409A. This Agreement is intended to comply with an exemption from Section 409A of the Code and shall be construed and interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the requirements for avoiding additional taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company makes no representations that the payments and benefits provided under this Agreement comply with Section 409A of the Code and in no event shall the Company be liable for all or any portion of any taxes, penalties, interest or other expenses that may be incurred by the Participant on account of non-compliance with Section 409A of the Code.

20.No Impact on Other Benefits. The value of the Participant's Restricted Share Units is not part of his or her normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, retirement, welfare, insurance or similar employee benefit.

6


 

21.Data Privacy. By entering into this Agreement, the Participant:  (i) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate, and any agent of the Company or any Affiliate administering the Plan or providing Plan recordkeeping services, to disclose to the Company or any of its Affiliates such information and data as the Company or any such Affiliate shall request in order to facilitate the grant of Restricted Share Units and the administration of the Plan; and (ii) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate to store and transmit such information in electronic form for the purposes set forth in this Agreement.

22.Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Counterpart signature pages to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in portable document format (.pdf), or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing an original signature.

23.Acceptance. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant has read and understands the terms and provisions thereof, and accepts the Restricted Share Units subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant acknowledges that there may be adverse tax consequences upon the vesting or settlement of the Restricted Share Units and that the Participant should consult a tax advisor prior to such vesting or settlement.

24.Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act. Save as provided in the Plan, no person other than the Company (or its subsidiaries) or a Participant shall have any right to enforce any provision of the Plan or this Agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Chapter 53B of Singapore).

7

wve-ex105_318.htm

 

Exhibit 10.5

Grant No. __

Wave Life Sciences Ltd.

2014 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice

Under the Company’s Non-qualified Share Option Agreement (for UK Participants)

 

A.

Name of Participant:

 

 

 

 

B.

Grant Date:

 

 

 

 

[For employees:

 

C.

Expiration Date:

10-year anniversary of the Grant Date

 

 

 

[For non-employee directors:

 

C.

Expiration Date:

5-year anniversary of the Grant Date

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.

Maximum Number of Ordinary Shares for

 

 

which this Option is exercisable:

 

 

 

 

E.

Exercise (purchase) Price per Ordinary Share:

 

 

 

 

F.

Vesting Start Date:

 

 

 

 

G.

Vesting Schedule:

 

 

This Option shall become vested and exercisable with respect to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth below provided that at all times the Participant is providing Continuous Service:

 

[__].

[__].

 

1


 

The Company and the Participant acknowledge receipt of this Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice and agree to the terms of the Non-qualified Share Option Agreement attached hereto and incorporated by reference herein, the Company’s 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and the terms of this Option Grant as set forth above.

 

 

WAVE Life Sciences Ltd.

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Title: Authorized Signatory

 

 

 

 

 

Participant

 

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 


2


 

NON-QUALIFIED SHARE OPTION AGREEMENT - INCORPORATED TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This Non-qualified Share Option Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of the Grant Date by and between WAVE Life Sciences Ltd., a company incorporated in Singapore (the “Company”), and the “Participant” whose name appears on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice.

1.Grant of Option.

1.1Grant; Type of Option. The Company hereby grants to the Participant an option (the “Option”) to purchase (subscribe for) the total number of Ordinary Shares of the Company equal to the number of Ordinary Shares set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice, at the Exercise Price per Ordinary Share set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice. The Option is being granted pursuant to the terms of the WAVE Life Sciences Ltd. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). The Option is intended to be a Non-qualified Share Option and not an Incentive Share Option.

1.2Consideration; Subject to Plan. The grant of the Option is made in consideration of the services to be rendered by the Participant to the Company and is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein will have the meaning ascribed to them in the Plan.

2.Exercise Period; Vesting.

2.1Vesting Schedule. The Option will become vested and exercisable as set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice.  

2.2Unvested Option. The unvested portion of the Option will not be exercisable on or after the Participant's termination of Continuous Service.

2.3Expiration. The Option will expire on the Expiration Date set forth on the Non-qualified Share Option Grant Notice, or earlier as provided in this Agreement or the Plan.

3.Termination of Continuous Service.

3.1Termination for Reasons Other Than Cause, Death, Disability. If the Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for any reason other than Cause, death or Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date three months following the termination of the Participant's Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

3.2Termination for Cause. If the Participant’s Continuous Service is terminated for Cause, the Option (whether vested or unvested) shall immediately terminate and cease to be exercisable.

3


 

3.3Termination Due to Disability. If the Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise the vested portion of the Option, but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

3.4Termination Due to Death. If the Participant’s Continuous Service terminates as a result of the Participant’s death, or the Participant dies within a period following termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service during which the vested portion of the Option remains exercisable, the vested portion of the Option may be exercised by the Participant’s estate, by a person who acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by the person designated to exercise the Option upon the Participant’s death, but only within the time period ending on the earlier of: (a) the date 12 months following the Participant's termination of Continuous Service; or (b) the Expiration Date.

4.Manner of Exercise.

4.1Election to Exercise. To exercise the Option, the Participant (or in the case of exercise after the Participant’s death or incapacity, the Participant’s executor, administrator, heir or legatee, as the case may be) must deliver to the Company a notice of intent to exercise in the manner designated by the Board or the Committee.  If someone other than the Participant exercises the Option, then such person must submit documentation reasonably acceptable to the Company verifying that such person has the legal right to exercise the Option.

4.2Payment of Exercise Price. The entire Exercise Price of the Option shall be payable in full at the time of exercise in any form of legal consideration allowed pursuant to Section 6.4 of the Plan.

4.3Withholding. Prior to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of the Option, the Participant must make arrangements satisfactory to the Company to pay or provide for any applicable foreign, federal, state and local withholding obligations of the Company. The Participant may satisfy any foreign, federal, state or local tax and social security contributions withholding obligation relating to the exercise of the Option by any of the following means:

(a)tendering a cash payment (whether by check or from the proceeds of the sale of Ordinary Shares); or

(b)authorizing the Company to withhold Ordinary Shares from the Ordinary Shares otherwise issuable to the Participant as a result of the exercise of the Option; provided, however, that no Ordinary Shares are withheld with a value exceeding the minimum amount of tax required to be withheld by Applicable Laws.

The Company has the right to withhold from any compensation paid to a Participant.

4.4Issuance of Shares. Provided that the exercise notice and payment are in compliance with the Plan and in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, the Company shall issue the Ordinary Shares registered in the name of the Participant, the Participant’s authorized assignee, or the Participant's legal representative, which shall be evidenced by share certificates representing the shares with the appropriate legends affixed thereto, appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent, or other appropriate means as determined by the Company.

4


 

5.No Right to Continued Employment; No Rights as Shareholder. Neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to be retained in any position, as an Employee, Consultant or Director of the Company or its Affiliates. Further, nothing in the Plan or this Agreement shall be construed to limit the discretion of the Company or its Affiliates to terminate the Participant's Continuous Service at any time, with or without Cause. The Participant shall not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to any Ordinary Shares subject to the Option prior to the date of exercise of the Option. In addition, neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall form part of any contract of employment between the Company or its Affiliates and the Participant. Neither the Plan nor this Agreement entitles the Participant to the exercise of any discretion in his favour.  The benefit to the Participant of participation in the Plan (including, in particular but not by way of limitation, any Award held by him or her) shall not form any part of his or her remuneration or count as his or her remuneration for any purpose and shall not be pensionable.  If the Participant ceases to be an Employee for any reason, he or she shall not be entitled to compensation for the loss or diminution in value of any right or benefit or prospective right or benefit under the Plan (including, in particular but not by way of limitation, any Award held by him which lapse by reason of his ceasing to be in employment with the Company or its Affiliates) whether by way of damages for unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal, breach of contract or otherwise.

6.Transferability. The Option is not transferable by the Participant other than to a designated beneficiary upon the Participant's death or by will or the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order as defined by Applicable Laws, and otherwise shall be exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by him or her unless the Board allows transfer to a Permitted Transferee. No assignment or transfer of the Option, or the rights represented thereby, whether voluntary or involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise (except to a designated beneficiary, upon death, by will or the laws of descent or distribution) will vest in the assignee or transferee any interest or right herein whatsoever, but immediately upon such assignment or transfer the Option will terminate and become of no further effect.

In addition, the Ordinary Shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option granted hereby shall not be transferred by the Participant except as permitted by the Shareholders Agreement.

7.Corporate Transactions and Adjustments. The Ordinary Shares subject to the Option may be adjusted or terminated in any manner as contemplated by Sections 11and 12 of the Plan.

8.Tax Liability and Withholding. Notwithstanding any action the Company takes with respect to any or all income tax, social insurance, social security contributions (including National Insurance Contributions), payroll tax, or other tax-related withholding (“Tax-Related Items”), the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains the Participant's responsibility and the Company (a) makes no representation or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option or the subsequent sale of any shares acquired on exercise; and (b) does not commit to structure the Option to reduce or eliminate the Participant's liability for Tax-Related Items.

5


 

The Company may, at its discretion and to the extent permitted by law, require the Participant to pay all or such part as the Company specifies of any secondary (employer) National Insurance Contributions arising in relation to the Option.  The Participant Company may require the Participant to execute a document to bind himself or herself to make such payment and if so it shall be a condition of Vesting and exercise of the Option that the executed document is returned to the Company by such date as the Company specifies.

9.Compliance with Law. The exercise of the Option and the issuance and transfer of Ordinary Shares shall be subject to compliance by the Company and the Participant with all Applicable Laws. No Ordinary Shares shall be issued pursuant to this Option unless and until any then Applicable Laws have been fully complied with to the satisfaction of the Company and its counsel. The Participant understands that the Company is under no obligation to register the Ordinary Shares with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission or any stock exchange or under any other Applicable Laws to effect such compliance.

10.Governing Law. This Agreement will be construed and interpreted in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of Singapore and any other Applicable Laws, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.  For the purpose of litigating any dispute that arises under this Agreement, if the Participant is a tax resident of the United States the parties hereby consent to exclusive jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and agree that such litigation shall be conducted in the state courts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts or the federal courts of the United States for the District of Massachusetts and if the Participant is a resident of any other country the parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction in the country in which such Participant resides.

11.Lock-Up Agreement. The Participant agrees that in the event the Company proposes to offer for sale to the public any of its equity securities and such Participant is requested by the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company in connection with such offering to sign an agreement restricting the sale or other transfer of shares, then it will promptly sign such agreement and will not transfer, whether in privately negotiated transactions or to the public in open market transactions or otherwise, any Ordinary Shares or other securities of the Company held by the Participant during such period as is determined by the Company and the underwriters, not to exceed 180 days following the closing of the offering, plus such additional period of time as may be required to comply with NASD Rule 2711 or similar rules thereto (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”).  Such agreement shall be in writing and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company and such underwriter and pursuant to customary and prevailing terms and conditions.  Notwithstanding whether the Participant has signed such an agreement, the Company may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the Shares or other securities of the Company subject to the foregoing restrictions until the end of the Lock-Up Period.

12.Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Agreement shall be submitted by the Participant or the Company to the Committee for review. The resolution of such dispute by the Committee shall be final and binding on the Participant and the Company.

6


 

13.Options Subject to Plan. This Agreement is subject to the Plan as approved by the Company’s shareholders. The terms and provisions of the Plan as it may be amended from time to time are hereby incorporated herein by reference. In the event of a conflict between any term or provision contained herein and a term or provision of the Plan, the applicable terms and provisions of the Plan will govern and prevail.

14.Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Agreement. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth herein, this Agreement will be binding upon the Participant and the Participant's beneficiaries, executors, administrators and the person(s) to whom this Agreement may be transferred by will or the laws of descent or distribution.

15.Severability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan or this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of the Plan or this Agreement, and each provision of the Plan and this Agreement shall be severable and enforceable to the extent permitted by law.

16.Discretionary Nature of Plan. The Plan is discretionary and may be amended, cancelled or terminated by the Company at any time, in its discretion. The grant of the Option in this Agreement does not create any contractual right or other right to receive any Options or other Awards in the future. Future Awards, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company. Any amendment, modification, or termination of the Plan shall not constitute a change or impairment of the terms and conditions of the Participant's employment with the Company.

17.Amendment. The Committee has the right to amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or cancel the Option, prospectively or retroactively; provided, that, no such amendment shall adversely affect the Participant's material rights under this Agreement unless (a) the Company requests the consent of the Participant; and (b) the Participant consents in writing.

18.No Impact on Other Benefits. The value of the Participant's Option is not part of his or her normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, retirement, welfare, insurance or similar employee benefit.

19.Data Privacy. By entering into this Agreement, the Participant:  (i) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate, and any agent of the Company or any Affiliate administering the Plan or providing Plan recordkeeping services, to disclose to the Company or any of its Affiliates such information and data as the Company or any such Affiliate shall request in order to facilitate the grant of options and the administration of the Plan; and (ii) authorizes the Company and each Affiliate and any agent of the Company or any Affiliate administering the Plan or providing Plan recordkeeping services to store, process and transmit such information or data in electronic form for the purposes set forth in this Agreement and (iii) authorizes the transfer or processing of such information and data outside the European Economic Area.

7


 

20.Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. Counterpart signature pages to this Agreement transmitted by facsimile transmission, by electronic mail in portable document format (.pdf), or by any other electronic means intended to preserve the original graphic and pictorial appearance of a document, will have the same effect as physical delivery of the paper document bearing an original signature.

21.Acceptance. The Participant hereby acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant has read and understands the terms and provisions thereof, and accepts the Option subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the restrictions contained in the Shareholders’ Agreement. The Participant acknowledges that there may be adverse tax consequences upon exercise of the Option or disposition of the underlying shares and that the Participant should consult a tax advisor prior to such exercise or disposition.

22.Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act. Except as provided in the Plan, no person other than the Company (or its subsidiaries) or a Participant shall have any right to enforce any provision of the Plan or this Agreement by virtue of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act (Chapter 53B of Singapore).

8

wve-ex311_7.htm

 

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTION 302

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

1.  I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q 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;

3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.  The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a)

designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b)

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c)

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d)

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.  The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a)

all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b)

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

November 9, 2017

 

By:

 

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

 

 

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

 

wve-ex312_6.htm

 

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTION 302

I, Keith C. Regnante, certify that:

1.  I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q 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;

3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.  The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

 

a)

designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b)

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c)

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d)

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.  The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

 

a)

all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b)

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

November 9, 2017

 

By:

 

/s/ Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

(Principal Financial Officer)

 

 

 

wve-ex32_8.htm

 

Exhibit 32

CERTIFICATIONS UNDER SECTION 906

Pursuant to section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (subsections (a) and (b) of section 1350, chapter 63 of title 18, United States Code), each of the undersigned officers of Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (the “Company”), does hereby certify, to such officer’s knowledge, that:

The Quarterly Report for the quarter ended September 30, 2017 (the “Form 10-Q”) of the Company fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the information contained in the Form 10-Q fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Dated:  November 9, 2017

 

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

 

 

Paul B. Bolno, M.D.

 

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

Dated: November 9, 2017

 

/s/ Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Keith C. Regnante

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

(Principal Financial Officer)