Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 13, 2020.

Registration No. 333-239490

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

The Securities Act of 1933

 

 

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   2834   85-0642577

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, California 94010

650-466-7125

(Address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, California 94010

650-466-7125

(Name, address, including zip code and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Kenneth A. Clark

Tony Jeffries

Michael E. Coke

Christina L. Poulsen

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

650 Page Mill Road

Palo Alto, California 94304

650-493-9300

 

Peter Garcia

Chief Financial Officer

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, California 94010

650-466-7125

 

Dave Peinsipp

Kristin E. VanderPas

Laura Berezin

Denny Won

Cooley LLP

101 California Street

San Francisco, California 94111

415-693-2000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  

If this form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, 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           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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

 

Amount

to be

registered(1)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share(2)

 

Proposed

Maximum
Aggregate

Offering Price(1)(2)

  Amount of
Registration Fee(3)

Common Stock, $0.001 par value

  9,200,000   $17.00   $156,400,000   $20,301

 

 

(1)   Includes the additional shares that the underwriters have the option to purchase.
(2)   Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(3)   The Registrant previously paid $12,980 of this amount with a prior filing of the Registration Statement.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 13, 2020

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

8,000,000 Shares

 

 

LOGO

Common Stock

We are offering 8,000,000 shares of our common stock. This is our initial public offering of our common stock, and no public market currently exists for our common stock. We expect the initial public offering price to be between $15.00 and $17.00 per share. Our common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ALXO.”

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, we have elected to comply with certain reduced reporting requirements for this prospectus and may elect to do so in future filings.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 of this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

     PER SHARE            TOTAL        

Initial Public Offering Price

   $                        $                    

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)

   $        $    

Proceeds to ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., before expenses

   $        $    

 

 

(1)   See “Underwriting” beginning on page 164 for additional information regarding underwriter compensation.

Delivery of the shares of common stock is expected to be made on or about                 , 2020. We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase an additional 1,200,000 shares of our common stock. If the underwriters exercise the option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us will be $                         and the total proceeds to us, before expenses, will be $                        .

 

Jefferies   Credit Suisse   Piper Sandler   Cantor
LifeSci Capital

Prospectus dated                 , 2020


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

     PAGE  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1  

RISK FACTORS

     11  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     62  

MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

     64  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     65  

DIVIDEND POLICY

     67  

CAPITALIZATION

     68  

DILUTION

     70  

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

     73  

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

     75  

BUSINESS

     92  

MANAGEMENT

     125  

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

     133  

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     144  

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

     150  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     153  

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

     158  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK

     160  

UNDERWRITING

     164  

LEGAL MATTERS

     172  

EXPERTS

     172  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     172  

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1  

 

 

Through and including                 , 2020 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

We and the underwriters have not authorized anyone to provide you any information other than that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the underwriters are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus unless the information specifically indicates that another date applies, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of the shares of common stock offered hereby. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

For investors outside of the United States: we have not, and the underwriters have not, done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than the United States. Persons outside of the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the shares of common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information and consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. It does not contain all of the information that may be important to you and your investment decision. You should carefully read this entire prospectus, including the sections titled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes. In this prospectus, unless the context requires otherwise, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “ALX,” “ALX Oncology,” or “the Company” refer to ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries on a combined basis.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on helping patients fight cancer by developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway and bridge the innate and adaptive immune system. Cancer cells leverage CD47, a cell surface protein, as a “don’t eat me” signal to evade detection by the immune system. Our company is developing a next-generation checkpoint inhibitor designed to have a high affinity for CD47 and to avoid the limitations caused by hematologic toxicities inherent in other CD47 blocking approaches. We believe our lead product candidate, ALX148, will have a wide therapeutic window to block the “don’t eat me” signal on cancer cells, and to leverage the immune activation of broadly used anti-cancer agents through combination strategies. We have dosed over 150 subjects with ALX148 across a range of hematologic and solid malignancies in combination with a number of leading anti-cancer agents. We intend to advance ALX148 into clinical development for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and to continue clinical development for the treatment of a range of solid tumor indications. Based on our clinical results to date in multiple oncology indications showing encouraging anti-tumor activity and tolerability and our clinical development plans, our strategy is to pursue ALX148 as a potentially critical component for future combination treatments in oncology.

Anti-cancer agents, including many chemotherapies, other small molecules and anti-cancer antibodies, can stimulate immune cells such as macrophages to engulf and kill cancer cells, a process known as phagocytosis, by providing so-called “eat me” signals on cancer cells. In response, cancer cells frequently overexpress CD47 to counteract these “eat me” signals. As a result, high expression of CD47 on cancer cells has been associated with reduced patient survival in multiple cancers. The therapeutic blockade of CD47 in combination with an “eat me” signal enables the immune system to detect and phagocytose cancer cells. However, healthy blood cells and nearly all other cells in the body also express CD47 as a way to protect against pathologic phagocytosis by immune cells. There have been a number of approaches to blocking CD47, including monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins that include an active Fc region. These approaches have encountered limitations, including limited dosing and therapeutic window, limited ability to combine with other anti-cancer agents, limited efficacy in solid tumors and limited indications due to patient selection, that have challenged their ability to maximize the full potential of CD47 blockade. In addition, most of these therapeutic approaches to CD47 blockade have resulted in the destruction of patients’ healthy blood cells, causing cytopenias that limit the dosing and therapeutic potential of those molecules.

ALX Oncology was founded by Corey Goodman, Ph.D., K. Christopher Garcia, Ph.D., and Jaume Pons, Ph.D., to address fundamental challenges in blocking CD47 and to realize the full potential of this therapeutic target. We have developed a new approach to CD47 blockade that is designed to maximize clinical activity and minimize toxicities. All competing clinical data to date have come from product candidates that incorporate an active antibody Fc region in addition to a CD47 blocking region. The Fc region provides a positive, pro-phagocytic “eat me” signal to macrophages and other cells of the immune system. Since healthy blood cells also express CD47, these competing therapeutic approaches can cause a reduction in the number of blood cells in the body, resulting in anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, which can be dangerous to patients and may limit the ability to combine these agents with other anti-cancer medicines.



 

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Our lead product candidate, ALX148, is a next-generation CD47 blocking therapeutic that we believe has significantly enhanced properties compared to competing CD47 blocking approaches. ALX148 is a fusion protein that combines a high-affinity CD47 binding domain with a proprietary inactivated Fc domain. The CD47 binding domain of ALX148 is an affinity enhanced extracellular domain of signal regulatory protein alpha, or SIRPa, a protein that is the natural receptor to CD47 found on myeloid cells. We have engineered the Fc domain of ALX148 so that it does not provide a pro-phagocytic signal while still maintaining an antibody-like half-life for the molecule. We believe our inactive Fc approach improves tolerability when compared to other CD47 blocking approaches that have an Fc domain that engages activating receptors on macrophages, causing phagocytosis and death of healthy cells in addition to cancer cells. Clinical data to date in ALX148 have not shown dose-dependent hematologic toxicities, which are characteristic of other CD47 blockers that incorporate an active Fc domain.

Pipeline

Our initial programs are focused on targeting CD47 across various oncology indications. Many forms of cancer use CD47 expression as a means of evading immune response. We are targeting the hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications where we believe we have the greatest potential to address large markets and unmet medical needs.

 

LOGO

ALX148 for the Treatment of MDS and AML

We plan to advance ALX148 for the treatment of MDS, a hematologic malignancy affecting over 70,000 people in the United States. We initially explored the treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies in our ongoing Phase 1b trial of ALX148 in combination with rituximab, an anti-CD20 agent in subjects with relapsed/refractory Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL. ALX148 demonstrated a higher response rate at higher doses and achieved a 54.6% objective response rate, or ORR, in the highest dose (15 mg/kg once per week) cohort. We view this ORR as compelling evidence for the role of ALX148 in treating hematologic malignancies and as a



 

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favorable comparison to outcomes reported by other CD47 blocking agents in a similar patient population. Furthermore, other CD47 blocking agents in development have demonstrated clinical evidence supporting the role of CD47 blockade in treating hematologic malignances, specifically in MDS, albeit with high rates of cytopenias. We have conducted preclinical studies of ALX148 combined with azacitidine, a standard of care agent for the treatment of MDS, that support our clinical development plan in MDS. Our studies and those of others show that azacitidine increases calreticulin display, an “eat me” signal, in tumor models. The addition of ALX148 to azacitidine shows increased phagocytic activity in vitro and tumor growth inhibition in mouse models as compared to azacitidine alone. We are planning to advance ALX148 into a Phase 1b/2 trial in combination with azacitidine for the first-line treatment of subjects with higher-risk MDS by the end of 2020.

We also plan to develop ALX148 for the treatment of AML, a hematologic malignancy affecting over 35,000 people in the United States with an expected 20,000 newly diagnosed patients and over 11,000 deaths from the disease in 2020. Over half of these patients are diagnosed at age 65 or older. ALX148’s potential for the treatment of patients with AML is supported by our existing data in NHL, preclinical studies of ALX148 in combination with azacitidine or venetoclax, and clinical evidence from other CD47 blocking agents studied in AML. The addition of ALX148 to venetoclax in preclinical studies also increased tumor growth inhibition as compared to single-agent venetoclax. Both azacitidine and venetoclax are standard of care options for patients with AML who are not candidates for intensive induction chemotherapy regimens. Consequently, we view our preclinical studies as supportive of ALX148’s potential role as a tolerable combination agent that may increase the activity of standard of care agents in an unfit, older population. We are planning to advance ALX148 into a Phase 1b/2 trial in combination with standard of care agents in the first-line treatment of subjects with AML in 2021.

ALX148 for the Treatment of Solid Tumors

ALX148 has generated clinical data in solid tumors in various combinations, including with a leading tumor antigen targeting antibody, a leading checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapy. We believe that ALX148 induces multiple responses that bridge innate and adaptive immunity. We are investigating ALX148 for the first-line treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, or HNSCC and for second-line treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2-positive gastric/gastroesophageal junction, or GEJ, carcinoma. In the United States there are over 38,000 people living with metastatic HNSCC, and there are over 25,000 people living with metastatic gastric/GEJ carcinoma. In Phase 1b clinical trials, ALX148 has demonstrated both objective clinical response per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria and tolerability in combination with other broadly used cancer agents. Based on these results, the Food & Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted Fast Track designation for ALX148 for both the treatment of patients with HNSCC in the first-line setting and for HER2-positive advanced gastric/GEJ carcinoma in the second-line setting. While other CD47 blockers have failed to achieve meaningful clinical activity in the treatment of solid tumors, we believe ALX148’s properties, including favorable tolerability and ability to escalate to higher doses, coupled with high affinity and small size for enhanced solid tumor penetration, may underlie the observed anti-tumor activity of ALX148 in solid tumors. We are planning to advance ALX148 into Phase 2 trials in subjects with HNSCC in combination with pembrolizumab, marketed as Keytruda, the market leading anti-programmed cell death protein-1, or PD-1, checkpoint inhibitor, in the first half of 2021, and gastric/GEJ carcinoma in combination with trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin, the market-leading anti-HER2 antibody, in the second half of 2021.

Our Strategy

Our goal is to transform treatment options for patients with cancer by developing ALX148 as a foundational checkpoint immunotherapy.

Key elements of our strategy to support this goal include:

 

   

Advance our lead product candidate, ALX148, through clinical development for MDS and AML.    We plan to initiate a Phase 1b/2 trial of ALX148, in combination with azacitidine, for the first-line treatment of patients with higher-risk MDS by the end of 2020 and in combination with standard of



 

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care agents for the first-line treatment of patients with AML in 2021. Given the limitations of current treatment options for patients with MDS, preclinical activity of ALX148 in combination with azacitidine, clinical data from competitor programs and the differentiated tolerability profile of ALX148, we intend to pursue a strategy in which we will leverage the data generated from this Phase 1b/2 trial to request from the FDA that ALX148 be a candidate for accelerated approval in the first-line treatment of high-risk MDS. Similarly, we believe ALX148 combination therapies could address the significant unmet need for more active tolerable regimens in the majority of patients with AML who are not fit for intensive induction chemotherapy. While we plan to seek accelerated approval by the FDA for the use of ALX148 in high risk MDS, and potentially AML, and may do so opportunistically for other indications in the future, there is no assurance that this approach will be successful for these as well as other indications.

 

   

Expanding the therapeutic potential of CD47 blockade into solid tumors.    We believe ALX148 can overcome the limitations of other CD47 blocking approaches in solid tumors. We have generated encouraging data in subjects with HNSCC treated with ALX148 in combination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and in subjects with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer, who have progressed on prior HER2-targeted therapy and chemotherapy, treated in combination with a HER2-targeted antibody. We have initiated additional Phase 1b cohorts for the first-line treatment of subjects with HNSCC and patients with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer, with Phase 1b data expected in 2021. The FDA has granted ALX148 Fast Track designation in first-line HNSCC and advanced HER2 positive gastric/GEJ cancer. We intend to pursue a strategy in which we will leverage the data generated from our planned Phase 2 randomized trials of ALX148 and pembrolizumab with and without chemotherapy to request from the FDA that ALX148 be a candidate for accelerated approval in the first-line treatment of HNSCC. We are also planning a randomized Phase 2 trial of ALX148, trastuzumab and chemotherapy in first-line HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer to inform future paths to registration in this indication.

 

   

Continuing development of a pipeline of innovative therapeutics based on our protein engineering expertise and knowledge of the immune system and cancer biology.    We specialize in designing and developing drug candidates that engage the immune system. We continue to develop a pipeline of immuno-oncology programs that represent complementary, but differentiated, approaches to engaging the innate and adaptive immune systems.

 

   

Developing strategic partnerships to broaden the potential impact of our current and future product candidates across patient populations.    In order to advance treatment options for the most patients, we may partner with other companies with complementary resources that will maximize the value of our current and future product candidates. Such partnerships may allow us to pair ALX148 and our future product candidates with other novel agents owned fully or in part by strategic partners. Partnerships may also help realize the full potential of our product candidates in markets where we are unlikely to pursue development or commercialization on our own. We intend to maintain significant economic interest in our product candidates and selectively consider partnership opportunities.

Our Team

Our team of industry veterans plans to continue to advance a broad development plan for ALX148 that balances speed to market, scale of unmet need and existing clinical evidence for ALX148’s combination mechanisms. Members of our management team have brought multiple drugs to FDA approval. Our President, Chief Executive Officer and founder, Jaume Pons, Ph.D., was Chief Science Officer of Rinat’s (a subsidiary of Pfizer), invented fremanezumab (FDA approved in 2018), tanezumab (Biologics License Application filed in 2020) and additional antibodies in late-stage development at Pfizer and advanced nine more drugs into human trials. Our Chief Medical Officer, Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., was the global clinical franchise lead for Ibrance at Pfizer, where she oversaw the program from first-in-human trials to regulatory approval. Our Executive Chairman and founder, Corey Goodman, Ph.D., an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, has co-founded seven biopharmaceutical companies, including Exelixis and Labrys (acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014), and led Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center. Our Chief



 

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Financial Officer, Peter Garcia, has over 20 years of experience guiding public and private life science companies and has raised over $1.5 billion in debt and equity offerings. We have funded ALX Oncology to date primarily through the issuance and sale of our convertible preferred stock to investors including venBio, Lightstone Ventures, Vivo Capital, Logos Capital, Janus Henderson, Foresite Capital, Stanford University, Cormorant Asset Management, BVF Partners, HBM Healthcare Investments and the Longevity Fund.

Risks Associated with Our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that you should consider before investing in our company. These risks are described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception, and we expect to continue to incur significant net losses for the foreseeable future.

 

   

We will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations, such capital may not be available to us or may only be available on terms that are unfavorable to us and, in addition, our current loan agreement may restrict our ability to take on additional debt without the consent of our lenders.

 

   

We have a limited operating history and have no products approved for commercial sale.

 

   

We are substantially dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, ALX148, which is in clinical development and which has not completed a pivotal trial.

 

   

The outcome of preclinical testing and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and the results of our clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities.

 

   

Our product candidates may cause significant adverse events or other undesirable side effects when used alone or in combination with other treatments.

 

   

Clinical trials of our product candidates are expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement and may fail to demonstrate adequate safety, efficacy and potency of our product candidates or provide the basis for marketing approval.

 

   

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time-consuming and inherently unpredictable, which could lead to our inability to generate product revenue.

 

   

If we are unable to obtain, maintain and enforce patent protection and other intellectual property for our product candidates and related technology, our business could be materially harmed.

 

   

We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting, motivating, and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

 

   

Our preclinical research will be conducted solely by a third party service provider, Tallac Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly know as Tollnine, Inc.), or Tallac Therapeutics, following this offering, and we will be dependent on Tallac Therapeutics to perform its contractual research obligations on an effective or timely basis.

 

   

The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, pandemic could adversely impact our business including our ongoing and planned clinical trials and preclinical research.

 

   

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If remediation measures are not effective, investors may lose confidence in our financial reports.



 

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Corporate Information and History

Our predecessor company, ALX Oncology Limited, an Irish private company limited by shares, was initially incorporated in Ireland on March 13, 2015 under the name Alexo Therapeutics Limited and changed its name to ALX Oncology Limited on October 11, 2018. We were then incorporated in Delaware on April 1, 2020 under the name ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. and completed a reorganization effective as of the same date whereby ALX Oncology Limited became our wholly-owned subsidiary and all of the shareholders, warrantholders and optionholders of ALX Oncology Limited became our stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders, holding the same number of corresponding shares, warrants and/or options in ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. as they did in ALX Oncology Limited immediately prior to the reorganization. We present the information included in this prospectus as that of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. unless such information refers to a date prior to April 1, 2020, in which case it will reflect that of our predecessor company. In addition, we present our capitalization information as “preferred stock” and “common stock” of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., while we present any capitalization information from a date prior to April 1, 2020 as “preferred shares” and “ordinary shares” of ALX Oncology Limited.

Our principal executive offices are located at 866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100, Burlingame, California 94010. Our telephone number is 650-466-7125. Our website address is http://alxoncology.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and should not be considered to be part of this prospectus.

We use ALX Oncology and other marks as trademarks in the United States and other countries. This prospectus contains references to our trademarks and service marks and to those belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus, including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other entity.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue; the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; and the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering. As a result of this status, we have taken advantage of reduced reporting requirements in this prospectus and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, in this prospectus, we have provided only two years of audited consolidated financial statements and have not included all of the executive compensation related information that would be required if we were not an emerging growth company. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, delaying the adoption of these accounting standards until they would apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period to enable us to comply with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting standards as of public company effective dates.



 

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The Offering

 

Common stock offered

8,000,000 shares.

 

Underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of common stock

1,200,000 shares.

 

Common stock to be outstanding after the offering

34,711,553 shares (or 35,911,553 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares).

 

Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be approximately $115.3 million, or approximately $133.2 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

  We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to fund the development of ALX148 through Phase 1b and Phase 2 clinical trials in several indications, as well as for working capital and other general corporate activities. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 65 for a more complete description of the intended use of proceeds from this offering.

 

Risk factors

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 11 and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors that you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our common stock.

 

Directed share program

At our request, an affiliate of Jefferies LLC, a participating underwriter, has reserved up to 3% of the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus for sale, at the initial public offering price, to certain of our officers, directors, employees and other persons who do business with us. Any reserved shares purchased by our executive officers and members of their households will be subject to the 180-day lock-up described elsewhere in this prospectus. If these persons purchase reserved shares, it will reduce the number of shares available for sale to the general public. Any reserved shares that are not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other shares offered by this prospectus. For further information regarding our directed share program, see “Underwriting.”

 

Nasdaq Global Select Market trading symbol

“ALXO”

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on the 26,711,553 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 (including 17,297 shares of



 

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common stock that are subject to a right of repurchase and our convertible preferred stock on an as-converted basis), and excludes:

 

   

3,200,872 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $3.08 per share;

 

   

673,943 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options granted after March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.96 per share;

 

   

warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our convertible preferred stock that were outstanding as of March 31, 2020 that will be converted on a 1:1 basis into warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share;

 

   

4,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2020 Plan (which does not give effect to the grant of 836,085 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options which will be granted, as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, under our 2020 Plan, at an exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of our common stock), including the amendment thereto that will become effective immediately prior to the completion of this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our 2020 Plan pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year;

 

   

400,000 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or the ESPP, which will become effective in connection with this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our ESPP pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year; and

 

   

cumulative dividends accrued after March 31, 2020.

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, this prospectus reflects and assumes the following:

 

   

a 1-for-6.5806 reverse stock split of our common stock and our convertible preferred stock that was effected on July 9, 2020;

 

   

no exercise of the outstanding options and the warrants described above;

 

   

no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock;

 

   

the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock, including cumulative dividends as of March 31, 2020, into an aggregate of 23,544,607 shares of common stock, which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our convertible preferred stock that will be converted on a 1:1 basis into warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our common stock, which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

   

the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the adoption of our amended and restated bylaws, each of which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering.



 

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Summary Consolidated Financial Data

The following tables summarize our consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. We derived the summary consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019, from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have derived the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, and the consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2020 from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In our opinion, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited consolidated financial statements and contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of such financial data. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. You should read the following summary consolidated financial data in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and the information in the sections titled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
    THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
Consolidated Statements of Operations and
Comprehensive Loss Data:
   2018     2019     2019     2020  
     (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)  
                 (unaudited)  

Related-party revenue

   $ 2,067     $ 4,796     $ 1,032     $ 655  

Operating expenses:

        

Research and development

     11,270       16,306       3,733       3,828  

General and administrative

     2,601       3,313       588       1,473  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     1,880       4,360       938       596  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     15,751       23,979       5,259       5,897  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (13,684     (19,183     (4,227     (5,242
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest expense

           (21           (215

Other income (expense), net

     (2     (5     (2     7  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (13,686     (19,209     (4,229     (5,450

Income tax provision

     (45     (34     (9     (4
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

     (13,731     (19,243     (4,238     (5,454

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (3,671     (4,028     (905     (1,983
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (17,402   $ (23,271   $ (5,143   $ (7,437
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

   $ (6.33   $ (7.56   $ (1.71   $ (2.37
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

     2,750,838       3,076,461       3,001,147       3,143,159  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

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     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
    THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
Consolidated Statements of Operations and
Comprehensive Loss Data:
   2018      2019     2019      2020  
     (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)  
                  (unaudited)  

Pro forma net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(1)

      $ (1.34      $ (0.24
     

 

 

      

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(1)

        14,330,300          21,951,361  
     

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

(1)   See Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements and the Note 8 of our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the method used to calculate historical and pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share, and the weighted-average number of shares used in the computation of the per share amounts and unaudited pro forma information.

 

 

 

     AS OF MARCH 31, 2020  
     ACTUAL     PRO FORMA(1)     PRO FORMA
AS ADJUSTED(2)
 
    

(unaudited)

 
    

(in thousands)

 

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

      

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 105,035     $ 105,035     $ 220,375  

Working capital(3)

     103,423       103,423       218,992  

Total assets

     108,399       108,399       223,510  

Total liabilities

     9,282       8,835       8,606  

Convertible preferred shares

     175,043              

Accumulated deficit

     (78,236     (78,236     (78,236

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (75,926     99,564       214,904  

 

 

  (1)   The pro forma consolidated balance sheet data in the table above reflects the conversion of our outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock and cumulative dividends into 23,544,607 shares of our common stock, the resulting reclassification of the convertible preferred stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering and the reclassification of our convertible preferred stock warrant liability to additional paid-in capital immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

 

  (2)   The pro forma as adjusted consolidated balance sheet data in the table above reflects the pro forma adjustments described in footnote (1) above plus the sale and issuance by us of shares of our common stock in this offering, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share would increase or decrease, as applicable, the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, working capital, total assets and total stockholders’ equity (deficit) by approximately $7.4 million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, each of cash and cash equivalents, working capital, total assets and total stockholders’ equity (deficit) by approximately $14.9 million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share remains the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions. The pro forma as adjusted information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

 

  (3)   We define working capital as current assets less current liabilities. See our consolidated financial statements for further details regarding our current assets and current liabilities.


 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as the other information in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this prospectus, before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the events or developments described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. In such an event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations and the market price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred significant net losses since our inception, and we expect to continue to incur significant net losses for the foreseeable future.

We have incurred significant net losses in each reporting period since our inception, have not generated any revenue to date and have financed our operations principally through private placements of our convertible preferred stock. Our net loss was $19.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, and $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $78.2 million. We have devoted substantially all of our resources and efforts to research and development. Our lead product candidate, ALX148, is in early-stage clinical trials. Our other programs are in preclinical discovery and research stages. As a result, we expect that it will be several years, if ever, before we have a commercialized product and generate revenue from product sales. Even if we succeed in receiving marketing approval for and commercializing one or more of our product candidates, we expect that we will continue to incur substantial research and development and other expenses in order to discover, develop and market additional potential products.

We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter such that a period-to-period comparison of our results of operations may not be a good indication of our future performance. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate revenue. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and will continue to have an adverse effect on our working capital, our ability to fund the development of our product candidates and our ability to achieve and maintain profitability and the performance of our stock.

Even if this offering is successful, we will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations. If we are unable to raise such capital when needed, or on acceptable terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce and/or eliminate one or more of our research and drug development programs or future commercialization efforts.

Developing pharmaceutical products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, is a very time-consuming, expensive and uncertain process that takes years to complete. Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since inception, and we expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we conduct clinical trials of, and seek marketing approval for ALX148 and advance our other programs. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we expect to incur significant commercialization expenses related to drug sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution activities. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we are required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or other regulatory agencies to perform clinical trials or preclinical studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Other unanticipated costs may also arise. Because the design and outcome of our planned and anticipated clinical trials are highly uncertain, we cannot reasonably estimate the actual amount of resources and funding that will be necessary to successfully complete the development and commercialization of any product candidate we develop. Commencing upon the closing of this offering, we also expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. Accordingly, we will need to obtain substantial additional funding in order to maintain our continuing operations. If we are unable to raise capital when needed or on acceptable terms, we may be forced to delay, reduce and/or eliminate one or more of our research and drug development programs or future commercialization efforts.

 

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As of March 31, 2020, we had working capital of $103.4 million and cash and cash equivalents of $105.0 million. Based on our current operating plan, we believe that the proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 36 months. Our estimate as to how long we expect the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to be able to continue to fund our operations is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond our control, could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned.

We plan to use the net proceeds from this offering to advance the clinical development of ALX148, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. This may include additional research, hiring additional personnel, capital expenditures, the potential acquisition of businesses or assets and the costs of operating as a public company, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Advancing the development of ALX148 and our other programs will require a significant amount of capital. The net proceeds from this offering, together with our cash, may not be sufficient to fund all of the actions that are necessary to complete the development of ALX148 or our other programs.

We will be required to obtain further funding through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and licensing arrangements or other sources, which may dilute our stockholders or restrict our operating activities. We do not have any committed external source of funds. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In addition, our Loan and Security Agreement, or the Loan Agreement, with Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, LP, or WestRiver, and collectively, the Lenders, restricts our ability to incur additional indebtedness without the consent of the Lenders. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. Debt financing may result in imposition of debt covenants, increased fixed payment obligations or other restrictions that may affect our business. If we raise additional funds through upfront payments or milestone payments pursuant to strategic collaborations with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.

Our failure to raise capital as and when needed would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursue our business strategy, and we may have to delay, reduce the scope of, suspend or eliminate one or more of our research-stage programs, clinical trials or future commercialization efforts.

We have a limited operating history and have no products approved for commercial sale, which may make it difficult for you to evaluate our current business and likelihood of success and viability.

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. We were incorporated and commenced operations in 2015, have no products approved for commercial sale and have not generated any revenue. Drug development is a highly uncertain undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. Our operations to date have been limited to organizing and staffing our company, business planning, raising capital, identifying and developing potential product candidates and conducting preclinical and clinical trials of our product candidates, including a Phase 1 clinical trial of ALX148. We have not yet demonstrated our ability to successfully complete any large-scale, pivotal clinical trials, obtain marketing approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale drug or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf or conduct sales and marketing activities. As a result, it may be more difficult for you to accurately predict our likelihood of success and viability than it could be if we had a longer operating history.

In addition, as a business with a limited operating history, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors and risks frequently experienced by early-stage biopharmaceutical companies in rapidly evolving fields. We also may need to transition from a company with a research focus to a company capable of supporting commercial activities. We have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully overcome such risks and difficulties or to make such a transition. If we do not adequately address these risks and difficulties or successfully make such a transition, our business will suffer.

 

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Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends significantly on our ability to achieve several objectives relating to the discovery, development and commercialization of our product candidates.

Our business depends entirely on the successful development and commercialization of our product candidates. We currently generate no revenue from any product sales, licenses or collaborations and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of product candidates in the foreseeable future. We have no products approved for commercial sale and do not anticipate generating any revenue from product sales for the next several years, if ever. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability depends significantly on our ability to achieve a number of objectives, including:

 

   

successful and timely completion of preclinical and clinical development of our lead product candidate, ALX148, and our other future product candidates;

 

   

establishing and maintaining relationships with contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical sites for the clinical development of ALX148 and our other future product candidates;

 

   

timely receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities for any product candidates for which we successfully complete clinical development;

 

   

the extent of any required post-marketing approval commitments to applicable regulatory authorities;

 

   

developing an efficient and scalable manufacturing process for ALX148 and any future product candidates, including establishing and maintaining commercially viable supply and manufacturing relationships with third parties to obtain finished products that are appropriately packaged for sale;

 

   

establishing and maintaining commercially viable supply and manufacturing relationships with third parties that can provide adequate, in both amount and quality, products and services to support clinical development and meet the market demand for our product candidates, if approved;

 

   

successful commercial launch following any marketing approval, including the development of a commercial infrastructure, whether in-house or with one or more collaborators;

 

   

a continued acceptable safety profile following any marketing approval;

 

   

commercial acceptance of ALX148 and any future product candidates as viable treatment options by patients, the medical community and third-party payors;

 

   

obtaining favorable coverage and adequate reimbursement by third-party payors for our product candidates;

 

   

addressing any competing therapies and technological and market developments;

 

   

identifying, assessing, acquiring and developing new product candidates;

 

   

obtaining, maintaining and expanding patent protection, trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity, both in the United States and internationally;

 

   

protecting our rights in our intellectual property portfolio, including our licensed intellectual property;

 

   

defending against third-party interference or infringement claims, if any;

 

   

entering into, on favorable terms, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates;

 

   

negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidate; and

 

   

attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel.

We may never be successful in achieving our objectives and, even if we do, may never generate revenue that is significant or large enough to achieve profitability. If we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of our company and could impair our ability to maintain or further our research and development efforts, raise additional necessary capital, grow our business and/or continue our operations.

 

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Risks Related to the Discovery, Development and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

We are substantially dependent on the success of our lead product candidate, ALX148, which is in clinical development and which has not completed a pivotal trial. If we do not obtain regulatory approval for and successfully commercialize ALX148 in one or more indications, or we experience significant delays in doing so, we may never generate any revenue or become profitable.

We do not have any products that have received regulatory approval and may never be able to develop marketable product candidates. We expect that a substantial portion of our efforts and expenses over the next several years will be devoted to the development of our lead product candidate, ALX148, in our ongoing clinical trials. As a result, our business currently depends heavily on the successful development, regulatory approval and, if approved, commercialization of ALX148 in one or more of these indications, such as myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, or HNSCC, or gastric/gastroesophageal junction, or GEJ, carcinoma. We cannot be certain that ALX148 will receive regulatory approval or will be successfully commercialized even if it receives regulatory approval. The research, testing, manufacturing, safety, efficacy and potency, labeling, approval, sale, marketing and distribution of ALX148 is, and will remain, subject to comprehensive regulation by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities. Our failure to timely complete clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval or, if approved, commercialize ALX148 or any of our future product candidates, would materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are not permitted to market or promote ALX148, or any other product candidate, before we receive marketing approval from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, and we may never receive such marketing approvals. If we do not receive marketing approvals for ALX148, we may not be able to continue our operations.

The outcome of preclinical testing and early clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and the results of our clinical trials may not satisfy the requirements of the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities. The clinical trials of our product candidates may not produce positive results or demonstrate adequate safety, purity and efficacy and potency to the satisfaction of regulatory authorities.

Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates, we must complete preclinical development and then conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy/potency of our product candidates. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete, and its ultimate outcome is uncertain. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of the process. The outcome of preclinical studies and early-stage clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain approval of their drugs.

Positive or timely results from preclinical or early-stage trials do not ensure positive or timely results in future clinical trials or registrational clinical trials because product candidates in later-stage clinical trials may fail to demonstrate sufficient safety, purity and efficacy and potency to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities, despite having progressed through preclinical studies or initial clinical trials. In addition, the FDA or any comparable international regulatory authorities may conclude that the results from our clinical trials are insufficient to support any accelerated approval that we may seek with respect to ALX148 or any of our future product candidates in general or with respect to any specific indications. Product candidates that have shown promising results in early clinical trials may still suffer significant setbacks in subsequent clinical trials or registration clinical trials. For example, a number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry, including those with greater resources and experience than us, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after obtaining promising results in earlier clinical trials.

Clinical trials of our product candidates are expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement and may fail to demonstrate adequate safety, purity and efficacy and potency of our product candidates or provide the basis for marketing approval.

Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates, we must conduct preclinical development and then extensive clinical trials to demonstrate their safety, purity and efficacy and potency. Clinical trials are expensive and difficult to design and implement. Clinical trials can take many years to complete, and their ultimate outcome is uncertain. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of the process. We will be required to demonstrate with substantial evidence through well-controlled clinical trials that

 

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our product candidates are safe, pure and effective or potent for use in a diverse patient population before we can seek regulatory approvals for their commercial sale. Our clinical trials may produce negative or inconclusive results and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional and expansive preclinical or clinical testing.

We do not know whether our future clinical trials will begin on time or enroll patients on time or whether our ongoing and/or future clinical trials will be completed on schedule or at all. Clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays related to:

 

   

obtaining approval to commence a clinical trial;

 

   

reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and clinical trial sites;

 

   

obtaining institutional review board approval at each clinical trial site;

 

   

adding necessary new clinical trial sites;

 

   

recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;

 

   

failing in having clinical trial sites or patients comply with trial protocols;

 

   

suffering clinical trial sites or patients dropping out of trials; or

 

   

manufacturing sufficient quantities of product candidate for use in clinical trials.

We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical trials that could delay or prevent receipt of marketing approval or our ability to commercialize our product candidates, including:

 

   

receipt of feedback from regulatory authorities that requires us to modify the design of our clinical trials;

 

   

negative or inconclusive clinical trial results that may require us to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon certain drug development programs;

 

   

the number of patients required for clinical trials being larger than anticipated, enrollment in these clinical trials being slower than anticipated or subjects dropping out of these clinical trials at a higher rate than anticipated;

 

   

delays in clinical trials due to outbreaks or public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that impact both trial site operations and patient selection;

 

   

third-party contractors failing to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all;

 

   

the suspension or termination of our clinical trials for various reasons, including non-compliance with regulatory requirements, a finding that our product candidates have undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics or risks;

 

   

the cost of clinical trials of our product candidates are greater than anticipated;

 

   

the supply or quality of our product candidates or other materials necessary to conduct clinical trials of our product candidates being insufficient or inadequate; and

 

   

regulators revising the requirements for approving our product candidates.

As a result of any of these delays or other circumstances, we may incur unplanned costs, not obtain or be delayed in obtaining marketing approval, receive more limited or restrictive marketing approval, be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements or have our drug removed from the market after obtaining marketing approval.

We do not know whether any clinical trials we may conduct will demonstrate consistent or adequate safety, purity and efficacy and potency sufficient to obtain marketing approval or our product candidates or to market our drugs after any such approval.

If we experience delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials and/or retention of patients in clinical trials, our regulatory submissions or receipt of necessary marketing approvals could be delayed or prevented.

We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities. Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials. In particular, because certain of our clinical trials of ALX148 are focused on indications with small patient populations, our ability to enroll eligible patients may be limited or may result in slower enrollment than we anticipate. Patient

 

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enrollment may be affected if our competitors have ongoing clinical trials for product candidates that are under development for the same indications as our product candidates, and patients who would otherwise be eligible for our clinical trials instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates. Patient enrollment may also be affected by other factors, including:

 

   

size and nature of the patient population;

 

   

severity of the disease under investigation;

 

   

availability and efficacy or potency of approved drugs for the disease under investigation;

 

   

patient eligibility criteria for the trial in question;

 

   

perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study;

 

   

efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials by us and the clinical trial sites;

 

   

patient referral practices of physicians;

 

   

the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment;

 

   

proximity of clinical trial sites to prospective patients;

 

   

risk of patients enrolled in clinical trials dropping out before completion; and

 

   

inability or delay in enrollment of patients due to a variety of reasons, including outbreaks and public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients for our clinical trials would result in significant delays or may require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether. Enrollment delays in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates and jeopardize our ability to obtain marketing approval for the sale of our drugs.

Interim, topline and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.

From time to time, we may publicly disclose preliminary, interim or topline data from our clinical trials. These interim updates are based on a preliminary analysis of then-available data, and the results and related findings and conclusions are subject to change following a more comprehensive review of the data related to the particular study or trial. Further, interim, topline and preliminary data include certain assumptions, estimations, calculations and conclusions as part of our analyses of data available at that time, and we may not have received or had the opportunity to fully and carefully evaluate all data. As a result, the topline results that we report may differ from future results of the same studies, or different conclusions or considerations may qualify such results, once additional data have been received and fully evaluated. Topline data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. Interim data from clinical trials that we may complete are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available. Adverse changes between interim data and final data could significantly harm our business and prospects. Further, additional disclosure of interim data by us or by our competitors in the future could result in volatility in the price of our common stock. You or others may not agree with what we determine is the material or otherwise appropriate information to include in our disclosure, and any information we determine not to disclose may ultimately be deemed significant with respect to future decisions, conclusions, views, activities or otherwise regarding a particular product candidate or our business. If the preliminary or topline data that we report differ from late, final or actual results, or if others, including regulatory authorities, disagree with the conclusions reached, our ability to obtain approval for product candidates may be harmed, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

 

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Our product candidates may cause significant adverse events, toxicities or other undesirable side effects when used alone or in combination with other approved products or investigational new drugs that may result in a safety profile that could prevent regulatory approval, prevent market acceptance, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences.

If ALX148 and any of our product candidates are associated with undesirable side effects or have unexpected characteristics in preclinical studies or clinical trials when used alone or in combination with other approved products or investigational new drugs we may need to interrupt, delay or abandon their development or limit development to more narrow uses or subpopulations in which the undesirable side effects or other characteristics are less prevalent, less severe or more acceptable from a risk-benefit perspective. For example, we have observed single-digit incident rates of treatment-related grade three and higher cytopenias occurred across each of the trial cohorts in our ALX148 combination clinical trials with pembrolizumab, trastuzumab and rituximab in a heavily pre-treated group of subjects who are typical participants in early stage cancer trials and are often hematologically fragile at baseline. Subjects in our ALX148 combination clinical trials experienced a number of treatment-related adverse events that were low-grade and manageable, including fatigue, rash, aspartate aminotransferase, or AST, increase, platelets decrease, alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, increase, pruritus, pyrexia, decreased appetite, anemia, infusion reaction, neutropenia, nausea, alkaline phosphate increase, arthralgia, white blood cell decrease and myalgia. Treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled subjects to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any adverse events as a result of ALX148 or any of our future product candidates, including in combination therapy, may prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product candidate and may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.

We face substantial competition which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before or more successfully than we do.

The development and commercialization of new product candidates is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to ALX148 and will face competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies among others. We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop immuno-oncology therapies for the treatment of cancer. There are other companies working to develop immuno-oncology therapies for the treatment of cancer including divisions of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of various sizes. The large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that have commercialized and/or are developing immuno-oncology treatments for cancer include AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche/Genentech.

Some of these competitive products and therapies are based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, including with respect to the targeting of CD47 pathway and others are based on entirely different approaches. We are aware that Arch Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences (through its recent acquisition of Forty Seven), I-Mab, Novimmune, OSE Immunotherapeutics, Seattle Genetics, Surface Oncology and Trillium Therapeutics, among others, are developing drugs targeting the CD47 pathway that may have utility for the treatment of indications that we are targeting. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.

There are already a variety of available drug therapies marketed for cancer and some of the currently approved drug therapies are branded and subject to patent protection and others are available on a generic basis. Many of these approved drugs are well established therapies and are widely accepted by physicians, patients and third-party payors. Insurers and other third-party payors may also encourage the use of generic products. We expect that if ALX148 and any of our other future product candidates are approved, they will be priced at a significant premium over competitive generic products. This may make it difficult for us to achieve our business strategy of using our product candidates in combination with existing therapies or replacing existing therapies with our product candidates.

Many of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers

 

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and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, in establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling subjects for our clinical trials and in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

We could see a reduction or elimination of our commercial opportunity if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we or our collaborators may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or foreign regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all our product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety, convenience, price, the level of biosimilar or generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors. The inability to compete with existing or subsequently introduced drugs would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval, they will be subject to significant post-marketing regulatory requirements and oversight.

Even after approval, our manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and recordkeeping for our approved products will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as on-going compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMPs, and current good clinical practices, or cGCPs, for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Regulatory approvals may contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for specific target population subsets, e.g., age groups, warnings, precautions or contraindications, or may include costly and burdensome post-approval study or risk management requirements and regulatory inspection. For example, the FDA may require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, as a condition for approval of our product candidates, which could entail requirements for a medication guide, physician training, and communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk mitigation tools.

In addition, manufacturers of drug products and their facilities are subject to continual review and periodic, unannounced inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations and standards. If we or a regulatory agency discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with a contract supplier, vendor, or facility where the product is manufactured or processed, a regulatory agency may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or contractor, or us, including requiring recall or withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing. In addition, failure to comply with FDA, EMA and other comparable foreign regulatory requirements may subject our company to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions or enforcement actions, including:

 

   

delays in or the rejection of product approvals;

 

   

restrictions on our ability to conduct clinical trials, including full or partial clinical holds on ongoing or planned trials;

 

   

restrictions on the products, manufacturers or manufacturing process;

 

   

warning or untitled letters;

 

   

civil and criminal penalties;

 

   

injunctions;

 

   

suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals;

 

   

product seizures, detentions or import bans;

 

   

voluntary or mandatory product recalls and publicity requirements;

 

   

total or partial suspension of production; and

 

   

imposition of restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements.

 

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The occurrence of any of these sanctions, enforcement actions, or penalties described above may inhibit our ability to commercialize our product candidates, even if approved, and generate revenue.

Following this offering, we will rely on Tallac Therapeutics, a third-party service provider, to conduct substantially all of our preclinical research activities. If Tallac Therapeutics does not successfully carry out its contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, there may be disruptions or delays to our development pipeline and our business could be substantially harmed.

Following this offering, we will not have the ability to independently conduct our preclinical research activities as we rely on a third-party service provider to conduct all of our preclinical research activities. Effective as of July 1, 2020, we transferred all of our preclinical research capabilities and nine of our employees, including our former Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Hong Wan, to Tallac Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly known as Tollnine, Inc.), or Tallac Therapeutics, and entered into a research and development services agreement, or the Tallac Services Agreement, with Tallac Therapeutics. Under the terms of the Tallac Services Agreement, Tallac Therapeutics will provide preclinical research services to us for the cost of these services plus a mark-up equal to 10.0% of such costs. For additional information regarding our arrangements with Tallac Therapeutics, please see “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Tallac Therapeutics Agreements.”

If Tallac Therapeutics does not successfully carry out its contractual obligations or meet expected deadlines, if Tallac Therapeutics needs to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy of the preclinical data Tallac Therapeutics obtains is compromised due to its failure to adhere to their or our preclinical protocols, regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our preclinical research efforts and studies may be extended, delayed or terminated, and there may be disruptions or delays to our development pipeline. As a result, our product candidate research and development efforts may be delayed or harmed, and our costs could increase and our future ability to generate revenues could be delayed.

Further, Tallac Therapeutics’ employees are not our employees, and we will not be able to control, other than by contract, the amount of resources, including time, that they devote to our preclinical research efforts and studies. If Tallac Therapeutics fails to devote sufficient resources to the research and development of our preclinical research programs and studies, or if its performance is substandard, it may delay or compromise the prospects for approval and commercialization of any product candidates that we develop. In addition, we must disclose our proprietary information to Tallac Therapeutics, which could increase the risk that this information will be misappropriated or that disputes related to our intellectual property with Tallac Therapeutics may occur, including the risks discussed below related to intellectual property matters.

If our relationship with Tallac Therapeutics terminates, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative providers or do so in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms. If the Tallac Services Agreement is terminated, replacing Tallac Therapeutics or adding additional preclinical research providers will involve additional costs and divert our management’s time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new service provider commences work. As a result, delays may occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired preclinical timelines. Since Tallac Therapeutics is an early-stage company with a limited operating history, it may face challenges to its business and cease to operate, and we may need to engage replacement service providers on an accelerated timeline and on even less favorable terms. There can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our commercial success depends, in part, on our ability to conduct our research and develop our product pipeline without infringing the intellectual property and other proprietary rights of third parties. If we ever become involved in any dispute with Tallac Therapeutics over ownership of intellectual property or proprietary rights in the future because of the access that Tallac Therapeutics had to our intellectual property, including trade secrets, we may need to negotiate or engage in litigation to preserve our intellectual property rights, which may be time-consuming, expensive and ultimately unsuccessful. In addition, our former employees who are now employees of Tallac Therapeutics may possess our proprietary information. Although these former employees have signed confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with us, we cannot guarantee that they will not breach these agreements in the future. If these former employees disclose our proprietary information to Tallac Therapeutics or other third parties, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches.

 

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We contract with third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical development and clinical trials, and we expect to continue to do so for commercialization. This reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or drugs or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts.

We do not currently own or operate, nor do we have any plans to establish in the future, any manufacturing facilities or personnel. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical development and clinical testing, as well as for the commercial manufacture of our drugs if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval. No assurance can be given that long-term, scalable manufacturers can be identified or that they can make clinical and commercial supplies of our product candidates that meet the product specifications of previously manufactured batches, or are of a sufficient quality, or at an appropriate scale and cost to make it commercially feasible. Such third-party manufacturers may also be subject to delays due to circumstances outside of their control for a variety of reasons, including outbreaks and public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that could shut down or cause limited staffing of their facilities. Our reliance on third parties increases the risk that we will not have sufficient quantities of our product candidates or drugs or such quantities at an acceptable cost or quality, which could delay, prevent or impair our development or commercialization efforts. If they are unable to do so, it could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The facilities used by contract manufacturers to manufacture our product candidates must be approved by the FDA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority pursuant to inspections that may be conducted after we submit our marketing applications to the FDA or any such foreign regulatory authority. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and will be completely dependent on, our contract manufacturers for compliance with cGMPs in connection with the manufacture of our product candidates. If our contract manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or others, they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our contract manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or any applicable foreign regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact, including causing substantial delay, in our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates. Further, our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with applicable regulations could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, fines, injunctions, civil penalties, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of drug candidates or drugs, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect our business and supplies of our product candidates.

Our product candidates and any drugs that we may develop may compete with other product candidates and approved drugs for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number of manufacturers that operate under cGMP regulations and that might be capable of manufacturing for us.

We also expect to rely on other third parties to store and distribute product candidate supplies for our clinical trials. Any performance failure on the part of our distributors could delay clinical development or marketing approval of any future product candidates or commercialization of our products, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential drug revenue.

Any performance failure on the part of our existing or future manufacturers could delay clinical development, marketing approval or commercial drug supply after marketing approval. If our current contract manufacturers cannot perform as agreed, we may be required to replace such manufacturers causing additional costs and delays in identifying and qualifying any such replacement.

Material modifications in the methods of product candidate manufacturing or formulation may result in additional costs or delay.

The manufacture of drugs is complex, and our third-party manufacturers may encounter difficulties in production. If any of our third-party manufacturers encounter such difficulties, our ability to provide adequate supply of our product candidates for clinical trials or our products for patients, if approved, could be delayed or prevented. Also,

 

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as product candidates progress through preclinical and clinical trials to marketing approval and commercialization, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing, suppliers and formulation, are altered in an effort to optimize yield and manufacturing batch size, minimize costs and achieve consistent quality and results. Any of these changes could cause our product candidates to perform differently and affect the results of planned clinical trials or other future clinical trials conducted with the modified manufacturing, materials or process. This could delay completion of clinical trials, require the conduct of additional clinical trials, such as bridging studies to demonstrate the product is substantially equivalent to product used during earlier clinical trials or the repetition of one or more clinical trials, increase clinical trial costs, delay approval of our product candidates and jeopardize our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, and generate revenue.

Lack of third-party combination drugs may materially and adversely affect demand for our product candidates.

Our product candidates may be administered in combination with drugs of other pharmaceutical companies as one regimen. In addition, we plan to use third-party drugs in our development and clinical trials as controls for our studies, such as our current plans to conduct Phase 2 clinical trials of ALX148 in combination with pembrolizumab for HNSCC and trastuzumab for gastric/GEJ carcinoma. As a result, both the results of our clinical trials and the sales of our drugs may be affected by the availability of these third-party drugs. If other pharmaceutical companies discontinue these drugs for combination therapies in the future, regimens that use these combination drugs may no longer be prescribed, and we may not be able to introduce or find an alternative drug to be used in combination with our drugs at all or in a timely manner and on a cost-effective basis. Use of new combination drugs with our approved product candidates will require further regulatory approval before we can promote such new combination therapies. As a result, demand for our product candidates may be lowered, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates or commercialize any product candidates that may result from our development efforts, or may miss expected deadlines, if we are not able to maintain or secure agreements with the third parties that conduct the activities related to our clinical trials on acceptable terms, if these third parties do not perform their services as contractually required, or if these third parties fail to timely transfer any regulatory information held by them to us.

We rely on entities outside of our control, which may include academic institutions, CROs, hospitals, clinics and other third-party strategic partners, to monitor, support, conduct and oversee preclinical studies and clinical trials of our current and future product candidates. As a result, we have less control over the timing and cost of these studies and the ability to recruit trial subjects than if we conducted these trials with our own personnel. If we are unable to maintain or enter into agreements with these third parties on acceptable terms, or if any such engagement is terminated prematurely, we may be unable to enroll patients on a timely basis or otherwise conduct our clinical trials as planned. In addition, there is no guarantee that these third parties will devote adequate time and resources to our clinical trials or perform as required by our contract or in accordance with regulatory requirements, including maintenance of clinical trial information regarding our product candidates. For example, these third parties may be adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. If these third parties fail to meet expected deadlines, fail to transfer to us any regulatory information in a timely manner, fail to adhere to protocols or fail to act in accordance with regulatory requirements or our agreements with them, or if they otherwise perform in a substandard manner or in a way that compromises the quality or accuracy of their activities or the data they obtain, then clinical trials of our product candidates may be extended or delayed with additional costs incurred, or our data may be rejected by the FDA or other regulatory agencies. Ultimately, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities.

We and our CROs are required to comply with cGCPs, regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for products in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these cGCPs through periodic inspections of clinical trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. If we or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable cGCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and our submission of marketing applications may be delayed, or the FDA or foreign regulatory authority may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. Upon inspection, the FDA of foreign regulatory authority could determine that any of our clinical trials fail or have failed to comply with applicable cGCPs.

 

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Our business also may be implicated if any of our CROs violates fraud and abuse or false claims laws and regulations or healthcare privacy and security laws.

If any of our third-party clinical trial sites terminate for any reason, we may experience the loss of follow-up information on subjects enrolled in our ongoing clinical trials unless we are able to transfer the care of those subjects to another qualified clinical trial site. Further, our CROs are not required to work indefinitely or exclusively with us. Our existing agreements with our CROs may be subject to termination by the counterparty upon the occurrence of certain circumstances. If any CRO terminates its agreement with us, the research and development of the relevant product candidate would be suspended, and our ability to research, develop and license future product candidates would be impaired. We may be required to devote additional resources to the development of our product candidates or seek a new CRO partner, and the terms of any additional arrangements that we establish may not be favorable to us. Switching or adding CROs or other service providers can involve substantial cost and require extensive management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO or service provider commences work. As a result, delays may occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. If we are required to seek alternative arrangements, the resulting delays and potential inability to find suitable replacements could materially and adversely impact our business.

Even if we receive marketing approval for any of our product candidates, we may not achieve market acceptance, which would limit the revenue that we can generate from sales of any of our approved product candidates.

Even if the FDA and applicable foreign regulatory authorities approve the marketing of any product candidates that we develop, physicians, patients, third-party payors or the medical community may not accept or use our product candidates. Efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payors on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may not be successful. Market acceptance of ALX148 and any other product candidates, if any are approved, will depend on a number of factors, including, among others:

 

   

the ability of ALX148 and our other product candidates to treat cancer or other applicable targeted diseases, as compared with other available drugs, treatments or therapies;

 

   

the timing of market introduction of the product candidate as well as competitive products;

 

   

the clinical indications for which a product candidate is approved;

 

   

the approval of other new therapies for the same indications;

 

   

the prevalence and severity of any adverse side effects associated with ALX148 and our other product candidates;

 

   

limitations or warnings contained in the labeling approved for ALX148 or our other product candidates by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities;

 

   

availability of alternative treatments and the potential and perceived advantages of our product candidates over alternative treatments;

 

   

the size of the target patient population and the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;

 

   

the strength and effectiveness of marketing and distribution support and timing of market introduction of competitive products;

 

   

publicity for our product candidates and competing products and treatments;

 

   

pricing and cost-effectiveness in relation to alternative treatments;

 

   

relative convenience and ease of administration;

 

   

our ability to obtain sufficient third-party coverage or reimbursement, and the willingness of patients to pay out-of-pocket in the absence of third-party coverage; and

 

   

the likelihood that the FDA or any foreign regulatory authority may impose additional requirements that limit the promotion, advertising, distribution or sales of our product candidates.

Adverse events in clinical trials for our product candidates or in clinical trials of others developing similar products and the resulting publicity, as well as any other adverse events in the field of immuno-oncology that may occur in the future, could result in a decrease in demand for ALX148 or any other product candidate that we may develop. If public perception is influenced by claims that the use of cancer immunotherapies is unsafe, whether related to our

 

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therapies or those of our competitors, our products may not be accepted by the general public or the medical community. Future adverse events in immuno-oncology or the biopharmaceutical industry generally could also result in greater governmental regulation and stricter labeling requirements.

If any of our product candidates is approved but does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by patients, physicians and third-party payors, we may not generate sufficient revenue to become or remain profitable and our business may be harmed.

We have never commercialized a product candidate and we may lack the necessary expertise, personnel and resources to successfully commercialize any of our products that receive regulatory approval.

We currently have no marketing and sales organization and we have never commercialized a product candidate. To achieve commercial success of our product candidates, if any are approved, we will have to develop our own sales, marketing and supply capabilities or outsource these activities to a third party.

If any of our product candidates ultimately receives regulatory approval, we may choose to establish an internal marketing and sales organization with technical expertise and supporting distribution capabilities to commercialize each such product in major markets, which will be expensive and time consuming. We have no prior experience as a company in the marketing, sale and distribution of pharmaceutical products and there are significant risks involved in building and managing a sales organization. Factors that may affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates on our own include recruiting and retaining adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel, obtaining access to or persuading adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe our product candidates and other unforeseen costs associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization. Developing a sales and marketing organization requires significant investment, is time-consuming and could delay the launch of our product candidates. We may not be able to build an effective sales and marketing organization in the United States, the European Union or other key global markets. If we are unable to build our own distribution and marketing capabilities or to find suitable partners for the commercialization of our product candidates, we may have difficulties generating revenue from them.

We may also choose to collaborate with third parties that have direct sales forces and established distribution systems, either to augment our own sales force and distribution systems or in lieu of our own sales force and distribution systems. We may not be able to enter into collaborations or hire consultants or external service providers to assist us in sales, marketing and distribution functions on acceptable financial terms, or at all. In addition, our product revenue and our profitability, if any, may be lower if we rely on third parties for these functions than if we were to market, sell and distribute any products that we develop ourselves. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively. If we are not successful in commercializing our products, either on our own or through arrangements with one or more third parties, we may not be able to generate any future product revenue and we would incur significant additional losses. We have no internal sales, marketing or distribution capabilities.

The market opportunities for the product candidates we develop, if approved, may be limited to certain smaller patient subsets.

There is no guarantee that the product candidates we develop, even if approved, would be approved for the currently proposed indications. We may have to conduct additional clinical trials that may be costly, time-consuming and subject to risk. Regulators, like FDA, may require us to narrow our indications to smaller patient subsets, and the number of patients in such subsets may turn out to be lower than expected.

Our current and future product candidates may have undesirable side effects that may delay or prevent marketing approval or, if approval is received, require them to be taken off the market, require them to include new safety warnings, contraindications or precautions, or otherwise limit their sales. No regulatory agency has made a determination that any of our product candidates are safe, pure, potent or effective for use by the target patient population for any indication.

Our lead product candidate, ALX148, is at an early stage of clinical development and not all adverse effects can be predicted or anticipated. Unforeseen side effects from ALX148 or any of our future product candidates may arise at

 

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any time during clinical development or, if approved by regulatory authorities, after the approved drug product has been marketed. Any undesirable or unacceptable side effects of ALX148 or our future product candidates could interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials, and result in delay of, or failure to obtain, marketing approval from the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities, or result in marketing approval from the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities with restrictive label warnings or for limited patient populations. Ultimately, such side effects could result in product liability claims. No regulatory agency has made any determination that any of our product candidates or discovery programs is safe or effective for use by the general public for any indication.

Even if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval, if we or others later identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by such products:

 

   

regulatory authorities may require us to take our approved product off the market;

 

   

regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, specific warnings, contraindication, precaution or field alerts to physicians and pharmacies;

 

   

we may be required to change the way the product is administered, limit the patient population who can use the product or conduct additional clinical trials;

 

   

we may be subject to limitations on how we may promote the product;

 

   

sales of the product may decrease significantly;

 

   

we may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and

 

   

our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product or could substantially increase commercialization costs and expenses, which in turn could delay or prevent us from generating revenue from the sale of any future product candidates.

Failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates, if approved, could limit our ability to market those products and decrease our ability to generate revenue.

The availability and adequacy of coverage and reimbursement by governmental healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, private health insurers and other third-party payors are essential for most patients to be able to afford products such as our product candidates, if approved. Our ability to achieve acceptable levels of coverage and reimbursement for products by governmental authorities, private health insurers and other organizations will have an effect on our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates. Coverage under certain government programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE, may not be available for certain of our product candidates. Assuming we obtain coverage for a given product by a third-party payor, the resulting reimbursement payment rates may not be adequate or may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement in the United States, the European Union or elsewhere will be available for any product that we may develop, and any reimbursement that may become available may be decreased or eliminated in the future.

Third-party payors increasingly are challenging prices charged for pharmaceutical products and services, and many third-party payors may refuse to provide coverage and reimbursement for particular drugs when an equivalent generic drug, biosimilar or a less expensive therapy is available. It is possible that a third-party payor may consider our product candidates and other therapies as substitutable and only offer to reimburse patients for the less expensive product. Even if we show improved efficacy and potency or improved convenience of administration with our product candidates, pricing of existing drugs may limit the amount we will be able to charge for our product candidates. These payors may deny or revoke the reimbursement status of a given product or establish prices for new or existing marketed products at levels that are too low to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may not be able to obtain a satisfactory financial return on products that we may develop.

Obtaining and maintaining reimbursement status is time-consuming and costly. No uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and

 

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reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases at short notice, and we believe that changes in these rules and regulations are likely.

Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the United States and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidates. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any of our product candidates due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative changes. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of health care services to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect:

 

   

the demand for any products for which we may obtain regulatory approval;

 

   

our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products;

 

   

our ability to obtain and maintain coverage and adequate reimbursement for a product;

 

   

our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability; and

 

   

the level of taxes that we are required to pay.

The FDA and other regulatory agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses.

The FDA strictly regulates manufacturers’ promotional claims of drug products. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as reflected in the FDA-approved labeling. The FDA, the Department of Justice, the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, among other government agencies, actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability, including large civil and criminal fines, penalties and enforcement actions. The FDA has also imposed consent decrees or permanent injunctions under which specified promotional conduct is changed or curtailed for companies that engaged in such prohibited activities. If we cannot successfully manage the promotion of our approved product candidates, we could become subject to significant liability, which would materially adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Risks Related to Government Regulation

Even if we receive regulatory approval to commercialize any of our product candidates, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review with respect to our drugs, which will result in significant additional expense.

Any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed, or subject to certain conditions of approval and may contain requirements for potentially costly post-approval trials and surveillance to monitor the safety, purity and efficacy/potency of the marketed product. For any approved drug, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and extensive oversight by regulatory authorities, including with respect to manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-approval information and reports, as well as continued compliance with cGMPs and cGCP for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a drug, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with third-party manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in, among other things:

 

   

restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the drug;

 

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withdrawal of the drug from the market or voluntary or mandatory product recalls;

 

   

adverse publicity, fines, warning letters or holds on clinical trials;

 

   

refusal by the FDA or any other applicable regulatory authority to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications filed by us, or suspension or revocation of product license approvals;

 

   

drug product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of product candidates; and

 

   

injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Further, the policies of the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates or impact any already approved drugs. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained, which would adversely affect our business, prospects and ability to generate revenue or achieve or sustain profitability.

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities are lengthy, time-consuming and inherently unpredictable, which could lead to our inability to generate product revenue. Even if we obtain FDA approval of any of our product candidates, we may never obtain approval or commercialize such products outside of the United States, which would limit our ability to realize their full market potential.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable, typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the type, complexity and novelty of the product candidates involved. Seeking foreign regulatory approvals could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and may require additional preclinical studies or clinical trials which would be costly and time consuming. Regulatory requirements can vary widely from country to country and could delay or prevent the introduction of our product candidates in those countries. In addition, approval policies, regulations or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions, which may cause delays in the approval or the decision not to approve an application. Regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may refuse to accept any application or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other data. Satisfying these and other regulatory requirements is costly, time consuming, uncertain and subject to unanticipated delays. Our failure to obtain regulatory approval in any country may delay or have negative effects on the process for regulatory approval in other countries. Even if we eventually complete clinical testing and receive approval of any regulatory filing for our product candidates, the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities may approve our product candidates for a more limited indication or a narrower patient population than we originally requested. We have not submitted for or obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate and it is possible that ALX148 or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval. If we fail to comply with regulatory requirements in international markets or to obtain and maintain required approvals, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed.

Applications for our product candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including but not limited to the following:

 

   

the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities may disagree with the design, implementation or results of our clinical trials;

 

   

the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities may determine that our product candidates are not safe and effective, only moderately effective or have undesirable or unintended side effects, toxicities or other characteristics that preclude our obtaining marketing approval or prevent or limit commercial use;

 

   

the population studied in the clinical program may not be sufficiently broad or representative to assure efficacy and potency and safety in the full population for which we seek approval;

 

   

the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;

 

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the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to support the submission of a Biologics License Application, New Drug Application or other submission or to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere;

 

   

we may be unable to demonstrate to the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities that a product candidate’s risk-benefit ratio for its proposed indication is acceptable;

 

   

the FDA or comparable international regulatory authorities may fail to approve the manufacturing processes, test procedures and specifications or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies; and

 

   

the approval policies or regulations of the FDA or international foreign regulatory authorities may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.

In order to market any product candidates outside of the United States, we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries regarding safety and efficacy and potency and approval standards. Clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries, and regulatory approval in one country does not mean that regulatory approval will be obtained in any other country.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, government shutdowns, including as a result of budget delays or other circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic and statutory, regulatory and policy changes. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. This lengthy approval process, as well as the unpredictability of the results of clinical trials, may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

While we have received certain FDA Fast Track designations, such Fast Track designations may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, and does not increase the likelihood that the drug will receive marketing approval.

In February 2020, the FDA granted Fast Track designations to ALX148 for first-line HNSCC and for second-line treatment of advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2-positive gastric/GEJ carcinoma. If a product candidate is intended for the treatment of a serious condition and preclinical or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical need for such condition, a sponsor may apply for FDA Fast Track designation. Even though we received these Fast Track designations for ALX148, Fast Track designation does not ensure that we will receive marketing approval or that approval will be granted within any particular timeframe. We may not experience a faster development or regulatory review or approval process with Fast Track designation compared to conventional FDA procedures. In addition, the FDA may withdraw Fast Track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development program. Fast Track designation alone does not guarantee qualification for the FDA’s priority review procedures.

If we decide to seek orphan drug designation for one or more of our product candidates, we may be unsuccessful or may be unable to maintain the benefits associated with such orphan drug designation.

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product candidate as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals annually in the United States. We may seek Orphan Drug Designation for certain indications for our product candidates in the future. Orphan Drug Designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a product candidate nor gives the product candidate any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process. Generally, if a product candidate with an Orphan Drug Designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the drug is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity that precludes the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same drug for the same indication for seven years. Therefore, if our competitors are able to obtain orphan product exclusivity for their product candidates in the same indications we are pursuing, we may not be able to have competing product candidates approved in those indications by the FDA for a significant period of time. There are also limited

 

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circumstances where the FDA may reduce the seven-year exclusivity for a product candidate with an orphan drug designation where other product candidates show clinical superiority to the product with orphan exclusivity or if the FDA finds that the holder of the orphan exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan product to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. However, even if one of our product candidates receives orphan exclusivity, the FDA can still approve other drugs that have a different active ingredient for use in treating the same indication or disease. Furthermore, the FDA can waive orphan exclusivity if we are unable to manufacture a sufficient supply of our product.

Current and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize our products, if approved, and affect the prices we may obtain. We may face difficulties from changes to current regulations and future legislation.

Existing regulatory policies may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained, and we may not achieve or sustain profitability.

Third-party payors, whether domestic or foreign, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and likely will continue to be, legislative and regulatory proposals at the foreign, federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare and/or impose price controls may adversely affect:

 

   

the demand for our drugs, if we obtain regulatory approval;

 

   

our ability to receive or set a price that we believe is fair for our drugs;

 

   

our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability;

 

   

the level of taxes that we are required to pay; and

 

   

the availability of capital.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively ACA, was enacted in 2010 and includes measures that have significantly changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. The ACA continues to impact the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Since its enactment, there have been judicial, executive and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. In December 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, published a new final rule permitting further collections and payments to and from certain ACA-qualified health plans, or QHPs, and health insurance issuers under the ACA risk adjustment program in response to the outcome of federal district court litigation regarding the method CMS uses to determine this risk adjustment. On April 27, 2020, the United States Supreme Court reversed a Federal Circuit decision that previously upheld Congress’ denial of $12 billion in “risk corridor” funding. Further, in December 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by the U.S. Congress as part of a tax act. Additionally, in December 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld the district court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the district court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. In March 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, which is expected to occur in the fall of 2020. It is unclear how such litigation and other efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will impact the ACA and our business. Complying with any new legislation or reversing changes implemented under the ACA could be time-intensive and expensive, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. These changes include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which began in 2013 and will remain in effect through 2030 unless additional Congressional action is taken. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, which was signed into law in

 

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March 2020 and is designed to provide financial support and resources to individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020, and extended the sequester by one year, through 2030, in order to offset the added expense of the 2020 cancellation. Additionally, it is possible that additional governmental action is taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business. For example, on April 18, 2020, CMS announced that QHP issuers under the ACA may suspend activities related to the collection and reporting of quality data that would have otherwise been reported between May and June 2020 given the challenges healthcare providers are facing responding to the COVID-19 virus.

There also has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their drugs, which has resulted in several U.S. congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. At the federal level, the Trump administration’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 includes a $135 billion allowance to support legislative proposals seeking to reduce drug prices, increase competition, lower out-of-pocket drug costs for patients and increase patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar drugs. On March 10, 2020, the Trump administration sent “principles” for drug pricing to Congress, calling for legislation that would, among other things, cap Medicare Part D beneficiary out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses, provide an option to Medicare Part D beneficiary monthly out-of-pocket expenses, and place limits on pharmaceutical price increases. The Trump administration previously released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contained proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products and reduce the out-of-pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, has solicited feedback on some of these measures and, at the same, has implemented others under its existing authority. For example, in May 2019, CMS issued a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage plans the option to use step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020, codifying a policy change that was effective January 1, 2019. While some of these and other measures may require additional authorization to become effective, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that they would continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

The ACA, as well as other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, more rigorous coverage criteria, lower reimbursement and new payment methodologies. This could lower the price that we receive for any approved drug product. Any denial in coverage or reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government funded programs may result in a similar denial or reduction in payments from private payors, which may prevent us from being able to generate sufficient revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our product candidates, if approved.

In the European Union, similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our current or any future products. In addition to continuing pressure on prices, price controls and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the European Union or member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs. In international markets, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies. Our future product candidates, if any, might not be considered medically reasonable and necessary for a specific indication or cost-effective by third-party payors, an adequate level of reimbursement might not be available for such product candidates and third-party payors’ reimbursement policies might adversely affect our ability to sell any future product candidates profitably.

Some countries require approval of the sale price of a drug before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing or product licensing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, prescription pharmaceutical pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As

 

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a result, we might obtain marketing approval for a product candidate in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay the commercial launch of the product candidate, possibly for lengthy time periods, and negatively impact the revenue that are generated from the sale of the product in that country. If reimbursement of such product candidates is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, or if there is competition from lower-priced cross-border sales, our profitability will be negatively affected.

We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our product candidates may lose any marketing approval that may have been obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business.

Our business operations and current and future relationships with investigators, health care professionals, consultants, third-party payors and customers will be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws and other healthcare laws and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

Although we do not currently have any products on the market, if we obtain FDA approval for our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our operations may be directly, or indirectly through our prescribers, customers and third-party payors, subject to various U.S. federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. federal civil and criminal false claims laws and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws may impact, among other things, our current business operations, including our clinical research activities and proposed sales, marketing and education programs and constrain the business of financial arrangements and relationships with healthcare providers, physicians and other parties through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to patient data privacy and security regulation by both the U.S. federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. Finally, we may be subject to additional healthcare, statutory and regulatory requirements and enforcement by foreign regulatory authorities in jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. The laws that may affect our ability to operate are described in the following paragraphs:

 

   

The U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or certain rebates), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order or recommendation of, any good, facility, item or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under U.S. federal and state healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Moreover, the ACA provides that the government may assert that a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute also constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act.

 

   

The federal civil and criminal false claims, including the civil False Claims Act, or FCA, that can be enforced by private citizens through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, prohibit individuals or entities from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. No specific intent to defraud is required under the civil FCA. The criminal FCA provides for criminal penalties for submitting false claims, including imprisonment and criminal fines.

 

   

The Civil Monetary Penalty Act of 1981 and implementing regulations impose penalties against any person or entity that, among other things, is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to a federal healthcare program that the person knows or should know is for an item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent, or offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier.

 

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The U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement, in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.

 

   

HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations, as amended again by the Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement and Breach Notification Rules Under HITECH and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and Other Modifications to the HIPAA Rules, commonly referred to as the Final HIPAA Omnibus Rule, published in January 2013, impose certain obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, on covered entities subject to the Final HIPAA Omnibus Rule, i.e., health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and healthcare providers, as well as their business associates that perform certain services for or on their behalf involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information.

 

   

The U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits, among other things, the adulteration or misbranding of drugs, biologics and medical devices.

 

   

The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires applicable manufacturers of covered drugs, medical devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to annually report to CMS information regarding payments and other transfers of value to physicians, as defined by such law, and teaching hospitals as well as information regarding ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Additionally, President Trump signed into law in 2018 the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promoted Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act” which, under the provision entitled “Fighting the Opioid Epidemic with Sunshine,” in part, extends the reporting and transparency requirements for physicians under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act to physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other mid-level practitioners, with reporting requirements going into effect in 2022 for payments made in 2021.

 

   

The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, price reporting, storage and security requirements intended to prevent the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products. Pricing and rebate programs must also comply with the Medicaid rebate requirements of the U.S. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 and more recent requirements in the ACA. If products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities also are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.

 

   

Analogous state laws and regulations impose additional obligations, including: state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices, including, but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state laws and regulations that require drug manufacturers to file reports relating to pricing and marketing information, which requires tracking gifts and other remuneration and items of value provided to healthcare professionals and entities; state and local laws requiring the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives; and state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

 

   

European and other foreign law equivalents of each of the laws also impose legal requirements, including reporting requirements detailing interactions with and payments to healthcare providers.

 

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Ensuring that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, exclusion from U.S. government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, or similar programs in other countries or jurisdictions, disgorgement, imprisonment, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits, additional reporting requirements and oversight, and the delay, reduction, termination or restructuring of our operations. Further, defending against any such actions can be costly and time-consuming, and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to significant criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs and imprisonment. If any of the above occur, it could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

If we, our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, consultants, vendors or agents acting on our behalf fail to comply with healthcare laws and regulatory requirements, we could be subject to fines, penalties or enforcement actions, or incur costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct as well as risks of noncompliance by contractors or agents acting on our behalf. Misconduct by employees and independent contractors, such as principal investigators, consultants and vendors, could include intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations, to provide accurate information to the FDA, to comply with health care fraud and abuse laws, to report financial information or data accurately or to disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, research, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the health care industry are subject to extensive laws intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws may restrict or prohibit a wide range of research, pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee and independent contractor misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics, but it is not always possible to identify and deter employee or independent contractor misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant fines, exclusion from participation in government-funded healthcare programs, or other sanctions.

If we do not comply with laws regulating the protection of the environment and health and human safety, our business could be adversely affected.

We are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures and the handling, use, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes. Our research and development involve, and may in the future involve, the use of potentially hazardous materials and chemicals. Our operations may produce hazardous waste products. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of these materials comply with the standards mandated by local, state and federal laws and regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated. If an accident occurs, we could be held liable for resulting damages, which could be substantial. We are also subject to numerous environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations and fire and building codes, including those governing laboratory procedures, exposure to blood-borne pathogens, use and storage of flammable agents and the handling of biohazardous materials. Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance as prescribed by the State of California to cover us for costs and expenses, we may incur due to injuries to our employees resulting from the use of these materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. We do not

 

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maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us. Additional laws and regulations affecting our operations may be adopted in the future. Current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or commercialization efforts. We may incur substantial costs to comply with, and substantial fines or penalties if we violate, any of these laws or regulations.

Inadequate funding for the FDA, the SEC and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.

The ability of the FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels and the ability to hire and retain key personnel. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at the FDA and other agencies, such as recent furloughs or government shutdowns, may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which would adversely affect our business.

Our business activities may be subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, as well as U.S. and certain foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations, all of which can subject us to criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations.

Our business activities may be subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and similar anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws, regulations or rules of other countries in which we operate. These laws generally prohibit companies and their employees and third party business partners, representatives and agents from engaging in corruption and bribery, including offering, promising, giving or authorizing the provision of anything of value, either directly or indirectly, to a government official or commercial party in order to influence official action, direct business to any person, gain any improper advantage, or obtain or retain business. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. Our business is heavily regulated and therefore involves significant interaction with government officials, including officials of non-U.S. governments.

Additionally, in many countries, healthcare providers are employed by the government, and the purchasers of biopharmaceuticals are government entities. As a result, our dealings with these providers and purchasers are subject to regulation and such healthcare providers and employees of such purchasers may be considered “foreign officials” as defined in the FCPA. Recently, the SEC and Department of Justice have increased their FCPA enforcement activities with respect to biotechnology companies. In addition to our own employees, we leverage third parties to conduct our business abroad, such as obtaining government licenses and approvals. We and our third-party business partners, representatives and agents may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies, state-owned or affiliated entities and we may be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, our third-party business partners, representatives and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. There is no certainty that our employees or the employees of our third-party business partners, representatives and agents will comply with all applicable laws and regulations, particularly given the high level of complexity of these laws. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, debarment from U.S. government contracts, substantial diversion of management’s attention, significant legal fees and fines, severe criminal or civil sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, disgorgement and other penalties and remedial measures and prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations could include prohibitions on our ability to offer our products in one or more countries and could materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to attract and retain employees, and our business, prospects, operating results, financial condition and stock price.

In addition, our products may be subject to U.S. and foreign export controls, trade sanctions and import laws and regulations. Governmental regulation of the import or export of our products, or our failure to obtain any required import or export authorization for our products, when applicable, could harm our business. Furthermore, U.S. export

 

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control laws and economic sanctions prohibit the provision of certain products and services to countries, governments and persons targeted by U.S. sanctions. If we fail to comply with export and import regulations and such economic sanctions, penalties could be imposed, including fines and/or denial of certain export privileges.

Data collection under European and U.S. laws is governed by restrictive regulations addressing the collection, use, processing and, in the case of Europe, cross-border transfer, of personal information.

We may collect, process, use or transfer personal information from individuals located in the European Union in connection with our business, including in connection with conducting clinical trials in the European Union. Additionally, if any of our product candidates are approved, we may seek to commercialize those products in the European Union. The collection and use of personal health data in the European Union is governed, in part, by the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, or the GDPR. This legislation imposes requirements relating to having legal bases for processing personal information relating to identifiable individuals and transferring such information outside of the European Economic Area, including to the United States, providing details to those individuals regarding the processing of their personal information, keeping personal information secure, having data processing agreements with third parties who process personal information, responding to individuals’ requests to exercise their rights in respect of their personal information, reporting security breaches involving personal data to the competent national data protection authority and affected individuals, appointing data protection officers, conducting data protection impact assessments and record-keeping. The GDPR imposes additional responsibilities and liabilities in relation to personal data that we process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance. Failure to comply with the requirements of the GDPR and related national data protection laws of the member states of the European Union may result in substantial fines, other administrative penalties and civil claims being brought against us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, U.S. states are adopting new laws or amending existing laws, requiring attention to frequently changing regulatory requirements related to personal information. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act, or the CCPA, in 2018, which took effect on January 1, 2020 and has been dubbed the first “GDPR-like” law in the United States. The CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and delete their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used by requiring covered companies to provide new disclosures to California consumers (as that term is broadly defined and which can include any of our current or future employees who may be California residents or any other California residents whose data we collect or process) and provide such residents new ways to opt out of certain sales of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. As we expand our operations, preclinical studies and clinical trials, the CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Other states are beginning to consider and pass similar laws.

Privacy and data security laws and regulations are not consistent across jurisdictions, and they may impose conflicting or uncertain obligations. Compliance with these and any other applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations is a rigorous, costly and time-intensive process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms ensuring compliance with new and changing data protection obligations under these laws and regulations. Actual or alleged noncompliance with any such laws and regulations may lead to regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, claims and litigation, and if we fail to comply with any such laws or regulations, we may face significant fines and penalties. Any of these could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain, maintain and enforce patent protection for our product candidates and related technology, our business could be materially harmed.

Our strategy depends on our ability to identify, seek, obtain and maintain patent protection for our product candidates and other research and development discoveries. Our patent portfolio is relatively small compared to many large and more established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. As our patent portfolio grows, we

 

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expect patent protection will continue to be an important part of our strategy. The patent protection process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications or maintain and enforce any patents that may issue from such patent applications, at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner or in all jurisdictions where protection may be commercially advantageous. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development discoveries before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Moreover, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, covering technology that we have licensed from third parties. Therefore, our in-licensed patents and patent applications may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. Our patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless, and until, patents issue from such applications, and then only to the extent the issued claims cover the technology. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our current and future product candidates in the United States or in foreign countries or may fail to effectively prevent third parties from commercializing competitive product candidates.

The patent position of biotechnology companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions, and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. We may be subject to a third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, and such prior art may affect the scope of any claims we ultimately get allowed or it may prevent our patent applications from issuing as patents. Further, the issuance of a patent does not ensure that it is valid or enforceable, nor is the issuance conclusive as to inventorship or the scope of any claims. Third parties may challenge the validity, enforceability or scope of our issued patents or claim that they should be inventors on such patents, and such patents may be narrowed, invalidated, circumvented or deemed unenforceable and such third parties may gain rights to such patents. We could also become involved in reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review, opposition or derivation proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others.

In addition, changes in law may introduce uncertainty in the enforceability or scope of patents owned by us. If our patents are narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, third parties may be able to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us without payment to us. There is no assurance that all potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found, and such prior art could potentially invalidate one or more of our patents or prevent a patent from issuing from one or more of our pending patent applications. There is also no assurance that there is no prior art that may ultimately be found to affect the validity or enforceability of a claim. Furthermore, even if our patents are unchallenged, they may not adequately protect our intellectual property, provide exclusivity for our product candidates, prevent others from designing around our claims or provide us with a competitive advantage. The legal systems of certain countries do not favor the aggressive enforcement of patents, and the laws of foreign countries may not allow us to protect our inventions with patents to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Because patent applications in the United States and many foreign jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all, and because publications of discoveries in scientific literature lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our issued patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for protection of the inventions set forth in our patents or patent applications. As a result, we may not be able to obtain or maintain protection for certain inventions.

For all of the foregoing reasons, the issuance, validity, enforceability, scope and commercial value of our patents in the United States and in foreign countries cannot be predicted with certainty and, as a result, any patents that we own or license may not provide sufficient protection against competitors. We may not be able to obtain or maintain patent protection from our pending patent applications, from those we may file in the future, or from those we may license from third parties. Moreover, even if we are able to obtain patent protection, such patent protection may be of insufficient scope to achieve our business objectives. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not give us the right to practice the patented invention. Third parties may have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing our own patented product and practicing our own patented technology.

 

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We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies to develop their own products in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our current or future products, if any, and our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be valid or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biotechnology products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.

Additionally, the requirements for patentability may differ in certain countries. For example, in India, unlike the United States, there is no link between regulatory approval of a drug and its patent status, and patenting of medical uses of a claimed drug are prohibited. In addition to India, certain countries in Europe and other countries, including China, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In those countries, we and our licensors may have limited remedies if patents are infringed or if we or our licensors are compelled to grant a license to a third party, which could materially diminish the value of those patents. This could limit our potential revenue opportunities. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we own or license.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, documentary, fee payment and other requirements imposed by regulations and governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents or applications will be due to the USPTO and various foreign patent offices at various points over the lifetime of our patents or applications. We have systems in place to remind us to pay these fees, and we rely on our outside patent annuity service to pay these fees automatically when due, but we must notify the provider of any new patents or applications. Additionally, the USPTO and various foreign patent offices require compliance with many procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply, and in many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with rules applicable to the particular jurisdiction. However, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. If such an event were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Changes in patent laws or patent jurisprudence could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.

The patent positions of biotechnology companies can be highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles remain unresolved. Changes in either the patent laws or in the

 

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interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property. We cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or found to be enforceable in our patents or in third-party patents. The United States has enacted and implemented wide-ranging patent reform legislation. Further, recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings have either narrowed the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakened the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the validity, scope and value of patents, once obtained.

For our U.S. patent applications containing a priority claim after March 16, 2013, there is a higher level of uncertainty in the patent law. In September 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, also known as the America Invents Act, or AIA, was signed into law. The AIA includes a number of significant changes to U.S. patent law, including provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may also affect patent litigation. The AIA and its implementation may increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business. An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the United States transitioned to a “first-to-file” system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties disclosing or claiming the same invention. A third party that has filed, or does file a patent application in the USPTO after March 16, 2013 but before us, could be awarded a patent covering a given invention, even if we had made the invention before it was made by the third party. This requires us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application.

Among some of the other changes introduced by the AIA are changes that limit where a patentee may file a patent infringement suit and providing opportunities for third parties to file third party submissions of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and to challenge any issued patent in the USPTO (e.g., via post-grant reviews or inter partes reviews). Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in U.S. federal court necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action.

Depending on decisions by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. federal courts, the USPTO or similar authorities in foreign jurisdictions, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that may weaken our and our licensors’ ability to obtain new patents or to enforce existing patents we and our licensors or partners may obtain in the future.

Our patents covering one or more of our product candidates could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged.

Any of our intellectual property rights could be challenged or invalidated despite measures we take to obtain patent and other intellectual property protection with respect to our product candidates and proprietary technology. For example, if we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States and in some other jurisdictions, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, for example, lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld material information from the USPTO, or the applicable foreign counterpart, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. A litigant or the USPTO itself could challenge our patents on this basis even if we believe that we have conducted our patent prosecution in accordance with the duty of candor and in good faith. The outcome following such a challenge is unpredictable.

With respect to challenges to the validity of our patents, for example, there might be invalidating prior art, of which the patent examiner and we were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on a product candidate. Even if a defendant does not prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, our patent

 

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claims may be construed in a manner that would limit our ability to enforce such claims against the defendant and others. The cost of defending such a challenge, particularly in a foreign jurisdiction, and any resulting loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on one or more of our product candidates and our business.

Enforcing our intellectual property rights against third parties may also cause such third parties to file other counterclaims against us, which could be costly to defend, particularly in a foreign jurisdiction, and could require us to pay substantial damages, cease the sale of certain products or enter into a license agreement and pay royalties (which may not be possible on commercially reasonable terms or at all). Any efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights are also likely to be costly and may divert the efforts of our scientific and management personnel.

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.

Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products, including biosimilars. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.

Patent protection, prosecution, assertion and defense for some of our product candidates may be dependent on third parties.

There may be times in the future when certain patents that relate to our product candidates or any approved products are controlled by our licensees or licensors, such as with respect to our Stanford license agreements. Although we may, under such arrangements, have rights to consult with our strategic partners on actions taken as well as back-up rights of prosecution and enforcement, we have in the past and may in the future relinquish rights to prosecute and maintain patents and patent applications within our portfolio as well as the ability to assert such patents against infringers. If any current or future licensee or licensor with rights to prosecute, assert or defend patents related to our product candidates fails to appropriately prosecute and maintain patent protection for patents covering any of our product candidates, or if patents covering any of our product candidates are asserted against infringers or defended against claims of invalidity or unenforceability in a manner which adversely affects such coverage, our ability to develop and commercialize any such product candidate may be adversely affected and we may not be able to prevent competitors from making, using and selling competing products.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets and proprietary information or obtain proper assignment of such intellectual property, the value of our technology and products could be adversely affected.

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on other proprietary rights, including protection of trade secrets and other proprietary information. Trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. Trade secrets and know-how can also in some instances be independently derived or reverse-engineered by a third party. We maintain the confidentiality of trade secrets and proprietary information in part by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, other service providers, including Tallac Therapeutics, strategic partners and others upon the commencement of their relationships with us. These agreements require that all confidential information developed by the individual or made known to the individual by us during the course of the individual’s relationship with us be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties. Our agreements with employees and our personnel policies in addition to our service provider agreements, such as the Tallac Services Agreement, also provide that any inventions conceived by the individual in the course of rendering services to us shall be our exclusive property. However, we may not obtain these agreements in all circumstances, and even when we obtain these agreements, individuals with whom we have these agreements may not comply with their terms. Any of the parties to these agreements may breach such agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. In the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our trade secrets or proprietary information, these agreements, even if obtained, may not provide meaningful protection, particularly for our trade secrets or other confidential information. We may also become involved in

 

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inventorship disputes relating to inventions and patents developed by our employees, consultants, contractors and other service providers, such as Tallac Therapeutics, under such agreements. To the extent that our employees, consultants, contractors or other service providers use technology or know-how owned by third parties in their work for us, disputes may arise between us and those third parties as to the rights in related inventions. To the extent that an individual who is not obligated to assign rights in intellectual property to us is rightfully an inventor of intellectual property, we may need to obtain an assignment or a license to that intellectual property from that individual, or a third party or from that individual’s assignee. Such assignment or license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. The disclosure of our trade secrets would impair our competitive position and may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, if any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent such third party, or those to whom they communicate such technology or information, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor or if we otherwise lose protection for our trade secrets or proprietary know-how, the value of this information may be greatly reduced, and our business and competitive position could be harmed. Adequate remedies may not exist in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary information.

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and trade secrets, which could be expensive, time-consuming and unsuccessful.

Third parties may seek approval to market their own products similar to or otherwise competitive with our product candidates or biosimilar versions of any approved product candidates. In these circumstances, we may need to defend or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering our product candidates, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product candidate is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for an invalidity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, written description or enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid or unenforceable. Even if we have valid and enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against competing products sufficient to achieve our business objectives.

Even after they have issued, our patents and any patents that we license may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. If our patents are invalidated or otherwise limited or will expire prior to the commercialization of our product candidates, other companies may be better able to develop products that compete with ours, which could adversely affect our competitive business position, business prospects and financial condition. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future product candidates.

The following are examples of litigation and other adversarial proceedings or disputes that we could become a party to involving our patents or patents licensed to us:

 

   

we may initiate litigation or other proceedings against third parties to enforce our patent and trade secret rights;

 

   

third parties may initiate litigation or other proceedings seeking to invalidate patents owned by or licensed to us or to obtain a declaratory judgment that their product or technology does not infringe our patents or patents licensed to us;

 

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third parties may initiate opposition or other proceedings challenging the validity or scope of our patent rights, requiring us and/or licensors to participate in such proceedings to defend the validity and scope of our patents;

 

   

there may be a challenge or dispute regarding inventorship or ownership of patents or trade secrets currently identified as being owned by or licensed to us, including disputes that may arise from our reliance on Tallac Therapeutics as the current sole provider of our preclinical research services and the intellectual property generated under the Tallac Services Agreement; or

 

   

third parties may seek approval to market biosimilar versions of our future approved products prior to the expiration of relevant patents owned by or licensed to us under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, requiring us to defend our patents, including by filing lawsuits alleging patent infringement.

Any litigation or other proceedings would be costly and could affect our results of operations and divert the attention of our management and scientific personnel. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the cost of such litigation and proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater resources. There is a risk that a court would decide that we are infringing the third party’s patents and would order us to stop the activities covered by the patents. In that event, we may not have a viable alternative to the technology protected by the patent and may need to halt work on the affected product candidate or cease commercialization of an approved drug. In addition, there is a risk that a court will order us to pay third party damages or some other monetary award, depending upon the jurisdiction. An adverse outcome in any litigation or other proceeding could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, potentially including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if we are found to have willfully infringed, and we may be required to cease using the technology that is at issue or to license the technology from third parties. We may not be able to obtain any required licenses on commercially acceptable terms or at all. We may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States. Any litigation or other proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights may fail, and even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees.

In addition, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise additional funds or on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may be subject to claims that we or our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets or other proprietary information of our employees’ or consultants’ former employers or their clients.

We employ individuals who were previously or concurrently employed at research institutions and/or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. We may be subject to claims that these employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers, or that patents and applications we have filed to protect inventions of these employees, even those related to one or more of our product candidates, are rightfully owned by their former or concurrent employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, trade secrets or other proprietary information could be awarded to a third party, and we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to commercialize our technology or products. Such license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. A loss of key research personnel or their work product could limit our ability to commercialize, or prevent us from commercializing, our current or future technologies or product candidates, which could materially harm our business. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation would expose us to the risk described above under “—We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and trade secrets, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.”

 

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Our commercial success depends significantly on our ability to operate without infringing the patents and other proprietary rights of third parties.

Our success will depend in part on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of third parties. Other entities may have or obtain patents or proprietary rights that could limit our ability to make, use, sell, offer for sale or import our future approved products or impair our competitive position. Our research, development and commercialization activities may be subject to claims that we infringe or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties.

We are aware of third-party patents and patent applications containing claims in the immuno-oncology field based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, including with respect to the targeting of the CD47 and signal regulatory protein alpha, or SIRPa, pathways, and others that are based on entirely different approaches. These patents and applications could potentially be construed to cover our product candidates and their use. For example, we are aware of a revoked European patent (EP 2 429 574) owned by University Health Network, or UHN, and The Hospital for Sick Children that may encompass certain therapies for the treatment of cancer using polypeptides comprising soluble human SIRPa, or a CD47-binding fragment thereof. This revoked patent related to the treatment of cancer with polypeptides comprising soluble human SIRPa, or a CD47-binding fragment thereof. This patent was revoked by the European Patent Office and UHN and The Hospital for Sick Children have appealed the decision. The U.S. counterpart is not yet granted. If UHN and the Hospital for Sick Children win their appeal of the European Patent Office decision revoking their European patent, or if the U.S. counterpart grants them a patent, the resulting patent claims could potentially limit our ability to pursue ALX148 in certain new indications or geographies in the future. As the biotechnology industry expands and more patents are issued, the risk increases that we may be subject to claims of infringement of the patent rights of third parties. There is no assurance that there are not third-party patents or patent applications of which we are aware, but which we do not believe are relevant to our business, which may, nonetheless, ultimately be found to limit our ability to make, use, sell, offer for sale or import our future approved products or impair our competitive position.

Third parties may have or obtain valid and enforceable patents or proprietary rights that could block us from developing product candidates. These patents may not expire before we receive any marketing approval for our product candidates, and they could delay the commercial launch of one or more future product candidates. If our product candidates were to be found to infringe any such patents, and we were unable to invalidate those patents, or if licenses for them are not available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed. Furthermore, even if a license is available, it may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Our failure to maintain a license to any technology that we require may also materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations, and we would be exposed to a threat of litigation.

Any litigation resulting from claims of infringement or failure to license patents and proprietary rights of others would expose us to the risk described above under “—We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and trade secrets, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.” Any of the aforementioned threats to our competitive advantage could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our intellectual property rights will not necessarily provide us with competitive advantages.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

 

   

others may be able to make products that are similar to our product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of the patents that we own or have exclusively licensed;

 

   

others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

 

   

issued patents that we own or have exclusively licensed may not provide us with competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable, as a result of legal challenges by our competitors;

 

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we may obtain patents for product candidates many years before we obtain marketing approval for such product candidates and because patents have a limited life, which may begin to run prior to the commercial sale of the related product, the commercial value of our patents may be limited;

 

   

our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets;

 

   

we may fail to develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable;

 

   

the laws of certain foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, or we may fail to apply for or obtain adequate intellectual property protection in all the jurisdictions in which we operate; and

 

   

the patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business, for example by preventing us from marketing one or more of our product candidates for one or more indications.

Any of the aforementioned threats to our competitive advantage could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We will need to obtain FDA approval for any proposed product candidate names, and any failure or delay associated with product candidate name approval may adversely affect our business.

Any proprietary name or trademark we intend to use for our product candidates will require approval from the FDA regardless of whether we have secured a formal trademark registration from the USPTO. The FDA typically conducts a review of proposed product candidate names, including an evaluation of the potential for confusion with other product names and potential pharmacy dispensing errors. The FDA may also object to a product name if it believes the name inappropriately implies certain medical claims or contributes to an overstatement of efficacy. If the FDA objects to any product candidate names we propose, we may be required to adopt an alternative name for our product candidates. If we adopt an alternative name, we would lose the benefit of any existing trademark applications for such product candidate and may be required to expend significant additional resources in an effort to identify a suitable product name that would qualify under applicable trademark laws, not infringe the existing rights of third parties and be acceptable to the FDA. We may be unable to build a successful brand identity for a new trademark in a timely manner or at all, which would limit our ability to commercialize our product candidates.

Our rights to develop and commercialize our product candidates may be subject, in part, to the terms and conditions of agreements with others.

Our current agreements do not, and future agreements we may enter into in the future may not, provide exclusive rights to use certain intellectual property and technology retained by a collaborator in all relevant fields of use and in all territories in which we may wish to develop or commercialize our technology and products in the future. As a result, we may not be able to prevent competitors or other third parties from developing and commercializing competitive products that utilize technology retained by such collaborators to the extent such products are not also covered by our intellectual property.

We may need to obtain additional intellectual property rights from others to advance our research or allow commercialization of product candidates we may develop. We may be unable to obtain additional intellectual property rights at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, if at all. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to redesign our technology, product candidates or the methods for manufacturing them or to develop or license replacement technology, all of which may not be feasible on a technical or commercial basis. If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected product candidates, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects significantly. We cannot provide any assurances that third-party patents do not exist which might be enforced against our current technology, manufacturing methods, product candidates or future methods or products resulting in either an injunction prohibiting our manufacture or future sales, or, with respect to our future sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation to third parties, which could be significant.

Furthermore, our current or our future collaborators’ patents may be subject to a reservation of rights by one or more third parties. The U.S. government may have certain rights to resulting intellectual property. When new technologies are developed with U.S. government funding, the U.S. government generally obtains certain rights in any resulting

 

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patents, including a non-exclusive license authorizing the U.S. government to use the invention or to have others use the invention on its behalf. The U.S. government’s rights may also permit it to disclose the funded inventions and technology to third parties and to exercise march-in rights to use or allow third parties to use the technology developed using U.S. government funding. The U.S. government may exercise its march-in rights if it determines that action is necessary because we fail to achieve the practical application of the government funded technology, or because action is necessary to alleviate health or safety needs, to meet requirements of federal regulations, or to give preference to U.S. industry. In addition, our rights in such inventions may be subject to certain requirements to manufacture products embodying such inventions in facilities in the United States in certain circumstances and if this requirement is not waived. Any exercise by the U.S. government of such rights or by any third-party of its reserved rights could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we fail to comply with our obligations in agreements under which we option or license intellectual property rights from collaborators or licensors or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with future collaborators or licensors, we could lose intellectual property rights that are important to our business.

Our current agreements do and our future agreements may impose various economic, development, diligence, commercialization and other obligations on us. Such agreements may also require us to meet development timelines, or to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products. It might be concluded that we have materially breached our obligations under such agreements and licensors or collaborators might therefore terminate or seek damages under the agreements, thereby removing or limiting our ability to develop and commercialize products and technology covered by these agreements. Termination of these agreements could cause us to lose the rights to certain patents or other intellectual property, or the underlying patents could fail to provide the intended exclusivity, and competitors or other third parties may have the freedom to seek regulatory approval of, and to market, products similar to or identical to ours and we may be required to cease our development and commercialization of certain of our product candidates. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, business, financial conditions, results of operations and growth prospects.

Moreover, disputes may arise regarding intellectual property subject to a collaboration agreement, including:

 

   

the scope of the option or license rights granted under the agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

 

   

the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the collaborator that is not subject to the option or license rights granted under the agreement;

 

   

the sublicensing of patent and other rights under our collaborative development relationships;

 

   

our diligence obligations under the agreement and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;

 

   

the inventorship and ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our collaborators and us and our other partners; and

 

   

the priority of invention of patented technology.

We may enter into agreements to option or license intellectual property or technology from third parties that are complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Moreover, if disputes over intellectual property that we have optioned or licensed prevent or impair our ability to maintain such arrangements on commercially acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions, results of operations and growth prospects.

Risks Related to Our Operations

In order to successfully implement our plans and strategies, we will need to grow the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As of July 1, 2020, we had 15 full-time employees, including 8 employees engaged in research and development. In order to successfully implement our development and commercialization plans and strategies, and as we transition

 

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into operating as a public company, we expect to need additional managerial, scientific, technical, medical, operational, sales, marketing, financial and other personnel. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:

 

   

identifying, recruiting, integrating, maintaining and motivating additional employees;

 

   

managing our internal development efforts effectively, including the clinical and FDA review process for ALX148 and any other future product candidates, while complying with any contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties we may have; and

 

   

improving our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.

Our future financial performance and our ability to successfully develop and, if approved, commercialize ALX148 and any other future product candidates will depend, in part, on our ability to effectively manage any future growth, and our management may also have to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from day-to-day activities in order to devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities.

We currently rely, and for the foreseeable future will continue to rely, in substantial part on specific independent organizations, advisors and consultants to provide certain services, including substantially all aspects of clinical management and manufacturing. We cannot assure you that the services of independent organizations, advisors and consultants will continue to be available to us on a timely basis when needed, or that we can find qualified replacements. In addition, if we are unable to effectively manage our outsourced activities or if the quality or accuracy of the services provided by third-party service providers is compromised for any reason, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain marketing approval of ALX148 and any other future product candidates or otherwise advance our business. We cannot assure you that we will be able to manage our existing third-party service providers or find other competent outside contractors and consultants on economically reasonable terms, or at all.

If we are not able to effectively expand our organization by hiring new employees and/or engaging additional third-party service providers, we may not be able to successfully implement the tasks necessary to further develop and commercialize ALX148 and other future product candidates and, accordingly, may not achieve our research, development and commercialization goals.

Our product candidates are based on a novel technology, which makes it difficult to predict the time and cost of product candidate development.

We have concentrated our product research and development efforts on our novel immuno-oncology approach, and our future success depends on the successful development of our lead product candidate, ALX148, and any future product candidates that we develop. There can be no assurance that any development problems we experience in the future related to our novel immuno-oncology approach will not cause significant delays or unanticipated costs or that such development problems can be solved. We may also experience delays in developing a sustainable, reproducible and scalable manufacturing process or transferring that process to commercial partners, which may prevent us from completing our clinical trials or commercializing our product candidates on a timely or profitable basis, if at all.

We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not successful in attracting, motivating and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and life science industries depends upon our ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified managerial, scientific and medical personnel. We are highly dependent on our management and our scientific, technical, business and medical personnel. The loss of the services provided by any of our executive officers, other key employees and other scientific and medical advisors, and our inability to find suitable replacements, could result in delays in the development of our product candidates and harm our business.

We conduct our operations at our facility in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, a region that is headquarters to many other biopharmaceutical companies and many academic and research institutions. To succeed, we must recruit, retain, manage and motivate qualified clinical, scientific, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel, and we face significant competition for experienced personnel. In addition, we will need to expand and effectively

 

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manage our managerial, operational, financial, development and other resources in order to successfully pursue our research, development and commercialization efforts for our existing and future product candidates. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited talent pool in our industry due to the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize products. For example, our former Chief Scientific Officer recently left to become the Chief Executive Offer at Tallac Therapeutics, as described elsewhere in this prospectus, and we believe our Chief Business Officer may consider other opportunities after the completion of this offering. Competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high, which may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms or at all. We expect that we may need to recruit talent from outside of our region and doing so may be costly and difficult.

Many of the other biotechnology companies that we compete against for qualified personnel have considerably more financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a more extended history in the industry than we do. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better prospects for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates than what we can offer. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition to competition for personnel, the San Francisco Bay Area in particular is characterized by a high cost of living. We could in the future have difficulty attracting experienced personnel to our company and may be required to expend significant financial resources in our employee recruitment and retention efforts. To induce valuable employees to remain at our company, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we have provided equity grants that vest over time. The value to employees of these equity grants that vest over time may be significantly affected by movements in our stock price that are beyond our control and may at any time be insufficient to counteract more lucrative offers from other companies. Although we have employment agreements with our key employees, these employment agreements provide for at-will employment, which means that any of our employees could leave our employment at any time, with or without notice. If we are unable to attract and incentivize quality personnel on acceptable terms, or at all, it may cause our business and operating results to suffer.

Our international operations may expose us to business, regulatory, political, operational, financial, pricing and reimbursement risks associated with doing business outside of the United States.

Our predecessor company, which after our reorganization is now our wholly-owned subsidiary, was an Irish private company limited by shares. Our business is subject to risks associated with conducting business internationally. Some of our subsidiaries and operations, in addition to suppliers, industry partners and clinical study centers, are located outside of the United States. Furthermore, our business strategy incorporates potential international expansion as we seek to obtain regulatory approval for, and commercialize, our product candidates in patient populations outside the United States. If approved, we expect to hire sales representatives and conduct physician and patient association outreach activities outside of the United States. Doing business internationally involves a number of risks and complexities, including but not limited to:

 

   

multiple, conflicting and changing laws and regulations such as privacy regulations, tax laws, export and import restrictions, employment laws, regulatory requirements and other governmental approvals, permits and licenses;

 

   

failure by us to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for the use of our products in various countries;

 

   

rejection or qualification of foreign clinical trial data by the competent authorities of other countries;

 

   

complexities and difficulties in obtaining, maintaining, protecting and enforcing our intellectual property, including as a result of potentially relevant third-party patent rights;

 

   

difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;

 

   

complexities associated with managing multiple payor reimbursement regimes, government payors or patient self-pay systems;

 

   

limits in our ability to penetrate international markets;

 

   

financial risks, such as longer payment cycles, difficulty collecting accounts receivable, the impact of local and regional financial crises on demand and payment for our drugs;

 

   

exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations;

 

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political and economic instability, including wars, terrorism and political unrest, boycotts, curtailment of trade and other business restrictions;

 

   

natural disasters, outbreaks or public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

   

certain expenses including, among others, expenses for travel, translation and insurance; and

 

   

regulatory and compliance risks that relate to anti-corruption compliance and record-keeping that may fall within the purview of the FCPA, its accounting provisions or its anti-bribery provisions, or provisions of anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws in other countries.

Any of these factors could harm our future international expansion and operations and, consequently, our results of operations.

If any of the third parties that we rely on for various operational and administrative aspects of our business fail to provide timely, accurate and ongoing service or if the technology systems and infrastructure suffer outages that we are unable to mitigate, our business may be adversely affected.

We currently rely upon third-party consultants and contractors to provide specific operational and administrative services, including research and clinical consultation and management. The failure of any of these third parties to provide accurate and timely service may adversely impact our business operations. In addition, if such third-party service providers were to cease operations, temporarily or permanently, face financial distress or other business disruption, increase their fees or if our relationships with these providers deteriorate, we could suffer increased costs until an equivalent provider could be found, if at all, or we could develop internal capabilities, if ever. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in choosing or finding high-quality partners, if we fail to negotiate cost-effective relationships with them, or if we ineffectively manage these relationships, it could have an adverse impact on our business and financial performance.

Further, our operations depend on the continuing and efficient operation of our information technology, communications systems and infrastructure, and on cloud-based platforms. Any of these systems and infrastructure are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, vandalism, sabotage, terrorist attacks, floods, fires, power outages, telecommunications failures, computer viruses or other deliberate attempts to harm the systems. The occurrence of a natural or intentional disaster, any decision to close a facility we are using without adequate notice, or particularly an unanticipated problem at a cloud-based virtual server facility, could result in harmful interruptions in our service, resulting in adverse effects to our business.

We may become exposed to costly and damaging product liability claims, either when testing our product candidates in the clinic or at the commercial stage, and our product liability insurance may not cover all damages from such claims.

We are exposed to potential product liability and professional indemnity risks that are inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and use of pharmaceutical products. We currently have no products that have been approved for commercial sale. However, the current and future use of product candidates by us in clinical trials and the sale of any approved products in the future, may expose us to liability claims. These claims might be made by patients that use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling such products. In addition, we have agreed to indemnify various counterparties related to our product candidates against certain liability claims and any agreements or collaborations in the future may include such indemnification obligations. Any claims against us, or with respect to which we are obligated to provide indemnification, regardless of their merit, could be difficult and costly to defend or settle and could compromise the market acceptance of our product candidates or any prospects for commercialization of our product candidates, if approved.

Although the clinical trial process is designed to identify and assess potential side effects, it is always possible that a drug, even after regulatory approval, may exhibit unforeseen side effects. If any of our product candidates were to cause adverse side effects during clinical trials or after approval of the product candidate, we may be exposed to substantial liabilities. Physicians and patients may not comply with any warnings that identify known potential adverse effects or that certain patients should not use our drugs for various reasons.

Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, such insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We may need to increase our insurance coverage each time we commence a clinical trial and if we successfully commercialize any product candidate. As the expense of insurance coverage is

 

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increasing, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, our assets may not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business operations could be impaired. We may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.

Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we focus on research programs that we identify for specific indications. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial therapies or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on current and future research and development programs, such as ALX148, for specific indications may not yield any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidate.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our service providers and suppliers and other contractors and consultants, could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical or public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions, for which we are partly uninsured. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. We rely on third-party manufacturers to produce and process our product candidates. Our ability to obtain clinical supplies of our product candidates could be disrupted if the operations of these suppliers are affected by a man-made or natural disaster or other business interruption.

The majority of our operations including our corporate headquarters are located in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Damage or extended periods of interruption to our corporate, development or research facilities due to fire, natural disaster, power loss, communications failure, unauthorized entry or other events could cause us to cease or delay development of some or all of our product candidates. Although we maintain property damage and business interruption insurance coverage on these facilities, our insurance might not cover all losses under such circumstances and our business may be seriously harmed by such delays and interruption.

The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our business including our ongoing and planned clinical trials and preclinical research.

In December 2019, COVID-19 was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, resulting in significant disruptions to Chinese manufacturing and travel. Since then, the virus has spread to numerous other countries, including the United States, resulting in the World Health Organization characterizing COVID-19 as a pandemic. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, travel restrictions and social distancing in the United States and other countries, business closures or business disruptions, and the effectiveness of actions taken in the United States and other countries to contain and treat the disease and to address its impact, including on financial markets or otherwise. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the globe, we could experience other disruptions that could severely impact our business, current and planned clinical trials and preclinical research, including:

 

   

delays or difficulties in enrolling and retaining subjects in our ongoing clinical trial of ALX148 and our future clinical trials;

 

   

delays or difficulties in clinical site initiation, including difficulties in recruiting clinical site investigators and clinical site staff;

 

   

diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, including the diversion of hospitals serving as our clinical trial sites and hospital staff supporting the conduct of clinical trials;

 

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interruption of key clinical trial activities, such as clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations on travel imposed or recommended by federal or state governments, employers and others or interruption of clinical trial subject visits and study procedures, which may impact the integrity of subject data and clinical study endpoints;

 

   

limitations in resources, including our employees, that would otherwise be focused on the conduct of our business or our current or planned clinical trials or preclinical research, including because of sickness, the desire to avoid contact with large groups of people, or restrictions on movement or access to our facility as a result of government-imposed “shelter in place” or similar working restrictions;

 

   

interruptions or delays in the operations of the FDA or other domestic or foreign regulatory authorities, which may impact review and approval timelines;

 

   

delays in receiving the supplies, materials and services needed to conduct clinical trials and preclinical research;

 

   

changes in regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 pandemic which may require us to change the ways in which our clinical trials are conducted, which may result in unexpected costs or require us to discontinue the clinical trial altogether;

 

   

interruptions or delays to our development pipeline;

 

   

delays in necessary interactions with regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors due to limitations in employee resources or furlough of government or contractor personnel; and

 

   

refusal of the FDA to accept data from clinical trials in affected geographies outside of the United States.

We are still assessing the impact that COVID-19 may have on our ability to effectively conduct our business operations as planned and there can be no assurance that we will be able to avoid a material impact on our business from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including disruption to our business and downturns in business sentiment generally or in our industry. For example, on March 16, 2020, San Mateo County, where our headquarters are located, issued a “shelter-in-place” order, effective March 17, 2020, and on March 19, 2020, the Executive Department of the State of California issued Executive Order N-33-20, ordering all individuals in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors. Our primary operations are located in Burlingame, California. As a result of such county and California state orders, the majority of our employees are currently telecommuting, which may impact certain of our operations over the near term and long term.

Further, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the extent and length of which is uncertain, we may be required to develop and implement additional clinical trial policies and procedures designed to help protect subjects from the COVID-19 virus, which may include using telemedicine visits, remote monitoring of subjects and clinical sites and measures to ensure that data from clinical trials that may be disrupted as a result of the pandemic are collected pursuant to the study protocol and consistent with GCPs, with any material protocol deviation reviewed and approved by the site Institutional Review Board. Subjects who may miss scheduled appointments, any interruption in study drug supply, or other consequences that may result in incomplete data being generated during a clinical trial as a result of the pandemic must be adequately documented and justified. For example, in March 2020, the FDA issued a guidance on conducting clinical trials during the pandemic, which describe a number of considerations for sponsors of clinical trials impacted by the pandemic, including the requirement to include in the clinical trial report contingency measures implemented to manage the trial, and any disruption of the trial as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; a list of all subjects affected by the COVID-19-pandemic related study disruption by unique subject identifier and by investigational site and a description of how the individual’s participation was altered; and analyses and corresponding discussions that address the impact of implemented contingency measures (e.g., participant discontinuation from investigational product and/or study, alternative procedures used to collect critical safety and/or efficacy data) on the safety and efficacy results reported for the trial.

The global outbreak of COVID-19 continues to rapidly evolve. While the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and financial results is uncertain, a continued and prolonged public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic could have a material negative impact on our business, financial condition and operating results.

To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this section and in this “Risk Factors” section.

 

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We may experience disruptions and delays or incur financial damages as a result of system failures or security breaches.

Despite the implementation of security measures, any of the internal computer systems belonging to us or our third-party service providers are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failure. Any system failure, accident or security breach that causes interruptions in our own or in third-party service providers’ operations could result in a material disruption of our drug discovery and development programs. A system failure or security breach that causes the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs in order to recover or reproduce the lost data. In addition, to the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss or damage to our data or applications or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, including personal information related to the subjects in our clinical trial, we may incur liability as a result, our drug discovery programs and competitive position may be adversely affected and further development of our product candidates may be delayed. Any such disruption, failure or security breach could also cause us to incur additional costs to remedy the damages that arise from such disruption, failure or security breach.

Our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential losses arising from any such disruption, failure or security breach. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, our insurance may not cover all claims made against us and could have high deductibles in any event, and defending a suit, regardless of its merit, could be costly and divert management attention.

We may seek to enter into collaborations, including strategic collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements related to our product candidates and may not be successful in doing so, and even if we are, we may not be able to maintain or realize the benefits of such relationships. If we are not able to establish future collaborations, we may have to alter some of our future development and commercialization plans and our business could be adversely affected.

We may seek to enter into collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements for the development or commercialization of our product candidates, due to capital costs required to develop or commercialize the product candidate in such markets. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish such collaborations for our product candidates because our product candidates may be deemed to be at too early of a stage of development for collaborative effort or third parties may not view our product candidates as having the requisite potential to demonstrate safety and efficacy or significant commercial opportunity. Further, any future collaboration agreements may restrict us from entering into additional agreements with potential collaborators. We cannot be certain that, following a strategic transaction or license, we will achieve an economic benefit that justifies such transaction.

Even if we are successful in our efforts to establish such collaborations, the terms that we agree upon may not be favorable to us, and we may not be able to maintain such collaborations if, for example, development or of a product candidate is delayed, the safety of a product candidate is questioned or sales of an approved product are unsatisfactory. We also may not be able to realize the benefit of such collaborations if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. In any such collaborations, we may likely have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators dedicate to the development or commercialization of any product candidates we may seek to develop with them. We cannot predict the success of any collaboration that we may enter into.

We face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators and a number of more established companies may also be pursuing strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, financial resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. Whether we reach a definitive agreement for a collaboration will depend, among other things, upon our assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed collaboration and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. Those factors may include the design or results of clinical trials, the likelihood of approval by the FDA or similar foreign regulatory authorities, the potential market for the subject product candidate, the costs and complexities of manufacturing and delivering such product candidate to patients, competing products, the existence of uncertainty with respect to our ownership of technology, which can exist if there is a challenge to such ownership without regard to the merits of the challenge and industry and market conditions generally. The collaborator may also

 

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consider alternative product candidates or technologies for similar indications that may be available to collaborate on and whether such a collaboration could be more attractive than the one with us for our product candidate. Collaborations are complex and time-consuming to negotiate and document. In addition, there have been a significant number of recent business combinations among large pharmaceutical companies that have resulted in a reduced number of potential future collaborators.

We may not be able to negotiate further collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. We also may find that our programs require the use of proprietary rights held by third parties, and the growth of our business may depend in part on our ability to acquire, in-license or use these proprietary rights. Even if we are able to obtain a license to intellectual property of interest, we may not be able to secure exclusive rights, in which case others could use the same rights and compete with us. Our future collaboration partners may not prioritize our product candidates or otherwise not effectively pursue the development of our product candidates which may delay, reduce or terminate the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay its development program, or delay its potential commercialization. Further, if we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to delay, reduce or terminate the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. Any of the foregoing factors would likely harm our ability to execute our business plans. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market and generate product revenue.

We may acquire businesses or assets and we may not realize the benefits of such acquisitions.

We may acquire businesses or assets or create joint ventures with third parties that we believe may complement our existing product candidates. We may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such businesses or joint ventures if we are not able to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. We may encounter difficulties in developing, manufacturing and marketing any new product candidates resulting from an acquisition or that delay or prevent us from realizing their expected benefits.

Also, the anticipated benefit of any joint venture or acquisition may not materialize or such joint venture or acquisition may be prohibited. The Loan Agreement which governs our term loan limits our ability to pursue certain mergers, acquisitions, amalgamations or consolidations that we may believe to be in our best interest. Additionally, future acquisitions or dispositions could result in potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities or amortization expenses or write-offs of goodwill, any of which could harm our financial condition. We cannot predict the number, timing or size of future joint ventures or acquisitions, or the effect that any such transactions might have on our operating results.

The terms of our Loan Agreement require us to meet certain operating and financial covenants and place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.

The loans under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of our assets, except our intellectual property, which is the subject of a negative pledge. The $6.0 million in term loans under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a floating per annum interest rate equal to the greater of 7.0% or 2.0% plus the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal. We are required to make interest-only payments for the first 12 months after the closing of the Loan Agreement, followed by consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest commencing on January 1, 2021 and continuing through the maturity date of September 1, 2022. The Loan Agreement also provides for a final payment equal to 6.0% multiplied by the aggregate principal amount of the term loans funded, which is due on the maturity date, upon the acceleration of the term loans, or upon prepayment of the term loans. If we elect to prepay the term loans, there is also a prepayment fee of between 1.0% and 3.0% of the principal amount being prepaid depending on the timing and circumstances of prepayment.

The Loan Agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants, indemnification provisions and events of default. The affirmative covenants include, among others, covenants requiring us and our subsidiaries to maintain

 

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legal existence and good standing, deliver certain financial reports, keep inventory in good and marketable condition, timely file tax returns and reports, maintain insurance, maintain operating accounts and maintain certain intellectual property rights. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on transferring or licensing our assets, changing our business, engaging in mergers or acquisitions, incurring additional indebtedness, paying dividends or making other distributions and creating other liens on our assets, in each case subject to customary exceptions.

If we default under the Loan Agreement, the Lenders will be able to declare all obligations immediately due and payable and take control of our pledged assets, potentially requiring us to renegotiate our agreement on terms less favorable to us or to immediately cease operations. The Lenders could declare a default under the Loan Agreement upon the occurrence of any event that the Lenders interpret as a material adverse change as defined under the Loan Agreement, thereby requiring us to repay the loan immediately or to attempt to reverse the declaration of default through negotiation or litigation. Any declaration by the Lenders of an event of default could significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our common stock to decline. If we raise any additional debt financing, the terms of such additional debt could further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

Under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” (generally defined as a greater than 50 percentage points change (by value) in the ownership of its equity over a rolling three-year period), the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income and taxes may be limited. We may have experienced such ownership changes in the past, and we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of this offering or subsequent shifts in our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control. As of December 31, 2019, we had net operating loss carryforwards for U.S. state income tax purposes of approximately $30.9 million, and our ability to utilize those net operating loss carryforwards could be limited by an “ownership change” as described above, which could result in increased tax liability to our company.

As of December 31, 2019, we had Irish net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $4.0 million. These Irish net operating loss carryforwards do not expire but may not be fully utilized unless we generate sufficient income in Ireland. Under Irish law, where a company makes a loss in its trade, it can carry that loss forward to subsequent accounting periods and offset the loss against profits or gains of the same trade. The utilization of carried forward losses is disallowed where (i) the trade that gave rise to the losses is discontinued or (ii) within any period of three years, there is both a change in the ownership of a company and (whether earlier or later in that period or at the same time) a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade carried on by the company or (iii) at any time after the scale of the activities in a trade carried on by a company has become small or negligible and before any considerable revival of the trade, there is a change in ownership of the company. There are no legislative explanations of what constitutes a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade. Relevant case law indicates that there must be a difference in the kind of trade/goods (and not just a quantitative difference) or a major difference in client outlets or markets of the trade but whether there has been a major change in the nature or conduct of a trade is a qualitative matter, and one which is to be judged on the facts of any particular set of circumstances. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of this initial public offering and subsequent movements in our share ownership. If we also experience a major change in the nature or conduct of our trade or our trade becomes small or negligible, we may be limited in the amount of loss carryforwards that we can use in the future to offset taxable income for Irish corporation tax purposes. Furthermore, in the event we incur net income in certain jurisdictions but incur losses (or have loss carryforwards) in other jurisdictions, we cannot offset the income from one jurisdiction with the loss from another, which could increase our effective tax rate.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

We do not know whether an active, liquid and orderly trading market will develop for our common stock or what the market price of our common stock will be and as a result it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of our common stock.

Prior to this offering, no market for shares of our common stock existed and an active trading market for our shares may never develop or be sustained following this offering. If an active market for our common stock does not continue, it may be difficult for our stockholders to sell their shares without depressing the market price for the

 

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shares or sell their shares at or above the prices at which they acquired their shares or sell their shares at the time they would like to sell. The initial public offering price of our common stock will be determined through negotiations between us and the underwriters. The initial public offering price may not be indicative of the market price of our common stock after the offering and the market value of our common stock may decrease from the initial public offering price. Any inactive trading market for our common stock may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund our operations by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.

Investors in this offering will pay a much higher price than the book value of our common stock and therefore you will incur immediate and substantial dilution of your investment.

The initial public offering price will be substantially higher than the net tangible book value per common share based on the total value of our tangible assets less our total liabilities immediately following this offering. Therefore, if you purchase common stock in this offering, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution of approximately $9.81 per share, representing the difference between our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. As of March 31, 2020, we had outstanding stock options to purchase 3,200,872 shares of our common stock, some of which have exercise prices below the assumed initial public offering price. In addition, following this offering, purchasers in this offering will have contributed approximately 42% of the total gross consideration paid by stockholders to us to purchase shares of our common stock, but will own only approximately 23% of the shares of common stock outstanding immediately after this offering. Furthermore, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares, or outstanding options and warrants are exercised, you could experience further dilution. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see the section titled “Dilution.”

The price of our stock may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

You should consider an investment in our common stock as risky and invest only if you can withstand a significant loss and wide fluctuations in the market value of your investment. You may be unable to sell your common stock at or above the initial public offering price due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock arising from changes in our operating performance or prospects. In addition, the stock market has recently experienced significant volatility, particularly with respect to biotechnology and other life sciences company stocks. The volatility of biotechnology and other life sciences company stocks often does not relate to the operating performance of the companies represented by the stock. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate or decrease below the price paid in this offering include:

 

   

results and timing of our preclinical studies and clinical trials and studies and trials of our competitors;

 

   

failure or discontinuation of any of our development programs;

 

   

issues in manufacturing our product candidates or any future approved products;

 

   

regulatory developments or enforcement in the United States and foreign countries with respect to our product candidates or our competitors’ products;

 

   

competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;

 

   

actual or anticipated changes in our growth and development relative to our competitors;

 

   

developments or disputes concerning patents or other proprietary rights;

 

   

introduction of new product candidates or technological innovations by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcements by us, our future strategic partners or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

   

actual or anticipated changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any cover our common stock;

 

   

fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;

 

   

public concern over our product candidates or any future approved products;

 

   

litigation;

 

   

future sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other stockholders;

 

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expiration of market stand-off or lock-up agreements;

 

   

share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;

 

   

additions or departures of key personnel;

 

   

changes in the structure of health care payment systems in the United States or overseas;

 

   

failure of any of our product candidates, if approved, to achieve commercial success;

 

   

economic and other external factors such as macroeconomic, disasters, crises or health matters, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

   

period-to-period fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations, including the timing of payment or receipt of any future milestone or other payments under commercialization or licensing agreements;

 

   

announcements or expectations of additional financing efforts;

 

   

overall fluctuations in U.S. equity markets, general market conditions and market conditions for biotechnology stocks; and

 

   

other factors that may be unanticipated or out of our control.

In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and divert the time and attention of our management, which could seriously harm our business.

The realization of any of the above risks or any of a broad range of other risks, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, could have a dramatic and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock.

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or our guidance.

Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. From time to time, we may enter into license or collaboration agreements or strategic partnerships with other companies that include development funding and significant upfront and milestone payments and/or royalties, which may become an important source of our revenue. These upfront and milestone payments may vary significantly from period to period and any such variance could cause a significant fluctuation in our operating results from one period to the next.

In addition, we measure compensation cost for stock-based awards made to employees at the grant date of the award, based on the fair value of the award as determined by our board of directors, and recognize the cost as an expense over the employee’s requisite service period. As the variables that we use as a basis for valuing these awards change over time, including, after the closing of this offering, our underlying stock price and stock price volatility, the magnitude of the expense that we must recognize may vary significantly.

Furthermore, our operating results may fluctuate due to a variety of other factors, many of which are outside of our control and may be difficult to predict, including the following:

 

   

the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research and development activities relating to our current product candidates and any future product candidates and research-stage programs, which will change from time to time;

 

   

our ability to enroll subjects in clinical trials and the timing of enrollment;

 

   

the cost of manufacturing our current product candidates and any future product candidates, which may vary depending on FDA, EMA or other comparable foreign regulatory authority guidelines and requirements, the quantity of production and the terms of our agreements with manufacturers;

 

   

expenditures that we will or may incur to acquire or develop additional product candidates and technologies or other assets;

 

   

the timing and outcomes of clinical trials for ALX148, and any of our other product candidates, or competing product candidates;

 

   

the need to conduct unanticipated clinical trials or trials that are larger or more complex than anticipated;

 

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competition from existing and potential future products that compete with ALX148 and any of our other product candidates, and changes in the competitive landscape of our industry, including consolidation among our competitors or partners;

 

   

any delays in regulatory review or approval of ALX148 or any of our other product candidates;

 

   

the level of demand for ALX148 and any of our other product candidates, if approved, which may fluctuate significantly and be difficult to predict;

 

   

the risk/benefit profile, cost and reimbursement policies with respect to our product candidates, if approved, and existing and potential future products that compete with ALX148 and any of our other product candidates;

 

   

our ability to commercialize ALX148 and any of our other product candidates, if approved, inside and outside of the United States, either independently or working with third parties;

 

   

our ability to establish and maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements;

 

   

our ability to adequately support future growth;

 

   

potential unforeseen business disruptions that increase our costs or expenses;

 

   

future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies;

 

   

the COVID-19 pandemic; and

 

   

the changing and volatile global economic and political environment.

The cumulative effect of these factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any forecasts we may provide to the market, or if the forecasts we provide to the market are below the expectations of analysts or investors, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Such a stock price decline could occur even when we have met any previously publicly stated guidance we may provide.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, upon the expiration of the market standoff and lock-up agreements, the early release of these agreements, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. After this offering and after giving effect to the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into 23,544,607 shares of our common stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering, we will have 34,711,553 shares of common stock outstanding based on 26,711,553 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020. Of these shares, the shares we are selling in this offering may be resold in the public market immediately, unless purchased by our affiliates. The remaining 26,711,553 shares, or 77% of our outstanding shares after this offering, are currently prohibited without the permission of the underwriters or otherwise restricted under securities laws, market standoff agreements entered into by our stockholders with us or lock-up agreements entered into by our directors, officers and stockholders with the underwriters. However, subject to applicable securities law restrictions and excluding shares of restricted stock that will remain unvested, these shares will be able to be sold in the public market beginning after the 180th day after the date of this prospectus. Shares issued upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our equity incentive plans or pursuant to future awards granted under those plans will become available for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of applicable vesting schedules, any applicable market standoff and lock-up agreements, and Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or Securities Act. See the section titled “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for additional information.

Moreover, after this offering, holders of an aggregate of 24,039,473 shares of our common stock will have rights, subject to conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We also plan to register all shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. Once we register these shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance and once vested, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates

 

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and the lock-up agreements described in the section titled “Underwriting.” If any of these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline.

Our executive officers, directors and the holders of substantially all of our capital stock and securities convertible into or exchangeable for our capital stock have entered into market stand-off agreements with us and lock-up agreements with the underwriters under which they have agreed, subject to specific exceptions described in the section titled “Underwriting,” not to sell, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock without the permission of Jefferies LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. for a period of 180 days following the date of this prospectus. We refer to such period as the lock-up period. When the lock-up period expires, we and our securityholders subject to a lock-up agreement or market stand-off agreement will be able to sell our shares in the public market. In addition, the underwriters may, in their sole discretion, release all or some portion of the shares subject to lock-up agreements at any time and for any reason. See the description of the market stand-off agreement with us and the lock-up agreement with the underwriters in the section of this prospectus titled “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for additional information. Sales of a substantial number of such shares upon expiration of the lock-up and market stand-off agreements, the perception that such sales may occur, or early release of these agreements, could cause our market price to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your common stock at a time and price that you deem appropriate.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is expected to depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. We cannot assure you that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If no or few securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price for our stock would be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our common stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

We will incur significant increased costs and management resources as a result of operating as a public company.

As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, compliance and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company and these expenses may increase even more after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time and incur significant expense in connection with compliance initiatives. For example, in anticipation of becoming a public company, we will need to adopt additional internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures, retain a transfer agent and adopt an insider trading policy. As a public company, we will bear all of the internal and external costs of preparing and distributing periodic public reports in compliance with our obligations under the securities laws.

In addition, we anticipate implementing an enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system for our company. An ERP system is intended to combine and streamline the management of our financial, accounting, human resources, sales and marketing and other functions, enabling us to manage operations and track performance more effectively. However, an ERP system would likely require us to complete many processes and procedures for the effective use of the system or to run our business using the system, which may result in substantial costs. Additionally, in the future, we may be limited in our ability to convert any business that we acquire to the ERP. Any disruptions or difficulties in using an ERP system could adversely affect our controls and harm our business, including our ability to forecast or make sales and collect our receivables. Moreover, such disruption or difficulties could result in unanticipated costs and diversion of management attention.

In addition, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or SOX, and the related rules and regulations implemented by the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, have increased legal and financial compliance costs and will make some compliance activities more time-consuming. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment will result in increased general and administrative expenses and may divert management’s time and attention from our other business activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws,

 

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regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business may be harmed. In connection with this offering, we intend to increase our directors’ and officers’ insurance coverage, which will increase our insurance cost. In the future, it may be more expensive or more difficult for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee and compensation committee, and qualified executive officers.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an “emerging growth company” for up to five years following the completion of this offering, although, if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue, if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of June 30 of any year, or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period before the end of that five-year period, we would cease to be an “emerging growth company” as of the following December 31. Investors could find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to use this extended transition period. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting standards as of public company effective dates. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of any of our reliance on these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile.

Our management team will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds from this offering and its investment of these proceeds may not yield a favorable return.

Our management team will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend or invest the proceeds in ways with which our stockholders disagree. Accordingly, investors will need to rely on our management team’s judgment with respect to the use of these proceeds. We intend to use the proceeds from this offering in the manner described in the section titled “Use of Proceeds.” The failure by management to apply these funds effectively could negatively affect our ability to operate and grow our business. We cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering. In addition, the amount, allocation and timing of our actual expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including any milestone payments received from any future strategic partnerships and royalties on sales of any future approved product. Accordingly, we will have broad discretion in using these proceeds. Until the net proceeds are used, they may be placed in investments that do not produce significant income or that may lose.

Our principal stockholders and management own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.

Prior to this offering, our executive officers, directors, holders of 5% or more of our capital stock and their respective affiliates beneficially owned approximately 80.1% of our voting stock and, upon the completion of this offering, that same group will beneficially own approximately 61.8% of our outstanding voting stock (based on the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of May 31, 2020, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, no exercise of outstanding options and no purchases of shares in this offering by any of this group), in each case assuming the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into shares of our common stock immediately prior to the completion of this offering. Further, certain of our directors,

 

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executive officers, employees and other persons associated with us have indicated an interest to purchase an aggregate of up to 3% of the common stock in this offering at the initial public offering price in a directed share program. After this offering, this group of stockholders will have the ability to control us through this ownership position even if they do not purchase any additional shares in this offering. These stockholders may be able to determine all matters requiring stockholder approval. For example, these stockholders may be able to control elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents or approval of any merger, sale of assets or other material corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may feel are in your best interest as one of our stockholders. The interests of this group of stockholders may not always coincide with your interests or the interests of other stockholders and they may act in a manner that advances their best interests and not necessarily those of other stockholders, including seeking a premium value for their common stock, and might affect the prevailing market price for our common stock.

We do not anticipate paying cash dividends and, accordingly, stockholders must rely on share appreciation for any return on their investment.

We have never paid any dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our businesses and do not anticipate that we will declare or pay any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future. See the section titled “Dividend Policy.” In addition, the Loan Agreement restricts our ability to pay dividends or make other distributions. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain on your investment for the foreseeable future. Investors seeking cash dividends should not invest in our common stock.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, including purchasers of our common stock in this offering, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish substantial rights.

To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these new securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. Debt financing, if available, may involve fixed payment obligations or agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through partnerships, collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, product candidates or future revenue streams, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain additional funding if and when necessary. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, we could be required to delay, scale back or eliminate one or more of our clinical or discovery programs or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.

Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of this offering might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of this offering may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares of our common stock. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Among other things, our charter documents will:

 

   

establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving staggered three-year terms;

 

   

provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum;

 

   

provide that our directors may only be removed for cause;

 

   

eliminate cumulative voting in the election of directors;

 

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authorize our board of directors to issue shares of convertible preferred stock and determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval;

 

   

provide our board of directors with the exclusive right to elect a director to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship;

 

   

permit stockholders to only take actions at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

 

   

prohibit stockholders from calling a special meeting of stockholders;

 

   

require that stockholders give advance notice to nominate directors or submit proposals for consideration at stockholder meetings;

 

   

authorize our board of directors to amend the bylaws; and

 

   

require the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% or more of the outstanding shares of common stock to amend many of the provisions described above.

In addition, Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder, generally a person who together with its affiliates owns, or within the last three years has owned, 15% of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

Any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our capital stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

Our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of this offering provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of this offering provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another State court in Delaware or the federal district court for the District of Delaware) is the exclusive forum for the following (except for any claim as to which such court determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of such court (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of such court within ten days following such determination), which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than such court or for which such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction):

 

   

any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us;

 

   

any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty;

 

   

any action asserting a claim against us arising under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws (as either may be amended from time to time); and

 

   

any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.

These exclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as

 

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to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find either exclusive-forum provision in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could seriously harm our business.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation measures are not effective, we may not be able to report our financial condition or results of operations accurately or on a timely basis.

To date, we have never conducted a review of our internal control for the purpose of providing the reports required by SOX. During our review and testing, we may identify deficiencies and be unable to remediate them before we must provide the required reports. In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting resulting from a lack of sufficient qualified personnel. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the material weaknesses related to (i) independent reviews of journal entries not being performed prior to posting, (ii) account reconciliations not being performed and independently reviewed on a timely basis and (iii) lack of independent review of technical accounting matters. For the year ended in December 31, 2019, (i) and (ii) remained unremediated. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. During the first quarter of 2020, we have undertaken specific remediation actions to address the control deficiencies in our financial reporting. We have established more robust processes related to the review of complex accounting transactions, preparation of account reconciliations and review of journal entries which are outlined elsewhere in this prospectus.

While we have begun taking measures and plan to continue to take measures to design and implement an effective control environment, we cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, and are continuing to implement, will be sufficient to remediate or prevent future material weaknesses. If we are unable to successfully maintain internal control over financial reporting, or identify any additional material weaknesses, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected. In addition, if we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, when required, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, we may face restricted access to the capital markets, and our stock price may be materially adversely affected. Moreover, we could become subject to investigations by regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, which would harm our business and the trading price of our common stock.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404(a) of SOX or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with Section 404(b) of SOX, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our consolidated financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. As discussed above, we have identified material weaknesses in the past which we are in the process of remedying. However, our efforts to remediate previous material weaknesses may not be effective or prevent any future deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

In connection with our evaluation of our internal controls over financial reporting, we expect to upgrade our finance and accounting systems and team. If we are unable to accomplish these objectives in a timely and effective manner, our

 

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ability to comply with the financial reporting requirements and other rules that apply to reporting companies could be adversely impacted. Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and the trading price of our common stock.

We will be required to disclose material changes made in our internal controls over financing reporting and procedures on a quarterly basis and our management will be required to assess the effectiveness of these controls annually. Beginning with our second annual report on Form 10-K after we become a public company, we will be required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, for as long as we are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b).

To achieve compliance with Section 404(a) within the prescribed period, we will be engaging in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are designed and operating effectively and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting.

We could be an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not identify. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to consolidated financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

Upon the closing of this offering, we will become subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

These inherent limitations include the facts that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Participation in this offering by our existing stockholders and/or their affiliated entities may reduce the public float for our common stock.

To the extent certain of our existing stockholders and their affiliated entities participate in this offering, such purchases would reduce the non-affiliate public float of our shares, meaning the number of shares of our common stock that are not held by officers, directors and controlling stockholders. A reduction in the public float could reduce the number of shares that are available to be traded at any given time, thereby adversely impacting the liquidity of our common stock and depressing the price at which you may be able to sell shares of common stock purchased in this offering.

We are organized in a holding company structure and we are, and will be, dependent upon the results of operations and cash flows of our subsidiaries and distributions we receive from our subsidiaries.

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. is a holding company that currently has no material assets other than cash and our ownership of all of the equity issued by ALX Oncology Limited. As such, ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. will have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay our taxes and operating expenses or

 

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declare and pay dividends in the future, if any, will be dependent upon the results of operations and cash flows of ALX Oncology Limited and its consolidated subsidiaries, including any distributions we receive from ALX Oncology Limited. There can be no assurance that our direct and indirect subsidiaries will generate sufficient cash flow to distribute funds to us or that applicable law and contractual restrictions, such as negative covenants in any debt instruments, will permit such distributions. In addition, in the event that the board of directors and stockholders of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. were to approve a sale of all of our equity in ALX Oncology Limited or any of our other indirect subsidiaries, your equity interest would be in a holding company with no material assets other than those assets and other consideration received in such transaction.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, product candidates, planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, results of clinical trials, research and development costs, regulatory approvals, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that are in some cases beyond our control and may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

   

our financial performance;

 

   

the sufficiency of our existing cash to fund our future operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements;

 

   

the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements, and needs for additional financing;

 

   

our plans relating to commercializing our product candidates, if approved, including the geographic areas of focus and our ability to grow a sales team;

 

   

the implementation of our strategic plans for our business and product candidates;

 

   

the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates in each of the diseases we target;

 

   

our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates and the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including our expectation to seek special designations, such as orphan drug designation, for our product candidates for various diseases;

 

   

our reliance on third parties to conduct preclinical research activities, and for the manufacture of our product candidates;

 

   

the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates;

 

   

our estimates of the number of patients in the United States who suffer from the diseases we target and the number of subjects that will enroll in our clinical trials;

 

   

the progress and focus of our current and future clinical trials, and the reporting of data from those trials;

 

   

our ability to advance product candidates into and successfully complete clinical trials;

 

   

the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results;

 

   

the success of competing therapies that are or may become available;

 

   

developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing product candidates and therapies;

 

   

our plans relating to the further development and manufacturing of our product candidates, including additional indications that we may pursue;

 

   

existing regulations and regulatory developments in the United States and other jurisdictions;

 

   

our potential and ability to successfully manufacture and supply our product candidates for clinical trials and for commercial use, if approved;

 

   

our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates, and for the manufacture of our product candidates;

 

   

our plans and ability to obtain or protect intellectual property rights, including extensions of existing patent terms where available;

 

   

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights, including our technology platform and product candidates;

 

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our ability to retain the continued service of our key personnel and to identify, hire, and then retain additional qualified personnel;

 

   

our expectations regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business;

 

   

our expectations regarding the period during which we will qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act; and

 

   

our anticipated use of our existing cash and cash equivalents and the proceeds from this offering.

We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about our business, the industry in which we operate and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or development. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein until after we distribute this prospectus, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

 

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MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

This prospectus contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for our product candidates, including data regarding the estimated size of such markets and the incidence of certain medical conditions. We obtained the industry, market and similar dataset forth in this prospectus from our internal estimates and research and from academic and industry research, publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties, including governmental agencies. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which this information is derived. In that regard, when we refer to one or more sources of this type of information in any paragraph, you should assume that other information of this type appearing in the same paragraph is derived from the same sources, unless otherwise expressly stated or the context otherwise requires. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. While we believe that the data we use from third parties are reliable, we have not separately verified these data. Further, while we believe our internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any third party. You are cautioned not to give undue weight to any such information, projections and estimates.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds from our issuance and sale of shares of our common stock in this offering will be approximately $115.3 million, or approximately $133.2 million if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, based on an initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share would increase or decrease, as applicable, the aggregate net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $7.4 million, assuming the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $14.9 million, assuming that the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We do not expect that a change in the initial public offering price or the number of shares by these amounts would have a material effect on our uses of the proceeds from this offering, although it may change the time at which we will need to seek additional capital.

The principal purposes of this offering are to obtain additional capital to support our operations, establish a public market for our common stock and facilitate our future access to the public capital markets.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, from the offering as follows:

 

   

approximately $10.0 million to advance the clinical development of ALX148 through completion of our existing Phase 1b clinical trials in HNSCC and gastric/GEJ cancer;

 

   

approximately $25.0 million to advance the clinical development of ALX148 through initiation and completion of our Phase 1b/2 combination clinical trial in MDS;

 

   

approximately $20.0 million to advance the clinical development of ALX148 through initiation and completion of our Phase 1b/2 combination clinical trial in AML;

 

   

approximately $15.0 million for manufacturing activities related to chemistry, manufacturing and controls, or CMC, activities;

 

   

approximately $50.0 million to advance the clinical development of ALX148 through initiation and completion of our Phase 2 combination clinical trials in HNSCC and gastric/GEJ cancer or alternative Phase 2 indications if there are compelling clinical data; and

 

   

the remainder for other development work associated with advancing ALX148 and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Our expected use of proceeds from this offering represents our current intentions based on our present plans and business condition. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering or the actual amounts that we will spend on the uses set forth above. We may also use a portion of the proceeds to in-license, acquire or invest in additional businesses, technologies, products or assets. Although we have no specific agreements, commitments or understandings with respect to any in-licensing activity or acquisition, we evaluate these opportunities and engage in related discussions with other companies from time to time.

The net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, will not be sufficient for us to fund our clinical programs, and we will need to raise additional capital to achieve our business objectives. Based on current business plans, we believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, will be sufficient to fund our planned operations for at least the next 36 months.

The amount and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the results of our research and development efforts, the timing and outcome of any ongoing or future preclinical studies and clinical

 

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trials the timing and outcome of regulatory submissions and any unforeseen cash needs. As a result, our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds from this offering.

Pending their uses, we plan to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock since our inception. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs, the requirements and contractual restrictions of then-existing debt instruments and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant. In addition, the terms of our Loan Agreement place certain limitations on the amount of cash dividends we can pay.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and our capitalization as of March 31, 2020:

 

   

on an actual basis;

 

   

on a pro forma basis to give effect to:

 

   

the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 23,544,607 shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering as if such conversion had occurred on March 31, 2020;

 

   

warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our convertible preferred stock that were outstanding as of March 31, 2020 that will be converted on a 1:1 basis into warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share and the reclassification of our convertible preferred stock warrant liability to additional paid-in capital immediately prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering; and

 

   

on a pro forma as adjusted basis, to give effect to:

 

   

the pro forma adjustments set forth above; and

 

   

the sale and issuance of 8,000,000 shares of our common stock by us in this offering, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The pro forma as adjusted information set forth in the table below is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

You should read this information in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and the sections titled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” that are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

 

     AS OF MARCH 31, 2020  
     ACTUAL     PRO FORMA     PRO FORMA
AS
ADJUSTED(1)(2)
 
           (unaudited)  
    

(in thousands, except share and

per share amounts)

 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 105,035     $ 105,035     $ 220,375  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Convertible preferred stock warrant liability

   $ 447     $ —       $ —    

Term loan

     5,529       5,529       5,529  

Convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share; 21,461,756 shares authorized, 21,369,774 shares issued and outstanding, actual; no shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted

     175,043       —         —    

Stockholders’ equity (deficit):

      

Preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share; no shares authorized, issued or outstanding, actual; 100,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued or outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted

     —         —         —    

Common stock, par value $0.001 per share; 1,519,618,271 shares authorized, 3,166,946 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 26,711,553 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma, 34,711,553 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma as adjusted

     3       27       35  

Additional paid-in capital

     2,307       177,773       293,105  

Accumulated deficit

     (78,236     (78,236     (78,236
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     (75,926     99,564       214,904  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 99,117     $ 99,564     $ 214,904  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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(1)    Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, our cash and cash equivalents and total stockholders’ equity (deficit) by approximately $7.4 million, assuming that the number of shares of our common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our cash and cash equivalents and total stockholders’ equity (deficit) by approximately $14.9 million, based upon the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
(2)    Upon the completion of this offering and the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be effective upon completion of this offering, our authorized capital stock will consist of 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding after this offering, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted in the table above, is based on 26,711,553 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 (including 17,297 shares of common stock that are subject to a right of repurchase and our convertible preferred stock on an as-converted basis), and excludes:

 

   

3,200,872 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $3.08 per share;

 

   

673,943 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options granted after March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.96 per share;

 

   

warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our convertible preferred stock that were outstanding as of March 31, 2020 that will be converted on a 1:1 basis into warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share;

 

   

4,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2020 Plan (which does not give effect to the grant of 836,085 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options which will be granted, as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, under our 2020 Plan, at an exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of our common stock), including the amendment thereto that will become effective in connection with this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our 2020 Plan pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year;

 

   

400,000 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, which will become effective in connection with this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our ESPP pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year; and

 

   

cumulative dividends accrued after March 31, 2020.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our common stock and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering.

Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2020 was $(75.9 million), or $(23.97) per share of our common stock. Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) is the amount of our total assets less our total liabilities and convertible preferred stock, which is not included in our stockholders’ deficit. Historical net tangible book value per share represents historical net tangible book value (deficit) divided by the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 (including 17,297 shares of common stock that are subject to a right of repurchase).

Our pro forma net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 was $99.6 million, or $3.73 per share of our common stock. Pro forma net tangible book value represents the amount of our total assets less our total liabilities, after giving effect to the reclassification of our convertible preferred stock warrant liability to additional paid-in capital immediately prior to the completion of this offering and the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 23,544,607 shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering. Pro forma net tangible book value per share represents pro forma net tangible book value divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of March 31, 2020, after giving effect to the conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 26,711,553 shares of our common stock upon the completion of this offering.

After giving further effect to our sale of 8,000,000 shares of common stock in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 would have been approximately $214.9 million, or approximately $6.19 per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $2.46 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of approximately $9.81 per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering. Dilution per share to new investors purchasing common stock in this offering is determined by subtracting pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering from the assumed initial public offering price per share paid by new investors.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

 

 

Assumed initial public offering price per share

     $ 16.00  

Historical net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2020

   $ (23.97                       

Pro forma increase in net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2020

     27.70    
  

 

 

   

Pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2020

     3.73    

Increase in pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to investors purchasing shares in this offering

     2.46    
  

 

 

   

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering

       6.19  
    

 

 

 

Dilution per share to new investors purchasing shares in this offering

     $ 9.81  
    

 

 

 

 

 

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 after this offering by approximately $7.4 million, or approximately $0.21 per share, and would decrease (increase) dilution to investors in this offering by approximately $0.79 per share, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the

 

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cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We may also increase or decrease the number of shares we are offering. An increase or decrease of 1.0 million in the number of shares we are offering would increase or decrease, as applicable, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of March 31, 2020 after this offering by approximately $14.9 million, or approximately $0.24 per share or $(0.26) per share, and would decrease (increase), as applicable, dilution to investors in this offering by approximately $0.24 per share or $(0.26) per share, assuming the assumed initial public offering price per share remains the same, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma as adjusted information is illustrative only, and we will adjust this information based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing.

If the underwriters fully exercise their option to purchase additional shares of common stock at the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus, assuming the number of shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value after this offering would increase to approximately $6.48 per share, and there would be an immediate dilution of approximately $9.52 per share to new investors.

The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis, as of March 31, 2020, the difference between the number of shares of common stock purchased from us (on an as converted to common stock basis), the total consideration paid, and the weighted-average price per share paid, by existing stockholders and by new investors in this offering, assuming an initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

 

 

 

     SHARES PURCHASED     TOTAL
CONSIDERATION
    AVERAGE
PRICE
PER SHARE
 
     NUMBER      PERCENT     AMOUNT      PERCENT  

Existing stockholders before this offering

     26,711,553        77.0   $ 176,281,161        57.9   $ 6.60  

Investors participating in this offering

     8,000,000        23.0       128,000,000        42.1     $ 16.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total

     34,711,553        100.0   $ 304,281,161        100.0  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

The table above assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 1,200,000 additional shares in this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full, the number of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders would be reduced to 74.4% of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering, and the number of shares of common stock held by new investors participating in the offering would be increased to 25.6% of the total number of shares outstanding after this offering.

Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable, the total consideration paid by new investors by $7.4 million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us. Similarly, an increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the total consideration paid by new investors by $14.9 million, assuming no change in the assumed initial public offering price and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us.

The foregoing tables and calculations (other than the historical net tangible book value calculations) are based on 26,711,553 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 (including 17,297 shares of common

 

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stock that are subject to a right of repurchase and our convertible preferred stock on an as-converted basis), and excludes:

 

   

3,200,872 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $3.08 per share;

 

   

673,943 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options granted after March 31, 2020, at a weighted-average exercise price of $4.96 per share;

 

   

warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our convertible preferred stock that were outstanding as of March 31, 2020 that will be converted on a 1:1 basis into warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our common stock, with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share;

 

   

4,000,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to future awards under our 2020 Plan (which does not give effect to the grant of 836,085 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options which will be granted, as of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, under our 2020 Plan, at an exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of our common stock), including the amendment thereto that will become effective in connection with this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our 2020 Plan pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year;

 

   

400,000 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our ESPP, which will become effective in connection with this offering, and any additional shares that become available under our ESPP pursuant to provisions thereof that automatically increase the share reserve under the plan each year; and

 

   

cumulative dividends accrued after March 31, 2020.

To the extent that any outstanding options are exercised or new options are issued under the equity benefit plans, the warrants described above are exercised or we issue additional shares of common stock or convertible securities in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering.

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following tables set forth our selected consolidated financial data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. We derived our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and our consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss data for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, and the consolidated balance sheet data as of March 31, 2020 have been derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In our opinion, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a basis consistent with our audited consolidated financial statements and contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal and recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of such consolidated financial data. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future. You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

 

 

    YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
    THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
Data:
  2018     2019     2019     2020  
    (in thousands, except share and per share amounts)  
          (unaudited)  

Related-party revenue

  $ 2,067     $ 4,796     $ 1,032     $ 655  

Operating expenses:

       

Research and development

    11,270       16,306       3,733       3,828  

General and administrative

    2,601       3,313       588       1,473  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

    1,880       4,360       938       596  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

    15,751       23,979       5,259       5,897  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

    (13,684     (19,183     (4,227     (5,242
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest expense

          (21           (215

Other income (expense), net

    (2     (5     (2     7  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

    (13,686     (19,209     (4,229     (5,450

Income tax provision

    (45     (34     (9     (4
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

    (13,731     (19,243     (4,238     (5,454

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

    (3,671     (4,028     (905     (1,983
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

  $ (17,402   $ (23,271   $ (5,143   $ (7,437
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

  $ (6.33   $ (7.56   $ (1.71   $ (2.37
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

    2,750,838       3,076,461       3,001,147       3,143,159  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(1)

    $ (1.34     $ (0.24
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)(1)

      14,330,300         21,951,361  
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)    See Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements and Note 8 to our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the method used to calculate historical and pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share, and the weighted-average number of shares used in the computation of the per share amounts and unaudited pro forma information.

 

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     AS OF DECEMBER 31,      AS OF
MARCH 31,
 
     2018      2019      2020  
            (unaudited)  
     (in thousands)  

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

        

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 8,262      $ 9,017      $ 105,035  

Working capital(1)

     8,335        4,825        103,423  

Total assets

     11,164        10,676        108,399  

Total liabilities

     2,009        10,952        9,282  

Convertible preferred shares

     60,933        70,363        175,043  

Accumulated deficit

     (53,539      (72,782      (78,236

Total shareholders’ deficit

     (51,778      (70,639      (75,926

 

 

 

  (1)    We define working capital as current assets less current liabilities. See our consolidated financial statements for further details regarding our current assets and current liabilities.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations together with the section titled “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, include forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on helping patients fight cancer by developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway and bridge the innate and adaptive immune system. Cancer cells leverage CD47, a cell surface protein, as a “don’t eat me” signal, to evade detection by the immune system. Our company is developing a next-generation checkpoint inhibitor designed to have a high affinity for CD47 and to avoid the limitations caused by hematologic toxicities inherent in other CD47 blocking approaches. We believe our lead product candidate, ALX148, will have a wide therapeutic window to block the “don’t eat me” signal on cancer cells, and to leverage the immune activation of broadly used anti-cancer agents through combination strategies. We have dosed over 150 subjects with ALX148 across a range of hematologic and solid malignancies in combination with a number of leading anti-cancer agents. We intend to advance ALX148 into clinical development for the treatment of MDS and AML and to continue clinical development for the treatment of solid tumors. Based on our clinical results to date in multiple oncology indications showing encouraging anti-tumor activity and tolerability and our clinical development plans, our strategy is to pursue ALX148 as a potentially critical component for future combination treatments in oncology.

Our predecessor company, ALX Oncology Limited, an Irish private company limited by shares, was initially incorporated in Ireland on March 13, 2015 under the name Alexo Therapeutics Limited and changed its name to ALX Oncology Limited on October 11, 2018. We were then incorporated in Delaware on April 1, 2020 under the name ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. and completed a reorganization effective as of the same date whereby ALX Oncology Limited became our wholly-owned subsidiary and all of the shareholders, warrantholders and optionholders of ALX Oncology Limited became our stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders, holding the same number of corresponding shares, warrants and/or options in us as they did in ALX Oncology Limited immediately prior to the reorganization. The information included herein are presented as that of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., unless such information refers to a date prior to April 1, 2020, in which case it will reflect that of our predecessor company. Relatedly, our capitalization information will be presented as “preferred stock” and “common stock,” while capitalization information from a date prior to April 1, 2020 will be presented as “preferred shares” and “ordinary shares.”

Since our founding, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to identifying and developing ALX148, advancing preclinical programs, scaling up manufacturing, conducting clinical trials and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We have no products approved for marketing and we have never received any revenue from drug product sales. From inception through March 31, 2020, we have raised an aggregate of $180.9 million to fund our operations, of which $175.1 million were net proceeds from sales of our convertible preferred shares and $5.8 million were net proceeds from borrowings under a term loan.

We have incurred net losses in each year since inception. Our net losses were $13.7 million and $19.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and $4.2 million and $5.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $53.5 million, $72.8 million and $78.2 million, respectively. Substantially all of our operating losses are a result of expenses incurred in connection with our research and development programs, primarily ALX148, and from general and administrative expenses associated with our operations.

 

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We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses over at least the foreseeable future. We expect our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

 

   

advance ALX148 through multiple clinical trials in multiple indications;

 

   

pursue regulatory approval of ALX148 in hematological malignancies and solid tumors;

 

   

continue our discovery and preclinical and clinical development efforts;

 

   

obtain and maintain patent, trade secret and other intellectual property protection and regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates;

 

   

manufacture supplies for our preclinical studies and clinical trials; and

 

   

continue to add operational, financial and management information systems to support ongoing operations as a public company.

Components of Results of Operations

Related-Party Revenue

To date, we have not generated any revenue from product sales, licenses or collaborations and do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the foreseeable future. We recognized related-party revenue related to research and development services to Tallac Therapeutics, which ceased as of July 1, 2020, as further described in “—License and Collaboration Agreements—Related-Party Agreement” below. If our clinical development efforts for our product candidates are successful and result in regulatory approval, we may generate revenue from future product sales. If we enter into license or collaboration agreements for any of our product candidates or intellectual property, we may generate revenue in the future from payments as a result of such license or collaboration agreements. We cannot predict if, when, or to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of our product candidates including ALX148. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any of our product candidates.

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our lead product candidate, ALX148, which include:

 

   

expenses incurred in connection with the preclinical and clinical development, including expenses incurred under agreements with CROs;

 

   

employee-related expenses, including salaries, related benefits, travel and stock-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;

 

   

expenses related to production of clinical materials, including fees paid to CMOs;

 

   

laboratory and vendor expenses related to the execution of preclinical studies and clinical trials; and

 

   

facilities and other expenses, which include expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities, depreciation and amortization expense and other supplies.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in future periods for use in research and development activities are deferred and capitalized. The capitalized amounts are then expensed as the related goods are delivered or as services are performed. We record accruals for estimated costs of research, preclinical studies and clinical trials and manufacturing development, which are a significant component of research and development expenses. We determine the estimated costs through discussions with internal personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of the services and the agreed-upon fees to be paid for such services.

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of costs associated with the development of our lead product candidate ALX148 and include external costs, such as fees paid to consultants, central laboratories, contractors, CMOs and CROs in connection with our preclinical and clinical development activities. We allocate expenses, such as employee salaries, benefits, facilities, travel and other miscellaneous expenses, based on an estimated percentage of time worked on each program.

 

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Almost all of our research and development expenses to date related to the clinical development of our lead product candidate, ALX148.

We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development activities related to developing our product candidates, as our product candidates advance into later stages of development and as we begin to conduct larger clinical trials. The process of conducting the necessary clinical trials to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming, and the successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As a result, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates. In addition, following this offering, we will incur expenses related to the preclinical research services that we contract from Tallac Therapeutics, as further described in “—License and Collaboration Agreements—Related-Party Agreement” below.

The successful development of our current and future product candidates is highly uncertain. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties, including the following:

 

   

successful completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials;

 

   

delays in regulators or institutional review boards authorizing us or our investigators to commence our clinical trials or in our ability to negotiate agreements with clinical trial sites or CROs;

 

   

the number and location of clinical sites included in the trials;

 

   

raising additional funds necessary to complete clinical development of our product candidates;

 

   

obtaining and maintaining patent, trade secret and other intellectual property protection and regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates;

 

   

contracting with third-party manufacturers for clinical supplies of our product candidates;

 

   

protecting and enforcing our rights in our intellectual property portfolio, including, if necessary, litigation; and

 

   

maintaining a continued acceptable safety profile of the products following approval.

A change in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of our product candidates may significantly impact the costs and timing associated with the development of our product candidates. We may never succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for any of our product candidates.

Research and development activities are central to our business model. There are numerous factors associated with the successful commercialization of any of our product candidates, including future trial design and various regulatory requirements, many of which cannot be determined with accuracy at this time based on our stage of development. In addition, future regulatory factors beyond our control may impact the success, cost or timing of our clinical development programs.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses, facilities expenses, depreciation and amortization expenses and professional services expenses, including legal, human resources, audit, accounting and tax-related services. Personnel and related costs consist of salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation. Facilities costs consist of rent and maintenance of facilities.

We anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase as a result of increased headcount, expanded infrastructure and higher consulting, legal, tax and regulatory-related services associated with maintaining compliance with stock exchange listing and Securities and Exchange Commission requirements, audit and investor relations costs, director and officer insurance premiums and other costs associated with being a public company.

Cost of Services for Related-Party Revenue

We incur costs associated with related-party contract research services including direct labor and associated employee benefits, laboratory supplies and other expenses. These costs are recorded in cost of services for related-party transactions as a component of total operating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

 

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Results of Operations and Net Loss

Comparisons of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020:

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
     2019      2020  
     (unaudited)  
     (in thousands)  

Related-party revenue

   $ 1,032      $ 655  

Operating expenses:

     

Research and development

     3,733        3,828  

General and administrative

     588        1,473  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     938        596  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     5,259        5,897  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (4,227      (5,242
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest expense

            (215

Other income (expense), net

     (2      7  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (4,229      (5,450

Income tax provision

     (9      (4
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

     (4,238      (5,454

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (905      (1,983
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (5,143    $ (7,437
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Related-Party Revenue

Related-party revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 was $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively, which was generated solely from payments received for reimbursement of research and development expenses pursuant to the Research and Development Services Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics, or Tollnine Agreement, as further described in “—License and Collaboration Agreements—Related-Party Agreement” below. The decrease of $0.3 million relates to decreased fee-for-service hours provided to Tallac Therapeutics.

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses incurred for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020:

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
        2019            2020     
     (unaudited)  
     (in thousands)  

Clinical development costs

   $ 3,055      $ 2,858  

Personnel and related costs

     633        847  

Stock-based compensation expense

     35        83  

Other research and development costs

     10        40  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total research and development expenses

   $ 3,733      $ 3,828  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $3.7 million, compared to $3.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. The increase of $0.1 million was primarily due to increases in personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, as result of an increase in our headcount.

 

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General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses incurred for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020:

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
           2019                  2020        
     (unaudited)  
     (in thousands)  

Personnel and related costs

   $ 219      $ 479  

Stock-based compensation expense

     7        68  

Other general and administrative costs

     362        926  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total general and administrative expenses

   $ 588      $ 1,473  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $0.6 million, compared to $1.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2020. This increase of $0.9 million was primarily attributable to an increase in other general and administrative costs of $0.6 million, which was driven by increases in corporate legal costs leading up to the Company’s internal reorganization effective on April 1, 2020. In addition, we incurred increased personnel-related costs, including stock-based compensation, of $0.3 million due to an increase in our headcount in the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Cost of Services for Related-Party Revenue

Cost of services for related-party revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $0.9 million, compared to $0.6 million during the year ended March 31, 2020. This decrease of $0.3 million was attributable to a decrease in services rendered to Tallac Therapeutics.

Comparisons of the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
     2018      2019  
     (in thousands)  

Related-party revenue

   $ 2,067      $ 4,796  

Operating expenses:

     

Research and development

     11,270        16,306  

General and administrative

     2,601        3,313  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     1,880        4,360  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     15,751        23,979  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (13,684      (19,183
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest expense

            (21

Other income (expense), net

     (2      (5
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (13,686      (19,209

Income tax provision

     (45      (34
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

     (13,731      (19,243

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (3,671      (4,028
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (17,402    $ (23,271
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Related-Party Revenue

Related-party revenue for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 was $2.1 million and $4.8 million, respectively, which was generated solely from payments received for reimbursement of research and development expenses pursuant to the Tollnine Agreement, as further described in “—License and Collaboration Agreements—Related-Party Agreement” below. The increase of $2.7 million relates to increased fee-for-service hours provided to Tallac Therapeutics during 2019.

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
     2018      2019  
     (in thousands)  

Clinical development costs

   $ 7,654      $ 14,011  

Personnel and related costs

     3,312        2,127  

Stock-based compensation expense

     195        105  

Other research and development costs

     109        63  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total research and development expenses

   $ 11,270      $ 16,306  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $11.3 million, compared to $16.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase of $5.0 million was primarily due to increases in external research and development expenses related to our lead product candidate, as we significantly increased trial recruitment for our Phase 1 clinical trials for ALX 148 in the year ended December 31, 2019. In addition, in the year ended December 31, 2019, we incurred increased costs for additional preclinical studies and CMC manufacturing.

General and Administrative Expenses

The following table summarizes our general and administrative expenses incurred for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
     2018      2019  
     (in thousands)  

Personnel and related costs

   $ 695      $ 834  

Stock-based compensation expense

     16        33  

Other general and administrative costs

     1,890        2,446  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total general and administrative expenses

   $ 2,601      $ 3,313  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $2.6 million, compared to $3.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. This increase of $0.7 million was due to increased administrative costs supporting the increased activities in connection with our Phase 1 clinical trials for ALX 148, resulting in increased other general and administrative expenses of $0.6 million, which included increases in business development activities, legal, accounting and audit services, as well as increased personnel-related costs of $0.1 million.

Cost of Services for Related-Party Revenue

Cost of services for related-party revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018 was $1.9 million, compared to $4.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2019. This increase of $2.5 million was attributable to an increase in services rendered to Tallac Therapeutics.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources; Plan of Operations

Sources of Liquidity

Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses and have not generated any product revenue. We have not yet commercialized any of our product candidates and we do not expect to generate revenue from sales of any product candidates for several years, if at all, subject to marketing approval of any of our product candidates. To date, we have funded our operations with proceeds from the sales of shares of our common stock and convertible preferred stock and borrowings under our term loan. Through March 31, 2020, we had received net proceeds of $175.1 million from sales of our ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares and net proceeds of $5.8 million borrowings under our term loan. As of March 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $105.0 million.

Silicon Valley Bank and West River Group Loan and Security Agreement

We and our wholly-owned subsidiaries Alexo Therapeutics International and Sirpant Therapeutics, as borrowers, entered into the Loan Agreement, with SVB and WestRiver, collectively as lenders, and SVB as administrative agent and collateral agent. The Loan Agreement provided for term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $10.0 million funded in two tranches, subject to the satisfaction of a certain milestone. The first tranche, in the amount of $6.0 million, was funded on the closing date of the Loan Agreement in December 2019. A second tranche of $4.0 million was available on or before March 31, 2020, upon our achievement of an equity financing resulting in net cash proceeds in an amount of at least $30.0 million to us. We elected not to draw down on the second tranche, which is no longer available.

The loans under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a floating per annum interest rate equal to the greater of 7.0% or 2.0% plus the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal prime rate was 3.25% as of March 31, 2020. Therefore, the rate applicable to the Company as of March 31, 2020 was 7.0%.

We are required to make interest-only payments for the first 12 months after the closing of the Loan Agreement, continuing through the maturity date of September 1, 2022. The Loan Agreement also provides for a final payment equal to 6.0% multiplied by the aggregate principal amount of the term loans funded, which is due on the maturity date, upon the acceleration of the term loans or upon prepayment of the term loans. If we elect to prepay the term loans, there is also a prepayment fee of between 1.0% and 3.0% of the principal amount being prepaid depending on the timing and circumstances of prepayment.

In conjunction with the Loan Agreement, we issued warrants to purchase 61,292 shares of Series B convertible preferred stock to SVB and WestRiver with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share. The estimated fair value of the warrants at the date of issuance was approximately $0.4 million. The fair value of the Series B convertible preferred stock warrant liability was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing-model. As of March 31, 2020, the various assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model were time to liquidity of 2.0 to 9.7 years, volatility of 97.4% and risk-free rate of 0.4%. The warrant liability was recorded at its fair value at inception and is being remeasured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2020, the fair value of the Series B convertible preferred stock warrant liabilities was approximately $0.4 million and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The loans under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of our assets, except our intellectual property, which is the subject of a negative pledge.

We determined that certain loan features were embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and separate accounting. Those embedded derivatives were bundled together as a single, compound embedded derivative and then bifurcated and accounted for separately from the host contract. We recorded a term loan compound derivative liability of $51,000, which is marked-to-market at each reporting date. We calculated the fair values of the compound derivative by computing the difference between the fair value of the term loans and the compound derivative using the “with and without” method under the income approach, and the fair value of the term loans without the compound derivative. We calculated the fair values using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow analysis. The key valuation assumptions used consist of the discount rate and the probability of a change in control event. The term loan compound derivative liability is being remeasured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the consolidated statements of

 

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operations and comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2020, the fair value of the compound derivative liability was approximately $65,000 and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The fair value of Series B convertible preferred stock warrant liability at issuance, fair value of embedded derivatives which were bifurcated and other debt issuance costs have been treated as debt discounts on our consolidated balance sheets and together with the final payment are being amortized to interest expense throughout the life of the term loans using the effective interest rate method.

Funding Requirements

We have incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. As of March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $78.2 million. We expect our expenses to increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials for our product candidates in development. In addition, upon the closing of this offering, we expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company. Management recognizes the need to raise additional capital to fully implement its business plan. The timing and amount of such future capital requirements are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors, including:

 

   

the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;

 

   

successful enrollment in and completion of clinical trials;

 

   

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

 

   

our ability to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers for clinical supply for our clinical trials and, if any of our product candidates are approved, commercial manufacturing;

 

   

addition and retention of key research and development personnel;

 

   

our efforts to enhance operational, financial and information management systems, and hire additional personnel, including personnel to support development of our product candidates;

 

   

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

 

   

the legal patent costs involved in prosecuting patent applications and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property claims; and

 

   

the terms and timing of any collaboration, license or other arrangement, including the terms and timing of any milestone and royalty payments thereunder.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances and marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements. We do not currently have any committed external source of funds. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a common stockholder. 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 acquisitions or capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or drug 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 or other arrangements when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our research, product development or future commercialization efforts or grant rights to develop and market drug candidates that we would otherwise prefer to develop and market ourselves.

We estimate that our net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $115.3 million based on an assumed initial public offering price of $16.00 per share (the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus), after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 36 months. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital

 

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resources sooner than we expect. Our Loan Agreement includes covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash for each of the periods set forth below:

 

 

 

     YEARS ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
    THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
     2018     2019     2019     2020  
           (unaudited)  
     (in thousands)  

Net cash provided by (used in):

        

Operating activities

   $ (13,190   $ (14,249   $ (3,861   $ (8,963

Investing activities

     (653     (353     (118     (10

Financing activities

     1       15,357             104,991  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash

   $ (13,842   $ 755     $ (3,979   $ 96,018  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Operating Activities

In the three months ended March 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities of $3.9 million was attributable to a net loss of $4.2 million partially offset by $0.2 million in non-cash charges and a change of $0.2 million in our net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted of stock-based compensation of $0.1 million and depreciation and amortization of $0.1 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $1.0 million increase in receivables due from a related-party, partially offset by a $0.7 million increase in accounts payable and a $0.4 million decrease in prepaid expenses.

In the three months ended March 31, 2020, cash used in operating activities of $9.0 million was attributable to a net loss of $5.5 million partially offset by $0.5 million in non-cash charges and a change of $4.0 million in our net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted of stock-based compensation of $0.2 million, depreciation and amortization of $0.1 million, amortization of term loan discount and issuance costs of $0.1 million and change in fair value of Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability and term loan compound derivative of $0.1 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $1.8 million decrease in accounts payable, $0.6 million decrease in accrued expenses, $0.9 million increase in prepaid expense and $0.7 million increase in receivables due from a related-party. This is primarily due to timing of cash payments for CMC-related activities.

In the year ended December 31, 2018, cash used in operating activities of $13.2 million was attributable to a net loss of $13.7 million partially offset by $0.7 million in non-cash charges and a net change of $0.2 million in our net operating assets and liabilities. The non-cash charges consisted of stock-based compensation expense of $0.3 million and depreciation and amortization expense of $0.4 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $0.9 million increase in receivables due from a related-party and $0.3 million

decrease in accounts payable. This was partially offset by a $0.9 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets resulting from the timing of prepayments made for research and development activities.

In the year ended December 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities of $14.2 million was attributable to a net loss of $19.2 million and a net change of $4.3 million in our net operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by $0.7 million in non-cash charges. The non-cash charges primarily consisted of stock-based compensation expense of $0.3 million and depreciation and amortization expense of $0.4 million. The change in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $3.0 million increase in accounts payable, a $0.7 million decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets and a $0.4 million decrease in receivables due from a related-party. The increase in accounts payable is primarily due to the timing of cash payments and increased activities to support overall business growth.

Investing Activities

In the three months ended March 31, 2019, cash used in investing activities of $0.1 million was related to capital expenditures on the purchase of property and equipment.

 

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In the three months ended March 31, 2020, cash used in investing activities was nominal.

In the year ended December 31, 2018, cash used in investing activities of $0.7 million was related to capital expenditures on the purchase of property and equipment.

In the year ended December 31, 2019, cash used in investing activities of $0.4 million was related to capital expenditures on the purchase of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

In the three months ended March 31, 2019, cash provided by financing activities was nominal.

In the three months ended March 31, 2020, cash provided by financing activities was $105.0 million from the sale and issuance of Series C convertible preferred shares.

In the year ended December 31, 2018, cash provided by financing activities was nominal.

In the year ended December 31, 2019, cash provided by financing activities of $15.4 million was related to net proceeds of $9.4 million from the issuance of Series B convertible preferred shares and $5.9 million from the net proceeds from a term loan entered into in December 2019.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following table summarizes our commitments and contractual obligations as of March 31, 2020:

 

 

 

     PAYMENTS DUE BY PERIOD  
     TOTAL      LESS THAN
1 YEAR
     1-3
YEARS
     3-5 YEARS      MORE THAN
5 YEARS
 
     (in thousands)  

Operating lease obligations (1) (4)

   $ 1,793      $      548      $ 1,146      $      99      $        —  

Manufacturing and service contracts (2)

     5,782               5,782                

Term loan (3)

     7,071        1,278        5,793                
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 14,646      $ 1,826      $ 12,721      $ 99      $  

 

 

(1)    Payments due for our lease of office and laboratory space in Burlingame, California under a single operating lease agreement that expires in 2023.
(2)    In November 2015, we entered into a Master Service Agreement, or the MSA, with KBI Biopharma, Inc. relating to formulation development, process development and cGMP manufacturing of ALX148 for use in clinical trials on a project basis. The MSA had an initial term of three years with successive one-year renewal periods, is cancellable upon notice and is non-exclusive. Statements of work under the MSA commit us to certain purchase obligations of approximately $6.7 million. These amounts are based on non-cancellable commitments and forecasts that include estimates of future market demand, quantity discounts and manufacturing efficiencies that may impact timing of purchases.
(3)    On December 20, 2019, we borrowed a loan pursuant to the Loan Agreement as described above under “—Silicon Valley Bank and West River Group Loan and Security Agreement.”
(4)    In addition to the transactions described above, we also (i) assigned to Tallac Therapeutics our lease with respect to our premises located at 866 Malcolm Road, Burlingame, California, and (ii) received a sublease for such premises from Tallac Therapeutics, as discussed in Note 9 of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with various third parties for clinical trials, preclinical research studies and testing, manufacturing and other services and products for operating purposes. These contracts generally provide for termination upon notice. Payments due upon cancellation consist only of payments for services provided or expenses incurred, including non-cancellable obligations of our service providers, up to the date of cancellation. These payments are not included in the table of contractual obligations above.

Cumulative Dividends on Convertible Preferred Shares

As of March 31, 2020, there were $14.7 million of cumulative dividends on our Series A, Series B and Series C convertible preferred shares, which are payable upon the occurrence of certain change of control and liquidation events and upon the conversion of such convertible preferred shares upon a qualifying initial public offering, each as described in our organizational documents.

 

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License and Collaboration Agreements

Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

In March 2015, we entered into a license agreement, or the Stanford Agreement, with the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, or Stanford, under which we obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents relating to our current product candidates, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. The license granted to us in the Stanford Agreement includes an exclusive grant, subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive or exclusive rights that Stanford retained for grant to third parties with respect to certain categories of the licensed patents in certain fields of use and retained rights by Stanford and all other nonprofit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other nonprofit purposes. The license granted to us in the Stanford Agreement also includes non-exclusive grants to certain Stanford patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the Stanford Agreement, we paid Stanford a nonrefundable license royalty and reimbursed Stanford for past patent expenses, together totaling less than $0.1 million, and granted Stanford a specified number of our ordinary shares. In addition, we are obligated to pay Stanford ongoing patent expenses and an annual license maintenance fee, which are nominal and will be creditable against any royalties payable to Stanford in the applicable year. We are required to make milestone payments up to an aggregate of $5.0 million in respect of a specified number of licensed products that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones. No milestone payments have been made through December 31, 2019. We also agreed to pay Stanford tiered royalties on a specified percentage of net sales made by us, our affiliates and our sublicensees of licensed products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain reductions and offsets. Our license, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, shall become royalty-free and fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the exclusively or non-exclusively licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the licensed product in such country.

The Company may terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time for any reason by providing at least 60 days’ written notice to Stanford. Stanford may terminate the Stanford Agreement, if the Company is in breach of any provision of the Stanford Agreement and fail to remedy such breach within 60 days after written notice of such breach by Stanford. In addition, Stanford has the right to terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, if the Company is not diligently developing and commercializing such licensed product under certain conditions or if the Company fails to achieve specified development milestones for such licensed product by certain dates, subject to the Company’s extension rights.

Commercial License Agreement with Selexis SA

In June 2016, we entered into a license agreement with Selexis SA, or Selexis, under which we obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents, know-how and other intellectual property, to use Selexis generated cell lines to manufacture ALX148 and to make, use and sell licensed products containing such compound in all fields of use. The rights granted under this agreement include the rights to grant sublicenses to contractors or other collaboration partners, in each case to develop production processes or manufacture licensed products, containing ALX148.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the agreement, we paid Selexis a nominal one-time fee and will pay Selexis an annual maintenance fee. We also agreed to pay Selexis milestone payments up to an aggregate of 1.2 million Swiss Francs in respect of all licensed products developed and/or commercialized under the grant, that successfully satisfies certain milestone events. We also agreed to pay Selexis a flat royalty of a very low single-digit percentage on net sales made by us, our affiliates and our sublicensees of products. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the passing of ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country or our exercise of the royalty buyout option, exercisable at any time prior to the first commercial sale of a licensed product.

We may terminate the license agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Selexis. Either party may terminate the license agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of a material breach of the agreement (that cannot be cured or remains uncured for 60 days after the date that the

 

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defaulting party is provided with written notice of such breach). Our obligations to make payments that are accrued or accruable will survive any termination of the agreement, and in certain circumstances the licenses granted under the agreement will terminate unless they have become fully paid up as described in the previous paragraph.

Commercial Antibody Agreement with Crystal Bioscience, Inc. (Now a Subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated)

In March 2017, we entered into an agreement with Crystal Bioscience, Inc. (now a subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated), or Crystal, under which we obtained an assignment of certain patents, covering certain SIRPa antibodies. Under this agreement, we also received a worldwide, royalty-bearing non-exclusive license, with the right to grant sublicenses through multiple tiers of sublicenses, under certain of Crystal’s background patents and know-how necessary to commercialize the rights under the assigned patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the agreement, we agreed to pay Crystal milestone payments up to $11.1 million in respect of all licensed products developed under the assigned patents, that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones, each milestone being paid only once for all products. We also agreed to pay Crystal tiered royalties on net sales of licensed products made by us, our affiliates and our sublicensees of products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain potential reductions. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country.

We agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products, including meeting defined development milestones by certain specified dates.

We may terminate the agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Crystal. Either party may terminate the agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of material breach of the agreement (that remains uncured for 60 days after the date that it is provided with written notice of such breach). Our obligations to pay royalties and milestone payments which accrued pre-termination or accrue post-termination will survive any termination.

Related-Party Agreement

In June 2018, we entered into the Tollnine Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics, a related-party, to provide research and development services to Tallac Therapeutics. From June 2018 to April 2020, our Chief Executive Officer was also the Chief Executive Officer of Tallac Therapeutics and currently two of our investors are also investors in Tallac Therapeutics. In April 2020, Dr. Hong Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, replaced our Chief Executive Officer to become the Chief Executive Officer of Tallac Therapeutics. As such, Tallac Therapeutics was deemed to be a related-party. The services under the Tollnine Agreement were provided at a price based on the costs incurred by us plus a mark-up equal to 10.0% of such costs. We recognized revenue when Tallac Therapeutics, as our customer, obtained control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

For the years ended December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2019, and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, we recognized related-party revenues of $2.1 million and $4.8 million, and $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively, under the Tollnine Agreement.

As of December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, we had outstanding related-party receivables from Tallac Therapeutics of $0.9 million, $0.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

Effective as of July 1, 2020, we terminated the Tollnine Agreement and entered into the Tallac Services Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics, pursuant to which Tallac Therapeutics will provide certain research and development services to us. The Tallac Services Agreement has an initial term of four years, to be automatically renewed for additional one-year terms unless terminated by either party. The services are to be provided at a price based on the costs incurred by Tallac Therapeutics plus a mark-up equal to 10.0% of such costs. For additional information regarding our Tallac Services Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics, please see “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Tallac Therapeutics Agreements.”

 

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Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting resulting from a lack of sufficient qualified personnel. For the year ended December 31, 2018, the material weaknesses related to (i) independent reviews of journal entries not being performed prior to posting, (ii) account reconciliations not being performed and independently reviewed on a timely basis and (iii) lack of independent review of technical accounting matters. For the year ended December 31, 2019, (i) and (ii) remain unremediated. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated basis. During the first quarter of 2020, we have undertaken specific remediation actions to address the control deficiencies in our financial reporting. We have established more robust processes related to the review of complex accounting transactions, the preparation of account reconciliations and the review of journal entries. These remediation actions included hiring a full time Chief Financial Officer in January 2020 and a Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer in March 2020, both of whom have extensive experience in developing and implementing internal controls and executing plans to remediate control deficiencies. We added new control activities, modified existing controls, and enhanced the documentation that evidences that controls are performed.

If remediation of these material weaknesses is not effective, or if we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate consolidated financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations could be impaired. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Operations—We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation measures are not effective, we may not be able to report our financial condition or results of operations accurately or on a timely basis.”

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During the period presented, we did not have, nor do we currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risks

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. These risks primarily include interest rate sensitivities. As of March 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $105.0 million. We generally hold our cash and cash equivalents in interest-bearing bank accounts and money market funds. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. An immediate 100 basis point change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our cash and cash equivalents.

Financial Institution Risk

Substantially all of our cash and cash equivalents is held with a single financial institution. Due to its size, this financial institution represents a minimal credit risk. Cash amounts held at financial institutions are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to $250,000. At March 31, 2020, we had $104.8 million in excess of this insured limit.

Foreign Currency Risk

Our expenses are generally denominated in U.S. dollars. However, we have entered into a limited number of contracts with vendors for services with payments denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the Euro. We are subject to foreign currency transaction gains or losses on our contracts denominated in foreign currencies. To date, foreign currency transaction gains and losses have not been material to our consolidated financial statements, and we have not had a formal hedging program with respect to foreign currency. A 10.0% increase or decrease in current exchange rates would not have a material effect on our financial results.

Effects of Inflation

Inflation generally affects us by increasing our cost of labor and clinical trial costs. We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our results of operations during the periods presented.

 

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Emerging Growth Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and may take advantage of reduced reporting requirements that are otherwise applicable to public companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with those standards. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. As a result of this election, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. The JOBS Act also exempts us from having to provide an auditor attestation of internal control over financial reporting under SOX Section 404(b).

We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more, (2) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this initial public offering, (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years or (4) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC, which generally is when we have more than $700 million in market value of our stock held by non-affiliates and we have been a public company for at least 12 months and have filed one annual report on Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, expenses and the disclosure of our contingent liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 1 to our audited consolidated financial statements elsewhere in this prospectus, we believe that the following accounting policies are those most critical to the judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our audited consolidated financial statements.

Clinical and Manufacturing Accruals

We accrue for estimated costs of research and development activities conducted by third-party service providers, which include the conduct of clinical trials and contract manufacturing activities. We record the estimated costs of research and development activities based upon the estimated amount of services provided. These costs are included in either prepaid expenses and other current assets or accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and within research and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. We accrue for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the work completed and in accordance with agreements established with its third-party service providers. We record prepaid expenses which consists of amounts paid in advance for services that have not yet been incurred as of the end of the fiscal year.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

We account for stock-based compensation by measuring and recognizing compensation expense for all stock-based payments made to employees, directors and non-employees based on estimated grant-date fair values. We use the straight-line method to allocate compensation cost to reporting periods over each optionee’s requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period, and estimates the fair value of stock-based awards to employees, directors and non-employees using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires the input of subjective assumptions, including expected volatility, expected dividend yield, expected term, risk-free rate of return, and the estimated fair value of the underlying common shares on the date of grant.

 

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Expected Term—We have opted to use the “simplified method” for estimating the expected term of options, whereby the expected term equals the arithmetic average of the vesting term and the original contractual term of the option (generally 10 years).

Risk-Free Interest Rate—The risk-free rate assumption is based on the U.S. Treasury instruments with maturities similar to the expected term of our stock options.

Expected Dividend—We have not issued any dividends and do not expect to issue dividends over the life of the options. As a result, we have estimated the dividend yield to be zero.

Expected Volatility—Due to our limited operating history and a lack of company specific historical and implied volatility data, we have based our estimate of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a group of similar companies that are publicly traded. The historical volatility data was computed using the daily closing prices for the selected companies’ shares during the equivalent period of the calculated expected term of the stock-based awards.

The estimated fair value of stock options granted to employees and non-employee service providers are expensed over the requisite service period (generally the vesting term) on a straight-line basis. We account for the impact of forfeitures as they occur.

The fair values of the stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 and the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 were estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
     2018     2019     2019      2020  
                 (unaudited)  

Expected term (in years)

     5.2—6.0       4.4—6.0              6.0—6.1  

Risk-free interest rate

     2.6—3.0     1.7—2.1            0.5—0.8

Expected dividend rate

                         

Expected share price volatility

     66.5—68.7     75.2—80.5            79.6—80.0

 

 

Stock-based compensation expense, net of forfeitures, is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
     2018      2019          2019              2020      
                   (unaudited)  

Research and development

   $ 195      $ 105      $ 35      $ 83  

General and administrative

     16        33        7        68  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     58        159        34         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 269      $ 297      $ 76      $ 151  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

As of March 31, 2020, total unamortized stock-based compensation expense was $6.1 million.

The intrinsic value of all outstanding stock options as of March 31, 2020 was approximately $41.4 million based on the common stock fair value of $16.00 per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

Determination of the Fair Value of Common Stock

We are required to estimate the fair value of the common stock underlying our stock-based awards when performing the fair value calculations using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Because our common stock is not currently

 

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publicly traded, the fair value of the common stock underlying our stock-based awards has been determined on each grant date by our board of directors, with input from management, considering our most recently available third-party valuation of common shares. All options to purchase shares of our common stock are intended to be granted with an exercise price per share no less than the fair value per share of our common stock underlying those options on the date of grant, based on the information known to us on the date of grant.

In the absence of a public trading market for our common stock, on each grant date, our board of directors made a reasonable determination of the fair value of our common stock based on the information known to us on the date of grant, upon a review of any recent events and their potential impact on the estimated fair value per share of the common stock, and timely valuations from an independent third-party valuation in accordance with guidance provided by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Practice Aid, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, or Practice Aid. In addition, our board of directors considered various objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our common stock, including:

 

   

the estimated value of each security both outstanding and anticipated;

 

   

the anticipated capital structure that will directly impact the value of the currently outstanding securities;

 

   

our results of operations and financial position;

 

   

the status of our research and development efforts;

 

   

the composition of, and changes to, our management team and board of directors;

 

   

the lack of liquidity of our common stock as a private company;

 

   

our stage of development and business strategy and the material risks related to our business and industry;

 

   

external market conditions affecting the life sciences and biotechnology industry sectors;

 

   

U.S. and global economic conditions;

 

   

the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event for the holders of our common stock, such as an initial public offering or a sale of our company, given prevailing market conditions; and

 

   

the market value and volatility of comparable companies.

The Practice Aid identifies various available methods for allocating enterprise value across classes and series of capital stock to determine the estimated fair value of common stock at each valuation date. In accordance with the Practice Aid, our board of directors considered the following methods:

 

   

Option Pricing Method.    Under the option pricing method, or OPM, shares are valued by creating a series of call options with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences and conversion terms of each equity class. The estimated fair values of the preferred and common stock are inferred by analyzing these options.

 

   

Probability-Weighted Expected Return Method.    The probability-weighted expected return method, or PWERM, is a scenario-based analysis that estimates value per share based on the probability-weighted present value of expected future investment returns, considering each of the possible outcomes available to us, as well as the economic and control rights of each share class

 

   

Current Value Method.    Under the Current Value Method, or CVM, our value is determined based on our balance sheet. This value is then first allocated based on the liquidation preference associated with convertible preferred stock issued as of the valuation date, and then any residual value is assigned to the common stock.

 

   

Hybrid Methods of Enterprise Value Allocation.    The hybrid method is a hybrid between the PWERM and OPM, estimating the probability-weighted value across multiple scenarios but using the OPM to estimate the allocation of value within one or more of those scenarios. The hybrid method can be a useful alternative to explicitly modeling all PWERM scenarios in situations when the company has transparency into one or more near-term exits but is unsure about what will occur if the current plans fall through.

Based on our early stage of development and other relevant factors, we determined that an OPM was the most appropriate method for allocating our enterprise value to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock for valuations performed.

 

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The April 15, 2019 ordinary share valuation was based on a back-solve method of OPM, which derives the implied equity value for one type of equity security from a contemporaneous transaction involving another type of security, the Series B convertible preferred shares in this instance.

For valuations performed after this date, we began using a hybrid of the OPM and the PWERM methods to determine the estimated fair value of our common stock. In determining the estimated fair value of our common stock, our board of directors also considered the fact that our stockholders could not freely trade our common stock in the public markets. Accordingly, we applied discounts to reflect the lack of marketability of our common stock based on the weighted-average expected time to liquidity.

For the February 10, 2020, April 1, 2020 and May 18, 2020 ordinary share valuations, we have used a hybrid method to determine the fair value of our common stock, in addition to giving consideration hybrid method, multiple valuation approaches were used and then combined into a single probability-weighted valuation, consistent with the Practice Aid. Our approach included the use of initial public offering scenario and an OPM.

Application of these approaches involves the use of estimates, judgment and assumptions that are highly complex and subjective, such as those regarding our expected future revenue, expenses, cash flows, discount rates, market multiples, the selection of comparable companies and the probability of future events. Changes in any or all of these estimates and assumptions, or the relationships between those assumptions, impact our valuations as of each valuation date and may have a material impact on the valuation of common stock.

Our board of directors and management develop best estimates based on application of these approaches and the assumptions underlying these valuations, giving careful consideration to the advice from our third-party valuation expert. Such estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of significant judgment. As a result, if factors or expected outcomes change and we use significantly different assumptions or estimates, our equity-based compensation could be materially different.

Following the closing of this offering, the fair value of our common stock will be the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as reported on the date of the grant.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting bodies and adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective are not expected to have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (Topic 842), Leases (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 requires an entity to recognize assets and liabilities arising from a lease for both financing and operating leases. ASU No. 2016-02 will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In June 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-05, which extends the effective date of ASU No. 2016-02 for non-public business entities, including smaller reporting companies, to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. The new standard is effective for us beginning January 1, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2021. ASU 2019-12 is effective for us beginning January 1, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently in the process of evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on our consolidated financial statements and do not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

 

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BUSINESS

Overview

We are a clinical stage immuno-oncology company focused on helping patients fight cancer by developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway and bridge the innate and adaptive immune system. Cancer cells leverage CD47, a cell surface protein, as a “don’t eat me” signal, to evade detection by the immune system. Our company is developing a next-generation checkpoint inhibitor designed to have a high affinity for CD47 and to avoid the limitations caused by hematologic toxicities inherent in other CD47 blocking approaches. We believe our lead product candidate, ALX148, will have a wide therapeutic window to block the “don’t eat me” signal on cancer cells, and to leverage the immune activation of broadly used anti-cancer agents through combination strategies. We have dosed over 150 subjects with ALX148 across a range of hematologic and solid malignancies in combination with a number of leading anti-cancer agents. We intend to advance ALX148 into clinical development for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, and to continue clinical development for the treatment of a range of solid tumor indications. Based on our clinical results to date in multiple oncology indications showing encouraging anti-tumor activity and tolerability and our clinical development plans, our strategy is to pursue ALX148 as a potentially critical component for future combination treatments in oncology.

Anti-cancer agents, including many chemotherapies, other small molecules and anti-cancer antibodies, can stimulate immune cells such as macrophages to engulf and kill cancer cells, a process known as phagocytosis, by providing so-called “eat me” signals on cancer cells. In response, cancer cells frequently overexpress CD47 to counteract these “eat me” signals. As a result, high expression of CD47 on cancer cells has been associated with reduced patient survival in multiple cancers. The therapeutic blockade of CD47 in combination with an “eat me” signal enables the immune system to detect and phagocytose cancer cells. However, healthy blood cells and nearly all other cells in the body also express CD47 as a way to protect against pathologic phagocytosis by immune cells. There have been a number of approaches to blocking CD47, including monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins that include an active Fc region. These approaches have encountered limitations, including limited dosing and therapeutic window, limited ability to combine with other anti-cancer agents, limited efficacy in solid tumors and limited indications due to patient selection, that have challenged their ability to maximize the full potential of CD47 blockade. In addition, most of these therapeutic approaches to CD47 blockade have resulted in the destruction of patients’ healthy blood cells, causing cytopenias that limit the dosing and therapeutic potential of those molecules.

ALX Oncology was founded by Corey Goodman, Ph.D., K. Christopher Garcia, Ph.D., and Jaume Pons, Ph.D. to address fundamental challenges in blocking CD47 and to realize the full potential of this therapeutic target. We have developed a new approach to CD47 blockade that is designed to maximize clinical activity and minimize toxicities. All competing clinical data to date have come from product candidates that incorporate an active antibody Fc region in addition to a CD47 blocking region. The Fc region provides a positive, pro-phagocytic “eat me” signal to macrophages and other cells of the immune system. Since healthy blood cells also express CD47, these competing therapeutic approaches can cause a reduction in the number of blood cells in the body, resulting in anemia, thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, which can be dangerous to patients and may limit the ability to combine these agents with other anti-cancer medicines.

Our lead product candidate, ALX148, is a next-generation CD47 blocking therapeutic that we believe has significantly enhanced properties compared to competing CD47 blocking approaches. ALX148 is a fusion protein that combines a high-affinity CD47 binding domain with a proprietary inactivated Fc domain. The CD47 binding domain of ALX148 is an affinity enhanced extracellular domain of SIRPa, a protein that is the natural receptor to CD47 found on myeloid cells. We have engineered the Fc domain of ALX148 so that it does not provide a pro-phagocytic signal while still maintaining an antibody-like half-life for the molecule. We believe our inactive Fc approach improves tolerability when compared to other CD47 blocking approaches that have an Fc domain that engages activating receptors on macrophages, causing phagocytosis and death of healthy cells in addition to cancer cells.

ALX148’s design has several advantages that we believe will make it broadly applicable to treating a number of oncology indications. Due to the inactive Fc, ALX148 is specifically designed for use in combination with other anti-cancer agents that provide a positive immune-stimulating signal. We believe ALX148 has a favorable tolerability

 

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profile that may enable higher dosing levels and greater combination potential with other leading anti-cancer agents. Additionally, the molecular weight of ALX148 is half that of a typical antibody. The relatively smaller size of our molecule may facilitate increased penetrance into the tumor microenvironment. We believe these properties may enable ALX148 to provide superior therapeutic benefits.

Clinical data to date in ALX148 have not shown dose-dependent hematologic toxicities, which are characteristic of other CD47 blockers that incorporate an active Fc domain. At least 122 subjects have been treated with ALX148 in combination with targeted anti-cancer agents and checkpoint inhibitors as of April 1, 2020. As of the same date, two subjects (2%) experienced treatment-related grade 3+ anemia and only five subjects (4%) treatment-related serious adverse events of any kind. ALX148 has not reached a maximum tolerated dose in any of the combinations evaluated to date.

We plan to advance ALX148 for the treatment of MDS and AML. In our ongoing Phase 1b trial of ALX148 in combination with an anti-CD20 agent to treat subjects with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or NHL, ALX148 demonstrated a higher response rate at higher doses and achieved a 54.6% objective response rate, or ORR, in the highest dose (15 mg/kg once per week, or QW) cohort as compared to a 40.9% ORR at the lower dose (10 mg/kg QW) cohort. We view this ORR as compelling evidence for the role of ALX148 in treating hematologic malignancies and as a favorable comparison to outcomes reported by other CD47 blocking agents in a similar patient population. Furthermore, other CD47 blocking agents in development have demonstrated clinical evidence supporting the role of CD47 blockade in treating hematologic malignances, specifically in both MDS and AML, albeit with high rates of cytopenias. We have conducted preclinical studies of ALX148 combined with azacitidine or venetoclax that support our clinical development plan in MDS and AML. Azacitidine is a standard of care agent for the treatment of MDS. Azacitidine and venetoclax are both standard of care regimen components for the treatment of AML in older patients and those who are not candidates for intensive induction chemotherapy due to comorbidities. Our studies and those of others show that azacitidine increases calreticulin display, an “eat me” signal, in tumor models. Additionally, we have shown that azacitidine and ALX148 in combination produce increased phagocytosis in vitro and anti-tumor activity in mouse models compared to azacitidine alone. Furthermore, we have demonstrated in preclinical studies that ALX148 when combined with venetoclax increases tumor growth inhibition in a leukemia tumor model, compared to venetoclax alone. We are planning to advance ALX148 into a Phase 1b/2 trial in combination with azacitidine for the first-line treatment of subjects with higher-risk MDS by the end of 2020. We also plan to advanced ALX148 into a Phase 1b/2 trial in combination with standard of care agents for the first-line treatment of subjects with AML in 2021.

ALX148 has also generated clinical data in solid tumors in various combinations, including with a leading tumor antigen targeting antibody, a leading checkpoint inhibitor and chemotherapy. We believe that ALX148 induces multiple responses that bridge innate and adaptive immunity. We are investigating ALX148 for the treatment of HNSCC and HER2-positive gastric/GEJ carcinoma. In Phase 1b clinical trials, ALX148 has demonstrated both objective clinical response per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, or RECIST, criteria and tolerability in combination with other broadly used cancer agents. Based on these results, the Food & Drug Administration, or FDA, has granted Fast Track designation for ALX148 for both the treatment of patients with HNSCC in the first-line setting and for patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric or GEJ carcinoma in the second-line setting. While other CD47 blockers have failed to achieve meaningful clinical activity in the treatment of solid tumors, we believe ALX148’s properties, including favorable tolerability and ability to escalate to higher doses, coupled with high affinity and small size for enhanced solid tumor penetration, may underlie the observed anti-tumor activity in solid tumors. We are planning to advance ALX148 into Phase 2 trials in subjects with HNSCC in combination with pembrolizumab, marketed as Keytruda and the market leading anti-programmed cell death protein-1, or PD-1, checkpoint inhibitor, in the first half of 2021, and gastric/GEJ carcinoma in combination with trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin, the market-leading anti-HER2 antibody, in the second half of 2021.

Our team of industry veterans plans to continue to advance a broad development plan for ALX148 that balances speed to market, scale of unmet need and existing clinical evidence for ALX148’s combination mechanisms. Members of our management team have brought multiple drugs to FDA approval. Our President, Chief Executive Officer and founder, Jaume Pons, Ph.D., was Chief Science Officer of Rinat (a subsidiary of Pfizer), invented fremanezumab (FDA approved in 2018), tanezumab (Biologics License Application, or BLA, filed in 2020) and additional antibodies in late-stage development at Pfizer and advanced nine more drugs into human trials. Our Chief

 

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Medical Officer, Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., was the global clinical franchise lead for Ibrance at Pfizer, where she oversaw the program from first-in-human trials to regulatory approval. Our Executive Chairman and founder, Corey Goodman, Ph.D., an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, has co-founded seven biopharmaceutical companies, including Exelixis and Labrys (acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014), and led Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center. Our Chief Financial Officer, Peter Garcia, has over 20 years of experience guiding public and private life science companies and has raised over $1.5 billion in debt and equity offerings. We have funded ALX Oncology to date primarily through the issuance and sale of our convertible preferred stock to investors including venBio, Lightstone Ventures, Vivo Capital, Logos Capital, Janus Henderson, Foresite Capital, Stanford University, Cormorant Asset Management, BVF Partners, HBM Healthcare Investments and the Longevity Fund. We own global rights to all of our product candidates.

Our Strategy

Our goal is to transform treatment options for patients with cancer by developing ALX148 as a foundational checkpoint immunotherapy.

Key elements of our strategy to support this goal include:

 

   

Advance our lead product candidate, ALX148, through clinical development for MDS and AML.    We plan to initiate a Phase 1b/2 trial of ALX148, in combination with azacitidine, for the first-line treatment of patients with higher-risk MDS by the end of 2020 and in combination with standard of care agents for the first-line treatment of patients with AML in 2021. Given the limitations of current treatment options for patients with MDS, preclinical activity of ALX148 in combination with azacitidine, clinical data from competitor programs and the differentiated tolerability profile of ALX148, we intend to pursue a strategy in which we will leverage the data generated from this Phase 1b/2 trial to request from the FDA that ALX148 be a candidate for accelerated approval in the first-line treatment of high-risk MDS. Similarly, we believe ALX148 combination therapies could address the significant unmet need for more active tolerable regimens in the majority of patients with AML who are not fit for intensive induction chemotherapy. While we plan to seek accelerated approval by the FDA for the use of ALX148 in high risk MDS, and potentially AML, and may do so opportunistically for other indications in the future, there is no assurance that this approach will be successful for these as well as other indications.

 

   

Expanding the therapeutic potential of CD47 blockade into solid tumors.    We believe ALX148 can overcome the limitations of other CD47 blocking approaches in solid tumors. We have generated encouraging data in subjects with HNSCC treated with ALX148 in combination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and in subjects with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer, who have progressed on prior HER2-targeted therapy and chemotherapy, treated in combination with a HER2-targeted antibody. We have initiated additional Phase 1b cohorts for the first-line treatment of subjects with HNSCC and patients with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer, with Phase 1b data expected in 2021. The FDA has granted ALX148 Fast Track designation in first-line HNSCC and advanced gastric/GEJ cancer. We intend to pursue a strategy in which we will leverage the data generated from our planned Phase 2 randomized trials of ALX148 and pembrolizumab with and without chemotherapy to request from the FDA that ALX148 be a candidate for accelerated approval in the first-line treatment of HNSCC. We are also planning a randomized Phase 2 trial of ALX148, trastuzumab and chemotherapy in first-line HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer to inform future paths to registration in this indication.

 

   

Continuing development of a pipeline of innovative therapeutics based on our protein engineering expertise and knowledge of the immune system and cancer biology.    We specialize in designing and developing drug candidates that engage the immune system. We continue to develop a pipeline of immuno-oncology programs that represent complementary, but differentiated, approaches to engaging the innate and adaptive immune systems.

 

   

Developing strategic partnerships to broaden the potential impact of our current and future product candidates across patient populations.    In order to advance treatment options for the most patients, we may partner with other companies with complementary resources that will maximize the value of our current and future product candidates. Such partnerships may allow us to pair ALX148 and our future product candidates with other novel agents owned fully or in part by strategic partners. Partnerships may also help

 

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realize the full potential of our product candidates in markets where we are unlikely to pursue development or commercialization on our own. We intend to maintain significant economic interest in our product candidates and selectively consider partnership opportunities.

Pipeline

Our initial programs are focused on targeting CD47 across various oncology indications. Many forms of cancer use CD47 expression as a means of evading immune response. We are targeting the hematologic malignancies and solid tumor indications where we believe we have the greatest potential to address large markets and unmet medical needs.

The chart below summarizes the development status of our product candidate pipeline.

 

 

LOGO

We are also developing preclinical programs that may offer additional ways to engage the innate and adaptive immune response to cancer.

CD47 Scientific Background

Cancer immunotherapies targeting adaptive immune system checkpoints, notably those related to T cells, have transformed the standard of care in oncology across multiple cancer types. Initial clinical successes in this area have focused on stimulating the adaptive immune system. However, emerging evidence demonstrates that the innate immune system plays a crucial role in the first line of defense to eliminate transformed malignant cells and the subsequent activation of the adaptive immune system. Dendritic cells and macrophages are a type of myeloid cell and are important parts of the innate immune system. These cells eliminate cancer cells by phagocytosis and present tumor-derived antigens to T cells, a process known as cross-priming, which activates the adaptive immune system.

Cancer cells evade phagocytosis by up-regulating CD47, a transmembrane protein that mainly functions as an anti-phagocytic “don’t eat me” signal for healthy cells. CD47 interacts with its cognate receptor SIRPa, a regulatory membrane glycoprotein, that is expressed on macrophages and other myeloid cells and serves to prevent phagocytosis when bound to CD47. By overexpressing CD47, cancer cells are able to avoid phagocytosis by macrophages and thereby evade subsequent detection by the adaptive immune system.

 

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High CD47 expression in cancer cells has been shown to be a prognostic indicator of decreased survival in multiple oncology indications. A study published by Majeti, et al. in 2009, assessed this association in a validation cohort of 137 subjects with acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. As shown in the figure below, normal karyotype AML, or NK-AML, subjects with high levels of CD47 expression had shorter median overall survival, or mOS, of 9.1 months compared to subjects with low levels of CD47 expression who had an mOS of 22.1 months.

 

LOGO

CD47 as a therapeutic checkpoint target

Data generated by our and other studies in the field have demonstrated that activating the immune system against cancer requires both blocking phagocytosis checkpoints and inducing pro-phagocytic signals. This can be achieved by combining CD47 blockade with either conventional chemotherapies or targeted therapies, which together promote phagocytosis by macrophages and maximize adaptive immune system response.

Existing anti-cancer therapeutics can increase “eat me” signals on cancer cells. For example, the hypomethylating agent, or HMA, azacitidine activates the immune system by increasing display of calreticulin, a multifunctional protein, on cancer cells. Calreticulin is an important example of a pro-phagocytic “eat me” signal that potentiates immune response when expressed on cancer cells. Therapeutic antibodies that target tumor-specific antigens, such as the HER2 receptor, also induce cellular phagocytosis, but through a slightly different mechanism. These antibodies direct macrophages to cancer cells by binding to the tumor-specific antigen and activating the macrophage by engaging the Fcg receptors to induce phagocytosis. However, if CD47 is not blocked, the “don’t eat me” signal can limit the activity of this mechanism. CD47 blocking therapies can therefore maximize a combination agent’s clinical efficacy by overcoming the “don’t eat me“ signal that is co-opted by cancer cells.

Our lead product candidate targets CD47 to maximize phagocytosis of cancer cells and activation of the adaptive immune system.

 

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Cancer cells can also modulate their environment to suppress detection by immune cells. Overexpression of CD47 helps cancer cells avoid innate immune system detection by dendritic cells and subsequent antigen presentation to T cells, thereby limiting anti-tumor immune response. PD(L)-1 targeting immunotherapies are designed to reduce the suppression of T cells but do not address the initial evasion of the innate immune system by cancer cells. By removing the suppression of dendritic cells, CD47 blocking therapies in combination with PD(L)-1 targeted therapies can complement their T cell stimulatory activities.

Limitations of Current Approaches to Blocking CD47

There have been a number of approaches to blocking CD47, including monoclonal antibodies and fusion proteins that include an active Fc region. These approaches have encountered limitations that have challenged their ability to maximize the full potential of CD47 blockade. These include:

 

   

Limited dosing and therapeutic window:    All clinical data to date from other CD47 blocking agents have come from approaches that incorporate an active Fc region that provides an “eat me” signal to macrophages. Given that healthy blood cells express CD47, the presence of an “eat me” signal coupled with CD47 binding in a single-agent leads to destruction of blood cells. This mechanism is illustrated in the figure below. The trials of these other CD47 blocking agents have resulted in frequent occurrence of treatment-related cytopenias that we believe limits the therapeutic window of these agents. In addition to limiting the dosing, cytopenias can be dangerous for patients undergoing treatment for cancer as they may already have a compromised immune system related to intensive treatment regimens and disease progression.

 

   

Limited ability to combine with other anti-cancer agents:    Combination therapies continue to play an important role in treating patients with cancer. Overlapping toxicities of these agents dictate which agents can and cannot be combined. The overlapping toxicity profiles of other CD47 blocking agents and most other anti-cancer agents create challenges for combination dosing. When combination dosing is possible, the therapeutic benefit of the combination is limited due to the minimal amount of the CD47 blocking agent that can be safely dosed. Moreover, many combinations are precluded entirely due to overlapping toxicity. In addition, an active Fc domain can compete with anti-cancer antibodies when used in combination treatments and can prevent such antibodies from binding with Fcg receptors on immune cells.

 

   

Limited efficacy in solid tumors:    To date, other CD47 blocking agents have failed to achieve meaningful clinical activity in the treatment of solid tumors, as the balance between managing cytopenias and maximizing efficacy may lead to tolerable doses that are too low to facilitate tumor penetration and efficacy.

 

   

Limited indications due to patient selection:    Toxicities associated with other CD47 blocking agents may require careful patient selection when evaluating potential indications. In some cases, only subjects with lower risk of hematologic complications have been selected for treatment for other CD47 blocking agents due to drug related risk of severe cytopenias. Several sponsors have chosen to initially develop these investigational medicines in indications such as MDS, where patients are often already cytopenic upon presentation and receive regular transfusions, potentially obscuring the side effects of their CD47 blocking approaches.

 

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Advantages of ALX’s Approach to Blocking CD47

We founded ALX Oncology because we believed the limitations described above would prevent CD47 blockade from reaching its full potential as a therapy for patients with cancer. From the company’s inception, we designed ALX148 to overcome these limitations and to maximize the utility of CD47 blockade as an effective anti-cancer therapeutic for a broad range of tumors. Specifically, we believe ALX148 may provide the following significant advantages:

 

   

Broader therapeutic window:    We believe ALX148’s broader therapeutic window will allow for greater drug exposure than other CD47 blocking agents potentially translating into improved efficacy across a range of cancers, including MDS and AML, compared to other CD47 blocking agents. To date, we have not yet reached a maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, for ALX148. Furthermore, flexibility in dosing could allow for several administration schedules (weekly, bi-weekly, every three weeks, monthly) that are more amenable to combination therapy dosing schedules, potentially improving a patient’s quality of life.

 

   

Strong potential for combination with other anti-cancer agents:    CD47 blocking agents are combined with other therapeutics in order to maximize their potential in treating patients with cancer. Unlike other CD47 blocking agents, ALX148 was specifically designed to be combined with other anti-cancer agents. We believe ALX148’s favorable toxicity profile will enable it to be combined with a wider range of anti-cancer agents, including chemotherapy and cytotoxic containing regimens, compared to other CD47 blocking agents. Furthermore, we believe that ALX148’s inactive Fc domain will neither compete with nor potentially limit the efficacy of anti-cancer antibodies when used in combination treatments.

 

   

Encouraging responses in solid tumors:    ALX148 has demonstrated meaningful Phase 1 clinical data in the treatment of solid tumors. While other CD47 blocking agents have failed to demonstrate meaningful clinical activity in solid tumors, ALX148’s differentiated properties may underlie its encouraging results. Based on the data generated with ALX148 in combination with anti-cancer antibodies and checkpoint inhibitors, our strategy is to pursue ALX148 as a potentially critical component for future combination treatment of solid tumors.

 

   

Broader potential indications:    We believe ALX148’s tolerability profile will allow for broad treatment of patient populations in a wide range of oncology indications. Toxicities such as cytopenias associated with other CD47 blocking agents may potentially constrain their development strategies. While initial activity of other CD47 blocking agents has been reported in indications such as MDS and AML where many patients already suffer from disease-induced cytopenias, their development in oncology indications that do not include associated cytopenias may be challenged. We believe ALX148 is well positioned to expand the therapeutic potential of CD47 blockade across a broad spectrum of hematologic and solid tumor indications.

ALX148

Our lead product candidate, ALX148, is a CD47 blocking biologic in development as a combination therapy with other anti-cancer agents for treatment of various oncology indications, including MDS, AML, HNSCC and gastric/GEJ. We engineered ALX148 to maximize CD47 blockade and to avoid hematologic toxicities. We believe ALX148 enhances the efficacy of both anti-cancer targeted antibodies, numerous small molecule drugs and T cell checkpoint inhibitors and exhibits no dose-dependent cytopenias. ALX148 has demonstrated encouraging clinical responses in combination with multiple anti-cancer regimens for both hematologic and solid malignancies.

Other companies have pursued CD47 blocking approaches that prioritize single-agent activity, albeit with limited success. Rather than designing a molecule for monotherapy activity that has been associated with cytopenias, we designed ALX148 for use in combination with anti-cancer agents. Our product candidate exclusively blocks the “don’t eat me” pathway. A combination anti-cancer agent provides a specific pro-phagocytic signal on cancer cells. This approach may both increase the specificity to cancer cells and avoid dose-dependent destruction of healthy blood cells.

Fusion Protein Design

ALX148 is a fusion protein designed to provide a high CD47 blocking potency while potentially eliminating any associated toxicities. Our fusion protein comprises an engineered CD47-binding domain of SIRPa that has been

 

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genetically linked to a modified human immunoglobulin-derived Fc domain that does not bind to Fcg receptors. We engineered ALX148 in two important ways:

 

   

We mutated the binding domain to optimize CD47 affinity. ALX148 binding domain demonstrates an affinity that is over 3,000 times stronger than wildtype SIRPa.

 

   

We fused the CD47-binding region of SIRPa to an inactive Fc domain. Incorporating an inactive Fc domain was intended to eliminate single-agent activation of macrophages while still maintaining an antibody-like pharmacokinetic, or PK, profile.

The successful design of ALX148 required in-house generation of approximately 280 different protein constructs to thoroughly evaluate and optimize the impact of differing designs on multiple important evaluation criteria.

In order to optimize ALX148’s properties we conducted the following processes:

 

   

Design of the high-affinity CD47 binding domain:

 

   

Optimization of binding affinity for human CD47;

 

   

Optimization of cross-reactivity to rodent and monkey CD47 to enable key translational experiments; and

 

   

Elimination of partially glycosylated sites in SIRPa to remove heterogeneity and enable consistent manufacturing.

 

   

Design of the optimal fusion combination for PK extension:

 

   

Selection of an immunoglobulin isotype to prevent hemagglutination; and

 

   

Selection of mutations to immunoglobulin G1, or IgG1, to functionally eliminate Fcg binding and avoid associated cytopenias while maintaining neonatal Fc receptor binding that enables antibody-like PK.

As illustrated in the figure below, ALX148 comprises:

 

   

A SIRPa binding domain optimized to bind to CD47 with high affinity at a picomolar level; and

 

   

An inactive Fc domain that reduces cytopenias while preserving the desired PK properties of antibodies with an active Fc domain.

The resulting fusion protein has approximately one-half the molecular weight of a typical antibody. ALX148’s lower molecular weight enables it to deliver the molar equivalent of an antibody at one half the dose. For example, a 30 mg/kg dose of ALX148, the highest level that we have dosed to date, is approximately equivalent to a 60 mg/kg dose of an antibody. ALX148’s lower molecular weight may also facilitate increased solid tumor penetration and provide greater potency within the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, ALX148 can be efficiently and consistently produced at high yield at commercial scale utilizing standard monoclonal antibody manufacturing techniques. We believe ALX148’s differentiated properties potentially overcome the limitations of other CD47 blocking agents and may have utility as a combination agent in oncology.

 

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Our lead candidate is a fusion protein that potently and selectively binds CD47 to block the SIRPa interaction.

 

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Pre-Clinical Differentiation

Our preclinical studies of ALX148 support a target product profile of favorable tolerability, the ability to be dosed in high levels and increased anti-tumor activity as compared to other CD47 blocking agents. These data include the following.

Lack of hematologic side effects

Our preclinical data demonstrate that CD47 blocking agents with an active Fc domain directly cause adverse hematologic side effects. To support this hypothesis, we engineered a fusion protein with a SIRPa CD47-binding domain identical to ALX148’s binding domain but fused to an active, wild-type IgG1 Fc domain, ALX377. We administered 30 mg/kg ALX148 and 30 mg/kg ALX377 in mouse models and measured red blood cell, or RBC, platelet and white blood cell (lymphocyte, monocytes and granulocytes) counts. As shown in the figure below, mice treated with ALX148 having an inactive Fc domain showed blood count levels that were similar to the pre-dose baseline. In contrast, mice treated with ALX377 having an active Fc domain showed average decreases of 34% in RBC count, 70% in platelet count and 67% in white blood cell count three days post-dosing as compared to baseline counts.

The inactive Fc domain on ALX148 is responsible for improved hematologic tolerability in preclinical models.

 

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  ***   p<0.001
  ****   p<0.0001

To further evaluate ALX148’s preclinical tolerability, cynomolgus monkeys were treated by weekly intravenous injections at doses of zero (control), 10, 30 and 100 mg/kg for five consecutive weeks. No toxicity or adverse findings related to CD47 blockade by ALX148 were seen in analysis of RBCs, white blood cells, platelets, body weight, ophthalmic examination, cytokine analysis, ECG parameters and anatomical pathology assessment. The no-observable-adverse-effect-level in the study was the highest dose tested, 100 mg/kg.

Together, these preclinical studies demonstrate that inactivation of the Fc domain of ALX148 avoids adverse effects on normal blood cells seen on other CD47 blocking agents with an active Fc domain. They also supported our

 

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expectation that ALX148’s lack of overlapping toxicities with other anti-cancer therapies would result in fewer adverse outcomes in a clinic when combined with these therapies than combinations with conventional CD47 blocking agents.

ALX148 elicits superior phagocytosis in combination with anti-cancer antibodies

The inactive Fc of ALX148 does not compete with the active Fc domain of other therapeutic antibodies for binding with Fcg receptors on effector cells of the immune system. This fact, coupled with the high-affinity CD47 binding of our agent, results in enhanced phagocytosis from ALX148 in combination with other anti-cancer antibodies to a greater extent than other CD47 blockers. We believe this will allow us to explore ALX148 in combination with a higher number of leading anti-cancer antibodies compared to other CD47 blocking agents in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. In order to investigate the potential effects of the Fc domain and CD47 binding affinity on phagocytic activity, we produced two CD47 blocking agents with either an IgG4 or IgG1 active Fc domain, based on published sequences from two other clinical CD47 blockade programs. We combined these agents and ALX148 with cetuximab, an epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR, inhibitor that is FDA approved for several solid tumors, to assess phagocytic activity as compared to single-agent cetuximab. Both cetuximab and the active Fc domain of a CD47 blocking agent bind to the same cell surface Fcg receptors on a macrophage, potentially creating competition. IgG1 binds to receptors with higher affinity than IgG4 does, and ALX148’s inactive Fc does not bind. This experiment shows that CD47 blocking agents with active Fc domains and lower affinity, combined with cetuximab result in lower phagocytic activity from macrophages as compared to ALX148 with cetuximab. This experiment suggests ALX148, the only clinical CD47 blocking agent with an inactive Fc domain and high-affinity CD47 binding, may be unique in its anti-tumor activity when combined with anti-tumor antibodies.

ALX148 has shown superior antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis, or ADCP, of solid tumor cells compared to CD47 blockers with an active Fc domain and lower CD47 affinity when combined with an anti-tumor antibody.

 

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Clinical Data

Favorable tolerability profile

Clinical trials to date continue to support ALX148’s differentiated approach to CD47 blockade. ALX148 has been administered in over 150 subjects with advanced solid or hematologic malignancies, including in combination with a range of standard of care anti-cancer regimens. ALX148 has been consistently well-tolerated, with low occurrences of cytopenias and other toxicities. Adverse events are reported as of April 1, 2020.

We have not yet reached a maximum tolerated dose in any trial of ALX148 and are continuing to test higher doses. Because the half-life of ALX148 is longer with higher dose levels, such dosing may allow up to an every four weeks, or Q4W, administration schedule. Furthermore, ALX148’s tolerability profile could potentially result in a broad therapeutic window. We believe its tolerability profile to date supports initiation of trials in combination with highly effective, but more toxic, standard of care agents, such as chemotherapies that can cause cytopenias. Many other

 

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CD47 blocking agents are unable to combine with these anti-cancer agents due to overlapping toxicity profiles. We believe ALX148 may be uniquely positioned in its ability to combine with standard of care agents including those with associated cytopenias.

Initial data suggests that ALX148 demonstrates a consistent tolerability profile in Phase 1 trial cohorts.

 

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As of April 1, 2020. Treatment-related adverse events occurring in ³2 subjects in all histologies.

Single-digit incident rates of treatment-related grade three and higher cytopenias occurred across each of the trial cohorts in this heavily pre-treated group of subjects who are typical participants in early stage cancer trials and are often hematologically fragile at baseline. Additionally, the majority of treatment-related adverse events were of low-grade and were easily managed. Overall, ALX148 was well tolerated in an advanced cancer population and can be combined with a wide range of anti-cancer therapeutics.

All other CD47 blockers that have reported clinical data have reported high rates of both all grade and high grade cytopenias. A magrolimab clinical trial in solid tumors resulted in 56% anemia in the first 48 subjects dosed, despite each subject receiving an initial priming dose to mitigate anemia. A recent trial of magrolimab in 62 subjects with higher-risk MDS or AML presented in December 2019 reported over 35% grade 3 or 4 treatment-related anemia, over 20% grade 3 or 4 treatment-related neutropenia and over 15% grade 4 treatment-related thrombocytopenia. An unfavorable tolerability profile such as this could present challenges to these agents. In contrast, ALX148’s tolerability profile may enhance the breadth of clinical development by providing better treatment options for patients with cancer.

Clinical PK and PD Data

Initial clinical trials have confirmed that ALX148 exhibits favorable PK, and CD47 target occupancy, or TO. Human PK following intravenous, or IV, doses of ALX148 ranging from 0.3 to 30 mg/kg either as a single-agent, or in combination with pembrolizumab, trastuzumab or rituximab have been characterized in 131 subjects as of January 21, 2020. ALX148’s PK profiles demonstrated a non-linear PK trend with faster clearance at lower doses and slower clearance at higher doses of 10 mg/kg QW and 30 mg/kg once every other week, or QoW. ALX148’s PK profile was not affected by combination with rituximab, trastuzumab or pembrolizumab.

The pharmacodynamics, or PD, following AXL148 IV infusion either as a single-agent or in combination with pembrolizumab, trastuzumab or rituximab have been characterized in 139 subjects in as of January 21, 2020. Target engagement has been confirmed based on CD47 TO in peripheral blood T lymphocytes and erythrocytes measured by a flow cytometry assay. At lower doses of 0.3 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, a dose-dependent increase of TO was observed. Increased TO was observed following the subsequent IV dosing compared to the first IV infusion. Complete TO (> 85%) in peripheral blood was observed at doses ³ 3 mg/kg QW. Complete TO in peripheral blood was also observed for ALX148 dosed at 10 mg/kg QW in combination with pembrolizumab, trastuzumab or rituximab. Based in part on this data, Phase 1b expansion trials used 10 mg/kg QW dosing of ALX148.

 

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In our Phase 1b expansion trial to date, we have observed what may be a dose-response in subjects with NHL. While our data support full TO in the periphery at 10 mg/kg, enhanced tumor penetration may explain the higher response rate seen at 15 mg/kg in the clinic. Given the favorable tolerability observed to date at doses up to 15 mg/kg QW, we plan to evaluate these higher doses of ALX148.

Clinical Development of ALX148 in Hematologic Malignancies

The potential role of CD47 blockade to date has been clearly demonstrated in hematologic malignancies. This includes both our trials of ALX148 as well as trials by other CD47 blockade programs. We are planning to advance ALX148 in MDS and AML based on our initial trials in relapsed/refractory NHL, preclinical studies and evidence for the clinical utility of the CD47 blockade from other programs.

NHL Proof-of-Principle

ALX148’s initial hematologic clinical trial is an ongoing Phase 1b expansion trial in combination with rituximab to treat subjects with relapsed/refractory NHL. This is an open-label, multisite trial to assess safety. Subjects received ALX148 10 mg/kg QW or 15 mg/kg QW in combination with rituximab 375 mg/m2 administered as an intravenous infusion QW for four doses followed by once monthly for eight doses. In order to meet inclusion criteria, subjects must have had no curative therapy or standard approved therapy option available to them. Across all cohorts, as of April 1, 2020, subjects had received a median of three lines of therapy prior to enrollment in the ALX148 trial. These were heavily pre-treated subjects, all of whom had progressed on previous rituximab-containing regimens.

Responses were evaluated according to Lugano 2014 response criteria and reported as of April 1, 2020. As of April 1, 2020, ALX148 had been administered to 33 subjects. All subjects were response evaluable. 11 had indolent lymphomas and 22 had aggressive lymphomas. There were 11 subjects in the higher dose 15 mg/kg QW cohort. This cohort achieved an ORR of 54.6% (6/11). The ORR in the lower dose 10 mg/kg QW cohort was 40.9% (9/22).

 

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As of April 1, 2020.

 

We view ALX148’s initial activity in heavily pre-treated subjects with NHL as compelling evidence for the role of ALX148 in treating hematologic malignancies and as a favorable comparison to outcomes reported by other CD47 blocking agents in similar subjects. We believe the data in our 10 and 15 mg/kg QW cohorts may show a dose-dependent response that demonstrates ALX148’s activity and supports higher dose administration in trials for subjects with MDS.

Based on the activities seen at the 10 and 15 mg/kg QW doses coupled with a favorable tolerability profile, we are intending to test higher doses, up to 60 mg/kg Q4W in MDS. We believe this dosing schedule may be unique among CD47 blockade programs and can potentially provide a more convenient regimen in combination with monthly azacitidine for patients. This data set also supported our decision to advance ALX148 into solid tumor indications at higher doses of 45 mg/kg once every three weeks, or Q3W, in combination with standard agents also administered Q3W.

 

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ALX148 for the Treatment of MDS

Our development of ALX148 in hematologic indications is initially focused on MDS. There are approximately 70,000 people living with diagnosed MDS in the U.S. Patients with MDS have a wide range of expected outcomes that can be estimated from their Revised International Prognostic Scoring System, or IPSS-R, risk category. Patients with very low IPSS-R have an mOS of 8.8 years, whereas those with very high IPSS-R have an mOS of under ten months. Since nearly 75% of new cases are in patients aged 70 or older, balancing a patient’s age at prognosis with potential treatment-related impact on quality of life is important in considering treatment options. Regardless of age, treatment goals for patients with MDS are a balance of improved survival, symptom alleviation and quality of life.

For patients with higher-risk MDS (intermediate, high and very high IPSS-R), standard of care treatments include stem cell transplant, or SCT, high and low-intensity chemotherapy regimens and HMAs. SCT is the only therapy that is potentially curative; however, the procedure is difficult to tolerate, especially for older patients, and has a non-relapse mortality rate of approximately 40% at 200 days for all patients with MDS.

For patients who are ineligible for SCT, azacitidine, an HMA, is a standard backbone therapy for combination treatment regimens in MDS. The drug continues to be used in combination with investigational agents in a number of current MDS trials. Single-agent azacitidine is one of the few FDA-approved agents for patients with MDS. However, its FDA label indicates a complete response, or CR, rate of only 5.6% and an mOS of 2.0 years. A clinical complete response comprises normalizing peripheral blood counts, resolution of bone marrow dysplasia and reduction in the percentage of immature blood cells, or myeloblasts, to less than 5%. CD47 blockade in combination with azacitidine has shown early clinical evidence that suggests it may improve CR rates in MDS. For patients with higher-risk MDS, achieving a CR and improving overall survival are the central treatment goals. Treatment goals for patients with lower-risk MDS are different. The primary goal for those patients is resolution of cytopenias.

Red blood cell transfusions are a key element of treatment intended to address cytopenias in patients with MDS. The majority of patients have a hemoglobin count of less than 10 g/dL and approximately one-third of patients are RBC transfusion dependent. Transfusions impose significant time and cost burdens on patients and also cause clinical sequelae such as iron overload and associated liver fibrosis and cardiomyopathy. Therefore, achieving transfusion independence is an important secondary goal of treating patients with higher-risk MDS. A competitive CD47 blocking agent has generated encouraging clinical data, however, it is associated with high rates of anemia that may require additional transfusions upon treatment initiation, mitigating any success in peripheral blood count normalization.

The clinical data with CD47 blocking agents in MDS underscore the need for combination of two agents to achieve CRs. As previously discussed, pro-phagocytic signals in ALX148-based combinations can be provided by drugs that increase display of the “eat me” signal calreticulin on the surface of tumor cells. We have conducted preclinical studies that show that azacitidine increases the display of the “eat me” signal calreticulin on AML cells. Additionally, we have shown that azacitidine and ALX148 in combination produces increased phagocytosis in vitro and anti-tumor activity in mouse models compared to azacitidine alone. Furthermore, we have demonstrated in preclinical studies that ALX148 when combined with venetoclax, a BCL-2 inhibitor that is FDA-approved for the treatment of patients with AML, increases tumor growth inhibition in a leukemia tumor model, compared to venetoclax alone.

 

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LOGO

Recent data from a competitive CD47 blockade program, magrolimab, further support trials of ALX148 for treatment of MDS. Magrolimab was studied both as a single-agent and in combination with azacitidine in subjects with higher-risk MDS or AML. Magrolimab plus azacitidine achieved a 42% CR rate in previously untreated MDS and a 40% CR in previously untreated AML. As a single-agent, magrolimab achieved no CRs in relapsed/refractory MDS and AML, suggesting that a separate pro-phagocytic signal is required for the observed clinical activity. Despite the high rate of CRs achieved in combination, over 38% of subjects in these trials have experienced grade 3 or higher treatment-related anemia. Notwithstanding these limitations, magrolimab’s data support the potential role of CD47 blockade in treating these subjects.

Our strategy is to pursue ALX148 as a potentially critical component for future combination treatment options for patients with higher-risk MDS. Our preclinical models, activity of ALX148 in NHL where magrolimab has reported similar data and available CD47 clinical data in this indication support a potential role for ALX148 for treatment of patients with MDS. Baseline characteristics of subjects in a recent trial of azacitidine plus venetoclax in treatment-naïve higher-risk MDS illustrated the need for therapies that do not induce cytopenias. Prior to treatment, 56% of subjects had grade 3 or higher neutropenia, 33% had grade 3 or higher thrombocytopenia, 40% had grade 3 or higher leukopenia and 12% had grade 3 or higher anemia. We believe that it is important to develop a CD47 blocking therapy that does not exacerbate cytopenias that patients may already exhibit pre-treatment. ALX148’s tolerability profile to date suggests it may address this unmet need in patients who suffer from MDS.

We plan to initiate a Phase 1b/2 trial of ALX148 in combination with azacitidine for the first-line treatment of subjects with higher-risk MDS by the end of 2020. The Phase 1b portion of the trial will seek to evaluate up to 60 mg/kg Q4W of ALX148 plus standard azacitidine in subjects with relapsed/refractory and previously untreated MDS. The Phase 2 portion of the trial will assess the combination of ALX148 and azacitidine in subjects with previously untreated higher-risk MDS. The primary endpoint will be complete remission rate by six months. We intend to pursue a strategy in which we will leverage the data generated from the Phase 1b/2 trial to request from the FDA that ALX148 be a candidate for accelerated approval in the treatment of MDS.

ALX148 for the treatment of AML

Our preclinical studies and clinical studies from competing CD47 agents support the potential role of ALX148 in the treatment of patients with AML. In the United States, there are over 35,000 people living with AML with an expected 20,000 newly diagnosed cases and over 11,000 deaths from the disease in 2020. Overall survival for patients with AML is generally worse than patients with higher-risk MDS. Median overall survival for patients with AML ranges from approximately 15 months for patients with favorable cytogenetic risk factors to less than 5 months for those with adverse risk factors. Similar to MDS, patients tend to be older with a median age at diagnosis of 68.

 

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First-line treatment options for patients can be broadly stratified into high-intensity and low-intensity induction regimens. High-intensity induction chemotherapy is typically cytarabine plus an anthracycline (so called “7+3”) administered over a 28-day cycle. While patients can derive long term benefit from 7+3, the risks of the regimen are substantial. 60-day treatment-related mortality from 7+3 induction have been as high as 27% and have declined to 6-8% in recent years, likely due in part to more stringent patient selection and the decreased average age of patients who receive 7+3. Patients who are not candidates for intensive induction chemotherapy due to preference, performance status, or other reasons are likely to receive low-intensity regimens characterized by the use of HMAs, venetoclax or combined HMA plus venetoclax. In the past decade, the percentage of patients 65 and older who receive first-line high-intensity treatment has declined from approximately 70% to 40%, while the use of HMAs in this population increased from 11% to 44%. Venetoclax combined with an HMA recently received accelerated approval from the FDA for use in adults who are 75 years or older or who have comorbidities that exclude the use of intensive induction chemotherapy. Venetoclax was approved on the basis of CR rate and duration of CR and achieved a 37% CR rate in combination with azacitidine and 54% in combination with decitabine, and a median observed time in remission of 5.5 months. Despite these results, we believe there is a significant unmet need for more effective and well-tolerated first-line treatment options for patients who are not candidates for high-intensity therapy.

The mechanistic rationale for combining ALX148 with azacitidine in AML is similar to the rationale for MDS. Preclinical studies show that azacitidine increases the display of calreticulin, a pro-phagocytic signal, on cancer cells in AML models. The preclinical studies that support the use of ALX148 combinations in MDS also support its use in AML. Clinically, the CD47 agent magrolimab has achieved a 40% CR rate in untreated AML when used in combination with azacitidine. In a separate study in patients 65 and older with untreated AML, single-agent azacitidine as achieved a 20% CR rate. We believe this indicates CD47 agents could increase the activity of HMAs above their single-agent levels. Furthermore, our preclinical data of ALX148 in combination with venetoclax supports the combination with this agent that is increasingly being used in the treatment of patients with AML.

We plan to initiate a Phase 1b/2 trial of ALX148 in combination with standard of care agents for the first-line treatment of patients with AML in 2021.

ALX148 in Solid Tumors

We have generated clinical data with ALX148 in combination with multiple anti-cancer agents in solid tumors. We believe the smaller molecular weight of ALX148 as compared to a typical antibody may facilitate greater penetration into solid tumors. In addition, we believe the favorable tolerability profile of ALX148 will allow for higher administered doses in a range of combination strategies with leading therapies for solid tumors. Solid tumors represent the largest markets within oncology and many of these oncology indications are poorly served by current therapies, both in front-line as well as in the relapsed and refractory settings. We have demonstrated proof of concept with ALX148 in combination treatment in two solid tumor settings in initial clinical trials: HNSCC and HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer. We believe these indications offer registration pathways in combination with existing approved therapies and we intend to advance ALX148 into randomized Phase 2 trials in both oncology indications in 2021.

ALX148 can be combined with PD-1/programmed death-ligand 1, or PD-(L)1, agents in a broad range of solid tumors. As part of our development strategy, we are exploring the use of ALX148 in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor in HNSCC. PD-(L)1 inhibitors are currently approved by the FDA for 18 indications and had over $20 billion in 2019 sales. Other CD47 blocking approaches may be limited in their ability to combine with PD-(L)1 inhibitors due to cumulative or overlapping toxicities.

We investigated ALX148 in subjects with solid tumors in additional cohorts as part of an extensive Phase 1 trial. Part 1 was a dose escalation trial of single-agent ALX148 intended to examine tolerability and recommended dosing and was not expected to show single-agent activity. Sixteen subjects with solid tumors received ALX148 as a single-agent on a QW schedule at doses ranging from 0.1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg and 12 subjects received ALX148 as a single-agent on a QoW dosing schedule at a dose of 30 mg/kg. The maximum tolerated dose was not determined on either schedule. However, the maximum administered dose was 30 mg/kg for the Q2W dosing schedule and 10 mg/kg for the QW schedule.

Part 2 is comprised of ALX148 escalation and expansion cohorts. In subjects with solid tumors, ALX148 was combined with various anti-cancer agents including pembrolizumab, trastuzumab and chemotherapy. Adverse events

 

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from the ALX148 plus pembrolizumab cohort and ALX148 plus trastuzumab cohort are reported above. As previously discussed, ALX148 has consistently displayed a favorable tolerability profile. Many of the reported adverse events have been associated with either pembrolizumab or trastuzumab.

In HNSCC, our initial Phase 1b expansion trial combined ALX148 with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 agent, which is a standard of care for subjects with HNSCC. Final results from the cohort of ALX148 combined with pembrolizumab were reported at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology, Virtual Scientific Program, or ASCO 2020, and provided the first demonstration of ALX148’s ability to enhance checkpoint inhibitor antibody activity in solid tumors and is the basis for FDA Fast Track designation in first-line treatment of HNSCC. Data from this trial supported our recently initiated trial in HNSCC that adds chemotherapy (5-FU plus cisplatin) to the combination of pembrolizumab and ALX148.

In HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer, our Phase 1b expansion trial included a combination with trastuzumab, an anti-HER2 agent, that is the standard of care for subjects with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer and is FDA-approved for other HER2-expressing tumors. Final results from the cohort of ALX148 combined with trastuzumab were reported at ASCO 2020 and provided the first demonstration of ALX148 activity with an anti-tumor targeted antibody in subjects with solid tumors. Data from this trial formed the basis for FDA Fast Track designation in second-line subjects with advanced HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer and supported our recently initiated trial in gastric/GEJ cancer that adds second-line standard of care agents (ramucirumab plus paclitaxel) to the combination of trastuzumab and ALX148.

Overall, we believe our development plan for ALX148 in solid tumors has significant potential and represents a strong complement to our program in hematologic malignancies. With encouraging data in multiple drug combinations initially evaluated in the clinic, we plan to advance trials to assess efficacy in the solid tumor indications with substantial unmet medical need.

ALX148 in HNSCC

Disease background

There are estimated to be over 38,000 people living in the United States with metastatic HNSCC, with over 50,000 newly incident cases at all stages estimated to be diagnosed in 2020. Five-year survival is 85% for patients diagnosed with localized disease but decreases to only 40% for those diagnosed with metastatic disease, underlying the need for improved treatment options.

FDA-approved and National Comprehensive Cancer Network, or NCCN, recommended therapies for the first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic disease include pembrolizumab monotherapy, pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy, platinum and fluorouracil, and cetuximab, an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody, combined with chemotherapy among other treatments. The KEYNOTE-048 clinical trial led to the FDA approval of pembrolizumab monotherapy as a first-line treatment in patients with HNSCC whose tumors express PD-L1 on a Combined Positive Score, or CPS, ³1 and approval of pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment in patients with HNSCC regardless of CPS . In KEYNOTE-048, pembrolizumab monotherapy achieved 17% ORR with a median progression-free survival, or mPFS, of 2.3 months in subjects with HNSCC regardless of CPS. Of particular note, in subjects with CPS <1 pembrolizumab monotherapy only achieved a 5% ORR.

Pembrolizumab monotherapy in previously treated HNSCC was reported in the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-040 trial. Subjects were excluded if they had prior therapy with an anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 therapy. In KEYNOTE-040, pembrolizumab achieved a 15% ORR, mPFS of only 2.1 months and mOS of 8.4 months. While we believe pembrolizumab is an important treatment option for both first- and second-line HNSCC, the majority of patients do not have an objective response to pembrolizumab-based therapy.

Despite the recent approval of pembrolizumab, we believe that there is significant unmet need remaining for patients with HNSCC. The addition of ALX148 to pembrolizumab, or pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, may have the potential to improve response rates and provide additional clinical benefit to patients with metastatic HNSCC. We have evaluated ALX148 in subjects with metastatic HNSCC and continue to develop ALX148 in this setting.

Trial design

ALX148 was investigated in combination with pembrolizumab in subjects with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC who had received at least one prior systemic therapy. The clinical evaluation of ALX148 in HNSCC was an open-label,

 

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multisite expansion of our Phase 1 trial to assess safety and tolerability with response rate and duration as secondary endpoints. There was no requirement for PD-L1 expression. Subjects received ALX148 10 mg/kg QW in combination with pembrolizumab 200 mg on a Q3W dosing schedule. Subject response was evaluated based on RECIST version 1.1. Twenty subjects were dosed with ALX148 and as of April 1, 2020, all subjects in the HNSCC expansion cohort were response evaluable. Because standard of care in first-line HNSCC was evolving during the course of this trial to include checkpoint inhibitors, 50% (10) of the subjects who enrolled were checkpoint inhibitor naïve and 50% (10) had previously received a checkpoint inhibitor.

Outcomes

The primary objective of the trial was to assess safety. Final results of the fully enrolled cohort were reported at ASCO 2020. As reported above in the summary tables of treatment-related adverse events from all ALX148 trials, the combination was well tolerated. As of April 1, 2020, ALX148 with pembrolizumab achieved an ORR of 40% (4/10) in checkpoint inhibitor naïve subjects while maintaining a tolerability profile consistent with earlier trials. Some of the 20 subjects had a CPS of zero and response was also observed within this subject population. We believe the addition of ALX148 to pembrolizumab represents a potentially significant advance over pembrolizumab monotherapy based on a review of the KEYNOTE-040 trial results that showed an ORR of 15%. Based on our clinical trial data, the FDA granted ALX148 Fast Track designation for first-line treatment of subjects with HNSCC.

 

LOGO

We also analyzed paired pre- and on-treatment tumor biopsies from subjects for the presence of CD8+ T cells, CD68+ and CD163+ myeloid cells. After treatment with ALX148, tumor samples showed increased infiltration of CD8+, CD68+ and CD163+ cells in the tumor, which suggests that ALX148 also engages the innate and adaptive immune system consistent with its mechanism of action.

Clinical development plan

Our HNSCC development plan is to build on the initial results of ALX148 in checkpoint inhibitor naïve patients in combination with pembrolizumab. Given the results of KEYNOTE-048, we expect pembrolizumab, or pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, to continue to be widely used in the first-line treatment of metastatic HNSCC. Therefore, our future plans will be focused on establishing additional efficacy, in the context of acceptable safety and tolerability, over pembrolizumab alone, or pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy, in the front-line metastatic HNSCC setting. In January 2020, we initiated a Phase 1b trial that is evaluating ALX148 plus pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in subjects with no PD-L1 expression requirements. In addition to our initial dosing of 10 mg/kg QW, a higher dosing will be explored with 15 mg/kg QW dosing planned. We anticipate initiation of a Phase 2 trial of ALX148 and pembrolizumab by the first half of 2021.

ALX148 in HER2-Positive Gastric/GEJ

Disease background

Over 25,000 people are estimated to be living in the United States with diagnosed metastatic gastric/GEJ carcinoma. A large, international Phase 3 trial of trastuzumab in gastric/GEJ cancer found that of the nearly 4,000

 

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subjects screened for inclusion in the trial, 17% of them were HER2-positive, which suggests a general HER2-positive rate for patients with gastric/GEJ cancer. In East Asian countries, gastric/GEJ cancer is much more common than in the United States, with incidence rates 4-10 times higher. China alone has a diagnosed incidence of over 900,000 patients with gastric/GEJ cancer per year.

First-line standard of care treatment is trastuzumab combined with the chemotherapy agents platinum and fluoropyrimidine. Trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin, is an anti-HER2 antibody that has multiple FDA approvals in patients with HER2-positive cancers. In the second-line HER2-positive gastric setting, there are no HER2 targeted FDA-approved therapies. As such, the standard of care regimen in the U.S. is ramucirumab, marketed as Cyramza, a vascular endothelial growth factor 2 receptor monoclonal antibody, in combination with paclitaxel, a widely used chemotherapy. In a Phase 3 trial leading to FDA approval, ramucirumab plus paclitaxel achieved a 28% ORR with a 9.6 month mOS in subjects with previously treated gastric/GEJ cancer.

HER2-positive patients with gastric/GEJ cancers in second-line treatment are likely to have received an anti-HER2 antibody-based treatment in their first line of treatment. A recently reported prospective clinical trial studied trastuzumab plus paclitaxel compared to paclitaxel alone in previously treated HER2-positive subjects with gastric/GEJ cancer. Subjects were required to have progressed during the first line of treatment with trastuzumab plus chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidine plus platinum). The objective of this trial was to assess the clinical effect of trastuzumab after patients had progressed on prior trastuzumab treatment. The trial results showed that the addition of trastuzumab added no meaningful clinical benefit over paclitaxel alone. There was no significant improvement in mOS, mPFS or ORR compared to the paclitaxel arm. Based on these data, we hypothesized that we could attribute any observed responses when treating a similar subject population with ALX148 paired with trastuzumab, to a combination effect of the two agents and not simply a response to trastuzumab alone.

Trial design

ALX148 was investigated in combination with trastuzumab in subjects with relapsed/refractory HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer. This trial was an open-label, multisite expansion of our Phase 1 trial to assess safety and tolerability with response rate and duration as secondary endpoints. Twenty subjects from the gastric/GEJ expansion cohort received ALX148 10 mg/kg QW in combination with trastuzumab at an initial dose of 8 mg/kg followed by 6 mg/kg intravenous infusion Q3W. As of April 1, 2020, 19 subjects were response evaluable. One of the twenty subjects administered ALX148 discontinued the study due to clinical symptoms of progression prior to their first scheduled on study scan and therefore was not response evaluable per protocol definition.

As of April 1, 2020, in our trial of ALX148 plus trastuzumab, 18 of 19 response evaluable subjects from the gastric/GEJ expansion cohort, including all subjects who achieved a response, had been treated with at least one HER2-containing regimen prior to enrollment. Multiple subjects also received an investigational anti-HER2 agent and a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor as prior treatment.

 

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Outcomes

 

LOGO

The primary objective of the trial was to assess safety and the combination regimen was well tolerated. Final results of the fully enrolled cohort were reported at ASCO 2020. Importantly, ALX148 with trastuzumab achieved an ORR of 21.1% (4/19) in these subjects. The FDA granted ALX148 Fast Track designation for second-line treatment of advanced HER2-positive gastric/GEJ carcinoma partly due to this data. Based on prior studies, one of which is described above, any observed response can likely be attributed to the combination effect and not a response to single-agent trastuzumab. We believe that an ORR of 21.1% in this second-line or later population supports further development of ALX148 in HER2-positive cancers.

Clinical development plans

Based on ALX148’s activity in second-line and later subjects, in December 2019, we initiated a Phase 1b trial in HER2-positive subjects who previously received a trastuzumab-containing regimen. In this trial, we are combining ALX148 with trastuzumab, ramucirumab and paclitaxel to demonstrate the tolerability of ALX148, at doses of 10 mg/kg and 15 mg/kg QW, and an anti-HER2 antibody when combined with second-line standard-of-care treatment.

We intend to initiate a randomized Phase 2 trial of trastuzumab and chemotherapy with and without ALX148 for subjects with untreated HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer by the second half of 2021. Data from this trial would confirm whether ALX148 improves the response rate to anti-HER2-based therapy in patients with HER2-positive gastric/GEJ cancer. Of note, there are multiple emerging agents, predominantly antibody-based therapies, in development for patients with HER2-positive cancer. Because these agents target HER2 as does trastuzumab, we believe that ALX148 has the potential to maximize the anti-cancer activity of these novel agents should they supplant trastuzumab in the treatment paradigm for these patients.

Research Programs

In addition to ALX148, we are also developing preclinical programs that may offer additional ways to engage the innate and adaptive immune response to cancer.

Licensing and Intellectual Property

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain proprietary protection for our current and future product candidates, novel discoveries, product development technologies and knowhow and to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We seek to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing or in-licensing U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications related to technology, inventions and improvements that are important to the development and implementation of our business. Our patent portfolio is intended to cover our product candidates and related components, their methods of use and processes for their manufacture and any other inventions that are commercially important to our business. We also rely on trademarks,

 

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trade secrets, knowhow, continuing technological innovation and confidential information to develop and maintain our proprietary position.

As of July 1, 2020, we own two issued U.S. patents, seven pending U.S. nonprovisional patent applications, six pending U.S. provisional patent applications and a portfolio of national patent application filings in a variety of non-U.S. jurisdictions, including Europe, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Russia. Of these patents and patent applications, the following relate to ALX148: two issued U.S. patents, four pending U.S. nonprovisional patent applications, six pending U.S. provisional patent applications and a portfolio of national patent application filings in a variety of non-U.S. jurisdictions, including Europe, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Canada, China, India, Israel, Republic of Korea, Singapore and Russia.

The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term for patents in the countries in which they are granted. Our two U.S. issued patents and, if issued as U.S. patents, our seven U.S. nonprovisional patent applications and six U.S. provisional patent applications are expected to expire between August 2036 and November 2040, excluding any additional term for patent term adjustments or patent term extensions, with an expiration of between August 2036 and November 2040 with respect to our patent and patent applications related to ALX148, excluding any additional term for patent term extensions.

We obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license from the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, or Stanford, under certain patents relating to high-affinity SIRPa variant polypeptides, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. Our portfolio of exclusively licensed patents from Stanford includes five issued patents (one of which is in the United States) and applications are pending in six jurisdictions (including the United States and the European Patent Office). For more information regarding our license agreement with Stanford, please see “—Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.”

Our patent portfolio exclusively licensed from Stanford contains patent families relating to high-affinity SIRPa variant polypeptides, which is comprised of one issued patent in each of U.S., Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong and Japan, one pending U.S. patent application and one pending European patent application. The European patent has been validated as national patents in 37 different European countries. These patents and patent applications are subject to retained rights by Stanford to allow academic and nonprofit research institutions to practice the licensed technology and patents for noncommercial purposes. In addition, these patents are subject to certain pre-existing rights that Stanford has granted to two third parties. These patents are expected to expire in 2033 excluding any extension of patent term that may be available.

We are aware of a revoked European patent (EP 2 429 574) owned by UHN and The Hospital for Sick Children that may encompass certain therapies for the treatment of cancer using polypeptides comprising soluble human SIRPa, or a CD47-binding fragment thereof. This revoked patent related to the treatment of cancer with polypeptides comprising soluble human SIRPa, or a CD47-binding fragment thereof. This patent was revoked by the European Patent Office and UHN and The Hospital for Sick Children have appealed the decision. The U.S. counterpart is not yet granted. If UHN and the Hospital for Sick Children win their appeal of the European Patent Office decision revoking their European patent, or if the U.S. counterpart grants them a patent, the resulting patent claims could potentially limit our ability to pursue ALX148 in certain new indications or geographies in the future.

For more information regarding the risks related to our intellectual property, including the above referenced intellectual property proceedings, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property.”

Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

In March 2015, we entered into a license agreement, or the Stanford Agreement, with Stanford under which we obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents relating to our current product candidates, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. The license granted to us in

 

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the Stanford Agreement includes an exclusive grant, subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive or exclusive rights that Stanford retained for grant to third parties with respect to certain categories of the licensed patents in certain fields of use and retained rights by Stanford and all other nonprofit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other nonprofit purposes. The license granted to us in the Stanford Agreement also includes non-exclusive grants to certain Stanford patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to us under the Stanford Agreement, we paid Stanford a nonrefundable license royalty and reimbursed Stanford for past patent expenses, together totaling less than $0.1 million, and granted Stanford a specified number of our ordinary shares. In addition, we are obligated to pay Stanford ongoing patent expenses and an annual license maintenance fee, which are nominal and will be creditable against any royalties payable to Stanford in the applicable year. We are required to make milestone payments up to an aggregate of $5.0 million in respect of a specified number of licensed products that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones. No milestone payments have been made through December 31, 2019. We also agreed to pay Stanford tiered royalties on a specified percentage of net sales made by us, our affiliates and our sublicensees of licensed products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain reductions and offsets. Our license, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, shall become royalty-free and fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the exclusively or non-exclusively licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the licensed product in such country.

We may terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time for any reason by providing at least 60 days’ written notice to Stanford. Stanford may terminate the Stanford Agreement if we are in breach of any provision of the Stanford Agreement and fail to remedy such breach within 60 days after written notice of such breach by Stanford. In addition, Stanford has the right to terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, if we are not diligently developing and commercializing such licensed product under certain conditions or if we fail to achieve specified development milestones for such licensed product by certain dates, subject to our extension rights.

Other Third-Party Agreements

We have entered into license agreements with third parties related to the development and commercialization of our product candidates, including ALX148, and SIRPa antibodies which we are exploring in our research program. In consideration of the foregoing, we have agreed to customary payments terms in these agreements, including certain milestone payments upon the achievement of clinical and commercial milestones and low single-digit royalties. See the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Contractual Obligations and Commitments—License and Collaboration Agreements.”

Commercialization

We intend to retain significant development and commercial rights to our product candidates and, if marketing approval is obtained, to commercialize our product candidates on our own, or potentially with a partner, in the United States and other regions. We currently have no sales, marketing or commercial product distribution capabilities and have no experience as a company commercializing products. We intend to build the necessary infrastructure and capabilities over time for the United States, and potentially other regions, following further advancement of our product candidates. Clinical data, the size of the addressable patient population, the size of the commercial infrastructure and manufacturing needs may all influence or alter our commercialization plans.

Manufacturing and Supply

We do not own or operate and do not intend to establish our own manufacturing facilities. We rely on, and will continue to rely on, CMOs for both drug substance and drug product. Both ALX148 bulk drug substance and finished drug product are produced in accordance with cGMPs.

Our existing supply of ALX148 drug product is sufficient to complete our clinical trials through the first half of 2021. We plan to manufacture additional supplies with our existing CMOs to produce ALX148 drug product sufficient to complete the ongoing and planned clinical trials described in this document. We first entered into an engagement with KBI Biopharma, Inc. in 2015 for analytical method development, formulation development, bulk

 

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drug manufacturing, release and stability testing. We first entered into a drug product manufacturing agreement with Lyophilization Services of New England, Inc. in 2016 and have subsequently used them for all ALX148 drug product used in clinical trials to date.

Competition

The development and commercialization of new product candidates is highly competitive. We face competition with respect to ALX148 and will face competition with respect to any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies among others. We compete in the segments of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other related markets that develop immune-oncology therapies for the treatment of cancer. There are other companies working to develop immuno-oncology therapies for the treatment of cancer including divisions of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies of various sizes. The large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that have commercialized and/or are developing immuno-oncology treatments for cancer include AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche/Genentech.

Some of these competitive products and therapies are based on scientific approaches that are the same as or similar to our approach, including with respect to the targeting of CD47 pathway and others are based on entirely different approaches. We are aware that Arch Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences (through its recent acquisition of Forty Seven), I-Mab, Novimmune, OSE Immunotherapeutics, Seattle Genetics, Surface Oncology and Trillium Therapeutics, among others, are developing drugs targeting the CD47 pathway that may have utility for the treatment of indications that we are targeting. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.

Many of the companies against which we are competing or against which we may compete in the future have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved drugs than we do. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, in establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling subjects for our clinical trials and in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

We could see a reduction or elimination of our commercial opportunity if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we or our collaborators may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or foreign regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. The key competitive factors affecting the success of all our product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety, convenience and price, if required, the level of biosimilar or generic competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.

Government Regulation

In the United States, the FDA, regulates biologic products under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, and Public Health Service Act, or PHSA. Biologic products and substances are subject to other federal, state and local statutes and regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or post-market may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include, among other actions, the FDA’s refusal to approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, untitled or warning letters, product recalls or market withdrawals, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government

 

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contracts, restitution, disgorgement and civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us.

The FDA and other regulatory authorities at federal, state and local levels, as well as in foreign countries, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, import, export, safety, effectiveness, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution, record keeping, approval, advertising, promotion, marketing, post-approval monitoring and post approval reporting of biologics such as those we are developing. We, along with third-party contractors, will be required to navigate the various preclinical, clinical and commercial approval requirements of the governing regulatory agencies of the countries in which we wish to conduct studies or seek approval or licensure of our product candidates.

U.S. Biologics Regulation

Any future product candidates must be approved by the FDA through the BLA process before they may be legally marketed in the United States. The process generally involves the following:

 

   

Completion of extensive preclinical laboratory tests and animal studies performed in accordance with the FDA’s current Good Laboratory Practices, or GLP, regulation.

 

   

Submission to the FDA of an investigational new drug, or IND, application, which must become effective before clinical trials may begin and must be updated annually or when significant changes are made.

 

   

Approval by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, or ethics committee at each clinical site before the trial is commenced.

 

   

Performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with the applicable IND regulations, good clinical practice, or GCP, requirements to establish the safety, purity and potency (i.e., safety and effectiveness) of the proposed biologic product candidate for its intended purpose.

 

   

Preparation of and submission to the FDA of a BLA after completion of all pivotal clinical trials.

 

   

A determination by the FDA within 60 days of its receipt of a BLA to file the application for review.

 

   

Satisfactory completion of any FDA audit of preclinical studies and/or clinical trial sites that generated the data in support of the BLA.

 

   

Satisfactory completion of an FDA pre-approval inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the proposed product is produced to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMPs, and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the biological product’s continued safety, purity and potency, and of selected clinical investigation sites to assess compliance with GCPs.

 

   

Satisfactory completion of an FDA Advisory Committee review, if applicable.

 

   

FDA review and approval of a BLA to permit commercial marketing of the product for particular indications for use in the United States.

 

   

Compliance with any post-approval requirements, including the potential requirement to implement an REMS and the potential requirement to conduct post-approval studies.

Preclinical and Clinical Development

The data required to support a BLA are generated in two distinct developmental stages: preclinical and clinical. The preclinical and clinical testing and approval process require substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for any future product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, or at all.

The preclinical developmental stage generally involves laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as studies to evaluate toxicity in animals, including pharmacology, PK, toxicokinetic and metabolism studies, that support subsequent clinical testing in humans. The sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical studies, together with manufacturing information, analytical data, any available clinical data or literature and a proposed clinical protocol, to the FDA as part of the IND. Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry and formulation, as well as in vitro and animal studies to assess the potential for adverse events and in some cases to establish a rationale for therapeutic use. The conduct of preclinical studies is subject to federal regulations and requirements, including GLP regulations for safety/toxicology studies.

Prior to beginning the first clinical trial with a product candidate, we must submit an IND to the FDA. An IND is a request for authorization from the FDA to administer an investigational new biopharmaceutical product to humans.

 

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The central focus of an IND submission is on the general investigational plan and the protocol(s) for clinical trials. An IND must become effective before human clinical trials may begin. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises any concerns or questions about the proposed clinical trial(s) and places the trial(s) on clinical hold. In such a case, the IND may be placed on clinical hold and the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before the clinical trial can begin. Submission of an IND therefore may or may not result in FDA authorization to begin a clinical trial.

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCPs, which include the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent for their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety and assess efficacy. Each protocol, and any subsequent amendments to the protocol, must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. Furthermore, an independent IRB for each site proposing to conduct the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial and its informed consent form before the clinical trial begins at that site and must monitor the trial until completed. Regulatory authorities, the IRB, or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk or that the trial is unlikely to meet its stated objectives. Some trials also include oversight by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board, which provides authorization for whether or not a trial may move forward at designated check points based on access to certain data from the trial and may halt the clinical trial if it determines that there is an unacceptable safety risk for subjects or other grounds, such as no demonstration of efficacy. There are also requirements governing the reporting of ongoing preclinical studies and clinical trials and clinical trial results to public registries.

A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside of the United States may, but need not, obtain FDA authorization to conduct the clinical trial under an IND. If a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND, the sponsor may submit data from the clinical trial to the FDA in support of an BLA. The FDA will accept a well-designed and well-conducted foreign clinical trial not conducted under an IND if the trial was conducted in accordance with GCP requirements and the FDA is able to validate the data through an onsite inspection if deemed necessary.

For purposes of BLA approval, human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap.

 

   

Phase 1. For biologics being studied in oncology indications, the investigational product is initially introduced into patients with the target disease or condition. These trials are designed to test the safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism and distribution of the investigational product in humans, to identify possible side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, to gain early evidence on effectiveness.

 

   

Phase 2. The investigational product is administered to a limited patient population with a specified disease or condition to evaluate the preliminary efficacy, optimal dosages and dosing schedule and to identify possible adverse side effects and safety risks and additional information on PK and PD. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials may be conducted to obtain information prior to beginning larger and more expensive Phase 3 clinical trials.

 

   

Phase 3. The investigational product is administered to an expanded patient population to further evaluate dosage, to provide statistically significant evidence of clinical efficacy and to further test for safety, purity and potency for an intended use, and generally at multiple geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. These clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk/benefit ratio of the investigational product and to provide an adequate basis for product approval. These trials may include comparisons with placebo and/or other comparator treatments.

In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These so-called Phase 4 trials may be made a condition to approval of the BLA. Concurrent with clinical trials, companies may complete additional animal studies and develop

 

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additional information about the biological characteristics of the product candidate and must finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final product, or for biologics, the safety, purity and potency. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

BLA Submission and Review

Assuming successful completion of all required testing in accordance with all applicable regulatory requirements, the results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting approval to market the product for one or more indications. The BLA must include all relevant data available from pertinent preclinical studies and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, together with detailed information relating to the product’s chemistry, manufacturing, controls and proposed labeling, among other things. The submission of a BLA requires payment of a substantial application user fee to the FDA, unless a waiver or exemption applies.

Once a BLA has been submitted, the FDA’s goal is to review standard applications within ten months after it accepts the application for filing, or, if the application qualifies for priority review, six months after the FDA accepts the application for filing. In both standard and priority reviews, the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA reviews a BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe, pure and potent and the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packed or held meets standards designed to assure the product’s continued safety, purity and potency. The FDA may convene an advisory committee to provide clinical insight on application review questions. Before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCPs. If the FDA determines that the application, manufacturing process or manufacturing facilities are not acceptable, it will outline the deficiencies in the submission and often will request additional testing or information. Notwithstanding the submission of any requested additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.

After the FDA evaluates a BLA and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the investigational product and/or its biopharmaceutical substance will be produced, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response letter will describe all of the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in the BLA, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the Complete Response letter without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the Complete Response letter, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the BLA in condition for approval, including requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA may delay or refuse approval of a BLA if applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied, require additional testing or information and/or require post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor safety or efficacy of a product.

If regulatory approval of a product is granted, such approval will be granted for particular indications and may entail limitations on the indicated uses for which such product may be marketed. For example, the FDA may approve the BLA with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, to ensure the benefits of the product outweigh its risks. A REMS is a safety strategy to manage a known or potential serious risk associated with a product and to enable patients to have continued access to such medicines by managing their safe use, and could include medication guides, physician communication plans, or elements to assure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools. The FDA also may condition approval on, among other things, changes to proposed labeling or the development of adequate controls and specifications. Once approved, the FDA may withdraw the product approval if compliance with pre- and post-marketing requirements is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the marketplace. The FDA may require one or more Phase

 

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4 post-market trials and surveillance to further assess and monitor the product’s safety and effectiveness after commercialization and may limit further marketing of the product based on the results of these post-marketing studies.

Expedited Development and Review Programs

The FDA offers a number of expedited development and review programs for qualifying product candidates. The fast track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new products are eligible for Fast Track designation if they are intended to treat patients with a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a fast track product has opportunities for frequent interactions with the review team during product development and, once a BLA is submitted, the product may be eligible for priority review. A fast track product may also be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the BLA, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the BLA and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the BLA.

A product intended to treat patients with a serious or life-threatening disease or condition may also be eligible for breakthrough therapy designation to expedite its development and review. A product can receive breakthrough therapy designation if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product, alone or in combination with one or more other drugs or biologics, may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The designation includes all of the fast track program features, as well as more intensive FDA interaction and guidance beginning as early as Phase 1 and an organizational commitment to expedite the development and review of the product, including involvement of senior managers.

Any marketing application for a biologic submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a Fast Track designation and/or breakthrough therapy designation, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite the FDA review and approval process, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious disease or condition. For original BLAs, priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of the 60-day filing date (as compared to ten months under standard review).

Additionally, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating patients with serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may receive accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of accelerated approval, the FDA will generally require the sponsor to perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials to verify and describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval preapproval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.

Fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process. Even if a product qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may later decide that the product no longer meets the conditions for qualification or decide that the time period for FDA review or approval will not be shortened.

Orphan Drug Designation

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan designation to a drug or biologic intended to treat patients with a rare disease or condition, which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug or biologic for this type of disease or

 

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condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug or biologic. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting a BLA. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review or approval process.

If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusive approval (or exclusivity), which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications, including a full BLA, to market the same biologic for the same indication for seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity or if the FDA finds that the holder of the orphan drug exclusivity has not shown that it can assure the availability of sufficient quantities of the orphan drug to meet the needs of patients with the disease or condition for which the drug was designated. Orphan drug exclusivity does not prevent the FDA from approving a different drug or biologic for the same disease or condition, or the same drug or biologic for a different disease or condition. Among the other benefits of orphan drug designation are tax credits for certain research and a waiver of the BLA application fee.

A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity if it is approved for a use that is broader than the indication for which it received orphan designation. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

Post-Approval Requirements

Any products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including, among other things, requirements relating to facility registration, biopharmaceutical product listing, record-keeping, reporting of adverse experiences, periodic reporting, product sampling and distribution and advertising and promotion of the product. After approval, most changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications or other labeling claims, are subject to prior FDA review and approval. There also are continuing user fee requirements, under which the FDA assesses an annual program fee for each product identified in an approved BLA. Biologic manufacturers and their subcontractors are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon us and our third-party manufacturers. Changes to the manufacturing process are strictly regulated, and, depending on the significance of the change, may require prior FDA approval before being implemented. FDA regulations also require investigation and correction of any deviations from cGMPs and impose reporting requirements upon us and any third-party manufacturers that we may decide to use. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMPs and other aspects of regulatory compliance. Further, if there are any modifications to the drug or biologic, including changes in indications, labeling or manufacturing processes or facilities, the applicant may be required to submit and obtain FDA approval of a new BLA or a supplement submission, which may require the development of additional preclinical studies, clinical trials, data and/or assays, such as comparability protocols.

The FDA may withdraw approval if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution restrictions or other restrictions under a REMS program. Other potential consequences include, among other things:

 

   

Restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of a product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls.

 

   

Fines, warning letters or holds on post-approval clinical trials.

 

   

Refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of existing product approvals.

 

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Product seizure or detention, or refusal of the FDA to permit the import or export of products.

 

   

Consent decrees, corporate integrity agreements, debarment or exclusion from federal healthcare programs.

 

   

Mandated modification of promotional materials and labeling and the issuance of corrective information.

 

   

The issuance of safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases and other communications containing warnings or other safety information about the product.

 

   

Injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The FDA closely regulates the marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of biologics. A company can make only those claims relating to safety and efficacy, purity and potency that are approved by the FDA and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses.

Failure to comply with these requirements can result in, among other things, adverse publicity, warning letters, corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties. Physicians may prescribe legally available products for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and that differ from those tested by us and approved by the FDA. Physicians may believe that such off-label uses are the best treatment for many patients in varied circumstances. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments. The FDA does, however, restrict manufacturer’s communications on the subject of off-label use of their products.

Biosimilars and Reference Product Exclusivity

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA, includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA approved reference biological product.

Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies and a clinical trial or trials. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.

Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing that applicant’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of its product. The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. At this juncture, it is unclear whether products deemed “interchangeable” by the FDA will, in fact, be readily substituted by pharmacies, which are governed by state pharmacy law. Additionally, prescribing physicians are free to specify “Do Not Substitute” in prescriptions, which would prohibit pharmacists from substituting a branded biologic product for a biosimilar product.

The BPCIA is complex and continues to be interpreted and implemented by the FDA. In addition, government proposals have sought to reduce the 12-year reference product exclusivity period. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of recent litigation. As a result, the ultimate impact, implementation and impact of the BPCIA are subject to uncertainty.

Other Healthcare Laws and Compliance Requirements

Biopharmaceutical companies are subject to additional healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the states and foreign jurisdictions in which they conduct their business. Research, manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities following product approval are subject to regulation by numerous regulatory authorities in the United States in addition to the FDA, including CMS, other divisions of the

 

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Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and state and local governments. For example, in the United States, sales, marketing and scientific and educational programs also must comply with state and federal fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, transparency laws, government price reporting and health information privacy and security laws. These laws include the following:

 

   

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which makes it illegal for any person, including a prescription drug manufacturer (or a party acting on its behalf), to knowingly and willfully solicit, receive, offer or pay any remuneration that is intended to induce or reward referrals, including the purchase, recommendation, order or prescription of a particular drug, for which payment may be made under a federal healthcare program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. Moreover, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively, the ACA, provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act. In addition, the intent standard under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute was amended by the ACA to eliminate the need to prove specific intent and actual knowledge to establish an Anti-Kickback Statute violation.

 

   

The federal civil and criminal false claims, including the FCA that can be enforced by private citizens through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, prohibit individuals or entities from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the federal government, claims for payment that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government.

 

   

The civil monetary penalties laws impose penalties against any person or entity that, among other things, is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to a federal healthcare program that the person knows or should know is for an item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent, or offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier.

 

   

The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, prohibits, among other things, executing or attempting to execute a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters. HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and their implementing regulations, also imposes obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, on certain covered healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses as well as their respective business associates that perform services for them that involve the use, or disclosure of, individually identifiable health information, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information.

 

   

Federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers.

 

   

The FDCA, which prohibits, among other things, the adulteration or misbranding of drugs, biologics and medical devices.

 

   

The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires applicable manufacturers of covered drugs, medical devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to annually report to CMS information regarding payments and other transfers of value to physicians, as defined by such law, and teaching hospitals as well as information regarding ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Additionally, President Trump signed into law in 2018 the “Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promoted Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act” which, under the provision entitled “Fighting the Opioid Epidemic with Sunshine,” in part, extends the reporting and transparency requirements for physicians under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act to physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other mid-level practitioners, with reporting requirements going into effect in 2022 for payments made in 2021.

 

   

The distribution of pharmaceutical products is subject to additional requirements and regulations, including extensive record-keeping, licensing, price reporting, storage and security requirements intended to prevent

 

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the unauthorized sale of pharmaceutical products. Pricing and rebate programs must also comply with the Medicaid rebate requirements of the U.S. Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 and more recent requirements in the ACA. If products are made available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule of the General Services Administration, additional laws and requirements apply. For example, products must meet applicable child-resistant packaging requirements under the U.S. Poison Prevention Packaging Act. Manufacturing, sales, promotion and other activities also are potentially subject to federal and state consumer protection and unfair competition laws.

 

   

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, prohibits any U.S. individual or business from paying, offering, or authorizing payment or offering of anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any foreign official, political party or candidate for the purpose of influencing any act or decision of the foreign entity in order to assist the individual or business in obtaining or retaining business. The FCPA also obligates companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, if any, and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations.

 

   

Analogous state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback, anti-referral and false claims laws, which may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers, state laws that require biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies to comply with the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government and may require drug manufacturers to report certain information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, state laws that require biotechnology companies to report information on the pricing of certain drug products, state and local laws that require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives, and state and foreign laws that govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts; and state laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving private insurers.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of available statutory and regulatory exemptions or safe harbors, it is possible that some of our activities, such as stock-option compensation paid to physicians, could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. The growth of our business and sales organization and our expansion outside of the United States may increase the potential of violating these laws or our internal policies and procedures. Any action brought against us for violations of these laws or regulations, even successfully defended, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Also, we may be subject to private “qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers on behalf of the federal or state governments. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the federal, state and foreign laws described above or any other current or future fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, injunctions, requests for recall, seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, denial or withdrawal of product approvals or refusal to allow a firm to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts, and we could be required to curtail or cease our operations. Any of the foregoing consequences could seriously harm our business and our financial results.

Coverage and Reimbursement

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval. In the United States and markets in other countries, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend, in part, on the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors. Third-party payors include government programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, managed care plans, private health insurers and other organizations. These third-party payors may deny coverage or reimbursement for a product or therapy in whole or in part if they determine that the product or therapy was not medically appropriate or necessary. Third-party payors may attempt to control costs by limiting coverage to

 

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specific drug products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the FDA-approved drug products for a particular indication, and by limiting the amount of reimbursement for particular procedures or drug treatments. Additionally, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly from payor to payor. The Medicare and Medicaid programs are often used as models by private payors and other governmental payors to develop their coverage and reimbursement policies for drugs and biologics. However, one third-party payor’s decision to cover a particular drug product does not ensure that other payors will also provide coverage for the product or will provide coverage at an adequate reimbursement rate.

The cost of pharmaceuticals continues to generate substantial governmental and third-party payor interest. We expect that the pharmaceutical industry will experience pricing pressures due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of managed care organizations and additional legislative proposals. Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of our products to obtain third-party payor coverage, in addition to the costs required to obtain the FDA approvals. Our product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.

Some third-party payors also require pre-approval of coverage for new or innovative drug therapies before they will reimburse healthcare providers who use such therapies. While we cannot predict whether any proposed cost-containment measures will be adopted or otherwise implemented in the future, these requirements or any announcement or adoption of such proposals could have a material adverse effect on our ability to obtain adequate prices for our product candidates and to operate profitably. In international markets, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies. There can be no assurance that our products will be considered medically reasonable and necessary for a specific indication, that our products will be considered cost-effective by third-party payors, that coverage or an adequate level of reimbursement will be available or that third-party payors’ reimbursement policies will not adversely affect our ability to sell our products profitably.

Other Healthcare Laws

U.S. Healthcare Reform

The United States and some foreign jurisdictions are considering or have enacted a number of reform proposals to change the healthcare system. There is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by federal and state legislative initiatives, including those designed to limit the pricing, coverage and reimbursement of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products, especially under government-funded health care programs, and increased governmental control of drug pricing.

The ACA, which was enacted in March 2010, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers in the United States, and significantly affected the pharmaceutical industry. The ACA contains a number of provisions of particular import to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including, but not limited to, those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected, a new licensure framework for follow on biologic products, and annual fees based on pharmaceutical companies’ share of sales to federal health care programs. There remain judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, as well as efforts by the Trump administration to repeal or replace certain aspects of the ACA. Since January 2017, President Trump has signed Executive Orders and other directives designed to delay the implementation of certain provisions of the ACA or otherwise circumvent some of the requirements for health insurance mandated by the ACA. Concurrently, Congress has considered legislation that would repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not passed comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under the ACA have passed. In January 2013,

 

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President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which, among other things, reduced Medicare payments to several providers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law new federal tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or Tax Act, which includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” In addition, the 2020 federal spending package permanently eliminates, effective January 1, 2020, the ACA mandated “Cadillac” tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage and medical device tax and, effective January 1, 2021, also eliminates the health insurer tax. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, or BBA, among other things, amended the ACA, effective January 1, 2019, to close the coverage gap in most Medicare Part D drug plans. In December 2018, CMS published a new final rule permitting further collections and payments to and from certain ACA-qualified health plans and health insurance issuers under the ACA risk adjustment program in response to the outcome of federal district court litigation regarding the method CMS uses to determine this risk adjustment. However, on April 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a Federal Circuit decision that previously upheld Congress’ denial of $12 billion in “risk corridor” funding. On December 14, 2018, a Texas U.S. District Court Judge ruled that the ACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress as part of the Tax Act. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the District Court ruling that the individual mandate was unconstitutional and remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On March 2, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petitions for writs of certiorari to review this case and will hear oral arguments, which are expected to occur later this year. It is unclear how such litigation and other efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will impact the ACA.

Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted in the United States since the ACA was enacted. These changes included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year, effective April 1, 2013, which, due to subsequent legislative amendments, will stay in effect through 2030 unless additional congressional action is taken. The CARES Act, which was signed into law on March 27, 2020, designed to provide financial support and resources to individuals and businesses affected by COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020, and extended the sequester by one year, through 2030, in order to offset the added expense of the 2020 cancellation. Additionally, it is possible that additional governmental action is taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business. For example, on April 18, 2020, CMS announced that qualified health plan issuers under the ACA may suspend activities related to the collection and reporting of quality data that would have otherwise been reported between May and June 2020 given the challenges healthcare providers are facing responding to the COVID-19 virus.

Moreover, there has recently been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. For example, at the federal level, the Trump administration’s budget proposals for fiscal year 2021 includes a $135 billion allowance to support legislative proposals seeking to reduce drug prices, increase competition, lower out-of-pocket drug costs for patients and increase patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar drugs. On March 10, 2020, the Trump administration sent “principles” for drug pricing to Congress, calling for legislation that would, among other things, cap Medicare Part D beneficiary out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses, provide an option to cap Medicare Part D beneficiary monthly out-of-pocket expenses, and place limits on pharmaceutical price increases. Additionally, the Trump Administration previously released a “Blueprint” to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs of drugs that contained proposals to increase manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products and reduce the out of pocket costs of drug products paid by consumers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has solicited feedback on certain of these measures and has implemented others under its existing authority. For example, in May 2019, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage plans the option to use step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020, codifying a policy change that was effective January 1, 2019. While some of these and other measures may

 

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require additional authorization to become effective, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. These and other new laws and regulations may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, which could have a material adverse effect on customers for our biopharmaceutical products, if approved, and accordingly, our financial operations.

Additionally, the Right to Try Act, which was enacted on May 30, 2018, provides a federal framework for certain patients with life-threatening diseases to access certain investigational new drug products that have completed a Phase 1 clinical trial and that are undergoing investigation for FDA approval. Under certain circumstances, eligible patients can seek treatment without enrolling in clinical trials and without obtaining FDA permission under the FDA expanded access program. There is no obligation for a drug manufacturer to make its drug products available to eligible patients as a result of the Right to Try Act.

Employees

As of July 1, 2020, we had 15 full-time employees, 8 of whom hold Ph.D. or M.D. degrees and 8 of whom were engaged in research and development activities. None of our employees are represented by a labor union and we believe we maintain good relations with our employees.

Facilities

We currently lease 11,424 square feet of laboratory and office space in Burlingame, California, under a lease that expires in 2023. In July 2020, we assigned our lease to Tallac Therapeutics and received a sublease for such premises from Tallac Therapeutics. We believe that this space is sufficient to meet our needs for the foreseeable future and that any additional space we may require will be available on commercially reasonable terms.

Legal Proceedings

We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings. From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. Regardless of outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us due to defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, negative publicity, reputational harm and other factors.

 

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MANAGEMENT

Executive Officers and Directors

The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of our executive officers and directors as of May 31, 2020:

 

 

 

NAME

   AGE     

POSITION

Executive Officers: (1)

     

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

     54     

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Nathan Caffo

     51     

Chief Business Officer

Peter García

     59     

Chief Financial Officer

Steffen Pietzke

     48     

Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.

     52     

Chief Medical Officer

Non-Employee Directors:

     

Corey Goodman, Ph.D. (3) (4)

     68     

Executive Chairman of the Board

Rekha Hemrajani (2) (4)

     51     

Director

Jason Lettmann (3) (4)

     42     

Director

Jack Nielsen (2) (3)

     56     

Director

Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D. (2) (4)

     33     

Director

 

 

(1)    After giving effect to the resignation of Dr. Hong Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, effective June 30, 2020, as described in “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Tallac Therapeutics Agreements.”
(2)    Member of the audit committee
(3)    Member of the compensation committee
(4)    Member of the corporate governance and nominating committee

Executive Officers

Jaume Pons, Ph.D. has served as our President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since April 2015. He has also served as a Scientific Advisor at Lightstone Ventures, a venture capital fund, since January 2019 and as a Venture Partner at venBio Partners, a venture capital firm, since January 2017. Prior to joining us, Dr. Pons was with Pfizer, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, where he served as Senior Vice President and a member of the Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development Leadership Team and Chief Technology Officer for Pfizer Biotherapeutics from September 2009 to February 2015. From October 2007 to February 2015, he served as Chief Scientific Officer at Rinat Neuroscience Corporation, a subsidiary of Pfizer. Dr. Pons holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Autonomous University of Barcelona and an M.S. in Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the Institute on Fundamental Biology, Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona).

We believe Dr. Pons is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of the perspective and experience he brings as our Chief Executive Officer, his experience in leadership positions in the biotechnology industry, his educational background and his strong scientific knowledge.

Nathan Caffo has served as our Chief Business Officer since September 2018. Prior to joining us, Mr. Caffo was with Presage Biosciences, an oncology company, from April 2009 to August 2018, where he served in various executive roles, including as President, from December 2011 to August 2018, and from September 2017 until August 2018, he also served as Presage’s Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Caffo holds a B.S. in Microbiology from Pennsylvania State University.

Peter Garcia has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 2020. Prior to joining us, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from May 2013 until August 2019 and as Acting Chief Accounting Officer from May 2013 until July 2013 at PDL BioPharma, Inc., an acquirer of royalties and pharmaceutical assets. From October 2011 to May 2013, Mr. Garcia served as Chief Financial Officer at BioTime, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company now known as Lineage Cell Therapeutics. He previously served as Chief Financial Officer of six biotechnology and high technology companies, including Marina Biotech, Nanosys, Nuvelo, Novacept, IntraBiotics Pharmaceuticals and Dendreon. Mr. Garcia holds a B.A. in Economics and Sociology from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

 

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Steffen Pietzke has served as our Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer since March 2020. Prior to joining us, he served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at Tricida, Inc., a biotechnology company, from April 2018 to March 2020. From June 2015 to April 2018, Mr. Pietzke served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer at PDL BioPharma. From July 2013 to June 2015, he served as a Senior Manager with Ernst & Young LLP, a professional services firm. From September 2000 to June 2013, Mr. Pietzke was with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a professional services firm, where he served most recently as a Senior Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Accounting from the University of Applied Sciences in Offenburg, Germany and is a certified public accountant.

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since June 2016. Prior to joining us, she was with Pfizer Oncology Early and Late Development Groups from June 2008 to April 2016, where she served most recently as Executive Director, Oncology from June 2015 to April 2016. From June 2007 to May 2008, Dr. Randolph served as Director, Clinical Sciences, Oncology at Merck, a pharmaceutical company. She holds an A.B. in Biochemistry from Harvard University and an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan. Dr. Randolph completed her oncology fellowship training at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Non-Employee Directors

Corey Goodman, Ph.D. is our co-founder and has served as a member of our board of directors and as Executive Chairman since March 2015. He co-founded and has served as a Managing Partner of venBio Partners since March 2010. Dr. Goodman founded Labrys, a biopharmaceutical company acquired by Teva, where he served as chairman and as a member of the board of directors from December 2012 to June 2014. He founded Pfizer’s Biotherapeutics and Bioinnovation Center where he served as President and a member of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team from October 2007 until May 2009. He co-founded Renovis, a biopharmaceutical company acquired by Evotec, where he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director from September 2001 October 2007. He is a former tenured biology professor at both Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, the co-founder of U.C. Berkeley’s Wills Neuroscience Institute, Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and currently is an adjunct professor at U.C. Berkeley. Dr. Goodman is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Philosophical Society and a recipient of the 2020 Gruber Neuroscience Prize. He currently serves as chairman and as a member of the board of directors of several privately held biotechnology companies. Dr. Goodman holds a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from U.C. Berkeley and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego.

We believe Dr. Goodman is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience founding and managing biotechnology companies in both the private and public markets.

Rekha Hemrajani has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2020. She served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Aravive, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company, from January 2020 to April 2020. From March 2019 to September 2019, Ms. Hemrajani served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Arcus Biosciences, a biotechnology company. From March 2016 to March 2019, she served as Chief Operating Officer of FLX Bio, Inc. (now RAPT Therapeutics, Inc.), a biotechnology company. From February 2015 to March 2016, Ms. Hemrajani served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Business and Financial Operations at 3-V Biosciences, Inc. (now Sagimet Biosciences, Inc.), a biotechnology company. From November 2013 to January 2015, Ms. Hemrajani advised privately held companies on strategic corporate development and financing activities at Ravinia Consulting, a consulting firm she founded. Ms. Hemrajani currently serves as a director at Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., a clinical-stage gene therapy company, and previously served as a director at Aravive. She holds a B.S. in Economics and Computer Science from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

We believe Ms. Hemrajani is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her executive and financial experience at multiple companies in the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Jason Lettmann has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2020 and previously served as a member of our board of directors from March 2015 to May 2017. Mr. Lettmann has served as a General Partner of

 

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Lightstone Ventures since March 2012 and as a Partner at Morgenthaler Ventures, a venture capital and private equity firm, since June 2009. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Promedior Inc., a biotechnology company acquired by Roche, from January 2019 to February 2020 and as a Vice President at Split Rock Partners, a venture capital firm, from June 2006 to June 2009. Mr. Lettmann currently serves as a member of the board of directors of several privately-held companies and previously served as a director of Ra Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company acquired by UCB. Mr. Lettmann holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

We believe Mr. Lettmann is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his industry experience, his experience serving on the boards of directors for multiple life sciences companies and his extensive experience with venture capital investments.

Jack Nielsen has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2020. Mr. Nielsen has served as a Managing Director at Vivo Capital LLC, a healthcare focused investment firm, since August 2017, and previously served as a consultant from March 2017 to July 2017. From 2001 to February 2017, Mr. Nielsen was with the Novo A/S (Novozymes) organization and its venture activities in several roles, most recently as a Senior Partner based in Copenhagen, Denmark. From May 2006 to August 2012, Mr. Nielsen was a Partner at Novo Ventures (US) in San Francisco, where he established the office that provides certain consultancy services to Novo A/S. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Reata Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company, and previously served as a director of Akebia Therapeutics, Apollo Endosurgery, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals and Merus, N.V. Mr. Nielsen holds an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark and a Masters in Management of Technology from Center for Technology, Economics and Management, Technical University of Denmark.

We believe Mr. Nielsen is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his experience working in the biotechnology industry, his experience as a venture capital investor and his board service for several companies in the biotechnology sector.

Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since February 2020. Dr. Walmsley is a Founding Member and has served as a Managing Partner of Logos Global Management, LP, a biotechnology-focused hedge fund, since August 2019. From July 2016 to August 2019, he served as a Principal at Versant Ventures, a healthcare focused venture capital firm. Dr. Walmsley served as Head of Business Development at Pipeline Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company, from April 2018 to December 2018 and as Head of Business Development at Jecure Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, from June 2017 until its acquisition by Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, in November 2018. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Akero Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Dr. Walmsley received a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley in June 2009 and a Ph.D. and an M.D. in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine from Stanford University School of Medicine in June 2016 and June 2018, respectively.

We believe Dr. Walmsley is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his significant experience in the healthcare and biotechnology industry, his educational background and his experience as a director for companies in the biotechnology sector.

Board Composition

Our board of directors currently consists of six members. After the completion of this offering, the number of directors will be fixed by our board of directors, subject to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws. Each of our current directors will continue to serve as a director until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms. Our current directors will be divided among the three classes as follows:

 

   

the Class I directors will be Corey Goodman, Ph.D., and Jason Lettmann, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2021;

 

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the Class II directors will be Jack Nielsen and Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D., and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2022; and

 

   

the Class III directors will be Jaume Pons, Ph.D., and Rekha Hemrajani, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2023.

At each annual meeting of stockholders, upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, the successor to each such director in the class will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following his or her election and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of our directors.

This classification of our board of directors may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control of our company.

Director Independence

Upon the completion of this offering, our common stock will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Under the rules of Nasdaq, independent directors must comprise a majority of a listed company’s board of directors within one year of the completion of this offering. In addition, the rules of Nasdaq require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and corporate governance and nominating committees be independent. Audit committee members and compensation committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 and Rule 10C-1, respectively, under the Exchange Act. Under the rules of Nasdaq, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of that company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

To be considered to be independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3 and under the rules of Nasdaq, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors or any other board committee: (1) accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or (2) be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.

To be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10C-1 and under the rules of Nasdaq, the board of directors must affirmatively determine that each member of the compensation committee is independent, including a consideration of all factors specifically relevant to determining whether the director has a relationship to the company which is material to that director’s ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, including, but not limited to: (1) the source of compensation of such director, including any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee paid by the company to such director and (2) whether such director is affiliated with the company, a subsidiary of the company or an affiliate of a subsidiary of the company.

Our board of directors undertook a review of its composition, the composition of its committees and the independence of our directors and considered whether any director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his background, employment and affiliations, including family relationships, our board of directors has determined that Corey Goodman, Ph.D., Rekha Hemrajani, Jason Lettmann, Jack Nielsen and Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D., representing five of our six directors, do not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is “independent” as that term is defined under the rules of Nasdaq.

In making these determinations, our board of directors considered the current and prior relationships that each non-employee director has with our company and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each

 

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non-employee director, and the transactions involving them described in the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions.” There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.

Board Leadership Structure

Our board of directors is currently chaired by Dr. Goodman. As a general policy, our board of directors believes that separation of the positions of Executive Chairman of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer reinforces the independence of our board of directors from management, creates an environment that encourages objective oversight of management’s performance and enhances the effectiveness of our board of directors as a whole. As such, Dr. Pons serves as our Chief Executive Officer while Dr. Goodman serves as the Executive Chairman of our board of directors but is not an officer. We currently expect and intend the positions of Executive Chairman of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer to continue to be held by two individuals in the future.

Role of the Board in Risk Oversight

Our board of directors has an active role, as a whole and also at the committee level, in overseeing the management of our risks. Our board of directors is responsible for general oversight of risks and regular review of information regarding our risks, including credit risks, liquidity risks and operational risks. The compensation committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to our executive compensation plans and arrangements. The audit committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to accounting matters and financial reporting. The corporate governance and nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks associated with the independence of our board of directors and potential conflicts of interest. Although each committee is responsible for evaluating certain risks and overseeing the management of such risks, our entire board of directors is regularly informed through discussions from committee members about such risks. Our board of directors believes its administration of its risk oversight function has not negatively affected the board of directors’ leadership structure.

Board Committees

Our board of directors has an audit committee, a compensation committee and a corporate governance and nominating committee, each of which has the composition and the responsibilities described below.

Audit Committee

The members of our audit committee are Rekha Hemrajani, Jack Nielsen and Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D. Ms. Hemrajani is the chair of our audit committee and is our audit committee financial expert, as that term is defined under the SEC rules implementing Section 407 of SOX, and possesses financial sophistication, as defined under the rules of Nasdaq. Our audit committee oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting process and assists our board of directors in monitoring our financial systems. Our audit committee will also:

 

   

select and hire the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our consolidated financial statements;

 

   

help to ensure the independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

   

approve audit and non-audit services and fees;

 

   

review consolidated financial statements and discuss with management and the independent registered public accounting firm our annual audited and quarterly consolidated financial statements, the results of the independent audit and the quarterly reviews and the reports and certifications regarding internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls;

 

   

prepare the audit committee report that the SEC requires to be included in our annual proxy statement;

 

   

review reports and communications from the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

   

review the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal controls and disclosure controls and procedure;

 

   

review our policies on risk assessment and risk management;

 

   

review related-party transactions; and

 

   

establish and oversee procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of accounting related complaints and the confidential submission by our employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.

 

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Our audit committee will operate under a written charter, to be effective prior to the completion of this offering, which will satisfy the applicable rules of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq.

Compensation Committee

The members of our compensation committee are Corey Goodman, Ph.D., Jason Lettmann and Jack Nielsen. Dr. Goodman is the chair of our compensation committee. Our compensation committee oversees our compensation policies, plans and benefits programs. The compensation committee will also:

 

   

oversee our overall compensation philosophy and compensation policies, plans and benefit programs;

 

   

review and approve or recommend to the board of directors for approval compensation for our executive officers and directors;

 

   

prepare the compensation committee report that the SEC will require to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

   

administer our equity compensation plans.

Our compensation committee will operate under a written charter, to be effective prior to the completion of this offering, which will satisfy the applicable rules of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq.

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee

The members of our corporate governance and nominating committee are Corey Goodman, Ph.D., Rekha Hemrajani, Jason Lettmann and Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D. Mr. Lettmann is the chairman of our corporate governance and nominating committee. Our corporate governance and nominating committee oversees and assists our board of directors in reviewing and recommending nominees for election as directors. Specifically, the corporate governance and nominating committee will:

 

   

identify, evaluate and make recommendations to our board of directors regarding nominees for election to our board of directors and its committees;

 

   

consider and make recommendations to our board of directors regarding the composition of our board of directors and its committees;

 

   

review developments in corporate governance practices;

 

   

evaluate the adequacy of our corporate governance practices and reporting; and

 

   

evaluate the performance of our board of directors and of individual directors.

Our corporate governance and nominating committee will operate under a written charter, to be effective prior to the completion of this offering, which will satisfy the applicable rules of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq.

Director Compensation

As of May 31, 2020, none of our directors had received any cash or equity compensation for serving on our board of directors. This includes our current directors and Dr. Robert Adelman and Ms. Caroline Gaynor, each of whom served on our board of directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019.

We do reimburse our directors for expenses associated with attending meetings of our board of directors and committees of our board of directors.

Dr. Pons was our only employee director during 2019. See the section titled “Executive Compensation” for additional information about Dr. Pons’ compensation.

In April 2020, we retained Compensia, a third-party compensation consultant, to provide our board of directors and its compensation committee with an analysis of publicly available market data, and assistance in determining, compensation to be provided to our non-employee directors on and after the effective date of our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Based on the discussions with and assistance from Compensia, in July 2020, our board of directors adopted, and our stockholders approved, an Outside Director Compensation Policy that provides for certain compensation to our non-employee directors effective on and after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

 

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In June 2020 and in connection with this offering, our board of directors approved the grant of options to purchase 24,009 shares of our common stock to each of our directors, other than to Dr. Pons and Ms. Hemrajani, with an exercise price equal to the initial public offering price of our common stock, which will be effective as of the date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The grants will be subject to the terms and conditions of the amendment and restatement of our 2020 Plan, or the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, and form of option agreement thereunder. Each of the options will vest as to one thirty-sixth of the shares subject to the option on a monthly basis from the grant date, in each case subject to continued service through each applicable vesting date.

Cash Compensation

The Outside Director Compensation Policy provides for the following cash compensation program for our non-employee directors, effective upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part:

 

   

$40,000 per year for service as a non-employee director;

 

   

$30,000 per year for service as non-employee chair of our board of directors;

 

   

$20,000 per year for service as chair of the audit committee;

 

   

$7,500 per year for service as a member of the audit committee;

 

   

$10,000 per year for service as chair of the compensation committee;

 

   

$5,000 per year for service as a member of the compensation committee;

 

   

$8,000 per year for service as chair of the corporate governance and nominating committee; and

 

   

$4,000 per year for service as a member of the corporate governance and nominating committee.

Each non-employee director who serves as a committee chair will receive only the cash retainer fee as the chair of the committee but not the cash retainer fee as a member of that committee. These fees to our non-employee directors are paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis. Under our Outside Director Compensation Policy, we also will reimburse our non-employee directors for reasonable travel expenses to attend meetings of our board of directors and its committees.

Equity Compensation

Initial Award. Pursuant to our Outside Director Compensation Policy, each person who first becomes a non-employee director after the effective date of such policy will receive, on the first trading day on or after the date that the person first becomes a non-employee director, an initial award, or the Initial Award, of stock options to purchase 24,009 shares of our common stock. The Initial Award will be scheduled to vest in equal installments as to one thirty-sixth of the shares of our common stock subject at grant to the Initial Award on a monthly basis following the Initial Award’s grant date, on the same day of the month as the grant date, subject to continued services to us through the applicable vesting dates. If the person was a member of our board of directors and also an employee, then becoming a non-employee director due to termination of employment will not entitle the person to an Initial Award.

Annual Award. Pursuant to our Outside Director Compensation Policy, each non-employee director automatically will receive, on the first trading day immediately after the date of each annual meeting of our stockholders that occurs following the effective date of our Outside Director Compensation Policy, an annual award, or the Annual Award, of stock options to purchase 12,004 shares of our common stock, with such number of shares prorated if the recipient commenced service as a non-employee director after the date of the immediately prior annual meeting of our stockholders, based on the number of whole months of non-employee director service completed before the Annual Award’s grant date. Each Annual Award will be scheduled to vest as to one-twelfth of the shares of our common stock subject at grant to the Annual Award on a monthly basis following the Annual Award’s grant date, on the same day of the month as the grant date, or if earlier, the day immediately before the day of the next annual meeting of stockholders that occurs after the grant date of the Annual Award, subject to continued services to us through the applicable vesting dates.

Change in Control. In the event of a change in control, as defined in our Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, each non-employee director’s then outstanding equity awards covering shares of our common stock

 

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will accelerate vesting in full, provided that he or she remains a non-employee director through the date of our change in control.

Other Award Terms. Each Initial Award and Annual Award will be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (or its successor plan, as applicable) and form of award agreement under such plan. These awards will have a maximum term to expiration of ten years from their grant and a per-share exercise price equal to 100% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the award’s grant date.

Director Compensation Limits. Our Outside Director Compensation Policy provides that in any fiscal year, a non-employee director may be paid cash compensation and granted equity awards with an aggregate value of no more than $1,000,000 (with the value of equity awards based on its grant date fair value determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP for purposes of this limit). Equity awards granted or other compensation provided to a non-employee director while he or she was an employee or consultant (other than a non-employee director), or granted or provided before the effective date of the registration statement related to this offering, will not count toward this annual limit.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Inside Participation

None of the members of our compensation committee is or has been an officer or employee of our company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions or, in the absence of any such committee, the entire board of directors) of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors or compensation committee.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Our board of directors has adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that will be effective immediately upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and that will apply to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or, persons performing similar functions. Following this offering, the code of business conduct and ethics will be available on our website at http://alxoncology.com. We intend to disclose future amendments to such code, or any waivers of its requirements, applicable to any principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions, or our directors on our website identified above. Information contained on the website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and should not be considered to be part of this prospectus.

 

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2019, which consist of our principal executive officer and the next two most highly compensated executive officers, are:

 

   

Jaume Pons, Ph.D., our President and Chief Executive Officer;

 

   

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., our Chief Medical Officer; and

 

   

Hong Wan, Ph.D., our former Chief Scientific Officer, who resigned effective June 30, 2020 as described in “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Tallac Therapeutics Agreements.”

Compensation of Named Executive Officers

Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2019

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation of our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

 

 

NAME AND PRINCIPAL POSITION

   YEAR      SALARY
($)
     OPTION
AWARDS
($)(1)
     NON-EQUITY
INCENTIVE
PLAN
COMPENSATION
($)(2)
     TOTAL
($)
 

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

     2019        422,300        134,002        147,900        704,202  

President and Chief Executive Officer

              

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.

     2019        351,100        40,834        105,400        497,334  

Chief Medical Officer

              

Hong Wan, Ph.D.

     2019        313,100        40,372        94,000        447,472  

Chief Scientific Officer

              

 

 

(1)   The amounts disclosed represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the award as calculated in accordance with ASC 718. The assumptions used in calculating the grant date fair value of the award disclosed in this column are set forth in the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be recognized by the named executive officers upon vesting of the applicable awards.

 

(2)   The amounts disclosed represent discretionary bonuses based upon achievement of certain Company and individual performance metrics for the year ended December 31, 2019, which were paid in March 2020.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End 2019

The following table sets forth information concerning outstanding equity awards held by each of our named executive officers as of December 31, 2019:

 

 

 

     OPTION AWARDS      STOCK AWARDS  

NAME

   GRANT
DATE(1)
     NUMBER OF
SECURITIES
UNDERLYING
UNEXERCISED
OPTIONS
EXERCISABLE
(#)
    NUMBER OF
SECURITIES
UNDERLYING
UNEXERCISED
OPTIONS

UNEXERCISABLE
(#)
     OPTION
EXERCISE
PRICE
($)(2)
     OPTION
EXPIRATION
DATE
     NUMBER OF
SHARES OR
UNITS OF
STOCK
THAT HAVE
NOT
VESTED (#)
    MARKET
VALUE OF
SHARES
OR UNITS
OF STOCK

THAT HAVE
NOT
VESTED
($)(3)
 

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

     03/30/2017        174,786 (4)      87,393        0.99        03/30/2027               
     09/12/2019        105,719 (5)             1.91        09/12/2029               

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.

     11/10/2016                                   16,620 (6)      31,718  
     03/30/2017        45,487 (4)      22,743        0.99        03/30/2027               
     09/12/2019        32,215 (5)             1.91        09/12/2029               

Hong Wan, Ph.D.

     03/30/2017        45,223 (4)      22,612        0.99        03/30/2027               
     09/12/2019        31,851 (5)             1.91        09/12/2029               

 

 

 

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(1)   The outstanding options to purchase shares of our common stock, or ALX Options, were originally granted as options to purchase ordinary shares of ALX Oncology Limited, or ALX Ireland Options, pursuant to its share award scheme and U.S. sub-scheme. In connection with the reorganization effective as of April 1, 2020, the ALX Ireland Options have been substituted and replaced with ALX Options under our 2020 Plan. While the grant date of the ALX Option is April 1, 2020, each ALX Option has the same vesting terms, exercise price and expiration date as the corresponding ALX Ireland Option.

 

(2)   This column represents the fair market value of an ordinary share of ALX Oncology Limited on the date of grant, as determined by the board of directors of ALX Oncology Limited.

 

(3)   This column represents the fair market value of an ordinary share of ALX Oncology Limited of $1.91 as of December 31, 2019 (the determination of the fair market value by our board of directors as of the most proximate date) multiplied by the amount shown in the column for the number of shares or units that have not vested.

 

(4)   The shares underlying this option vest in 48 equal monthly installments beginning on May 1, 2017, subject to continued service to the Company.

 

(5)   The option is subject to an early exercise provision and is immediately exercisable. The shares underlying this option vest in 48 equal monthly installments beginning on June 16, 2019, subject to continued service to the Company.

 

(6)   The shares were acquired pursuant to an early exercise provision and remain subject to our repurchase right in accordance with the vesting schedule of this option. The remaining shares underlying this option vest in six equal monthly installments beginning on January 1, 2020, subject to continued service to the Company.

2020 Named Executive Officer Equity Awards

In June 2020, our board of directors, upon the recommendation of our compensation committee, and with input from Compensia, approved option grants to certain of our named executive officers to provide them additional incentives to remain with us and to promote further alignment between their interests and those of our stockholders. The number of shares subject to each option grant was determined with input from Compensia as follows: 272,771 (Dr. Pons) and 89,657 (Dr. Randolph). These grants will become effective on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and will have an exercise price per share equal to the per-share price of our common stock that will be included on the front of this prospectus. The grants will be subject to the terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and form of option agreement thereunder. Each of the options will vest as to 1/48th of the shares subject to the option on a monthly basis from the grant date, in each case subject to continued service through each applicable vesting date, and further subject to vesting acceleration under certain circumstances as described under “—Change in Control and Severance Agreements.”

Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers

Dr. Jaume Pons

In July 2020, we entered into a confirmatory employment letter with Dr. Jaume Pons, our President and Chief Executive Officer. The confirmatory employment letter has no specific term and provides that Dr. Pons is an at-will employee. The employment letter supersedes all existing agreements and understandings that Dr. Pons may have entered into concerning his employment relationship with us. Effective on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, Dr. Pons’ current annual base salary is $550,000, and he is eligible for an annual target cash incentive payment equal to 50.0% of his annual base salary.

Dr. Sophia Randolph

In July 2020, we entered into a confirmatory employment letter with Dr. Sophia Randolph, our Chief Medical Officer. The confirmatory employment letter has no specific term and provides that Dr. Randolph is an at-will employee. The employment letter supersedes all existing agreements and understandings that Dr. Randolph may have entered into concerning her employment relationship with us. Effective on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, Dr. Randolph’s current annual base salary is $440,000, and she is eligible for an annual target cash incentive payment equal to 40.0% of her annual base salary.

Dr. Hong Wan

Dr. Hong Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, resigned effective June 30, 2020 as described in “Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions—Tallac Therapeutics Agreements.” We have entered into a consulting agreement with Dr. Wan that provides for continued vesting of her outstanding options to purchase shares of our common stock while she provides consulting services to us under such agreement.

Executive Incentive Compensation Plan

Our board of directors has adopted our Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, or the Incentive Compensation Plan. Our Incentive Compensation Plan will be administered by the compensation committee of our board of directors,

 

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unless and until our board of directors determines otherwise. Our Incentive Compensation Plan allows us to grant incentive awards, generally payable in cash, to employees selected by the administrator, including our named executive officers, based upon performance goals that may be established by the administrator.

Under our Incentive Compensation Plan, the administrator determines the performance goals applicable to any award, which goals may include, without limitation, goals related to attainment of research and development milestones; sales bookings; business divestitures and acquisitions; capital raising; cash flow; cash position; contract awards or backlog; corporate transactions; customer renewals; customer retention rates from an acquired company, subsidiary, business unit or division; earnings (which may include any calculation of earnings, including but not limited to earnings before interest and taxes, earnings before taxes, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and net taxes); earnings per share; expenses; financial milestones; gross margin; growth in stockholder value relative to the moving average of the S&P 500 Index or another index; internal rate of return; leadership development or succession planning; license or research collaboration arrangements; market share; net income; net profit; net sales; new product or business development; new product invention or innovation; number of customers; operating cash flow; operating expenses; operating income; operating margin; overhead or other expense reduction; patents; procurement; product defect measures; product release timelines; productivity; profit; regulatory milestones or regularly-related goals; retained earnings; return on assets; return on capital; return on equity; return on investment; return on sales; revenue; revenue growth; sales results; sales growth; savings; stock price; time to market; total stockholder return; working capital; unadjusted or adjusted actual contract value; unadjusted or adjusted total contract value; and individual objectives such as peer reviews or other subjective or objective criteria. The performance goals may differ from participant to participant and from award to award. The administrator also may determine that a target award or portion of a target award will not have a performance goal associated with it but instead will be granted if at all in the compensation committee’s sole discretion.

The administrator of our Incentive Compensation Plan, in its sole discretion and at any time, may increase, reduce or eliminate a participant’s actual award, and/or increase, reduce or eliminate the amount allocated to any bonus pool for a particular performance period. The actual award may be below, at or above a participant’s target award, in the discretion of the administrator. The administrator may determine the amount of any reduction on the basis of such factors as it deems relevant, and the administrator is not required to establish any allocation or weighting with respect to the factors it considers.

Actual awards generally will be paid in cash (or its equivalent) only after they are earned, and, unless otherwise determined by the administrator, a participant must be employed with us through the date the actual award is paid. The administrator of our Incentive Compensation Plan reserves the right to settle an actual award with a grant of an equity award under our then-current equity compensation plan, which equity award may have such terms and conditions, including vesting, as the administrator of such equity compensation plan determines. Payment of awards occurs as soon as administratively practicable after they are earned, but no later than the dates set forth in our Incentive Compensation Plan.

Awards under our Incentive Compensation Plan are subject to any clawback policy of ours, which we may be required to adopt from time to time to comply with applicable laws. The administrator also may impose such other clawback, recovery or recoupment provisions with respect to an award under our Incentive Compensation Plan as the administrator determines necessary or appropriate, including for example, reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment upon a termination of a participant’s employment for cause. Certain participants may be required to reimburse us for certain amounts paid under an award under our Incentive Compensation Plan in connection with certain accounting restatements we may be required to prepare due to our material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements under applicable securities laws, as a result of misconduct.

The administrator of our Incentive Compensation Plan has the authority to amend, alter, suspend or terminate our Incentive Compensation Plan, provided such action does not impair the existing rights of any participant with respect to any earned awards. Our Incentive Compensation Plan will remain in effect until terminated in accordance with its terms.

Change in Control and Severance Agreements

In July 2020, we entered into a change in control and severance agreement, or CIC Agreement, with each of Dr. Pons and Dr. Randolph, which provide for certain severance and change in control benefits, as summarized below.

 

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Each CIC Agreement supersedes any prior agreement or arrangement that the named executive officer may have had with us that provides for severance or change in control payments and benefits. The CIC Agreements have no specific term and will terminate upon written consent by the parties or when all obligations under the CIC Agreement are satisfied.

The CIC Agreements provide that if, other than during the period beginning three months before our change in control through the one-year anniversary of our change in control, or the CIC Period, the named executive officer’s employment with us is terminated by us without cause (as defined in the CIC Agreement, and excluding by reason of his or her death or disability) or by the named executive officer for good reason (as defined in the CIC Agreement), the named executive officer will receive the following severance payments and benefits if he or she timely executes and does not revoke a release of claims in our favor:

 

   

A lump sum cash payment equal to 100% for Dr. Pons, or 75% for Dr. Randolph, of the named executive officer’s base salary as in effect immediately before such termination; and

 

   

Company-paid group health, dental and vision coverage under COBRA for the named executive officer and his or her eligible dependents for up to twelve months for Dr. Pons, or nine months for Dr. Randolph.

If, during the CIC Period, the named executive officer’s employment with us is terminated by us without cause (as defined in the CIC Agreement, and excluding by reason of his or her death or disability) or by the named executive officer for good reason (as defined in the CIC Agreement), the named executive officer will receive the following severance payments and benefits if he or she timely executes and does not revoke a separation agreement and release of claims in our favor:

 

   

A lump sum cash payment equal to 150% for Dr. Pons, or 100% for Dr. Randolph, of the named executive officer’s base salary as in effect immediately before such termination or if greater, the base salary in effect immediately before our change in control;

 

   

A lump sum cash payment equal to 150% for Dr. Pons, or 100% for Dr. Randolph, of the named executive officer’s target bonus opportunity as in effect immediately before such termination or if greater, the target bonus opportunity in effect immediately before our change in control;

 

   

Company-paid group health, dental and vision coverage under COBRA for the named executive officer and his or her eligible dependents for up to eighteen months for Dr. Pons, or twelve months for Dr. Randolph; and

 

   

100% accelerated vesting and exercisability of the outstanding and unvested Company equity awards (other than Company equity awards subject to performance-based vesting criteria) granted to the named executive officer.

In addition, the CIC Agreement for Dr. Pons provides that in the event of our change in control, 100% of his outstanding Company equity awards (other than Company equity awards subject to performance-based vesting criteria) will accelerate vesting.

Each CIC Agreement provides that, if any of the amounts provided for under a CIC Agreement or otherwise payable to the named executive officer would constitute “parachute payments” within the meaning of Internal Revenue Code Section 280G and could be subject to the related excise tax, the named executive officer would be entitled to receive either the full payment of benefits under the named executive officer’s CIC Agreement or such lesser amount that would result in no portion of the payments and benefits being subject to the excise tax, whichever results in the greater amount of after-tax benefits to the named executive officer. The CIC Agreements do not provide for any tax gross-ups in connection with our change in control.

Employee Benefit and Stock Plans

Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan

In July 2020, our board of directors adopted, and our stockholders approved, the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Our 2020 Plan previously was adopted by our board of directors and approved by our stockholders in April 2020. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be effective on the business day immediately prior to the effective date of our registration statement related to this offering. Our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will provide for the grant

 

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of incentive stock options, within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, to our employees and any of our parent or subsidiary corporations’ employees, and for the grant of nonstatutory stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance units and performance shares to our employees, directors and consultants and any of our parent or subsidiary corporations’ employees and consultants.

Authorized Shares.    A total of 7,874,862 shares of our common stock will be reserved for issuance pursuant to our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The number of shares available for issuance under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will also include an annual increase on the first day of each fiscal year beginning on January 1, 2021, and ending on (and inclusive of) January 1, 2030, equal to the least of:

 

   

4,000,000 shares;

 

   

four percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year; or

 

   

such number of shares as our board of directors may determine no later than the last day of our immediately preceding fiscal year.

Shares issuable under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired shares of our common stock. If an award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, is surrendered pursuant to an exchange program, or, with respect to restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance units or performance shares, is forfeited to or repurchased due to failure to vest, the unpurchased shares (or for awards other than stock options or stock appreciation rights, the forfeited or repurchased shares) will become available for future grant or sale under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. With respect to stock appreciation rights, only the net shares actually issued will cease to be available under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and all remaining shares under stock appreciation rights will remain available for future grant or sale under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Shares that have actually been issued under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan under any award will not be returned to the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan; except if shares issued pursuant to awards of restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares or performance units are repurchased or forfeited, such shares will become available for future grant under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price of an award or satisfy the tax withholding obligations related to an award will become available for future grant or sale under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. To the extent an award is paid out in cash rather than shares, such cash payment will not result in a reduction in the number of shares available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. For clarity, shares subject to awards that may return to and become available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan as described in this paragraph will include shares subject to awards granted under our 2020 Plan prior to its amendment and restatement that are outstanding as of the effective date of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

Plan Administration.    Our board of directors or one or more committees appointed by our board of directors will have authority to administer our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The compensation committee of our board of directors will initially administer our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. In addition, if we determine it is desirable to qualify transactions under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan as exempt under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, such transactions will be structured to satisfy the requirements for exemption under Rule 16b-3. Subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the administrator has the power to administer our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, including but not limited to, the power to determine the fair market value of our common stock, select the service providers to whom awards may be granted, determine the number of shares covered by each award, approve forms of award agreements for use under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, determine the terms and conditions of awards (including, but not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times at which awards may be exercised, any vesting acceleration or waiver or forfeiture restrictions and any restriction or limitation regarding any award or the shares relating thereto), construe and interpret the terms of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and awards granted under it, prescribe, amend and rescind rules relating to our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, including creating sub-plans, modify or amend each award, including but not limited to the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of awards (except no option or stock appreciation right will be extended past its original maximum term), and allow a participant to defer the receipt of payment of cash or

 

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the delivery of shares that would otherwise be due to such participant under an award. The administrator also has the authority to allow participants the opportunity under an exchange program to transfer outstanding awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan to a financial institution or other person or entity selected by the administrator, and to institute an exchange program by which outstanding awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan may be surrendered or cancelled in exchange for awards of the same type, which may have a higher or lower exercise price and/or different terms, awards of a different type and/or cash, or by which the exercise price of an outstanding award granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan is increased or reduced. The administrator’s decisions, interpretations and other actions are final and binding on all participants and will be given the maximum deference permitted by applicable law.

Stock Options.    Stock options may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The exercise price of options granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan must at least be equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. The term of an option may not exceed ten years. With respect to any participant who owns more than 10% of the voting power of all classes of our (or any of our parent’s or subsidiaries’) outstanding stock, the term of an incentive stock option granted to such participant must not exceed five years and the per-share exercise price must equal at least 110% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the grant date. The administrator may grant incentive stock options under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan for a period of ten years from the earlier of the date our board of directors approved the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan or the date that our stockholders approved the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. The administrator will determine the methods of payment of the exercise price of an option, which may include cash, certain shares, promissory notes if permitted by applicable law, cashless exercise, net exercise, as well as other types of consideration permitted by applicable law. After the termination of service of an employee, director or consultant, he or she may exercise his or her option for the period of time stated in his or her option agreement. In the absence of a specified time in an award agreement, if termination is due to death or disability, the option will remain exercisable for six months. In all other cases, in the absence of a specified time in an award agreement, the option will remain exercisable for 90 days following the termination of service. An option, however, may not be exercised later than the expiration of its term. Subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the administrator determines the terms of options.

Stock Appreciation Rights.    Stock appreciation rights may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Stock appreciation rights allow the recipient to receive the appreciation in the fair market value of our common stock between the exercise date and the date of grant. Stock appreciation rights may not have a term exceeding ten years. After the termination of service of an employee, director or consultant, he or she may exercise his or her stock appreciation right for the period of time stated in his or her stock appreciation rights agreement. In the absence of a specified time in an award agreement, if termination is due to death or disability, the stock appreciation rights will remain exercisable for six months. In all other cases, in the absence of a specified time in an award agreement, the stock appreciation rights will remain exercisable for 90 days following the termination of service. However, in no event may a stock appreciation right be exercised later than the expiration of its term. Subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the administrator determines the terms of stock appreciation rights, including when such rights become exercisable and whether to pay any increased appreciation in cash or with shares of our common stock, or a combination thereof, except that the per-share exercise price for the shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of a stock appreciation right will be no less than 100% of the fair market value per share on the date of grant.

Restricted Stock.    Restricted stock may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Restricted stock awards are grants of shares of our common stock that may vest in accordance with terms and conditions established by the administrator. The administrator will determine the number of shares of restricted stock granted to any employee, director or consultant and, subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, will determine the terms and conditions of such awards. The administrator may impose whatever vesting conditions (if any) it determines to be appropriate (for example, the administrator may set restrictions based on the achievement of specific performance goals or continued service to us), except the administrator, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed. Recipients of restricted stock awards generally will have voting and dividend rights with respect to such shares upon grant, unless the administrator provides otherwise. Shares of restricted stock that do not vest are subject to our right of repurchase or forfeiture.

 

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Restricted Stock Units.    Restricted stock units may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Restricted stock units are bookkeeping entries representing an amount equal to the fair market value of one share of our common stock. Subject to the provisions of our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the administrator determines the terms and conditions of restricted stock units, including any vesting criteria and the form and timing of payment. The administrator may set vesting criteria based upon the achievement of company-wide, divisional, business unit or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment or service), applicable federal or state securities laws or any other basis determined by the administrator in its discretion. The administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay earned restricted stock units in the form of cash, in shares or in some combination thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the administrator, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.

Performance Units and Performance Shares.    Performance units and performance shares may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Performance units and performance shares are awards that will result in a payment to a participant if performance objectives established by the administrator are achieved or the awards otherwise vest. The administrator will establish performance objectives or other vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number and/or the value of performance units and performance shares to be paid out to participants. The administrator may set performance objectives based on the achievement of company-wide, divisional, business unit or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment or service), applicable federal or state securities laws or any other basis determined by the administrator in its discretion. After the grant of a performance unit or performance share, the administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any performance objectives or other vesting provisions for such performance units or performance shares. Performance units will have an initial dollar value established by the administrator on or prior to the grant date. Performance shares will have an initial value equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the grant date. The administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay out earned performance units or performance shares in cash, shares or in some combination thereof.

Outside Directors.    All outside (non-employee) directors will be eligible to receive all types of awards (except for incentive stock options) under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Our board of directors has adopted, and our stockholders have approved, a formal Outside Director Compensation Policy pursuant to which our outside directors will be eligible to receive equity awards under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. Our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will provide that in any given fiscal year, no outside director may be granted awards (the value of which will be based on their grant-date fair value) under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and any other compensation (including without limitation any cash retainers and fees) greater than $1,000,000. The grant-date fair values of awards granted under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be determined according to U.S. GAAP. Any awards or other compensation provided to an individual for his or her services as an employee or a consultant (other than an outside director), or prior to the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, will not count toward this limit. The maximum limit does not reflect the intended size of any potential grants or a commitment to make grants to our outside directors under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan in the future.

Non-Transferability of Awards.    Unless the administrator provides otherwise, our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan generally does not allow for the transfer of awards other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and only the recipient of an award may exercise an award during his or her lifetime. If the administrator makes an award transferrable, such award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the administrator deems appropriate.

Certain Adjustments.    In the event of certain changes in our capitalization, such as a dividend or other distribution, recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase or exchange of our shares or other securities or other change in our corporate structure affecting our shares (other than ordinary dividends or other ordinary distributions), to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits available under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the administrator will adjust the number and class of shares that may be delivered under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan and/or the number, class and price of shares covered by each outstanding award and any numerical share limits set forth in our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

 

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Dissolution or Liquidation.    In the event of our proposed liquidation or dissolution, the administrator will notify participants as soon as practicable and all awards will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed transaction.

Merger or Change in Control.    Our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan provides that in the event of a merger or change in control, as defined under our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, each outstanding award will be treated as the administrator determines, without a participant’s consent. The administrator may provide that awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will be assumed or substituted by substantially equivalent awards, be terminated immediately before the merger or change in control, become vested and exercisable or payable and be terminated in connection with the merger or change in control, be terminated in exchange for cash, other property or other consideration or any combination of the above. The administrator is not required to treat all awards, all awards held by a participant, all portions of awards, or all awards of the same type, similarly.

In the event that a successor corporation or its parent or subsidiary does not assume or substitute an equivalent award for any outstanding award (or a portion of such award), then such award (or its applicable portion) will fully vest, all restrictions on such award (or its applicable portion) will lapse, all performance goals or other vesting criteria applicable to such award (or its applicable portion) will be deemed achieved at 100% of target levels and such award (or its applicable portion) will become fully exercisable, if applicable, for a specified period prior to the transaction, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable award agreement or other written agreement with the participant. The award (or its applicable portion) will then terminate upon the expiration of the specified period of time. If an option or stock appreciation right is not assumed or substituted, the administrator will notify the participant in writing or electronically that such option or stock appreciation right will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the administrator in its sole discretion and the option or stock appreciation right will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

If an outside director’s awards are assumed or substituted for in a merger or change in control and the service of such outside director is terminated (other than upon his or her voluntary resignation that does not include a resignation at the request of the acquirer) on or following the merger or change in control, all such awards will fully vest, all restrictions on such awards will lapse, all performance goals or other vesting criteria applicable to such awards will be deemed achieved at 100% of target levels and such awards will become fully exercisable, if applicable, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable award agreement or other written agreement with the outside director.

Clawback.    Awards are subject to any clawback policy of ours, which we may establish and/or amend from time to time to comply with applicable laws. The administrator also may specify in an award agreement that the participant’s rights, payments and benefits with respect to an award will be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events. Our board of directors may require a participant to forfeit, return or reimburse us all or a portion of the award and any amounts paid under the award in order to comply with any clawback policy of ours or applicable laws.

Amendment; Termination.    The administrator has the authority to amend, suspend or terminate our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, provided such action does not materially impair the rights of any participant unless mutually agreed otherwise. Our Amended and Restated 2020 Plan will remain in effect until terminated in accordance with its terms.

2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In July 2020, our board of directors adopted, and our stockholders approved, our ESPP. Our ESPP will be effective one business day immediately before the effective date of our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. However, no offering period or purchase period under the ESPP will begin unless and until determined by our board of directors or its compensation committee.

 

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Authorized Shares.    A total of 400,000 shares of our common stock will be available for issuance under our ESPP. In addition, our ESPP will provide for annual increases in the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under our ESPP on the first day of each of our fiscal years beginning with our fiscal year 2021, equal to the least of:

 

   

800,000 shares;

 

   

one percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock on the last day of our immediately preceding fiscal year; or

 

   

such number of shares as our board of directors may determine no later than the last day of our immediately preceding fiscal year.

Shares issuable under the ESPP will be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired shares of our common stock.

Plan Administration.    Our board of directors or a committee appointed by our board of directors will have the authority to administer our ESPP. Unless and until determined otherwise by our board of directors, the compensation committee of our board of directors will administer the ESPP. The administrator will have full and exclusive discretionary authority to construe, interpret and apply the terms of the ESPP, delegate ministerial duties to any of our employees, designate separate offerings under the ESPP, designate our subsidiaries as participating in the ESPP, determine eligibility, adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the ESPP and establish procedures that it deems necessary or advisable for the administration of the ESPP, including, but not limited to, adopting such procedures, sub-plans and appendices to the enrollment agreement as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the ESPP by employees who are non-U.S. nationals or employed outside the U.S. The administrator’s findings, decisions and determinations are final and binding on all participants to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Eligibility.    Generally, any of our employees are eligible to participate in our ESPP if they are customarily employed by us or any of our participating subsidiaries for at least 20 hours per week and more than five months in any calendar year. The administrator, in its discretion, before an enrollment date for all options granted on such enrollment date in an offering, may determine that an employee who (a) has not completed at least two years of service (or a lesser period of time determined by the administrator) since the employee’s last hire date, (b) customarily works not more than 20 hours per week (or a lesser period of time determined by the administrator), (c) customarily works not more than five months per calendar year (or a lesser period of time determined by the administrator), (d) is a highly compensated employee within the meaning of Code Section 414(q) or (e) is a highly compensated employee within the meaning of Code Section 414(q) with compensation above a certain level or who is an officer or subject to disclosure requirements under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, is not eligible to participate in an offering. However, an employee may not be granted an option to purchase stock under our ESPP if the employee (a) immediately after the grant, would own stock and/or hold outstanding options to purchase such stock possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of capital stock of ours or any parent or subsidiary of ours; or (b) holds rights to purchase stock under all of our employee stock purchase plans that accrue at a rate that exceeds $25,000 worth of stock for each calendar year.

Participants may end their participation at any time during an offering period and will be paid their accrued contributions that have not yet been used to purchase shares of our common stock. Participation ends automatically upon termination of employment with us.

Offering Periods and Purchase Periods.    Our ESPP includes a component, or the 423 Component, that is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Code Section 423, and a component that does not comply with Code Section 423, or the Non-423 Component. For purposes of this summary, a reference to our ESPP generally will mean the terms and operations of the 423 Component.

Our ESPP will provide for offering periods with a duration and start and end dates as determined by the administrator, provided that no offering period will have a duration exceeding 27 months. Unless determined otherwise by the administrator, each offering period will have one purchase period with the same duration as the offering period. The administrator is authorized to change the duration of future offering periods and purchase periods under our ESPP, including the starting and ending dates of offering periods and purchase periods and the

 

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number of purchase periods in any offering periods. Unless determined otherwise by the administrator, if the fair market value of a share of our common stock on a purchase date is less than the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the first trading day of the offering period, participants in that offering period will be withdrawn from that offering period following their purchase of shares on such purchase date and automatically will be enrolled in a new offering period.

Contributions.    Our ESPP permits participants to purchase shares of our common stock through payroll deductions of up to 15% of their eligible compensation, which includes a participant’s base straight time gross earnings but excludes payments for overtime and shift premium, incentive compensation, bonuses, commissions, equity compensation and other similar compensation. The administrator may change the compensation eligible for contribution under the ESPP on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis for future offering periods.

Exercise of Purchase Right.    Amounts deducted and accumulated by a participant under our ESPP are used to purchase shares of our common stock at the end of each purchase period. The purchase price of the shares will be 85% of the lower of (a) the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the first trading day of the offering period or (b) the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the exercise date. A participant will be permitted to purchase a maximum of 3,000 shares during each offering period. Until shares of our common stock are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on our books or the books of a duly authorized transfer agent of our) to a participant, the participant will have only rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares, and no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder with respect to such shares.

Non-transferability.    A participant may not transfer the contributions credited to his or her ESPP account or rights granted under our ESPP, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

Certain Adjustments.    Our ESPP provides that in the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, our common stock, other securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase or exchange of our common stock or other securities of ours or other change in our corporate structure affecting our common stock occurs (other than any ordinary dividends or other ordinary distributions), the administrator will make adjustments to the number and class of shares that may be delivered under our ESPP and/or the purchase price per share and number of shares covered by each option granted under our ESPP that has not yet been exercised, and the numerical share limits under our ESPP. In the event of our proposed dissolution or liquidation, any offering period in progress will be shortened by setting a new purchase date and will terminate immediately before the completion of such proposed transaction, unless determined otherwise by the administrator.

Merger or Change in Control.    In the event of our merger or change in control, as defined in our ESPP, a successor corporation may assume or substitute for each outstanding option. If the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the options, the offering period then in progress will be shortened, and a new exercise date will be set to occur before the date of the proposed merger or change in control. The administrator will notify each participant that the exercise date has been changed and that the participant’s option will be exercised automatically on the new exercise date unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the offering period.

Amendment and Termination.    The administrator has the authority to modify, amend, suspend or terminate our ESPP except that, subject to certain exceptions described in our ESPP, no such action may adversely affect any outstanding rights to purchase shares of our common stock under our ESPP. Our ESPP will terminate automatically 20 years after the later of the date of the ESPP’s adoption by our board of directors or the business day immediately prior to the effective date of our registration statement related to this offering, unless we terminate it earlier.

401(k) Plan

We maintain a 401(k) retirement savings plan, or 401(k) plan, for the benefit of our employees, including our named executive officers, who satisfy certain eligibility requirements. Our 401(k) plan provides eligible employees with an opportunity to save for retirement on a tax-advantaged basis. Under our 401(k) plan, eligible employees may elect to defer a portion of their compensation, within the limits prescribed by the Code and the applicable limits under the 401(k) plan (generally, up to 90% of the employee’s eligible compensation), on a pre-tax or after-tax (Roth) basis, through contributions to the 401(k) plan. All of a participant’s contributions into the 401(k) plan are 100% vested

 

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when contributed. The 401(k) plan permits us to make matching contributions and profit-sharing contributions to eligible participants. The 401(k) plan is intended to qualify under Sections 401(a) and 501(a) of the Code. As a tax-qualified retirement plan, pre-tax contributions to the 401(k) plan and earnings on those pre-tax contributions are not taxable to the employees until distributed from the 401(k) plan, and earnings on Roth contributions are not taxable when distributed from the 401(k) plan.

Rule 10b5-1 Plan Sales

Our directors and executive officers may adopt written plans, known as Rule 10b5-1 plans, in which they will contract with a broker to buy or sell shares of our common stock on a periodic basis. Under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, a broker executes trades pursuant to parameters established by the director or executive officer when entering into the plan, without further direction from them. The director or executive officer may amend a Rule 10b5-1 plan in some circumstances and may terminate a plan at any time. Our directors and executive officers also may buy or sell additional shares outside of a Rule 10b5-1 plan when they are not in possession of material nonpublic information subject to compliance with the terms of our insider trading policy. Without the prior written consent of the representatives of the underwriters, prior to the day following the 180th day after the date of this offering, the sale of any shares under such plan would be subject to the lock-up agreement that the director or executive officer has entered into with the underwriters.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The following is a description of certain relationships and transactions since January 2017 involving our directors, executive officers or beneficial holders of more than 5% of our capital stock. Compensation arrangements with our directors and officers are described in “Management—Director Compensation,” “Executive Compensation” and “Management.”

Prior to April 1, 2020, all of our beneficial holders were shareholders of our predecessor, ALX Oncology Limited. On April 1, 2020, we were incorporated in Delaware and completed a reorganization whereby ALX Oncology Limited became our wholly-owned subsidiary and all of the shareholders, warrantholders and optionholders of ALX Oncology Limited became our stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders, holding the same number of corresponding shares, warrants and/or options in us as they did in ALX Oncology Limited immediately prior to the reorganization.

The related-party transaction disclosures included below reflect transactions between ALX Oncology Limited and related parties from January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020, the period prior to our incorporation and the effectiveness of the reorganization. For all other times, it includes transactions between us and related parties.

Reorganization Transaction

As described above, on April 1, 2020, we consummated a reorganization whereby we issued and sold to the existing shareholders of ALX Oncology Limited an aggregate of 3,166,946 shares of our common stock at purchase prices per share ranging from $0.007 to $1.91, an aggregate of 9,297,081 shares of our Series A convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $6.58, an aggregate of 1,016,727 shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972 and an aggregate of 11,055,966 shares of our Series C convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972, in exchange for promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $176.3 million. We also acquired 525,000,000 ordinary shares of ALX Oncology Limited in exchange for the promissory notes that were acquired in connection with such issuance and sale of our capital stock.

Purchasers of our shares of common stock, Series A convertible preferred stock, Series B convertible preferred stock and Series C convertible preferred stock include certain of our directors and executive officers and venture capital funds that beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding capital stock and/or are represented on our board of directors. The following table presents the number of shares purchased and the total purchase price paid by these persons.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SHARES OF
COMMON STOCK
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.(1)

     132,966      $ 131,250  

 

 

(1)   Dr. Randolph currently serves as our Chief Medical Officer.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SHARES OF SERIES A
CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED STOCK
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP(1)

     5,498,608      $ 36,184,150  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(2)

     2,579,776      $ 16,976,504  

Goodman Barinaga Trust(3)

     78,175      $ 514,446  

Jason Lettmann(4)

     78,175      $ 514,446  

 

 

(1)   Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include venBio Global Strategic Fund LP and venBio Global Strategic Fund II L.P. Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

 

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(3)   Dr. Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a trustee of the Goodman Barinaga Trust.

 

(4)   Mr. Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SHARES OF SERIES B
CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED STOCK
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP(1)

     490,411      $ 4,657,496  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(2)

     230,084      $ 2,185,155  

Goodman Barinaga Trust(3)

     15,794      $ 149,999  

 

 

(1)   Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include venBio Global Strategic Fund LP and venBio Global Strategic Fund II L.P. Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

 

(3)   Dr. Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a trustee of the Goodman Barinaga Trust.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SHARES OF SERIES C
CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED STOCK
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Emaldi Corporation(1)

     52,647      $ 500,000  

Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP(2)

     1,052,950      $ 10,000,001  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(3)

     859,311      $ 8,161,004  

Logos Opportunities Fund I, LP(4)

     2,105,901      $ 20,000,000  

Vivo Capital Fund IX, LP(5)

     3,158,851      $ 30,000,000  

 

 

(1)   Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a director of Emaldi Corporation.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include venBio Global Strategic Fund LP and venBio Global Strategic Fund II L.P. Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners.

 

(3)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

 

(4)   Dr. Graham Walmsley, a member of our board of directors, is a Founding Member and Managing Partner of Logos Capital.

 

(5)   Jack Nielsen, a member of our board of directors, is a Managing Director of Vivo Capital.

Convertible Preferred Share Financings

Series C Convertible Preferred Shares Transaction

In February 2020, we issued and sold an aggregate of 11,055,966 shares of our Series C convertible preferred shares at a purchase price of $9.4972 per share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $105.0 million.

 

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Purchasers of our Series C convertible preferred shares include venture capital funds that beneficially owned more than 5% of our outstanding share capital and/or are represented on our board of directors. The following table presents the number of shares and the total purchase price paid by these persons.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SERIES C
CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED SHARES
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Emaldi Corporation(1)

     52,647      $ 500,000  

Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP(2)

     1,052,950      $ 10,000,001  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(3)

     859,311      $ 8,161,004  

Logos Opportunities Fund I, LP(4)

     2,105,901      $ 20,000,000  

Vivo Capital Fund IX, LP(5)

     3,158,851      $ 30,000,000  

 

 

(1)   Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a director of Emaldi Corporation.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include venBio Global Strategic Fund LP and venBio Global Strategic Fund II L.P. Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners.

 

(3)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

 

(4)   Dr. Graham Walmsley, a member of our board of directors, is a Founding Member and Managing Partner of Logos Capital.

 

(5)   Jack Nielsen, a member of our board of directors, is a Managing Director of Vivo Capital.

Series B Convertible Preferred Shares Transaction

In May 2019, we issued and sold an aggregate of 1,016,727 shares of our Series B convertible preferred shares at a purchase price of $9.4972 per share for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $9.6 million.

Purchasers of our Series B convertible preferred shares include venture capital funds that beneficially owned more than 5% of our outstanding share capital and/or are represented on our board of directors. The following table presents the number of shares and the total purchase price paid by these persons.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   SERIES B
CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED SHARES
     TOTAL PURCHASE
PRICE
 

Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP(1)

     490,411      $ 4,657,496  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(2)

     230,084      $ 2,185,155  

 

 

(1)   Entities affiliated with venBio Global Strategic Fund, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include venBio Global Strategic Fund LP and venBio Global Strategic Fund II L.P. Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Robert Adelman previously served as a member of our board of directors and is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Caroline Gaynor, a former member of our board of directors and after our reorganization continues to serve on the board of directors of ALX Oncology Limited, one of our subsidiaries, is a Vice President of Lightstone Ventures. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

Convertible Promissory Notes Transaction

In March 2017, we entered into a convertible promissory note agreement with certain of our directors and venture capital funds that beneficially owned more than 5% of our outstanding share capital and/or are represented on our board of directors, pursuant to which we issued convertible promissory notes in an aggregate principal amount of approximately $25.0 million. The convertible promissory notes bore interest at a rate of 2% per annum, had a maturity date of December 31, 2018 and were convertible into our Series A convertible preferred shares at a conversion price of $6.58 per share. In September 2017, all of the convertible promissory notes were converted into our Series A convertible preferred shares.

 

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Purchasers of our Series A convertible preferred shares include venture capital funds that beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding share capital and/or are represented on its board of directors and are listed in the table below.

 

 

 

INVESTOR

   AGGREGATE PRINCIPAL
AMOUNT
 

venBio Global Strategic Fund, II LP(1)

   $ 15,652,073  

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP(2)

   $ 6,750,000  

Corey Goodman, Ph.D.(1)

   $ 222,568  

Robert Adelman, M.D.(1)

   $ 222,568  

Jason Lettmann(3)

   $ 222,568  

 

 

(1)   Dr. Corey Goodman, our Executive Chairman, is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a venture partner of venBio Partners. Dr. Robert Adelman previously served as a member of our board of directors and is a Managing Partner of venBio Partners.

 

(2)   Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures, LP whose shares are aggregated for the purposes of reporting ownership information include Lightstone Ventures, LP, Lightstone Ventures (A), LP, Lightstone Ventures II, LP and Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP. Caroline Gaynor, a former member of our board of directors and after our reorganization continues to serve on the board of directors of ALX Oncology Limited, one of our subsidiaries, is a Vice President of Lightstone Ventures. Jason Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures. Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors, is a scientific advisor of Lightstone Ventures.

 

(3)   Mr. Lettmann, a member of our board of directors, is a General Partner of Lightstone Ventures.

Investors’ Rights Agreement

We are party to an investors’ rights agreement, as amended, with certain holders of our capital stock, including venBio, Lightstone Ventures, Vivo Capital and Logos Capital. Under our investors’ rights agreement, certain holders of our capital stock have the right to demand that we file a registration statement or request that their shares of our capital stock be covered by a registration statement that we are otherwise filing. See the section titled “Description of Capital Stock—Registration Rights” for additional information regarding these registration rights.

venBio Consulting Agreement

In January 2017, Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Executive Officer of ALX Oncology Limited, entered into a consulting agreement with venBio, one of our stockholders and an affiliate of one of our directors, Dr. Corey Goodman, to provide assistance with deal generation, evaluate potential investments and serve on boards of venBio’s portfolio companies. In accordance with this agreement as compensation for services provided, venBio paid Dr. Pons approximately $125,000 per year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The consulting agreement remains in effect until terminated by either party with or without prior notice.

Tallac Therapeutics Agreements

In May 2018, Dr. Jaume Pons, our Chief Executive Officer, entered into a consulting agreement with Tallac Therapeutics. Dr. Pons was engaged to provide management services. In accordance with this agreement as compensation for his services, Tallac Therapeutics issued Dr. Pons shares of its common stock. The consulting agreement will terminate automatically upon the later of completion of all projects under the consulting agreement or two years. In addition, Tallac Therapeutics may terminate the agreement at any time without prior notice, and Dr. Pons may terminate the agreement upon 30 days’ prior written notice if no services remain outstanding under the agreement.

Dr. Pons served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tallac Therapeutics until April 2020, and Dr. Hong Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Tallac Therapeutics. Dr. Pons also currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Tallac Therapeutics.

In addition, two of our current investors, venBio and Lightstone Ventures, who were also investors of ALX Oncology Limited prior to April 1, 2020, are also investors in Tallac Therapeutics.

In June 2018, we entered into the Tollnine Agreement to provide research and development services to Tallac Therapeutics. Pursuant to the terms of the Tollnine Agreement, which was amended in May 2019 and will be

 

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terminated effective as of June 30, 2020, ALX Oncology Inc. (f/k/a Alexo Therapeutics Inc.), our indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary, provided certain research and development services to Tallac Therapeutics for a service fee based on the costs incurred by the Company plus a mark-up. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31. 2020, ALX Oncology Limited recognized related-party revenues of $2.1 million and $4.8 million, and $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, we had outstanding related-party receivables from Tallac Therapeutics of $0.9 million, $0.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

As of July 1, 2020, we terminated the Tollnine Agreement and entered into a series of transactions with Tallac Therapeutics and Dr. Wan as described below.

 

   

Entry into the Tallac Services Agreement: We entered into the Tallac Services Agreement, with Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 1, 2020. The Tallac Services Agreement provides that Tallac Therapeutics will provide certain preclinical research services to us for a service fee based on the costs incurred by Tallac Therapeutics plus a mark-up equal to 10.0% of such costs. The Tallac Services Agreement has an initial term of four years and is renewed automatically for additional one year terms thereafter.

 

   

Resignation of Dr. Wan and entry into Consulting Agreement: Dr. Wan resigned from her position as our Chief Scientific Officer and ceased to be our employee effective as of June 30, 2020. In connection with her resignation, we entered into a Consulting Agreement with Dr. Wan effective as of July 1, 2020. Under the Consulting Agreement, Dr. Wan will serve as our Chief Science Consultant and, among other things, spend approximately 20% of her time performing activities typically performed by a consulting scientific adviser in the biotechnology industry. In exchange for such services, the options to purchase shares of our common stock that were previously granted to Dr. Wan will continue to vest and be exercisable subject to Dr. Wan remaining a service provider under the Consulting Agreement or the Tallac Services Agreement. The Consulting Agreement has an initial term of four years and is renewed automatically for additional one year terms thereafter.

 

   

Transfer of employees to Tallac Therapeutics: In addition to Dr. Wan, eight of our employees, or Transferred Employees, also terminated their employment with us effective as of June 30, 2020 and became employees of Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 1, 2020. The options to purchase shares of our common stock that were previously granted to the Transferred Employees will continue to vest and be exercisable subject to the Transferred Employees remaining service providers under the Tallac Services Agreement.

 

   

Entry into Asset Transfer Agreement: ALX Oncology Inc. entered into an Asset Transfer Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 3, 2020, pursuant to which Tallac Therapeutics purchased certain lab equipment and other assets from ALX Oncology Inc. for minimal cash consideration representing the aggregate book value of such assets.

In addition to the transactions described above, we also assigned to Tallac Therapeutics our lease with respect to our premises located at 866 Malcolm Road, Burlingame, California, and received a sublease for such premises from Tallac Therapeutics.

Directed Share Program

At our request, an affiliate of Jefferies LLC, a participating underwriter, has reserved up to 3% of the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus for sale, at the initial public offering price, to certain of our officers, directors, employees and other persons who do business with us. Any reserved shares purchased by our executive officers and members of their households will be subject to the 180-day lock-up described elsewhere in this prospectus. We do not currently know the extent to which these related persons will participate in our directed share program, if at all, or how much of our common stock they will purchase. See “Underwriting” for additional information.

Indemnification Agreements

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which will be in effect upon the completion of this offering, will contain provisions limiting the liability of the members of our board of directors, and our amended and restated bylaws, which will be in effect upon the completion of this offering, will provide that we will indemnify each of our

 

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officers and the members of our board of directors to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will also provide our board of directors with discretion to indemnify our employees and other agents when it determines to be appropriate. In addition, we have entered into an indemnification agreement with each of our executive officers and the members of our board of directors requiring us to indemnify them. See the section titled “Executive Compensation—Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers.”

Related-Party Transaction Policy

Our audit committee will have the primary responsibility for reviewing and approving or disapproving “related-party transactions,” which are transactions between us and related persons in which the aggregate amount involved exceeds or may be expected to exceed $120,000 and in which a related person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. The charter of our audit committee will provide that our audit committee shall review and approve in advance any related-party transaction.

Our board of directors has adopted a formal written policy providing that we are not permitted to enter into any transaction that exceeds $120,000 and in which any related person has a direct or indirect material interest without the consent of our audit committee. In approving or rejecting any such transaction, our audit committee is to consider the relevant facts and circumstances available and deemed relevant to our audit committee, including whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.

 

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of May 31, 2020 by:

 

   

each person, or group of affiliated persons, who is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock;

 

   

each of the named executive officers;

 

   

each of our directors; and

 

   

all of our executive officers and directors as a group.

We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules of the SEC, and thus it represents sole or shared voting or investment power with respect to our securities. Unless otherwise indicated below, to our knowledge, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares that they beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. The information does not necessarily indicate beneficial ownership for any other purpose, including for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Exchange Act.

We have based our calculation of the percentage of beneficial ownership prior to this offering on 26,925,836 shares of our common stock outstanding as of May 31, 2020, which includes 8,370 shares of common stock that are subject to a right of repurchase and 23,758,890 shares of our common stock resulting from the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock into our common stock upon the completion of this offering, as if this conversion had occurred as of May 31, 2020. We have based our calculation of the percentage of beneficial ownership after this offering on 34,925,836 shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares. We have deemed shares of our common stock subject to stock options that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of May 31, 2020, to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the stock option for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

The following table does not reflect any potential purchases by our executive officers, directors, their affiliated entities or holders of more than 5% of our common stock in this offering. If any shares are purchased by these persons or entities, the number and percentage of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by them after this offering will differ from the amounts set forth in the following table.

 

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Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each beneficial owner listed in the table below is c/o ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., 866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100, Burlingame, California 94010.

 

 

 

     NUMBER OF SHARES
BENEFICIALLY OWNED
     PERCENTAGE OF SHARES
BENEFICIALLY OWNED
 

NAME OF BENEFICIAL OWNER

   BEFORE THE
OFFERING
     AFTER THE
OFFERING
     BEFORE THE
OFFERING
    AFTER THE
OFFERING
 

5% or Greater Stockholders:

          

Entities affiliated with venBio Partners(1)

     8,792,047        8,792,047        32.7     25.2

Entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures(2)

     4,290,835        4,290,835        15.9       12.3  

Vivo Capital Fund IX, L.P.(3)

     3,219,085        3,219,085        12.0       9.2  

Logos Opportunities Fund I, L.P.(4)

     2,144,672        2,144,672        8.0       6.1  

Named Executive Officers:

          

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.(5)

     1,424,787        1,424,787        5.1       4.0  

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.(6)

     371,021        371,021        1.4       1.1  

Hong Wan, Ph.D.(7)

     388,465        388,465        1.4       1.1  

Non-Employee Directors:

          

Corey Goodman, Ph.D.(8)

     8,958,212        8,958,212        33.3       25.6  

Rekha Hemrajani

                   *       *  

Jason Lettmann(9)

     4,397,326        4,397,326        16.3       12.6  

Jack Nielsen

                   *       *  

Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D.(10)

     2,144,672        2,144,672        8.0       6.1  

All executive officers and directors as a group (11 persons)(11)

     18,348,321        18,348,321        63.4       49.7  

 

 

*   Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent (1%) of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

(1)   Consists of (i) 4,385,927 shares held of record by venBio Global Strategic Fund II, L.P.; (ii) 3,944,309 shares held of record by venBio Global Strategic Fund, L.P.; and (iii) 461,811 shares held of record by venBio SPV, LLC. venBio Global Strategic GP II, L.P. (GS GP II LP) is the general partner of GSF II LP and venBio Global Strategic GP II, Ltd. (GS GP II Ltd) is the general partner of GS GP II LP. venBio Global Strategic GP, L.P. (GS GP LP) is the general partner of GSF LP and venBio Global Strategic GP, Ltd. (GS GP Ltd) is the general partner of GS GP LP. As the Directors of venBio Global GS GP II Ltd and GS GP Ltd and the Managing Directors of venBio SPV, LLC (SPV LLC), Robert Adelman and Corey Goodman, one of our directors, share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held of record by GSF II LP, GSF LP and SPV LLC. An additional 95,763 shares are held of record by Dr. Adelman. The address for these entities is c/o venBio Partners, LLC, 1700 Owens Street, Suite 595, San Francisco, California 94158.

 

(2)   Consists of (i) 2,253,038 shares held of record by Lightstone Ventures, LP (LV LP); (ii) 1,633,149 shares held of record by Lightstone Ventures II, LP (LV II LP); (iii) 307,171 shares held of record by Lightstone Ventures (A), LP (LV(A) LP); and (iv) 97,477 shares held of record by Lightstone Ventures II (A), LP (LV II(A) LP). LSV Associates, LLC (LSV Associates) is the General Partner of LV LP and LV(A) LP. As the individual general partners of LSV Associates, Michael A. Carusi, Jean M. George and Henry A. Plain Jr. share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held of record by LV LP and LV(A) LP. LSV Associates II, LLC (LSV Associates II) is the General Partner of LV II LP and LV II(A) LP. As the individual general partners of LSV Associates II, Michael A. Carusi, Jean M. George, Henry A. Plain Jr. and Jason W. Lettmann share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held of record by LV II LP and LV II(A) LP. The address for these entities is c/o LSV Capital Management, LLC, 2884 Sand Hill Road, Suite 121, Menlo Park, California 94025.

 

(3)   Consists of 3,219,085 shares held of record by Vivo Capital Fund IX, L.P. (VIVO IX LP). Vivo Capital IX, LLC (VIVO IX LLC) is the General Partner of VIVO IX LP. As the managing members of VIVO IX LLC, Frank Kung, Albert Cha, Edgar Engleman, Shan Fu and Chen Yu share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held of record by VIVO IX LP. The address for these entities is c/o Vivo Capital, 192 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94301.

 

(4)   Consists of 2,144,672 shares held of record by Logos Opportunities Fund I, L.P. (Logos LP). Logos Opportunities GP, LLC (Logos GP) is the general partner of Logos Opportunities Fund I, L.P. (Logos LP). Arsani William and Graham Walmsley are the managing members of Logos GP and share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held of record by Logos Opportunities Fund I, LP. The address for these entities is c/o Logos Capital, 1 Letterman Drive, Building D, Suite D3-700, San Francisco, California 94129.

 

(5)   Consists of (i) 541,121 shares held of record by Dr. Pons and (ii) 883,666 shares issuable upon option exercise within 60 days of May 31, 2020, of which 302,292 are fully vested.

 

(6)   Consists of (i) 132,966 shares held of record by Dr. Randolph and (ii) 238,055 shares issuable upon option exercise within 60 days of May 31, 2020, of which 80,395 are fully vested.

 

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(7)   Consists of (i) 22,432 shares held of record by the Kwauk and Wan Family Trust for which Dr. Wan serves as trustee; (ii) 130,687 shares held of record by Dr. Wan and (iii) 235,346 shares issuable upon option exercise within 60 days of May 31, 2020, of which 79,754 are fully vested. Dr. Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, resigned effective June 30, 2020.

 

(8)   Consists of (i) the shares disclosed in footnote (1) above which are held of record by entities affiliated with venBio Partners; (ii) 112,515 shares held of record by the Goodman Baringa Trust for which Dr. Goodman serves as trustee and (iii) 53,650 shares held of record by the Emaldi Corporation for which Dr. Goodman serves as a director.

 

(9)   Consists of (i) the shares disclosed in footnote (2) above which are held of record by entities affiliated with Lightstone Ventures and (ii) 106,491 shares held of record by Mr. Lettmann.

 

(10)   Consists of the shares disclosed in footnote (4) above which are held of record by Logos LP.

 

(11)   Consists of (i) 16,338,583 shares beneficially owned by our executive officers and directors and (ii) 2,009,738 shares issuable upon option exercise within 60 days of May 31, 2020, of which 532,382 are fully vested. Includes shares beneficially owned or issuable upon option exercise within 60 days of May 31, 2020 by Dr. Wan, our former Chief Scientific Officer, who resigned effective June 30, 2020.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following descriptions of our capital stock and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws are summaries and are qualified by reference to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the amended and restated bylaws that will be in effect upon completion of this offering. Copies of these documents will be filed with the SEC as exhibits to our registration statement, of which this prospectus forms a part. The descriptions of the common stock and preferred stock reflect changes to our capital structure that will occur upon the completion of this offering.

Upon the completion of this offering and the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be effective upon completion of this offering, our authorized capital stock will consist of 1,000,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 100,000,000 shares of convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Upon the closing of this offering, all the outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock will automatically convert into an aggregate of 23,544,607 shares of our common stock (which includes cumulative dividends as of March 31, 2020).

Based on 3,166,946 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020 (including 17,297 shares of common stock that are subject to a right of repurchase), and after giving effect to the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding convertible preferred stock into an aggregate of 23,544,607 shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering and the issuance of 8,000,000 shares of common stock in this offering, there will be 34,711,553 shares of common stock outstanding upon the closing of this offering. As of March 31, 2020, we had 69 stockholders of record. As of March 31, 2020, there were 3,200,872 shares of common stock subject to outstanding options.

Common Stock

Voting Rights

Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws to be in effect upon the completion of this offering do not provide for cumulative voting rights. Because of this, the holders of a plurality of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election, if they should so choose. With respect to matters other than the election of directors, at any meeting of the stockholders at which a quorum is present or represented, the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at such meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders, except as otherwise required by law. The holders of a majority of the stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings of the stockholders.

Dividends

Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then-outstanding convertible preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our board of directors out of legally available funds.

Liquidation

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then-outstanding shares of convertible preferred stock.

Rights and Preferences

Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, conversion, subscription or other rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of our convertible preferred stock that we may designate in the future.

 

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Fully Paid and Nonassessable

All of our outstanding shares of common stock are, and the shares of common stock to be issued in this offering, upon payment and delivery in accordance with the underwriting agreement, will be fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

Upon the closing of this offering, our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing change in our control or other corporate action. Upon closing of this offering, no shares of preferred stock will be outstanding, and we have no present plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Options

As of March 31, 2020, we had outstanding options to purchase an aggregate of 3,200,872 shares of our common stock, with a weighted-average exercise price of $3.08 per share, under our 2020 Plan. After March 31, 2020, we issued options to purchase an aggregate of 673,943 shares of our common stock, with a weighted-average exercise price of $4.96 per share, under our 2020 Plan.

Warrants

As of March 31, 2020, we had outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock at $9.4972 per share, pursuant to the Loan Agreement. Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, these warrants will be converted into warrants to purchase common stock.

Registration Rights

We are party to an amended and restated investors’ rights agreement that provides that certain holders of our convertible preferred stock have certain registration rights as set forth below. The registration of shares of our common stock by the exercise of registration rights described below would enable the holders to sell these shares without restriction under the Securities Act when the applicable registration statement is declared effective. Generally, in an underwritten offering, the managing underwriter, if any, has the right, subject to specified conditions, to limit the number of shares such holders may include.

Demand Registration Rights

After this offering, the holders of an aggregate of 24,039,473 shares of our common stock will be entitled to certain demand registration rights. At any time beginning 180 days after the effective date of this offering and before the three-year anniversary of the date of the investors’ rights agreement, the holders of at least 50% of the shares in the aggregate may request that we file a registration statement to register all or a portion of their shares. Such request for registration must cover at least 40% of the shares or shares with an anticipated aggregate public offering price, net of underwriting discounts and expenses, of at least $15.0 million.

S-3 Registration Rights

After this offering, the holders of an aggregate of 24,039,473 shares of our common stock will be entitled to certain Form S-3 registration rights. At any time when we are eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, the holders of at least 10% of these shares can make a request that we register their shares on Form S-3 if such request covers shares with an anticipated aggregate public offering price, net of underwriting discounts and expenses, of at least $1.0 million.

Piggyback Registration Rights

In connection with this offering, the holders of an aggregate of 24,039,473 shares of our common stock were entitled to, and the necessary percentage of holders waived, their rights to notice of this offering and to include their

 

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shares of registrable securities in this offering. After this offering, in the event that we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities Act, either for our own account or for the account of other security holders, the holders of these shares will be entitled to certain piggyback registration rights allowing the holder to include their shares in such registration, subject to certain marketing and other limitations. As a result, whenever we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act, the holders of these shares are entitled to notice of the registration and have the right to include their shares in the registration, subject to limitations that the underwriters may impose on the number of shares included in the offering.

Indemnification

Our amended and restated 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.

Expenses of Registration

We will pay the registration expenses, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, of the shares registered by the demand, Form S-3 and piggyback registrations described above.

Termination of Registration Rights

The demand, Form S-3 and piggyback registration described above will expire upon the earliest of (1) the fifth anniversary after the closing of this offering, (2) a deemed liquidation event (as defined in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in effect prior to the completion of this offering) and (3) such time after the completion of this offering that such stockholder can sell all of its shares entitled to registration rights under Rule 144 of the Securities Act.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Delaware Law, Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Our Amended and Restated Bylaws

Certain provisions of Delaware law and certain provisions that will be included in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws summarized below may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider to be in its best interests, including attempts that might result in a premium being paid over the market price for the shares held by stockholders.

Preferred Stock

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that permit our board of directors to issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, shares of preferred stock in one or more series and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting the series and the designation of the series, the voting rights (if any) of the shares of the series and the powers, preferences or relative, participation, optional and other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions, of the shares of such series.

Classified Board

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors is divided into three classes, designated Class I, Class II and Class III. Each class will be an equal number of directors, as nearly as possible, consisting of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire board of directors. The term of initial Class I directors shall terminate on the date of the 2021 annual meeting, the term of the initial Class II directors shall terminate on the date of the 2022 annual meeting, and the term of the initial Class III directors shall terminate on the date of the 2023 annual meeting. At each annual meeting of stockholders beginning in 2021, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting will be elected for a three-year term.

Removal of Directors

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that stockholders may only remove a director for cause by a vote of no less than a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote.

Director Vacancies

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize only our board of directors to fill vacant directorships.

 

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No Cumulative Voting

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that stockholders do not have the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors.

Special Meetings of Stockholders

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by an officer at the request of a majority of our board of directors, by the Chair of our board of directors or by our Chief Executive Officer.

Advance Notice Procedures for Director Nominations

Our bylaws will provide that stockholders seeking to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice thereof in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice generally will have to be delivered to and received at our principal executive offices before notice of the meeting is issued by the secretary of the company, with such notice being served not less than 90 nor more than 120 days before the meeting. Although the amended and restated bylaws will not give the board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates to be elected at an annual meeting, the amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the company.

Action by Written Consent

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will provide that any action to be taken by the stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by written consent.

Amending our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended or altered in any manner provided by the DGCL. Our amended and restated bylaws may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by stockholders only upon approval of at least majority of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of the common stock, except for any amendment of the above provisions, which would require the approval of a two-thirds majority of our then outstanding common stock. Additionally, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed by the board of directors.

Authorized but Unissued Shares

Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock will be available for future issuances without stockholder approval, except as required by the listing standards of Nasdaq, and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the company by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Exclusive Jurisdiction

Our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of this offering provide that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty, any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to the DGCL, any action regarding our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions. Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of law for the specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers. For additional information, please also see the section titled “Risk Factors—Our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the completion of

 

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this offering provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.”

Business Combinations with Interested Stockholders

We are governed by Section 203 of the DGCL. Subject to certain exceptions, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination (as defined in such section) with an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation or any person affiliated with such person) for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to such time the board of directors of such corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of such corporation at the time the transaction commenced (excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock of such corporation outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned (A) by persons who are directors and also officers of such corporation and (B) by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer); or (iii) at or subsequent to such time the business combination is approved by the board of directors of such corporation and authorized at a meeting of stockholders (and not by written consent) by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation not owned by the interested stockholder.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws will provide that we must indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. We are expressly authorized to, and do, carry directors’ and officers’ insurance providing coverage for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive directors.

The limitation on liability and indemnification provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

Listing

Our common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ALXO.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 250 Royal Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.

 

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock, and although our common stock has been approved for listing on Nasdaq, we cannot assure investors that there will be an active public market for our common stock following this offering. We cannot predict what effect, if any, sales of our shares in the public market or the availability of shares for sale will have on the market price of our common stock. Future sales of substantial amounts of common stock in the public market, including shares issued upon exercise of outstanding options, or the perception that such sales may occur, however, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and also could adversely affect our future ability to raise capital through the sale of our common stock or other equity-related securities of ours at times and prices we believe appropriate.

Upon completion of this offering, based on our shares outstanding as of March 31, 2020 and after giving effect to the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock, 34,711,553 shares of our common stock will be outstanding, or 35,911,553 shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full. All of the shares of common stock expected to be sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act unless held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The remaining outstanding shares of our common stock will be deemed “restricted securities” as that term is defined under Rule 144. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if their offer and sale is registered under the Securities Act or if the offer and sale of those securities qualify for an exemption from registration, including exemptions provided by Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act, which are summarized below.

As a result of the lock-up agreements and market stand-off provisions described below and the provisions of Rules 144 or 701 and no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, the shares of our common stock that will be deemed “restricted securities” will be available for sale in the public market following the completion of this offering as follows:

 

   

8,000,000 shares will be eligible for sale on the date of this prospectus; and

 

   

26,711,553 shares will be eligible for sale upon expiration of the lock-up agreements and market stand-off provisions described below, beginning more than 180 days after the date of this prospectus.

Lock-Up Agreements and Market Stand-off Agreements

Our officers, directors and the holders of substantially all of our capital stock, options and warrants have entered into market stand-off agreements with us and have entered into or will enter into lock-up agreements with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior consent of Jefferies LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. See the section titled “Underwriting” for additional information.

Rule 144

Rule 144, as currently in effect, generally provides that, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act for at least 90 days, a stockholder who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at any time during the preceding 90 days and who has beneficially owned the shares of our capital stock proposed to be sold for at least six months is entitled to sell such shares in reliance upon Rule 144 without complying with the volume limitation, manner of sale or notice conditions of Rule 144. If such stockholder has beneficially owned the shares of our capital stock proposed to be sold for at least one year, then such person is entitled to sell such shares in reliance upon Rule 144 without complying with any of the conditions of Rule 144.

Rule 144 also provides that a stockholder who is deemed to have been one of our affiliates at any time during the preceding 90 days and who has beneficially owned the shares of our common stock proposed to be sold for at least

 

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six months is entitled to sell such shares in reliance upon Rule 144 within any three month period beginning 90 days after the date of this prospectus a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of the following:

 

   

1% of the number of shares of our capital stock then outstanding, which will equal 347,115 shares immediately after the completion of this offering, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares (calculated as of March 31, 2020); or

 

   

the average weekly trading volume of our common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to such sale.

Sales of our capital stock made in reliance upon Rule 144 by a stockholder who is deemed to have been one of our affiliates at any time during the preceding 90 days are also subject to the current public information, manner of sale and notice conditions of Rule 144.

Rule 701

Rule 701 generally provides that, once we have been subject to the public company reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act for at least 90 days, a stockholder who purchased shares of our common stock pursuant to a written compensatory benefit plan or contract and who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at any time during the preceding 90 days may sell such shares in reliance upon Rule 144 without complying with the current public information or holding period conditions of Rule 144. Rule 701 also provides that a stockholder who purchased shares of our common stock pursuant to a written compensatory benefit plan or contract and who is deemed to have been one of our affiliates during the preceding 90 days may sell such shares under Rule 144 without complying with the holding period condition of Rule 144. However, all stockholders who purchased shares of our common stock pursuant to a written compensatory benefit plan or contract are required to wait until 90 days after the date of this prospectus before selling such shares pursuant to Rule 701.

Registration Rights

After the completion of this offering, the holders of up to 24,039,473 shares of our common stock will be entitled to certain rights with respect to the registration of such shares under the Securities Act. The registration of these shares of our common stock under the Securities Act would result in these shares becoming eligible for sale in the public market without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of such registration, subject to the Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates. See the section titled “Description of Capital Stock—Registration Rights” for a description of these registration rights.

Stock Plans

After the completion of this offering, we intend to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register all of the shares of our common stock subject to equity awards outstanding or reserved for issuance under our equity compensation plans. Such registration statement is expected to be filed and become effective as soon as practicable after the completion of this offering. The shares of our common stock covered by such registration statement will be eligible for sale in the public market without restriction under the Securities Act immediately upon the effectiveness of such registration statement, subject to vesting restrictions, the conditions of Rule 144 applicable to affiliates and any applicable market stand-off agreements and lock-up agreements. See the section titled “Executive Compensation—Employee Benefit and Stock Plans” for a description of our equity compensation plans.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK

The following is a summary of material U.S. federal income tax considerations of the ownership and disposition of our common stock acquired in this offering by a “non-U.S. holder” (as defined below) but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all the potential tax considerations relating thereto. This summary is based upon the provisions of the Code, Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative rulings and judicial decisions, all as of the date hereof. These authorities may be changed, possibly retroactively, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax considerations different from those set forth below. We have not sought, and do not intend to seek, any ruling from the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with such statements and conclusions.

This summary also does not address the tax considerations arising under the laws of any non-U.S., state or local jurisdiction or under U.S. federal gift and estate tax rules, or the effect, if any, of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, this discussion does not address tax considerations applicable to an investor’s particular circumstances or to investors that may be subject to special tax rules, including, without limitation:

 

   

banks, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts or other financial institutions;

 

   

persons subject to the alternative minimum tax;

 

   

tax-exempt organizations;

 

   

pension plans and tax-qualified retirement plans;

 

   

controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax;

 

   

entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes or other pass through entities such as subchapter S corporations (or investors in such entities or arrangements);

 

   

brokers or dealers in securities or currencies;

 

   

traders in securities that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities holdings;

 

   

persons who own, or are deemed to own, more than five percent of our capital stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below);

 

   

certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

 

   

persons who hold our common stock as a position in a hedging transaction, “straddle,” “conversion transaction,” or other risk reduction transaction;

 

   

persons who hold or receive our common stock pursuant to the exercise of any option or otherwise as compensation;

 

   

persons who do not hold our common stock as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment) or

 

   

persons deemed to sell our common stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code.

In addition, if a partnership (or other entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and upon the activities of the partnership. A partner in a partnership that will hold our common stock should consult his, her or its own tax advisor regarding the tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock through a partnership.

You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of the U.S. federal income tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock arising under the U.S. federal gift or estate tax rules or under the laws of any state, local, non-U.S. or other taxing jurisdiction or under any applicable tax treaty.

 

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Non-U.S. Holder Defined

For purposes of this discussion, you are a “non-U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of our common stock that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is neither a partnership nor:

 

   

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

   

a corporation or other entity taxable as a corporation created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States or any political subdivision thereof, or otherwise treated as such for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

   

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

   

a trust (x) whose administration is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and that has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (y) that has made a valid election under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

Distributions

As described in the section titled “Dividend Policy,” we have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock following the completion of this offering. However, if we do make distributions on our common stock, those payments will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. To the extent those distributions exceed both our current and our accumulated earnings and profits, the excess will constitute a return of capital and will first reduce your basis in our common stock, but not below zero, and then will be treated as gain from the sale of stock as described below under “—Gain on Disposition of Common Stock.”

Subject to the discussions below regarding effectively connected income, backup withholding and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA, withholding, any dividend paid to you generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax either at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividend or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and your country of residence. In order to receive a reduced treaty rate, you must provide us or the applicable paying agent with an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or other appropriate version of IRS Form W-8 certifying qualification for the reduced rate. We may withhold up to 30% of the gross amount of the entire distribution even if the amount constituting a dividend, as described above, is less than the gross amount to the extent provided for in the Treasury Regulations. A non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. If the non-U.S. holder holds our common stock through a financial institution or other agent acting on the non-U.S. holder’s behalf, the non-U.S. holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the agent, which then will be required to provide certification to us or our paying agent, either directly or through other intermediaries.

Dividends received by you that are treated as effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, that are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by you in the United States) are generally exempt from the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, subject to the discussions below regarding backup withholding and FATCA withholding. In order to obtain this exemption, you must provide us with a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI or other applicable IRS Form W-8 properly certifying such exemption. Such effectively connected dividends, although not subject to U.S. federal withholding tax, generally are taxed at the same rates applicable to U.S. persons, net of certain deductions and credits. In addition, if you are a corporate non-U.S. holder, dividends you receive that are effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business may also be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and your country of residence. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock, including the application of any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

 

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Gain on Disposition of Common Stock

Subject to the discussions below regarding backup withholding and FATCA withholding, you generally will not be required to pay U.S. federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale or other disposition of our common stock unless:

 

   

the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a U.S. trade or business (and, if an applicable income tax treaty so provides, the gain is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by you in the United States);

 

   

you are an individual who is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the calendar year in which the sale or disposition occurs and certain other conditions are met; or

 

   

our common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest by reason of our status as a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” or a USRPHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding your disposition of, or your holding period for, our common stock.

We believe that we are not currently and will not become a USRPHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the remainder of this discussion so assumes. However, because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair market value of our U.S. real property interests relative to the fair market value of our U.S. and worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, there can be no assurance that we will not become a USRPHC in the future. Even if we become a USRPHC, however, as long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, your common stock will be treated as U.S. real property interests only if you actually (directly or indirectly) or constructively hold more than five percent of such regularly traded common stock at any time during the shorter of the five-year period preceding your disposition of, or your holding period for, our common stock.

If you are a non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet above, you generally will be required to pay tax on the gain derived from the sale (net of certain deductions and credits) under regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to U.S. persons, and a corporate non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet above also may be subject to the branch profits tax at a 30% rate, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. If you are an individual non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet above, you will be subject to tax at 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on the gain derived from the sale, which gain may be offset by U.S. source capital losses for the year, provided you have timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses. You should consult your tax advisor regarding any applicable income tax or other treaties that may provide for different rules.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

Generally, we must report annually to the IRS the amount of dividends paid to you, your name and address and the amount of tax withheld, if any. A similar report will be sent to you. Pursuant to applicable income tax treaties or other agreements, the IRS may make these reports available to tax authorities in your country of residence.

Payments of dividends on or of proceeds from the disposition of our common stock made to you may be subject to backup withholding at the applicable statutory rate (currently, 24%) unless you establish an exemption, for example, by properly certifying your non-U.S. status on a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E or another appropriate version of IRS Form W-8. Notwithstanding the foregoing, backup withholding and information reporting may apply if either we or our paying agent has actual knowledge, or reason to know, that you are a U.S. person.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather, the U.S. federal income tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund or credit may generally be obtained from the IRS, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Additional Withholding Requirements under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and other official IRS guidance issued thereunder, or collectively FATCA, generally impose a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends on, and the

 

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gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of, our common stock, paid to a “foreign financial institution” (as specially defined under these rules), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. government to, among other things, withhold on certain payments and to collect and provide to the U.S. tax authorities substantial information regarding the U.S. account holders of such institution (which includes certain equity and debt holders of such institution, as well as certain account holders that are non-U.S. entities with U.S. owners) or otherwise establishes an exemption. FATCA also generally imposes a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends on, and the gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition of, our common stock paid to a “non-financial foreign entity” (as specially defined under these rules) unless such entity provides the withholding agent with a certification identifying the substantial direct and indirect U.S. owners of the entity, certifies that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners, or otherwise establishes an exemption.

The withholding obligations under FATCA generally apply to dividends on our common stock and to the payment of gross proceeds of a sale or other disposition of our common stock. However, the U.S. Treasury Department has issued proposed regulations that, if finalized in their present form, would eliminate FATCA withholding on gross proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our common stock (but not on payments of dividends). The preamble of such proposed regulations state that they may be relied upon by taxpayers until final regulations are issued or until such proposed regulations are rescinded. The withholding tax will apply regardless of whether the payment otherwise would be exempt from withholding tax, including under the exemptions described above. Under certain circumstances, a non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such taxes. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and the non-U.S. holder’s country of residence may modify the requirements described in this section. Prospective investors should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the application of FATCA withholding to their investment in, and ownership and disposition of, our common stock.

The preceding discussion of U.S. federal income tax considerations is for general information only. It is not tax advice to investors in their particular circumstances. Each prospective investor should consult its own tax advisor regarding the particular U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. tax considerations of purchasing, owning and disposing of our common stock, including the consequences of any proposed change in applicable laws.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, dated                         , 2020, between us and Jefferies LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Piper Sandler & Co. and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., as the representatives of the underwriters named below and the joint book-running managers of this offering, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the respective number of shares of common stock shown opposite its name below:

 

 

 

UNDERWRITER

   NUMBER OF
SHARES
 

Jefferies LLC

                           

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

  

Piper Sandler & Co.

  

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

LifeSci Capital LLC

  
  

 

 

 

Total

     8,000,000  
  

 

 

 

 

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by their counsel. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters will purchase all of the shares of common stock if any of them are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the non-defaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the common stock as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the common stock, that you will be able to sell any of the common stock held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.

The underwriters are offering the shares of common stock subject to their acceptance of the shares of common stock from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

At our request, an affiliate of Jefferies LLC, a participating underwriter, has reserved up to 3% of the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus for sale, at the initial public offering price, to certain of our officers, directors, employees and other persons associated with us. Any reserved shares purchased by our executive officers and members of their households will be subject to the 180-day lock-up described elsewhere in this prospectus. If these persons purchase reserved shares, it will reduce the number of shares available for sale to the general public. Any reserved shares that are not so purchased will be offered by the underwriters to the general public on the same terms as the other shares offered by this prospectus.

Commission and Expenses

The underwriters have advised us that they propose to offer the shares of common stock to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers, which may include the underwriters, at that price less a concession not in excess of $             per share of common stock. The underwriters may allow, and certain dealers may reallow, a discount from the concession not in excess of $             per share of common stock to certain brokers and dealers. After the offering, the initial public offering price, concession and reallowance to dealers may be reduced by the representatives. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

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The following table shows the public offering price, the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us in connection with this offering. Such amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

 

 

 

     PER SHARE      TOTAL  
     WITHOUT
OPTION TO
PURCHASE
ADDITIONAL
SHARES
     WITH
OPTION TO
PURCHASE
ADDITIONAL
SHARES
     WITHOUT
OPTION TO
PURCHASE
ADDITIONAL
SHARES
     WITH
OPTION TO
PURCHASE
ADDITIONAL
SHARES
 

Public offering price

   $                    $                    $                    $                

Underwriting discounts and commissions paid by us

   $        $        $        $    

Proceeds to us, before expenses

   $        $        $        $    

 

 

We estimate expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $3.7 million. We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriters for up to $40,000 for their Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, counsel fee. In accordance with FINRA Rule 5110, this reimbursed fee is deemed underwriting compensation for this offering.

Determination of Offering Price

Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our common stock. Consequently, the initial public offering price for our common stock will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives. Among the factors to be considered in these negotiations will be prevailing market conditions, our financial information, market valuations of other companies that we and the underwriters believe to be comparable to us, estimates of our business potential, the present state of our development and other factors deemed relevant.

We offer no assurances that the initial public offering price will correspond to the price at which the common stock will trade in the public market subsequent to the offering or that an active trading market for the common stock will develop and continue after the offering.

Listing

Our common stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “ALXO.”

Option to Purchase Additional Shares

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of 1,200,000 shares from us at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts and commissions. If the underwriters exercise this option, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to specified conditions, to purchase a number of additional shares proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment as indicated in the table above. This option may be exercised only if the underwriters sell more shares than the total number set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

No Sales of Similar Securities

We, our officers, directors and holders of substantially all our outstanding capital stock have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:

 

   

sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any of our securities,

 

   

effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any of our securities,

 

   

pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any of our securities,

 

   

in any other way transfer or dispose of our securities,

 

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enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic risk of ownership of any of our securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise,

 

   

announce the offering of any of our securities,

 

   

submit or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any of our securities,

 

   

effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting our outstanding common stock or

 

   

publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of Jefferies LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Piper Sandler & Co.

This restriction terminates after the close of trading of the common stock on and including the 180th day after the date of this prospectus.

Jefferies LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Piper Sandler & Co. may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 180-day period, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriters and any of our shareholders who will execute a lock-up agreement, providing consent to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of the lock-up period.

Stabilization

The underwriters have advised us that they, pursuant to Regulation M under the Exchange Act, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the common stock at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.

“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of our common stock in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock or purchasing shares of our common stock in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option to purchase additional shares.

“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional shares of our common stock. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.

A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the common stock. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of shares of common stock on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the common stock originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.

Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.

 

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The underwriters may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Electronic Distribution

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the websites or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of shares of common stock for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ websites and any information contained in any other website maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.

Other Activities and Relationships

The underwriters and certain of their affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and certain of their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments issued by us and our affiliates.    If the underwriters or their respective affiliates have a lending relationship with us, they routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the common stock offered hereby. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the common stock offered hereby. The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Disclaimers About Non-U.S. Jurisdictions

European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a “Relevant State”), no shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of shares may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

 

   

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;

 

   

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters; or

 

   

in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

 

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provided that no such offer of shares shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any shares or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and us that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. In the case of any shares being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the shares acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of any shares to the public other than their offer or resale in a Relevant State to qualified investors as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters have been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to shares in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, or the Order, and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the shares in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.

Canada

(A) Resale Restrictions

The distribution of shares of common stock in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the shares of our common stock in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the shares of common stock.

(B) Representations of Canadian Purchasers

By purchasing shares of our common stock in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

 

   

the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the shares of our common stock without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions,

 

   

the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103—Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

 

   

where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent and

 

   

the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

 

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(C) Conflicts of Interest

Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that each of shares of our the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 – Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

(D) Statutory Rights of Action

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

(E) Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

(F) Taxation and Eligibility for Investment

Canadian purchasers of shares of common stock should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the shares of our common stock in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the shares of our common stock for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

Australia

This prospectus is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus in Australia:

You confirm and warrant that you are either:

 

   

a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;

 

   

a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the Company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made;

 

   

a person associated with the Company under Section 708(12) of the Corporations Act; or

 

   

a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.

To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus is void and incapable of acceptance.

You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the securities issued to you pursuant to this prospectus for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.

Hong Kong

No shares of our common stock have been offered or sold, and no shares of our common stock may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong, or the SFO, and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong, or the CO, or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of

 

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the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the shares of our common stock has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares of our common stock which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.

This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the shares of our common stock may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the shares of our common stock will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the shares of our common stock, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the shares of our common stock described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any shares of our common stock in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.

Israel

This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of shares is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

Japan

The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the underwriters will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Singapore

This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the shares of our common stock are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

 

   

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

   

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

 

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securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares of our common stock pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

   

to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

   

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

 

   

where the transfer is by operation of law;

 

   

as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

 

   

as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or the SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, us or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or the CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the issuance of our common stock offered in this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California. Cooley LLP, San Francisco, California, is representing the underwriters in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of ALX Oncology Limited as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, and each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, have been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The financial statement of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. as of April 1, 2020 (inception), has been included herein and in the registration statement in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which constitutes a part of the registration statement, does not include all of the information contained in the registration statement, some of which is contained in exhibits to the registration statement as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. You should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits for additional information. Whenever we make references in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, such references are not necessarily complete and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement and its exhibits, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

When we complete this offering, we will be subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and we will file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These reports, proxy statements and other information will be available at the website of the SEC referred to above. We also maintain a website at which you may access these materials free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained on our website is not a part of this prospectus.

 

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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

Audited Balance Sheet as of April 1, 2020 (Inception)

 

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-2  

Balance Sheet

     F-3  

Notes to Balance Sheet

     F-4  

 

 

ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Audited Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     F-5  

Consolidated Financial Statements:

  

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2019

     F-6  

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019

     F-7  

Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Shareholders’ Deficit for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019

     F-8  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December  31, 2018 and 2019

     F-9  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-10  

 

 

ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December  31, 2019 and March 31, 2020

     F-33  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020

     F-35  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Shareholders’ Deficit for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020

     F-36  

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020

     F-37  

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

     F-38  

 

 

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.:

Opinion on the Financial Statement

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the Company) as of April 1, 2020 (inception), and the related notes (collectively, the financial statement). In our opinion, the financial statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of April 1, 2020 (inception), in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

This financial statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on this financial statement based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statement is free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

San Francisco, California

June 12, 2020, except for the retroactive effect of the reverse stock split as described under the heading ‘Reverse Stock Split’ in Note 4, as to which the date is July 13, 2020

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

Balance Sheet

 

 

 

     APRIL 1,
2020
(INCEPTION)
 

Assets

  

Total assets

   $  
  

 

 

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

  

Total liabilities

   $  

Commitments and contingencies

  

Stockholders’ equity:

  

Common stock, $0.001 par value, 151 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding

   $  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $  
  

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of this balance sheet.

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

Notes to Balance Sheet

1. Organization

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., or the Company, was formed as a Delaware corporation on April 1, 2020, or Inception. The Company was formed for the purpose of completing the initial public offering and related transactions in order to carry on the business of ALX Oncology Limited. After Inception, ALX Oncology Limited became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Corporation as result of the internal reorganization. As part of the transaction, all of the equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Limited became equity, option and warrant holders of the Company, holding the same number of corresponding shares, options and/or warrants in the Company as they did in ALX Oncology Limited immediately prior to the reorganization.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Preparation

The balance sheet is presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP. The statements of operations and comprehensive loss, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows have not been presented because there have been no activities at inception of this entity.

Underwriting Commissions and Offering Costs

Underwriting commissions and offering costs to be incurred in connection with the Company’s common stock offerings will be reflected as a reduction in additional paid-in capital upon consummation of the equity financing.

Organizational Costs

Organizational costs for costs incurred to organize the Company will be expensed as incurred.

3. Stockholders’ Equity

The Company is authorized to issue 151 shares of common stock at $0.001 par value per share none of which are issued and outstanding as of inception on April 1, 2020.

4. Subsequent Events

Authorized Share Increase

On April 1, 2020 (subsequent to inception), the Company increased its authorized shares from 151 to 1,519,618,271 shares of common stock and 9,297,100 Series A convertible preferred stock, 1,108,675 of Series B convertible preferred stock and 11,055,981 of Series C convertible preferred stock.

Equity Incentive Plan

On April 1, 2020 (subsequent to inception), the board of directors approved a new equity incentive plan, or the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan or the Plan, that replaced the 2015 Share Award Scheme. The Plan is for employees, non-employee directors and consultants covering 4,379,139 shares of the Company’s common stock and authorizes the award of stock options, restricted stock awards, stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units.

Reorganization

On April 1, 2020 (subsequent to inception), the Company consummated the internal reorganization whereby the Company issued and sold to the existing shareholders of ALX Oncology Limited an aggregate of 3,166,946 shares of our common stock at purchase prices per share ranging from $0.007 to $1.91, an aggregate of 9,297,081 shares of our Series A convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $6.58, an aggregate of 1,016,727 shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972 and an aggregate of 11,055,966 shares of our Series C convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972, in exchange for promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $176.3 million. The Company also acquired 525,000,000 ordinary shares of ALX Oncology Limited in exchange for the promissory notes that were acquired in connection with such issuance and sale of the Company’s capital stock.

Reverse Stock Split

On July 8, 2020, the Company’s board of directors approved an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation to effect a 1-for-6.5806 reverse split of its common stock and convertible preferred stock. The par values of the common stock and convertible preferred stock were not adjusted as a result of the reverse stock split. All authorized, issued and outstanding common stock and convertible preferred stock and related per share amounts contained in the financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect this reverse stock split for all periods presented. The reverse stock split was effected on July 9, 2020.

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

ALX Oncology Limited:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of ALX Oncology Limited and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2016.

San Francisco, California

May 5, 2020, except for the retroactive effect of the reverse stock split as described under the heading ‘Reverse Stock Split’ in Note 13, as to which the date is July 13, 2020

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

             
             
    DECEMBER 31,  
    2018     2019  
             

Assets

   

Current assets:

   

Cash

  $ 8,262     $ 9,017  

Receivables due from related-party

    932       536  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    1,014       256  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

    10,208       9,809  

Property and equipment, net

    956       860  

Other assets

          7  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

  $ 11,164     $ 10,676  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ deficit

   

Current liabilities:

   

Accounts payable

  $ 697     $ 3,748  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

    1,176       1,236  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

    1,873       4,984  

Term loan

          5,421  

Other long-term liabilities

          412  

Deferred rent

    136       135  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    2,009       10,952  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 8)

   

Series A convertible preferred shares, $0.001 par value; 9,421,633 shares authorized; 9,297,081 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively; aggregate liquidation preference of $69,863 and $73,571 as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively

    60,933       60,933  

Series B convertible preferred shares, $0.001 par value; 2,145,370 shares authorized; 0 and 1,016,727 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively; aggregate liquidation preference of $0 and $10,014 as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively

          9,430  

Shareholders’ equity (deficit):

   

Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value; 1,519,618,271 shares authorized; 3,161,747 and 3,166,946 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and 2019, respectively

    3       3  

Additional paid-in capital

    1,758       2,140  

Accumulated deficit

    (53,539     (72,782
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity (deficit)

    (51,778     (70,639
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ equity (deficit)

  $ 11,164     $ 10,676  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

        
   YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,  
     2018     2019  

Related-party revenue

   $ 2,067     $ 4,796  

Operating expenses:

    

Research and development

     11,270       16,306  

General and administrative

     2,601       3,313  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     1,880       4,360  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     15,751       23,979  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (13,684     (19,183
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest expense

           (21

Other income (expense), net

     (2     (5
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (13,686     (19,209

Income tax provision

     (45     (34
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

     (13,731     (19,243

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (3,671     (4,028
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (17,402   $ (23,271
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

   $ (6.33   $ (7.56
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

     2,750,838       3,076,461  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per share, basic and diluted (unaudited)

     $ (1.34
    

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted (unaudited)

       14,330,300  
    

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Shareholders’ Deficit

(in thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

 

    CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED SHARES
          ORDINARY SHARES     ADDITIONAL
PAID-IN

CAPITAL
    ACCUMULATED
DEFICIT
    TOTAL
SHAREHOLDERS’

DEFICIT
 
    SHARES     AMOUNT           SHARES     AMOUNT  

Balance as of December 31, 2017

    9,297,081     $ 60,933           3,205,421     $ 3     $ 1,390     $ (39,808   $ (38,415

Exercise of share options

                    6,914             7             7  

Repurchase of ordinary shares

                    (43,689                        

Vesting of early exercised share options

                                92             92  

Repurchase of unvested early exercised share options

                    (6,899                        

Share-based compensation

                                269             269  

Net loss

                                      (13,731     (13,731
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

    9,297,081       60,933           3,161,747       3       1,758       (53,539     (51,778

Issuance of Series B convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $226

    1,016,727       9,430                                    

Exercise of share options

                    5,199             10             10  

Vesting of early exercised share options

                                75             75  

Share-based compensation

                                297             297  

Net loss

                                      (19,243     (19,243
 

 

 

   

 

 

       

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

    10,313,808     $ 70,363           3,166,946     $ 3     $ 2,140     $ (72,782   $ (70,639
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

 

 

 

    YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
    2018     2019  

Operating activities

   

Net loss

  $ (13,731   $ (19,243

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

   

Depreciation and amortization expense

    431       429  

Share-based compensation expense

    269       297  

Amortization of term loan discount and issuance costs

          11  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

   

Receivables due from related-party

    (932     396  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    897       744  

Other assets

          7  

Accounts payable

    (269     2,976  

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

    9       134  

Deferred rent

    136        
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

    (13,190     (14,249

Investing activities

   

Purchase of property and equipment

    (653     (353
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

    (653     (353
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing activities

   

Proceeds from related parties for issuance of Series B convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $164

          6,829  

Proceeds from issuance of Series B convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $62

          2,601  

Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares under equity incentive plan

    7       10  

Cash paid for repurchase of ordinary shares

    (6      

Proceeds from issuance of term loan, net of issuance costs of $83

          5,917  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

    1       15,357  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash

    (13,842     755  

Cash at beginning of year

    22,104       8,262  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash at end of year

  $ 8,262     $ 9,017  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities

   

Fair value of compound derivative liability and warrant liability related to term loan

  $     $ 412  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Vesting of early exercised share options

  $ 92     $ 75  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Acquisition of property and equipment in accounts payable

  $ 20     $  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Debt issuance costs in accounts payable

  $     $ 95  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements

 

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(1)

ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization

Alexo Therapeutics Limited, or the Company, was initially incorporated in Ireland on March 13, 2015 and changed its name to ALX Oncology Limited on October 11, 2018. The Company is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on helping patients fight cancer by developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway and bridge the innate and adaptive immune system.

The Company owns a direct subsidiary, ALX Oncology Inc., incorporated in the United States, as well as a direct subsidiary incorporated in Malta, Alexo International Holdings Ltd. The Company also has two indirect subsidiaries, Alexo Therapeutics International, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexo International Holdings Ltd. and Sirpant Therapeutics, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexo Therapeutics International, collectively, the Subsidiaries.

The Company completed an internal reorganization transaction in April 2020, pursuant to which ALX Oncology Limited became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation. As part of the transaction, all of the equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Limited became equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., holding the same number of corresponding shares, options and/or warrants in ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., as they did in the Company immediately prior to the reorganization (Note 13).

Basis of Preparation

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP.

Principles of Consolidation

All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Unaudited Pro Forma Information

Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, all outstanding convertible preferred shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares. Unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share has been computed to give effect to the conversion of all outstanding convertible preferred shares and cumulative dividends on the convertible preferred shares into ordinary shares. The unaudited pro forma net loss per share does not include the shares expected to be sold and related proceeds to be received from the initial public offering.

Need for Additional Capital

Since commencing operations, none of the Company’s product candidates have received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority and therefore the Company has not generated any revenue from drug product sales. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $72.8 million as of December 31, 2019 and management does not expect to experience positive cash flows in the foreseeable future. Based on management’s current plans, management believes cash of $9.0 million as of December 31, 2019, along with the $105.0 million of gross proceeds from the issuance of Series C convertible preferred shares in February 2020 (Note 13), are sufficient to fund operations through at least one year from the date of the issuance of these consolidated financial statements.

Management expects to incur additional losses in the future to conduct product candidate research and development and to conduct pre-commercialization activities and recognizes the need to raise additional capital to fully implement its business plan. The Company intends to raise such capital through the sale of additional equity, debt financings or strategic alliances with third parties. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund its operations or on terms acceptable to the Company. If the Company is unsuccessful in its efforts to raise additional financing, the Company could be required to significantly reduce operating expenses and delay, reduce the scope of or

 

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eliminate some of its development programs or its future commercialization efforts, out-license intellectual property rights to its product candidates and sell unsecured assets, or a combination of the above, any of which may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and/or its ability to fund its scheduled obligations on a timely basis or at all.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those related to the estimated useful lives of long-lived assets, clinical trial accruals, fair value of assets and liabilities, Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability, term loan compound derivative liability, term loan, valuation of ordinary shares, income taxes and share-based compensation. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other market-specific and relevant assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash

The Company holds its cash in checking and interest-bearing accounts.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. The Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of default by the financial institutions holding its cash. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash.

The Company’s future results of operations involve a number of other risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results and cause actual results to vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, uncertainty of results of clinical trials and reaching milestones, uncertainty of regulatory approval of the Company’s potential product candidates, uncertainty of market acceptance of the Company’s product candidates, competition from substitute products and larger companies, securing and protecting proprietary technology, strategic relationships and dependence on key individuals or sole-source suppliers.

The Company’s product candidates require approvals from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agencies prior to commercial sales in their respective jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that any product candidates will receive the necessary approvals. If the Company was denied approval, approval was delayed or the Company was unable to maintain approval for any product candidate, it could have a materially adverse impact on the Company.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets (Note 3). Upon sale or retirement of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation or amortization are removed from the consolidated balance sheet and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Maintenance and repairs are charged to the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss as incurred.

The useful lives of the property and equipment are as follows:

 

Research and development equipment    5 years
Furniture and office equipment    5 years
Computer equipment    3 years
Software    3 years
Leasehold improvements    Shorter of 7 years or remaining of lease term

 

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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the carrying amount to the future undiscounted net cash flows which the asset or asset group are expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined using various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary. There were no impairment charges recognized in the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that are required to be recognized or disclosed at fair value in the consolidated financial statements. The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Where observable prices or inputs are not available valuation models are applied. These valuation techniques involve some level of management estimation and judgment, the degree of which is dependent on the price transparency for the instruments or market and the instruments’ complexity.

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, the term loan compound derivative liability and the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability. The term loan compound derivative liability and the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability are re-measured at the end of every period and carried at fair value (Note 2). The recorded value of the Company’s accounts receivable and accounts payable approximates its current fair value due to the relatively short-term nature of these items.

Term Loan

The Company accounts for the Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2019, with Silicon Valley Bank, and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, LP, collectively as lenders, and Silicon Valley Bank, as administrative agent and collateral agent, as a liability measured at net proceeds less debt discount and is accreted to the face value of the term loan over its expected term using the effective interest method. The Company considers whether there are any embedded features in its debt instruments that require bifurcation and separate accounting as derivative financial instruments pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging.

Convertible Preferred Shares

The Company records convertible preferred shares net of issuance costs on the dates of issuance, which represents the carrying value. In the event of a change of control of the Company, proceeds will be distributed in accordance with the liquidation preferences set forth in its Constitution unless the holders of convertible preferred shares have converted their convertible preferred shares into ordinary shares. Convertible preferred shares are classified outside of shareholders’ deficit on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as events triggering the liquidation preferences are not solely within the Company’s control. The Company has elected not to adjust the carrying values of the convertible preferred shares to the liquidation preferences of such shares because of the uncertainty of whether or when such an event would occur.

Series B Convertible Preferred Shares Warrant Liability

The Company has issued freestanding warrants to purchase its Series B convertible preferred shares. Freestanding warrants for the Company’s convertible preferred shares that are classified outside of permanent equity are recorded at fair value, and are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until the earlier of the exercise of the warrants or the completion of a liquidation event. Upon exercise, the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability would be reclassified to additional paid-in capital, with any change in fair value recognized as a component of other income (expense), net.

 

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Revenue Recognition

To date, the Company has derived revenue from providing research and development services on a time and materials basis to a related-party. The Company recognizes such revenues over time as services are delivered, and invoices the customer as the work is incurred in arrears.

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) on a full retrospective basis. This standard applies to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, collaboration arrangements and financial instruments. In accordance with Topic 606, the Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

As part of the Company’s consideration as to whether the Company has entered into a contract with a customer, it considers whether it is probable that it will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods and services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract that falls under the scope of Topic 606, determines those that are performance obligations, and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated based on their standalone selling price to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

Cost of Services for Related-Party Revenue

The Company incurs costs associated with related-party services including direct labor and associated employee benefits, laboratory supplies, and other expenses. These costs are recorded in cost of services for related-party revenue as a component of total operating expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred and consist primarily of salaries and benefits, share-based compensation expense, lab supplies and facility costs, as well as fees paid to nonemployees and entities that conduct certain research and development activities on behalf of the Company and expenses incurred in connection with license agreements (Note 9). Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are capitalized and recorded in prepaid expenses and other current assets, and then expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.

Clinical and Manufacturing Accruals

The Company records accruals for estimated costs of research, preclinical studies and clinical trials, and manufacturing development, which are a significant component of research and development expenses. A substantial portion of the Company’s ongoing research and development activities are conducted by third-party service providers, including contract research organizations, or CROs, and contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs. The Company’s contracts with CROs generally include pass-through fees such as regulatory expenses, investigator fees, travel costs and other miscellaneous costs, including shipping and printing fees. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations, which vary from contract to contract and may result in payment flows that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided to the Company under such contracts. The Company accrues the costs incurred under agreements with these third parties based on estimates of actual work completed in accordance with the respective agreements. The Company determines the estimated costs through discussions with internal personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of the services and the agreed-upon fees to be paid for such services.

 

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The Company makes significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrual balance at the end of each reporting period. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its accruals. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, the Company’s understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and could result in the Company reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To assist in its estimates the Company relies upon the receipt of timely and accurate reporting from information provided as part of its clinical and non-clinical studies and other third-party vendors. Through December 31, 2019, there have been no material differences from the Company’s accrued estimated expenses to the actual clinical trial expenses. However, variations in the assumptions used to estimate accruals, including, but not limited to, the number of patients enrolled, the rate of patient enrollment, and the actual services performed, and related costs may vary from the Company’s estimates, resulting in adjustments to clinical trial expense in future periods. Changes in these estimates that result in material changes to the Company’s accruals could materially affect its financial position and results of operations.

Share-Based Compensation Expense

The Company accounts for share-based compensation by measuring and recognizing compensation expense for all share-based payments made to employees, directors and non-employees based on estimated grant-date fair values. The Company uses the straight-line method to allocate compensation expense to reporting periods over each optionee’s requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period, and estimates the fair value of share-based awards to employees and directors using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires the input of subjective assumptions, including expected volatility, expected dividend yield, expected term, risk-free rate of return and the estimated fair value of the underlying ordinary shares on the date of grant. The Company accounts for the effect of forfeitures as they occur.

Segment Reporting

The Company manages its operations as a single operating segment for the purposes of assessing performance and making operating decisions. All of the Company’s assets are maintained in the United States and Ireland.

Foreign Currency Transactions

The functional currency of the Company’s operation and each of its subsidiaries is U.S. dollars. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing on the balance sheet date. Expenses are translated at the average exchange rates prevailing during the applicable period. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss and recorded in other income (expense), net, and was immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the period in which the temporary differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that it believes these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies and results of recent operations. If the Company determines that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, it would make an adjustment to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.

The Company recognizes benefits of uncertain tax positions if it is more likely than not that such positions will be sustained upon examination based solely on their technical merits, as the largest amount of benefit that is

 

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more likely than not to be realized upon the ultimate settlement. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties related to the underpayment of income taxes as a component of income tax expense or benefit.

Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for ordinary share equivalents. Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders is calculated by adjusting net loss of the Company for cumulative preferred share dividends. Diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share, since the effects of potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive given the net loss for each period presented.

The Company applies the two-class method to compute basic and diluted net loss per share when it has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net loss per share for each class of ordinary and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires net loss available to ordinary shareholders for the period to be allocated between ordinary and participating securities based upon their respective rights to share in the earnings as if all net loss for the period had been distributed. The Company’s convertible preferred shares participate in any dividends declared by the Company and are therefore considered to be participating securities. The participating securities are not required to participate in the losses of the Company, and therefore during periods of loss there is no allocation required under the two-class method.

Unaudited Pro Forma Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders

In contemplation of an initial public offering, or IPO, the Company has presented unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2019. Unaudited pro forma basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders as of December 31, 2019 is computed to give effect to adjustments to the denominator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculation to reflect the conversion of all of the Company’s outstanding convertible preferred shares and cumulative dividends into 11,253,839 ordinary shares, as if the conversion had occurred as of the beginning of the period or the original date of issuance, if later.

Unaudited pro forma diluted net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders is the same as unaudited pro forma basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the period as the impact of any potentially dilutive securities was anti-dilutive, which has been computed to give effect to the adjustment noted above. The pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders does not include proceeds to be received from nor does it include shares expected to be sold in the assumed IPO.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (Topic 842), Leases (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 requires an entity to recognize assets and liabilities arising from a lease for both financing and operating leases. ASU No. 2016-02 will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10, which extends the effective date of ASU No. 2016-02 for non-public business entities, including smaller reporting companies, to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. The new standard is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2021. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing

 

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incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. In February 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-02 and delayed the effective date of Topic 326 until fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022. The new standard is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2023. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2021. ASU 2019-12 is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s financial statements and does not expect it to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

New Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash, which requires that restricted cash and cash equivalents be included as components of total cash and cash equivalents as presented on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and a retrospective transition method is required. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-11, Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480): Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features. ASU No. 2017-11 provides guidance that eliminates the requirement to consider “down round” features when determining whether certain financial instruments or embedded features are indexed to an entity’s stock and need to be classified as liabilities. ASU 2017-11 provides for entities to recognize the effect of a down round feature only when it is triggered and then as a dividend and a reduction to income available to common stockholders in basic earnings per share. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2019. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

(2)

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities are determined in accordance with the fair value hierarchy established in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. ASC Topic 820 defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy of ASC Topic 820 requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value and classifies those inputs into three levels:

Level 1– Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets

Level 2– Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, which are observable either directly or indirectly such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the instrument’s anticipated life

Level 3– Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions

The Company measures its Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability and term loan compound derivative liability at fair value on a recurring basis and these are classified as Level 3 liabilities. The fair value of the Series B preferred shares warrant liability was determined using an option-pricing model. The Company calculated the fair value of the term loan compound derivative liability by computing the difference between the

 

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fair value of the term loan with the compound derivative using the “with and without” method under the income

approach, and the fair value of the term loan without the compound derivative. The valuation methodology and underlying assumptions are discussed further in Note 4.

The following table sets forth the Company’s financial liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

     AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2019  
     LEVEL 1      LEVEL 2      LEVEL 3      FAIR VALUE  

Financial liabilities

           

Long term liabilities

           

Compound derivative liability

   $         —                —                51      $ 51  

Warrant liability

   $               361      $         361  

 

 

The following tables are a reconciliation of all financial liabilities measured at fair value using Level 3 unobservable inputs (in thousands):

 

 

 

     WARRANT
LIABILITY
     COMPOUND
DERIVATIVE
LIABILITY
 

Balance as of December 31, 2018

   $      $  

Additions

     361        51  

Change in market value

             
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

   $ 361      $ 51  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

The Company did not have any outstanding financial liabilities to be re-measured on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2018. There were no transfers of assets or liabilities between the fair value measurement levels during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Term Loan

The estimated fair value of the Term Loan was $5.7 million as of December 31, 2019 which approximates the carrying value and is classified as Level 3. The Company utilized a market yield analysis and income approach to estimate a value for the Term Loan. The key valuation assumptions used consist of the discount rate of 14.5% and the probability of the occurrence of a change in control event of 10.0%.

 

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(3)

BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS

Property and Equipment, Net

The following table presents the components of property and equipment, net as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
     2018     2019  

Computer hardware and software

   $ 117     $ 146  

Machinery and equipment

     1,374       1,698  

Furniture and fixtures

     36       36  

Leasehold improvements

     429       429  

Construction in progress

     20        
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
     1,976       2,309  

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (1,020     (1,449
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total property and equipment, net

   $ 956     $ 860  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense was approximately $0.4 million for both years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

The following table presents the components of accrued expenses and other current liabilities as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
     2018      2019  

Payroll and related liabilities

   $ 62      $ 60  

Accrued bonus

     745        864  

Accrued legal costs

     98        122  

Early exercise liability

     105        27  

Other

     166        163  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities

   $ 1,176      $ 1,236  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

TERM LOAN

The Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Alexo Therapeutics International and Sirpant Therapeutics, as borrowers, entered into a Loan and Security Agreement, or the Loan Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2019, with Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, LP, or WestRiver, collectively as lenders, and SVB, as administrative agent and collateral agent. The Loan Agreement provides for term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $10.0 million funded in two tranches, subject to the satisfaction of a certain milestone. The first tranche, in the amount of $6.0 million, was funded on the closing date of the Loan Agreement in December 2019. A second tranche of $4.0 million was available on or before March 31, 2020, upon the Company’s achievement of an equity financing resulting in net cash proceeds in an amount of at least $30.0 million to the Company. The Company elected not to draw down on the second tranche, which is no longer available.

The loans under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a floating per annum interest rate equal to the greater of 7.0% or 2.0% plus the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal prime rate was 4.75% as of December 31, 2019. Therefore, the rate applicable to the Company as of December 31, 2019 was 7.0%.

 

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The Company is required to make interest-only payments for the first 12 months after the closing of the Loan Agreement, followed by consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest commencing on January 1, 2021 and continuing through the maturity date of September 1, 2022. The Loan Agreement also provides for a final payment equal to 6.0% multiplied by the aggregate principal amount of the term loans funded, which is due on the maturity date, upon the acceleration of the term loans, or upon prepayment of the term loans. If the Company elects to prepay the term loans, there is also a prepayment fee of between 1.0% and 3.0% of the principal amount being prepaid depending on the timing and circumstances of prepayment.

In conjunction with the Loan Agreement, the Company has issued warrants to purchase 61,292 Series B convertible preferred shares to SVB and WestRiver with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share. The estimated fair value of the warrants at the date of issuance was approximately $0.4 million. The fair value of the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. As of December 20, 2019, the various assumptions used in the option-pricing model were time to liquidity of 2.0 to 10.0 years, volatility of 85.5%, risk-free rate of 1.7% and equity value of $345.0 million. It was recorded at its fair value at inception and is being re-measured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability was approximately $0.4 million and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

The loans under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets, except the Company’s intellectual property, which is the subject of a negative pledge.

The Company determined that certain loan features were embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and separate accounting. Those embedded derivatives were bundled together as a single, compound embedded derivative and then bifurcated and accounted for separately from the host contract. The Company recorded a term loan compound derivative liability of approximately $51,000 which will be marked-to-market in future periods. The Company calculated the fair value of the compound derivative by computing the difference between the fair value of the term loan with the compound derivative using the “with and without” method under the income approach, and the fair value of the term loan without the compound derivative. The Company calculated the fair values using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow analysis. The key valuation assumptions used consist of the discount rate and the probability of the occurrence of a change in control event. The term loan compound derivative liability is being re-measured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of the compound derivative liability was approximately $51,000 and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

The fair value of Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability at issuance, fair value of embedded derivatives which were bifurcated and other debt issuance costs have been treated as debt discounts on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet and together with the final payment are being amortized to interest expense throughout the life of the term loan using the effective interest rate method.

 

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As of December 31, 2019, there were unamortized issuance costs and debt discounts of $0.6 million which were recorded as a direct deduction from the term loan on the consolidated balance sheet. Interest expense for the term loan was immaterial for the year ended December 31, 2019. For future payments of principal and interest as of December 31, 2019 is as follows.

 

 

 

YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31:

      

2020

   $ 401  

2021

     3,743  

2022

     3,007  
  

 

 

 
     7,151  

Less: amount representing interest

   $ (791

Less: amount representing final payment

     (360

Long-term debt, gross

     6,000  

Less: unamortized issuance costs and debt discounts

     (579

Less: current portion

      
  

 

 

 

Long-term portion of term loan

   $ 5,421  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5)

CAPITAL STRUCTURE

Ordinary Shares

In 2015, in conjunction with the founding of the Company, 2,127,460 ordinary shares were issued to the founders, or Founder Stock, at a price of $0.033 per share. These shares are subject to repurchase at the option of the Company at a price that is the lower of (i) the original issuance price or (ii) the fair market value as of the date of repurchase, in the event that the founders’ employment is terminated either voluntarily or involuntarily. Such repurchase rights generally lapse over a period of four years from the date the Founder Stock was issued. As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2019, there were 113,864 and no founder shares subject to repurchase, respectively. See Note 6 for Founder Stock activity for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Ordinary shares reserved for future issuance, on an as if converted basis, as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, consists of the following:

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
     2018      2019  

Convertible preferred shares, issued and outstanding

     9,297,081        10,313,808  

Share options, issued and outstanding

     864,819        1,183,745  

Share options, authorized for future issuance

     73,015        566,900  

Warrants, issued and outstanding

            61,292  

Warrants, authorized for future issuance

            30,646  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     10,234,915        12,156,391  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

F-20


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Convertible Preferred Shares

As of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, the Company’s convertible preferred shares consisted of the following (in thousands, except share amounts):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31, 2018  
     AUTHORIZED
SHARES
     SHARES
ISSUED AND
OUTSTANDING
     NET
PROCEEDS(1)
     AGGREGATE
LIQUIDATION
PREFERENCE
 

Shares designated as:

           

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,421,633        9,297,081      $ 60,933      $ 69,863  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     9,421,633        9,297,081      $ 60,933      $ 69,863  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     DECEMBER 31, 2019  
     AUTHORIZED
SHARES
     SHARES
ISSUED AND
OUTSTANDING
     NET
PROCEEDS(1)
     AGGREGATE
LIQUIDATION
PREFERENCE
 

Shares designated as:

           

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,421,633        9,297,081      $ 60,933      $ 73,571  

Series B convertible preferred shares

     2,145,370        1,016,727        9,430        10,014  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     11,567,003        10,313,808      $ 70,363      $ 83,585  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  (1)

Net proceeds are gross proceeds from the offerings net of issuance costs.

In May 2015, the Company entered into a Series A Preferred Share Purchase Agreement, or Series A Agreement, with certain existing investors, employees, and new investors, or collectively, the Series A Investors. Under the terms of the Series A Agreement, the Company authorized the sale and issuance of up to 5,470,625 of the Company’s Series A convertible preferred shares. The purchase and sale of the Series A convertible preferred shares could be sold in one or more closings in accordance with the Series A Agreement. In March 2017, the Company entered into a convertible promissory note purchase agreement, or the Note Purchase Agreement, with certain existing investors, employees and new investors, or collectively, the Promissory Note Investors. Under the terms of the Note Purchase Agreement, the Company issued promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $25.0 million that are convertible into Series A convertible preferred shares to the Promissory Note Investors.

In 2015 and 2016, the Company issued a total of 5,470,612 Series A convertible preferred shares to investors at $6.58 per share for cash proceeds of $34.8 million. In September 2017, the Company issued a total of 3,826,469 Series A convertible preferred shares for cash proceeds of $1.2 million pursuant to the conversion of outstanding convertible promissory notes. The gross proceeds of $37.2 million were reduced by total issuance costs incurred of $0.2 million.

In May 2019, the Company entered into a Series B Preferred Share Purchase Agreement or the Series B Agreement, with certain existing investors, employees and new investors, or collectively, the Series B Investors. Under the terms of the Series B Agreement, the Company authorized the sale and issuance of up to 2,145,370 of the Company’s Series B convertible preferred shares at a purchase price of $9.4972 per share. The purchase and sale of the Series B convertible preferred shares could be sold in one or more closings in accordance with the Series B Agreement. As of December 31, 2019, a total of 1,016,727 shares had been purchased with gross proceeds of $9.6 million. The gross proceeds of $9.6 million were reduced by total issuance costs incurred of $0.2 million.

The rights, preferences and privileges of the Series A and Series B convertible preferred shares, or Preferred Shares, as of December 31, 2019 are as follows:

Dividend Provisions – Cumulative dividends of 6.0% per annum of the original issue price for each Preferred Shares series are payable when and as declared by the Company’s Board of Directors, or Board of Directors,

 

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upon the occurrence of a liquidation event or upon a contingent mandatory conversion of the Preferred Shares in connection with a qualified initial public offering as described below. The Series A original issue price is $6.58, and the Series B original issue price is $9.4972. The original issue price is subject to adjustment in the event of any share dividend, share split, combination, consolidation or other recapitalization. The dividends shall accrue from day to day from the issue date of such Preferred Shares whether or not declared and shall be cumulative. In addition, the Preferred Shares participate on an as-converted basis in any dividends payable to ordinary shareholders. Cumulative dividends for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 was $8.7 million and $12.7 million, respectively. No dividends have been declared or paid since the issuance of convertible preferred shares through December 31, 2019.

Liquidation – In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, merger or a reduction of capital through the sale or lease of all or substantial part of the business of the Company, before any distribution or payment shall be made to the holders of ordinary shares, the holders of Preferred Shares shall be entitled to be paid an amount in cash equal to the original issue price (subject to adjustment in the event of any share dividend, share split, combination, or other recapitalization) plus all dividends accumulated and unpaid thereon. First, the holders of the Preferred Shares are paid in full the amounts specified in the immediately preceding sentence on a pro-rata basis; then, after holders of the Preferred Shares are satisfied, any remaining amounts shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis to the holders of the Preferred Shares (calculated on an as converted basis) and the ordinary shares.

Voting Rights – On any matter presented to the shareholders of the Company, each holder of outstanding Preferred Shares shall be entitled to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole ordinary shares into which the Preferred Shares held by such holder are convertible. The holders of Preferred Shares shall vote together with the holders of ordinary shares as a single class. Additionally, as long as at least 1,367,656 Preferred Shares are outstanding (subject to adjustment in the event of any recapitalizations), the Company must receive approval of holders of at least two-third of the voting rights then held in aggregate by the holders of the Preferred Shares in issue on an as-converted basis in order to effect certain corporate actions. Two investors have contractual rights to elect three out of five board members.

Optional Conversion at Holders’ Option – Each share of Preferred Shares shall be convertible, at the option of the holder, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and non-assessable ordinary shares as is determined by dividing the original issue price by the Applicable Conversion Price. The Applicable Conversion Price for each series of Preferred Shares is currently equal to the original issue price for such series. Upon conversion, the holders shall also receive only declared but as yet unpaid dividends. Note only holders of Preferred Shares receive declared and unpaid dividends; preferred shareholders who chose to convert prior to the declaration of such dividends are not entitled to receive accumulated dividends.

Contingent Mandatory Conversion – Upon the closing of the first underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or pursuant to a corresponding securities issuance application process in any non-U.S. jurisdiction, covering the offer and sale of the Company’s ordinary shares in which (i) the per share price is not less than $15.19540 (as adjusted for any share dividends, combinations, splits, recapitalizations and the like with respect to such shares after the filing date hereof) and (ii) the gross cash proceeds to the Company (before underwriting discounts, commissions and fees) are at least $50.0 million then all outstanding Preferred Shares shall automatically be converted into a number of ordinary shares, at a conversion rate determined by dividing the applicable original price of such Preferred Shares by the applicable conversion price of such Preferred Shares. Upon conversion, the holders shall also receive any cumulative and unpaid dividends, whether or not declared as conversion ordinary shares at the same conversion rate for the applicable Preferred Shares.

Down-Round Antidilution Protection – In the event the Company issues its ordinary shares without consideration or for consideration per share that is less than the conversion price in effect for each series of the Preferred Shares, then the conversion price for that series shall be reduced in order to increase the number of ordinary shares into which such series of Preferred Shares is convertible to.

 

F-22


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(6)

SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

During 2015, the Company adopted an equity compensation plan, the 2015 Share Award Scheme, or the Plan, for eligible employees, officers, directors, advisors, and consultants. The Plan provides for the grant of incentive and non-statutory share options. The Plan permits the Company to grant up to 2,143,117 ordinary share awards, including incentive share options, non-statutory share options, conditional share awards and restricted share awards.

The terms of the share option agreements, including vesting requirements, are determined by the Board of Directors, subject to the provisions of the Plan. The term of the options generally expire, upon the earliest of (i) termination of continuous service for cause (ii) three months after the termination of continuous service for reasons other than cause, death or disability (iii) twelve months after the termination of continuous service due to disability (iv) eighteen months after the employee’s death if the employee died during the period of continuous service (v) expiration date in the grant notice or (vi) the day before the tenth anniversary of the date of grant. The exercise price of the incentive share options must equal at least the fair market value of the share on the date of grant.

All awards that are canceled, forfeited or expired are returned to the Plan and are available for grant in conjunction with the issuance of new awards. Share options granted are exercisable over a maximum term of 10 years from the date of grant and generally vest over an agreed service period, usually four years.

Certain share options granted under the Plan provide option holders the right to elect to exercise unvested options in exchange for ordinary shares. Such unvested ordinary shares are subject to a repurchase right held by the Company at the original issuance price in the event the optionee’s service to the Company is terminated either voluntarily or involuntarily. The right lapses as the underlying repurchase right expires. These repurchase terms are considered to be a forfeiture provision. The cash received from employees for exercise of unvested options is treated as a refundable deposit and is classified as a liability on the consolidated balance sheets. At December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, there were 116,048 and 34,024 unvested early exercised options and the liability related to these unvested options was $0.1 million and approximately $27,000, respectively.

(a) Option Activity

The following table provides a summary of share option activity under the Plan and related information:

 

 

 

           OUTSTANDING OPTIONS  
     SHARES
AVAILABLE
TO GRANT
    NUMBER OF
OPTIONS
    WEIGHTED
AVERAGE
EXERCISE
PRICE
     WEIGHTED
AVERAGE
REMAINING
CONTRACTUAL
LIFE (YEARS)
     AGGREGATE
INTRINSIC
VALUE
 
                               (in thousands)  

Balance outstanding at December 31, 2017

     218,322       719,527     $ 0.99        9.18      $  

Granted

     (187,186     187,186     $ 1.85        

Exercised

           (6,914   $ 0.99        

Canceled/forfeited

     34,980       (34,980   $ 0.99        

Shares repurchased

     6,899                    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance outstanding at December 31, 2018

     73,015       864,819     $ 1.17        8.54      $ 582  

Authorized

     818,010            

Granted

     (341,871     341,871     $ 1.91        

Exercised

           (5,199   $ 1.86        

Canceled/forfeited

     17,746       (17,746   $ 1.88        
  

 

 

   

 

 

         

Balance outstanding at December 31, 2019

     566,900       1,183,745     $ 1.37        8.06      $ 638  
    

 

 

         

Exercisable at December 31, 2019

       565,975     $ 1.16        7.56      $ 424  
    

 

 

         

 

 

 

F-23


Table of Contents

As of December 31, 2019, there was unrecognized share-based compensation expense of $0.6 million, related to unvested share options which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average period of 2.7 years.

The aggregate intrinsic values of options outstanding and exercisable were calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the options and the estimated fair value of the Company’s ordinary shares as determined by the Board of Directors as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 were immaterial.

Compensation cost for share options granted is based on the grant-date fair value estimated and is recognized over the vesting period of the applicable option on a straight-line basis. The weighted-average grant-date fair value per share for share options granted during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 was $1.14 and $1.27, respectively. The total fair value of options that vested during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 was approximately $0.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively.

Share-based compensation expense includes share options granted to employees and nonemployees and has been reported in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,  
             2018                      2019          

Research and development

   $ 195      $ 105  

General and administrative

     16        33  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     58        159  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 269      $ 297  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

The Company’s computation of share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 is based on the fair value of ordinary shares of $1.85 and $1.91, respectively, and is adjusted for actual forfeitures as they occur. The fair value of each option grant during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following:

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
     2018    2019

Expected term (in years)

   5.2 – 6.0      4.4 – 6.0

Risk-free interest rate

   2.6% – 3.0%    1.7% – 2.1%

Expected dividend rate

     

Expected share price volatility

   66.5% – 68.7%    75.2% – 80.5%

 

 

Expected Term. The expected term of the options represents the average period the share options are expected to remain outstanding. As the Company does not have sufficient historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior, the expected term of options granted is derived from the average midpoint between the weighted average vesting and the contractual term, also known as the simplified method.

Risk-Free Interest Rate. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield of U.S. Treasury notes as of the grant date with terms commensurate with the expected term of the option.

Dividend Yield. The expected dividends assumption is based on the Company’s expectation of not paying dividends in the foreseeable future.

Volatility. Since the Company is private and does not have any trading history for its ordinary shares, the expected volatility is based on the historical volatilities of the common shares of comparable publicly traded companies. The Company selected companies with comparable characteristics, including enterprise value, risk profiles, position within the industry, and with historical share price information sufficient to meet the expected life of the Company’s share-based awards.

 

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Table of Contents

Estimated Fair Value. The estimated fair value of the shares of common stock underlying stock options was determined by the Company’s board of directors. Because there was no public market for the Company’s common stock, the board of directors determined fair value of the common stock at the time of grant of the options by considering a number of objective and subjective factors including important developments in the Company’s operations, valuations performed by an independent third party, sales of convertible preferred stock, actual operating results and financial performance, the conditions in the biotechnology industry and the economy in general, the stock price performance and volatility of comparable public companies, and the lack of liquidity of the Company’s common stock, among other factors.

(b) Founder Stock Activity

The following table provides a summary of Founder Stock activity:

 

 

 

     NUMBER OF
SHARES
    WEIGHTED-AVERAGE
GRANT DATE
FAIR VALUE

Unvested at December 31, 2017

     455,477     $0.35

Vested

     (341,613      0.35

Unvested at December 31, 2018

     113,864        0.35

Vested

     (113,864      0.35
  

 

 

   

Unvested at December 31, 2019

         $      —
  

 

 

   

 

 

There were no Founder Stock granted during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019. The total fair value of Founder Stock that vested during the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 were $0.1 million and $40,000, respectively.

 

(7)

INCOME TAXES

The domestic (Ireland) and foreign components of pre-tax loss for the years ending December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
     2018     2019  

Foreign

   $ (12,576   $ (16,803

Domestic (Ireland)

     (1,110     (2,406
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

   $ (13,686   $ (19,209
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F-25


Table of Contents

The provision for income taxes consist of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
         2018              2019      

Current

     

Domestic (Ireland)

   $      $  

State (U.S.)

     1        1  

Foreign/federal

     44        33  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current

     45        34  

Deferred

     

Domestic (Ireland)

   $      $  

State (U.S.)

             

Foreign/federal

             
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total deferred

             
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Provision for income taxes

   $         45      $         34  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

A reconciliation of the Irish statutory income tax rate of 12.5% to the actual tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
 
         2018             2019      

At statutory rate

   $ (1,711   $ (2,401

Foreign income tax at different rates

     1,404       378  

U.S. R&D credits

     (499     (861

Change in valuation allowance

     732       3,733  

Share-based compensation

     57       60  

Prior period true ups

     (38     (950

Other

     100       75  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Provision for income taxes

   $ 45     $ 34  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 are as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
         2018             2019      

Deferred tax assets:

    

Net operating loss carryforwards

   $ 363     $ 3,259  

Research & other credits

     1,701       3,260  

Other

     208       333  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total gross DTA

   $ 2,272     $ 6,852  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Less: Val. Allowance

     (2,181     (6,686
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total deferred tax assets

   $ 91     $ 166  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities:

    

Fixed assets

     $ (91   $ 166  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total gross DTL

     $ (91   $ 166  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net deferred tax assets

   $     $  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

F-26


Table of Contents

Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the Company generating future taxable income, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. Accordingly, the deferred tax assets have been largely offset by a valuation allowance. The valuation allowance increased by approximately $0.8 million and $4.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had a net operating loss carryforwards for U.S. state income tax purposes of approximately $30.9 million, that expire in the year 2038, and for Ireland income tax purposes of approximately $4.0 million that never expire. As of December 31, 2019, the Company had U.S. federal research and development credit carryforwards of approximately $1.5 million, that expire in the year 2038, and U.S. state research and development credit carryforwards of approximately $2.4 million, that do not expire.

Utilization of the Company’s U.S. net operating loss and credit carryforwards may be subject to substantial annual limitation due to the ownership change limitations provided by the Internal Revenue Code and similar state provisions. Such annual limitation could result in the expiration of the U.S. net operating loss and credit carryforwards before utilization. To date, the Company has not performed an analysis to determine whether there would be a substantial annual limitation due to a change in ownership.

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, within the provision for taxes in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. If the Company is eventually able to recognize its uncertain tax positions, the Company’s effective tax rate would be reduced. The Company currently has a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax asset which would impact the timing of the effective tax rate benefit should any of these uncertain tax positions be favorably settled in the future.

The Company files income tax returns in Ireland, the U.S., and Malta. All of the Company’s tax years since 2015 remain open to examination.

The Company has the following activity relating to unrecognized tax benefits (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
         2018              2019      

Beginning balance

   $ 247      $ 418  

Gross increase—tax positions in prior periods

     11        9  

Gross decreases—tax positions in prior periods

            (7

Gross increases—tax positions in prior periods

     160        272  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ending balance

   $     418      $     692  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Although it is reasonably possible that certain unrecognized tax benefits may increase or decrease within the next 12 months due to tax examination changes, settlement activities, expirations of statute of limitations or the impact on recognition and measurement considerations related to the results of published tax cases or other similar activities, the Company does not anticipate any significant changes to unrecognized tax benefits over the next 12 months. During the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, no interest or penalties were required to be recognized relating to unrecognized tax benefits.

 

(8)

COMMITMENTS & CONTINGENCIES

In the normal course of business, the Company enters into contracts and agreements that contain a variety of representations and warranties and provide for general indemnifications. The Company’s exposure under these agreements is unknown because it involves claims that may be made against the Company in the future but have not yet been made. To date, the Company has not paid any claims or been required to defend any action related to its indemnification obligations. However, the Company may record charges in the future as a result of these indemnification obligations. The Company also has indemnification obligations to its officers and directors

 

F-27


Table of Contents

for specified events or occurrences, subject to some limits, while they are serving at the Company’s request in

such capacities. There have been no claims to date and the Company has director and officer insurance that may enable the Company to recover a portion of any amounts paid for future potential claims. The Company believes the fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded any liabilities for these agreements as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Company may be a party to various claims in the normal course of business. Legal fees and other costs associated with such actions will be expensed as incurred. The Company will assess, in conjunction with its legal counsel, the need to record a liability for litigation and contingencies. Reserve estimates will be recorded when and if it is determined that a loss related matter is both probable and reasonably estimable. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, the Company had no pending or threatened litigation.

Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments

The following table summarizes the Company’s commitments and contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019 (in thousands):

 

 

 

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31:

   OPERATING
LEASE
OBLIGATIONS
(1)
     MANUFACTURING
AND SERVICE
CONTRACTS

(2)
     TERM LOAN
(3)
 

2020

   $ 544      $ 926      $ 401  

2021

     560        5,805        3,743  

2022

     577               3,007  

2023

     247                
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,928      $ 6,731      $ 7,151  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

  (1)   Payments due for the office and laboratory space in Burlingame, California under a single operating lease agreement that expires in 2023.
  (2)   These amounts are based on non-cancellable commitments and forecasts that include estimates of future market demand, quantity discounts and manufacturing efficiencies that may impact timing of purchases.
  (3)   In December 2019, the Company entered into a term loan pursuant to the Loan Agreement as described above in Note 4.

Facilities

In 2015, the Company entered into a noncancelable lease for office space for a period of three years and two months, commencing March 2015 and ending May 31, 2018.

In 2016, the Company entered into a sublease agreement for office space for a period of four years, commencing June 2016 and ending May 31, 2020. This sublease was terminated early in May 2018 without any fees and penalties.

In 2017, the Company entered into a lease agreement for office space for a period of five years and four months, commencing February 1, 2018 and ending May 31, 2023.

Minimum rent payments under operating leases are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease including any periods of free rent. Rent expense for years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 were $1.0 million and $0.8 million, respectively.

Manufacturing and Service Contracts

In November 2015, the Company entered into a Master Service Agreement, or MSA, with KBI Biopharma, Inc, or KBI, relating to formulation development, process development and cGMP manufacturing of ALX148 for use in clinical trials on a project basis. The MSA had an initial term of three years which the Company subsequently extended. See table above for future committed purchases with KBI.

 

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The Company also enters into other contracts in the normal course of business with CROs, contract development and manufacturing organizations and other service providers and vendors. These contracts generally provide for termination on short notice and are cancelable contracts and, accordingly, are not included in the contractual obligations and disclosures summarized above.

 

(9)

LICENSE AGREEMENT

Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

In March 2015, the Company entered into a license agreement, or the Stanford Agreement, with the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, or Stanford, under which the Company obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents relating to the Company’s current product candidates, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. The license granted to the Company in the Stanford Agreement includes an exclusive grant, subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive or exclusive rights that Stanford retained for grant to third parties with respect to certain categories of the licensed patents in certain fields of use and retained rights by Stanford and all other nonprofit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other nonprofit purposes. The license granted to the Company in the Stanford Agreement also includes non-exclusive grants to certain Stanford patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the Stanford Agreement, the Company paid Stanford a nonrefundable license royalty and reimbursed Stanford for past patent expenses, together totaling less than $0.1 million, and granted Stanford a specified number of ordinary shares of the Company. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay Stanford ongoing patent expenses and an annual license maintenance fee, which are nominal and will be creditable against any royalties payable to Stanford in the applicable year. The Company is required to make milestone payments up to an aggregate of $5.0 million in respect of a specified number of licensed products that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones. No milestone payments have been made through December 31, 2019. The Company also agreed to pay Stanford tiered royalties on a specified percentage of net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and its sublicensees of licensed products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain reductions and offsets. The license, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, shall become royalty-free and fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the exclusively or non-exclusively licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the licensed product in such country.

The Company may terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time for any reason by providing at least 60 days’ written notice to Stanford. Stanford may terminate the Stanford Agreement, if the Company is in breach of any provision of the Stanford Agreement and fail to remedy such breach within 60 days after written notice of such breach by Stanford. In addition, Stanford has the right to terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, if the Company is not diligently developing and commercializing such licensed product under certain conditions or if the Company fails to achieve specified development milestones for such licensed product by certain dates, subject to the Company’s extension rights.

Commercial License Agreement with Selexis SA

In June 2016, the Company entered into a license agreement with Selexis SA, or Selexis, under which the Company obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents, know-how and other intellectual property, to use Selexis generated cell lines to manufacture ALX148 and to make, use and sell licensed products containing such compound in all fields of use. The rights granted under this agreement include the rights to grant sublicenses to contractors or other collaboration partners, in each case to develop production processes or manufacture licensed products containing ALX148.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the agreement, the Company paid Selexis a nominal one-time fee and will pay Selexis an annual maintenance fee. The Company also agreed to pay Selexis milestone

 

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payments up to an aggregate of 1.2 million Swiss Francs in respect of all licensed products developed and/or commercialized under the grant that successfully satisfies certain milestone events. The Company also agreed to pay Selexis a flat royalty of a very low single-digit percentage on net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and sublicensees of products. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the passing of ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country, or the Company’s exercise of the royalty buyout option exercisable at any time prior to the first commercial sale of a licensed product.

The Company may terminate the license agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Selexis. Either party may terminate the license agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of a material breach of the agreement (that cannot be cured or remains uncured for 60 days after the date that the defaulting party is provided with written notice of such breach). The Company’s obligations to pay royalties that are accrued or accruable will survive any termination of the agreement, and in certain circumstances the licenses granted under the agreement will terminate unless they have become fully paid up as described in the previous paragraph.

Commercial Antibody Agreement with Crystal Bioscience, Inc. (Now a Subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated)

In March 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with Crystal Bioscience, Inc. (now a subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated), or Crystal, under which the Company obtained an assignment of certain patents, covering certain SIRPa antibodies. Under this agreement, the Company also received a worldwide, royalty-bearing non-exclusive license, with the right to grant sublicenses through multiple tiers of sublicenses, under certain of Crystal’s background patents and know-how necessary to commercialize the rights under the assigned patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the agreement, it agreed to pay Crystal milestone payments up to $11.1 million in respect of all licensed products developed under the assigned patents, that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones, each milestone being paid only once for all products. The Company also agreed to pay Crystal tiered royalties on net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and sublicensees of products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain potential reductions. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country.

The Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products, including meeting defined development milestones by certain specified dates.

The Company may terminate the agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Crystal. Either party may terminate the agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of material breach of the agreement (that remains uncured for 60 days after the date that it is provided with written notice of such breach). The Company’s obligations to pay royalties and milestone payments which accrued pre-termination or accrue post-termination will survive any termination.

 

(10)

DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLAN

The Company has a qualified 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan, or the Plan, whereby employees may contribute up to the Federal annual limits. The Company does not match employee contributions.

 

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(11)

RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Related-Party Revenue

In June 2018, the Company entered into a Research and Development Services Agreement, or Tollnine Agreement, with Tollnine, Inc., or Tollnine, a related-party of the Company, to provide research and development services to Tollnine. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer is also the Chief Executive Officer of Tollnine and two of the Company’s investors are also investors in Tollnine. As such, Tollnine was deemed to be a related-party. The Tollnine Agreement has an initial term of 3 years, to be automatically renewed for additional one-year terms unless terminated by either party. The services are to be provided at a price based on the costs incurred by the Company plus a mark-up equal to 10% of such costs. The Company recognizes revenue when Tollnine, as our customer, obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, the Company recognized related-party revenues of $2.1 million and $4.8 million, respectively, under the Tollnine Agreement.

Receivables due from Related-Party

As of December 31, 2018, and 2019, the Company had outstanding related-party receivables from Tollnine of $0.9 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

 

(12)

NET LOSS PER SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS AND UNAUDITED PRO FORMA NET LOSS PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the computation of the basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,  
     2018      2019  

Numerator:

     

Net loss

   $ (13,731)        $(19,243)  

Less: cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (3,671)            (4,028)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (17,402)        $(23,271)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Denominator:

     

Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding

     2,750,838        3,076,461  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

   $ (6.33)      $ (7.56)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Since the Company was in a loss position for all periods presented, basic net loss per share is the same as diluted net loss per share for all periods as the inclusion of all potential ordinary shares outstanding would have been anti-dilutive. Potentially dilutive securities that were not included in the diluted per share calculations as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019 because they would be anti-dilutive were as follows:

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,  
     2018      2019  

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,297,081        9,297,081  

Series B convertible preferred shares

            1,016,727  

Warrants to purchase convertible preferred shares

            61,292  

Ordinary shares subject to repurchase

     229,912        34,024  

Options issued and outstanding

     864,819        1,183,745  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     10,391,812        11,592,869  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth the computation of the Company’s unaudited pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

 

 

 

     YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31,
2019
 

Net loss

   $ (19,243
  

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

     3,076,461  

Pro forma adjustment to reflect assumed conversion of preferred shares and accrued dividends allocable to ordinary shareholders

     11,253,839  
  

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share, basic and diluted

     14,330,300  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss per share, basic and diluted

   $ (1.34
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

(13)

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Series C Preferred Share Issuance

In February 2020, the Company entered into a Series C Preferred Share Purchase Agreement, or the Series C Agreement, with certain existing investors, employees and new investors, or collectively, the Series C Investors. Under the terms of the Series C Agreement, the Company authorized the sale and issuance of up to 11,055,981 Series C convertible preferred shares at a purchase price of $9.4972 per share. To date, all authorized Series C convertible preferred shares have been purchased with gross proceeds of $105.0 million.

Reorganization

On April 1, 2020, the Company completed an internal reorganization transaction pursuant to which ALX Oncology Limited became a wholly-owned subsidiary ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation. As part of the transaction, all of the equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Limited became equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., holding the same number of corresponding shares, options and/or warrants in ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., as they did in the Company immediately prior to the reorganization.

Reverse Stock Split

On July 8, 2020, the Company’s board of directors approved an amendment to ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.’s certificate of incorporation to effect a 1-for-6.5806 reverse split of its ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares. The par values of the ordinary and convertible preferred shares were not adjusted as a result of the reverse stock split. All authorized, issued and outstanding ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares and related per share amounts contained in the consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect this reverse stock split for all periods presented. The reverse stock split was effected on July 9, 2020.

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

    DECEMBER 31,
2019
    MARCH 31,
2020
    PRO FORMA
SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY AS OF
MARCH 31,
2020
 
    (Note 1)     (unaudited)     (unaudited)  

Assets

     

Current assets:

     

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 9,017     $ 105,035     $                

Receivables due from related-party

    536       1,191    

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    256       1,187    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

    9,809       107,413    

Property and equipment, net

    860       757    

Other assets

    7       229    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

  $ 10,676     $ 108,399     $    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ equity (deficit)

     

Current liabilities:

     

Accounts payable

  $ 3,748     $ 1,987     $    

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

    1,236       1,146    

Term loan—current

          857    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

    4,984       3,990    

Term loan—non-current

    5,421       4,672    

Other long-term liabilities

    412       512    

Deferred rent

    135       108    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

    10,952       9,282    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies

     

Series A convertible preferred shares: $0.001 par value; 9,297,100 shares authorized; 9,297,081 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively; aggregate liquidation preference of $73,571 and $74,476 as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively; 0 shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma (unaudited)

    60,933       60,933        

Series B convertible preferred shares: $0.001 par value; 1,108,675 shares authorized; 1,016,727 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020; aggregate liquidation preference of $10,014 and $10,158 as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively; 0 shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma (unaudited)

    9,430       9,430        

Series C convertible preferred shares: $0.001 par value; 11,055,981 shares authorized; 0 and 11,055,966 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively; aggregate liquidation preference of $0 and $105,934 as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively; 0 shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma (unaudited)

          104,680        

 

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    DECEMBER 31,
2019
    MARCH 31,
2020
    PRO FORMA
SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY AS OF
MARCH 31,
2020
 
    (Note 1)     (unaudited)     (unaudited)  

Shareholders’ equity (deficit):

     

Ordinary shares, $0.001 par value; 1,519,618,271 shares authorized; 3,166,946 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 26,711,553 shares issued and outstanding, pro forma (unaudited)

  $ 3     $ 3     $ 27  

Additional paid-in capital

    2,140       2,307       177,773  

Accumulated deficit

    (72,782     (78,236     (78,236
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity (deficit)

    (70,639     (75,926     99,564  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ equity (deficit)

  $ 10,676     $ 108,399     $    
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,  
     2019     2020  

Related-party revenue

   $ 1,032     $ 655  

Operating expenses:

    

Research and development

     3,733       3,828  

General and administrative

     588       1,473  

Cost of services for related-party revenue

     938       596  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     5,259       5,897  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (4,227     (5,242
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Interest expense

           (215

Other income (expense), net

     (2     7  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (4,229     (5,450

Income tax provision

     (9     (4
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

     (4,238     (5,454

Cumulative dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (905     (1,983
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (5,143   $ (7,437
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

   $ (1.71   $ (2.37
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

     3,001,147       3,143,159  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders per share, basic and diluted

     $ (0.24
    

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

       21,951,361  
    

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Convertible Preferred Shares and Shareholders’ Deficit

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except share amounts)

 

 

 

    CONVERTIBLE
PREFERRED SHARES
           ORDINARY SHARES     ADDITIONAL
PAID-IN

CAPITAL
    ACCUMULATED
DEFICIT
    TOTAL
SHAREHOLDERS’

DEFICIT
 
    SHARES     AMOUNT            SHARES     AMOUNT  

Balance as of December 31, 2018

    9,297,081     $ 60,933            3,161,747     $ 3     $ 1,758     $ (53,539   $ (51,778

Vesting of early exercised share options

                                 21             21  

Share-based compensation

                                 76             76  

Net loss

                                       (4,238     (4,238
 

 

 

   

 

 

        

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of March 31, 2019

    9,297,081     $ 60,933            3,161,747     $ 3     $ 1,855     $ (57,777   $ (55,919
 

 

 

   

 

 

        

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

    10,313,808     $ 70,363            3,166,946     $ 3     $ 2,140     $ (72,782   $ (70,639

Vesting of early exercised share options

                                 16             16  

Issuance of Series C convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $320

    11,055,966       104,680                                     

Share-based compensation

                                 151             151  

Net loss

                                   (5,454     (5,454
 

 

 

   

 

 

        

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance as of March 31, 2020

    21,369,774     $ 175,043            3,166,946     $ 3     $ 2,307     $ (78,236   $ (75,926
 

 

 

   

 

 

      

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

 

    THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31,  
          2019                 2020        

Operating activities

   

Net loss

  $ (4,238   $ (5,454

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

   

Depreciation and amortization expense

    97       113  

Share-based compensation expense

    76       151  

Amortization of term loan discount and issuance costs

          108  

Changes in fair value of compound derivative liability

          14  

Changes in fair value of Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability

          86  

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

       

Receivables due from related-party

    (1,031     (655

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    365       (931

Other assets

          7  

Accounts payable

    721       (1,761

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

    145       (614

Deferred rent

    4       (27
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

    (3,861     (8,963

Investing activities

   

Purchase of property and equipment

    (118     (10
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

    (118     (10
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Financing activities

   

Proceeds from related parties for issuance of Series C convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $6

          68,655  

Proceeds from issuance of Series C convertible preferred shares, net of issuance costs of $3

          36,336  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

          104,991  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash

    (3,979     96,018  

Cash at beginning of period

    8,262       9,017  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash at end of period

  $ 4,283       105,035  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosures

   

Cash paid for interest

  $     $ 81  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities

   

Vesting of early exercised share options

  $ 21     $ 16  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Acquisition of property and equipment in accounts payable

  $ 277     $  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Unpaid Series C convertible preferred shares issuance costs

  $     $ 311  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Unpaid deferred offering costs

  $     $ 229  
 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to these condensed consolidated financial statements

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY LIMITED

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

(1) ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization

Alexo Therapeutics Limited, or the Company, was initially incorporated in Ireland on March 13, 2015 and changed its name to ALX Oncology Limited on October 11, 2018. The Company is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on helping patients fight cancer by developing therapies that block the CD47 checkpoint pathway and bridge the innate and adaptive immune system.

The Company owns a direct subsidiary, ALX Oncology Inc., incorporated in the United States, as well as a direct subsidiary incorporated in Malta, Alexo International Holdings Ltd. The Company also has two indirect subsidiaries, Alexo Therapeutics International, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexo International Holdings Ltd. and Sirpant Therapeutics, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alexo Therapeutics International, collectively, the Subsidiaries.

Subsequent to the balance sheet date as of March 31, 2020, the Company completed an internal reorganization transaction in April 2020, pursuant to which ALX Oncology Limited became a wholly-owned subsidiary of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation. As part of the transaction, all of the equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Limited became equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., holding the same number of corresponding shares, options and/or warrants in ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., as they did in the Company immediately prior to the internal reorganization (Note 9).

Basis of Preparation

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP.

Principles of Consolidation

All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2020 and the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, condensed consolidated statements of convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ deficit and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 are unaudited. These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position as of March 31, 2020 and its results of operations for the periods presented. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2020, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any subsequent periods, including the year ended December 31, 2020, and therefore should not be relied upon as an indicator of future results. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 included herein was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Pro Forma Financial Information

In contemplation of an initial public offering, or IPO, the Company has presented pro forma balance sheet information as of March 31, 2020 and pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Immediately prior to the completion of this offering, all outstanding convertible preferred shares and cumulative dividends will automatically convert into ordinary shares. Unaudited pro forma balance sheet information as of March 31, 2020 assumes the conversion of all outstanding convertible preferred shares and cumulative dividends on the convertible preferred shares into 23,544,607 ordinary shares and the reclassification of warrant liability to additional paid-in capital in stockholders’ equity. The ordinary shares issuable and the proceeds expected to be received in the initial public offering are excluded from such pro forma financial information.

 

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Pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2020 is computed to give effect to adjustments to the denominator in the pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share calculations to reflect the conversion of all of the Company’s outstanding convertible preferred shares and cumulative dividends into 18,808,202 ordinary shares as if the conversion had occurred as of the beginning of the period or the original date of issuance, if later.

Pro forma diluted net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders is the same as pro forma basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders for the period as the impact of any potentially dilutive securities was anti-dilutive, which has been computed to give effect to the adjustment noted above. The pro forma net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders does not include proceeds to be received from nor does it include related shares expected to be sold in the assumed IPO.

Need for Additional Capital

Since commencing operations, none of the Company’s product candidates have received marketing approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or any other federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authority and therefore the Company has not generated any revenue from drug product sales. The Company had an accumulated deficit of $78.2 million as of March 31, 2020 and management does not expect to experience positive cash flows in the foreseeable future. Based on management’s current plans, management believes cash and cash equivalents of $105.0 million as of March 31, 2020 are sufficient to fund operations through at least one year from the date of the issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

Management expects to incur additional losses in the future to conduct product candidate research and development and to conduct pre-commercialization activities and recognizes the need to raise additional capital to fully implement its business plan. The Company intends to raise such capital through the sale of additional equity, debt financings or strategic alliances with third parties. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund its operations or on terms acceptable to the Company. If the Company is unsuccessful in its efforts to raise additional financing, the Company could be required to significantly reduce operating expenses and delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate some of its development programs or its future commercialization efforts, out-license intellectual property rights to its product candidates and sell unsecured assets, or a combination of the above, any of which may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and/or its ability to fund its scheduled obligations on a timely basis or at all.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. On an ongoing basis, management evaluates its estimates, including those related to the estimated useful lives of long-lived assets, clinical trial accruals, fair value of assets and liabilities, Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability, term loan compound derivative liability, term loan, valuation of ordinary shares, income taxes and share-based compensation. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other market-specific and relevant assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company holds its cash and cash equivalents in checking and money market accounts. The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of amounts invested in money market accounts and are stated at fair value.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Other Risks and Uncertainties

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company maintains deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits, and invests in money market funds. The Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of default by the financial institutions holding its cash and cash equivalents. The Company has not experienced any losses on its deposits of cash and cash equivalents.

 

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The Company’s future results of operations involve a number of other risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results and cause actual results to vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, uncertainty of results of clinical trials and reaching milestones, uncertainty of regulatory approval of the Company’s potential product candidates, uncertainty of market acceptance of the Company’s product candidates, competition from substitute products and larger companies, securing and protecting proprietary technology, strategic relationships and dependence on key individuals or sole-source suppliers.

The Company’s product candidates require approvals from the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agencies prior to commercial sales in their respective jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that any product candidates will receive the necessary approvals. If the Company was denied approval, approval was delayed or the Company was unable to maintain approval for any product candidate, it could have a materially adverse impact on the Company.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of property and equipment is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets (Note 3). Upon sale or retirement of assets, the cost and related accumulated depreciation or amortization are removed from the condensed consolidated balance sheet and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. Maintenance and repairs are charged to the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss as incurred.

The useful lives of the property and equipment are as follows:

 

 

 

Research and development equipment

  

5 years

Furniture and office equipment

  

5 years

Computer equipment

  

3 years

Software

  

3 years

Leasehold improvements

  

Shorter of 7 years or remaining of lease term

 

 

Deferred Offering Costs

The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financings as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded in shareholders’ deficit as a reduction of additional paid-in capital generated as a result of the offering. Should the in-process equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs will be expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2020, $0.2 million of deferred offering costs were capitalized and recorded as other assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparison of the carrying amount to the future undiscounted net cash flows which the asset or asset group are expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds its fair value. Fair value is determined using various valuation techniques including discounted cash flow models, quoted market values and third-party independent appraisals, as considered necessary. There were no impairment charges recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that are required to be recognized or disclosed at fair value in the condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company defines fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Where observable prices or inputs are not available valuation models are applied. These valuation techniques involve some level of management estimation and judgment, the degree of which is dependent on the price transparency for the instruments or market and the instruments’ complexity.

 

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The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, receivables due from related-party, accounts payable, the term loan compound derivative liability and the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability. The term loan compound derivative liability and the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability are re-measured at the end of every period and carried at fair value (Note 2). The recorded value of the Company’s receivables due from related-party and accounts payable approximates its current fair value due to the relatively short-term nature of these items.

Term Loan

The Company accounts for the Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2019, with Silicon Valley Bank, and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, LP, collectively as lenders, and Silicon Valley Bank, as administrative agent and collateral agent, as a liability measured at net proceeds less debt discount and is accreted to the face value of the term loan over its expected term using the effective interest method. The Company considers whether there are any embedded features in its debt instruments that require bifurcation and separate accounting as derivative financial instruments pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging.

Convertible Preferred Shares

The Company records convertible preferred shares net of issuance costs on the dates of issuance, which represents the carrying value. In the event of a change of control of the Company, proceeds will be distributed in accordance with the liquidation preferences set forth in its Constitution unless the holders of convertible preferred shares have converted their convertible preferred shares into ordinary shares. Convertible preferred shares are classified outside of shareholders’ deficit on the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as events triggering the liquidation preferences are not solely within the Company’s control. The Company has elected not to adjust the carrying values of the convertible preferred shares to the liquidation preferences of such shares because of the uncertainty of whether or when such an event would occur.

Series B Convertible Preferred Shares Warrant Liability

The Company has issued freestanding warrants to purchase its Series B convertible preferred shares. Freestanding warrants for the Company’s convertible preferred shares that are classified outside of permanent equity are recorded at fair value, and are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until the earlier of the exercise of the warrants or the completion of a liquidation event, including the completion of an initial public offering. Upon exercise, the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability would be reclassified to additional paid-in capital, with any change in fair value recognized as a component of other income (expense), net.

Revenue Recognition

To date, the Company has derived revenue from providing research and development services on a time and materials basis to a related-party. The Company recognizes such revenues over time as services are delivered, and invoices the customer as the work is incurred in arrears.

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) on a full retrospective basis. This standard applies to all contracts with customers, except for contracts that are within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, collaboration arrangements and financial instruments. In accordance with Topic 606, the Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services.

To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that the Company determines are within the scope of Topic 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

As part of the Company’s consideration as to whether the Company has entered into a contract with a customer, it considers whether it is probable that it will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods and services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract that falls under the scope of Topic 606, determines those that are performance obligations, and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

 

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Cost of Services for Related-Party Revenue

The Company incurs costs associated with related-party services including direct labor and associated employee benefits, laboratory supplies, and other expenses. These costs are recorded in cost of services for related-party revenue as a component of total operating expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Clinical and Manufacturing Accruals

The Company records accruals for estimated costs of research, preclinical studies and clinical trials, and manufacturing development, which are a significant component of research and development expenses. A substantial portion of the Company’s ongoing research and development activities are conducted by third-party service providers, including contract research organizations, or CROs, and contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs. The Company’s contracts with CROs generally include pass-through fees such as regulatory expenses, investigator fees, travel costs and other miscellaneous costs, including shipping and printing fees. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations, which vary from contract to contract and may result in payment flows that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided to the Company under such contracts. The Company accrues the costs incurred under agreements with these third parties based on estimates of actual work completed in accordance with the respective agreements. The Company determines the estimated costs through discussions with internal personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of the services and the agreed-upon fees to be paid for such services.

The Company makes significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrual balance at the end of each reporting period. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its accruals. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, the Company’s understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and could result in the Company reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To assist in its estimates the Company relies upon the receipt of timely and accurate reporting from information provided as part of its clinical and non-clinical studies and other third-party vendors. Through March 31, 2020, there have been no material differences from the Company’s accrued estimated expenses to the actual clinical trial expenses. However, variations in the assumptions used to estimate accruals, including, but not limited to, the number of patients enrolled, the rate of patient enrollment, and the actual services performed, and related costs may vary from the Company’s estimates, resulting in adjustments to clinical trial expense in future periods. Changes in these estimates that result in material changes to the Company’s accruals could materially affect its financial position and results of operations.

Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Ordinary Shareholders

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for ordinary share equivalents. Net preferred share dividends. Diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share, since the effects of potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive given the net loss for each period presented.

The Company applies the two-class method to compute basic and diluted net loss per share when it has issued shares that meet the definition of participating securities. The two-class method determines net loss per share for each class of ordinary and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires net loss available to ordinary shareholders for the period to be allocated between ordinary and participating securities based upon their respective rights to share in the earnings as if all net loss for the period had been distributed. The Company’s convertible preferred shares participate in any dividends declared by the Company and are therefore considered to be participating securities. The participating securities are not required to participate in the losses of the Company, and therefore during periods of loss there is no allocation required under the two-class method.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations upon adoption.

 

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In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (Topic 842), Leases (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 requires an entity to recognize assets and liabilities arising from a lease for both financing and operating leases. ASU No. 2016-02 will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In June 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-05, which extends the effective date of ASU No. 2016-02 for non-public business entities, including smaller reporting companies, to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. The new standard is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. The pronouncement is effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2021. ASU 2019-12 is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the effects of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s financial statements and does not expect it to have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

New Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), which requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This replaces the existing incurred loss model and is applicable to the measurement of credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In September 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The FASB issued final guidance that eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements as part of its disclosure framework project. Under the ASU, entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Public companies will be required to disclose changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the end of the reporting period and the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for public business entities for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this guidance on January 1, 2020. The adoption of ASU 2018-13 did not have a material impact on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

(2) FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities are determined in accordance with the fair value hierarchy established in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures. ASC Topic 820 defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy of ASC Topic 820 requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value and classifies those inputs into three levels:

Level 1—Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets

Level 2—Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, which are observable either directly or indirectly such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the instrument’s anticipated life

Level 3—Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions

 

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The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents, Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability, and a term loan compound derivative liability.

Cash and cash equivalents are reported at their respective fair values on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets. Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities are classified as Level 1. The Company classifies money market funds as Level 1. When quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, then the Company estimates fair value by using quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant inputs are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets. Where applicable, these models project future cash flows and discount the future amounts to a present value using market-based observable inputs obtained from various third-party data providers, including but not limited to benchmark yields, reported trades and broker/dealer quotes. Where applicable the market approach utilizes prices and information from market transactions for similar or identical assets.

The Company measures its Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability and term loan compound derivative liability at fair value on a recurring basis and these are classified as Level 3 liabilities. The fair value of the Series B preferred shares warrant liability was determined using an option-pricing model. The Company calculated the fair value of the term loan compound derivative liability by computing the difference between the fair value of the term loan with the compound derivative using the “with and without” method under the income approach, and the fair value of the term loan without the compound derivative. The valuation methodology and underlying assumptions are discussed further in Note 4.

The following table sets forth the Company’s financial liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands):

 

 

 

     AS OF MARCH 31, 2020  
     LEVEL 1      LEVEL 2      LEVEL 3      FAIR VALUE  

Financial assets

           

Cash equivalents

           

Money market funds

   $ 90,067                    $ 90,067  

Financial liabilities

           

Long term liabilities

           

Compound derivative liability

   $               65      $ 65  

Warrant liability

   $               447      $ 447  
     AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2019  
     LEVEL 1      LEVEL 2      LEVEL 3      FAIR VALUE  

Financial liabilities

           

Long term liabilities

           

Compound derivative liability

   $               51      $ 51  

Warrant liability

   $               361      $ 361  

 

 

The following tables are a reconciliation of all financial liabilities measured at fair value using Level 3 unobservable inputs (in thousands):

 

 

 

     WARRANT
LIABILITY
     DERIVATIVE
LIABILITY
 

Balance as of December 31, 2019

   $ 361      $ 51  

Change in market value

     86        14  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance as of March 31, 2020

   $ 447      $ 65  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Company did not have any outstanding financial assets or liabilities to be re-measured on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2019. There were no transfers of assets or liabilities between the fair value measurement levels during the year ended December 31, 2019 and the three months ended March 31, 2020.

Term Loan

The estimated fair value of the Term Loan was $5.6 million as of March 31, 2020 which approximates the carrying value and is classified as Level 3. The Company utilized a market yield analysis and income approach to estimate a value for the Term Loan. The key valuation assumptions used consist of the discount rate of 17.5% and the probability of the occurrence of a change in control event of 10.0%

(3) BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS

Property and Equipment, Net

The following table presents the components of property and equipment, net as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,
2019
    MARCH 31,
2020
 

Computer hardware and software

   $ 146     $ 157  

Machinery and equipment

     1,698       1,698  

Furniture and fixtures

     36       36  

Leasehold improvements

     429       429  

Construction in progress

            

Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization

     (1,449)       (1,563)  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total property and equipment, net

   $ 860     $ 757  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization expense was $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, respectively.

Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities

The following table presents the components of accrued expenses and other current liabilities as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 (in thousands):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,
2019
     MARCH 31,
2020
 

Payroll and related liabilities

   $ 60      $ 114  

Accrued bonus

     864        301  

Accrued legal costs

     122        496  

Early exercise liability

     27        11  

Other

     163        224  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total accrued liabilities

   $ 1,236      $ 1,146  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

(4) TERM LOAN

The Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Alexo Therapeutics International and Sirpant Therapeutics, as borrowers, entered into a Loan and Security Agreement, or the Loan Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2019, with Silicon Valley Bank, or SVB, and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, LP, or WestRiver, collectively as lenders, and SVB, as administrative agent and collateral agent. The Loan Agreement provides for term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $10.0 million funded in two tranches, subject to the satisfaction of a certain milestone. The first tranche, in the amount of $6.0 million, was funded on the closing date of the Loan Agreement in December 2019. A second tranche of $4.0 million was available on or before March 31, 2020, upon the Company’s achievement of an equity financing resulting in net cash proceeds in an amount of at least $30.0 million to the Company. The Company elected not to draw down on the second tranche, which is no longer available.

 

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The loans under the Loan Agreement bear interest at a floating per annum interest rate equal to the greater of 7.0% or 2.0% plus the prime rate as reported in The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal prime rate was 3.25% as of March 31, 2020. Therefore, the rate applicable to the Company as of March 31, 2020 was 7.0%.

The Company is required to make interest-only payments for the first 12 months after the closing of the Loan Agreement, followed by consecutive equal monthly payments of principal and interest commencing on January 1, 2021 and continuing through the maturity date of September 1, 2022. The Loan Agreement also provides for a final payment equal to 6.0% multiplied by the aggregate principal amount of the term loans funded, which is due on the maturity date, upon the acceleration of the term loans, or upon prepayment of the term loans. If the Company elects to prepay the term loans, there is also a prepayment fee of between 1.0% and 3.0% of the principal amount being prepaid depending on the timing and circumstances of prepayment.

In conjunction with the Loan Agreement, the Company has issued warrants to purchase 61,292 Series B convertible preferred shares to SVB and WestRiver with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share. The estimated fair value of the warrants at the date of issuance was approximately $0.4 million. The fair value of the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability was determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. As of March 31, 2020, the various assumptions used in the option-pricing model were time to liquidity of 2.0 to 9.7 years, volatility of 97.4% and risk-free rate of 0.4%. It was recorded at its fair value at inception and is being re-measured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2020, the fair value of the Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability was approximately $0.4 million and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The loans under the Loan Agreement are secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets, except the Company’s intellectual property, which is the subject of a negative pledge.

The Company determined that certain loan features were embedded derivatives requiring bifurcation and separate accounting. Those embedded derivatives were bundled together as a single, compound embedded derivative and then bifurcated and accounted for separately from the host contract. The Company recorded a term loan compound derivative liability of approximately $51,000 which will be marked-to-market in future periods. The Company calculated the fair value of the compound derivative by computing the difference between the fair value of the term loan with the compound derivative using the “with and without” method under the income approach, and the fair value of the term loan without the compound derivative. The Company calculated the fair values using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow analysis. The key valuation assumptions used consist of the discount rate and the probability of the occurrence of a change in control event. The term loan compound derivative liability is being re-measured at each financial reporting period with any changes in fair value being recognized as a component of other income (expense), net in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. As of March 31, 2020, the fair value of the compound derivative liability was approximately $65,000 and was recorded in other long-term liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

The fair value of Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability at issuance, fair value of embedded derivatives which were bifurcated and other debt issuance costs have been treated as debt discounts on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet and together with the final payment are being amortized to interest expense throughout the life of the term loan using the effective interest rate method.

 

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As of March 31, 2020, there were unamortized issuance costs and debt discounts of $0.5 million, which were recorded as a direct deduction from the term loan on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Interest expense for the term loan was $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Future payments of principal and interest as of March 31, 2020 is as follows (in thousands):

 

 

 

Years ending December 31:

  

2020 (remaining 9 months)

   $ 321  

2021

     3,743  

2022

     3,007  
  

 

 

 
     7,071  
  

 

 

 

Less: amount representing interest

   $ (711

Less: amount representing final payment

     (360

Long-term debt, gross

     6,000  

Less: unamortized issuance costs and debt discounts

     (471

Less: current portion

     (857
  

 

 

 

Long-term portion of term loan

   $ 4,672  
  

 

 

 

 

 

(5) CAPITAL STRUCTURE

Ordinary Shares

Ordinary shares reserved for future issuance, on an as if converted basis, as of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, consists of the following:

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31,
2019
     MARCH 31,
2020
 

Convertible preferred shares, issued and outstanding

     10,313,808        21,369,774  

Share options, issued and outstanding

     1,183,745        3,200,872  

Share options, authorized for future issuance

     566,900        194,060  

Warrants, issued and outstanding

     61,292        61,292  

Warrants, authorized for future issuance

     30,646        30,646  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     12,156,391        24,856,644  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

Convertible Preferred Shares

As of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, the Company’s convertible preferred shares consisted of the following (in thousands, except share amounts):

 

 

 

     DECEMBER 31, 2019  
     AUTHORIZED
SHARES
     SHARES
ISSUED AND
OUTSTANDING
     NET
PROCEEDS(1)
     AGGREGATE
LIQUIDATION
PREFERENCE
 

Shares designated as:

           

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,421,633        9,297,081      $ 60,933      $ 73,571  

Series B convertible preferred shares

     2,145,370        1,016,727        9,430        10,014  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     11,567,003        10,313,808      $ 70,363      $ 83,585  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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     MARCH 31, 2020  
     AUTHORIZED
SHARES
     SHARES
ISSUED AND
OUTSTANDING
     NET
PROCEEDS(1)
     AGGREGATE
LIQUIDATION
PREFERENCE
 

Shares designated as:

           

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,297,100        9,297,081      $ 60,933      $ 74,476  

Series B convertible preferred shares

     1,108,675        1,016,727        9,430        10,158  

Series C convertible preferred shares

     11,055,981        11,055,966        104,680        105,934  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     21,461,756        21,369,774      $ 175,043      $ 190,568  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

In February 2020, the company entered into a Series C Preferred Shares Purchase Agreement, or the Series C Agreement, with certain existing investors, employees and new investors, or collectively, the Series C Investors. Under the terms of the Series C Agreement, the Company authorized the sale and issuance of up to 11,055,981 of the Company’s Series C convertible preferred shares at a purchase price of $9.4972 per share. As of March 31, 2020, a total of 11,055,966 shares had been purchased with gross proceeds of $105.0 million. The gross proceeds of $105.0 million were reduced by total issuance costs incurred of $0.3 million.

As of March 31, 2020, the holders of the convertible preferred shares had the following rights and preferences (in thousands, except share amounts):

Dividend Provisions—Cumulative dividends of 6.0% per annum of the original issue price for each Preferred Shares series are payable when and as declared by the Company’s Board of Directors, or Board of Directors, upon the occurrence of a liquidation event or upon a contingent mandatory conversion of the Preferred Shares in connection with a qualified initial public offering as described below. The Series A original issue price is $6.58, and the Series B and Series C original issue price is $9.4972. The original issue price is subject to adjustment in the event of any share dividend, share split, combination, consolidation or other recapitalization. The dividends shall accrue from day to day from the issue date of such Preferred Shares whether or not declared and shall be cumulative. In addition, the Preferred Shares participate on an as-converted basis in any dividends payable to ordinary shareholders. As of March 31, 2020, cumulative dividends were $14.7 million. No dividends have been declared or paid since the issuance of convertible preferred shares through March 31, 2020.

Liquidation—In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, merger or a reduction of capital through the sale or lease of all or substantial part of the business of the Company, before any distribution or payment shall be made to the holders of ordinary shares, the holders of Preferred Shares shall be entitled to be paid an amount in cash equal to the original issue price (subject to adjustment in the event of any share dividend, share split, combination, or other recapitalization) plus all dividends accumulated and unpaid thereon. First, the holders of the Preferred Shares are paid in full the amounts specified in the immediately preceding sentence on a pro-rata basis; then, after holders of the Preferred Shares are satisfied, any remaining amounts shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis to the holders of the Preferred Shares (calculated on an as converted basis) and the ordinary shares.

Voting Rights—On any matter presented to the shareholders of the Company, each holder of outstanding Preferred Shares shall be entitled to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole ordinary shares into which the Preferred Shares held by such holder are convertible. The holders of Preferred Shares shall vote together with the holders of ordinary shares as a single class. Additionally, the Company must receive approval of holders of at least two-third of the voting rights then held in aggregate by the holders of the Preferred Shares in issue on an as-converted basis in order to effect certain corporate actions. Four investors have contractual rights to elect four out of six board members.

Optional Conversion at Holders’ Option—Each share of Preferred Shares shall be convertible, at the option of the holder, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and non-assessable ordinary shares as is determined by dividing the original issue price by the Applicable Conversion Price. The Applicable Conversion Price for each series of Preferred Shares is currently equal to the original issue price for such series. Upon conversion, the holders shall also receive only declared but as yet unpaid dividends. Note only holders of Preferred Shares receive

 

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declared and unpaid dividends; preferred shareholders who chose to convert prior to the declaration of such dividends are not entitled to receive accumulated dividends.

Contingent Mandatory Conversion—Upon the closing of the first underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or pursuant to a corresponding securities issuance application process in any non-U.S. jurisdiction, covering the offer and sale of the Company’s ordinary shares in which the gross cash proceeds to the Company (before underwriting discounts, commissions and fees) are at least $50.0 million for each series of Preferred Shares then all outstanding Preferred Shares shall automatically be converted into a number of ordinary shares, at a conversion rate determined by dividing the applicable original price of such Preferred Shares by the applicable conversion price of such Preferred Shares. Upon conversion, the holders shall also receive any cumulative and unpaid dividends, whether or not declared as conversion ordinary shares at the same conversion rate for the applicable Preferred Shares.

Down-Round Antidilution Protection—In the event the Company issues its ordinary shares without consideration or for consideration per share that is less than the conversion price in effect for each series of the Preferred Shares, then the conversion price for that series shall be reduced in order to increase the number of ordinary shares into which such series of Preferred Shares is convertible to.

(6) LICENSE AGREEMENT

Exclusive (Equity) Agreement with The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University

In March 2015, the Company entered into a license agreement, or the Stanford Agreement, with the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, or Stanford, under which the Company obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents relating to the Company’s current product candidates, to develop, manufacture and commercialize products for use in certain licensed fields, the scope of which would include the application of the licensed intellectual property in oncology. The license granted to the Company in the Stanford Agreement includes an exclusive grant, subject to certain pre-existing non-exclusive or exclusive rights that Stanford retained for grant to third parties with respect to certain categories of the licensed patents in certain fields of use and retained rights by Stanford and all other nonprofit institutions to use and practice the licensed patents and technology for internal research and other nonprofit purposes. The license granted to the Company in the Stanford Agreement also includes non-exclusive grants to certain Stanford patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the Stanford Agreement, the Company paid Stanford a nonrefundable license royalty and reimbursed Stanford for past patent expenses, together totaling less than $0.1 million, and granted Stanford a specified number of ordinary shares of the Company. In addition, the Company is obligated to pay Stanford ongoing patent expenses and an annual license maintenance fee, which are nominal and will be creditable against any royalties payable to Stanford in the applicable year. The Company is required to make milestone payments up to an aggregate of $5.0 million in respect of a specified number of licensed products that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones. No milestone payments have been made through March 31, 2020. The Company also agreed to pay Stanford tiered royalties on a specified percentage of net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and its sublicensees of licensed products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain reductions and offsets. The license, on a licensed product-by-licensed product and country-by-country basis, shall become royalty-free and fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the exclusively or non-exclusively licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the licensed product in such country.

The Company may terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, at any time for any reason by providing at least 60 days’ written notice to Stanford. Stanford may terminate the Stanford Agreement, if the Company is in breach of any provision of the Stanford Agreement and fail to remedy such breach within 60 days after written notice of such breach by Stanford. In addition, Stanford has the right to terminate the Stanford Agreement, on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, if the Company is not diligently developing and commercializing such licensed product under certain conditions or if the Company fails to achieve specified development milestones for such licensed product by certain dates, subject to the Company’s extension rights.

 

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Commercial License Agreement with Selexis SA

In June 2016, the Company entered into a license agreement with Selexis SA, or Selexis, under which the Company obtained a worldwide, royalty-bearing, sublicensable license under certain patents, know-how and other intellectual property, to use Selexis generated cell lines to manufacture ALX148 and to make, use and sell licensed product containing such compound in all fields of use. The rights granted under this agreement include the rights to grant sublicenses to contractors or other collaboration partners, in each case to develop production processes or manufacture licensed product containing ALX148.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the agreement, the Company paid Selexis a nominal one-time fee and will pay Selexis an annual maintenance fee. The Company also agreed to pay Selexis milestone payments up to an aggregate of 1.2 million Swiss Francs in respect of all licensed products developed and/or commercialized under the grant that successfully satisfies certain milestone events. The Company also agreed to pay Selexis a flat royalty of a very low single-digit percentage on net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and sublicensees of products. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the passing of ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country, or the Company’s exercise of the royalty buyout option exercisable at any time prior to the first commercial sale of a licensed product.

The Company may terminate the license agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Selexis. Either party may terminate the license agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of a material breach of the agreement (that cannot be cured or remains uncured for 60 days after the date that the defaulting party is provided with written notice of such breach). The Company’s obligations to pay royalties that are accrued or accruable will survive any termination of the agreement, and in certain circumstances the licenses granted under the agreement will terminate unless they have become fully paid up as described in the previous paragraph.

Commercial Antibody Agreement with Crystal Bioscience Inc. (Now a Subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated)

In March 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with Crystal Bioscience Inc. (now a subsidiary of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated), or Crystal, under which the Company obtained an assignment of certain patents, covering certain SIRPa antibodies. Under this agreement, the Company also received a worldwide, royalty-bearing non-exclusive license, with the right to grant sublicenses through multiple tiers of sublicenses, under certain of Crystal’s background patents and know-how necessary to commercialize the rights under the assigned patents.

In consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the agreement, it agreed to pay Crystal milestone payments up to $11.1 million in respect of all licensed products developed under the assigned patents, that successfully satisfy certain clinical and regulatory milestones, each milestone being paid only once for all products. The Company also agreed to pay Crystal tiered royalties on net sales made by the Company, its affiliates and sublicensees of products at rates ranging within low single-digit percentages, subject to certain potential reductions. This royalty obligation, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, shall terminate and become fully paid-up upon the later of the date on which the last valid claim included in the licensed patents expires and ten years after the first commercial sale of the product in such country.

The Company agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize licensed products, including meeting defined development milestones by certain specified dates.

The Company may terminate the agreement at any time for any reason with at least 60 days’ written notice to Crystal. Either party may terminate the agreement if the other party enters into a bankruptcy event or in the event of material breach of the agreement (that remains uncured for 60 days after the date that it is provided with written notice of such breach). The Company’s obligations to pay royalties and milestone payments which accrued pre-termination or accrue post-termination will survive any termination.

 

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(7) RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Related-Party Revenue

In June 2018, the Company entered into a Research and Development Services Agreement, or Tollnine Agreement, with Tollnine, Inc. or Tollnine, a related-party of the Company, to provide research and development services to Tollnine. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer was also the Chief Executive Officer of Tollnine until April 2020 and two of the Company’s investors are also investors in Tollnine. As such, Tollnine was deemed to be a related-party. The Tollnine Agreement has an initial term of 3 years, to be automatically renewed for additional one-year terms unless terminated by either party. The services are to be provided at a price based on the costs incurred by the Company plus a mark-up equal to 10% of such costs. The Company recognizes revenue when Tollnine, as the Company’s customer, obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, the Company recognized related-party revenues of $1.0 million and $0.7 million, respectively, under the Tollnine Agreement.

Receivables due from Related-party

As of December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding related-party receivables from Tollnine of $0.5 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

(8) NET LOSS PER SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO ORDINARY SHAREHOLDERS AND PRO FORMA NET LOSS PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the computation of the basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders (in thousands, except share and per share data):

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31,
 
     2019     2020  

Numerator:

    

Net loss

   $ (4,238   $ (5,454

Less: cumulative preferred dividends allocated to preferred shareholders

     (905     (1,983
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (5,143   $ (7,437
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Denominator:

    

Weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding

     3,001,147       3,143,159  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

   $ (1.71   $ (2.37
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Since the Company was in a loss position for all periods presented, basic net loss per share is the same as diluted net loss per share for all periods as the inclusion of all potential ordinary shares outstanding would have been anti-dilutive. Potentially dilutive securities that were not included in the diluted per share calculations as of March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 because they would be anti-dilutive were as follows:

 

 

 

     MARCH 31,  
     2019      2020  

Series A convertible preferred shares

     9,297,081        9,297,081  

Series B convertible preferred shares

            1,016,727  

Series C convertible preferred shares

            11,055,966  

Warrants to purchase Series B convertible preferred shares

            61,292  

Ordinary shares subject to repurchase

     122,065        17,297  

Options issued and outstanding

     864,819        3,200,872  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     10,283,965        24,649,235  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The following table sets forth the computation of the Company’s pro forma basic and diluted net loss per share (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):

 

 

 

     THREE MONTHS ENDED
MARCH 31, 2020
 

Net loss

   $ (5,454

Pro forma adjustment to reflect change in fair value of Series B convertible preferred shares warrant liability

     86  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders

   $ (5,368
  

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders, basic and diluted

     3,143,159  

Pro forma adjustment to reflect assumed conversion of convertible preferred shares and accrued dividends allocable to preferred shareholders

     18,808,202  
  

 

 

 

Weighted-average ordinary shares used to compute pro forma net loss per share, basic and diluted

     21,951,361  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net loss per share, basic and diluted

   $ (0.24
  

 

 

 

 

 

(9) SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Reorganization

On April 1, 2020, the Company completed an internal reorganization transaction pursuant to which ALX Oncology Limited became a wholly-owned subsidiary ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation. As part of the transaction, all of the equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Limited became equity, option and warrant holders of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., as they did in the Company immediately prior to the reorganization.

Tallac Therapeutics

As of July 1, 2020, the Company terminated the Tollnine Agreement and entered into a series of transactions with Tallac Therapeutics and Dr. Wan as described below, subject to the closing of such transactions.

 

   

Entry into the Tallac Services Agreement: The Company entered into a research and development services agreement, or the Tallac Services Agreement, with Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 1, 2020. The Tallac Services Agreement provides that Tallac Therapeutics will provide certain preclinical research services to the Company for a service fee based on the costs incurred by Tallac Therapeutics plus a mark-up equal to 10.0% of such costs. The Tallac Services Agreement has an initial term of four years and is renewed automatically for additional one year terms thereafter.

 

   

Resignation of Dr. Wan and entry into Consulting Agreement: Dr. Wan resigned from her position as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer and ceased to be the Company’s employee effective as of June 30, 2020. In connection with her resignation, the Company entered into a Consulting Agreement with Dr. Wan effective as of July 1, 2020. Under the Consulting Agreement, Dr. Wan will serve as the Company’s Chief Science Consultant and, among other things, spend approximately 20% of her time performing activities typically performed by a consulting scientific adviser in the biotechnology industry. In exchange for such services, the options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock that were previously granted to Dr. Wan will continue to vest and be exercisable subject to Dr. Wan remaining a service provider under the Consulting Agreement or the Tallac Services Agreement. The Consulting Agreement has an initial term of four years and is renewed automatically for additional one year terms thereafter.

 

   

Transfer of employees to Tallac Therapeutics: In addition to Dr. Wan, eight of our employees, or Transferred Employees, also terminated their employment with the Company effective as of June 30, 2020 and became employees of Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 1, 2020. The options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock that were previously granted to the Transferred Employees will continue to vest and be exercisable subject to the Transferred Employees remaining service providers under the Tallac Services Agreement.

 

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Entry into Asset Transfer Agreement: ALX Oncology Inc. entered into an Asset Transfer Agreement with Tallac Therapeutics effective as of July 3, 2020, pursuant to which Tallac Therapeutics purchased certain lab equipment and other assets from ALX Oncology Inc. for minimal cash consideration representing the aggregate book value of such assets.

In addition to the transactions described above, we also (i) assigned to Tallac Therapeutics our lease with respect to our premises located at 866 Malcolm Road, Burlingame, California, and (ii) received a sub-lease for premises from Tallac Therapeutics.

Reverse Stock Split

On July 8, 2020, the Company’s board of directors approved an amendment to ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.’s certificate of incorporation to effect a 1-for-6.5806 reverse split of its ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares. The par values of the ordinary and convertible preferred shares were not adjusted as a result of the reverse stock split. All authorized, issued and outstanding ordinary shares and convertible preferred shares and related per share amounts contained in the consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect this reverse stock split for all periods presented. The reverse stock split was effected on July 9, 2020.

 

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8,000,000 Shares

 

 

LOGO

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

Common Stock

 

   

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

   

Jefferies

Credit Suisse

Piper Sandler

Cantor

LifeSci Capital

             , 2020

 

 

 

 


Table of Contents

PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

The following table sets forth the expenses to be incurred in connection with the offering described in this Registration Statement, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, all of which will be paid by us. All amounts are estimates except the Securities and Exchange Commission’s registration fee, the filing fee of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, and the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, or Nasdaq, listing fee.

 

 

 

     AMOUNT PAID OR
TO BE PAID
 

SEC Registration Fee

   $ 20,301  

FINRA filing fee

     23,960  

Nasdaq listing fee

     170,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     350,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     2,000,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

     1,120,000  

Transfer agent and registrar fees

     10,000  

Miscellaneous expenses

     5,739  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 3,700,000  
  

 

 

 

 

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, empowers a corporation to indemnify its directors and officers and to purchase insurance with respect to liability arising out of their capacity or status as directors and officers, provided that the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in our best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s actions were unlawful. The DGCL further provides that the indemnification permitted thereunder shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the directors and officers may be entitled under the corporation’s bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or otherwise. The certificate of incorporation of the registrant to be in effect upon the completion of this offering provides for the indemnification of the registrant’s directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL. In addition, the bylaws of the registrant to be in effect upon the completion of this offering require the registrant to fully indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the registrant, or is or was a director or officer of the registrant serving at the registrant’s request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation that a director of the corporation shall not be personally liable to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) for payments of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The registrant’s certificate of incorporation to be in effect upon the completion of this offering provides that the registrant’s directors shall not be personally liable to it or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director and that if the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of the registrant’s directors shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.

 

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Section 174 of the DGCL provides, among other things, that a director who willfully or negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption may be held liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved, or dissented at the time, may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered in the books containing minutes of the meetings of the board of directors at the time such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the unlawful acts.

As permitted by the DGCL, the registrant intends to enter into separate indemnification agreements with each of the registrant’s directors and certain of the registrant’s officers which would require the registrant, among other things, to indemnify them against certain liabilities which may arise by reason of their status as directors, officers or certain other employees.

The registrant expects to obtain and maintain insurance policies under which its directors and officers are insured, within the limits and subject to the limitations of those policies, against certain expenses in connection with the defense of, and certain liabilities which might be imposed as a result of, actions, suits or proceedings to which they are parties by reason of being or having been directors or officers. The coverage provided by these policies may apply whether or not the registrant would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of the DGCL.

These indemnification provisions and the indemnification agreements intended to be entered into between the registrant and the registrant’s officers and directors may be sufficiently broad to permit indemnification of the registrant’s officers and directors for liabilities (including reimbursement of expenses incurred) arising under the Securities Act.

The underwriting agreement between the registrant and the underwriters to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement provides for the indemnification by the underwriters of the registrant’s directors and officers and certain controlling persons against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act with respect to information provided by the underwriters specifically for inclusion in the registration statement.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

The following list sets forth information regarding all unregistered securities sold by ALX Oncology Limited from January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2020, the period prior to our incorporation and the effectiveness of the reorganization (for which period all share numbers are reflected without giving effect to a 1-for-6.5806 reverse stock split of our common stock and convertible preferred stock effected in July 2020), and all unregistered securities sold by us since our incorporation on April 1, 2020. For all other times, it includes transactions between us and related parties. No underwriters were involved in the sales and the certificates representing the securities sold and issued contain legends restricting transfer of the securities without registration under the Securities Act or an applicable exemption from registration.

 

(1)

From March 2017 to August 2017, ALX Oncology Limited received total proceeds of $25,000,000 from the issuance of convertible promissory notes to investors.

 

(2)

In September 2017, all of the convertible promissory notes were converted to an aggregate of 25,180,500 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock of ALX Oncology Limited at a conversion price of $1.00 per share.

 

(3)

In May 2019, ALX Oncology Limited issued and sold to investors an aggregate of 6,690,729 shares of its Series B convertible preferred stock at $1.4432 per share, for an aggregate consideration of approximately $9.6 million.

 

(4)

In December 2019, ALX Oncology Limited issued to certain lenders warrants to purchase an aggregate of 403,348 shares of its Series B convertible preferred stock at $1.4432 per share pursuant to a loan and security agreement.

 

(5)

In February 2020, ALX Oncology Limited issued and sold to investors an aggregate of 72,754,989 shares of its Series C convertible preferred stock at $1.4432 per share for an aggregate consideration of approximately $105.0 million.

 

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(6)

Between January 2017 to March 2020, ALX Oncology Limited granted to certain service providers stock options to purchase an aggregate of 21,465,623 shares of its common stock upon the exercise of options at exercise prices per share ranging from $0.15 to $0.62.

 

(7)

Between January 2017 to March 2020, ALX Oncology Limited issued and sold to certain service providers 99,731 shares of common stock upon the exercise of options at exercise prices per share ranging from $0.15 to $0.29, for an aggregate exercise price of approximately $19,491.69.

 

(8)

On April 1, 2020, we incorporated ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. in Delaware, and we completed a reorganization whereby ALX Oncology Limited became our wholly-owned subsidiary and all of the shareholders, warrantholders and optionholders of ALX Oncology Limited became our stockholders, warrantholders and optionholders, holding the same number of corresponding shares, warrants and/or options in us as they did in ALX Oncology Limited immediately prior to the reorganization. In connection with this reorganization, on April 1, 2020: (a) we issued and sold to the existing shareholders of ALX Oncology Limited an aggregate of 3,166,946 shares of our common stock at purchase prices per share ranging from $0.007 to $1.91, an aggregate of 9,297,081 shares of our Series A convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $6.58, an aggregate of 1,016,727 shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972 and an aggregate of 11,055,966 shares of our Series C convertible preferred stock at a purchase price per share of $9.4972, in exchange for promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of approximately $176.3 million; (b) we acquired 525,000,000 shares of common stock of ALX Oncology Limited in exchange for the promissory notes that were acquired in connection with the issuance and sale of our capital stock described in clause (a); and (c) we granted stock options to the holders of outstanding options to purchase common stock of ALX Oncology Limited to purchase an aggregate of 3,200,872 shares of our common stock upon the exercise of options at exercise prices per share ranging from $0.86 to $4.08.

 

(9)

In connection with the reorganization and to replace the warrants that were originally issued by ALX Oncology Limited, on April 1, 2020, we issued to certain lenders warrants to purchase an aggregate of 61,292 shares of our Series B convertible preferred stock with an exercise price of $9.4972 per share pursuant to the amended loan and security agreement that was originally entered into by ALX Oncology Limited in December 2019.

 

(10)

Since April 2, 2020, we have granted options to purchase an aggregate of 673,943 shares of our common stock at exercise prices per share ranging from $4.81 to $5.60, to a total of 17 service providers under our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

(11)

On the effective date of this registration statement, we will grant stock options to purchase an aggregate of 836,085 shares of common stock under our Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan to 21 service providers at an exercise price per share equal to the initial public offering price of our common stock.

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in Items 15(1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (9) were exempt from registration under the Securities Act under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer not involving a public offering. The recipients of securities in each of these transactions acquired the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof and appropriate legends were affixed to the securities issued in these transactions. Each of the recipients of securities in these transactions was an accredited person and had adequate access, through employment, business or other relationships, to information about the registrant.

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in Items 15(6), (7) and (10) were exempt from registration under the Securities Act under Rule 701 in that the transactions were under compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. The recipients of such securities were the registrant’s employees, consultants or directors and received the securities under ALX Oncology Limited’s equity incentive plan. The recipients of securities in each of these transactions represented their intention to acquire the securities for investment only and not with view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof and appropriate legends were affixed to the securities issued in these transactions.

The offers, sales and issuances of the securities described in Items 15(8) were exempt from registration under the Securities Act under either (1) Rule 701 in that the transactions were under compensatory benefit plans and

 

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contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701 or (2) Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering. The recipients of such securities were the registrant’s employees, consultants or directors and received the securities under the registrant’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan. The recipients of securities in each of these transactions represented their intention to acquire the securities for investment only and not with view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof and appropriate legends were affixed to the securities issued in these transactions.

We expect that the offer, sale and issuance of the securities described in Item 15(11) will be exempt from registration under the Securities Act under Rule 701 in that the transactions will be under compensatory benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. The recipients of such securities will be the registrant’s employees, consultants or directors and will receive the securities under the registrant’s Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan. We expect that the recipients of these securities will represent their intention to acquire the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof, and appropriate legends will be affixed to the securities issued in these transactions.

Item 16. Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) Exhibits.

See the Exhibit Index immediately preceding the signature page hereto for a list of exhibits filed as part of this registration statement on Form S-1, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules.

Schedules have been omitted because the information required to be set forth therein is not applicable or is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.

Item 17. Undertakings

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

The undersigned hereby undertakes that:

 

(1)

For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

(2)

For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

 

 

EXHIBIT
NUMBER

  

DESCRIPTION

1.1    Form of Underwriting Agreement.
3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, as amended, as currently in effect.
3.2    Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant, to be in effect upon the completion of this offering.
3.3^    Bylaws of the Registrant, as currently in effect.
3.4^    Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant, to be in effect upon the completion of this offering.
4.1^    Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement among the Registrant and certain of its stockholders, dated April 1, 2020.
4.2^    Specimen common stock certificate of the Registrant.
4.3^    Form of Amended and Restated Warrant to Purchase Stock.
5.1    Opinion of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation.
10.1+^    Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and each of its directors and executive officers.
10.2+    Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of agreements thereunder, to be in effect upon the completion of this offering.
10.3+    2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, to be in effect upon the completion of this offering.
10.4+    Confirmatory Offer Letter between the Registrant and Jaume Pons, Ph.D. effective as of July 9, 2020.
10.5+    Confirmatory Offer Letter between the Registrant and Nathan Caffo, effective as of July 9, 2020.
10.6+    Confirmatory Offer Letter between the Registrant and Peter García, effective as of July 9, 2020.
10.7+    Confirmatory Offer Letter between the Registrant and Steffen Pietzke, effective as of July 9, 2020.
10.8+    Confirmatory Offer Letter between the Registrant and Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D., effective as of July 9, 2020.
10.9+    Executive Incentive Compensation Plan.
10.10+    Outside Director Compensation Policy.
10.11+    Form of Change in Control and Severance Agreement.
10.12#^    Exclusive (Equity) Agreement between the Registrant and The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, effective as of March 24, 2015, as amended on April 24, 2015 and May 15, 2015.
10.13^    Loan and Security Agreement, dated as of December  20, 2019, among the Registrant, certain of its affiliates, Silicon Valley Bank and WestRiver Innovation Lending Fund VIII, L.P., as amended by the Joinder and First Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement on May 21, 2020.
10.14^    Conformed Copy of Amended and Restated Research and Development Services Agreement, dated as of June  18, 2018, between ALX Oncology Inc. and Tollnine, Inc., incorporating Amendment No. 1, dated as of May 3, 2019.
10.15^    Research and Development Services Agreement, dated as of June  25, 2020, between the Registrant and Tallac Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly known as Tollnine, Inc.).
21.1^    List of subsidiaries of the Registrant.
23.1    Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm as to the Registrant.
23.2    Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm as to ALX Oncology Limited.
23.3*    Consent of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1^    Power of Attorney.

 

 

^   Previously filed.
+   Indicated management contract or compensatory plan.
#   Portions of this exhibit (indicated by asterisks) have been omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment and this exhibit has been filed separately with the SEC.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Burlingame, State of California, on July 13, 2020.

 

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

By:

 

/s/ Jaume Pons

 

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

SIGNATURE

  

TITLE

 

DATE

/s/ Jaume Pons

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

   President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)
  July 13, 2020

/s/ Peter Garcia

Peter Garcia

   Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
  July 13, 2020

/s/ Steffen Pietzke

Steffen Pietzke

   Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer
(Principal Accounting Officer)
  July 13, 2020

*

Corey Goodman, Ph.D.

   Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors   July 13, 2020

*

Rekha Hemrajani

   Director   July 13, 2020

*

Jason Lettmann

   Director   July 13, 2020

*

Jack Nielsen

   Director   July 13, 2020

*

Graham Walmsley, M.D., Ph.D.

   Director   July 13, 2020

 

* By:      

/s/ Jaume Pons

 

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

Attorney-in-fact

 

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EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

[] Shares

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

July [●], 2020

JEFFERIES LLC

CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

PIPER SANDLER & CO.

CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.

As Representatives of the several Underwriters

c/o JEFFERIES LLC

520 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10022

c/o CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC

Eleven Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10010

c/o PIPER SANDLER & CO.

345 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10154

c/o CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.

499 Park Avenue, 6th Floor

New York, New York 10022

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Introductory. ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule A (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of [●] shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Shares”). The [●] Shares to be sold by the Company are called the “Firm Shares.” In addition, the Company has granted to the Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional [●] Shares as provided in Section 2. The additional [●] Shares to be sold by the Company pursuant to such option are collectively called the “Optional Shares.” The Firm Shares and, if and to the extent such option is exercised, the Optional Shares are collectively called the “Offered Shares.” Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“Credit Suisse”), Piper Sandler & Co. (“Piper Sandler”) and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”) have agreed to act as representatives of the several Underwriters (in such capacity, the “Representatives”) in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares. To the extent there are no additional underwriters listed on Schedule A, the term “Representatives” as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the term “Underwriters” shall mean either the singular or the plural, as the context requires.

Jefferies agrees that up to [●] of the Firm Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters (the “Directed Shares”) shall be reserved for sale to certain eligible directors, officers and employees of the Company and persons having business relationships with the Company (collectively, the “Participants”), as part of the distribution of the Offered Shares by the Underwriters (the “Directed Share Program”)


subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) and all other applicable laws, rule and regulations. The Directed Share Program shall be administered by [●]. To the extent that the Directed Shares are not orally confirmed for purchase by the Participants by the end of the first business day after the date of this Agreement, such Directed Shares may be offered to the public by the Underwriters as part of the public offering contemplated hereby.

The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-239490 which contains a form of prospectus to be used in connection with the public offering and sale of the Offered Shares. Such registration statement, as amended, including the financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto, in the form in which it became effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including any information deemed to be a part thereof at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, is called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act in connection with the offer and sale of the Offered Shares is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement,” and from and after the date and time of filing of any such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The prospectus, in the form first used by the Underwriters to confirm sales of the Offered Shares or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act, is called the “Prospectus.” The preliminary prospectus dated [●], 2020 describing the Offered Shares and the offering thereof is called the “Preliminary Prospectus,” and the Preliminary Prospectus and any other prospectus in preliminary form that describes the Offered Shares and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus is called a “preliminary prospectus.” As used herein, “Applicable Time” is [●] [a.m.][p.m.] (New York City time) on [●], 2020. As used herein, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, and “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the Preliminary Prospectus together with the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B hereto and the pricing information set forth on Schedule B hereto. As used herein, Road Show means a “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) relating to the offering of the Offered Shares contemplated hereby that is a “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act). As used herein, “Section 5(d) Written Communication” means each written communication (within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that is made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company to one or more potential investors that are qualified institutional buyers (“QIBs”) and/or institutions that are accredited investors (“IAIs”), as such terms are respectively defined in Rule 144A and Rule 501(a) under the Securities Act, to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered Shares; “Section 5(d) Oral Communication” means each oral communication, if any, made in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act by the Company or any person authorized to act on behalf of the Company made to one or more QIBs and/or one or more IAIs to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the offering of the Offered Shares; “Marketing Materials” means any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Offered Shares, including any roadshow or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); and “Permitted Section 5(d) Communication” means the Section 5(d) Written Communication(s) and Marketing Materials listed on Schedule C attached hereto.

All references in this Agreement to (i) the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus (including the Preliminary Prospectus), or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, or any free writing prospectus, shall include any copy thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) and (ii) the Prospectus shall be deemed to include any “electronic Prospectus” provided for use in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares as contemplated by Section 3(n) of this Agreement.

 

2


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

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

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

(a)    Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Registration Statement has become effective under the Securities Act. The Company has complied, to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information, if any. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.

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

(c)    Free Writing Prospectuses; Road Show. As of the determination date referenced in Rule 164(h) under the Securities Act, the Company was not, is not or will not be (as applicable) an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required

 

3


to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act, including timely filing with the Commission, retention and legending, as applicable, and each such free writing prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Offered Shares did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus unless such information has been superseded or modified as of such time. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule B, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to the Representatives before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the Representatives’ prior written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. Each Road Show, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(d)    Directed Share Program. (i) The Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus and any preliminary prospectus comply, and any further amendments or supplements thereto will comply, with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Prospectus, Time of Sale Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the Directed Share Program, and (ii) no authorization, approval, consent, license, order registration or qualification of or with any government, governmental instrumentality or court, other than such as have been obtained, is necessary under the securities laws and regulations of foreign jurisdictions in which the Directed Shares are offered outside the United States. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, any Offered Shares to any person pursuant to the Directed Share Program with the intent to unlawfully influence (i) a customer or supplier of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or (ii) a trade journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or its products.

(e)    Distribution of Offering Material By the Company. Prior to the later of (i) the expiration or termination of the option granted to the several Underwriters in Section 2, (ii) the completion of the Underwriters’ distribution of the Offered Shares and (iii) the expiration of 25 days after the date of the Prospectus, the Company has not distributed and will not distribute any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Offered Shares other than the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus or any free writing prospectus reviewed and consented to by the Representatives, the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified on Schedule B hereto and any Permitted Section 5(d) Communications.

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

(g)    Authorization of the Offered Shares. The Offered Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company against payment therefor pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares is not subject to any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Offered Shares.

(h)    No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated by this Agreement, except for such rights as have been duly waived.

 

4


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

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

(k)    Financial Statements. The financial statements filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and ALX Oncology Limited, the Company’s predecessor and wholly-owned subsidiary, and their respective subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. No other financial statements are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus. The financial data set forth in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the captions “Prospectus Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data,” “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and “Capitalization” fairly present, in all material respects, the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus and any free writing prospectus, that constitute non-GAAP financial measures (as defined by the rules and regulations under the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) comply with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, as applicable. To the Company’s

 

5


knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.

(l)    Companys Accounting System. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its wholly-owned subsidiaries make and keep accurate books and records and maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(m)    Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Deficiencies in or Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared; (ii) have been evaluated by management of the Company for effectiveness as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter; and (iii) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, since the end of the ALX Oncology Limited’s most recent audited fiscal year, to the Company’s knowledge: (A) there have been no significant deficiencies or material weakness in the Company’s and ALX Oncology Limited’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (B) no change in the Company’s and ALX Oncology Limited’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal control over financial reporting that has occurred during its most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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

(o)    Subsidiaries. The Company’s “subsidiaries” (for purposes of this Agreement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) has been duly incorporated or organized, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing

 

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under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and has the power and authority (corporate or other) to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Each of the Company’s subsidiaries is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity or ownership interests of each of the Company’s subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and, except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or adverse claim. None of the outstanding capital stock or equity interest in any subsidiary was issued in violation of preemptive or similar rights of any security holder of such subsidiary. ALX Oncology Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The constitutive or organizational documents of each of the subsidiaries comply in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization and are in full force and effect. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 to the Registration Statement.

(p)    Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” (other than for subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans, or upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, or pursuant to the automatic conversions of preferred stock of the Company into shares of common stock as a result of the public offering contemplated hereby, in each case as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus). The Shares (including the Offered Shares) conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Time of Sale Prospectus. All of the issued and outstanding Shares have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and have been issued in compliance with all federal and state securities laws. None of the outstanding Shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities of the Company. There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, any capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries other than those described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The descriptions of the Company’s and ALX Oncology Limited’s stock option, stock bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus in all material respects accurately and fairly presents the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.

(q)    Stock Exchange Listing. The Offered Shares have been approved for listing on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (the “Nasdaq”), subject only to official notice of issuance.

(r)    Non-Contravention of Existing Instruments; No Further Authorizations or Approvals Required. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, or is in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, loan, credit agreement, note, lease, license agreement, contract, franchise or other instrument (including, without limitation, any pledge agreement, security agreement, mortgage or other instrument or agreement evidencing, guaranteeing, securing or relating to indebtedness) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of their respective

 

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properties or assets are subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), except for such Defaults as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares (including the use of proceeds from the sale of the Offered Shares as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws, partnership agreement or operating agreement or similar organizational documents, as applicable, of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, except for such Defaults or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, and (iii) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, except for such violations as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. No consent, approval, authorization or other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency, is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, except (A) such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act and such as may be required under applicable state securities or blue sky laws or FINRA and (B) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States in which Directed Shares are offered. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

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

(t)    No Material Actions or Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any legal or governmental entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. Except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, (i) no labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or with the employees of any principal supplier, manufacturer, customer or contractor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, exists or, (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent.

(u)    Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its subsidiaries own, or have obtained valid and enforceable licenses for the inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks, trade names, service names, service marks, copyrights, trade secrets, know how (including unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary of confidential information, systems or procedures) and other intellectual property described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or which are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as

 

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currently conducted or as currently proposed to be conducted (collectively, “Intellectual Property”), and the conduct of their respective businesses does not and will not infringe upon or misappropriate in any material respect any such rights of others. The Intellectual Property of the Company and its subsidiaries has not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such adjudication. To the Company’s knowledge: (i) there are no third parties who have rights to any Intellectual Property, including no liens, security interests, or other encumbrances, except for customary reversionary rights of third-party licensors with respect to Intellectual Property that is disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as licensed to the Company or one or more of its subsidiaries; and (ii) there is no infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property. The Intellectual Property has not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such adjudication. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of any claim, or is otherwise aware, of any infringement or misappropriation of any intellectual property rights of another, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such notice or claim. There is no pending or threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others: (A) challenging the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ rights in or to any Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; (B) challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of any Intellectual Property, including no interferences, oppositions, reexaminations, or government proceedings, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim; or (C) asserting that the Company or any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates, or would, upon the commercialization of any product or service described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus as under development, infringe, misappropriate, or violate, any patent, trademark, trade name, service name, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding or claim. The Company and its subsidiaries have complied with the terms of each agreement pursuant to which Intellectual Property has been licensed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and all such agreements are in full force and effect. To the Company’s knowledge, there are no material defects in any of the patents or patent applications included in the Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have taken all reasonable steps to protect, maintain and safeguard their Intellectual Property, including the execution of appropriate nondisclosure, confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements and invention assignments with their employees, and no employee of the Company is in or has been in violation of any term of any employment contract, patent disclosure agreement, invention assignment agreement, non-competition agreement, non-solicitation agreement, nondisclosure agreement, or any restrictive covenant to or with a former employer where the basis of such violation relates to such employee’s employment with the Company. The duty of candor and good faith as required by the United States Patent and Trademark Office during the prosecution of the United States patents and patent applications included in the Intellectual Property have been complied with; and in all foreign offices having similar requirements, all such requirements have been complied with. None of the Intellectual Property owned by the Company or its subsidiaries or technology (including information technology and outsourced arrangements) employed by the Company or its subsidiaries has been obtained or is being used by the Company or its subsidiaries in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or its subsidiaries or any of their respective officers, directors or employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any persons. The product candidates described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as under development by the Company or any of its subsidiaries fall within the scope of the claims of one or more patents owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Company or any of its subsidiaries. .

 

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(v)    All Necessary Permits, etc. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such valid and current licenses, certificates, authorizations, approvals, consents or permits required by state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies to conduct their respective businesses as currently conducted and as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus (“Permits”). Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, any of the Permits or has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or suspension of, or non-compliance with, any such certificate, authorization or permit. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Permits and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were timely, complete, correct and not misleading on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission), except, in each case, where the failure to do so would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(w)    Title to Properties. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all of the personal property and other assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 1(k) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, adverse claims and other defects. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases (subject to the effects of (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting rights or remedies of creditors generally; (ii) the application of general principles of equity (including without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing, regardless of whether enforcement is considered in proceedings at law or in equity); and (iii) applicable law and public policy with respect to rights to indemnity and contribution), with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such subsidiary. The Company and its subsidiaries do not own any real property.

(x)    Tax Law Compliance. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all necessary U.S. federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns or have properly requested extensions thereof and have paid all taxes required to be paid by any of them and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them except as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings, to the extent that failure to file or pay could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company has made adequate charges, accruals and reserves in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 1(k) above in respect of all U.S. federal, state and foreign income and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined, to the extent that failure to do so could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.

(y)    Insurance. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries are insured by recognized, financially sound and reputable institutions with policies in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as the Company reasonably believes is adequate and customary for their businesses including, but not limited to, policies covering real and personal property owned or leased by the Company and its subsidiaries against theft, damage, destruction and acts of vandalism and policies covering the Company and its subsidiaries for product liability claims and clinical trial liability claims. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that could not

 

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reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.

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

(aa)    [Intentionally left blank.]

(bb)    ERISA Compliance. The Company and its subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or, to Company’s knowledge, their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”) of which the Company or such subsidiary thereof is a member. No “reportable event” (as defined under Section 4043 of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, that would reasonably be expected to result in material liability to the Company or its subsidiaries. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under Section 4001(a)(18) of ERISA) that would reasonably be expected to result in material liability to the Company and its subsidiaries. Neither the Company, its subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any material liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each employee benefit plan established or maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and, to the Company’s knowledge, nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualification.

 

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

(dd)    No Price Stabilization or Manipulation; Compliance with Regulation M. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed, or that would reasonably be expected, to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares or of any “reference security” (as defined in Rule 100 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act (Regulation M)) with respect to the Shares, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Offered Shares or otherwise, and has taken no action which would directly or indirectly violate Regulation M.

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

(ff)    FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Underwriters or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company, its counsel, its officers and directors and, to the Company’s knowledge, the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares is true, complete and correct in all material respects and compliant with FINRA’s rules and any letters, filings or other supplemental information provided to FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rules or NASD Conduct Rules is true, complete and correct in all material respects.

(gg)    Parties to Lock-Up Agreements. The Company has furnished to the Underwriters a letter agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the “Lock-up Agreement”) from the directors and officers of the Company and from substantially all of the securityholders of the Company. If any additional persons shall become directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) of the Company prior to the end of the Company Lock-up Period (as defined below), the Company shall cause each such person, prior to or contemporaneously with their appointment or election as a director or officer of the Company, to execute and deliver to the Representatives a Lock-up Agreement.

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

(ii)    Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is, and has been, no failure on the part of the Company or any of its directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

(jj)    No Unlawful Contributions or Other Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any employee or agent of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, has made any contribution or other payment to any official of, or candidate for, any federal, state or foreign office in violation of any law or of the character required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.

 

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

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

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

(nn)    Brokers. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

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

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

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

(rr)    Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries are, and at all prior times were, in material compliance with all applicable state and federal data privacy and security laws and regulations, including without limitation HIPAA, CCPA, and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679) (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”). To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company and its subsidiaries have in place, comply with, and take appropriate steps to ensure compliance in all material respects with their policies and procedures relating

 

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to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, processing, disclosure, handling, and analysis of Personal Data and Confidential Data (the “Policies”). The Company and its subsidiaries have, except as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change, at all times made all disclosures to users or customers required by applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, and none of such disclosures made or contained in any Policy have been inaccurate or in violation of any applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements in any material respect. The Company further certifies that neither it nor any subsidiary: (i) has received notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any of the Privacy Laws, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice; (ii) is currently conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation, or other corrective action pursuant to any Privacy Law; or (iii) is a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.

(ss)    Emerging Growth Company Status. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged in any Section 5(d) Written Communication or any Section 5(d) Oral Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).

(tt)    Communications. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in communications with potential investors in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act other than Section 5(d) Oral Communications and Permitted Section 5(d) Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are QIBs or IAIs or those reasonably believed to be QIBs or IAIs and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in such communications; the Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Marketing Materials, Section 5(d) Oral Communications and Section 5(d) Written Communications; as of the Applicable Time, each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, did not, as of the Applicable Time, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, if any, does not, as of the date hereof, conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus; and the Company has filed publicly on EDGAR at least 15 calendar days prior to any “road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act), any confidentially submitted registration statement and registration statement amendments relating to the offer and sale of the Offered Shares.

(uu)    Clinical Data and Regulatory Compliance. The preclinical tests and clinical trials, and other studies used to support regulatory approval (collectively, “studies”) that are described in, or the results of which are referred to in, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with applicable study protocols approved for such studies and with applicable statutes and regulations promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”); each description of the results of such studies is accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly presents the data derived from such studies, and the Company and its subsidiaries have no knowledge of any other studies the results of which are inconsistent with, or otherwise call into question, the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectuses or the Prospectus; the Company and its subsidiaries have made all such filings and obtained all such approvals as may be required by the FDA or any committee thereof or from any other U.S. or foreign government or drug regulatory agency, or health care facility Institutional Review Board, each having jurisdiction over biopharmaceutical products (collectively, the “Regulatory Agencies”); neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of, or

 

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correspondence from, any Regulatory Agency requiring the termination or suspension of any clinical trials that are described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus; and the Company and its subsidiaries have each operated and currently are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable rules, regulations and policies of the Regulatory Agencies.

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

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

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

 

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(yy)    No Ratings. There are (and prior to the Closing Date, will be) no debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act.

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

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

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

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

(b)    The First Closing Date. Delivery of certificates for the Firm Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and payment therefor shall be made at the offices of Cooley LLP, 101 California Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111 (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Company and the Representatives) at 9:00 a.m. New York City time, on [●], 2020, or such other time and date not later than 1:30 p.m. New York City time, on [●], 2020 as the Representatives shall designate by notice to the Company (the time and date of such closing are called the “First Closing Date”). The Company hereby acknowledges that circumstances under which the Representatives may provide notice to postpone the First Closing Date as originally scheduled include, but are not limited to, any determination by the Company or the Representatives to recirculate to the public copies of an amended or supplemented Prospectus or a delay as contemplated by the provisions of Section 11.

(c)    The Optional Shares; Option Closing Date. In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, and upon the terms but subject to the conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to an aggregate of [●] Optional Shares from the Company at the purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm Shares. The option granted hereunder may be exercised at any time and from time to time in whole or in part upon notice by the Representatives to the Company, which notice may be given at any time within 30 days from the date of this Agreement. Such notice shall set forth (i) the aggregate number of Optional Shares as to which the Underwriters are exercising the option and (ii) the time, date and place at which certificates for the Optional Shares will be delivered (which time and date may be simultaneous with, but not earlier than, the First Closing Date; and in the event that such time and date are simultaneous with the First Closing Date, the term “First Closing Date” shall refer to the time and date of delivery of certificates for the Firm Shares and such Optional

 

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Shares). Any such time and date of delivery, if subsequent to the First Closing Date, is called an “Option Closing Date,” shall be determined by the Representatives and shall not be earlier than two or later than five full business days after delivery of such notice of exercise. If any Optional Shares are to be purchased, (a) each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Optional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Optional Shares to be purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth on Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares and (b) the Company agrees to sell the number of Optional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine). The Representatives may cancel the option at any time prior to its expiration by giving written notice of such cancellation to the Company.

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

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

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

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

 

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Section 3.    Additional Covenants of the Company. The Company further covenants and agrees with each Underwriter as follows:

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

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

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

 

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of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus, and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus without the Representatives’ prior written consent (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed).

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

(j)    Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Shares.

(k)    Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable an earnings statement (which need not be audited) covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company commencing after the date of this Agreement that will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(l)    Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Offered Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Company will, during the period

 

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when a prospectus relating to the Offered Shares is required by the Securities Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule), file on a timely basis with the Commission and the Nasdaq all reports and documents required to be filed under the Exchange Act. Additionally, the Company shall report the use of proceeds from the issuance of the Offered Shares as may be required under Rule 463 under the Securities Act.

(m)    Directed Share Program. In connection with the Directed Share Program, the Company will ensure that the Directed Shares will be restricted to the extent required by FINRA or its rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation for a period of three months following the date of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. Jefferies will notify the Company as to which Participants will need to be so restricted. The Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon such securities for such period of time. Should the Company release, or seek to release, from such restrictions any of the Directed Shares, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for any reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, legal expenses) they incur in connection with such release.

(n)    Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to list, subject to notice of issuance, the Offered Shares on the Nasdaq.

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

(p)    Agreement Not to Offer or Sell Additional Shares. During the period commencing on and including the date hereof and continuing through and including the 180th day following the date of the Prospectus (such period, as extended as described below, being referred to herein as the “Lock-up Period”), the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper Sandler (which consent may be withheld in their sole discretion), directly or indirectly: (i) sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or lend any Shares or Related Securities (as defined below); (ii) effect any short sale, or establish or increase any “put equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(h) under the Exchange Act) or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (as defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) of any Shares or Related Securities; (iii) pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in any Shares or Related Securities; (iv) in any other way transfer or dispose of any Shares or Related Securities; (v) enter into any swap, hedge or similar arrangement or agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, the

 

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economic risk of ownership of any Shares or Related Securities, regardless of whether any such transaction is to be settled in securities, in cash or otherwise; (vi) announce the offering of any Shares or Related Securities; (vii) submit or file any registration statement under the Securities Act in respect of any Shares or Related Securities (other than as contemplated by this Agreement with respect to the Offered Shares); (viii) effect a reverse stock split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Shares; or (ix) publicly announce the intention to do any of the foregoing; provided, however, that the Company may (A) effect the transactions contemplated hereby, (B) issue Shares or Related Securities, or issue Shares upon exercise of Related Securities, in each case, pursuant to any stock option, stock bonus, employee stock purchase plan, or other stock plan or arrangement described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (C) issue Shares or Related Securities to any non-employee director pursuant to any non-employee director compensation plan or program described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (D) issue Shares pursuant to the exercise or settlement of Related Securities, or upon the conversion of convertible securities outstanding on the date hereof that are described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (E) file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 to register Shares or Related Securities issued or issuable pursuant to any plans or programs described in (B) or (C) above, and (F) issue Shares or Related Securities, or enter into an agreement to issue Shares or Related Securities, in connection with any merger, joint venture, strategic alliances, commercial, lending or other collaborative or strategic transaction, the creation of a Scientific Advisory Board, or the acquisition or license of the business, property, technology or other assets of another individual or entity or the assumption of an employee benefit plan in connection with a merger or acquisition; provided that the aggregate number of Shares or Related Securities (on an as-converted or as-exercised basis, as the case may be) that the Company may issue or agree to issue pursuant to this clause (F) shall not exceed 5% of the total number of shares of common stock of the Company immediately following the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and that each recipient thereof provides to the Representatives a signed Lock-up Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto.. For purposes of the foregoing, “Related Securities” shall mean any options or warrants or other rights to acquire Shares or any securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into Shares, or to acquire other securities or rights ultimately exchangeable or exercisable for, or convertible into, Shares.

(q)    Future Reports to the Representatives. During the period of five years hereafter, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, c/o Jefferies LLC, at 520 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Global Head of Syndicate, and c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, at Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10010, Attention: IBCM-Legal, c/o Piper Sandler & Co., at 800 Nicollet Mall, Suite 900, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, with copies to Piper Sandler & Co., 800 Nicollet Mall, Suite 900, Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attention: General Counsel and c/o Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., at 499 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention Equity Capital Markets, with copies to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., 499 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: General Counsel: (i) as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year, copies of the Annual Report of the Company containing the balance sheet of the Company as of the close of such fiscal year and statements of income, stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows for the year then ended and the opinion thereon of the Company’s independent public or certified public accountants; (ii) as soon as practicable after the filing thereof, copies of each proxy statement, Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, Current Report on Form 8-K or other report filed by the Company with the Commission, FINRA or any securities exchange; and (iii) as soon as available, copies of any report or communication of the Company furnished or made available generally to holders of its capital stock; provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 3(p) shall be satisfied to the extent that such reports, statement, communications, financial statements or other documents are available on EDGAR.

 

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

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

(t)    Enforce Lock-Up Agreements. During the Lock-up Period, the Company will enforce all agreements between the Company and any of its securityholders that restrict or prohibit, expressly or in operation, the offer, sale or transfer of Shares or Related Securities or any of the other actions restricted or prohibited under the terms of the form of Lock-up Agreement. In addition, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place stop transfer restrictions upon any such securities of the Company that are bound by such “lock-up” agreements for the duration of the periods contemplated in such agreements, including, without limitation, “lock-up” agreements entered into by the Company’s officers, directors and securityholders pursuant to Section 6(j) hereof.

(u)    Company to Provide Interim Financial Statements. Prior to the First Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date, the Company will furnish the Underwriters, as soon as practicable after they have been prepared by or are available to the Company a copy of any unaudited interim financial statements of the Company for any period subsequent to the period covered by the most recent financial statements appearing in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided that the requirements of this Section 3(t) shall be deemed satisfied to the extent such financial statements are available on EDGAR.

(v)    Amendments and Supplements to Permitted Section 5(d) Communications. If at any time following the distribution of any Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, during the period of time after the first date of the Offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel to the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Shares is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Shares by an Underwriter or dealer, there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Permitted Section 5(d) Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Permitted Section 5(d) Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.

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

(x)    Announcement Regarding Lock-ups. The Company agrees to announce the Representatives’ intention to release any director or “officer” (within the meaning of Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act) of the Company from any of the restrictions imposed by any Lock-up Agreement, by issuing, through a major news service, a press release in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives or, if consented to by the Representatives, in a registration statement that is publicly filed

 

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in connection with a secondary offering of the Company’s shares promptly following the Company’s receipt of any notification from the Representatives in which such intention is indicated, but in any case not later than the close of the third business day prior to the date on which such release or waiver is to become effective; provided, however, that nothing shall prevent the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, from announcing the same through a major news service, irrespective of whether the Company has made the required announcement; and provided, further, that no such announcement shall be made of any release or waiver granted solely to permit a transfer of securities that is not for consideration and where the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the terms of a Lock-up Agreement in the form set forth as Exhibit C hereto.

(y)    Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners. The Company will deliver to the Representatives, on the date of execution of this Agreement, a properly completed and executed Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers, together with copies of identifying documentation, and the Company undertakes to provide such additional supporting documentation as the Representatives may reasonably request in connection with the verification of the foregoing certification.

Section 4.    Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay all costs, fees and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including without limitation: (i) all expenses incident to the issuance and delivery of the Offered Shares (including all printing and engraving costs), (ii) all fees and expenses of the registrar and transfer agent of the Shares, (iii) all necessary issue, transfer and other stamp taxes in connection with the issuance and sale of the Offered Shares to the Underwriters, (iv) all fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel, independent public or certified public accountants and other advisors, (v) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, printing, filing, shipping and distribution of the Registration Statement (including financial statements, exhibits, schedules, consents and certificates of experts), the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, each free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and each preliminary prospectus, each Permitted Section 5(d) Communication, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement, (vi) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Underwriters in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the Offered Shares for offer and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws or the provincial securities laws of Canada, and, if requested by the Representatives, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum and a “Canadian wrapper”, and any supplements thereto, advising the Underwriters of such qualifications, registrations and exemptions, (vii) the costs, fees and expenses incurred by the Underwriters in connection with determining their compliance with the rules and regulations of FINRA related to the Underwriters’ participation in the offering and distribution of the Offered Shares, including any related filing fees and the legal fees of, and disbursements by, counsel to the Underwriters; provided, however, that such legal fees, taken together with the legal fees described in clause (vi) above, shall not exceed $40,000 in the aggregate, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show”, any Permitted Section 5(d) Communication or any Section 5(d) Oral Communication undertaken in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives, employees and officers of the Company and any such consultants (it being understood that the Underwriters will pay or cause to be paid the travel and lodging expenses of their representatives), and 50% of the cost of any private aircraft chartered in connection with the road show used by both representatives of the Company and the Underwriters (it being understood that the Underwriters will pay or cause to be paid the other 50% of the cost of such aircraft), (ix) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Offered Shares on the Nasdaq, (x) all other fees, costs

 

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and expenses of the nature referred to in Item 13 of Part II of the Registration Statement, and (xi) all costs and expenses of the Underwriters, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, in connection with matters related to the Directed Shares which are designated by the Company for sale to Participants; provided, that any expenses payable under clauses (vi) and (vii) above and any expenses relating to the 50% of the cost of any private aircraft chartered in connection with the road show described in clause (viii) above are invoiced in a reasonably timely manner. Except as provided in this Section 4 or in Section 7, Section 9 or Section 10 hereof, the Underwriters shall pay their own expenses, including the fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Offered Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make and lodging expenses incurred by them in connection with any road show, as applicable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

(iii)    FINRA shall have raised no objection to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

 

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(c)    No Material Adverse Change. For the period from and after the date of this Agreement and through and including the First Closing Date and, with respect to any Optional Shares purchased after the First Closing Date, each Option Closing Date, in the judgment of the Representatives there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change.

(d)    Opinion of Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A and to such further effect as the Representatives shall reasonably request.

(e)    Opinion of Intellectual Property Counsel for the Company. On each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Representatives shall have received the opinion of Morrison & Forester LLP, intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated as of such date, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B and to such further effect as the Representatives shall reasonably request.

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

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

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

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

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

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

(i)    Lock-Up Agreements. On or prior to the date hereof, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives an agreement in the form of Exhibit C hereto from each director, officer and substantially all of the securityholders of the Company, and each such agreement shall be in full force and effect on each of the First Closing Date and each Option Closing Date.

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

 

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(k)    Approval of Listing. At the First Closing Date, the Offered Shares shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(l)    [Intentionally left blank.]

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

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

Section 7.    Reimbursement of Underwriters Expenses. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives pursuant to Section 6, Section 11 or Section 12, or if the sale to the Underwriters of the Offered Shares on the First Closing Date is not consummated because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or to comply with any provision hereof, the Company agrees to reimburse the Representatives and the other Underwriters (or such Underwriters as have terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves), severally, upon demand for all out-of-pocket expenses that shall have been reasonably incurred by the Representatives and the Underwriters in connection with the proposed purchase and the offering and sale of the Offered Shares, including, but not limited to, fees and disbursements of counsel, printing expenses, travel expenses, postage, facsimile and telephone charges. For the avoidance of doubt, it is understood that the Company will not pay or reimburse any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any Underwriter that defaults on its obligations to purchase the Offered Shares.

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

Section 9.    Indemnification.

(a)    Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which such Underwriter or such affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Offered Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of

 

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

(b)    Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of the Company’s officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Company, or any such director, officer, or controlling person may become subject, under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such Underwriter), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus, that the Company has used, referred to or filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 of the Securities Act, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement) or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged

 

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untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, such free writing prospectus, such Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any such amendment or supplement), in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by the Representatives in writing expressly for use therein; and to reimburse the Company or any such director, officer, or controlling person for any and all reasonable expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by the Company or any such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Representatives have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act, any Section 5(d) Written Communication or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to the foregoing) are the statements set forth in the [●], [●], and [●] paragraphs of text under the caption “Underwriting” in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 9(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that each Underwriter may otherwise have.

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

 

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(d)    Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 9 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 9(c) hereof, the indemnifying party shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement, unless such amounts are being contested in good faith. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.

(e)    Indemnification for Directed Shares. In connection with the offer and sale of the Directed Shares, the Company agrees, promptly upon a request in writing, to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by any of them as a result of the failure of the Participants to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Shares which, by the end of the first business day following the date of this Agreement, were subject to a properly confirmed agreement to purchase. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters and their respective affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents, and each person, if any, who controls any of the Underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Underwriters or such controlling person may become subject, which is (i) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any material prepared by or with the consent of the Company for distribution to Participants in connection with the Directed Share Program (including any prospectus wrapper material distributed in connection with the reservation and sale of Directed Shares) or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) caused by the failure of any Participant to pay for and accept delivery of Directed Shares that such Participant agreed to purchase; or (iii) related to, arising out of, or in connection with the Directed Share Program. The indemnity agreement set forth in this paragraph shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

Section 10.    Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 9 is for any reason held to be unavailable to or otherwise insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount paid or payable by such indemnified party, as incurred, as a result of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as

 

31


is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total proceeds from the offering of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement (after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company, and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the front cover page of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Offered Shares as set forth on such cover. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other hand, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

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

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

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

Section 11.    Default of One or More of the Several Underwriters. If, on the First Closing Date or any Option Closing Date any one or more of the several Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Offered Shares that it or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Offered Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of the Offered Shares to be purchased on such date, the Representatives may make arrangements satisfactory to the Company for the purchase of such Offered Shares by other persons, including any of the Underwriters, but if no such arrangements are

 

32


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

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

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

Section 13.    No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Offered Shares pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Offered Shares and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and

 

33


the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

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

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

 

If to the Representatives:   Jefferies LLC
  520 Madison Avenue
  New York, New York 10022
  Facsimile: (646) 619-4437
  Attention: General Counsel
  Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
  Eleven Madison Avenue
  New York, New York 10010
  Facsimile: (212) 325-4296
  Attention: IBCM-Legal
  Piper Sandler & Co.
  800 Nicolette Mall
  Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
  Facsimile: (612) 313-3112
  Attention: General Counsel
  Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.
  499 Park Avenue
  New York, New York 10022
  Facsimile: (212) 829-4708
  Attention: General Counsel

 

34


with a copy to:   Cooley LLP
  101 California Street, 5th Floor
  San Francisco, California 94111
  Facsimile: (415) 693-2222
  Attention: David Peinsipp
If to the Company:   ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.
  866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100
  Burlingame, California 94010
  Attention: Chief Executive Officer
with a copy to:   Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation
  650 Page Mill Road
  Palo Alto, California 94304
  Facsimile: (650) 493-6811
  Attention: Kenneth Clark

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

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

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

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

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

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

For purposes of this Agreement, (A) “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance

 

35


with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

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

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

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

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

[signature pages follow]

 

36


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

 

Very truly yours,
ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.
By:  

                    

  Name:
  Title:

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

 

JEFFERIES LLC
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
PIPER SANDLER & CO.
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
Acting individually and as Representatives
of the several Underwriters named in
the attached Schedule A.
JEFFERIES LLC
By:  

                    

  Name:
  Title:
CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
By:  

                    

  Name:
  Title:
PIPER SANDLER & CO.
By:  

                    

  Name:
  Title:
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
By:  

                    

  Name:
  Title:

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]

 

37


Schedule A

 

Underwriters   

Number of

Firm Shares

to be Purchased

 

Jefferies LLC

     [●

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

     [●

Piper Sandler & Co.

     [●

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

     [●

LifeSci Capital LLC

     [●
  

 

 

 

Total

     [●
  

 

 

 


Schedule B

Free Writing Prospectuses Included in the Time of Sale Prospectus

[●]

Pricing Information Included in the Time of Sale Prospectus

 

Price per share to the public:

   $ [●

Number of shares being sold by the Company:

     [●

Number of shares potentially issuable pursuant to the option to purchase additional shares:

     [●


Schedule C

Permitted Section 5(d) Communications

[●]


Exhibit A

Form of Opinion of Company Counsel

 

A-1


Exhibit B

Form of Opinion of Intellectual Property Counsel

 

B-1


Exhibit C

Form of Lock-up Agreement

[●], 2020

Jefferies LLC

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Piper Sandler & Co.

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

            As Representatives of the Several Underwriters

c/o Jefferies LLC

520 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10022

c/o Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Eleven Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10010

c/o Piper Sandler & Co.

345 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10154

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue, 6th Floor

New York, New York 10022

 

RE:

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company”)

Ladies & Gentlemen:

The undersigned is an owner of shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (“Shares”) or of securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Shares. The Company proposes to conduct a public offering of Shares (the “Offering”) for which Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (“Credit Suisse”), Piper Sandler & Co. (“Piper”) and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. will act as the representatives (the “Representatives”) of the underwriters. The undersigned recognizes that the Offering will benefit each of the Company and the undersigned. The undersigned acknowledges that the underwriters are relying on the representations and agreements of the undersigned contained in this letter agreement in conducting the Offering and, at a subsequent date, in entering into an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) and other underwriting arrangements with the Company with respect to the Offering.

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

In consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, during the Lock-up

 

C-1


Period, the undersigned will not (and, if the undersigned is a natural person, will cause any Family Member not to), without the prior written consent of Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper, which may withhold their consent in their sole discretion:

 

   

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

 

   

enter into any Swap,

 

   

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

 

   

publicly announce any intention to do any of the foregoing.

The foregoing will not apply to the registration of the offer and sale of the Shares, and the sale of the Shares to the underwriters, in each case as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement. In addition, the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to the transfer of Shares or Related Securities:

 

  i.

as a bona fide gift or gifts,

 

  ii.

by will or intestacy,

 

  iii.

to any trust or other entities formed for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or a Family Member of the undersigned,

 

  iv.

to any Family Member,

 

  v.

if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor, trustee or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust,

 

  vi.

to a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the undersigned or any Family Member is the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests,

 

  vii.

if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (A) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act) of the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any wholly-owned direct or indirect subsidiary of the undersigned or to the immediate or indirect parent entity of the undersigned), or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where the undersigned is a partnership, to its general partner or a successor partnership or fund, or any other funds managed by such partnership), or (B) as part of a distribution, transfer or other disposition by the undersigned to its stockholders, partners, members or other equity holders,

 

  viii.

that the undersigned may purchase in open market transactions on or after the date set forth on the cover of the Prospectus,

 

C-2


  ix.

by operation of law pursuant to a court order or settlement agreement related to the distribution of assets in connection with the dissolution of a marriage or civil union, provided that such Shares or Related Securities shall remain subject to the terms of this letter agreement,

 

  x.

in connection with the exercise or settlement on a cash basis of options or restricted stock units granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, which plan is described in the Prospectus, provided that any Shares or Related Securities received as a result of such exercise, vesting or settlement shall remain subject to the terms of this letter agreement,

 

  xi.

to the Company (A) in connection with the “net” or “cashless” exercise of options or other rights to purchase Shares or Related Securities from the Company (including any transfer to the Company for the payment of tax withholdings or remittance payments due as a result of such exercise) and (B) in connection with the vesting or settlement of restricted stock units, for the payment of tax withholdings or remittance payments due as a result of the vesting or settlement of such restricted stock units, in all such cases, pursuant to equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, which plan is described in the Prospectus, provided that any Shares or Related Securities received as a result of such exercise, vesting or settlement shall remain subject to the terms of this letter agreement,

 

  xii.

pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and made to all holders of the Company’s capital stock involving a Change of Control of the Company, provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, the undersigned’s Shares and Related Securities shall remain subject to the provisions of this letter agreement, and

 

  xiii.

pursuant to the conversion or reclassification of the outstanding preferred stock into Shares or Related Securities as disclosed in the Prospectus, provided that any such Shares or Related Securities received upon such conversion shall be subject to the terms of this letter agreement,

provided, however, that it shall be a condition to such transfer that:

 

   

in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (i) through (vii) and (ix) above, each transferee executes and delivers to the Representatives a lock-up letter in the form of this letter agreement,

 

   

in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (i) through (vii) and (viii) above, no public disclosure or filing shall be required, or made voluntarily, during the Lock-up Period reporting a change in beneficial ownership of Shares or Related Securities in connection with such transfer,

 

   

in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (ix), (x), (xi) and (xiii) above, no public disclosure or filing reporting a change in beneficial ownership of Shares or Related Securities shall be made voluntarily during the Lock-up Period, and if the undersigned is required to file a report under Section 16 of the Exchange Act reporting a change in beneficial ownership of Shares or Related Securities during the Lock-up Period, the undersigned shall include a statement in such report to the effect that such transfer relates to the circumstances described in clause (ix), (x), (xi) or (xiii), as applicable, and

 

C-3


   

in the case of any transfer pursuant to clauses (i) through (vii) above, such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value.

Furthermore, notwithstanding the restrictions imposed by this letter agreement, the undersigned may establish a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Shares or Related Securities, provided that such plan does not provide for any transfers of Shares or Related Securities during the Lock-up Period and the entry into such plan is not publicly disclosed, including in any filing under the Exchange Act, during the Lock-up Period.

In addition, if the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of Shares or Related Securities, Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company (in accordance with the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement) will announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service or, if consented to by Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper, in a registration statement that is publicly filed in connection with a secondary offering of Shares or Related Securities at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by Jefferies, Credit Suisse and Piper hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release or registration statement. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if both (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this letter agreement that are applicable to the transferor to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.

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

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

Whether or not the Offering occurs as currently contemplated or at all depends on market conditions and other factors. The Offering will only be made pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the underwriters. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, this letter agreement will automatically terminate and the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this letter agreement upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (i) the Company advising the Representatives in writing that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the Company filing an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission to withdraw the registration statement related to the Offering, (iii) the Underwriting Agreement being terminated following execution of the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) prior to payment for and delivery of the Shares to be sold thereunder or (iv) December 31, 2020 if the Underwriting Agreement has not been executed by such date; provided, however, that the Company may, by written notice to the undersigned prior to such date, extend such date for a period of up to three additional months.

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power, capacity and authority to enter into this letter agreement. This letter agreement is irrevocable and will be binding on the undersigned and the successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns of the undersigned. This letter agreement may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature

 

C-4


complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com or www.echosign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.

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

[signature page follows]

 

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Very truly yours,

                    

Name of Security Holder (Print exact name)
By:  

                    

  Signature
If not signing in an individual capacity:

    

Name of Authorized Signatory (Print)

    

Title of Authorized Signatory (Print)
(indicate capacity of person signing if signing as custodian, trustee, or on behalf of an entity)

 

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Certain Defined Terms

Used in Lock-up Agreement

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

 

   

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

 

   

Change of Control” means the consummation of any bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction following the completion of the Offering and approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, the result of which is that any “person” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), or group of persons, other than the Company or its subsidiaries, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of the total voting power of the voting stock of the Company.

 

   

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

 

   

Family Member” shall mean the spouse of the undersigned, an immediate family member of the undersigned or an immediate family member of the undersigned’s spouse, in each case living in the undersigned’s household or whose principal residence is the undersigned’s household (regardless of whether such spouse or family member may at the time be living elsewhere due to educational activities, health care treatment, military service, temporary internship or employment or otherwise). “Immediate family member” as used above shall have the meaning set forth in Rule 16a-1(e) under the Exchange Act.

 

   

Lock-up Period” shall mean the period beginning on the date hereof and continuing through the close of trading on the date that is 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement).

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

Sell or Offer to Sell” shall mean to:

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

pledge, hypothecate or grant any security interest in, or

 

   

in any other way transfer or dispose of,

in each case whether effected directly or indirectly.

 

   

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

 

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

 

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EX-3.1

Exhibit 3.1

AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.


AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

(Pursuant to Sections 242 and 245 of the

General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “General Corporation Law”),

DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:

1. That the name of this corporation is ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., and that this corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the General Corporation Law on April 1, 2020 under the name “ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.”.

2. That the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) duly adopted resolutions proposing to amend and restate the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation, declaring said amendment and restatement to be advisable and in the best interests of this corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the appropriate officers of this corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and restatement is as follows:

RESOLVED, that the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation be amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

FIRST: The name of this corporation is ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Corporation”).

SECOND: The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Zip Code 19801. The name of its registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.

THIRD: The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law.

FOURTH: The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is (i) 10,000,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) and (ii) 141,231,241 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), of which 61,180,500 shares are hereby designated as “Series A Preferred Stock”, 7,295,752 shares are hereby designated as “Series B Preferred Stock”, and 72,754,989 shares are hereby designated as “Series C Preferred Stock”.


The following is a statement of the designations and the powers, privileges and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof in respect of each class of capital stock of the Corporation.

A. COMMON STOCK

1. General. The voting, dividend and liquidation rights of the holders of the Common Stock are subject to and qualified by the rights, powers and preferences of the holders of the Preferred Stock set forth herein.

2. Voting. The holders of the Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held at all meetings of stockholders (and written actions in lieu of meetings). Except as otherwise provided herein or as required by law, the holders of the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock shall vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to the stockholders for a vote. There shall be no cumulative voting.

3. Dividends. Subject to the preferential rights of the Preferred Stock, if any, and Section 1 of Part B of this Article Fourth, the holders of the Common Stock are entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, out of the assets of the Corporation which are by law available therefor, dividends payable either in cash, in property or fully paid Common Stock.

4. Authorized Shares. The number of authorized shares of Common Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by (in addition to any vote of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock that may be required by the terms of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) the affirmative vote of the holders of shares of capital stock of the Corporation representing a majority of the votes represented by all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote, irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the General Corporation Law.

B. PREFERRED STOCK

The rights, preferences, powers, privileges and restrictions, qualifications and limitations granted to and imposed on the Preferred Stock are set forth below in this Part B of this Article Fourth. Unless otherwise indicated, references to “sections” or “subsections” in this Part B of this Article Fourth refer to sections and subsections of Part B of this Article Fourth.

1. Dividends.

1.1 Holders of the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, out of funds legally available therefor, cash dividends calculated in accordance with this Subsection 1.1. From and after the applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Date (as defined below) of each series of Preferred Stock, dividends at the rate of six percent (6%) of the Applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Price (as defined below) per annum shall accrue on each outstanding share of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect of the applicable series of Preferred Stock) (the “Preferred Dividends”), each payable in preference and priority

 

2


to any declaration or payment of any dividend or other distribution or return of capital on any other class of stocks in the capital of the Corporation. The Preferred Dividends shall be calculated based on a 365-day year and shall accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and shall be cumulative; provided, however, that except as set forth in Subsection 1.3 and Subsection 2.1, such Preferred Dividends shall be payable only when, as, and if declared by the Board of Directors and the Corporation shall be under no obligation to pay such Preferred Dividends. Payment of any Preferred Dividends to the holders of Preferred Stock shall be made on a pro rata, pari passu basis among the holders of Series A Preferred Stock, the holders of Series B Preferred Stock, and the holders of Series C Preferred Stock.

1.2 For purpose hereof, (a) the “Applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Price” shall be equal to (i) in the case of the Series A Preferred Stock, $1.00 per share, subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock (the “Series A Original Issue Price”), (ii) in the case of the Series B Preferred Stock, $1.4432 per share, subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the Series B Preferred Stock (the “Series B Original Issue Price”), and (iii) in the case of the Series C Preferred Stock, $1.4432 per share, subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the Series C Preferred Stock (the “Series C Original Issue Price”); and the “Preferred Stock Original Issue Date” shall mean (i) in the case of the Series A Preferred Stock, May 8, 2015, (ii) in the case of Series B Preferred Stock, May 16, 2019, and (iii) in the case of Series C Preferred Stock, February 6, 2020.

1.3 The Corporation shall not declare, pay or set aside any dividends on shares of Common Stock or any other class or series of capital stock of the Corporation (other than dividends on shares of Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock) unless (in addition to the obtaining of any consents required elsewhere in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) the holders of the Preferred Stock then outstanding shall first receive, or simultaneously receive, a dividend on each outstanding share of Preferred Stock in an amount at least equal to the greater of (i) the amount of the aggregate Preferred Dividends then accrued on such share of Preferred Stock and not previously paid and (ii) (A) in the case of a dividend on Common Stock or any class or series that is convertible into Common Stock, that dividend per share of Preferred Stock as would equal the product of (1) the dividend payable on each share of such class or series determined, if applicable, as if all shares of such class or series had been converted into Common Stock and (2) the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of a share of Preferred Stock, in each case calculated on the record date for determination of holders entitled to receive such dividend or (B) in the case of a dividend on any class or series that is not convertible into Common Stock, at a rate per share of Preferred Stock determined by (1) dividing the amount of the dividend payable on each share of such class or series of capital stock by the original issuance price of such class or series of capital stock (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to such class or series) and (2) multiplying such fraction by an amount equal to the Applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Price; provided that if the Corporation declares, pays or sets aside, on the same date, a dividend on shares of more than one class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, the dividend payable to the holders of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Section 1.3 shall be calculated based upon the dividend on the class or series of capital stock that would result in the highest Preferred Stock dividend.

 

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2. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up; Certain Mergers, Consolidations and Asset Sales.

2.1 Preferential Payments to Holders of Preferred Stock. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation or Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined below), the holders of shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to be paid, on a pari passu basis among each other, out of the assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders or, in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, out of the consideration payable to stockholders in such Deemed Liquidation Event or the Available Proceeds (as defined below), before any payment shall be made to the holders of Common Stock by reason of their ownership thereof, an amount per share equal to one (1) times the Applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Price, plus any applicable Preferred Dividends for such Preferred Stock accrued but unpaid thereon, whether or not declared. If upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation or Deemed Liquidation Event, the assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders shall be insufficient to pay all holders of shares of Preferred Stock the full amount to which they shall be entitled under this Subsection 2.1, the holders of shares of Preferred Stock shall share ratably in any distribution of the assets available for distribution in proportion to the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares held by them upon such distribution if all amounts payable on or with respect to such shares were paid in full.

2.2 Distribution of Remaining Assets. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after the payment in full of all preferential amounts required to be paid to the holders of shares of Preferred Stock described in Subsection 2.1, the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders or, in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, the consideration not payable to the holders of shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to Subsection 2.1 or the remaining Available Proceeds, as the case may be, shall be distributed among the holders of the shares of Preferred Stock and Common Stock, pro rata based on the number of shares held by each such holder, treating for this purpose all such securities as if they had been converted to Common Stock pursuant to the terms of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation immediately prior to such liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation. The aggregate amount which a holder of a share of a series of Preferred Stock is entitled to receive under Subsections 2.1 and 2.2 is hereinafter referred to as the “Applicable Preferred Stock Liquidation Amount.”

2.3 Deemed Liquidation Events.

2.3.1 Definition. Each of the following events shall be considered a “Deemed Liquidation Event” unless the holders of at least two-thirds of the then outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class on an as-converted basis (the “Requisite Holders”), elect otherwise by written notice sent to the Corporation at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date of any such event:

 

  (a)

a merger or consolidation in which

 

  (i)

the Corporation is a constituent party or

 

  (ii)

a subsidiary of the Corporation is a constituent party and the Corporation issues shares of its capital stock pursuant to such merger or consolidation,

 

4


except any such merger or consolidation involving the Corporation or a subsidiary in which the shares of capital stock of the Corporation outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continue to represent, or are converted into or exchanged for shares of capital stock that represent, immediately following such merger or consolidation, at least a majority, by voting power, of the capital stock of (1) the surviving or resulting corporation; or (2) if the surviving or resulting corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of another corporation immediately following such merger or consolidation, the parent corporation of such surviving or resulting corporation; or

(b) the sale, lease, transfer, exclusive license or other disposition, in a single transaction or series of related transactions, of (i) all of the main operating subsidiaries of the Corporation (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, and whether in a single transaction or a series of related transactions), (ii) all or substantially all of the business of the Corporation, (iii) all or substantially all the assets of the Corporation or its subsidiaries (including all or substantially all of the Corporation’s or its subsidiaries’ intellectual property).

2.3.2 Effecting a Deemed Liquidation Event.

(a) The Corporation shall not have the power to effect a Deemed Liquidation Event referred to in Subsection 2.3.1(a)(i) unless the agreement or plan of merger or consolidation for such transaction (the “Merger Agreement”) provides that the consideration payable to the stockholders of the Corporation in such Deemed Liquidation Event shall be paid to the holders of capital stock of the Corporation in accordance with Subsections 2.1 and 2.2.

(b) In the event of a Deemed Liquidation Event referred to in Subsection 2.3.1(a)(ii) or 2.3.1(b), if the Corporation does not effect a dissolution of the Corporation under the General Corporation Law within ninety (90) days after such Deemed Liquidation Event, then (i) the Corporation shall send a written notice to each holder of Preferred Stock no later than the ninetieth (90th) day after the Deemed Liquidation Event advising such holders of their right (and the requirements to be met to secure such right) pursuant to the terms of the following clauses, (ii) the Corporation shall require the redemption of such shares of Preferred Stock, and (iii) if the Requisite Holders so request in a written instrument delivered to the Corporation not later than one hundred twenty (120) days after such Deemed Liquidation Event, the Corporation shall use the consideration received by the Corporation for such Deemed Liquidation Event (net of any retained liabilities associated with the assets sold or technology licensed, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors), together with any other assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, all to the extent permitted by Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders (the “Available Proceeds”), on the one hundred fiftieth (150th) day after such Deemed Liquidation Event, to redeem all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock at a price per share equal to the Applicable Preferred Stock Liquidation Amount. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a redemption pursuant to the preceding sentence, if the Available Proceeds are not sufficient to redeem all outstanding shares of

 

5


Preferred Stock, the Corporation shall redeem a pro rata portion of each holder’s shares of Preferred Stock to the fullest extent of such Available Proceeds, based on the respective amounts which would otherwise be payable in respect of the shares to be redeemed if the Available Proceeds were sufficient to redeem all such shares, and shall redeem the remaining shares as soon as it may lawfully do so under Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders. Prior to the distribution or redemption provided for in this Subsection 2.3.2(b), the Corporation shall not expend or dissipate the consideration received for such Deemed Liquidation Event, except to discharge expenses incurred in connection with such Deemed Liquidation Event or in the ordinary course of business.

2.3.3 Amount Deemed Paid or Distributed. The amount deemed paid or distributed to the holders of capital stock of the Corporation upon any such merger, consolidation, sale, transfer, exclusive license, other disposition or redemption shall be the cash or the value of the property, rights or securities to be paid or distributed to such holders pursuant to such Deemed Liquidation Event. The value of such property, rights or securities shall be determined in good faith by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall seek to obtain agreement on the value of such property, rights or securities with the Requisite Holder and, if agreement is unable to be obtained, independent competent appraisers shall be promptly engaged to determine the value of such property, rights or securities. The Corporation shall, upon the date the valuation is agreed by the Board of Directors and Requisite Holders or upon receipt of such appraiser’s valuation, as the case may be, give prompt written notice to the holders of capital stock of the Corporation of the valuation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any securities to be distributed to holders of capital stock of the Corporation shall be valued as follows:

2.3.4 Valuation of Securities. Notwithstanding Subsection 2.3.3, any securities to be distributed to the stockholders of the Corporation shall be valued as follows:

(a) Securities not subject to an investment letter or other similar restrictions on free marketability covered by subsection (b) hereof:

 

  (i)

if traded on a securities exchange, the value shall be deemed to be the volume weighted average of the closing prices of the securities on such exchange over the 30-day period ending three (3) business days prior to the closing;

 

  (ii)

if actively traded over-the-counter, the value shall be deemed to be the volume weighted average of the closing bid or sale prices (whichever is applicable) over the 30-day period ending three (3) business days prior to the closing; and

 

  (iii)

if there is no active public market, the value shall be the fair market value thereof, as reasonably determined by the Board of Directors or independent competent appraisers (as the case may be) in good faith.

 

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(b) The method of valuation of securities subject to an investment letter or other restrictions on free marketability (other than restrictions arising solely by virtue of a stockholder’s status as an affiliate or former affiliate) shall be to make an appropriate discount from the market value determined as provided in subsections 4.3.3(a)(i), (ii) and (iii), to reflect the adjusted fair market value thereof, as reasonably determined by the Board of Directors or independent competent appraisers (as the case may be) in good faith.

2.3.5 Allocation of Escrow and Contingent Consideration. In the event of a Deemed Liquidation Event pursuant to Subsection 2.3.1(a)(i), if any portion of the consideration payable to the stockholders of the Corporation is payable only upon satisfaction of contingencies (the “Additional Consideration”), the Merger Agreement shall provide that (a) the portion of such consideration that is not Additional Consideration (such portion, the “Initial Consideration”) shall be allocated among the holders of capital stock of the Corporation in accordance with Subsections 2.1 and 2.2 as if the Initial Consideration were the only consideration payable in connection with such Deemed Liquidation Event; and (b) any Additional Consideration which becomes payable to the stockholders of the Corporation upon satisfaction of such contingencies shall be allocated among the holders of capital stock of the Corporation in accordance with Subsections 2.1 and 2.2 after taking into account the previous payment of the Initial Consideration as part of the same transaction. For the purposes of this Subsection 2.3.4, consideration placed into escrow or retained as a holdback to be available for satisfaction of indemnification or similar obligations in connection with such Deemed Liquidation Event shall be deemed to be Initial Consideration.

3. Voting.

3.1 General. On any matter presented to the stockholders of the Corporation for their action or consideration at any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation (or by written consent of stockholders in lieu of meeting), each holder of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock shall be entitled to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of Common Stock into which the shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder are convertible as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on such matter. Except as provided by law or by the other provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, holders of Preferred Stock shall vote together with the holders of Common Stock as a single class and on an as-converted to Common Stock basis. Fractional votes shall not, however, be permitted and any fractional voting rights resulting from the above formula (after aggregating all Common Stock into which Preferred Stock held by each holder could be converted) shall be reduced to the nearest whole number.

3.2 Election of Directors. (a) The holders of record of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Series B Preferred Stock, voting together as a single class on an as-converted basis, shall be entitled to elect two (2) directors of the Corporation (the “Series A/B Directors”); (b) the holders of record of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock, exclusively and as a separate class, shall be entitled to elect two (2) director of the Corporation (the “Series C Director” and together with the Series A/B Directors, the “Preferred Directors”); (c) the holders of record of the shares of Common Stock, exclusively and as a separate class, shall be

 

7


entitled to elect one (1) director of the Corporation (the “Common Stock Director”); and (d) the Requisite Holders, voting together as a single class and on an as-converted basis, shall be entitled to elect one (1) directors of the Corporation, subject to the consent of the majority of holders of record of the shares of Common Stock (the “Mutual Directors”). Any director elected as provided in the preceding sentence may be removed without cause by, and only by, the affirmative vote of the holders of the shares of the class or series of capital stock entitled to elect such director or directors, given either at a special meeting of such stockholders duly called for that purpose or pursuant to a written consent of stockholders. If the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as the case may be, fail to elect a sufficient number of directors to fill all directorships for which they are entitled to elect directors, voting exclusively and as a separate class, pursuant to the first sentence of this Subsection 3.2, then any directorship not so filled shall remain vacant until such time as the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as the case may be, elect a person to fill such directorship by vote or written consent in lieu of a meeting; and no such directorship may be filled by stockholders of the Corporation other than by the stockholders of the Corporation that are entitled to elect a person to fill such directorship, voting exclusively and as a separate class. The holders of record of the shares of Common Stock and of any other class or series of voting stock (including the Preferred Stock), exclusively and voting together as a single class, shall be entitled to elect the balance of the total number of directors of the Corporation. At any meeting held for the purpose of electing a director, the presence in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the class or series entitled to elect such director shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of electing such director. Except as otherwise provided in this Subsection 3.2, a vacancy in any directorship filled by the holders of any class or series shall be filled only by vote or written consent in lieu of a meeting of the holders of such class or series or by any remaining director or directors elected by the holders of such class or series pursuant to this Subsection 3.2.

3.3 Preferred Stock Protective Provisions. At any time when at least 9,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to any series of Preferred Stock) are outstanding, the Corporation shall not, either directly or indirectly by amendment, merger, consolidation or otherwise, do any of the following without (in addition to any other vote required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) the written consent or affirmative vote of the Requisite Holders, given in writing or by vote at a meeting, consenting or voting (as the case may be) separately as a class, and any such act or transaction entered into without such consent or vote shall be null and void ab initio, and of no force or effect:

3.3.1 amend, alter or repeal any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Corporation in a manner that adversely affects the powers, preferences or rights of any series of Preferred Stock;

3.3.2 create, or authorize the creation of, or issue or obligate itself to issue shares of, or any other security convertible into or exercisable for, any class or series of equity security having rights, preferences or privileges senior to or on parity with any series of Preferred Stock;

 

8


3.3.3 (i) reclassify, alter or amend any existing security of the Corporation that is pari passu with any series of Preferred Stock in respect of the distribution of assets on the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, the payment of dividends or rights of redemption, if such reclassification, alteration or amendment would render such other security senior to any series of Preferred Stock in respect of any such right, preference, or privilege or (ii) reclassify, alter or amend any existing security of the Corporation that is junior to any series of Preferred Stock in respect of the distribution of assets on the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, the payment of dividends or rights of redemption, if such reclassification, alteration or amendment would render such other security senior to or pari passu with the Preferred Stock in respect of any such right, preference or privilege;

3.3.4 effect a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the business and affairs of the Corporation and/or any of its subsidiaries, or effect any merger or consolidation or any other Deemed Liquidation Event;

3.3.5 increase the authorized number of shares of Common Stock or issues shares of Common Stock, except for the purpose of (i) issuing shares upon exercise of outstanding options to purchase Common Stock for up to an aggregate of 24,923,591 shares of Common Stock or warrants for the purchase of Common Stock; (ii) issuing shares upon the conversion of Preferred Stock; or (iii) issuing shares in connection with a share split, share dividend or other recapitalization;

3.3.6 increase or decrease the authorized number of directors constituting the Board of Directors or change the procedures by which the members of the Board of Directors are elected or appointed;

3.3.7 purchase or redeem (or permit any subsidiary to purchase or redeem) or pay or declare any dividend or make any distribution on, any shares of capital stock of the Corporation other than repurchases of stock from service providers of the Corporation or any subsidiary upon the cessation of services pursuant to agreements to repurchase such shares that are approved by the Board of Directors (including a majority of Preferred Directors);

3.3.8 incur indebtedness in respect of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries for borrowed money (including operating and capital leases) in excess of $250,000 in the aggregate; provided, that the incurrence of any direct or indirect guarantee of the payment or performance of the indebtedness of any other party shall be construed as the incurrence of indebtedness;

3.3.9 amend or modify any existing stock option or equity incentive plan of the Corporation or adopt any new stock option or equity incentive plan;

3.3.10 cause the Corporation and/or any of its subsidiaries to acquire, merge or consolidate with or into any corporation or to purchase all or substantially all of the assets of any corporation; or

 

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3.3.11 amend, terminate or waive any provision of the Corporation’s and/or any of its subsidiaries’ certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other equivalent organizational documents or any shareholders agreements (including the existing amended and restated voting agreement, the existing amended and restated right of first refusal and co-sale agreement, the existing amended and restated investors’ rights agreement relating to the Corporation, as well as any other agreement executed by Requisite Holders relating to the Corporation entered into on or after the effective date of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation).

4. Optional Conversion.

The holders of the Preferred Stock shall have conversion rights as follows (the “Conversion Rights”):

4.1 Right to Convert.

4.1.1 Conversion Ratio. Each share of Preferred Stock shall be convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, and without the payment of additional consideration by the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the Applicable Preferred Stock Original Issue Price by the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price (as defined below) in effect at the time of conversion. For purposes hereof, the “Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price” shall initially (as of the Series C Original Issue Date and before any adjustment is required pursuant to Subsection 4.4 hereof) be equal to (a) in the case of the Series A Preferred Stock, $1.00; (b) in the case of the Series B Preferred Stock, $1.4432; (c) in the case of the Series C Preferred Stock, $1.4432; provided, that, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price for a series of Preferred Stock shall only be adjusted pursuant to this Section 4 if the issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock is made for consideration less than the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price then in effect for such series of Preferred Stock. Such initial Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price, and the initial rate at which shares of Series A Preferred Stock, Series B Preferred Stock or Series C Preferred Stock, as applicable, may be converted into shares of Common Stock, shall be subject to adjustment as provided below.

4.1.2 Termination of Conversion Rights. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation or a Deemed Liquidation Event, the Conversion Rights shall terminate at the close of business on the last full day preceding the date fixed for the payment of any such amounts distributable on such event to the holders of Preferred Stock.

4.2 Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Common Stock shall be issued upon conversion of the Preferred Stock. In lieu of any fractional shares to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the Corporation shall pay cash equal to such fraction multiplied by the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors. Whether or not fractional shares would be issuable upon such conversion shall be determined on the basis of the total number of shares of any series of class of Preferred Stock the holder is at the time converting into Common Stock and the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion.

 

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4.3 Mechanics of Conversion.

4.3.1 Notice of Conversion. In order for a holder of Preferred Stock to voluntarily convert shares of Preferred Stock into shares of Common Stock, such holder shall (a) provide written notice to the Corporation’s transfer agent at the office of the transfer agent for the Preferred Stock (or at the principal office of the Corporation if the Corporation serves as its own transfer agent) that such holder elects to convert all or any number of such holder’s shares of Preferred Stock and, if applicable, any event on which such conversion is contingent and (b), if such holder’s shares are certificated, surrender the certificate or certificates for such shares of Preferred Stock (or, if such registered holder alleges that such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the Corporation to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate), at the office of the transfer agent for the Preferred Stock (or at the principal office of the Corporation if the Corporation serves as its own transfer agent). Such notice shall state such holder’s name or the names of the nominees in which such holder wishes the shares of Common Stock to be issued. If required by the Corporation, any certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing. The close of business on the date of receipt by the transfer agent (or by the Corporation if the Corporation serves as its own transfer agent) of such notice and, if applicable, certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) shall be the time of conversion (the “Conversion Time”), and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the specified shares shall be deemed to be outstanding of record as of such date. The Corporation shall, as soon as practicable after the Conversion Time (i) issue and deliver to such holder of Preferred Stock, or to his, her or its nominees, a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable upon such conversion in accordance with the provisions hereof and a certificate for the number (if any) of the shares of Preferred Stock represented by the surrendered certificate that were not converted into Common Stock, (ii) pay in cash such amount as provided in Subsection 4.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion and (iii) pay all declared but unpaid dividends on the shares of Preferred Stock converted.

4.3.2 Reservation of Shares. The Corporation shall at all times when the Preferred Stock shall be outstanding, reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued capital stock, for the purpose of effecting the conversion of the Preferred Stock, such number of its duly authorized shares of Common Stock as shall from time to time be sufficient to effect the conversion of all outstanding Preferred Stock; and if at any time the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock shall not be sufficient to effect the conversion of all then outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock, the Corporation shall take such corporate action as may be necessary to increase its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to such number of shares as shall be sufficient for such purposes, including, without limitation, engaging in best efforts to obtain the requisite stockholder approval of any necessary amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Before taking any action which would cause an adjustment reducing the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price below the then par value of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the applicable series of Preferred Stock, the Corporation will take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Corporation may validly and legally issue fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock at such adjusted Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price.

 

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4.3.3 Effect of Conversion. All shares of Preferred Stock which shall have been surrendered for conversion as herein provided shall no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights with respect to such shares shall immediately cease and terminate at the Conversion Time, except only the right of the holders thereof to receive shares of Common Stock in exchange therefor, to receive payment in lieu of any fraction of a share otherwise issuable upon such conversion as provided in Subsection 4.2 and to receive payment of any dividends declared but unpaid thereon. Any shares of Preferred Stock so converted shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued as shares of such series, and the Corporation may thereafter take such appropriate action (without the need for stockholder action) as may be necessary to reduce the authorized number of shares of such series of Preferred Stock accordingly.

4.3.4 No Further Adjustment. Upon any such conversion, no adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be made for any declared but unpaid dividends on the applicable series of Preferred Stock surrendered for conversion or on the Common Stock delivered upon conversion.

4.3.5 Taxes. The Corporation shall pay any and all issue and other similar taxes that may be payable in respect of any issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon conversion of shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Section 4. The Corporation shall not, however, be required to pay any tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance and delivery of shares of Common Stock in a name other than that in which the shares of Preferred Stock so converted were registered, and no such issuance or delivery shall be made unless and until the person or entity requesting such issuance has paid to the Corporation the amount of any such tax or has established, to the satisfaction of the Corporation, that such tax has been paid.

4.4 Adjustments to Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price for Diluting Issues.

4.4.1 Special Definitions. For purposes of this Article Fourth, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Option” shall mean rights, options or warrants to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire Common Stock or Convertible Securities.

(b) “Series C Original Issue Date” shall mean February 6, 2020.

(c) “Convertible Securities” shall mean any evidences of indebtedness, shares or other securities directly or indirectly convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, but excluding Options.

 

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(d) “Additional Shares of Common Stock” shall mean all shares of Common Stock issued (or, pursuant to Subsection 4.4.3 below, deemed to be issued) by the Corporation after the Series C Original Issue Date, other than (1) the following shares of Common Stock and (2) shares of Common Stock deemed issued pursuant to the following Options and Convertible Securities (clauses (1) and (2), collectively, “Exempted Securities”):

 

  (i)

shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of the Preferred Stock;

 

  (ii)

shares of Common Stock or Options issued to employees or directors of, or consultants or advisors to, the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to a plan, agreement or arrangement approved by the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Preferred Directors;

 

  (iii)

shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued to the public in a firm commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement for a total public offering amount of not less than $50,000,000 after deducting underwriters commissions and expenses;

 

  (iv)

shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued pursuant to the acquisition by the Corporation of another corporation or other entity by consolidation, corporate reorganizations, or merger or purchase of all or substantially all of the assets of such corporation or other entity as approved by the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Preferred Directors;

 

  (v)

shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued to persons providing equipment leasing, real estate leasing, bank financing or similar transactions approved by the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Preferred Directors; or

 

  (vi)

shares of Common Stock, Options or Convertible Securities issued to suppliers or third party service providers other than for capital raising purposes approved by the Board of Directors, including a majority of the Preferred Directors.

 

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4.4.2 No Adjustment of Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price. No adjustment in the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be made as the result of the issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock if the Corporation receives written notice from the Requisite Holders agreeing that no such adjustment shall be made as the result of the issuance or deemed issuance of such Additional Shares of Common Stock.

4.4.3 Deemed Issue of Additional Shares of Common Stock.

(a) If the Corporation at any time or from time to time after the Series C Original Issue Date shall issue any Options or Convertible Securities (excluding Options or Convertible Securities which are themselves Exempted Securities) or shall fix a record date for the determination of holders of any class of securities entitled to receive any such Options or Convertible Securities, then the maximum number of shares of Common Stock (as set forth in the instrument relating thereto, assuming the satisfaction of any conditions to exercisability, convertibility or exchangeability but without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such number) issuable upon the exercise of such Options or, in the case of Convertible Securities and Options therefor, the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, shall be deemed to be Additional Shares of Common Stock issued as of the time of such issue or, in case such a record date shall have been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date.

(b) If the terms of any Option or Convertible Security, the issuance of which resulted in an adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Subsection 4.4.4, are revised as a result of an amendment to such terms or any other adjustment pursuant to the provisions of such Option or Convertible Security (but excluding automatic adjustments to such terms pursuant to anti-dilution or similar provisions of such Option or Convertible Security) to provide for either (1) any increase or decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any such Option or Convertible Security or (2) any increase or decrease in the consideration payable to the Corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, then, effective upon such increase or decrease becoming effective, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price computed upon the original issue of such Option or Convertible Security (or upon the occurrence of a record date with respect thereto) shall be readjusted to such Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price as would have obtained had such revised terms been in effect upon the original date of issuance of such Option or Convertible Security. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no readjustment pursuant to this clause (b) shall have the effect of increasing the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price to an amount which exceeds the lower of (i) the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to the original adjustment made as a result of the issuance of such Option or Convertible Security, or (ii) the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price that would have resulted from any issuances of Additional Shares of Common Stock (other than deemed issuances of Additional Shares of Common Stock as a result of the issuance of such Option or Convertible Security) between the original adjustment date and such readjustment date.

 

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(c) If the terms of any Option or Convertible Security (excluding Options or Convertible Securities which are themselves Exempted Securities), the issuance of which did not result in an adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Subsection 4.4.4 (either because the consideration per share (determined pursuant to Subsection 4.4.5) of the Additional Shares of Common Stock subject thereto was equal to or greater than the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price then in effect, or because such Option or Convertible Security was issued before the Series C Original Issue Date), are revised after the Series C Original Issue Date as a result of an amendment to such terms or any other adjustment pursuant to the provisions of such Option or Convertible Security (but excluding automatic adjustments to such terms pursuant to anti-dilution or similar provisions of such Option or Convertible Security) to provide for either (1) any increase in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of any such Option or Convertible Security or (2) any decrease in the consideration payable to the Corporation upon such exercise, conversion or exchange, then such Option or Convertible Security, as so amended or adjusted, and the Additional Shares of Common Stock subject thereto (determined in the manner provided in Subsection 4.4.3(a) shall be deemed to have been issued effective upon such increase or decrease becoming effective).

(d) Upon the expiration or termination of any unexercised Option or unconverted or unexchanged Convertible Security (or portion thereof) which resulted (either upon its original issuance or upon a revision of its terms) in an adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Subsection 4.4.4, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be readjusted to such Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price as would have obtained had such Option or Convertible Security (or portion thereof) never been issued.

(e) If the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any Option or Convertible Security, or the consideration payable to the Corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, is calculable at the time such Option or Convertible Security is issued or amended but is subject to adjustment based upon subsequent events, any adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price provided for in this Subsection 4.4.3 shall be effected at the time of such issuance or amendment based on such number of shares or amount of consideration without regard to any provisions for subsequent adjustments (and any subsequent adjustments shall be treated as provided in clauses (b) and (c) of this Subsection 4.4.3). If the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise, conversion and/or exchange of any Option or Convertible Security, or the consideration payable to the Corporation upon such exercise, conversion and/or exchange, cannot be calculated at all at the time such Option or Convertible Security is issued or amended, any adjustment to the Applied Preferred Stock Conversion Price that would result under the terms of this Subsection 4.4.3 at the time of such issuance or amendment shall instead be effected at the time such number of shares and/or amount of consideration is first calculable (even if subject to subsequent adjustments), assuming for purposes of calculating such adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price that such issuance or amendment took place at the time such calculation can first be made.

 

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4.4.4 Adjustment of Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price Upon Issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Series C Original Issue Date issue Additional Shares of Common Stock (including Additional Shares of Common Stock deemed to be issued pursuant to Subsection 4.4.3), without consideration or for a consideration per share less than the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance, then the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be reduced, concurrently with such issue, to a price (calculated to the nearest cent) determined in accordance with the following formula:

CP2 = CP1* (A + B) ÷ (A + C).

For purposes of the foregoing formula, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “CP2” shall mean the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately after such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock;

(b) “CP1” shall mean the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock;

(c) “A” shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance of Additional Shares of Common Stock (treating for this purpose as outstanding all shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of Options outstanding immediately prior to such issuance or deemed issuance or upon conversion or exchange of Convertible Securities (including the Preferred Stock) outstanding (assuming exercise of any outstanding Options therefor) immediately prior to such issue);

(d) “B” shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock that would have been issued if such Additional Shares of Common Stock had been issued or deemed issued at a price per share equal to CP1 (determined by dividing the aggregate consideration received by the Corporation in respect of such issue by CP1); and

(e) “C” shall mean the number of such Additional Shares of Common Stock issued in such transaction.

4.4.5 Determination of Consideration. For purposes of this Subsection 4.4, the consideration received by the Corporation for the issuance or deemed issuance of any Additional Shares of Common Stock shall be computed as follows:

(a) Cash and Property: Such consideration shall:

 

  (i)

insofar as it consists of cash, be computed at the aggregate amount of cash received by the Corporation, excluding amounts paid or payable for accrued interest or dividends and before deducting any expenses paid or incurred and any underwriting commissions or concessions paid or allowed by the Corporation in connection with such issuance or deemed issuance;

 

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  (ii)

insofar as it consists of property other than cash, be computed at the fair market value thereof at the time of such issue, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors, excluding any accrued interest or dividends; and

 

  (iii)

in the event Additional Shares of Common Stock are issued together with other shares or securities or other assets of the Corporation for consideration which covers both, be the proportion of such consideration so received, computed as provided in clauses (i) and (ii) above, as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors.

(b) Options and Convertible Securities. The consideration per share received by the Corporation for Additional Shares of Common Stock deemed to have been issued pursuant to Subsection 4.4.3, relating to Options and Convertible Securities, shall be determined by dividing:

 

  (i)

The total amount, if any, received or receivable by the Corporation as consideration for the issue of such Options or Convertible Securities, plus the minimum aggregate amount of additional consideration (as set forth in the instruments relating thereto, without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such consideration) payable to the Corporation upon the exercise of such Options or the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, or in the case of Options for Convertible Securities, the exercise of such Options for Convertible Securities and the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, in each case after excluding any accrued interest or dividends, by

 

  (ii)

the maximum number of shares of Common Stock (as set forth in the instruments relating thereto, without regard to any provision contained therein for a subsequent adjustment of such number) issuable upon the exercise of such Options or the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities, or in the case of Options for Convertible Securities, the exercise of such Options for Convertible Securities and the conversion or exchange of such Convertible Securities.

 

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4.4.6 Multiple Closing Dates. In the event the Corporation shall issue on more than one date Additional Shares of Common Stock that are a part of one transaction or a series of related transactions and that would result in an adjustment to the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price pursuant to the terms of Subsection 4.4.4, then, upon the final such issuance, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be readjusted to give effect to all such issuances as if they occurred on the date of the first such issuance (and without giving effect to any additional adjustments as a result of any such subsequent issuances within such period).

4.5 Adjustment for Stock Splits and Combinations. If the Corporation shall at any time or from time to time after the Series C Original Issue Date effect a subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately before that subdivision shall be proportionately decreased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of such series shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. If the Corporation shall at any time or from time to time after the Series C Original Issue Date combine the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately before the combination shall be proportionately increased so that the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on conversion of each share of such series shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. Any adjustment under this subsection shall become effective at the close of business on the date the subdivision or combination becomes effective.

4.6 Adjustment for Certain Dividends and Distributions. In the event the Corporation at any time or from time to time after the Series C Original Issue Date shall make or issue, or fix a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable on the Common Stock in additional shares of Common Stock, then and in each such event the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price in effect immediately before such event shall be decreased as of the time of such issuance or, in the event such a record date shall have been fixed, as of the close of business on such record date, by multiplying the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price then in effect by a fraction:

(1) the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of such issuance or the close of business on such record date, and

(2) the denominator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the time of such issuance or the close of business on such record date plus the number of shares of Common Stock issuable in payment of such dividend or distribution.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing (a) if such record date shall have been fixed and such dividend is not fully paid or if such distribution is not fully made on the date fixed therefor, the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be recomputed accordingly as of the close of business on such record date and thereafter the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price shall be adjusted pursuant to this subsection as of the time of actual payment of such dividends or distributions; and (b) that no such adjustment shall be made if the holders of Preferred Stock simultaneously receive a dividend or other distribution of shares of Common Stock in a number equal to the number of shares of Common Stock as they would have received if all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of such event.

4.7 Adjustments for Other Dividends and Distributions. In the event the Corporation at any time or from time to time after the Series C Original Issue Date shall make or issue, or fix a record date for the determination of holders of Common Stock entitled to receive, a dividend or other distribution payable in securities of the Corporation (other than a distribution of shares of Common Stock in respect of outstanding shares of Common Stock) or in other property and the provisions of Section 1 do not apply to such dividend or distribution, then and in each such event the holders of Preferred Stock shall receive, simultaneously with the distribution to the holders of Common Stock, a dividend or other distribution of such securities or other property in an amount equal to the amount of such securities or other property as they would have received if all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock had been converted into Common Stock on the date of such event.

4.8 Adjustment for Merger or Reorganization, etc. Subject to the provisions of Subsection 2.3, if there shall occur any reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, consolidation or merger involving the Corporation (other than a Deemed Liquidation Even under Subsection 2.3) in which the Common Stock (but not the Preferred Stock) is converted into or exchanged for securities, cash or other property (other than a transaction covered by Subsections 4.4, 4.6 or 4.7), then, following any such reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, consolidation or merger, each share of Preferred Stock shall thereafter be convertible in lieu of the Common Stock into which it was convertible prior to such event into the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property which a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock of the Corporation issuable upon conversion of one share of Preferred Stock immediately prior to such reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, consolidation or merger would have been entitled to receive pursuant to such transaction; and, in such case, appropriate adjustment (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors) shall be made in the application of the provisions in this Section 4 with respect to the rights and interests thereafter of the holders of the Preferred Stock, to the end that the provisions set forth in this Section 4 (including provisions with respect to changes in and other adjustments of the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price) shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to any securities or other property thereafter deliverable upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock.

4.9 Certificate as to Adjustments. Upon the occurrence of each adjustment or readjustment of the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price pursuant to this Section 4, the Corporation at its expense shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable but in any event not later than thirty (30) days thereafter, compute such adjustment or readjustment in accordance with the terms hereof and furnish to each holder of Preferred Stock a certificate setting forth such adjustment or readjustment (including the kind and amount of securities, cash

 

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or other property into which the Preferred Stock is convertible) and showing in detail the facts upon which such adjustment or readjustment is based. The Corporation shall, as promptly as reasonably practicable after the written request at any time of any holder of Preferred Stock (but in any event not later than thirty (30) days thereafter), furnish or cause to be furnished to such holder a certificate setting forth (i) the Applicable Preferred Stock Conversion Price then in effect for each series of Preferred Stock, and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock and the amount, if any, of other securities, cash or property which then would be received upon the conversion of Preferred Stock.

4.10 Notice of Record Date. In the event:

(a) the Corporation shall take a record of the holders of its Common Stock (or other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon conversion of the Preferred Stock) for the purpose of entitling or enabling them to receive any dividend or other distribution, or to receive any right to subscribe for or purchase any shares of capital stock of any class or any other securities, or to receive any other security; or

(b) of any capital reorganization of the Corporation, any reclassification of the Common Stock, or any Deemed Liquidation Event; or

(c) of the voluntary or involuntary dissolution, liquidation or winding-up of the Corporation,

then, and in each such case, the Corporation will send or cause to be sent to the holders of the Preferred Stock a notice specifying, as the case may be, (i) the record date for such dividend, distribution or right, and the amount and character of such dividend, distribution or right, or (ii) the effective date on which such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up is proposed to take place, and the time, if any is to be fixed, as of which the holders of record of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities at the time issuable upon the conversion of the Preferred Stock) shall be entitled to exchange their shares of Common Stock (or such other capital stock or securities) for securities or other property deliverable upon such reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, transfer, dissolution, liquidation or winding-up, and the amount per share and character of such exchange applicable to each series of Preferred Stock and the Common Stock. Such notice shall be sent at least ten (10) days prior to the record date or effective date for the event specified in such notice.

5. Mandatory Conversion.

5.1 Trigger Events. Upon either (a) the closing of the sale of shares of Common Stock to the public in a firm-commitment underwritten public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or a corresponding securities issuance application process in any non-U.S. jurisdiction covering the offer and of the Common Stock for the account of the Corporation, in which the proceeds to the Corporation are not less than $50,000,000, net of the underwriting discount, commissions and expenses, and in connection with such offering the Common Stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, the New York Stock Exchange or London Stock Exchange or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the Requisite Holders (the

 

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time of such closing or the date and time specified or the time of the event specified in such vote or written consent is referred to herein as the “Mandatory Conversion Time”), then (i) all outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, including accrued but unpaid, whether or not declared, Preferred Dividends together with any other declared but unpaid dividends on such Preferred Share, shall automatically be converted into shares of Common Stock, at the then effective conversion rate as calculated pursuant to Subsection 4.1.1. and (ii) such shares may not be reissued by the Corporation.

5.2 Procedural Requirements. All holders of record of shares of Preferred Stock shall be sent written notice of the Mandatory Conversion Time and the place designated for mandatory conversion of all such shares of Preferred Stock pursuant to this Section 5. Such notice need not be sent in advance of the occurrence of the Mandatory Conversion Time. Upon receipt of such notice, each holder of shares of Preferred Stock in certificated form shall surrender his, her or its certificate or certificates for all such shares (or, if such holder alleges that such certificate has been lost, stolen or destroyed, a lost certificate affidavit and agreement reasonably acceptable to the Corporation to indemnify the Corporation against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate) to the Corporation at the place designated in such notice. If so required by the Corporation, any certificates surrendered for conversion shall be endorsed or accompanied by written instrument or instruments of transfer, in form satisfactory to the Corporation, duly executed by the registered holder or by his, her or its attorney duly authorized in writing. All rights with respect to the Preferred Stock converted pursuant to Subsection 5.1, including the rights, if any, to receive notices and vote (other than as a holder of Common Stock), will terminate at the Mandatory Conversion Time (notwithstanding the failure of the holder or holders thereof to surrender any certificates at or prior to such time), except only the rights of the holders thereof, upon surrender of any certificate or certificates of such holders (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) therefor, to receive the items provided for in the next sentence of this Subsection 5.2. As soon as practicable after the Mandatory Conversion Time and, if applicable, the surrender of any certificate or certificates (or lost certificate affidavit and agreement) for Preferred Stock, the Corporation shall (a) issue and deliver to such holder, or to his, her or its nominees, a certificate or certificates for the number of full shares of Common Stock issuable on such conversion in accordance with the provisions hereof and (b) pay cash as provided in Subsection 4.2 in lieu of any fraction of a share of Common Stock otherwise issuable upon such conversion. Such converted Preferred Stock shall be retired and cancelled and may not be reissued as shares of such series, and the Corporation may thereafter take such appropriate action (without the need for stockholder action) as may be necessary to reduce the authorized number of shares of Preferred Stock accordingly.

6. Redeemed or Otherwise Acquired Shares. Any shares of Preferred Stock that are redeemed or otherwise acquired by the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries shall be automatically and immediately cancelled and retired and shall not be reissued, sold or transferred. Neither the Corporation nor any of its subsidiaries may exercise any voting or other rights granted to the holders of Preferred Stock following redemption.

7. Waiver. Any of the rights, powers, preferences and other terms of the Preferred Stock set forth herein may be waived on behalf of all holders of Preferred Stock by the affirmative written consent or vote of the holders of at least two-thirds (2/3rds) of the shares of Preferred Stock then outstanding.

 

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8. Notices. Any notice required or permitted by the provisions of this Article Fourth to be given to a holder of shares of Preferred Stock shall be mailed, postage prepaid, to the post office address last shown on the records of the Corporation, or given by electronic communication in compliance with the provisions of the General Corporation Law, and shall be deemed sent upon such mailing or electronic transmission.

FIFTH: Subject to any additional vote required by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, in furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, repeal, alter, amend and rescind any or all of the Bylaws of the Corporation.

SIXTH: Subject to any additional vote required by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the number of directors of the Corporation shall be determined in the manner set forth in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

SEVENTH: Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws of the Corporation shall so provide.

EIGHTH: Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws of the Corporation may provide. The books of the Corporation may be kept outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

NINTH: To the fullest extent permitted by law, a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the General Corporation Law or any other law of the State of Delaware is amended after approval by the stockholders of this Article Ninth to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law as so amended.

Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article Ninth by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation existing at the time of, or increase the liability of any director of the Corporation with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to, such repeal or modification.

TENTH: To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Corporation is authorized to provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) directors, officers and agents of the Corporation (and any other persons to which General Corporation Law permits the Corporation to provide indemnification) through Bylaw provisions, agreements with such agents or other persons, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, in excess of the indemnification and advancement otherwise permitted by Section 145 of the General Corporation Law.

Any amendment, repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article Tenth shall not (a) adversely affect any right or protection of any director, officer or other agent of the Corporation existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification or (b) increase the liability of any director of the Corporation with respect to any acts or omissions of such director, officer or agent occurring prior to, such amendment, repeal or modification.

 

22


The Board of Directors may, to the full extent permitted by applicable law as it presently exists, or may hereafter be amended from time to time, authorize an appropriate officer or officers to purchase and maintain at the Corporation’s expense insurance: (a) to indemnify the Corporation for any obligation which it incurs as a result of the indemnification of directors, officers and employees under the provisions of this Article Tenth; and (b) to indemnify or insure directors, officers and employees against liability in instances in which they may not otherwise be indemnified by the Corporation under the provisions of this Article Tenth.

ELEVENTH: The Corporation renounces, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any interest or expectancy of the Corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any Excluded Opportunity. An “Excluded Opportunity” is any matter, transaction or interest that is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or which otherwise comes into the possession of (i) any director of the Corporation who is not an employee of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, or (ii) any holder of Preferred Stock or any partner, member, director, stockholder, employee or agent of any such holder, other than someone who is an employee of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries (collectively, the persons referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) are “Covered Persons”), unless such matter, transaction or interest is presented to, or acquired, created or developed by, or otherwise comes into the possession of, a Covered Person expressly and solely in such Covered Person’s capacity as a director of the Corporation while such Covered Person is performing services in such capacity.

TWELFTH: Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or the Corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine, except for, as to each of clauses (i) through (iv) above, any claim as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten (10) days following such determination), which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. If any provision or provisions of this Article Twelfth shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Article Twelfth (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article Twelfth containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

23


THIRTEENTH: For purposes of Section 500 of the California Corporations Code (to the extent applicable), in connection with any repurchase of shares of Common Stock permitted under this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation from employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Corporation in connection with a termination of employment or services pursuant to agreements or arrangements approved by the Board of Directors (in addition to any other consent required under this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), such repurchase may be made without regard to any “preferential dividends arrears amount” or “preferential rights amount” (as those terms are defined in Section 500 of the California Corporations Code). Accordingly, for purposes of making any calculation under California Corporations Code Section 500 in connection with such repurchase, the amount of any “preferential dividends arrears amount” or “preferential rights amount” (as those terms are defined therein) shall be deemed to be zero (0).

*    *    *

3. That the foregoing amendment and restatement was approved by the holders of the requisite number of shares of this corporation in accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law.

4. That this Certificate of Incorporation, which restates and integrates and further amends the provisions of this Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law.

 

24


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been executed by a duly authorized officer of this corporation on this 1st day of April, 2020.

 

By:   /s/ Jaume Pons
  Jaume Pons
  Chief Executive Officer and President


CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT TO

THE AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), hereby certifies as follows:

1. The name of the Corporation is ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. The Corporation’s original Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “SOS”) on April 1, 2020 under the name of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. The Corporation’s most recent Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the SOS on April 1, 2020 (the “Restated Certificate”).

2. This Certificate of Amendment to the Restated Certificate (the “Certificate of Amendment”) has been duly adopted in accordance with Section 242 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and amends the provisions of the Restated Certificate.

3. The terms and provisions of this Certificate of Amendment have been duly approved by written consent of the required number of shares of outstanding stock of the Corporation pursuant to Subsection 228(a) of the DGCL and written notice pursuant to Subsection 228(e) of the DGCL has been or will be given to those stockholders whose written consent has not been obtained.

4. ARTICLE FOURTH of the Restated Certificate is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

“Immediately upon the filing of this Certificate of Amendment, each 6.5806 outstanding shares of Common Stock, each 6.5806 outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, each 6.5806 outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock and each 6.5806 outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock will be exchanged and combined, automatically and without further action, into one (1) share of Common Stock, one (1) share of Series A Preferred Stock, one (1) share of Series B Preferred Stock and one (1) share of Series C Preferred Stock, respectively (the “Reverse Stock Split”). The Reverse Stock Split shall also apply to any outstanding securities or rights convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, Common Stock or Preferred Stock of the Corporation. The Reverse Stock Split shall be effected on a certificate-by-certificate basis, and each certificate share number will then be rounded down to the nearest whole number. No fractional shares shall be issued upon the exchange and combination. In lieu of any fractional shares to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the Corporation shall pay an amount of cash equal to the product of (i) the fractional share to which the holder would otherwise be entitled and (ii) the then fair value of a share as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is (i) 1,519,618,271 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”) and (ii) 21,461,756 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”), of which 9,297,100 shares are hereby designated “Series A Preferred Stock,” 1,108,675 shares are hereby designated “Series B Preferred Stock” and 11,055,981 shares are hereby designated “Series C Preferred Stock.””

*   *   *


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC. has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be signed by its Chief Executive Officer and President this 9th day of July, 2020.

 

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.
By:  

/s/ Jaume Pons

 

Jaume Pons

Chief Executive Officer and President

 

(Signature page to the Certificate of Amendment)

EX-3.2

Exhibit 3.2

AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), does hereby certify as follows:

A. The name of the Corporation is ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. The Corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) on April 1, 2020.

B. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (this “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) was duly adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the DGCL, and has been duly approved by the written consent of the stockholders of the Corporation in accordance with Section 228 of the DGCL.

C. The text of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

ARTICLE I

The name of the Corporation is ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

ARTICLE II

The address of the Corporation’s registered office in the State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19801. The name of its registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.

ARTICLE III

The nature of the business or purposes to be conducted or promoted by the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL.

ARTICLE IV

Section 1. This Corporation is authorized to issue two classes of stock, to be designated, respectively, Common Stock and Preferred Stock. The total number of shares of stock that the Corporation shall have authority to issue is one billion one hundred million (1,100,000,000) shares, of which one billion (1,000,000,000) shares are Common Stock, $0.001 par value, and one hundred million (100,000,000) shares are Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value.

Section 2. Each share of Common Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to one (1) vote on any matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders.


Section 3. The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series pursuant to a resolution or resolutions providing for such issue duly adopted by the Board of Directors (authority to do so being hereby expressly vested in the Board of Directors). The Board of Directors is further authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by law, to fix by resolution or resolutions the designations, powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of any wholly unissued series of Preferred Stock, including, without limitation, authority to fix by resolution or resolutions the dividend rights, dividend rate, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption (including sinking fund provisions), redemption price or prices, and liquidation preferences of any such series, and the number of shares constituting any such series and the designation thereof, or any of the foregoing. The Board of Directors is further authorized to increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of the class) or decrease (but not below the number of shares of any such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any series, the number of which was fixed by it, subsequent to the issuance of shares of such series then outstanding, subject to the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof stated in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the resolution of the Board of Directors originally fixing the number of shares of such series. If the number of shares of any series is so decreased, then the Corporation shall take all such steps as are necessary to cause the shares constituting such decrease to resume the status which they had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series.

Section 4. Except as otherwise required by law, holders of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation filed with respect to any series of Preferred Stock) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock if the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately or together as a class with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon by law or pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any certificate of designation filed with respect to any series of Preferred Stock).

ARTICLE V

Section 1. The number of directors that constitutes the entire Board of Directors of the Corporation shall be determined in the manner set forth in the Bylaws of the Corporation. At each annual meeting of stockholders, directors of the Corporation shall be elected to hold office until the expiration of the term for which they are elected and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal; except that if any such meeting shall not be so held, such election shall take place at a stockholders’ meeting called and held in accordance with the DGCL.

Section 2. From and after the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the directors of the Corporation (other than any who may be elected by holders of Preferred Stock under specified circumstances) shall be divided into three classes as nearly equal in size as is practicable, hereby designated Class I, Class II and Class III. Directors already in office shall be assigned to each class at the time such classification becomes effective in accordance with a resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors. At the first annual meeting of

 

2


stockholders following the date hereof, the term of office of the Class I directors shall expire and Class I directors shall be elected for a full term of three years. At the second annual meeting of stockholders following the date hereof, the term of office of the Class II directors shall expire and Class II directors shall be elected for a full term of three years. At the third annual meeting of stockholders following the date hereof, the term of office of the Class III directors shall expire and Class III directors shall be elected for a full term of three years. At each succeeding annual meeting of stockholders, directors shall be elected for a full term of three years to succeed the directors of the class whose terms expire at such annual meeting. If the number of directors is changed, any newly created directorships or decrease in directorships shall be so apportioned hereafter among the classes as to make all classes as nearly equal in number as is practicable, provided that no decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director.

ARTICLE VI

Section 1. Any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause, and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote in the election of directors.

Section 2. Except as otherwise provided for or fixed by or pursuant to the provisions of Article IV hereof in relation to the rights of the holders of Preferred Stock to elect directors under specified circumstances, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the number of directors, created in accordance with the Bylaws of the Corporation, and any vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, disqualification, removal or other cause shall be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, even though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors, or by a sole remaining director, and not by the stockholders. A person so elected by the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy or newly created directorship shall hold office until the next election of the class for which such director shall have been chosen until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director.

ARTICLE VII

Section 1. The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.

Section 2. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred upon them by statute or by this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation, the directors are hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation.

Section 3. In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to adopt, alter, amend or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation. The affirmative vote of at least a majority of the Board of Directors then in office shall

 

3


be required in order for the Board of Directors to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Corporation’s Bylaws. The Corporation’s Bylaws may also be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders of the Corporation. Notwithstanding the above or any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws of the Corporation may not be amended, altered or repealed except in accordance with Article X of the Bylaws. No Bylaw hereafter legally adopted, amended, altered or repealed shall invalidate any prior act of the directors or officers of the Corporation that would have been valid if such Bylaw had not been adopted, amended, altered or repealed.

Section 4. The election of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws of the Corporation shall so provide.

Section 5. No stockholder will be permitted to cumulate votes at any election of directors.

ARTICLE VIII

Section 1. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation and may not be effected by any consent in writing by such stockholders.

Section 2. Special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board of Directors, and any power of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders is specifically denied. Only such business shall be considered at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been stated in the notice for such meeting.

Section 3. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner and to the extent provided in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

ARTICLE IX

Section 1. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as the same exists or as may hereafter be amended from time to time, a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.

Section 2. The Corporation shall indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any director or officer of the Corporation who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “Proceeding”) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the

 

4


Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any such Proceeding. The Corporation shall be required to indemnify a person in connection with a Proceeding initiated by such person only if the Proceeding was authorized by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The Corporation shall have the power to indemnify, to the extent permitted by applicable law, any employee or agent of the Corporation who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with any such Proceeding.

Section 4. Neither any amendment nor repeal of any Section of this Article IX, nor the adoption of any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Corporation inconsistent with this Article IX, shall eliminate or reduce the effect of this Article IX in respect of any matter occurring, or any cause of action, suit, claim or proceeding accruing or arising or that, but for this Article IX, would accrue or arise, prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption of an inconsistent provision.

ARTICLE X

Meetings of stockholders may be held within or outside of the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide. The books of the Corporation may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the statutes) outside of the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or in the Bylaws of the Corporation.

ARTICLE XI

The Corporation reserves the right to amend or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation in the manner prescribed by the laws of the State of Delaware and all rights conferred upon stockholders are granted subject to this reservation; provided, however, that notwithstanding any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or any provision of law that might otherwise permit a lesser vote or no vote, the Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board of Directors and the affirmative vote of sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the then outstanding voting securities of the Corporation, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the amendment, repeal or modification of the provisions of Section 3 of Article IV, Section 2 of Article V, Article VI, Section 5 of Article VII, Article VIII or Article XI of this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

 

5


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed by Jaume Pons, a duly authorized officer of the Corporation, on this ___ day of ______, 2020.

 

         

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer

 

6

EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO   

650 Page Mill Road

Palo Alto, CA 94304-1050

 

650.493.9300

650.493.6811

www.wsgr.com

July 13, 2020

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, California 94010

 

Re:

Registration Statement on Form S-1

Ladies and Gentlemen:

This opinion is furnished to you in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-239490), as amended (the “Registration Statement”), filed by ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of up to 9,200,000 shares (including up to 1,200,000 shares issuable upon exercise of an option granted to the underwriters by the Company) of the Company’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Shares”), to be issued and sold by the Company. We understand that the Shares are to be sold to the underwriters for resale to the public as described in the Registration Statement and pursuant to an underwriting agreement, substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, to be entered into by and among the Company and the underwriters (the “Underwriting Agreement”).

We are acting as counsel for the Company in connection with the sale of the Shares by the Company. In such capacity, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary for the purposes of rendering this opinion. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity with the originals of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity of the originals of such documents and the legal competence of all signatories to such documents.

We express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (including the statutory provisions and all applicable judicial decisions interpreting those laws) and the federal laws of the United States of America.

 

AUSTIN    BEIJING    BOSTON    BRUSSELS    HONG KONG    LONDON    LOS ANGELES    NEW YORK    PALO ALTO

SAN DIEGO    SAN FRANCISCO    SEATTLE    SHANGHAI    WASHINGTON, DC    WILMINGTON, DE


LOGO

July 13, 2020

Page 2

 

On the basis of the foregoing, we are of the opinion that upon the effectiveness of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, a form of which has been filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement, the Shares to be issued and sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when such Shares are issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

We consent to the use of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and we consent to the reference of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement.

 

Very truly yours,
WILSON SONSINI GOODRICH & ROSATI
Professional Corporation
/s/ Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
EX-10.2

Exhibit 10.2

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

1.    Purposes of the Plan. The purposes of this Plan are:

 

   

to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility,

 

   

to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants, and

 

   

to promote the success of the Company’s business.

The Plan permits the grant of Incentive Stock Options, Nonstatutory Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units and Performance Shares.

2.    Definitions. As used herein, the following definitions will apply:

(a)    “Administrator” means the Board or any of its Committees as will be administering the Plan, in accordance with Section 4 of the Plan.

(b)    “Applicable Laws” means the legal and regulatory requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards, including but not limited to the related issuance of shares of Common Stock, including but not limited to, under U.S. federal and state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any non-U.S. country or jurisdiction where Awards are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

(c)    “Award” means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares.

(d)    “Award Agreement” means the written or electronic agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to each Award granted under the Plan. The Award Agreement is subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan.

(e)    “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(f)    “Cause” means the definition of such term contained in Participant’s employment agreement with the Company (and any of its Parent or Subsidiaries) or, if none, a termination of Participant’s employment with the Company (and any of its Parent or Subsidiaries) because of (a) Participant’s unauthorized misuse of any the trade secrets or proprietary information of the Company (or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries), (b) Participant’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude (or equivalent under Applicable Laws), (c) Participant’s committing an act of fraud against the Company (or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries) or (d) Participant’s gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his or her duties that has had or will have a material adverse effect on the reputation or business of the Company (or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries).


(g)    “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i)    Change in Ownership of the Company. A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“Person”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person, constitutes more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection, the acquisition of additional stock by any one Person, who is considered to own more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company will not be considered a Change in Control; provided, further, that any change in the ownership of the stock of the Company as a result of a private financing of the Company that is approved by the Board also will not be considered a Change in Control. Further, if the stockholders of the Company immediately before such change in ownership continue to retain immediately after the change in ownership, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company’s voting stock immediately prior to the change in ownership, direct or indirect beneficial ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the total voting power of the stock of the Company or of the ultimate parent entity of the Company, such event shall not be considered a Change in Control under this subsection (i). For this purpose, indirect beneficial ownership shall include, without limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting securities of one or more corporations or other business entities which own the Company, as the case may be, either directly or through one or more subsidiary corporations or other business entities; or

(ii)    Change in Effective Control of the Company. If the Company has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, a change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this subsection (ii), if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(iii)    Change in Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Companys Assets. A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such Person or Persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (iii), the following will not constitute a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets: (A) a transfer to an entity that is controlled by the Company’s stockholders immediately after the transfer, or (B) a transfer of assets by the Company to: (1) a stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to the Company’s stock, (2) an entity, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, (3) a Person, that owns, directly or indirectly, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company, or (4) an entity, at least fifty percent (50%) of the total value or voting power of

 

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which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a Person described in this subsection (iii)(B)(3). For purposes of this subsection (iii), gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

For purposes of this Section 2(g), persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be deemed a Change in Control unless the transaction qualifies as a change in control event within the meaning of Code Section 409A, as it has been and may be amended from time to time, and any proposed or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance that has been promulgated or may be promulgated thereunder from time to time.

Further and for the avoidance of doubt, a transaction will not constitute a Change in Control if: (i) its sole purpose is to change the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation, or (ii) its sole purpose is to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transaction.

(h)    “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the Code or regulation thereunder shall include such section or regulation, any valid regulation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

(i)    “Committee” means a committee of Directors or of other individuals satisfying Applicable Laws appointed by the Board, or by a duly authorized committee of the Board, in accordance with Section 4 hereof.

(j)    “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company.

(k)    “Company” means ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

(l)    “Consultant” means any natural person, including an advisor, engaged by the Company or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries to render bona fide services to such entity, provided the services (i) are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction, and (ii) do not directly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities, in each case, within the meaning of Form S-8 promulgated under the Securities Act, and provided further, that a Consultant will include only those persons to whom the issuance of Shares may be registered under Form S-8 promulgated under the Securities Act.

(m)    “Director” means a member of the Board.

(n)    “Disability” means total and permanent disability as defined in Code Section 22(e)(3), provided that in the case of Awards other than Incentive Stock Options, the Administrator in its discretion may determine whether a permanent and total disability exists in accordance with uniform and non-discriminatory standards adopted by the Administrator from time to time.

 

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(o)    “Employee” means any person, including Officers and Directors, employed by the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company. Neither service as a Director nor payment of a director’s fee by the Company will be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

(p)    “Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(q)    “Exchange Program” means a program under which (i) outstanding Awards are surrendered or cancelled in exchange for awards of the same type (which may have higher or lower exercise prices and different terms), awards of a different type, and/or cash, (ii) Participants would have the opportunity to transfer any outstanding Awards to a financial institution or other person or entity selected by the Administrator, and/or (iii) the exercise price of an outstanding Award is reduced or increased. The Administrator will determine the terms and conditions of any Exchange Program in its sole discretion.

(r)    “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

(i)    If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market or the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or, if no closing sales price was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last Trading Day such closing sales price was reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(ii)    If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a Share will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination (or, if no bids and asks were reported on that date, as applicable, on the last Trading Day such bids and asks were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(iii)    For purposes of any Awards granted on the Registration Date, the Fair Market Value will be the initial price to the public as set forth in the final prospectus included within the registration statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the initial public offering of the Common Stock; or

(iv)    In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value will be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

(s)    “Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Company.

(t)    “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms qualifies and is otherwise intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Code Section 422 and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

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(u)    “Inside Director” means a Director who is an Employee.

(v)    “Nonstatutory Stock Option” means an Option that by its terms does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.

(w)    “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.

(x)    “Option” means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.

(y)    “Outside Director” means a Director who is not an Employee.

(z)    “Parent” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(e).

(aa)    “Participant” means the holder of an outstanding Award.

(bb)    “Performance Share” means an Award denominated in Shares which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of performance goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine pursuant to Section 10.

(cc)    “Performance Unit” means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part upon attainment of performance goals or other vesting criteria as the Administrator may determine and which may be settled for cash, Shares or other securities or a combination of the foregoing pursuant to Section 10.

(dd)    “Period of Restriction” means the period (if any) during which the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock are subject to restrictions and therefore, the Shares are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Such restrictions may be based on the passage of time, the achievement of target levels of performance, or the occurrence of other events as determined by the Administrator.

(ee)    “Plan” means this 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as may be amended from time to time, and most recently amended and restated as the Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan.

(ff)    “Registration Date” means the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, with respect to any class of the Company’s securities.

(gg)    “Restricted Stock” means Shares issued pursuant to an Award of Restricted Stock under Section 8 of the Plan, or issued pursuant to the early exercise of an Option.

(hh)    “Restricted Stock Unit” means a bookkeeping entry representing an amount equal to the Fair Market Value of one Share, granted pursuant to Section 9. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the Company.

(ii)    “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect when discretion is being exercised with respect to the Plan.

 

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(jj)    “Section 16b” means Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.

(kk)    “Section 409A” means Code Section 409A and the Treasury Regulations and guidance thereunder, and any applicable state law equivalent, as each may be promulgated, amended or modified from time to time.

(ll)    “Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(mm)    “Service Provider” means an Employee, Director or Consultant.

(nn)    “Share” means a share of the Common Stock, as adjusted in accordance with Section 13 of the Plan.

(oo)    “Stock Appreciation Right” means an Award, granted alone or in connection with an Option, that pursuant to Section 7 is designated as a Stock Appreciation Right.

(pp)    “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(f).

(qq)    “Trading Day” means a day that the primary stock exchange, national market system, or other trading platform, as applicable, upon which the Common Stock is listed (or otherwise trades regularly, as determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion) is open for trading.

3.    Stock Subject to the Plan.

(a)    Stock Subject to the Plan. Subject to the provisions of Section 13 of the Plan and the automatic increase set forth in Section 3(b), the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be subject to Awards and sold under the Plan is 7,874,862 Shares. In addition, Shares may become available for issuance under Sections 3(b) and 3(c). The Shares may be authorized but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.

(b)    Automatic Share Reserve Increase. Subject to the provisions of Sections 15(a) and 19, the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan will be increased on the first day of each Fiscal Year beginning with the 2021 Fiscal Year, in an amount equal to the least of (i) 4,000,000 Shares, (ii) four percent (4%) of the outstanding Shares on the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year, or (iii) such number of Shares determined by the Board no later than the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year.

(c)    Lapsed Awards. If an Award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, is surrendered pursuant to an Exchange Program, or, with respect to Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units or Performance Shares is forfeited to or repurchased by the Company due to the failure to vest, the unpurchased Shares (or for Awards other than Options or Stock Appreciation Rights the forfeited or repurchased Shares) which were subject thereto will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). With respect to Stock Appreciation Rights, only Shares actually issued pursuant to a Stock Appreciation Right will cease to be available under the Plan; all remaining Shares under Stock Appreciation Rights will remain available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Shares that have actually been issued under the Plan under any Award will not be returned to the Plan and will not

 

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become available for future distribution under the Plan; provided, however, that if Shares issued pursuant to Awards of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares or Performance Units are repurchased by the Company or are forfeited to the Company due to the failure to vest, such Shares will become available for future grant under the Plan. Shares used to pay the exercise price of an Award or to satisfy the tax liabilities or withholdings related to an Award will become available for future grant or sale under the Plan. To the extent an Award under the Plan is paid out in cash rather than Shares, such cash payment will not result in reducing the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan. Notwithstanding the foregoing and, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13, the maximum number of Shares that may be issued upon the exercise of Incentive Stock Options will equal the aggregate Share number stated in Section 3(a), plus, to the extent allowable under Code Section 422 and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, any Shares that become available for issuance under the Plan pursuant to Sections 3(b) and 3(c).

(d)    Share Reserve. The Company, during the term of this Plan, will at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan.

4.    Administration of the Plan.

(a)    Procedure.

(i)    Multiple Administrative Bodies. Different Committees with respect to different groups of Service Providers may administer the Plan.

(ii)    Rule 16b-3. To the extent desirable to qualify transactions hereunder as exempt under Rule 16b-3, the transactions contemplated hereunder will be structured to satisfy the requirements for exemption under Rule 16b-3.

(iii)    Other Administration. Other than as provided above, the Plan will be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee, which Committee will be constituted to satisfy Applicable Laws.

(b)    Powers of the Administrator. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, and in the case of a Committee, subject to the specific duties delegated by the Board to such Committee, the Administrator will have the authority, in its discretion:

(i)    to determine the Fair Market Value;

(ii)    to select the Service Providers to whom Awards may be granted hereunder;

(iii)    to determine the number of Shares to be covered by each Award granted hereunder;

(iv)    to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;

 

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(v)    to determine the terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, of any Award granted hereunder. Such terms and conditions include, but are not limited to, the exercise price, the time or times when Awards may be exercised (which may be based on performance criteria), any vesting acceleration or waiver of forfeiture restrictions, and any restriction or limitation regarding any Award or the Shares relating thereto (including but not limited to, temporarily suspending the exercisability of an Award if the Administrator deems such suspension to be necessary or appropriate for administrative purposes or to comply with Applicable Laws, provided that such suspension must be lifted prior to the expiration of the maximum term and post-termination exercisability period of an Award), based in each case on such factors as the Administrator will determine;

(vi)    to institute and determine the terms and conditions of an Exchange Program, including, subject to Section 18(c), to unilaterally implement an Exchange Program without the consent of the applicable Award holder;

(vii)    to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan;

(viii)    to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules and regulations relating to sub-plans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable non-U.S. laws or for qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable non-U.S. laws;

(ix)    to modify or amend each Award (subject to Section 18(c) of the Plan), including but not limited to the discretionary authority to extend the post-termination exercisability period of Awards and to extend the maximum term of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right (subject to Sections 6(d) and 7(e));

(x)    to allow Participants to satisfy withholding tax obligations in a manner prescribed in Section 14;

(xi)    to authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required to effect the grant of an Award previously granted by the Administrator;

(xii)    to allow a Participant to defer the receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that otherwise would be due to such Participant under an Award; and

(xiii)    to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for administering the Plan.

(c)    Effect of Administrator’s Decision. The Administrator’s decisions, determinations and interpretations will be final and binding on all Participants and any other holders of Awards and will be given the maximum deference permitted by Applicable Laws.

5.    Eligibility. Nonstatutory Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units may be granted to Service Providers. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.

 

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6.    Stock Options.

(a)    Grant of Options. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Options to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

(b)    Option Agreement. Each Award of an Option will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the exercise price, the term of the Option, the number of Shares subject to the Option, the exercise restrictions, if any, applicable to the Option, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

(c)    Limitations. Each Option will be designated in the Award Agreement as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option. Notwithstanding such designation, however, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company and any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), such Options will be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 6(c), Incentive Stock Options will be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, the Fair Market Value of the Shares will be determined as of the time the Option with respect to such Shares is granted, and calculation will be performed in accordance with Code Section 422 and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.

(d)    Term of Option. The term of each Option will be stated in the Award Agreement; provided, however, that the term will be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Participant who, at the time the Incentive Stock Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option will be five (5) years from the date of grant or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement.

(e)    Option Exercise Price and Consideration.

(i)    Exercise Price. The per Share exercise price for the Shares to be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option will be determined by the Administrator, but will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. In addition, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to an Employee who owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price will be no less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 6(e)(i), Options may be granted with a per Share exercise price of less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant pursuant to a transaction described in, and in a manner consistent with, Code Section 424(a).

(ii)    Waiting Period and Exercise Dates. At the time an Option is granted, the Administrator will fix the period within which the Option may be exercised and will determine any conditions that must be satisfied before the Option may be exercised.

 

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(iii)    Form of Consideration. The Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration for exercising an Option, including the method of payment. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, the Administrator will determine the acceptable form of consideration at the time of grant. Such consideration may consist entirely of: (1) cash (including cash equivalents); (2) check; (3) promissory note, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, (4) other Shares, provided that such Shares have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which such Option will be exercised and provided further that accepting such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion; (5) consideration received by the Company under a cashless exercise program (whether through a broker or otherwise) implemented by the Company in connection with the Plan; (6) by net exercise; (7) such other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, or (8) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment. In making its determination as to the type of consideration to accept, the Administrator will consider if acceptance of such consideration may be reasonably expected to benefit the Company.

(f)    Exercise of Option.

(i)    Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder. Any Option granted hereunder will be exercisable according to the terms of the Plan and at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.

An Option will be deemed exercised when the Company receives: (i) notice of exercise (in such form as the Administrator may specify from time to time) from the person entitled to exercise the Option, and (ii) full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised (together with applicable tax withholding). Full payment may consist of any consideration and method of payment authorized by the Administrator and permitted by the Award Agreement and the Plan. Shares issued upon exercise of an Option will be issued in the name of the Participant or, if requested by the Participant, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse. Until the Shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to the Shares subject to an Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Company will issue (or cause to be issued) such Shares promptly after the Option is exercised. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the Shares are issued, except as provided in Section 13 of the Plan.

Exercising an Option in any manner will decrease the number of Shares thereafter available, both for purposes of the Plan and for sale under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is exercised.

(ii)    Termination of Relationship as a Service Provider. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, other than upon the Participant’s termination as the result of the Participant’s death or Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option, to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of termination, within ninety (90) days of termination, or such shorter or longer period of time, as is specified in the Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator, but in each case, in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award

 

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Agreement. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified by the Administrator, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

(iii)    Disability of Participant. If a Participant ceases to be a Service Provider as a result of the Participant’s Disability, the Participant may exercise his or her Option within six (6) months of termination, or such longer period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) to the extent the Option is vested on the date of termination. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if on the date of termination the Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will revert to the Plan. If after termination the Participant does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

(iv)    Death of Participant. If a Participant dies while a Service Provider, the Option may be exercised within six (6) months following the Participant’s death, or within such longer period of time as is specified in the Award Agreement or in writing by the Administrator (but in no event later than the expiration of the term of such Option as set forth in the Award Agreement) to the extent that the Option is vested on the date of death, by the Participant’s designated beneficiary, provided such beneficiary has been designated prior to the Participant’s death in a form (if any) acceptable to the Administrator. If no such beneficiary has been designated by the Participant, then such Option may be exercised by the personal representative of the Participant’s estate or by the person(s) to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to the Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution (each, a “Legal Representative”). If the Option is exercised pursuant to this Section 6(f)(iv), Participant’s designated beneficiary or Legal Representative shall be subject to the terms of this Plan and the Award Agreement, including but not limited to the restrictions on transferability and forfeitability applicable to the Service Provider. Unless otherwise provided by the Administrator, if at the time of death Participant is not vested as to his or her entire Option, the Shares covered by the unvested portion of the Option will immediately revert to the Plan. If the Option is not so exercised within the time specified herein, the Option will terminate, and the Shares covered by such Option will revert to the Plan.

(v)    Tolling Expiration. A Participant’s Award Agreement may also provide that:

(1)    if the exercise of the Option following the cessation of Participant’s status as a Service Provider (other than upon the Participant’s death or Disability) would result in liability under Section 16(b), then the Option will terminate on the earlier of (A) the expiration of the term of the Option set forth in the Award Agreement, or (B) the tenth (10th) day after the last date on which such exercise would result in liability under Section 16(b); or

(2)    if the exercise of the Option following the cessation of the Participant’s status as a Service Provider (other than upon the Participant’s death or Disability) would be prohibited at any time solely because the issuance of Shares would violate the registration requirements under the Securities Act, then the Option will terminate on the earlier of (A) the expiration of the term of the Option or (B) the expiration of a period of thirty (30) days after the cessation of the Participant’s status as a Service Provider during which the exercise of the Option would not be in violation of such registration requirements.

 

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7.    Stock Appreciation Rights.

(a)    Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, a Stock Appreciation Right may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion.

(b)    Number of Shares. The Administrator will have complete discretion to determine the number of Shares subject to any Award of Stock Appreciation Rights.

(c)    Exercise Price and Other Terms. The per Share exercise price for the Shares that will determine the amount of the payment to be received upon exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right as set forth in Section 7(f) will be determined by the Administrator and will be no less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. Otherwise, the Administrator, subject to the provisions of the Plan, will have complete discretion to determine the terms and conditions of Stock Appreciation Rights granted under the Plan.

(d)    Stock Appreciation Right Agreement. Each Stock Appreciation Right grant will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the exercise price, the term of the Stock Appreciation Right, the conditions of exercise, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

(e)    Expiration of Stock Appreciation Rights. A Stock Appreciation Right granted under the Plan will expire upon the date determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, and set forth in the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the rules of Section 6(d) relating to the maximum term and Section 6(f) relating to exercise also will apply to Stock Appreciation Rights.

(f)    Payment of Stock Appreciation Right Amount. Upon exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, a Participant will be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:

(i)    The difference between the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the exercise price; times

(ii)    The number of Shares with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised.

At the discretion of the Administrator, the payment upon Stock Appreciation Right exercise may be in cash, in Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof.

8.    Restricted Stock.

(a)    Grant of Restricted Stock. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock to Service Providers in such amounts as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine.

 

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(b)    Restricted Stock Agreement. Each Award of Restricted Stock will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Period of Restriction (if any), the number of Shares granted, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. Unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the Company as escrow agent will hold Shares of Restricted Stock until the restrictions on such Shares have lapsed.

(c)    Transferability. Except as provided in this Section 8 or as the Administrator determines, Shares of Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction.

(d)    Other Restrictions. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may impose such other restrictions on Shares of Restricted Stock as it may deem advisable or appropriate.

(e)    Removal of Restrictions. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 8, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock grant made under the Plan will be released from escrow as soon as practicable after the last day of the Period of Restriction or at such other time as the Administrator may determine. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the time at which any restrictions will lapse or be removed.

(f)    Voting Rights. During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares, unless the Administrator determines otherwise.

(g)    Dividends and Other Distributions. During the Period of Restriction, Service Providers holding Shares of Restricted Stock will be entitled to receive all dividends and other distributions paid with respect to such Shares, unless the Administrator provides otherwise. If any such dividends or distributions are paid in Shares, the Shares will be subject to the same restrictions on transferability and forfeitability as the Shares of Restricted Stock with respect to which they were paid.

(h)    Return of Restricted Stock to Company. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock for which restrictions have not lapsed will revert to the Company and again will become available for grant under the Plan.

9.    Restricted Stock Units.

(a)    Grant. Restricted Stock Units may be granted at any time and from time to time as determined by the Administrator. After the Administrator determines that it will grant Restricted Stock Units, it will advise the Participant in an Award Agreement of the terms, conditions, and restrictions related to the grant, including the number of Restricted Stock Units.

(b)    Vesting Criteria and Other Terms. The Administrator will set vesting criteria in its discretion, which, depending on the extent to which the criteria are met, will determine the number of Restricted Stock Units that will be paid out to the Participant. The Administrator may set vesting criteria based upon the achievement of Company-wide, divisional, business unit, or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment or service), applicable federal or state securities laws or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

 

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(c)    Earning Restricted Stock Units. Upon meeting the applicable vesting criteria, the Participant will be entitled to receive a payout as determined by the Administrator. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time after the grant of Restricted Stock Units, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any vesting criteria that must be met to receive a payout.

(d)    Form and Timing of Payment. Payment of earned Restricted Stock Units will be made as soon as practicable after the date(s) determined by the Administrator and set forth in the Award Agreement. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may settle earned Restricted Stock Units in cash, Shares, or a combination of both.

(e)    Cancellation. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited to the Company.

10.    Performance Units and Performance Shares.

(a)    Grant of Performance Units/Shares. Performance Units and Performance Shares may be granted to Service Providers at any time and from time to time, as will be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion. The Administrator will have complete discretion in determining the number of Performance Units and Performance Shares granted to each Participant.

(b)    Value of Performance Units/Shares. Each Performance Unit will have an initial value that is established by the Administrator on or before the date of grant. Each Performance Share will have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.

(c)    Performance Objectives and Other Terms. The Administrator will set performance objectives or other vesting provisions (including, without limitation, continued status as a Service Provider) in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of Performance Units/Shares that will be paid out to the Service Providers. The time period during which the performance objectives or other vesting provisions must be met will be called the “Performance Period.” Each Award of Performance Units/Shares will be evidenced by an Award Agreement that will specify the Performance Period, and such other terms and conditions as the Administrator, in its sole discretion, will determine. The Administrator may set performance objectives based upon the achievement of Company-wide, divisional, business unit or individual goals (including, but not limited to, continued employment or service), applicable federal or state securities laws, or any other basis determined by the Administrator in its discretion.

(d)    Earning of Performance Units/Shares. After the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units/Shares will be entitled to receive a payout of the number of Performance Units/Shares earned by the Participant over the Performance Period, to be determined as a function of the extent to which the corresponding performance objectives or other vesting provisions have been achieved. After the grant of a Performance Unit/Share, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may reduce or waive any performance objectives or other vesting provisions for such Performance Unit/Share.

(e)    Form and Timing of Payment of Performance Units/Shares. Payment of earned Performance Units/Shares will be made as soon as practicable after the expiration of the applicable Performance Period. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may pay earned Performance Units/Shares in the form of cash, in Shares (which have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to the value of the earned Performance Units/Shares at the close of the applicable Performance Period) or in a combination thereof.

 

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(f)    Cancellation of Performance Units/Shares. On the date set forth in the Award Agreement, all unearned or unvested Performance Units/Shares will be forfeited to the Company, and again will be available for grant under the Plan.

11.    Outside Director Award Limitations. No Outside Director may be granted, in any Fiscal Year, Awards (the value of which will be based on their grant date fair value determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles) and any other compensation (including without limitation any cash retainers or fees) that, in the aggregate, exceed $1,000,000. Any Awards or other compensation provided to an individual (a) for his or her services as an Employee, or for his or her services as a Consultant other than as an Outside Director, or (b) prior to the Registration Date, will be excluded for purposes of this Section 11.

12.    Compliance With Section 409A. Awards will be designed and operated in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Section 409A, except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. The Plan and each Award Agreement under the Plan is intended to be exempt from or meet the requirements of Section 409A and will be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent (including with respect to any ambiguities or ambiguous terms), except as otherwise determined in the sole discretion of the Administrator. To the extent that an Award or payment, or the settlement or deferral thereof, is subject to Section 409A the Award will be granted, paid, settled or deferred in a manner that will meet the requirements of Section 409A, such that the grant, payment, settlement or deferral will not be subject to the additional tax or interest applicable under Section 409A. In no event will the Company or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries have any responsibility, liability, or obligation to reimburse, indemnify, or hold harmless a Participant (or any other person) in respect of Awards, for any taxes, penalties or interest that may be imposed on, or other costs incurred by, Participant (or any other person) as a result of Section 409A.

13.    Leaves of Absence/Transfer Between Locations. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise or as otherwise required by Applicable Laws, vesting of Awards granted hereunder will be suspended during any unpaid leave of absence. A Participant will not cease to be an Employee in the case of (i) any leave of absence approved by the Company or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company, its Parent, or any of its Subsidiaries. For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed three (3) months, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. If reemployment upon expiration of a leave of absence approved by the Company is not so guaranteed, then six (6) months following the first (1st) day of such leave, any Incentive Stock Option held by the Participant will cease to be treated as an Incentive Stock Option and will be treated for tax purposes as a Nonstatutory Stock Option.

14.    Limited Transferability of Awards. Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (which, for purposes of clarification, shall be deemed to include through a beneficiary designation if available in accordance with Section 6(f)), and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Participant, only by the Participant. If the Administrator makes an Award transferable, such Award will contain such additional terms and conditions as the Administrator deems appropriate.

 

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15.    Adjustments; Dissolution or Liquidation; Merger or Change in Control.

(a)    Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs (other than any ordinary dividends or other ordinary distributions), the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will adjust the number and class of shares of stock that may be delivered under the Plan and/or the number, class, and price of shares of stock covered by each outstanding Award, and numerical Share limits in Section 3.

(b)    Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Administrator will notify each Participant as soon as practicable prior to the effective date of such proposed transaction. To the extent it has not been previously exercised, an Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action.

(c)    Merger or Change in Control. In the event of a merger of the Company with or into another corporation or other entity or a Change in Control, each outstanding Award will be treated as the Administrator determines (subject to the provisions of the following paragraph) without a Participant’s consent, including, without limitation, that (i) Awards will be assumed, or substantially equivalent awards will be substituted, by the acquiring or succeeding corporation (or an affiliate thereof) with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices; (ii) upon written notice to a Participant, that the Participant’s Awards will terminate upon or immediately prior to the consummation of such merger or Change in Control; (iii) outstanding Awards will vest and become exercisable, realizable, or payable, or restrictions applicable to an Award will lapse, in whole or in part prior to or upon consummation of such merger or Change in Control, and, to the extent the Administrator determines, terminate upon or immediately prior to the effectiveness of such merger or Change in Control; (iv) (A) the termination of an Award in exchange for an amount of cash and/or property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction the Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment), or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Administrator in its sole discretion; or (v) any combination of the foregoing. In taking any of the actions permitted under this Section 15(c), the Administrator will not be obligated to treat all Awards, all Awards held by a Participant, all Awards of the same type, or all portions of Awards, similarly.

In the event that the successor corporation does not assume or substitute for the Award (or portion thereof), the Participant will fully vest in and have the right to exercise his or her outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights (or portions thereof) not assumed or substituted for, including Shares as to which such Awards would not otherwise be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and Performance Units

 

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(or portions thereof) not assumed or substituted for will lapse, and, with respect to Awards with performance-based vesting (or portions thereof) not assumed or substituted for, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at one hundred percent (100%) of target levels and all other terms and conditions met, in each case, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable. In addition, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, if an Option or Stock Appreciation Right (or portion thereof) is not assumed or substituted in the event of a merger or Change in Control, the Administrator will notify the Participant in writing or electronically that the Option or Stock Appreciation Right (or its applicable portion) will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, and the Option or Stock Appreciation Right (or its applicable portion) will terminate upon the expiration of such period.

For the purposes of this Section 15(c) and Section 15(d) below, an Award will be considered assumed if, following the merger or Change in Control, the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the merger or Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the merger or Change in Control by holders of Common Stock for each Share held on the effective date of the transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the merger or Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right or upon the payout of a Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Unit or Performance Share, for each Share subject to such Award, to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the merger or Change in Control.

Notwithstanding anything in this Section 15(c) to the contrary, an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out upon the satisfaction of one or more performance goals will not be considered assumed if the Company or its successor modifies any of such performance goals without the Participant’s consent, in all cases, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable; provided, however, a modification to such performance goals only to reflect the successor corporation’s post-Change in Control corporate structure will not be deemed to invalidate an otherwise valid Award assumption.

Notwithstanding anything in this Section 15(c) to the contrary, and unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, if an Award that vests, is earned or paid-out under an Award Agreement is subject to Section 409A and if the change in control definition contained in the Award Agreement (or other agreement related to the Award, as applicable) does not comply with the definition of “change in control” for purposes of a distribution under Section 409A, then any payment of an amount that is otherwise accelerated under this Section will be delayed until the earliest time that such payment would be permissible under Section 409A without triggering any penalties applicable under Section 409A.

 

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(d)     Outside Director Awards. With respect to Awards granted to an Outside Director that are assumed or substituted for, if on the date of or following such assumption or substitution the Participant’s status as a Director or a director of the successor corporation, as applicable, is terminated other than upon a voluntary resignation by the Participant (unless such resignation is at the request of the acquirer), then the Outside Director will fully vest in and have the right to exercise Options and/or Stock Appreciation Rights as to all of the Shares underlying such Award, including those Shares which otherwise would not be vested or exercisable, all restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units will lapse, and, with respect to Awards with performance-based vesting, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at one hundred percent (100%) of target levels and all other terms and conditions met, unless specifically provided otherwise under the applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Participant and the Company or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries, as applicable.

16.    Tax Withholding.

(a)    Withholding Requirements. Prior to the delivery of any Shares or cash pursuant to an Award (or exercise thereof) or such earlier time as any tax withholdings are due, the Company (or any of its Parent, Subsidiaries, or affiliates employing or retaining the services of a Participant, as applicable) will have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company (or any of its Parent, Subsidiaries, or affiliates, as applicable) or a relevant tax authority, an amount sufficient to satisfy U.S. federal, state, local, non-U.S., and other taxes (including the Participant’s FICA obligation) required to be withheld or paid with respect to such Award (or exercise thereof).

(b)    Withholding Arrangements. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit a Participant to satisfy such tax liability or withholding obligation, in whole or in part by such methods as the Administrator shall determine, including, without limitation, (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable cash or Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum statutory amount required to be withheld or such greater amount as the Administrator may determine if such amount would not have adverse accounting consequences, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion, (iii) delivering to the Company already-owned Shares having a fair market value equal to the statutory amount required to be withheld or such greater amount as the Administrator may determine, in each case, provided the delivery of such Shares will not result in any adverse accounting consequences, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion, (iv) selling a sufficient number of Shares otherwise deliverable to the Participant through such means as the Administrator may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the amount required to be withheld or paid, (v) such other consideration and method of payment for the meeting of tax liabilities or withholding obligations as the Administrator may determine to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, or (vi) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment. The amount of the withholding requirement will be deemed to include any amount which the Administrator agrees may be withheld at the time the election is made, not to exceed the amount determined by using the maximum federal, state or local marginal income tax rates applicable to the Participant with respect to the Award on the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined or such greater amount as the Administrator may determine if such amount would not have adverse accounting consequences, as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion. The fair market value of the Shares to be withheld or delivered will be determined as of the date that the taxes are required to be withheld.

 

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17.    No Effect on Employment or Service. Neither the Plan nor any Award will confer upon a Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s relationship as a Service Provider with the Company or its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the right of the Company and its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by Applicable Laws.

18.    Date of Grant. The date of grant of an Award will be, for all purposes, the date on which the Administrator makes the determination granting such Award, or such other later date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the determination will be provided to each Participant within a reasonable time after the date of such grant.

19.    Term of Plan.

(a)    Effectiveness. Subject to Section 23 of the Plan, the Plan originally, and prior to any amendment and restatement thereof, became effective upon its adoption by the Board. This amendment and restatement of the Plan will become effective as of one business day prior to the Registration Date (the “Effective Date”), subject to stockholder approval in accordance with Section 20 within twelve (12) months of the date this amendment and restatement of the Plan is adopted by the Board.

(b)    Expiration. Unless sooner terminated under Section 20, the Plan, as amended and restated, will continue in effect until terminated under Section 20, but (i) no Options that qualify as incentive stock options within the meaning of Code Section 422 may be granted after ten (10) years from the earlier of the Board or stockholder approval of this amendment and restatement of the Plan and (ii) Section 3(b) relating to automatic share reserve increases will operate only until the ten (10) year anniversary of the earlier of the Board or stockholder approval of this amendment and restatement of the Plan.

20.    Amendment and Termination of the Plan.

(a)    Amendment and Termination. The Administrator may at any time amend, alter, suspend or terminate the Plan.

(b)    Stockholder Approval. The Company will obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with Applicable Laws.

(c)    Effect of Amendment or Termination. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of the Plan will materially impair the rights of any Participant, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Participant and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Participant and the Company. Termination of the Plan will not affect the Administrator’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it hereunder with respect to Awards granted under the Plan prior to the date of such termination.

 

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21.    Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.

(a)    Legal Compliance. Shares will not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares will comply with Applicable Laws and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

(b)    Investment Representations. As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.

22.    Inability to Obtain Authority. The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction or to complete or comply with the requirements of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any U.S. state or federal law or non-U.S. law or under the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the stock exchange on which Shares of the same class are then listed, or any other governmental or regulatory body, which authority, registration, qualification or rule compliance is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary or advisable for the issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, will relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority, registration, qualification or rule compliance will not have been obtained.

23.    Stockholder Approval. The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

24.    Forfeiture Events. The Administrator may specify in an Award Agreement that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award will be subject to the reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, recoupment, reimbursement, or reacquisition upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary under this Plan, an Award shall be subject to the Company’s clawback policy as may be established and/or amended from time to time to comply with Applicable Laws (including without limitation pursuant to the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed or as may be required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act) (the “Clawback Policy”). The Administrator may require a Participant to forfeit, return or reimburse the Company all or a portion of the Award and any amounts paid thereunder pursuant to the terms of the Clawback Policy or as necessary or appropriate to comply with Applicable Laws. Unless this Section 24 specifically is mentioned and waived in an Award Agreement or other document, no recovery of compensation under a Clawback Policy or otherwise will constitute an event that triggers or contributes to any right of a Participant to resign for “good reason” or “constructive termination” (or similar term) under any agreement with the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company.

*                *                 *

 

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ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

NOTICE OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) shall have the same defined meanings in this Stock Option Agreement, which includes the Notice of Stock Option Grant (the “Notice of Grant”), the Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, the Exercise Notice, attached hereto as Exhibit B, and all other exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached hereto (together, the “Option Agreement”).

Participant Name:

Address:

The undersigned Participant has been granted an Option to purchase Common Stock of the Company, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, as follows:

 

         Grant Number:                                                                               
         Date of Grant:                                                                               
         Vesting Commencement Date:                                                                               
         Exercise Price per Share:   $                                                                          
         Total Number of Shares Granted:                                                                               
         Total Exercise Price:   $                                                                          
         Type of Option:            Incentive Stock Option   
           Nonstatutory Stock Option   
         Term/Expiration Date:                                                                               

Vesting Schedule:

Subject to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan, this Option Agreement or any other written agreement between Participant and the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable) governing the terms of this Option, this Option shall vest and be exercisable, in whole or in part, according to the following vesting schedule:

[Insert vesting schedule]


Termination Period:

This Option shall be exercisable, to the extent vested, for [insert number] after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider, unless such termination is due to Participant’s death or Disability, in which case this Option shall be exercisable, to the extent vested, for [insert number] after Participant ceases to be a Service Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, in no event may this Option be exercised after the Term/Expiration Date as provided above and this Option may be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 15 of the Plan.

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of the Company below, Participant and the Company agree that this Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, the Exercise Notice, attached hereto as Exhibit B, and all other exhibits, appendices and addenda attached hereto, all of which are made a part of this document. Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Option Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Option Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and the Option Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan or this Option Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in Participant’s residence address indicated below.

 

PARTICIPANT      ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

 

Signature

    

 

Signature

 

Print Name

    

 

Print Name

    

 

Title

Residence Address:     

 

    

 

    

 

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EXHIBIT A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF STOCK OPTION GRANT

1.    Grant of Option.

(a)    The Company hereby grants to the individual (“Participant”) named in the Notice of Stock Option Grant of this Option Agreement (the “Notice of Grant”), an option (the “Option”) to purchase the number of Shares set forth in the Notice of Grant, at the exercise price per Share set forth in the Notice of Grant (the “Exercise Price”), subject to all of the terms and conditions in this Option Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 20 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.

(b)    For U.S. taxpayers, if designated in the Notice of Grant as an Incentive Stock Option (“ISO”), this Option is intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option as defined in Section 422 of the Code. Nevertheless, to the extent that it exceeds the $100,000 rule of Code Section 422(d), this Option shall be treated as a Nonstatutory Stock Option (“NSO”). Further, if for any reason this Option (or portion thereof) shall not qualify as an ISO, then, to the extent of such nonqualification, such Option (or portion thereof) shall be regarded as a NSO granted under the Plan. In no event shall the Administrator, the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary or any of their respective employees or directors have any liability to Participant (or any other person) due to the failure of the Option to qualify for any reason as an ISO.

(c)    For non-U.S. taxpayers, the Option will be designated as an NSO.

2.    Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 3, the Option awarded by this Option Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Option Agreement or other written agreement between Participant and the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, Shares subject to this Option that are scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in accordance with any of the provisions of this Option Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.

3.    Administrator Discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Option at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Option will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.


4.    Exercise of Option.

(a)    Right to Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable during its term in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set out in the Notice of Grant and with the applicable provisions of the Plan and this Option Agreement.

(b)    Method of Exercise. This Option shall be exercisable by delivery of an exercise notice (the “Exercise Notice”) in the form attached as Exhibit B to the Notice of Grant or in a manner and pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may determine, which shall state the election to exercise the Option, the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised (the “Exercised Shares”), and such other representations and agreements as may be required by the Company. The Exercise Notice shall be completed by Participant and delivered to the Company, accompanied by payment of the aggregate Exercise Price as to all Exercised Shares, together with any applicable Tax Obligations (as defined below). This Option shall be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such fully executed Exercise Notice accompanied by the aggregate Exercise Price, together with any applicable Tax Obligations.

No Shares shall be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Option unless such issuance and such exercise comply with Applicable Laws. Assuming such compliance, for income tax purposes the Shares shall be considered transferred to Participant on the date on which the Option is exercised with respect to such Shares.

5.    Method of Payment. Payment of the aggregate Exercise Price shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of Participant:

(a)    cash;

(b)    check;

(c)    consideration received by the Company under a formal cashless exercise program adopted by the Company in connection with the Plan; or

(d)    if Participant is a U.S. employee, surrender of other Shares which (i) shall be valued at its fair market value on the date of surrender, and (ii) must be owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security interests, if accepting such Shares, in the sole discretion of the Administrator, shall not result in any adverse accounting consequences to the Company.

A non-U.S. resident’s methods of exercise may be restricted by the terms and conditions of any appendix to this Agreement for Participant’s country (including the Country Addendum, as defined below).

6.    Non-Transferability of Option. This Option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of Participant only by Participant.

7.    Term of Option. This Option may be exercised only within the term set out in the Notice of Grant, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this Option Agreement.

 

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8.    Tax Obligations.

(a)    Responsibility for Taxes. Participant acknowledges that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, Participant’s employer or any Parent or Subsidiary to which Participant is providing services (together, the “Service Recipients”), the ultimate liability for any tax and/or social insurance liability obligations and requirements in connection with the Option, including, without limitation, (i) all federal, state, and local taxes (including Participant’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligations) that are required to be withheld by any Service Recipient or other payment of tax-related items related to Participant’s participation in the Plan and legally applicable to Participant, (ii) Participant’s and, to the extent required by any Service Recipient, the Service Recipient’s fringe benefit tax liability, if any, associated with the grant, vesting, or exercise of the Option or sale of Shares, and (iii) any other Service Recipient taxes the responsibility for which Participant has, or has agreed to bear, with respect to the Option (or exercise thereof or issuance of Shares thereunder) (collectively, the “Tax Obligations”), is and remains Participant’s sole responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the applicable Service Recipient(s). Participant further acknowledges that no Service Recipient (A) makes any representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax Obligations in connection with any aspect of the Option, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting or exercise of the Option, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such exercise and the receipt of any dividends or other distributions, and (B) makes any commitment to and is under any obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Option to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax Obligations or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant is subject to Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, Participant acknowledges that the applicable Service Recipient(s) (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of any required Tax Obligations hereunder at the time of the applicable taxable event, Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares.

(b)    Tax Withholding. Pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may specify from time to time, the applicable Service Recipient(s) will withhold the amount required to be withheld for the payment of Tax Obligations. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit Participant to satisfy such Tax Obligations, in whole or in part (without limitation), if permissible by applicable local law, by (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (iii) having the amount of such Tax Obligations withheld from Participant’s wages or other cash compensation paid to Participant by the applicable Service Recipient(s), (iv) delivering to the Company Shares that Participant owns and that have vested with a fair market value equal to such Tax Obligations, or (v) selling a sufficient number of such Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant through such means as the Company may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences). To the extent determined appropriate by the Administrator in its discretion, the Administrator will have the right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Tax Obligations by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant.

 

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(c)    Notice of Disqualifying Disposition of ISO Shares. If the Option granted to Participant herein is an ISO, and if Participant sells or otherwise disposes of any of the Shares acquired pursuant to the ISO on or before the later of (i) the date two (2) years after the Date of Grant, or (ii) the date one (1) year after the date of exercise, Participant shall immediately notify the Company in writing of such disposition. Participant agrees that Participant may be subject to income tax withholding by the Company on the compensation income recognized by Participant.

(d)    Section 409A. Under Section 409A, a stock right (such as the Option) that vests after December 31, 2004 (or that vested on or prior to such date but which was materially modified after October 3, 2004), that was granted with a per share exercise price that is determined by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) to be less than the fair market value of an underlying share on the date of grant (a “discount option”) may be considered “deferred compensation.” A stock right that is a “discount option” may result in (i) income recognition by the recipient of the stock right prior to the exercise of the stock right, (ii) an additional twenty percent (20%) federal income tax, and (iii) potential penalty and interest charges. The “discount option” may also result in additional state income, penalty and interest tax to the recipient of the stock right. Participant acknowledges that the Company cannot and has not guaranteed that the IRS will agree that the per Share exercise price of this Option equals or exceeds the fair market value of a Share on the date of grant in a later examination. Participant agrees that if the IRS determines that the Option was granted with a per Share exercise price that was less than the fair market value of a Share on the date of grant, Participant shall be solely responsible for Participant’s costs related to such a determination. In no event will the Company or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries have any responsibility, liability, or obligation to reimburse, indemnify, or hold harmless Participant (or any other person) in respect of this Option or any other Awards, for any taxes, penalties or interest that may be imposed on, or other costs incurred by, Participant (or any other person) as a result of Section 409A.

9.    Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares (which may be in book entry form) will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant (including through electronic delivery to a brokerage account). After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

10.    Entire Agreement; Governing Law. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Option Agreement constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant. This Option Agreement is governed by the internal substantive laws but not the choice of law rules of the State of Delaware.

 

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11.    No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF SHARES PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, WHICH UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS IS AT THE WILL OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS OPTION OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS OPTION AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY (OR THE PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY EMPLOYING OR RETAINING PARTICIPANT) TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, WHICH TERMINATION, UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, MAY BE AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

12.    Nature of Grant. In accepting the Option, Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:

(a)    the grant of the Option is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of options, or benefits in lieu of options, even if options have been granted in the past;

(b)    all decisions with respect to future option or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Administrator;

(c)    Participant is voluntarily participating in the Plan;

(d)    the Option and any Shares acquired under the Plan are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;

(e)    the Option and Shares acquired under the Plan and the income and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;

(f)    the future value of the Shares underlying the Option is unknown, indeterminable, and cannot be predicted with certainty;

(g)    if the underlying Shares do not increase in value, the Option will have no value;

(h)    if Participant exercises the Option and acquires Shares, the value of such Shares may increase or decrease in value, even below the Exercise Price;

 

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(i)    for purposes of the Option, Participant’s status as a Service Provider will be considered terminated as of the date Participant is no longer actively providing services to the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary (regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and unless otherwise expressly provided in this Option Agreement (including by reference in the Notice of Grant to other arrangements or contracts) or determined by the Administrator, (i) Participant’s right to vest in the Option under the Plan, if any, will terminate as of such date and will not be extended by any notice period (e.g., Participant’s period of service would not include any contractual notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any, unless Participant is providing bona fide services during such time); and (ii) the period (if any) during which Participant may exercise the Option after such termination of Participant’s engagement as a Service Provider will commence on the date Participant ceases to actively provide services and will not be extended by any notice period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is employed or terms of Participant’s engagement agreement, if any; the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively providing services for purposes of this Option grant (including whether Participant may still be considered to be providing services while on a leave of absence and consistent with local law);

(j)    unless otherwise provided in the Plan or by the Administrator in its discretion, the Option and the benefits evidenced by this Option Agreement do not create any entitlement to have the Option or any such benefits transferred to, or assumed by, another company nor be exchanged, cashed out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares; and

(k)    the following provisions apply only if Participant is providing services outside the United States:

(i)    the Option and the Shares subject to the Option are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purpose;

(ii)    Participant acknowledges and agrees that no Service Recipient shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between Participant’s local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of the Option or of any amounts due to Participant pursuant to the exercise of the Option or the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired upon exercise; and

(iii)    no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of the Option resulting from the termination of Participant’s status as a Service Provider (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and in consideration of the grant of the Option to which Participant is otherwise not entitled, Participant irrevocably agrees never to institute any claim against any Service Recipient, waives his or her ability, if any, to bring any such claim, and releases each Service Recipient from any such claim; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction, then, by participating in the Plan, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have agreed not to pursue such claim and agrees to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim.

 

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13.    No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan, or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the Shares underlying the Option. Participant is hereby advised to consult with his or her own personal tax, legal and financial advisers regarding his or her participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

14.    Data Privacy. Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participants personal data as described in this Option Agreement and any other Option grant materials by and among, as applicable, the Service Recipients for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participants participation in the Plan.

Participant understands that the Company and the Service Recipient may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any Shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Options or any other entitlement to Shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor (“Data”), for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan.

Participant understands that Data may be transferred to a stock plan service provider, as may be selected by the Company in the future, assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. Participant understands that the recipients of the Data may be located in the United States or elsewhere, and that the recipients’ country of operation (e.g., the United States) may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country. Participant understands that if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative. Participant authorizes the Company, any stock plan service provider selected by the Company and any other possible recipients which may assist the Company (presently or in the future) with implementing, administering and managing the Plan to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the sole purpose of implementing, administering and managing his or her participation in the Plan. Participant understands that Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may, at any time, view Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Data, require any necessary amendments to Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, in any case without cost, by contacting in writing his or her local human resources representative. Further, Participant understands that he or she is providing the consents herein on a purely voluntary basis. If Participant does not consent, or if Participant later seeks to revoke his or her consent, his or her status as a Service Provider and career with the Service Recipient will not be adversely affected. The only adverse consequence of refusing or withdrawing Participant’s consent is that the Company would not be able to grant Participant Options or other equity awards or administer or maintain such awards. Therefore, Participant understands that refusing or withdrawing his or her consent may affect Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan. For more information on the consequences of Participant’s refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participant understands that he or she may contact his or her local human resources representative.

 

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15.    Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Option Agreement will be addressed to the Company at ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., [insert address], or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

16.    Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Option Agreement to single or multiple assignees, and this OPtion Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restriction on transfer herein set forth, this Option Agreement shall be binding upon the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assigns of Participant. The rights and obligations of Participant under this Option Agreement may be assigned only with the prior written consent of the Company.

17.    Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration, qualification or rule compliance of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or non-U.S. law, the tax code and related regulations or under the rulings or regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body or the clearance, consent or approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the exercise of the Options or the purchase by, or issuance of Shares, to Participant (or his or her estate) hereunder, such exercise, purchase or issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, rule compliance, clearance, consent or approval will have been completed, effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. Subject to the terms of the Option Agreement and the Plan, the Company will not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for (or make any entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company of) the Shares hereunder prior to the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of exercise of the Option as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.

18.    Language. If Participant has received this Option Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

19.    Interpretation. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Option Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Shares subject to the Option have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. Neither the Administrator nor any person acting on behalf of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Option Agreement.

20.    Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to the Option awarded under the Plan or future options that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or require Participant to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

 

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21.    Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Option Agreement.

22.    Option Agreement Severable. In the event that any provision in this Option Agreement will be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be severable from, and such invalidity or unenforceability will not be construed to have any effect on, the remaining provisions of this Option Agreement.

23.    Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Option, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Option under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Administrator at any time.

24.    Country Addendum. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Option Agreement, this Option shall be subject to any special terms and conditions set forth in an appendix (if any) to this Option Agreement for any country whose laws are applicable to Participant and this Option (as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion) (the “Country Addendum”). Moreover, if Participant relocates to one of the countries included in the Country Addendum (if any), the special terms and conditions for such country will apply to Participant, to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Country Addendum (if any) constitutes a part of this Option Agreement.

25.    Modifications to the Option Agreement. This Option Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Option Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Option Agreement or the Plan can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Option Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Option Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Code Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A of the Code in connection with the Option.

26.    No Waiver. Either party’s failure to enforce any provision or provisions of this Option Agreement shall not in any way be construed as a waiver of any such provision or provisions, nor prevent that party from thereafter enforcing each and every other provision of this Option Agreement. The rights granted both parties herein are cumulative and shall not constitute a waiver of either party’s right to assert all other legal remedies available to it under the circumstances.

27.    Tax Consequences. Participant has reviewed with his or her own tax advisers the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of this investment and the transactions contemplated by this Option Agreement. With respect to such matters, Participant relies solely on such advisers and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents, written or oral. Participant understands that Participant (and not the Company) shall be responsible for Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a result of this investment or the transactions contemplated by this Option Agreement.

*        *        *

 

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EXHIBIT B

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

EXERCISE NOTICE

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

[address]

Attention: [Stock Administration]

1.    Exercise of Option. Effective as of today,                             ,         , the undersigned (“Participant”) hereby elects to exercise Participant’s option (the “Option”) to purchase                              shares of the Common Stock (the “Shares”) of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) under and pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the Stock Option Agreement dated                             ,         , including the Notice of Stock Option Grant, and the Terms and Conditions of Stock Option Grant attached as Exhibit A thereto and other exhibits, appendices and addenda attached thereto (the “Option Agreement”). Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Exercise Notice will be ascribed the same defined meanings as set forth in the Option Agreement (or the Plan or other written agreement as specified in the Option Agreement).

2.    Delivery of Payment. Participant herewith delivers to the Company the full purchase price of the Shares, as set forth in the Option Agreement, and any Tax Obligations to be paid in connection with the exercise of the Option.

3.    Representations of Participant. Participant acknowledges that Participant has received, read and understood the Plan and the Option Agreement and agrees to abide by and be bound by their terms and conditions.

4.    Rights as Stockholder. Until the issuance of the Shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist with respect to the Common Stock subject to the Option, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. The Shares so acquired shall be issued to Participant as soon as practicable after the Option is exercised in accordance with the Option Agreement. No adjustment shall be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date of issuance except as provided in Section 15 of the Plan.

5.    Tax Consultation. Participant understands that Participant may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result of Participant’s purchase or disposition of the Shares. Participant represents that Participant has consulted with any tax consultants Participant deems advisable in connection with the purchase or disposition of the Shares and that Participant is not relying on the Company for any tax advice.


6.    Interpretation. Any dispute regarding the interpretation of this Exercise Notice shall be submitted by Participant or by the Company forthwith to the Administrator, which shall review such dispute at its next regular meeting. The resolution of such a dispute by the Administrator shall be final and binding on all parties to the maximum extent permitted by law.

7.    Governing Law; Severability. This Exercise Notice is governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the choice of law rules, of Delaware. In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Exercise Notice shall continue in full force and effect.

8.    Entire Agreement. The Plan and Option Agreement are incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and the Option Agreement (including this Exercise Notice and any exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached to the Notice of Stock Option Grant of the Option Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant.

 

Submitted by:      Accepted by:
PARTICIPANT      ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

 

Signature

    

 

By

 

Print Name

    

 

Print Name

    

 

Title

Address:      Address:

 

    

 

 

    

 

    

 

Date Received

 

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APPENDIX A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

COUNTRY ADDENDUM TO STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Country Addendum to Stock Option Agreement (the “Country Addendum”) will be ascribed the same defined meanings as set forth in the Option Agreement of which this Country Addendum forms a part (or the Plan or other written agreement as specified in the Option Agreement).

Terms and Conditions

This Country Addendum includes additional terms and conditions that govern this Option awarded to Participant under the Plan if he or she resides and/or works in one of the countries listed below. If Participant is a citizen or resident (or is considered as such for local law purposes) of a country other than the country in which Participant is currently residing and/or working, or if Participant relocates to another country after the Options is granted, the Company, in its discretion, shall determine to what extent the terms and conditions contained herein shall apply to Participant.

Notifications

This Country Addendum also may include information regarding exchange controls and certain other issues of which Participant should be aware with respect to participation in the Plan. The information is based on the securities, exchange control, and other Applicable Laws in effect in the respective countries as of [            ], 2020. Such Applicable Laws often are complex and change frequently. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that Participant not rely on the information in this Country Addendum as the only source of information relating to the consequences of Participant’s participation in the Plan because the information may be out of date at the time Participant vests in or exercises the Option or sells Shares acquired under the Plan.

In addition, the information contained in this Country Addendum is general in nature and may not apply to Participant’s particular situation, and the Company is not in a position to assure Participant of a particular result. Participant should seek appropriate professional advice as to how the Applicable Laws in Participant’s country may apply to his or her situation.

Finally, if Participant is a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which Participant currently is residing and/or working, transfers residence and/or employment to another country after this Option is awarded, or is considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the information in this Country Addendum may not apply to Participant in the same manner.]

[Jurisdiction specific provisions to be added by local counsel.]


ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

NOTICE OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Restricted Stock Unit Agreement which includes the Notice of Restricted Stock Unit Grant (the “Notice of Grant”), the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Unit Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and all other exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached hereto (the “Award Agreement”).

Participant Name:

Address:

The undersigned Participant has been granted an Award of Restricted Stock Units, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:

 

         Grant Number:                                                                               
         Date of Grant:                                                                               
         Vesting Commencement Date:                                                                               
         Total Number of Restricted Stock Units:                                                                               

Vesting Schedule:

For purposes of this Agreement, “Quarterly Vesting Dates” with respect to any calendar year means [Month Day], [Month Day], [Month Day], and [Month Day], provided, to the extent any of such dates occurs on a weekend day or U.S. federal holiday, the Quarterly Vesting Date will be deemed to occur instead on the immediately following day that is not a weekend day or U.S. federal holiday.

Subject to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan, this Award Agreement or any other written agreement between Participant and the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable) governing the terms of this Award, the Restricted Stock Units will be scheduled to vest according to the following vesting schedule:

[Insert vesting schedule]

By Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of the Company below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award of Restricted Stock Units is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms


and Conditions of Restricted Stock Unit Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and all other exhibits, appendices and addenda attached hereto, all of which are made a part of this document. Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and this Award Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan or this Award Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in Participant’s residence address indicated below.

 

PARTICIPANT      ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

 

Signature

    

 

Signature

 

Print Name

    

 

Print Name

    

 

Title

Residence Address:     

 

    

 

    

 

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EXHIBIT A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT GRANT

1.    Grant of Restricted Stock Units. The Company hereby grants to the individual (“Participant”) named in the Notice of Restricted Stock Unit Grant of this Award Agreement (the “Notice of Grant”) under the Plan an Award of Restricted Stock Units, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 20 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.

2.    Company’s Obligation to Pay. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents the right to receive a Share on the date it vests. Unless and until the Restricted Stock Units will have vested in the manner set forth in Section 3 or 4, Participant will have no right to payment of any such Restricted Stock Units. Prior to actual payment of any vested Restricted Stock Units, such Restricted Stock Unit will represent an unsecured obligation of the Company, payable (if at all) only from the general assets of the Company.

3.    Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 4, and subject to Section 5, the Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Award Agreement or other written agreement between Participant and the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, governing the terms of this Award, Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.

4.    Payment after Vesting.

(a)    General Rule. Subject to Section 7, any Restricted Stock Units that vest will be paid to Participant (or in the event of Participant’s death, to his or her properly designated beneficiary or estate) in whole Shares. Subject to the provisions of Section 4(c), such vested Restricted Stock Units shall be paid in whole Shares as soon as practicable after vesting, but in each such case within sixty (60) days following the vesting date. In no event will Participant be permitted, directly or indirectly, to specify the taxable year of payment of any Restricted Stock Units payable under this Award Agreement.

(b)    Discretionary Acceleration. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Restricted Stock Units at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Restricted Stock Units will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.


(c)    Section 409A.

(i)    If Participant is a U.S. taxpayer, the payment of Shares vesting pursuant to this Award Agreement (including any discretionary acceleration under Section 4(b)) shall in all cases be paid at a time or in a manner that is exempt from, or complies with, Section 409A. The prior sentence may be superseded in a future agreement or amendment to this Award Agreement only by direct and specific reference to such sentence.

(ii)    Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or this Award Agreement or any other agreement (whether entered into before, on or after the Date of Grant), if the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the Restricted Stock Units is accelerated in connection with the termination of Participant’s status as a Service Provider (provided that such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A, as determined by the Administrator), other than due to Participant’s death, and if (x) Participant is a U.S. taxpayer and a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of such termination as a Service Provider and (y) the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will result in the imposition of additional tax under Section 409A if paid to Participant on or within the six (6) month period following the cessation of Participant’s status as a Service Provider, then the payment of such accelerated Restricted Stock Units will not be made until the date six (6) months and one (1) day following the date of cessation of Participant’s status as a Service Provider, unless Participant dies following his or her termination as a Service Provider, in which case, the Restricted Stock Units will be paid in Shares to Participant’s estate as soon as practicable following his or her death.

(iii)    It is the intent of this Award Agreement that it and all payments and benefits to U.S. taxpayers hereunder be exempt from, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the Restricted Stock Units provided under this Award Agreement or Shares issuable thereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms herein will be interpreted to be so exempt or so comply. Each payment payable under this Award Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-2(b)(2). To the extent necessary to comply with Section 409A, references to termination of Participant’s status as a Service Provider, termination of employment, or similar phrases will be references to Participant’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A. In no event will the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company have any responsibility, liability, or obligation to reimburse, indemnify, or hold harmless Participant (or any other person) for any taxes, penalties and interest that may be imposed, or other costs that may be incurred, as a result of Section 409A.

5.    Forfeiture Upon Termination as a Service Provider. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Award Agreement or other written agreement between Participant and the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, governing the terms of this Award, if Participant ceases to be a Service Provider for any or no reason, the then-unvested Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Award Agreement will thereupon be forfeited at no cost to the Company and Participant will have no further rights thereunder.

6.    Death of Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Award Agreement, if Participant is then deceased, will be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, or if no beneficiary survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s

 

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estate. Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

7.    Tax Obligations

(a)    Responsibility for Taxes. Participant acknowledges that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, Participant’s employer or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company to which Participant is providing services (together, the “Service Recipients”), the ultimate liability for any tax and/or social insurance liability obligations and requirements in connection with the Restricted Stock Units, including, without limitation, (i) all federal, state, and local taxes (including Participant’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligations) that are required to be withheld by any Service Recipient or other payment of tax-related items related to Participant’s participation in the Plan and legally applicable to Participant, (ii) Participant’s and, to the extent required by any Service Recipient, the Service Recipient’s fringe benefit tax liability, if any, associated with the grant, vesting, or settlement of the Restricted Stock Units or sale of Shares, and (iii) any other Service Recipient taxes the responsibility for which Participant has, or has agreed to bear, with respect to the Restricted Stock Units (or settlement thereof or issuance of Shares thereunder) (collectively, the “Tax Obligations”), is and remains Participant’s sole responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the applicable Service Recipient(s). Participant further acknowledges that no Service Recipient (A) makes any representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax Obligations in connection with any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting or settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such settlement and the receipt of any dividends or other distributions, and (B) makes any commitment to and is under any obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Restricted Stock Units to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax Obligations or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant is subject to Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, Participant acknowledges that the applicable Service Recipient(s) (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of any required Tax Obligations hereunder at the time of the applicable taxable event, Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares.

(b)    Tax Withholding. Pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may specify from time to time, the Service Recipient will withhold the amount required to be withheld for the payment of Tax Obligations. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit Participant to satisfy such Tax Obligations, in whole or in part (without limitation), if permissible by applicable local law, by: (i) paying cash in U.S. dollars, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (iii) withholding the amount of such Tax Obligations from Participant’s wages or other cash compensation paid to Participant by the applicable Service Recipient(s), (iv) delivering to the Company Shares that Participant owns and that already have vested with a fair market value equal to the Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator,

 

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if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (v) selling a sufficient number of such Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant, through such means as the Company may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), or (vi) such other means as the Administrator deems appropriate. If the Tax Obligations are satisfied by withholding in Shares, for tax purposes, Participant is deemed to have been issued the full number of Shares subject to the vested Restricted Stock Units, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax Obligations. To the extent determined appropriate by the Administrator in its discretion, the Administrator will have the right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Tax Obligations by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant.

(c)    Tax Consequences. Participant has reviewed with his or her own tax advisers the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of this investment and the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement. With respect to such matters, Participant relies solely on such advisers and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents, written or oral. Participant understands that Participant (and not the Company) shall be responsible for Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a result of this investment or the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement.

(d)    Company’s Obligation to Deliver Shares. For clarification purposes, in no event will the Company issue Participant any Shares unless and until arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator have been made for the payment of Participant’s Tax Obligations. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of such Tax Obligations hereunder at the time any applicable Restricted Stock Units otherwise are scheduled to vest pursuant to Sections 3 or 4 or Participant’s Tax Obligations otherwise become due, Participant permanently will forfeit such Restricted Stock Units to which Participant’s Tax Obligation relates and any right to receive Shares thereunder and such Restricted Stock Units will be returned to the Company at no cost to the Company. Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares if such Tax Obligations are not delivered at the time they are due.

8.    Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares (which may be in book entry form) will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant (including through electronic delivery to a brokerage account). After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

9.    No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, WHICH UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS IS AT THE WILL OF THE APPLICABLE SERVICE RECIPIENT AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD OR

 

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ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF ANY SERVICE RECIPIENT TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, WHICH TERMINATION, UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, MAY BE AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

10.    Grant is Not Transferable. Except to the limited extent provided in Section 6, this Award and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this Award, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, this Award and the rights and privileges conferred hereby immediately will become null and void.

11.    Nature of Grant. In accepting this Award of Restricted Stock Units, Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:

(a)    the grant of the Restricted Stock Units is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Restricted Stock Units, or benefits in lieu of Restricted Stock Units, even if Restricted Stock Units have been granted in the past;

(b)    all decisions with respect to future Restricted Stock Units or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Administrator;

(c)    Participant is voluntarily participating in the Plan;

(d)    the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;

(e)    the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units, and the income and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;

(f)    the future value of the Shares underlying the Restricted Stock Units is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted;

(g)    for purposes of the Restricted Stock Units, Participant’s status as a Service Provider will be considered terminated as of the date Participant is no longer actively providing services to the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary (regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and unless otherwise expressly provided in this Award Agreement (including by reference in the

 

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Notice of Grant to other arrangements or contracts) or determined by the Administrator, Participant’s right to vest in the Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, if any, will terminate as of such date and will not be extended by any notice period (e.g., Participant’s period of service would not include any contractual notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any, unless Participant is providing bona fide services during such time); the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively providing services for purposes of this Award of Restricted Stock Units (including whether Participant may still be considered to be providing services while on a leave of absence and consistent with local law);

(h)    unless otherwise provided in the Plan or by the Administrator in its discretion, the Restricted Stock Units and the benefits evidenced by this Award Agreement do not create any entitlement to have the Restricted Stock Units or any such benefits transferred to, or assumed by, another company nor be exchanged, cashed out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares; and

(i)    the following provisions apply only if Participant is providing services outside the United States:

(i)    the Restricted Stock Units and the Shares subject to the Restricted Stock Units are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purpose;

(ii)    Participant acknowledges and agrees that no Service Recipient shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between Participant’s local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of the Restricted Stock Units or of any amounts due to Participant pursuant to the settlement of the Restricted Stock Units or the subsequent sale of any Shares acquired upon settlement; and

(iii)    no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of the Restricted Stock Units resulting from the termination of Participant’s status as a Service Provider (for any reason whatsoever whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and in consideration of the grant of the Restricted Stock Units to which Participant is otherwise not entitled, Participant irrevocably agrees never to institute any claim against any Service Recipient, waives his or her ability, if any, to bring any such claim, and releases each Service Recipient from any such claim; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction, then, by participating in the Plan, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have agreed not to pursue such claim and agrees to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim.

12.    No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan, or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the Shares underlying the Restricted Stock Units. Participant is hereby advised to consult with his or her own personal tax, legal and financial advisers regarding his or her participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

 

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13.    Data Privacy. Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participant’s personal data as described in this Award Agreement and any other Restricted Stock Unit grant materials by and among, as applicable, the Service Recipients for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

Participant understands that the Company and the Service Recipient may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any Shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Restricted Stock Units or any other entitlement to Shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor (“Data”), for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan.

Participant understands that Data may be transferred to a stock plan service provider, as may be selected by the Company in the future, assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. Participant understands that the recipients of the Data may be located in the United States or elsewhere, and that the recipients’ country of operation (e.g., the United States) may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country. Participant understands that if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his or her local human resources representative. Participant authorizes the Company, any stock plan service provider selected by the Company and any other possible recipients which may assist the Company (presently or in the future) with implementing, administering and managing the Plan to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the sole purpose of implementing, administering and managing his or her participation in the Plan. Participant understands that Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may, at any time, view Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Data, require any necessary amendments to Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, in any case without cost, by contacting in writing his or her local human resources representative. Further, Participant understands that he or she is providing the consents herein on a purely voluntary basis. If Participant does not consent, or if Participant later seeks to revoke his or her consent, his or her status as a Service Provider and career with the Service Recipient will not be adversely affected. The only adverse consequence of refusing or withdrawing Participant’s consent is that the Company would not be able to grant Participant Restricted Stock Units or other equity awards or administer or maintain such awards. Therefore, Participant understands that refusing or withdrawing his or her consent may affect Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan. For more information on the consequences of Participant’s refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participant understands that he or she may contact his or her local human resources representative.

14.    Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company at ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., [insert address], or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

 

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15.    Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Award Agreement to single or multiple assignees, and this Award Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer herein set forth, this Award Agreement shall be binding upon Participant and his or her heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns. The rights and obligations of Participant under this Award Agreement may be assigned only with the prior written consent of the Company.

16.    Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration, qualification or rule compliance of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or non-U.S. law, the tax code and related regulations or under the rulings or regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body or the clearance, consent or approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate) hereunder, such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, rule compliance, clearance, consent or approval will have been completed, effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. Subject to the terms of the Award Agreement and the Plan, the Company will not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for (or make any entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company of) the Shares hereunder prior to the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of vesting of the Restricted Stock Units as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.

17.    Language. If Participant has received this Award Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

18.    Interpretation. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Restricted Stock Units have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. Neither the Administrator nor any person acting on behalf of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.

19.    Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to the Restricted Stock Units awarded under the Plan or future Restricted Stock Units that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or require Participant to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

20.    Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.

 

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21.    Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of Restricted Stock Units under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Administrator at any time.

22.    Country Addendum. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock Unit grant shall be subject to any special terms and conditions set forth in an appendix (if any) to this Award Agreement for any country whose laws are applicable to Participant and this Award of Restricted Stock Units (as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion) (the “Country Addendum”). Moreover, if Participant relocates to one of the countries included in the Country Addendum (if any), the special terms and conditions for such country will apply to Participant, to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Country Addendum constitutes part of this Award Agreement.

23.    Modifications to the Award Agreement. This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Award Agreement can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Award Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Award Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A in connection with this Award of Restricted Stock Units.

24.    No Waiver. Either party’s failure to enforce any provision or provisions of this Award Agreement shall not in any way be construed as a waiver of any such provision or provisions, nor prevent that party from thereafter enforcing each and every other provision of this Award Agreement. The rights granted both parties herein are cumulative and shall not constitute a waiver of either party’s right to assert all other legal remedies available to it under the circumstances.

25.    Governing Law; Severability. This Award Agreement and the Restricted Stock Units are governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the choice of law rules, of the State of Delaware. In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Award Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

26.    Entire Agreement. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Award Agreement (including the exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached to the Notice of Grant) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant.

*        *        *

 

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APPENDIX A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

COUNTRY ADDENDUM TO RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT

Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Country Addendum to Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (the “Country Addendum”) will be ascribed the same defined meanings as set forth in the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement of which this Country Addendum forms a part (or the Plan or other written agreement as specified in the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement).

Terms and Conditions

This Country Addendum includes additional terms and conditions that govern the Award of Restricted Stock Units granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement to which this Country Addendum is attached (the “Restricted Stock Unit Agreement”) to the extent the individual to whom the Restricted Stock Units were granted (“Participant”) resides and/or works in one of the countries listed below. If the Participant is a citizen or resident (or is considered as such for local law purposes) of a country other than the country in which the Participant is currently residing and/or working, or if the Participant relocates to another country after the Award of Restricted Stock Units is granted, the Company, in its discretion, will determine to what extent the terms and conditions contained herein will apply to the Participant.

Notifications

This Country Addendum also may include information regarding exchange controls and certain other issues of which Participant should be aware with respect to his or her participation in the Plan. The information is based on the securities, exchange control and other Applicable Laws in effect in the respective countries as of [            ], 2020. Such Applicable Laws often are complex and change frequently. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that Participant not rely on the information in this Country Addendum as the only source of information relating to the consequences of Participant’s participation in the Plan because the information may be out of date at the time Participant vests in or receives or sells the Shares covered by the Restricted Stock Units.

In addition, the information contained in this Country Addendum is general in nature and may not apply to Participant’s particular situation, and the Company is not in a position to assure Participant of any particular result. Participant should seek appropriate professional advice as to how the Applicable Laws in Participant’s country may apply to his or her situation.

Finally, if Participant is a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which Participant currently is residing and/or working, transfers residence and/or employment to another country after the grant of the Restricted Stock Units, or is considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the information in this Country Addendum may not apply to Participant in the same manner.

[Jurisdiction specific provisions to be added by local counsel.]


ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT

NOTICE OF RESTRICTED STOCK GRANT

Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms defined in the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) will have the same defined meanings in this Restricted Stock Award Agreement which includes the Notice of Restricted Stock Grant (the “Notice of Grant”), the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and all other exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached hereto (the “Award Agreement”).

Participant Name:    

Address:    

The undersigned Participant has been granted an Award of Shares of Restricted Stock, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, as follows:

 

         Grant Number:                                                                               
         Date of Grant:                                                                               
         Vesting Commencement Date:                                                                               
         Total Number of Shares of Restricted Stock:                                                                               

Vesting Schedule:

For purposes of this Agreement, “Quarterly Vesting Dates” with respect to any calendar year means [Month Day], [Month Day], [Month Day], and [Month Day], provided, to the extent any of such dates occurs on a weekend day or U.S. federal holiday, the Quarterly Vesting Date will be deemed to occur instead on the immediately following day that is not a weekend day or U.S. federal holiday.

Subject to any acceleration provisions contained in the Plan, this Award Agreement, or any other written agreement between Participant and the Company (or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable) governing the terms of this Award, the Shares of Restricted Stock will be scheduled to vest and the Company’s right to reacquire the Restricted Stock will be scheduled to lapse in accordance with the following schedule:

[Insert vesting schedule]


By Participant’s signature and the signature of the representative of the Company below, Participant and the Company agree that this Award of Restricted Stock is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Grant, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and all other exhibits, appendices and addenda attached hereto, all of which are made a part of this document. Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan. Participant has reviewed the Plan and this Award Agreement in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel prior to executing this Award Agreement and fully understands all provisions of the Plan and this Award Agreement. Participant hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Administrator upon any questions relating to the Plan or this Award Agreement. Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any change in Participant’s residence address indicated below.

 

PARTICIPANT      ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

 

Signature

    

 

Signature

 

Print Name

    

 

Print Name

    

 

Title

Residence Address:     

 

    

 

    

 

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EXHIBIT A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK GRANT

1.    Grant of Shares of Restricted Stock. The Company hereby grants to the individual (“Participant”) named in the Notice of Restricted Stock Grant of this Award Agreement (the “Notice of Grant”) under the Plan an Award of Shares of Restricted Stock, and subject to the terms and conditions of this Award Agreement and the Plan, which is incorporated herein by reference. Subject to Section 20 of the Plan, in the event of a conflict between the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Award Agreement, the terms and conditions of the Plan shall prevail.

2.    Vesting Schedule. Except as provided in Section 3 and subject to Sections 4 and 6, the Shares of Restricted Stock awarded by this Award Agreement will vest in accordance with the vesting provisions set forth in the Notice of Grant. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Award Agreement or other written agreement between Participant and the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, governing the terms of this Award, Shares of Restricted Stock scheduled to vest on a certain date or upon the occurrence of a certain condition will not vest in accordance with any of the provisions of this Award Agreement, unless Participant will have been continuously a Service Provider from the Date of Grant until the date such vesting occurs.

3.    Administrator Discretion. The Administrator, in its discretion, may accelerate the vesting of the balance, or some lesser portion of the balance, of the unvested Shares of Restricted Stock subject to this Award Agreement at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan. If so accelerated, such Shares of Restricted Stock will be considered as having vested as of the date specified by the Administrator.

4.    Forfeiture Upon Termination as a Service Provider. Unless specifically provided otherwise in this Award Agreement or other written agreement between Participant and the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, as applicable, governing the terms of this Award, the balance of the Shares of Restricted Stock that have not vested as of the time Participant ceases to be a Service Provider for any or no reason will be forfeited and automatically transferred to and reacquired by the Company at no cost to the Company upon the date of such termination and Participant will have no further rights thereunder. Participant will not be entitled to a refund of the price paid for the Shares of Restricted Stock, if any, returned to the Company pursuant to this Section 4. Participant hereby appoints the Escrow Agent (as defined below) with full power of substitution, as Participant’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact with irrevocable power and authority in the name and on behalf of Participant to take any action and execute all documents and instruments, including, without limitation, stock powers which may be necessary to transfer the certificate or certificates evidencing such unvested Shares to the Company upon such termination of service.


5.    Death of Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to Participant under this Award Agreement, if Participant is then deceased, will be made to Participant’s designated beneficiary, or if no beneficiary survives Participant, the administrator or executor of Participant’s estate. Any such transferee must furnish the Company with (a) written notice of his or her status as transferee, and (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to establish the validity of the transfer and compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to said transfer.

6.    Tax Obligations

(a)    Responsibility for Taxes. Participant acknowledges that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or, if different, Participant’s employer or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company to which Participant is providing services (together, the “Service Recipients”), the ultimate liability for any tax and/or social insurance liability obligations and requirements in connection with the Shares of Restricted Stock, including, without limitation, (i) all federal, state, and local taxes (including Participant’s Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligations) that are required to be withheld by any Service Recipient or other payment of tax-related items related to Participant’s participation in the Plan and legally applicable to Participant, (ii) Participant’s and, to the extent required by any Service Recipient, the Service Recipient’s fringe benefit tax liability, if any, associated with the grant, vesting, or release from escrow of the Shares of Restricted Stock, the filing of an 83(b) election with respect to the Shares of Restricted Stock, or the sale of Shares, and (iii) any other Service Recipient taxes the responsibility for which Participant has, or has agreed to bear, with respect to the Shares of Restricted Stock (or release from escrow thereof or issuance of Shares thereunder) (collectively, the “Tax Obligations”), is and remains Participant’s sole responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the applicable Service Recipient(s). Participant further acknowledges that no Service Recipient (A) makes any representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax Obligations in connection with any aspect of the Shares of Restricted Stock, including, but not limited to, the grant, vesting or release from escrow of the Shares of Restricted Stock, the filing of an 83(b) Election (as defined below) with respect to the Shares of Restricted Stock, the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to this Award Agreement and the receipt of any dividends or other distributions, and (B) makes any commitment to and is under any obligation to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the Shares of Restricted Stock to reduce or eliminate Participant’s liability for Tax Obligations or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if Participant is subject to Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction between the Date of Grant and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, Participant acknowledges that the applicable Service Recipient(s) (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax Obligations in more than one jurisdiction. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of any required Tax Obligations hereunder at the time of the applicable taxable event, Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares. Participant understands that Section 83 of the Code, taxes as ordinary income the difference between the purchase price, if any, for the Shares and the fair market value of the Shares as of each vesting date. If Participant is a U.S. taxpayer, Participant understands that Participant may elect, for purposes of U.S. tax law, to be taxed at the time the Shares are granted rather than when such Shares vest by filing an election under Section 83(b) of the Code (the “83(b) Election”) with the IRS within thirty (30) days from the date of grant of the Restricted Stock Award.

 

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(b)    Tax Withholding. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of this Award Agreement, no certificate representing the Shares of Restricted Stock may be released from the escrow established pursuant to Section 13, unless and until satisfactory arrangements (as determined by the Administrator) will have been made by Participant with respect to the payment of all Tax Obligations. When Shares of Restricted Stock are vested, Participant generally will recognize immediate U.S. taxable income if Participant is a U.S. taxpayer. If Participant is a non-U.S. taxpayer, Participant will be subject to applicable taxes in his or her jurisdiction. Pursuant to such procedures as the Administrator may specify from time to time, the Company and/or Service Recipient shall withhold the amount required to be withheld for the payment of Tax Obligations which the Company determines must be withheld with respect to this Award. The Administrator, in its sole discretion and pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit or require Participant to satisfy Participant’s Tax Obligations, in whole or in part (without limitation), if permissible by applicable local law, by (i) paying cash in U.S. dollars, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold otherwise deliverable Shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (iii) withholding the amount of such Tax Obligations from Participant’s wages or other cash compensation paid to Participant by the applicable Service Recipient(s), (iv) delivering to the Company Shares that Participant owns and that already have vested with a fair market value equal to the Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), (v) selling a sufficient number of such Shares otherwise releasable to Participant, through such means as the Company may determine in its sole discretion (whether through a broker or otherwise) equal to the minimum amount that is necessary to meet the withholding requirement for such Tax Obligations (or such greater amount as Participant may elect if permitted by the Administrator, if such greater amount would not result in adverse financial accounting consequences), or (vi) such other means as the Administrator deems appropriate. If the Tax Obligations are satisfied by withholding in Shares, for tax purposes, Participant is deemed to have been issued, and had released from escrow, the full number of vested Shares subject to this Award, notwithstanding that a number of the Shares are held back solely for the purpose of paying the Tax Obligations. To the extent determined appropriate by the Administrator in its discretion, the Administrator will have the right (but not the obligation) to satisfy any Tax Obligations by reducing the number of Shares otherwise deliverable to Participant.

(c)    Tax Consequences. Participant has reviewed with his or her own tax advisers the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of this investment and the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement. With respect to such matters, Participant relies solely on such advisers and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents, written or oral. Participant understands that Participant (and not the Company) shall be responsible for Participant’s own tax liability that may arise as a result of this investment or the transactions contemplated by this Award Agreement.

(d)    Company’s Obligation to Release Shares. For clarification purposes, in no event will the Company release Shares from the escrow established pursuant to Section 13 unless and until arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator have been made for the payment of Participant’s Tax Obligations. If Participant fails to make satisfactory arrangements for the payment of such Tax Obligations hereunder at the time any applicable Shares of Restricted Stock otherwise are scheduled to vest pursuant to Sections 2 or 3, at the time Participant files a timely 83(b) Election with the IRS, or Participant’s Tax Obligations otherwise become due, Participant permanently will forfeit such

 

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Shares of Restricted Stock to which Participant’s Tax Obligation relates and any right to receive Shares thereunder and such Shares of Restricted Stock will be returned to the Company at no cost to the Company. Participant acknowledges and agrees that the Company may refuse to issue or deliver the Shares if such Tax Obligations are not delivered at the time they are due.

7.    Rights as Stockholder. Neither Participant nor any person claiming under or through Participant will have any of the rights or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares deliverable hereunder unless and until certificates representing such Shares (which may be in book entry form) will have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer agents or registrars, and delivered to Participant (including through electronic delivery to a brokerage account) or the Escrow Agent. After such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares. Except as provided in Section 13(f), after such issuance, recordation and delivery, Participant will have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of dividends and distributions on such Shares.

8.    No Guarantee of Continued Service. PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE VESTING OF THE SHARES OF RESTRICTED STOCK PURSUANT TO THE VESTING SCHEDULE HEREOF IS EARNED ONLY BY CONTINUING AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, WHICH UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS IS AT THE WILL OF THE APPLICABLE SERVICE RECIPIENT AND NOT THROUGH THE ACT OF BEING HIRED, BEING GRANTED THIS RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER. PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THIS AWARD AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREUNDER AND THE VESTING SCHEDULE SET FORTH HEREIN DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN EXPRESS OR IMPLIED PROMISE OF CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT AS A SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THE VESTING PERIOD, FOR ANY PERIOD, OR AT ALL, AND SHALL NOT INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH PARTICIPANT’S RIGHT OR THE RIGHT OF ANY SERVICE RECIPIENT TO TERMINATE PARTICIPANT’S RELATIONSHIP AS A SERVICE PROVIDER, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW, WHICH TERMINATION, UNLESS PROVIDED OTHERWISE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, MAY BE AT ANY TIME, WITH OR WITHOUT CAUSE.

9.    Grant is Not Transferable. Except for the escrow described in Section 13 or transfer of the Shares to the Company or its assignees contemplated by this Award Agreement, and except to the limited extent provided in Section 5, the unvested Shares subject to this Award Agreement and the rights and privileges conferred hereby will not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and will not be subject to sale under execution, attachment or similar process until such Shares shall have vested in accordance with the provisions of this Award Agreement. Upon any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of the unvested Shares subject to this Award Agreement, or any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any execution, attachment or similar process, the then-unvested Shares of Restricted Stock will thereupon be forfeited at no cost to the Company and Participant will have no further rights thereunder.

10.    Nature of Grant. In accepting this Award of Restricted Stock, Participant acknowledges, understands and agrees that:

 

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(a)    the grant of the Shares of Restricted Stock is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of Shares of Restricted Stock, or benefits in lieu of Shares of Restricted Stock, even if Shares of Restricted Stock have been granted in the past;

(b)    all decisions with respect to future grants of Restricted Stock or other grants, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Administrator;

(c)    Participant is voluntarily participating in the Plan;

(d)    the Shares of Restricted Stock are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;

(e)    the Shares of Restricted Stock, and the income and value of same, are not part of normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement or welfare benefits or similar payments;

(f)    the future value of the underlying Shares is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted;

(g)    for purposes of the Shares of Restricted Stock, Participant’s status as a Service Provider will be considered terminated as of the date Participant is no longer actively providing services to the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary (regardless of the reason for such termination and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and unless otherwise expressly provided in this Award Agreement (including by reference in the Notice of Grant to other arrangements or contracts) or determined by the Administrator, Participant’s right to vest in the Shares of Restricted Stock under the Plan, if any, will terminate as of such date and will not be extended by any notice period (e.g., Participant’s period of service would not include any contractual notice period or any period of “garden leave” or similar period mandated under employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any, unless Participant is providing bona fide services during such time); the Administrator shall have the exclusive discretion to determine when Participant is no longer actively providing services for purposes of this Restricted Stock Award (including whether Participant may still be considered to be providing services while on a leave of absence and consistent with local law);

(h)    unless otherwise provided in the Plan or by the Administrator in its discretion, the Shares of Restricted Stock and the benefits evidenced by this Award Agreement do not create any entitlement to have the Shares of Restricted Stock or any such benefits transferred to, or assumed by, another company nor be exchanged, cashed out or substituted for, in connection with any corporate transaction affecting the Shares; and

(i)    the following provisions apply only if Participant is providing services outside the United States:

 

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(i)    the Shares of Restricted Stock are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purpose;

(ii)    Participant acknowledges and agrees that no Service Recipient shall be liable for any foreign exchange rate fluctuation between Participant’s local currency and the United States Dollar that may affect the value of the Shares of Restricted Stock or the subsequent sale of any Shares; and

(iii)    no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages shall arise from forfeiture of the Restricted Stock resulting from the termination of Participant’s status as a Service Provider (for any reason whatsoever whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where Participant is a Service Provider or the terms of Participant’s employment or service agreement, if any), and in consideration of the grant of the Restricted Stock to which Participant is otherwise not entitled, Participant irrevocably agrees never to institute any claim against any Service Recipient, waives his or her ability, if any, to bring any such claim, and releases each Service Recipient from any such claim; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction, then, by participating in the Plan, Participant shall be deemed irrevocably to have agreed not to pursue such claim and agrees to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim.

11.    No Advice Regarding Grant. The Company is not providing any tax, legal or financial advice, nor is the Company making any recommendations regarding Participant’s participation in the Plan, or Participant’s acquisition or sale of the underlying Shares. Participant is hereby advised to consult with his or her own personal tax, legal and financial advisers regarding his or her participation in the Plan before taking any action related to the Plan.

12.    Data Privacy. Participant hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of Participant’s personal data as described in this Award Agreement and any other Restricted Stock grant materials by and among, as applicable, the Service Recipients for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Participant’s participation in the Plan.

Participant understands that the Company and the Service Recipient may hold certain personal information about Participant, including, but not limited to, Participant’s name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any Shares or directorships held in the Company, details of all Shares of Restricted Stock or any other entitlement to Shares awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Participant’s favor (“Data”), for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan.

Participant understands that Data may be transferred to a stock plan service provider, as may be selected by the Company in the future, assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. Participant understands that the recipients of the Data may be located in the United States or elsewhere, and that the recipients’ country of operation (e.g., the United States) may have different data privacy laws and protections than Participant’s country. Participant understands that if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting his

 

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or her local human resources representative. Participant authorizes the Company, any stock plan service provider selected by the Company and any other possible recipients which may assist the Company (presently or in the future) with implementing, administering and managing the Plan to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the sole purpose of implementing, administering and managing his or her participation in the Plan. Participant understands that Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Participant’s participation in the Plan. Participant understands if he or she resides outside the United States, he or she may, at any time, view Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Data, require any necessary amendments to Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, in any case without cost, by contacting in writing his or her local human resources representative. Further, Participant understands that he or she is providing the consents herein on a purely voluntary basis. If Participant does not consent, or if Participant later seeks to revoke his or her consent, his or her status as a Service Provider and career with the Service Recipient will not be adversely affected. The only adverse consequence of refusing or withdrawing Participant’s consent is that the Company would not be able to grant Participant Restricted Stock or other equity awards or administer or maintain such awards. Therefore, Participant understands that refusing or withdrawing his or her consent may affect Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan. For more information on the consequences of Participant’s refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, Participant understands that he or she may contact his or her local human resources representative.

13.    Escrow of Shares.

(a)    All Shares of Restricted Stock will, upon execution of this Award Agreement, be delivered and deposited with an escrow holder designated by the Company (the “Escrow Holder”). The Shares of Restricted Stock will be held by the Escrow Holder until such time as the Shares of Restricted Stock vest or the date Participant ceases to be a Service Provider.

(b)    The Escrow Holder will not be liable for any act it may do or omit to do with respect to holding the Shares of Restricted Stock in escrow and while acting in good faith and in the exercise of its judgment.

(c)     Upon Participant’s termination as a Service Provider for any reason, the Escrow Holder, upon receipt of written notice of such termination, will take all steps necessary to accomplish the transfer of the unvested Shares of Restricted Stock to the Company. Participant hereby appoints the Escrow Holder with full power of substitution, as Participant’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact with irrevocable power and authority in the name and on behalf of Participant to take any action and execute all documents and instruments, including, without limitation, stock powers which may be necessary to transfer the certificate or certificates evidencing such unvested Shares of Restricted Stock to the Company upon such termination.

(d)    The Escrow Holder will take all steps necessary to accomplish the transfer of Shares of Restricted Stock to Participant after they vest following Participant’s request that the Escrow Holder do so.

 

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(e)    Subject to the terms hereof, Participant shall have all the rights of a stockholder with respect to such Shares while they are held in escrow, including without limitation, the right to vote the Shares and receive any cash dividends declared thereon.

(f)    In the event of any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares, the Shares of Restricted Stock will be increased, reduced or otherwise changed, and by virtue of any such change Participant in his or her capacity as owner of unvested Shares of Restricted Stock will be entitled to new or additional or different shares of stock, cash or securities (other than rights or warrants to purchase securities); such new or additional or different shares, cash or securities will thereupon be considered to be unvested Shares of Restricted Stock and will be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions which were applicable to the unvested Shares of Restricted Stock pursuant to this Award Agreement. If Participant receives rights or warrants with respect to any unvested Shares of Restricted Stock, such rights or warrants may be held or exercised by Participant, provided that until such exercise any such rights or warrants and after such exercise any shares or other securities acquired by the exercise of such rights or warrants will be considered to be unvested Shares of Restricted Stock and will be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions which were applicable to the unvested Shares of Restricted Stock pursuant to this Award Agreement. The Administrator in its absolute discretion at any time may accelerate the vesting of all or any portion of such new or additional shares of stock, cash or securities, rights or warrants to purchase securities or shares or other securities acquired by the exercise of such rights or warrants.

(g)    The Company may instruct the transfer agent for its Common Stock to place a legend on the certificates representing the Restricted Stock or otherwise note its records as to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this Award Agreement.

14.    Address for Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms of this Award Agreement will be addressed to the Company at ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., [insert address], or at such other address as the Company may hereafter designate in writing.

15.    Successors and Assigns. The Company may assign any of its rights under this Award Agreement to single or multiple assignees, and this Award Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company. Subject to the restrictions on transfer herein set forth, this Award Agreement shall be binding upon Participant and his or her heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns. The rights and obligations of Participant under this Award Agreement may be assigned only with the prior written consent of the Company.

16.    Additional Conditions to Issuance of Stock. If at any time the Company will determine, in its discretion, that the listing, registration, qualification or rule compliance of the Shares upon any securities exchange or under any state, federal or non-U.S. law, the tax code and related regulations or under the rulings or regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body or the clearance, consent or approval of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory authority is necessary or desirable as a condition to the issuance of Shares to Participant (or his or her estate) or the Escrow Holder hereunder, such issuance will not occur unless and until such listing, registration, qualification, rule compliance,

 

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clearance, consent or approval will have been completed, effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company. Subject to the terms of the Award Agreement and the Plan, the Company shall not be required to issue any certificate or certificates for (or make any entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company of) Shares hereunder prior to the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the Date of Grant of the Shares of Restricted Stock as the Administrator may establish from time to time for reasons of administrative convenience.

17.    Language. If Participant has received this Award Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control.

18.    Interpretation. The Administrator will have the power to interpret the Plan and this Award Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the determination of whether or not any Shares of Restricted Stock have vested). All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith will be final and binding upon Participant, the Company and all other interested persons. Neither the Administrator nor any person acting on behalf of the Administrator will be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or this Award Agreement.

19.    Electronic Delivery and Acceptance. The Company may, in its sole discretion, decide to deliver any documents related to the Shares of Restricted Stock awarded under the Plan or future Shares of Restricted Stock that may be awarded under the Plan by electronic means or require Participant to participate in the Plan by electronic means. Participant hereby consents to receive such documents by electronic delivery and agrees to participate in the Plan through any on-line or electronic system established and maintained by the Company or a third party designated by the Company.

20.    Captions. Captions provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Award Agreement.

21.    Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. By accepting this Award, Participant expressly warrants that he or she has received an Award of Restricted Stock under the Plan, and has received, read and understood a description of the Plan. Participant understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, suspended or terminated by the Administrator at any time.

22.    Country Addendum. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock grant shall be subject to any special terms and conditions set forth in an appendix (if any) to this Award Agreement for any country whose laws are applicable to Participant and this Award of Restricted Stock (as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion) (the “Country Addendum”). Moreover, if Participant relocates to one of the countries included in the Country Addendum (if any), the special terms and conditions for such country will apply to Participant, to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. The Country Addendum constitutes part of this Award Agreement.

 

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23.    Modifications to the Award Agreement. This Award Agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Award Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations, or inducements other than those contained herein. Modifications to this Award Agreement can be made only in an express written contract executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or this Award Agreement, the Company reserves the right to revise this Award Agreement as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Participant, to comply with Section 409A or to otherwise avoid imposition of any additional tax or income recognition under Section 409A in connection with this Award of Shares of Restricted Stock.

24.    No Waiver. Either party’s failure to enforce any provision or provisions of this Award Agreement shall not in any way be construed as a waiver of any such provision or provisions, nor prevent that party from thereafter enforcing each and every other provision of this Award Agreement. The rights granted both parties herein are cumulative and shall not constitute a waiver of either party’s right to assert all other legal remedies available to it under the circumstances.

25.    Governing Law; Severability. This Award Agreement and the Shares of Restricted Stock are governed by the internal substantive laws, but not the choice of law rules, of the State of Delaware. In the event that any provision hereof becomes or is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, unenforceable or void, this Award Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.

26.    Entire Agreement. The Plan is incorporated herein by reference. The Plan and this Award Agreement (including the exhibits, appendices, and addenda attached to the Notice of Grant) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede in their entirety all prior undertakings and agreements of the Company and Participant with respect to the subject matter hereof, and may not be modified adversely to the Participant’s interest except by means of a writing signed by the Company and Participant.

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APPENDIX A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

AMENDED AND RESTATED 2020 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

COUNTRY ADDENDUM TO RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT

Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Country Addendum to Restricted Stock Award Agreement (the “Country Addendum”) will be ascribed the same defined meanings as set forth in the Restricted Stock Award Agreement of which this Country Addendum forms a part (or the Plan or other written agreement as specified in the Restricted Stock Award Agreement).

Terms and Conditions

This Country Addendum includes additional terms and conditions that govern the Award of Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the terms and conditions of the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and the Restricted Stock Award Agreement to which this Country Addendum is attached (the “Restricted Stock Award Agreement”) to the extent the individual to whom the Shares of Restricted Stock were granted (“Participant”) resides and/or works in one of the countries listed below. If the Participant is a citizen or resident (or is considered as such for local law purposes) of a country other than the country in which the Participant is currently residing and/or working, or if the Participant relocates to another country after the Award of Restricted Stock is granted, the Company, in its discretion, will determine to what extent the terms and conditions contained herein will apply to the Participant.

Notifications

This Country Addendum also may include information regarding exchange controls and certain other issues of which Participant should be aware with respect to his or her participation in the Plan. The information is based on the securities, exchange control and other Applicable Laws in effect in the respective countries as of [        ], 2020. Such Applicable Laws often are complex and change frequently. As a result, the Company strongly recommends that Participant not rely on the information in this Country Addendum as the only source of information relating to the consequences of Participant’s participation in the Plan because the information may be out of date at the time Participant vests in or receives or sells the Shares covered by the Shares of Restricted Stock.

In addition, the information contained in this Country Addendum is general in nature and may not apply to Participant’s particular situation, and the Company is not in a position to assure Participant of any particular result. Participant should seek appropriate professional advice as to how the Applicable Laws in Participant’s country may apply to his or her situation.

Finally, if Participant is a citizen or resident of a country other than the one in which Participant currently is residing and/or working, transfers residence and/or employment to another country after the grant of the Shares of Restricted Stock, or is considered a resident of another country for local law purposes, the information in this Country Addendum may not apply to Participant in the same manner.

[Jurisdiction specific provisions to be added by local counsel.]

EX-10.3

Exhibit 10.3

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

2020 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

1.    Purpose. The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of the Company and its Designated Companies with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock through accumulated Contributions. The Company intends for the Plan to have two components: a component that is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Code Section 423 (the “423 Component”) and a component that is not intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Code Section 423 (the “Non-423 Component”). The provisions of the 423 Component, accordingly, will be construed so as to extend and limit Plan participation in a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis consistent with the requirements of Code Section 423. In addition, this Plan authorizes the grant of an option to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Non-423 Component that does not qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Code Section 423; an option granted under the Non-423 Component will provide for substantially the same benefits as an option granted under the 423 Component, except that a Non-423 Component option may include features necessary to comply with applicable non-U.S. laws pursuant to rules, procedures or sub-plans adopted by the Administrator. Except as otherwise provided herein or by the Administrator, the Non-423 Component will operate and be administered in the same manner as the 423 Component.

2.    Definitions.

(a)    “Administrator” means the Board or any Committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan pursuant to Section 3.

(b)    “Applicable Laws” means the legal and regulatory requirements relating to the administration of equity-based awards, including but not limited to the related issuance of shares of Common Stock, including but not limited to, under U.S. federal and state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted and the applicable laws of any non-U.S. country or jurisdiction where options are, or will be, granted under the Plan.

(c)    “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(d)    “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:

(i)    Change in Ownership of the Company. A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“Person”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person, constitutes more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (i), the acquisition of additional stock by any one Person, who is considered to own more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company will not be considered a Change in Control; provided, further, that any change in the ownership of the stock of the Company as a result of a private financing of the Company that is approved by the Board also will not be considered a Change in Control. Further, if the stockholders of the Company immediately before such change in ownership continue to retain immediately after the change in ownership, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company’s voting stock immediately prior to the change in ownership, direct or


indirect beneficial ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the total voting power of the stock of the Company or of the ultimate parent entity of the Company, such event will not be considered a Change in Control under this subsection (i). For this purpose, indirect beneficial ownership will include, without limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting securities of one or more corporations or other business entities which own the Company, as the case may be, either directly or through one or more subsidiary corporations or other business entities; or

(ii)    Change in Effective Control of the Company. A change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this subsection (ii), if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(iii)    Change in Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Companys Assets. A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such Person) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (iii), the following will not constitute a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets: (A) a transfer to an entity that is controlled by the Company’s stockholders immediately after the transfer, or (B) a transfer of assets by the Company to: (I) a stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to the Company’s stock, (II) an entity, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, (III) a Person, that owns, directly or indirectly, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company, or (IV) an entity, at least fifty percent (50%) of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a Person described in subsection (iii)(B)(III). For purposes of this subsection (iii), gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

For purposes of this Section 2(d), persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be deemed a Change in Control unless the transaction qualifies as a change in control event within the meaning of Section 409A.

Further and for the avoidance of doubt, a transaction will not constitute a Change in Control if: (i) its sole purpose is to change the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation, or (ii) its sole purpose is to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transaction.

 

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(e)    “Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the Code or regulation thereunder will include such section or regulation, any valid regulation or other official applicable guidance promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

(f)    “Committee” means a committee of the Board appointed in accordance with Section 3 hereof.

(g)    “Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company.

(h)    “Company” means ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

(i)    “Compensation” means an Eligible Employee’s base straight time gross earnings, but exclusive of payments for overtime, shift premium, commissions, incentive compensation, equity compensation, bonuses and other similar compensation. The Administrator, in its discretion, may, on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis, establish a different definition of Compensation for a subsequent Offering Period.

(j)    “Contributions” means the payroll deductions and other additional payments that the Company may permit to be made by a Participant to fund the exercise of options granted pursuant to the Plan.

(k)    “Designated Company” means any Subsidiary that has been designated by the Administrator from time to time in its sole discretion as eligible to participate in the Plan. For purposes of the 423 Component, only the Company and its Subsidiaries may be Designated Companies, provided, however that at any given time, a Subsidiary that is a Designated Company under the 423 Component will not be a Designated Company under the Non-423 Component.

(l)    “Director” means a member of the Board.

(m)    “Eligible Employee” means any individual who is a common law employee providing services to the Company or a Designated Company and is customarily employed for at least twenty (20) hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year by the Employer, or any lesser number of hours per week and/or number of months in any calendar year established by the Administrator (if required under Applicable Laws) for purposes of any separate Offering or for Participants in the Non-423 Component. For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship will be treated as continuing intact while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of absence that the Employer approves or is legally protected under Applicable Laws with respect to the Participant’s participation in the Plan. Where the period of leave exceeds three (3) months and the individual’s right to reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract, the employment relationship will be deemed to have terminated three (3) months and one (1) day following the commencement of such leave. The Administrator, in its discretion, from time to time may, prior to an Enrollment Date for all options to be granted on such Enrollment Date in an Offering, determine (for each Offering under the 423 Component, on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis or as otherwise permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2) that the definition of Eligible Employee will or will not include an individual if he or she: (i) has not completed at least two (2) years of service since his or

 

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her last hire date (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (ii) customarily works not more than twenty (20) hours per week (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (iii) customarily works not more than five (5) months per calendar year (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (iv) is a highly compensated employee within the meaning of Code Section 414(q), or (v) is a highly compensated employee within the meaning of Code Section 414(q) with compensation above a certain level or is an officer or subject to the disclosure requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, provided the exclusion is applied with respect to each Offering under the 423 Component in an identical manner to all highly compensated individuals of the Employer whose employees are participating in that Offering. Each exclusion will be applied with respect to an Offering under the 423 Component in a manner complying with U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(e)(2)(ii). Such exclusions may be applied with respect to an Offering under the Non-423 Component without regard to the limitations of U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2.

(n)    “Employer” means the employer of the applicable Eligible Employee(s).

(o)    “Enrollment Date” means the first Trading Day of each Offering Period.

(p)    “Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(q)    “Exercise Date” means the last Trading Day of a Purchase Period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that an Offering Period is terminated prior to its expiration pursuant to Section 18, the Administrator, in its sole discretion, may determine that any Purchase Period also terminating under such Offering Period will terminate without options being exercised on the Exercise Date that otherwise would have occurred on the last Trading Day of such Purchase Period.

(r)    “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date and unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

(i)    If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, its Fair Market Value will be the closing sales price for such stock (or, if no closing sales price was reported on that date, as applicable, on the last Trading Day such closing sales price was reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the date of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

(ii)    If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock will be the mean between the high bid and low asked prices for the Common Stock on the day of determination (or if no bids and asks were reported on that date, as applicable, on the last Trading Day such bids and asks were reported), as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or

(iii)    In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof will be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

 

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The determination of fair market value for purposes of tax withholding may be made in the Administrator’s discretion subject to Applicable Laws and is not required to be consistent with the determination of Fair Market Value for other purposes.

(s)    “Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Company.

(t)    “New Exercise Date” means a new Exercise Date if the Administrator shortens any Offering Period then in progress.

(u)    “Offering” means an offer under the Plan of an option that may be exercised during an Offering Period as further described in Section 6. For purposes of the Plan, the Administrator may designate separate Offerings under the Plan (the terms of which need not be identical) in which Eligible Employees of one or more Employers will participate, even if the dates of the applicable Offering Periods of each such Offering are identical and the provisions of the Plan will separately apply to each Offering. To the extent permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(a)(1), the terms of each Offering need not be identical provided that the terms of the Plan and an Offering together satisfy U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(a)(2) and (a)(3).

(v)    “Offering Period” means a period beginning on such date as may be determined by the Administrator, in its discretion, and ending on such Exercise Date as may be determined by the Administrator, in its discretion, during which an option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised. The duration and timing of Offering Periods may be changed pursuant to Sections 6 and 18.

(w)    “Parent” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(e).

(x)    “Participant” means an Eligible Employee that participates in the Plan.

(y)    “Plan” means this ALX Oncology Holding Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

(z)    “Purchase Period” means the period during an Offering Period and during which shares of Common Stock may be purchased on behalf of Participants thereunder in accordance with the terms of the Plan. Purchase Periods will have such duration as determined by the Administrator, commencing after one Exercise Date and ending with the next Exercise Date, except that the first Purchase Period of any Offering Period will commence on the Enrollment Date and end with the next Exercise Date. Unless the Administrator provides otherwise, a Purchase Period in an Offering Period will have the same duration as, and coincide with the length of, such Offering Period.

(aa)    “Purchase Price” means an amount equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Enrollment Date or on the Exercise Date, whichever is lower; provided however, that the Purchase Price may be determined for any Offering Period by the Administrator subject to compliance with Code Section 423 (or any successor rule or provision or any other Applicable Laws, regulation or stock exchange rule) or pursuant to Section 18.

(bb)    “Registration Date” means the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, with respect to any class of the Company’s securities.

 

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(cc)    “Section 409A” means Code Section 409A and the Treasury Regulations and guidance thereunder, and any state law equivalent, as each may be promulgated, amended or modified from time to time.

(dd)    “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(f).

(ee)    “Trading Day” means a day that the primary stock exchange, national market system, or other trading platform, as applicable, upon which the Common Stock is listed (or otherwise trades regularly, as determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion) is open for trading.

(ff)    “U.S. Treasury Regulations” means the Treasury Regulations of the Code. Reference to a specific Treasury Regulation or Section of the Code will include such Treasury Regulation or Section, any valid regulation promulgated under such Section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such Section or regulation.

3.    Stock.

(a)    Stock Subject to the Plan. Subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company as provided in Section 17 hereof, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that will be made available for sale under the Plan will be 400,000 shares of Common Stock.

(b)    Automatic Share Reserve Increase. Subject to adjustment upon change in capitalization of the Company as provided in Section 17 hereof, the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan will be increased on the first day of each Fiscal Year beginning with the 2021 Fiscal Year equal to the least of (a) 800,000 shares of Common Stock, (b) one percent (1%) of the outstanding shares of Common Stock on the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year, or (c) such number of Shares determined by the Board no later than the last day of the immediately preceding Fiscal Year. The shares of Common Stock may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.

4.    Administration. The Plan will be administered by the Board or a Committee appointed by the Board, which Committee will be constituted to comply with Applicable Laws. The Administrator will have full and exclusive discretionary authority to

(a)    construe, interpret and apply the terms of the Plan,

(b)    delegate ministerial duties to any of the Company’s employees,

(c)    designate separate Offerings under the Plan,

(d)    designate Subsidiaries as participating in the 423 Component or Non-423 Component,

(e)    determine eligibility,

(f)    adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan, and

 

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(g)    establish such procedures that it deems necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan (including, without limitation, to adopt such procedures, sub-plans, and appendices to the enrollment agreement as are necessary or appropriate to permit the participation in the Plan by employees who are foreign nationals or employed outside the U.S., the terms of which sub-plans and appendices may take precedence over other provisions of this Plan, with the exception of Section 3 hereof, but unless otherwise superseded by the terms of such sub-plan or appendix, the provisions of this Plan will govern the operation of such sub-plan or appendix). Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, the Eligible Employees eligible to participate in each sub-plan will participate in a separate Offering under the 423 Component, or if the terms would not qualify under the 423 Component, in the Non-423 Component, in either case unless such designation would cause the 423 Component to violate the requirements of Code Section 423.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrator is specifically authorized to adopt rules and procedures regarding eligibility to participate, the definition of Compensation, handling of Contributions, making of Contributions to the Plan (including, without limitation, in forms other than payroll deductions), establishment of bank or trust accounts to hold Contributions, payment of interest, conversion of local currency, obligations to pay payroll tax, determination of beneficiary designation requirements, withholding procedures and handling of stock certificates that vary with applicable local requirements. The Administrator also is authorized to determine that, to the extent permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(f), the terms of an option granted under the Plan or an Offering to citizens or residents of a non-U.S. jurisdiction will be less favorable than the terms of options granted under the Plan or the same Offering to employees resident solely in the U.S. Every finding, decision and determination made by the Administrator will, to the full extent permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties.

5.    Eligibility.

(a)    Offering Periods. Any Eligible Employee on a given Enrollment Date will be eligible to participate in the Plan, subject to the requirements of Section 7.

(b)    Non-U.S. Employees. Eligible Employees who are citizens or residents of a non-U.S. jurisdiction (without regard to whether they also are citizens or residents of the United States or resident aliens (within the meaning of Code Section 7701(b)(1)(A))) may be excluded from participation in the Plan or an Offering if the participation of such Eligible Employees is prohibited under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or if complying with the laws of the applicable jurisdiction would cause the Plan or an Offering to violate Code Section 423. In the case of the Non-423 Component, an Eligible Employee may be excluded from participation in the Plan or an Offering if the Administrator has determined that participation of such Eligible Employee is not advisable or practicable.

(c)    Limitations. Any provisions of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no Eligible Employee will be granted an option under the Plan (i) to the extent that, immediately after the grant, such Eligible Employee (or any other person whose stock would be attributed to such Eligible Employee pursuant to Code Section 424(d)) would own capital stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company and/or hold outstanding options to purchase such stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of the capital stock of the Company or of any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company, or (ii) to the extent that his or her rights

 

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to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans (as defined in Code Section 423) of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company accrues at a rate, which exceeds twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) worth of stock (determined at the Fair Market Value of the stock at the time such option is granted) for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any time, as determined in accordance with Code Section 423 and the regulations thereunder.

6.    Offering Periods. The Plan will be implemented by Offering Periods as established by the Administrator from time to time. Offering Periods will expire on the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of the purchase of shares on the last Exercise Date occurring within twenty-seven (27) months of the applicable Enrollment Date on which the option to purchase shares was granted under the Plan, or (b) such shorter period established prior to the Enrollment Date of the Offering Period by the Administrator, from time to time, in its discretion, on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis, for all options to be granted on such Enrollment Date. The Administrator will have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future Offerings without stockholder approval if such change is announced prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter; provided, however, that no Offering Period may last more than twenty-seven (27) months.

7.    Participation. An Eligible Employee may participate in the Plan by (i) submitting to the Company’s stock administration office (or its designee), a properly completed subscription agreement authorizing Contributions in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other enrollment procedure determined by the Administrator, in either case, on or before a date determined by the Administrator prior to an applicable Enrollment Date.

8.    Contributions.

(a)    Contribution Amounts. At the time a Participant enrolls in the Plan pursuant to Section 7, he or she will elect to have Contributions (in the form of payroll deductions or otherwise, to the extent permitted by the Administrator) made on each pay day during the Offering Period in an amount not exceeding fifteen percent (15%) of the Compensation, which he or she receives on each pay day during the Offering Period; provided, however, that should a pay day occur on an Exercise Date, a Participant will have any Contributions made on such day applied to his or her account under the then-current Purchase Period or Offering Period.

(b)    Contribution Methods. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may permit all Participants in a specified Offering to contribute amounts to the Plan through payment by cash, check or other means set forth in the subscription agreement prior to each Exercise Date of each Offering Period. A Participant’s subscription agreement will remain in effect for successive Offering Periods unless terminated as provided in Section 12 hereof.

(i)    In the event Contributions are made in the form of payroll deductions, such payroll deductions for a Participant will commence on the first pay day following the Enrollment Date and will end on the last pay day on or prior to the last Exercise Date of such Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner terminated by the Participant as provided in Section 12 hereof.

 

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(ii)    All Contributions made for a Participant will be credited to his or her account under the Plan and Contributions will be made in whole percentages of his or her Compensation only. A Participant may not make any additional payments into such account.

(c)    Participant Changes to Contributions. A Participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan as provided under Section 12. Until and unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, during any Offering Period, a Participant may not increase the rate of his or her Contributions and may decrease the rate of his or her Contributions only one (1) time, provided that such decrease is to a Contribution rate of zero percent (0%). In addition, until and unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, in its sole discretion, during any Offering Period, a Participant may increase or decrease the rate of his or her Contributions (as a whole percent to a rate between zero percent (0%) and the maximum percentage specified in Section 8(a)), which Contribution rate adjustment will become effective upon the commencement of the next Offering Period and remain in effect for subsequent Offering Periods and, except as set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, any such adjustment will not affect the Contribution rate for any ongoing Offering Period.

(i)    A Participant may make a Contribution rate adjustment pursuant to this Section 8(c) by (A) properly completing and submitting to the Company’s stock administration office (or its designee), a new subscription agreement authorizing the change in Contribution rate in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (B) following an electronic or other procedure prescribed by the Administrator, in either case, on or before a date determined by the Administrator prior to (x) the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected or (y) an applicable Exercise Date, as applicable. If a Participant has not followed such procedures to change the rate of Contributions, the rate of his or her Contributions will continue at the originally elected rate throughout the Offering Period and future Offering Periods (unless the Participant’s participation is terminated as provided in Sections 12 or 13).

(ii)    The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, limit or amend the nature and/or number of Contribution rate changes (including to permit, prohibit and/or limit increases and/or decreases to rate changes) that may be made by Participants during any Purchase Period or Offering Period, and may establish such other conditions or limitations as it deems appropriate for Plan administration.

(iii)    Any change in Contribution rate made pursuant to this Section 8(c)(iii) will be effective as of the first full payroll period following five (5) business days after the date on which the change is made by the Participant (unless the Administrator, in its sole discretion, elects to process a given change in Contribution rate earlier).

(d)    Other Contribution Changes. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with Code Section 423(b)(8) and Section 5(c) hereof (which generally limit participation in an Offering Period pursuant to certain Applicable Laws), a Participant’s Contributions may be decreased to zero percent (0%) by the Administrator at any time during an Offering Period (or a Purchase Period, as applicable). Subject to Code Section 423(b)(8) and Section 5(c) hereof, Contributions will recommence at the rate originally elected by the Participant effective as of the beginning of the first Offering Period (or Purchase Period, as applicable) scheduled to end in the following calendar year, unless the Participant’s participation has terminated as provided in Sections 12 or 13.

 

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(e)    Cash Contributions. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in the Plan, the Administrator may allow Participants to participate in the Plan via cash contributions instead of payroll deductions if (i) payroll deductions are not permitted or advisable under Applicable Laws, (ii) the Administrator determines that cash contributions are permissible for Participants participating in the 423 Component and/or (iii) the Participants are participating in the Non-423 Component.

(f)    Tax Withholdings. At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time some or all of the Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed of (or at any other time that a taxable event related to the Plan occurs), the Participant must make adequate provision for the Company’s or Employer’s federal, state, local or any other tax liability payable to any authority including taxes imposed by jurisdictions outside of the U.S., national insurance, social security or other tax withholding or payment on account obligations, if any, which arise upon the exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock (or any other time that a taxable event related to the Plan occurs). At any time, the Company or the Employer may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from the Participant’s compensation the amount necessary for the Company or the Employer to meet applicable withholding obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company or the Employer any tax deductions or benefits attributable to the sale or early disposition of Common Stock by the Eligible Employee. In addition, the Company or the Employer may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from the proceeds of the sale of Common Stock or use any other method of withholding the Company or the Employer deems appropriate to the extent permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(f).

(g)    Use of Funds. The Company may use all Contributions received or held by it under the Plan for any corporate purpose, and the Company will not be obligated to segregate such Contributions except under Offerings or for Participants in the Non-423 Component for which Applicable Laws require that Contributions to the Plan by Participants be segregated from the Company’s general corporate funds and/or deposited with an independent third party, provided that, if such segregation or deposit with an independent third party is required by Applicable Laws, it will apply to all Participants in the relevant Offering under the 423 Component, except to the extent otherwise permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(f). Until shares of Common Stock are issued, Participants will have only the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares.

9.    Grant of Option. On the Enrollment Date of each Offering Period, each Eligible Employee participating in such Offering Period will be granted an option to purchase on each Exercise Date during such Offering Period (at the applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of Common Stock determined by dividing such Eligible Employee’s Contributions accumulated prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the Eligible Employee’s account as of the Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price.

(a)    Certain Option Limits. In no event will an Eligible Employee be permitted to purchase during each Offering Period more than 3,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 17), and provided further that such purchase will be subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 3 and 5(c) and in the subscription agreement. The Administrator, in its absolute discretion, may increase or decrease the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that an Eligible Employee may purchase during each Purchase Period or Offering Period, as applicable.

 

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(b)    Option Receipt. The Eligible Employee may accept the grant of an option under the Plan by electing to participate in the Plan in accordance with the requirements of Section 7.

(c)    Option Term. Exercise of the option will occur as provided in Section 10, unless the Participant’s participation has terminated pursuant to Sections 12 or 13. The option will expire on the last day of the Offering Period.

10.    Exercise of Option.

(a)    Automatic Exercise. Unless a Participant’s participation in the Plan has terminated as provided in Sections 12 and 13, his or her option for the purchase of shares of Common Stock will be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of full shares subject to the option will be purchased for such Participant at the applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated Contributions from his or her account. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be purchased; any Contributions accumulated in a Participant’s account, which are not sufficient to purchase a full share will be retained in the Participant’s account for the subsequent Purchase Period or Offering Period, as applicable, subject to earlier withdrawal by the Participant as provided in Sections 12 or 13. Any other funds left over in a Participant’s account after the Exercise Date will be returned to the Participant. During a Participant’s lifetime, a Participant’s option to purchase shares of Common Stock hereunder is exercisable only by him or her.

(b)    Pro Rata Allocations. If the Administrator determines that, on a given Exercise Date, the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which options are to be exercised may exceed (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that were available for sale under the Plan on the Enrollment Date of the applicable Offering Period, or (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock available for sale under the Plan on such Exercise Date, the Administrator may in its sole discretion (x) provide that the Company will make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available for purchase on such Enrollment Date or Exercise Date, as applicable, in as uniform a manner as will be practicable and as it will determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all Participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date, and continue all Offering Periods then in effect or (y) provide that the Company will make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available for purchase on such Enrollment Date or Exercise Date, as applicable, in as uniform a manner as will be practicable and as it will determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date, and terminate any or all Offering Periods then in effect pursuant to Section 18. The Company may make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available on the Enrollment Date of any applicable Offering Period pursuant to the preceding sentence, notwithstanding any authorization of additional shares of Common Stock for issuance under the Plan by the Company’s stockholders subsequent to such Enrollment Date.

11.    Delivery. As soon as reasonably practicable after each Exercise Date on which a purchase of shares of Common Stock occurs, the Company will arrange the delivery to each Participant of the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option in a form determined by the Administrator (in its sole discretion) and pursuant to rules established by the Administrator. The Company may

 

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permit or require that shares be deposited directly with a broker designated by the Company or with a trustee or designated agent of the Company, and the Company may utilize electronic or automated methods of share transfer. The Company may require that shares be retained with such broker, trustee or agent for a designated period of time and/or may establish other procedures to permit tracking of disqualifying dispositions or other dispositions of such shares. No Participant will have any voting, dividend, or other stockholder rights with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to any option granted under the Plan until such shares have been purchased and delivered to the Participant as provided in this Section 11.

12.    Withdrawal.

(a)    Withdrawal Procedures. A Participant may withdraw all but not less than all the Contributions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or her option under the Plan at any time by (i) submitting to the Company’s stock administration office (or its designee) a written notice of withdrawal in the form determined by the Administrator for such purpose (which may be similar to the form attached hereto as Exhibit B), or (ii) following an electronic or other withdrawal procedure determined by the Administrator. The Administrator may set forth a deadline of when a withdrawal must occur to be effective prior to a given Exercise Date in accordance with policies it may approve from time to time. All of the Participant’s Contributions credited to his or her account will be paid to such Participant as soon as administratively practicable after receipt of notice of withdrawal and such Participant’s option for the Offering Period will be automatically terminated, and no further Contributions for the purchase of shares will be made for such Offering Period. If a Participant withdraws from an Offering Period, Contributions will not resume at the beginning of the succeeding Offering Period, unless the Participant re-enrolls in the Plan in accordance with the provisions of Section 7.

(b)    No Effect on Future Participation. A Participant’s withdrawal from an Offering Period will not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan that may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods that commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the Participant withdraws.

13.    Termination of Employment. Upon a Participant’s ceasing to be an Eligible Employee, for any reason, he or she will be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the Contributions credited to such Participant’s account during the Offering Period but not yet used to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Plan will be returned to such Participant, or, in the case of his or her death, to the person or persons entitled thereto, and such Participant’s option will be automatically terminated. Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator in a manner that, with respect to an Offering under the 423 Component, is permitted by, and compliant with, Code Section 423, a Participant whose employment transfers between entities through a termination with an immediate rehire (with no break in service) by the Company or a Designated Company will not be treated as terminated under the Plan; however, if a Participant transfers from an Offering under the 423 Component to the Non-423 Component, the exercise of the option will be qualified under the 423 Component only to the extent it complies with Code Section 423; further, no Participant will be deemed to switch from an Offering under the Non-423 Component to an Offering under the 423 Component or vice versa unless (and then only to the extent) such switch would not cause the 423 Component or any option thereunder to fail to comply with Code Section 423.

 

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14.    Section 409A. The Plan is intended to be exempt from the application of Section 409A, and, to the extent not exempt, is intended to comply with Section 409A and any ambiguities herein will be interpreted to so be exempt from, or comply with, Section 409A. In furtherance of the foregoing and notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, if the Administrator determines that an option granted under the Plan may be subject to Section 409A or that any provision in the Plan would cause an option under the Plan to be subject to Section 409A, the Administrator may amend the terms of the Plan and/or of an outstanding option granted under the Plan, or take such other action the Administrator determines is necessary or appropriate, in each case, without the Participant’s consent, to exempt any outstanding option or future option that may be granted under the Plan from or to allow any such options to comply with Section 409A, but only to the extent any such amendments or action by the Administrator would not violate Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company and any of its Parent or Subsidiaries will have no liability, obligation or responsibility to reimburse, indemnify, or hold harmless a Participant or any other party if the option to purchase Common Stock under the Plan that is intended to be exempt from or compliant with Section 409A is not so exempt or compliant or for any action taken by the Administrator with respect thereto. The Company makes no representation that the option to purchase Common Stock under the Plan is compliant with Section 409A.

15.    Rights as Stockholder. Until the shares of Common Stock are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), a Participant will have only the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares, and no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder will exist with respect to such shares. Shares of Common Stock to be delivered to a Participant under the Plan will be registered in the name of the Participant or, if so required under Applicable Laws, in the name of the Participant and his or her spouse.

16.    Transferability. Neither Contributions credited to a Participant’s account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive shares of Common Stock under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution) by the Participant. Any such attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition will be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw funds from an Offering Period in accordance with Section 12 hereof.

17.    Adjustments, Dissolution, Liquidation, Merger or Change in Control.

(a)    Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Common Stock occurs (other than any ordinary dividends or other ordinary distributions), the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, will adjust the number and class of Common Stock that may be delivered under the Plan, the Purchase Price per share, the class and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each option under the Plan that has not yet been exercised, and the numerical share limits of Sections 3 and 8(g).

 

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(b)    Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Offering Period then in progress will be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date, and will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Administrator. The New Exercise Date will be before the date of the Company’s proposed dissolution or liquidation. The Administrator will notify each Participant in writing or electronically, prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the Participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the Participant’s option will be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 12 hereof.

(c)    Merger or Change in Control. In the event of a merger of the Company with or into another corporation or other entity or Change in Control, each outstanding option will be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the option, the Offering Period with respect to which such option relates will be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date on which such Offering Period will end. The New Exercise Date will occur before the date of the Company’s proposed merger or Change in Control. The Administrator will notify each Participant in writing or electronically prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the Participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the Participant’s option will be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the Participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 12 hereof.

18.    Amendment or Termination.

(a)    Amendment, Suspension, Termination. The Administrator, in its sole discretion, may amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, or any part thereof, at any time and for any reason. If the Plan is terminated, the Administrator, in its discretion, may elect to terminate all outstanding Offering Periods either immediately or upon completion of the purchase of shares of Common Stock on the next Exercise Date (which may be sooner than originally scheduled, if determined by the Administrator in its discretion), or may elect to permit Offering Periods to expire in accordance with their terms (and subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 17). If the Offering Periods are terminated prior to expiration, all amounts then credited to Participants’ accounts that have not been used to purchase shares of Common Stock will be returned to the Participants (without interest thereon, except as otherwise required under Applicable Laws, as further set forth in Section 22 hereof) as soon as administratively practicable.

(b)    Certain Administrator Changes. Without stockholder consent and without limiting Section 18(a), the Administrator will be entitled to change the Offering Periods and any Purchase Periods, designate separate Offerings, limit the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering Period, establish the exchange rate applicable to amounts withheld in a currency other than U.S. dollars, permit Contributions in excess of the amount designated by a Participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in the Company’s processing of properly completed Contribution elections, establish reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock for each Participant properly correspond with Contribution amounts, and establish such other limitations or procedures as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion advisable that are consistent with the Plan.

 

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(c)    Changes Due to Accounting Consequences. In the event the Administrator determines that the ongoing operation of the Plan may result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences, the Administrator may, in its discretion and, to the extent necessary or desirable, modify, amend or terminate the Plan to reduce or eliminate such accounting consequence including, but not limited to:

(i)    amending the Plan to conform with the safe harbor definition under the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (or any successor thereto), including with respect to an Offering Period underway at the time;

(ii)    altering the Purchase Price for any Purchase Period or Offering Period including a Purchase Period or Offering Period underway at the time of the change in Purchase Price;

(iii)    shortening any Purchase Period or Offering Period by setting a New Exercise Date, including a Purchase Period or Offering Period underway at the time of the Administrator action;

(iv)    reducing the maximum percentage of Compensation a Participant may elect to set aside as Contributions; and

(v)    reducing the maximum number of shares of Common Stock a Participant may purchase during any Purchase Period or Offering Period.

Such modifications or amendments will not require stockholder approval or the consent of any Plan Participants.

19.    Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares.

(a)    Legal Compliance. Shares of Common Stock will not be issued with respect to an option unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of such shares pursuant thereto will comply with Applicable Laws and will be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.

(b)    Investment Representations. As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require the person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required.

20.    Term of Plan. The Plan will become effective upon the later to occur of (a) its adoption by the Board or (b) the business day immediately prior to the Registration Date. It will continue in effect for a term of twenty (20) years, unless sooner terminated under Section 18.

21.    Stockholder Approval. The Plan will be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board. Such stockholder approval will be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under Applicable Laws.

 

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22.    Interest. No interest will accrue on the Contributions of a participant in the Plan, except as may be required by Applicable Laws, as determined by the Company, and if so required by the laws of a particular jurisdiction, will apply, with respect to Offerings under the 423 Component, to all Participants in the relevant Offering, except to the extent otherwise permitted by U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.423-2(f).

23.    No Effect on Employment. Neither the Plan nor any option under the Plan will confer upon any Participant any right with respect to continuing the Participant’s employment with the Company or its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, nor will they interfere in any way with the Participant’s right or the right of the Company and its Subsidiaries or Parents, as applicable, to terminate such employment relationship at any time, free from any liability or any claim under the Plan.

24.    Reports. Individual accounts will be maintained for each Participant in the Plan. Statements of account will be given to participating Eligible Employees at least annually, which statements will set forth the amounts of Contributions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares of Common Stock purchased and the remaining cash balance, if any.

25.    Notices. All notices or other communications by a Participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan will be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form and manner specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

26.    Legal Construction.

(a)    Gender and Number. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any feminine term used herein also will include the masculine and any masculine term used herein also will include the feminine; the plural will include the singular and the singular will include the plural.

(b)    Severability. If any provision of the Plan is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason in any jurisdiction or as to any Participant, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability will not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan will be construed and enforced as to such jurisdiction or Participant as if the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision had not been included.

(c)    Governing Law. The Plan will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, but without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

(d)    Headings. Headings are provided herein for convenience only, and will not serve as a basis for interpretation of the Plan.

27.    Compliance with Applicable Laws. The terms of this Plan are intended to comply with all Applicable Laws and will be construed accordingly.

28.    Automatic Transfer to Low Price Offering Period. Unless determined otherwise by the Administrator, this Section 28 applies to an Offering Period to the extent such Offering Period provides for more than one (1) Exercise Date within such Offering Period. To the extent permitted by Applicable Laws, if the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on any Exercise Date in an

 

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Offering Period is less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Enrollment Date of such Offering Period, then all Participants in such Offering Period will be withdrawn automatically from such Offering Period immediately after the exercise of their option on such Exercise Date and automatically re-enrolled in the immediately following Offering Period as of the first day thereof.

*        *        *

 

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EXHIBIT A

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

2020 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT

         Original Application                                                                                                                      Offering Date:                                 

         Change in Payroll Deduction Rate

1.                                          hereby elects to participate in the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) and subscribes to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock in accordance with this Subscription Agreement and the Plan. Any capitalized terms not specifically defined in this Subscription Agreement will have the meaning ascribed to them under the Plan.

2.    I hereby authorize and consent to payroll deductions from each paycheck in the amount of ____% of my Compensation on each payday (from 0% to 15%) during the Offering Period in accordance with the Plan. (Please note that no fractional percentages are permitted.) I understand that only my first, one election to decrease the rate of my payroll deductions may be applied with respect to an ongoing Offering Period in accordance with the terms of the Plan, and any subsequent election to decrease the rate of my payroll deductions during the same Offering Period, and any election to increase the rate of my payroll deductions during any Offering Period, will not be applied to the ongoing Offering Period.

3.    I understand that said payroll deductions will be accumulated for the purchase of shares of Common Stock at the applicable Purchase Price determined in accordance with the Plan. I understand that if I do not withdraw from an Offering Period, any accumulated payroll deductions will be used to automatically exercise my option and purchase Common Stock under the Plan. I further understand that if I am outside of the U.S., my payroll deductions will be converted to U.S. dollars at an exchange rate selected by the Company on the purchase date.

4.    I have received a copy of the complete Plan and its accompanying prospectus. I understand that my participation in the Plan is in all respects subject to the terms of the Plan.

5.    Shares of Common Stock purchased for me under the Plan should be issued in the name(s) of                          (Eligible Employee or Eligible Employee and spouse only).

6.    If I am a U.S. taxpayer, I understand that if I dispose of any shares received by me pursuant to the Plan within two (2) years after the Offering Date (the first day of the Offering Period during which I purchased such shares) or one (1) year after the Exercise Date, I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received ordinary income at the time of such disposition in an


amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time such shares were purchased by me over the price that I paid for the shares. I hereby agree to notify the Company in writing within thirty (30) days after the date of any disposition of my shares and I will make adequate provision for federal, state or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the disposition of the Common Stock. The Company may, but will not be obligated to, withhold from my compensation the amount necessary to meet any applicable withholding obligation including any withholding necessary to make available to the Company any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by me. If I dispose of such shares at any time after the expiration of the two (2) year and one (1) year holding periods, I understand that I will be treated for federal income tax purposes as having received income only at the time of such disposition, and that such income will be taxed as ordinary income only to the extent of an amount equal to the lesser of (a) the excess of the fair market value of the shares at the time of such disposition over the purchase price which I paid for the shares, or (b) fifteen percent (15%) of the fair market value of the shares on the first day of the Offering Period. The remainder of the gain, if any, recognized on such disposition will be taxed as capital gain.

7.    For employees that may be subject to tax in non U.S. jurisdictions, I acknowledge and agree that, regardless of any action taken by the Company or any Designated Company with respect to any or all income tax, social security, social insurances, National Insurance Contributions, payroll tax, fringe benefit, or other tax-related items related to my participation in the Plan and legally applicable to me including, without limitation, in connection with the grant of such options, the purchase or sale of shares of Common Stock acquired under the Plan and/or the receipt of any dividends on such shares (“Tax-Related Items”), the ultimate liability for all Tax-Related Items is and remains my responsibility and may exceed the amount actually withheld by the Company or a Designated Company. Furthermore, I acknowledge that the Company and/or any Designated Company (a) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the options under the Plan and (b) do not commit to and are under no obligation to structure the terms of the grant of options or any aspect of my participation in the Plan to reduce or eliminate my liability for Tax-Related Items or achieve any particular tax result. Further, if I have become subject to tax in more than one jurisdiction between the date of my enrollment and the date of any relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, I acknowledge that the Company and/or the Employer (or former employer, as applicable) may be required to withhold or account for Tax-Related Items in more than one jurisdiction.

Prior to the purchase of shares of Common Stock under the Plan or any other relevant taxable or tax withholding event, as applicable, I agree to make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or the applicable Designated Company to satisfy all Tax-Related Items. In this regard, I authorize the Company and/or the applicable Designated Company, or their respective agents, at their discretion, to satisfy any applicable withholding obligations with regard to all Tax-Related Items by one or a combination of the following: (a) withholding from my wages or Compensation paid to me by the Company and/or the applicable Designated Company; or (b) withholding from proceeds of the sale of the shares of Common Stock purchased under the Plan either through a voluntary sale or through a mandatory sale arranged by the Company (on my behalf pursuant to this authorization). Depending on the withholding method, the Company may withhold or account for Tax-Related Items by considering applicable maximum withholding rates, in which case I will receive a refund of any over-withheld amount in cash and will have no entitlement to the Common Stock equivalent.

 

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Finally, I agree to pay to the Company or the applicable Designated Company any amount of Tax-Related Items that the Company or the applicable Designated Company may be required to withhold as a result of my participation in the Plan that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. The Company may refuse to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Plan on my behalf and/or refuse to issue or deliver the shares or the proceeds of the sale of shares if I fail to comply with my obligations in connection with the Tax-Related Items.

8.    By electing to participate in the Plan, I acknowledge, understand and agree that:

(a)    the Plan is established voluntarily by the Company, it is discretionary in nature and it may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated by the Company at any time, to the extent provided for in the Plan;

(b)    all decisions with respect to future grants under the Plan, if applicable, will be at the sole discretion of the Company;

(c)    the grant of options under the Plan will not create a right to employment or be interpreted as forming or amending an employment or service contract with the Company, or any Designated Company, and will not interfere with the ability of the Company or any Designated Company, as applicable, to terminate my employment (if any);

(d)    I am voluntarily participating in the Plan;

(e)    the options granted under the Plan and the shares of Common Stock underlying such options, and the income and value of same, are not intended to replace any pension rights or compensation;

(f)    the options granted under the Plan and the shares of Common Stock underlying such options, and the income and value of same, are not part of my normal or expected compensation for any purpose, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, termination, redundancy, dismissal, end-of-service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement benefits or similar payments;

(g)    the future value of the shares of Common Stock offered under the Plan is unknown, indeterminable and cannot be predicted with certainty;

(h)    the shares of Common Stock that I acquire under the Plan may increase or decrease in value, even below the Purchase Price;

(i)    no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages will arise from the forfeiture of options granted to me under the Plan as a result of the termination of my status as an Eligible Employee (for any reason whatsoever, and whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where I am employed or the terms of my employment agreement, if any) and, in consideration of the grant of options under the Plan to which I am otherwise not entitled, I irrevocably agree never to institute a claim against the Company, or any Designated Company, waive my ability, if any, to bring such claim, and release the Company, and any Designated Company from any such claim that may arise; if, notwithstanding the foregoing, any such claim is allowed by a court of competent jurisdiction, I will be deemed irrevocably to have agreed to not to pursue such claim and agree to execute any and all documents necessary to request dismissal or withdrawal of such claim; and

 

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(j)    in the event of the termination of my status as an Eligible Employee (for any reason whatsoever, whether or not later found to be invalid or in breach of employment laws in the jurisdiction where I am employed or the terms of my employment agreement, if any), my right to participate in the Plan and any options granted to me under the Plan, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that I am no longer actively employed by the Company or one of its Designated Companies and, in any event, will not be extended by any notice period mandated under the employment laws in the jurisdiction in which I am employed or the terms of my employment agreement, if any (e.g., active employment would not include a period of “garden leave” or similar period pursuant to the employment laws in the jurisdiction in which I am employed or the terms of my employment agreement, if any); the Company will have the exclusive discretion to determine when I am no longer actively employed for purposes of my participation in the Plan (including whether I may still be considered to be actively employed while on a leave of absence).

9.    I understand that the Company and/or any Designated Company may collect, where permissible under applicable law certain personal information about me, including, but not limited to, my name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares of Common Stock or directorships held in the Company, details of all options granted under the Plan or any other entitlement to shares of Common Stock awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in my favor (“Data”), for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan. I understand that Company may transfer my Data to the United States, which is not considered by the European Commission to have data protection laws equivalent to the laws in my country. I understand that the Company will transfer my Data to its designated broker, or such other stock plan service provider as may be selected by the Company in the future, which is assisting the Company with the implementation, administration and management of the Plan. I understand that the recipients of the Data may be located in the United States or elsewhere, and that a recipient’s country of operation (e.g., the United States) may have different, including less stringent, data privacy laws that the European Commission or my jurisdiction does not consider to be equivalent to the protections in my country. I understand that I may request a list with the names and addresses of any potential recipients of the Data by contacting my local human resources representative. I authorize the Company, the Company’s designated broker and any other possible recipients which may assist the Company with implementing, administering and managing the Plan to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the sole purpose of implementing, administering and managing my participation in the Plan. I understand that Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage my participation in the Plan. I understand that that I may, at any time, view Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Data, require any necessary amendments to Data or refuse or withdraw the consents herein, in any case without cost, by contacting in writing my local human resources representative. Further, I understand that I am providing the consents herein on a purely voluntary basis. If I do not consent, or if I later seek to revoke my consent, my employment status or career with the Company or any Designated Company will not be adversely affected; the only adverse consequence of refusing or withdrawing my consent is that the Company would not be able to grant me options under the Plan or other equity awards, or

 

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administer or maintain such awards. Therefore, I understand that refusing or withdrawing my consent may affect my ability to participate in the Plan. For more information on the consequences of my refusal to consent or withdrawal of consent, I understand that I may contact my local human resources representative.

If I am an employee outside the U.S., I understand that in accordance with applicable law, I have the right to access, and to request a copy of, the Data held about me. I also understand that I have the right to discontinue the collection, processing, or use of my Data, or supplement, correct, or request deletion of my Data. To exercise my rights, I may contact my local human resources representative.

I hereby explicitly and unambiguously consent to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of my personal data as described herein and any other Plan materials by and among, as applicable, the Company and its Subsidiaries for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing my participation in the Plan. I understand that my consent will be sought and obtained for any processing or transfer of my data for any purpose other than as described in the enrollment form and any other plan materials.

10.    If I have received the Subscription Agreement or any other document related to the Plan translated into a language other than English and if the meaning of the translated version is different than the English version, the English version will control, subject to applicable laws.

11.    The provisions of the Subscription Agreement and these appendices are severable and if any one or more provisions are determined to be illegal or otherwise unenforceable, in whole or in part, the remaining provisions nevertheless will be binding and enforceable.

12.    Notwithstanding any provisions in this Subscription Agreement, I understand that if I am working or resident in a country other than the United States, my participation in the Plan also will be subject to the additional terms and conditions set forth on Appendix A and any special terms and conditions for my country set forth on Appendix A. Moreover, if I relocate to one of the countries included in Appendix A, the special terms and conditions for such country will apply to me to the extent the Company determines that the application of such terms and conditions is necessary or advisable for legal or administrative reasons. Appendix A constitutes part of this Subscription Agreement and the provisions of this Subscription Agreement govern each Appendix (to the extent not superseded or supplemented by the terms and conditions set forth in the applicable Appendix).

13.    I hereby agree to be bound by the terms of the Plan. The effectiveness of this Subscription Agreement is dependent upon my eligibility to participate in the Plan.

 

Employee’s Social

 

Security Number

 

(for U.S.-based employees):

   

Employee’s Address:

   
   
   
   

 

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I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGHOUT SUCCESSIVE OFFERING PERIODS UNLESS TERMINATED BY ME.

 

Dated:                                                                                                   

 

Signature of Employee

 

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EXHIBIT B

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

2020 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL

The undersigned Participant in the Offering Period of the ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) that began on                             ,          (the “Offering Date”) hereby notifies the Company that he or she hereby withdraws from the Offering Period. He or she hereby directs the Company to pay to the undersigned as promptly as practicable all the payroll deductions credited to his or her account with respect to such Offering Period. The undersigned understands and agrees that his or her option for such Offering Period will be terminated automatically. The undersigned understands further that no further payroll deductions will be made for the purchase of shares in the current Offering Period and the undersigned will be eligible to participate in succeeding Offering Periods only by delivering to the Company a new Subscription Agreement. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein will have the meaning ascribed to them under the Plan.

 

Name and Address of Participant:
 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature:
 

 

Date:  

 

EX-10.4

Exhibit 10.4

 

  

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, CA 94010

Phone: (650) 466-7125

July 9, 2020

Jaume Pons, Ph.D.

Via Email

Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

Dear Jaume:

This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Jaume Pons (“you”) and ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of July 9, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

1. Title; Position; Location. You will continue to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. You also will continue to report to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are lawfully assigned by the Company’s Board. You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in Burlingame, California (with the exception of the period during which any current shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement affecting your employment with the Company remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

2. Best Efforts. You will continue to devote your full business time and best efforts to the faithful and loyal performance of your duties to the Company (except for permitted vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacity). While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company, and any engagement or participation in any outside business activity or business affairs by you will be subject to full disclosure and prior written approval from the Board or its Compensation Committee, as applicable. The Board has approved the outside activities set forth in Appendix A, as long as such activities are of a non-operational nature and do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, and provided that such matters do not involve matters that are competitive with the Company’s actual or anticipated business. You may engage in charitable and community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, provided that such activities do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement. By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from continuing to perform your duties for the Company.


3. Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $435,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Our Board and its Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) have approved that, provided you remain employed through the Company’s initial public offering, your Salary will be increased to $550,000 effective as of the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to such initial public offering. Your annual base salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

4. Annual Bonus. For the Company’s 2020 fiscal year, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to fifty percent (50%) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee. Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the date of payment, and any such bonus amounts paid will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

5. Equity Awards. You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.

6. Employee Benefits. You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time, subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements. The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans, programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

7. Severance. You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position within the Company. Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering. The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with a change in control of the Company as well as certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company. For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

 

2


8. Confidentiality Agreement. As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company. To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement you previously signed with the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) still apply.

9. At-Will Employment. This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

10. Protected Activity Not Prohibited. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law. You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged communications or attorney work product. In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix B.

11. Miscellaneous. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you by the Company under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision. This Agreement may be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

[Signature page follows]

 

3


To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to me.

 

Sincerely,
ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.
By:   /s/ Peter Garcia
  Peter Garcia
  Chief Financial Officer

 

Agreed to and accepted:

/s/ Jaume Pons

Jaume Pons

Dated:

 

July 9, 2020


Appendix A

[Omitted]


Appendix B

Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

“ … An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. … An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

EX-10.5

Exhibit 10.5

 

  

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, CA 94010

Phone: (650) 466-7125

July 9, 2020

Nathan Caffo

Via Email

Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

Dear Nathan:

This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Nathan Caffo (“you”) and ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of July 9, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

1. Title; Position; Location. You will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Business Officer. You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are lawfully assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in Burlingame, California (with the exception of the period during which any current shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement affecting your employment with the Company remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

2. Best Efforts. You will continue to devote your full business time and best efforts to the faithful and loyal performance of your duties to the Company (except for permitted vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacity). While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company, and any engagement or participation in any outside business activity or business affairs by you will be subject to full disclosure and prior written approval from the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) or its Compensation Committee, as applicable. The Board has approved the outside activities set forth in Appendix A, as long as such activities are of a non-operational nature and do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, and provided that such matters do not involve matters that are competitive with the Company’s actual or anticipated business. You may engage in charitable and community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, provided that such activities do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement. By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from continuing to perform your duties for the Company.


3. Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $312,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Your annual base salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

4. Annual Bonus. For the Company’s 2020 fiscal year, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to forty percent (40%) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee. Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the date of payment, and any such bonus amounts paid will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

5. Equity Awards. You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.

6. Employee Benefits. You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time, subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements. The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans, programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

7. Severance. You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position within the Company. Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering. The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company. For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

8. Confidentiality Agreement. As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the course of

 

2


your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company. To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement you previously signed with the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) still apply.

9. At-Will Employment. This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

10. Protected Activity Not Prohibited. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law. You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged communications or attorney work product. In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix B.

11. Miscellaneous. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you by the Company under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision. This Agreement may be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

[Signature page follows]

 

3


To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to me.

 

Sincerely,

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.
By:  

/s/ Jaume Pons

  Jaume Pons
  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Agreed to and accepted:

/s/ Nathan Caffo

Nathan Caffo
Dated:  

July 9, 2020


Appendix A

[Omitted]


Appendix B

Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

“ … An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. … An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

EX-10.6

Exhibit 10.6

 

  

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, CA 94010

Phone: (650) 466-7125

July 9, 2020

Peter Garcia

Via Email

Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

Dear Peter:

This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Peter Garcia (“you”) and ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of July 9, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

1. Title; Position; Location. You will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are lawfully assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in Burlingame, California (with the exception of the period during which any current shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement affecting your employment with the Company remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

2. Best Efforts. You will continue to devote your full business time and best efforts to the faithful and loyal performance of your duties to the Company (except for permitted vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacity). While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company, and any engagement or participation in any outside business activity or business affairs by you will be subject to full disclosure and prior written approval from the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) or its Compensation Committee, as applicable. The Board has approved the outside activities set forth in Appendix A, as long as such activities are of a non-operational nature and do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, and provided that such matters do not involve matters that are competitive with the Company’s actual or anticipated business. You may engage in charitable and community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, provided that such activities do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement. By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from continuing to perform your duties for the Company.


3. Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $400,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Our Board and its Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) have approved that, provided you remain employed through the Company’s initial public offering, your Salary will be increased to $440,000 effective as of the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to such initial public offering. Your annual base salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

4. Annual Bonus. For the Company’s 2020 fiscal year, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to forty percent (40%) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee. Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the date of payment, and any such bonus amounts paid will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

5. Equity Awards. You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.

6. Employee Benefits. You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time, subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements. The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans, programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

7. Severance. You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position within the Company. Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering. The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company. For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

 

2


8. Confidentiality Agreement. As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company. To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement you previously signed with the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) still apply.

9. At-Will Employment. This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

10. Protected Activity Not Prohibited. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law. You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged communications or attorney work product. In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix B.

11. Miscellaneous. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you by the Company under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision. This Agreement may be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

[Signature page follows]

 

3


To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to me.

 

Sincerely,

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

By:  

/s/ Jaume Pons

 

Jaume Pons

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Agreed to and accepted:
/s/ Peter Garcia
Peter Garcia
Dated:  

July 9, 2020


Appendix A

[Omitted]


Appendix B

Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

“ … An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. … An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

EX-10.7

Exhibit 10.7

 

  

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, CA 94010

Phone: (650) 466-7125

July 9, 2020

Steffen Pietzke

Via Email

Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

Dear Steffen:

This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Steffen Pietzke (“you”) and ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of July 9, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

1. Title; Position; Location. You will continue to serve as the Company’s Vice President, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are lawfully assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in Burlingame, California (with the exception of the period during which any current shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement affecting your employment with the Company remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

2. Best Efforts. You will continue to devote your full business time and best efforts to the faithful and loyal performance of your duties to the Company (except for permitted vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacity). While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company, and any engagement or participation in any outside business activity or business affairs by you will be subject to full disclosure and prior written approval from the Company, and/or the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) or its Compensation Committee as necessary or appropriate. The Company has approved the outside activities set forth in Appendix A, as long as such activities are of a non-operational nature and do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, and provided that such matters do not involve matters that are competitive with the Company’s actual or anticipated business. You may engage in charitable and community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, provided that such activities do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement. By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from continuing to perform your duties for the Company.


3. Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $325,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Your annual base salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

4. Annual Bonus. For the Company’s 2020 fiscal year, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to forty percent (40%) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee. Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the date of payment, and any such bonus amounts paid will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

5. Equity Awards. You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.

6. Employee Benefits. You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time, subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements. The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans, programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

7. Severance. You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position within the Company. Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering. The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company. For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

 

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8. Confidentiality Agreement. As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company. To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement you previously signed with the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) still apply.

9. At-Will Employment. This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

10. Protected Activity Not Prohibited. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law. You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged communications or attorney work product. In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix B.

11. Miscellaneous. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you by the Company under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision. This Agreement may be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

[Signature page follows]

 

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To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to me.

 

Sincerely,

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.
By:  

/s/ Jaume Pons

  Jaume Pons
  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Agreed to and accepted:

/s/ Steffen Pietzke

Steffen Pietzke
Dated:  

July 9, 2020


Appendix A

[Omitted]


Appendix B

Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

“ … An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. … An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

EX-10.8

Exhibit 10.8

 

  

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, CA 94010

Phone: (650) 466-7125

July 9, 2020

Sophia Randolph, M.D., Ph.D.

Via Email

Re: Confirmatory Employment Letter

Dear Sophia:

This confirmatory employment letter agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Sophia Randolph (“you”) and ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company” or “we”), effective as of July 9, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), to confirm the terms and conditions of your employment with the Company as of the Effective Date.

1. Title; Position; Location. You will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer. You also will continue to report to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and will perform the duties and responsibilities customary for such position and such other related duties as are lawfully assigned by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. You will perform your duties from the Company’s corporate offices located in Chico, California (with the exception of the period during which any current shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement affecting your employment with the Company remains in effect), subject to customary travel as reasonably required by the Company and necessary to perform your job duties.

2. Best Efforts. You will continue to devote your full business time and best efforts to the faithful and loyal performance of your duties to the Company (except for permitted vacation periods and reasonable periods of illness or other incapacity). While you render services to the Company, you will not engage in any other employment, consulting or other business activity (whether full-time or part-time) that would create a conflict of interest with the Company, and any engagement or participation in any outside business activity or business affairs by you will be subject to full disclosure and prior written approval from the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) or its Compensation Committee, as applicable. The Board has approved the outside activities set forth in Appendix A, as long as such activities are of a non-operational nature and do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, and provided that such matters do not involve matters that are competitive with the Company’s actual or anticipated business. You may engage in charitable and community activities as well as own, as a passive investment, less than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of any corporation listed on the national securities exchange or publicly traded in the over-the-counter market, provided that such activities do not interfere with the performance of your duties under this Agreement. By signing this Agreement, you confirm that you have no contractual commitments or other legal obligations that would prohibit you from continuing to perform your duties for the Company.


3. Base Salary. As of the Effective Date, your annual base salary will be $362,000 (“Salary”), which will be payable, less any applicable withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices. Our Board and its Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) have approved that, provided you remain employed through the Company’s initial public offering, your Salary will be increased to $440,000 effective as of the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to such initial public offering. Your annual base salary will be subject to review and adjustment from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

4. Annual Bonus. For the Company’s 2020 fiscal year, you will have the opportunity to earn a target annual cash bonus equal to forty percent (40%) of your annual base salary earned during the fiscal year, based on achieving performance objectives established by the Board or Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion and payable upon achievement of those objectives as determined by the Committee. Unless determined otherwise by the Board or Committee, as applicable, any such bonus will be subject to your continued employment through and until the date of payment, and any such bonus amounts paid will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Your annual bonus opportunity and the applicable terms and conditions may be adjusted from time to time by our Board or the Committee, as applicable, in its sole discretion.

5. Equity Awards. You will be eligible to receive awards of stock options or other equity awards pursuant to any plans or arrangements the Company may have in effect from time to time. The Board or Committee, as applicable, will determine in its sole discretion whether you will be granted any such equity awards and the terms of any such award in accordance with the terms of any applicable plan or arrangement that may be in effect from time to time.

6. Employee Benefits. You will continue to be eligible to participate in the benefit plans and programs established by the Company for its employees from time to time, subject to their applicable terms and conditions, including without limitation any eligibility requirements. The Company will reimburse you for reasonable travel or other expenses incurred by you in the furtherance of or in connection with the performance of your duties under this Agreement, pursuant to the terms of the Company’s expense reimbursement policy as may be in effect from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend or terminate the benefit plans, programs, and arrangements it offers to its employees at any time.

7. Severance. You will be eligible to enter into a Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Severance Agreement”) applicable to you based on your position within the Company. Any Severance Agreement will become effective as of the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the Company’s registration statement relating to the Company’s initial public offering. The Severance Agreement will specify the severance payments and benefits you may become entitled to receive in connection with certain qualifying terminations of your employment with the Company. For purposes of clarity, other than any vesting acceleration benefits set forth in the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the award agreements thereunder governing the terms of your stock options to purchase shares of Company common stock granted thereunder (to the extent not modified or superseded by your Severance Agreement), any severance payments, benefits and arrangements that may have applied to you before the Effective Date no longer will apply, and you will have no rights or entitlements under any such plans, programs, agreements or arrangements.

 

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8. Confidentiality Agreement. As an employee of the Company, you will continue to have access to certain confidential information of the Company and you may, during the course of your employment, develop certain information or inventions that will be the property of the Company. To protect the interests of the Company, your acceptance of this Agreement confirms that the terms of the Company’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement you previously signed with the Company (the “Confidentiality Agreement”) still apply.

9. At-Will Employment. This Agreement does not imply any right to your continued employment for any period with the Company or any parent, subsidiary, or affiliate of the Company. Your employment with the Company is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. This Agreement and any provisions under it will not interfere with or limit in any way your or the Company’s right to terminate your employment relationship with the Company at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

10. Protected Activity Not Prohibited. The Company and you acknowledge and agree that nothing in this Agreement limits or prohibits you from filing and/or pursuing a charge or complaint with, or otherwise communicating or cooperating with or participating in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by, any federal, state or local government agency or commission, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Labor Relations Board (“Government Agencies”), including disclosing documents or other information as permitted by law, without giving notice to, or receiving authorization from, the Company. In addition, nothing in this Agreement is intended to limit employees’ rights to discuss the terms, wages, and working conditions of their employment, nor to deny employees the right to disclose information pertaining to sexual harassment or any unlawful or potentially unlawful conduct, as protected by applicable law. You further understand that you are not permitted to disclose the Company’s attorney-client privileged communications or attorney work product. In addition, you acknowledge that the Company has provided you with notice in compliance with the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 regarding immunity from liability for limited disclosures of trade secrets. The full text of the notice is attached in Appendix B.

11. Miscellaneous. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, the Severance Agreement and the stock options granted to you by the Company under its 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the material terms and conditions of your employment, and they supersede and replace all prior negotiations, representations or agreements between you and the Company. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California but without regard to the conflict of law provision. This Agreement may be modified only by a written agreement signed by a duly authorized officer of the Company (other than yourself) and you.

[Signature page follows]

 

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To confirm the current terms and conditions of your employment, please sign and date in the spaces indicated and return this Agreement to me.

 

Sincerely,

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

By:  

/s/ Jaume Pons

 

Jaume Pons

 

President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Agreed to and accepted:

/s/ Sophia Randolph

Sophia Randolph

Dated:  

July 9, 2020


Appendix A

[Omitted]


Appendix B

Section 7 of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016

“ … An individual shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any Federal or State trade secret law for the disclosure of a trade secret that—(A) is made—(i) in confidence to a Federal, State, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney; and (ii) solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law; or (B) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal. … An individual who files a lawsuit for retaliation by an employer for reporting a suspected violation of law may disclose the trade secret to the attorney of the individual and use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if the individual—(A) files any document containing the trade secret under seal; and (B) does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.”

EX-10.9

Exhibit 10.9

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

EXECUTIVE INCENTIVE COMPENSATION PLAN

1.    Purposes of the Plan. The Plan is intended to increase stockholder value and the success of the Company by motivating Employees to (a) perform to the best of their abilities and (b) achieve the Company’s objectives.

2.    Definitions.

(a)    “Actual Award” means as to any Performance Period, the actual award (if any) payable to a Participant for the Performance Period, subject to the authority of the Administrator (as defined in Section 3) under Section 4(d) to modify the award.

(b)    “Affiliate” means any corporation or other entity (including, but not limited to, partnerships and joint ventures) controlled by the Company.

(c)    “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

(d)    “Bonus Pool” means the pool of funds available for distribution to Participants. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator establishes the Bonus Pool for each Performance Period.

(e)    “Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the Code or regulation thereunder will include such section or regulation, any valid regulation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

(f)    “Committee” means a committee appointed by the Board (pursuant to Section 3) to administer the Plan.

(g)    “Company” means ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor thereto.

(h)    “Company Group” means the Company and any Parents, Subsidiaries, and Affiliates.

(i)    “Disability” means a permanent and total disability determined in accordance with uniform and nondiscriminatory standards adopted by the Administrator from time to time.

(j)    “Employee” means any executive, officer, or other employee of the Company Group, whether such individual is so employed at the time the Plan is adopted or becomes so employed subsequent to the adoption of the Plan.

(k)    “Fiscal Year” means the fiscal year of the Company.


(l)    “Parent” means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(e).

(m)    “Participant” means as to any Performance Period, an Employee who has been selected by the Administrator for participation in the Plan for that Performance Period.

(n)    “Performance Period” means the period of time for the measurement of the performance criteria that must be met to receive an Actual Award, as determined by the Administrator. A Performance Period may be divided into one or more shorter periods if, for example, but not by way of limitation, the Administrator desires to measure some performance criteria over twelve (12) months and other criteria over three (3) months.

(o)    “Plan” means this Executive Incentive Compensation Plan (including any appendix attached hereto), as may be amended from time to time.

(p)    “Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code and any proposed or final Treasury Regulations and Internal Revenue Service guidance, compliance programs and other interpretive authority promulgated thereunder, or any state law equivalent, as each may be amended or promulgated, as applicable, from time to time.

(q)    “Subsidiary” means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Code Section 424(f), in relation to the Company.

(r)    “Target Award” means the target award, at one hundred percent (100%) of target level performance achievement, payable under the Plan to a Participant for a Performance Period, as determined by the Administrator in accordance with Section 4(b).

(s)    “Tax Withholdings” means tax, social insurance and social security liability or premium obligations in connection with the awards under the Plan, including without limitation: (i) all federal, state, and local income, employment and any other taxes (including the Participant’s U.S. Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) obligation) that are required to be withheld by the Company Group, (ii) the Participant’s and, to the extent required by the Company Group, the fringe benefit tax liability of the Company Group associated with an award under the Plan, and (iii) any other taxes or social insurance or social security liabilities or premium the responsibility for which the Participant has, or has agreed to bear, with respect to such award under the Plan.

(t)    “Termination of Employment” means a cessation of the employee-employer relationship between an Employee and the Company Group, including without limitation a termination by resignation, discharge, death, Disability, retirement, or the disaffiliation of a Parent, Subsidiary or Affiliate. For purposes of the Plan, transfer of employment of a Participant between any members of the Company Group (for example, between the Company and a Subsidiary) will not be deemed a Termination of Employment.

3.    Administration of the Plan.

(a)    Administrator. The Plan will be administered by the Board or a Committee (the “Administrator”). To the extent necessary or desirable to satisfy applicable laws, the Committee acting as the Administrator will consist of not less than two (2) members of the Board.

 

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The members of any Committee will be appointed from time to time by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board. The Board may retain the authority to administer the Plan concurrently with a Committee and may revoke the delegation of some or all authority previously delegated. Different Administrators may administer the Plan with respect to different groups of Employees. Unless and until the Board otherwise determines, the Board’s Compensation Committee will administer the Plan.

(b)    Administrator Authority. It will be the duty of the Administrator to administer the Plan in accordance with the Plan’s provisions. The Administrator will have all powers and discretion necessary or appropriate to administer the Plan and to control its operation, including, but not limited to, the power to (i) determine which Employees will be granted awards, (ii) prescribe the terms and conditions of awards, (iii) interpret the Plan and the awards, (iv) adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit participation in the Plan by Employees who are non-U.S. nationals or employed outside of the U.S. or to qualify awards for special tax treatment under the laws of jurisdictions other than the U.S., (v) adopt rules for the administration, interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith, and (vi) interpret, amend or revoke any such rules. Any determinations and decisions made or to be made by the Administrator pursuant to the provisions of the Plan, unless specified otherwise by the Administrator, will be in the Administrator’s sole discretion.

(c)    Decisions Binding. All determinations and decisions made by the Administrator and/or any delegate of the Administrator pursuant to the provisions of the Plan will be final, conclusive, and binding on all persons, and will be given the maximum deference permitted by law.

(d)    Delegation by Administrator. The Administrator, on such terms and conditions as it may provide, may delegate all or part of its authority and powers under the Plan to one or more directors and/or officers of the Company. Such delegation may be revoked at any time.

(e)    Indemnification. Each person who is or will have been a member of the Administrator will be indemnified and held harmless by the Company against and from (i) any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action taken or failure to act under the Plan or any award, and (ii) from any and all amounts paid by him or her in settlement thereof, with the Company’s approval, or paid by him or her in satisfaction of any judgment in any such claim, action, suit, or proceeding against him or her, provided he or she will give the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification will not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, by contract, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or under any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

 

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4.    Selection of Participants and Determination of Awards.

(a)    Selection of Participants. The Administrator will select the Employees who will be Participants for any Performance Period. Participation in the Plan will be on a Performance Period by Performance Period basis. Accordingly, an Employee who is a Participant for a given Performance Period in no way is guaranteed or assured of being selected for participation in any subsequent Performance Period or Performance Periods. No Employee will have the right to be selected to receive an award under this Plan or, if so selected, to be selected to receive a future award.

(b)    Determination of Target Awards. The Administrator will establish a Target Award for each Participant (which may be expressed as a percentage of a Participant’s average annual base salary for the Performance Period or a fixed dollar amount or such other amount or based on such other formula or factors as the Administrator determines).

(c)    Bonus Pool. Each Performance Period, the Administrator may establish a Bonus Pool, which pool may be established before, during or after the applicable Performance Period. Actual Awards will be paid from the Bonus Pool.

(d)    Discretion to Modify Awards. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of the Plan, the Administrator, at any time, may: (i) increase, reduce or eliminate a Participant’s Actual Award, and/or (ii) increase, reduce or eliminate the amount allocated to the Bonus Pool. The Actual Award may be below, at or above the Target Award, as determined by the Administrator. The Administrator may determine the amount of any increase, reduction, or elimination based on such factors as it deems relevant, and will not be required to establish any allocation or weighting with respect to the factors it considers.

(e)    Discretion to Determine Criteria. Notwithstanding any contrary provision of the Plan, the Administrator will determine the performance goals, if any, applicable to any Target Award (or portion thereof) which may include, without limitation, goals related to: attainment of research and development milestones; sales bookings; business divestitures and acquisitions; capital raising; cash flow; cash position; contract awards or backlog; corporate transactions; customer renewals; customer retention rates from an acquired company, subsidiary, business unit or division; earnings (which may include any calculation of earnings, including but not limited to earnings before interest and taxes, earnings before taxes, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and net taxes); earnings per share; expenses; financial milestones; gross margin; growth in stockholder value relative to the moving average of the S&P 500 Index or another index; internal rate of return; leadership development or succession planning; license or research collaboration arrangements; market share; net income; net profit; net sales; new product or business development; new product invention or innovation; number of customers; operating cash flow; operating expenses; operating income; operating margin; overhead or other expense reduction; patents; procurement; product defect measures; product release timelines; productivity; profit; regulatory milestones or regularly-related goals; retained earnings; return on assets; return on capital; return on equity; return on investment; return on sales; revenue; revenue growth; sales results; sales growth; savings; stock price; time to market; total stockholder return; working capital; unadjusted or adjusted actual contract value; unadjusted or adjusted total contract value; and individual objectives such as peer reviews or other subjective or

 

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objective criteria. As determined by the Administrator, the performance goals may be based on U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) or non-GAAP results and any actual results may be adjusted by the Administrator for one-time items or unbudgeted or unexpected items and/or payments of Actual Awards under the Plan when determining whether the performance goals have been met. The performance goals may be based on any factors the Administrator determines relevant, including without limitation on an individual, divisional, portfolio, project, business unit, segment or Company-wide basis. Any criteria used may be measured on such basis as the Administrator determines, including without limitation: (i) in absolute terms, (ii) in combination with another performance goal or goals (for example, but not by way of limitation, as a ratio or matrix), (iii) in relative terms (including, but not limited to, results for other periods, passage of time and/or against another company or companies or an index or indices), (iv) on a per-share basis, (v) against the performance of the Company as a whole or a segment of the Company and/or (vi) on a pre-tax or after-tax basis. The performance goals may differ from Participant to Participant and from award to award. Failure to meet the applicable performance goals will result in a failure to earn the Target Award, except as provided in Section 4(d). The Administrator also may determine that a Target Award (or portion thereof) will not have a performance goal associated with it but instead will be granted (if at all) as determined by the Administrator.

5.    Payment of Awards.

(a)    Right to Receive Payment. Each Actual Award will be paid solely from the general assets of the Company Group. Nothing in this Plan will be construed to create a trust or to establish or evidence any Participant’s claim of any right other than as an unsecured general creditor with respect to any payment to which the Participant may be entitled.

(b)    Timing of Payment. Payment of each Actual Award will be made as soon as practicable after the end of the Performance Period to which the Actual Award relates and after the Actual Award is approved by the Administrator, but in no event after the later of (i) the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month of the Company’s taxable year immediately following the Company’s taxable year in which the Participant’s Actual Award first becomes no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, and (ii) March 15 of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the Participant’s Actual Award first becomes no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, to earn an Actual Award a Participant must be employed by the Company Group on the date the Actual Award is paid.

(c)    Form of Payment. Each Actual Award generally will be paid in cash (or its equivalent) in a single lump sum. The Administrator reserves the right to settle an Actual Award with a grant of an equity award with such terms and conditions, including any vesting requirements, as determined by the Administrator.

(d)    Payment in the Event of Death or Disability. If a Termination of Employment occurs due to a Participant’s death or Disability prior to payment of an Actual Award that the Administrator has determined will be paid for a prior Performance Period, then the Actual Award will be paid to the Participant or the Participant’s estate, as the case may be, subject to the Administrator’s discretion to reduce or eliminate any Actual Award otherwise payable.

 

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6.    General Provisions.

(a)    Tax Matters.

(i)    Section 409A. It is the intent that this Plan be exempt from or comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the payments to be provided hereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms will be interpreted to be so exempt or so comply. Each payment under this Plan is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-2(b)(2). In no event will the Company Group have any liability, obligation, or responsibility to reimburse, indemnify or hold harmless any Participant or other Employee for any taxes, penalties or interest imposed, or other costs incurred, as a result of Section 409A.

(ii)    Withholding Obligations. The Company Group will have the right and authority to deduct from any Actual Award all applicable Tax Withholdings. Prior to the payment of an Actual Award or such earlier time as any Tax Withholdings are due, the Company Group is permitted to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company Group, an amount sufficient to satisfy any Tax Withholdings with respect to such Actual Award.

(b)    No Effect on Employment or Service. Neither the Plan nor any award under the Plan will confer upon a Participant any right regarding continuing the Participant’s relationship as an Employee or other service provider to the Company Group, nor will they interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company Group or the Participant to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

(c)    Forfeiture Events.

(i)    Clawback Policy; Applicable Laws. All awards under the Plan will be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment in accordance with any clawback policy that the Company Group is required to adopt pursuant to the listing standards of any national securities exchange or association on which the Company’s securities are listed or as is otherwise required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or other applicable laws. In addition, the Administrator may impose such other clawback, recovery or recoupment provisions with respect to an award under the Plan as the Administrator determines necessary or appropriate, including without limitation a reacquisition right in respect of previously acquired cash, stock, or other property provided with respect to an award. Unless this Section 6(c)(i) is specifically mentioned and waived in a written agreement between a Participant and a member of the Company Group or other document, no recovery of compensation under a clawback policy will give the Participant the right to resign for “good reason” or “constructive termination” (or similar term) under any agreement with a member of the Company Group.

(ii)    Additional Forfeiture Terms. The Administrator may specify when providing for an award under the Plan that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to the award will be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of the award. Such events may include, without limitation, termination of the Participant’s status as an Employee for “cause” or any act by a Participant, whether before or after the Participant’s status as an Employee terminates, that would constitute “cause.”

 

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(iii)    Accounting Restatements. If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company, as a result of misconduct, with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, then any Participant who knowingly or through gross negligence engaged in the misconduct, or who knowingly or through gross negligence failed to prevent the misconduct, and any Participant who is one of the individuals subject to automatic forfeiture under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, will reimburse the Company Group the amount of any payment with respect to an award earned or accrued during the twelve (12) month period following the first public issuance or filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (whichever first occurred) of the financial document embodying such financial reporting requirement.

(d)    Successors. All obligations of the Company under the Plan, with respect to awards under the Plan, will be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company.

(e)    Nontransferability of Awards. No award under the Plan may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and except as provided in Section 5(d). All rights with respect to an award granted to a Participant will be available during his or her lifetime only to the Participant.

7.    Amendment, Termination, and Duration.

(a)    Amendment, Suspension, or Termination. The Administrator may amend or terminate the Plan, or any part thereof, at any time and for any reason. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan will not, without the consent of the Participant, alter or impair any rights or obligations under any Actual Award earned by such Participant. No award may be granted during any period of suspension or after termination of the Plan.

(b)    Duration of Plan. The Plan will commence on the date first adopted by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board, and subject to Section 7(a) (regarding the Administrator’s right to amend or terminate the Plan), will remain in effect thereafter until terminated.

8.    Legal Construction.

(a)    Gender and Number. Unless otherwise indicated by the context, any feminine term used herein also will include the masculine and any masculine term used herein also will include the feminine; the plural will include the singular and the singular will include the plural.

(b)    Severability. If any provision of the Plan is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason in any jurisdiction or as to any Participant, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability will not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan will be construed and enforced as if the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision had not been included.

 

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(c)    Governing Law. The Plan and all awards will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of California, but without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

(d)    Bonus Plan. The Plan is intended to be a “bonus program” as defined under U.S. Department of Labor regulations section 2510.3-2(c) and will be construed and administered in accordance with such intention.

(e)    Headings. Headings are provided herein for convenience only, and will not serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of the Plan.

9.    Compliance with Applicable Laws. Awards under the Plan (including without limitation the granting of such awards) will be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.

*        *        *

 

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EX-10.10

Exhibit 10.10

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

OUTSIDE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION POLICY

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) believes that the granting of equity and cash compensation to members of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board,” and members of the Board, “Directors”) represents a powerful tool to attract, retain and reward Directors who are not employees of the Company (“Outside Directors”). This Outside Director Compensation Policy (the “Policy”) is intended to formalize the Company’s policy regarding cash compensation and grants of equity awards to its Outside Directors. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms used in this Policy will have the meaning given such term in the Company’s Amended and Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time (the “Plan”), or if the Plan no longer is in use at the time of the grant of an equity award, the meaning given such term or similar term in the equity plan then in place under which the equity award is granted. Outside Directors will be solely responsible for any tax obligations they incur as a result of the cash and equity compensation received under this Policy.

1.    Effective Date. This Policy will be effective as of the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(b) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to any class of the Company’s securities (such date, the “Effective Date”).

2.    Cash Compensation

(a)    Board Member Annual Cash Retainer. Each Outside Director will be paid an annual cash retainer of $40,000. There are no per-meeting attendance fees for attending Board meetings or meetings of any committee of the Board.

(b)    Board Committee Annual Cash Retainer. As of the Effective Date, each Outside Director who serves as the non-employee chair of the Board, or the chair or a member of a committee of the Board, will be eligible to earn additional annual fees as follows:

 

Non-employee Chair of the Board:

   $ 30,000  

Audit Committee Chair:

   $ 20,000  

Audit Committee Member:

   $ 7,500  

Compensation Committee Chair:

   $ 10,000  

Compensation Committee Member:

   $ 5,000  

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Chair:

   $ 8,000  

Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee Member:

   $ 4,000  

For clarity, each Outside Director who serves as the chair of a committee will not receive both the additional annual fee as the chair of the committee and the additional annual fee as a member of the committee, provided, for clarity, that the Outside Director who serves as the non-employee chair of the Board will receive the annual fee for services provided in such role as well as the annual fee as an Outside Director.


(c)    Payment Timing and Proration. Each annual cash retainer under this Policy will be paid quarterly in arrears on a prorated basis to each Outside Director who has served in the relevant capacity during the applicable fiscal quarter of the Company (“Fiscal Quarter”), and such payment will be made no later than thirty (30) days following the end of such Fiscal Quarter. For clarity, an Outside Director who has served as an Outside Director, as a member of an applicable committee (or chair thereof) during only a portion of the relevant Fiscal Quarter will receive a prorated payment of the quarterly installment of the applicable annual cash retainer(s), calculated based on the number of days during such Fiscal Quarter such Outside Director has served in the relevant capacities. For clarity, an Outside Director who has served as an Outside Director or as a member of an applicable committee (or chair thereof) from the Effective Date through the end of the Fiscal Quarter containing the Effective Date (the “Initial Period”) will receive a prorated payment of the quarterly installment of the applicable annual cash retainer(s), calculated based on the number of days during the Initial Period that such Outside Director has served in the relevant capacities.

3.    Equity Compensation. Outside Directors will be entitled to receive all types of Awards (except Incentive Stock Options) under the Plan, including discretionary Awards not covered under this Policy. All grants of Awards to Outside Directors pursuant to Sections 3(b) and 3(c) of this Policy will be automatic and nondiscretionary, except as otherwise provided herein, and will be made in accordance with the following provisions:

(a)    No Discretion. No person will have any discretion to select which Outside Directors will be granted Annual Awards (as defined below) under this Policy or to determine the number of Shares to be covered by such Awards (except as provided in Section 11 below).

(b)    Initial Awards. Each individual who first becomes an Outside Director following the Effective Date automatically will be granted an Option (an “Initial Award”) to purchase 158,000 Shares (which for clarity, will be adjusted pursuant to Section 8 for any reverse stock split to occur prior to the Effective Date in connection with the Company’s initial public offering). The grant date of the Initial Award will be the first Trading Day on or after the date on which such individual first becomes an Outside Director (such first date as an Outside Director, the “Initial Start Date”), whether through election by the stockholders of the Company or appointment by the Board to fill a vacancy. If an individual was an Inside Director, becoming an Outside Director due to termination of the individual’s status as an Employee will not entitle the Outside Director to an Initial Award. Each Initial Award will be scheduled to vest as to one thirty-sixth (1/36th) of the Shares subject at grant to the Initial Award on a monthly basis following the Initial Award’s grant date on the same day of the month as such grant date (or the last day of the month, if there is no corresponding day in such month), subject to the Outside Director remaining a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.

(c)    Annual Award. On the first Trading Day immediately following each Annual Meeting of the Company’s stockholders (an “Annual Meeting”) that occurs after the Effective Date, each Outside Director automatically will be granted an Option (the “Annual Award”) to purchase 79,000 Shares (which for clarity, will be adjusted pursuant to Section 8 for any reverse stock split to occur prior to the Effective Date in connection with the Company’s initial public offering), provided, however, that if an individual commenced service as an Outside Director after the date of the Annual Meeting that occurred immediately before such Annual Meeting, then the Annual Award granted to such Outside Director will be prorated based on the number of whole months that the individual served as an Outside Director prior to the Annual Award’s grant date during the twelve (12) month period

 

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immediately preceding such Annual Meeting (with any resulting fractional Share rounded down to the nearest whole Share). The Annual Award will be scheduled to vest as to one-twelfth (1/12th) of the Shares subject at grant to the Annual Award on a monthly basis following the Annual Award’s grant date on the same day of the month as such grant date (or the last day of the month, if there is no corresponding day in such month), or if earlier, the day before the date of the next Annual Meeting that occurs after the grant date of the Annual Award, subject to the Outside Director remaining a Service Provider through the applicable vesting date.

(d)    Additional Terms of Initial Awards and Annual Awards. The terms and conditions of each Initial Award and Annual Award will be as follows:

(1)    The term of each Initial Award and Annual Award will be ten (10) years, subject to earlier termination as provided in the Plan.

(2)    Each Initial Award and Annual Award will have a per Share exercise price equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the grant date.

4.    Change in Control. In the event of a Change in Control, each Outside Director will fully vest in his or her outstanding Company equity awards, including any Initial Award and Annual Award, provided that the Outside Director continues to be an Outside Director through the date of such Change in Control.

5.    Annual Compensation Limit. No Outside Director may be granted Awards with Values, and be provided any other compensation (including without limitation any cash retainers or fees) with amounts that, in any Fiscal Year, in the aggregate, exceed $1,000,000. Any Awards or other compensation provided to an individual (a) for his or her services as an Employee, or for his or her services as a Consultant other than as an Outside Director, or (b) before the Registration Date, will be excluded for purposes of this Section 5. For purposes of this Policy, “Value” means grant date fair value determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

6.    Travel Expenses. Each Outside Director’s reasonable, customary and documented travel expenses to meetings of the Board and its committees, as applicable, will be reimbursed by the Company.

7.    Additional Provisions. All provisions of the Plan not inconsistent with this Policy will apply to Awards granted to Outside Directors. Each Award granted under this Policy will be granted under the Plan and will be subject to the applicable Award Agreement adopted by the Board or its Compensation Committee for use under the Plan.

8.    Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, reclassification, repurchase, or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Shares occurs (other than ordinary dividends or other ordinary distributions), the Administrator, in order to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under this Policy, will adjust the number, class, and price of shares of stock issuable pursuant to Awards granted under this Policy.

 

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9.    Section 409A. In no event will cash compensation or expense reimbursement payments under this Policy be paid after the later of (i) the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the end of the Company’s taxable year in which the compensation is earned or expenses are incurred, as applicable, or (ii) the fifteenth (15th) day of the third (3rd) month following the end of the calendar year in which the compensation is earned or expenses are incurred, as applicable, in compliance with the “short-term deferral” exception under Section 409A. It is the intent of this Policy that this Policy and all payments hereunder be exempt from or otherwise comply with the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the compensation provided hereunder will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities or ambiguous terms herein will be interpreted to be so exempt or comply. In no event will the Company or any of its Parent or Subsidiaries have any responsibility, liability, or obligation to reimburse, indemnify, or hold harmless an Outside Director (or any other person) for any taxes imposed or other costs incurred as a result of Section 409A.

10.    Stockholder Approval. This Policy will be subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders.

11.    Revisions. The Board may amend, alter, suspend or terminate this Policy at any time and for any reason, including without limitation changing the terms of Initial Awards and Annual Awards. Further, the Board may provide for cash, equity, or other compensation to Outside Directors in addition to the compensation provided under this Policy. No amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Policy will materially impair the rights of an Outside Director with respect to compensation that already has been paid or awarded, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the Outside Director and the Company. Termination of this Policy will not affect the Board’s or the Compensation Committee’s ability to exercise the powers granted to it under the Plan with respect to Awards granted under the Plan pursuant to this Policy before the date of such termination.

*        *        *

 

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EX-10.11

Exhibit 10.11

ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.

CHANGE IN CONTROL AND SEVERANCE AGREEMENT

This Change in Control and Severance Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made by and between ALX Oncology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and                                                   (“Executive”), effective as of the Effective Date, as defined in Section 8 below.

This Agreement provides certain protections to Executive in connection with [a change in control of the Company or in connection with the involuntary termination of Executive’s employment under the circumstances described in this Agreement][an involuntary termination of Executive’s employment with the Company under the circumstances described in this Agreement, including in connection with a change in control of the Company]. Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Section 8 below.

The Company and Executive agree as follows:

1.    Term of Agreement. This Agreement will continue indefinitely until terminated by written consent of the parties hereto, or if earlier, upon the date that all of the obligations of the parties hereto with respect to this Agreement have been satisfied.

2.    At-Will Employment. The Company and Executive acknowledge that Executive’s employment is and will continue to be at-will, as defined under applicable law. No payments, benefits, or provisions under this Agreement will confer upon Executive any right to continue Executive’s employment with the Company, nor will they interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or Executive to terminate such relationship at any time, with or without cause, to the extent permitted by applicable laws.

3.    [Change in Control Vesting Acceleration. In the event of a Change in Control, one hundred percent (100%) of any Equity Awards that are outstanding and unvested as of immediately prior to the Change in Control will accelerate vesting.]

4.    Severance Benefits.

(a)    Qualifying Termination Outside of the Change in Control Period. In the event of a Qualifying Termination that occurs other than during the Change in Control Period, Executive will receive the following payments and benefits from the Company, subject to the requirements of this Agreement:

(i)    Salary Severance. A single, lump sum, cash payment equal to [one hundred percent (100%)][seventy-five percent (75%)][fifty percent (50%)] of Executive’s Salary.

(ii)    COBRA Severance. Subject to Executive timely electing continuation coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended (“COBRA”) and further subject to Section 6(c), Executive will receive Company-paid group health, dental and vision coverage for Executive and any of Executive’s eligible dependents, as applicable (the “COBRA Severance”), following the Qualifying Termination until the earliest


of: (A) [twelve (12) months][nine (9) months] [six (6) months] following the date of the Qualifying Termination, (B) the date on which Executive and Executive’s eligible dependents (as applicable) become covered under similar plans, or (C) the expiration of Executive’s (and any of Executive’s eligible dependents’, as applicable) eligibility for continuation coverage under COBRA.

(b)    Qualifying Termination During the Change in Control Period. In the event of a Qualifying Termination that occurs during the Change in Control Period, Executive will receive the following payments and benefits from the Company, subject to the requirements of this Agreement:

(i)    Salary Severance. A single, lump sum, cash payment equal to [one hundred fifty percent (150%)][one hundred percent (100%)][seventy-five percent (75%)] of Executive’s Salary.

(ii)    Bonus Severance. A single, lump sum, cash payment equal to [one hundred fifty percent (150%)][one hundred percent (100%)][seventy-five percent (75%)] of Executive’s Target Bonus.

(iii)    COBRA Severance. Subject to Executive timely electing continuation coverage under COBRA and further subject to Section 6(c), Executive will receive COBRA Severance until the earliest of: (A) [eighteen (18) months][ twelve (12) months] [nine (9) months] following the date of the Qualifying Termination, (B) the date on which Executive and Executive’s eligible dependents (as applicable) become covered under similar plans, or (C) the expiration of Executive’s (and any of Executive’s eligible dependents, as applicable) eligibility for continuation coverage under COBRA.

(iv)    Vesting Acceleration of Service-based Equity Awards. Vesting acceleration of one hundred percent (100%) of any Equity Awards that are outstanding and unvested as of the date of the Qualifying Termination. For the avoidance of doubt, in the event of Executive’s Qualifying Termination that occurs prior to a Change in Control, any then outstanding and unvested portion of Executive’s Awards will remain outstanding (and unvested) until the earlier of (x) three (3) months following the Qualifying Termination, or (y) a Change in Control that occurs within three (3) months following the Qualifying Termination, solely so that any benefits due on a Qualifying Termination can be provided if the Qualifying Termination occurs during the Change in Control Period (provided that in no event will Executive’s stock option Awards or similar Awards remain outstanding beyond the Award’s maximum term to expiration). If no Change in Control occurs within three (3) months following a Qualifying Termination, any unvested portion of Executive’s Awards automatically and permanently will be forfeited on the date three (3) months following the date of the Qualifying Termination without having vested.

(c)    Termination Other Than a Qualifying Termination. If the termination of Executive’s employment does not constitute a Qualifying Termination, then Executive will not be entitled to receive any severance or other benefits in connection with such termination except for those, if any, as may then be established under the Company’s then existing severance and benefits plans or programs.

 

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(d)    Non-duplication of Payment or Benefits. For purposes of clarity, in the event of a Qualifying Termination that occurs during the period within three (3) months prior to a Change in Control, any severance payments and benefits to be provided to Executive under Section 4(b) will be reduced by any amounts that already were provided to Executive under Section 4(a). Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if Executive is entitled to any cash severance, continued health coverage benefits, vesting acceleration of any Awards, or other severance or separation benefits similar to those provided under this Agreement, by operation of applicable law or under a plan, policy, contract, or arrangement sponsored by or to which the Company is a party other than this Agreement (“Other Benefits”), then the corresponding severance payments and benefits under this Agreement will be reduced by the amount of Other Benefits paid or provided to Executive.

(e)    Death of Executive. In the event of Executive’s death before all payments or benefits Executive is entitled to receive under this Agreement have been provided, the unpaid amounts will be provided to Executive’s designated beneficiary, if living, or otherwise to Executive’s personal representative in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

5.    Accrued Compensation. On any termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive will be entitled to receive all accrued but unpaid vacation, expense reimbursements, wages, and other benefits due to Executive under any Company-provided plans, policies, and arrangements.

6.    Conditions to Receipt of Severance.

(a)    Separation Agreement and Release of Claims. Executive’s receipt of any severance payments or benefits upon a Qualifying Termination under Section 4 is subject to Executive signing and not revoking the Company’s then standard separation agreement and release of claims with the Company (the “Release”), which must become effective and irrevocable no later than the sixtieth (60th) day following the date of the Qualifying Termination (the “Release Deadline Date”). If the Release does not become effective and irrevocable by the Release Deadline Date, Executive will forfeit any right to severance payments or benefits under Section 4.

(b)    Payment Timing. Any lump sum cash severance payments under Section 4 relating to salary severance and any bonus severance will be provided to Executive on the first regularly scheduled payroll date of the Company following the date the Release becomes effective and irrevocable, subject to any delay required by Section 6(d) below. Any Equity Awards that are restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units, and/or similar full value awards (“Full Value Awards”) that accelerate vesting under Section 4(b)(iv) will be settled, subject to any delay required by Section 6(d) below (or the terms of the Full Value Award agreement or other Company plan, policy, or arrangement governing the settlement timing of the Full Value Award to the extent such terms specifically require any such delay in order to comply with the requirements of Section 409A, as applicable [(the “FVA Terms”)]), (i) on a date within ten (10) days following the date the Release becomes effective and irrevocable, or (ii) if later, in the event of a Qualifying Termination that occurs prior to a Change in Control, on a date on or before the date of completion of the Change in Control. [Any Full Value Awards that accelerate vesting under Section 3 will be settled, subject to any delay required by Section 6(d) below (or any applicable FVA Terms), on a date on or before the date of completion of the Change in Control.]

 

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(c)    COBRA Severance Limitations. If the Company determines in its sole discretion that it cannot provide the COBRA Severance without potentially violating, or being subject to an excise tax under, applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act), then in lieu of such COBRA Severance, subject to any delay required by Section 6(d) below, the Company will provide to Executive a taxable monthly payment payable on the last day of a given month (except as provided by the immediately following sentence), in an amount equal to the monthly COBRA premium that Executive would be required to pay to continue Executive’s group health coverage in effect on the date of the Qualifying Termination (which amount will be based on the premium rates applicable for the first month of COBRA Severance for Executive and any eligible dependents of Executive) (each, a “COBRA Replacement Payment”), which COBRA Replacement Payments will be made regardless of whether Executive elects COBRA continuation coverage and will end on the earlier of (i) the date upon which Executive obtains other employment, or (ii) the date the Company has paid an amount totaling the number of COBRA Replacement Payments equal to the number of months in the applicable COBRA Severance period set forth in clause (A) of Section 4(a)(ii) or Section 4(b)(iii), as applicable. For the avoidance of doubt, the COBRA Replacement Payments may be used for any purpose, including, but not limited to continuation coverage under COBRA, and will be subject to any applicable withholdings. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary under this Agreement, if the Company determines in its sole discretion at any time that it cannot provide the COBRA Replacement Payments without violating applicable law (including, without limitation, Section 2716 of the Public Health Service Act), Executive will not receive the COBRA Replacement Payments or any further COBRA Severance.

(d)    Section 409A. The Company intends that all payments and benefits provided under this Agreement or otherwise are exempt from, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A so that none of the payments or benefits will be subject to the additional tax imposed under Section 409A, and any ambiguities and ambiguous terms in this Agreement will be interpreted in accordance with this intent. No payments or benefits to be provided to Executive, if any, under this Agreement or otherwise, when considered together with any other severance payments or separation benefits that are considered deferred compensation under Section 409A (together, the “Deferred Payments”) will be paid or otherwise provided until Executive has a “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A. To the extent required to be exempt from or comply with Section 409A, references to the termination of Executive’s employment or similar phrases used in this Agreement will mean Executive’s “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A.

(i)    Any payments or benefits paid or provided under this Agreement that satisfy the requirements of the “short-term deferral” rule under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(4), or that qualify as payments made as a result of an involuntary separation from service under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) that is within the limit set forth thereunder, will not constitute Deferred Payments for purposes of this Section 6(d).

(ii)    Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in this Agreement, if Executive is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Section 409A at the time of Executive’s separation from service (other than due to death), then any payments or benefits under this Agreement that constitute Deferred Payments payable within the first six (6) months after Executive’s separation from service instead will be payable on the date six (6) months and one (1)

 

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day after Executive’s separation from service; provided that in the event of Executive’s death within such six (6) month period, any payments delayed by this subsection (ii) will be paid to Executive in a lump sum as soon as administratively practicable after the date of Executive’s death. To the extent that Executive is not a specified employee but Executive’s Qualifying Termination occurs at a time during the year whereby the Release Deadline Date will occur in the year immediately following the year in which the Qualifying Termination occurs, then any payments or benefits under this Agreement that constitute Deferred Payments that otherwise would be payable prior to the Release Deadline Date instead will be paid on the first regularly scheduled payroll date of the Company following the Release Deadline Date.

(iii)    The Company reserves the right to amend this Agreement as it considers necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion and without the consent of Executive or any other individual, to comply with any provision required to avoid the imposition of the additional tax imposed under Section 409A or to otherwise avoid income recognition under Section 409A prior to the actual payment of any benefits or imposition of any additional tax. Each payment, installment, and benefit payable under this Agreement is intended to constitute a separate payment for purposes of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-2(b)(2). In no event will Executive have any discretion to choose Executive’s taxable year in which any payments or benefits are provided under this Agreement. In no event will the Company or any parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company have any responsibility, liability or obligation to reimburse, indemnify or hold harmless Executive for any taxes, penalties or interest that may be imposed, or other costs that may be incurred, as a result of Section 409A.

7.    Limitation on Payments.

(a)    Reduction of Severance Benefits. If any payment or benefit that Executive would receive from the Company or any other party whether in connection with the provisions in this Agreement or otherwise (the “Payments”) would (i) constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and (ii) but for this sentence, be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then the Payments will be either delivered in full, or delivered as to such lesser extent that would result in no portion of the Payments being subject to the Excise Tax, whichever of the foregoing amounts, taking into account the applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the Excise Tax, results in Executive’s receipt, on an after-tax basis, of the greatest amount of Payments, notwithstanding that all or some of the Payments may be subject to the Excise Tax. If a reduction in Payments is made in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence, the reduction will occur, with respect to the Payments considered parachute payments within the meaning of Code Section 280G, in the following order: (A) reduction of cash payments in reverse chronological order (that is, the cash payment owed on the latest date following the occurrence of the event triggering the Excise Tax will be the first cash payment to be reduced); (B) cancellation of equity awards that were granted “contingent on a change in ownership or control” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code in the reverse order of date of grant of the equity awards (that is, the most recently granted equity awards will be cancelled first); (C) reduction of the accelerated vesting of equity awards in the reverse order of date of grant of the equity awards (that is, the vesting of the most recently granted equity awards will be cancelled first); and (D) reduction of employee benefits in reverse chronological order (that is, the benefit owed on the latest date following the occurrence of the

 

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event triggering the Excise Tax will be the first benefit to be reduced). In no event will Executive have any discretion with respect to the ordering of Payment reductions. Executive will be solely responsible for the payment of all personal tax liability that is incurred as a result of the payments and benefits received under this Agreement, and neither the Company nor any parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company have any responsibility, liability or obligation to reimburse, indemnify or hold harmless Executive for any of those payments of personal tax liability.

(b)    Determination of Excise Tax Liability. Unless the Company and Executive otherwise agree in writing, any determinations required under this Section 7 will be made in writing by a nationally recognized accounting or valuation firm (the “Firm”) selected by the Company, whose determinations will be conclusive and binding upon Executive and the Company for all purposes. For purposes of making the calculations required by this Section 7, the Firm may make reasonable assumptions and approximations concerning applicable taxes and may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code. The Company and Executive will furnish to the Firm such information and documents as the Firm reasonably may request in order to make determinations under this Section 7. The Company will bear the costs and make all payments required to be made to the Firm for the Firm’s services that are rendered in connection with any calculations contemplated by this Section 7. The Company will have no liability to Executive for the determinations of the Firm.

8.    Definitions. The following terms referred to in this Agreement will have the following meanings:

(a)    “Award” means stock options and other equity awards covering shares of Company common stock granted to Executive.

(b)    “Board” means the Company’s Board of Directors.

(c)    “Cause” means Executive’s: (i) dishonesty of a material nature; (ii) theft or embezzlement of Company funds or assets; (iii) being convicted of, or guilty plea or no contest plea to, a felony charge or any misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, or the entry of a consent decree with any governmental body; (iv) noncompliance in any material respect with any U.S. or non-U.S. laws or regulations; (v) violation of any express direction or any rule, regulation or policy established by the Company or the Board; (vi) material breach of this Agreement or the Confidentiality Agreement; (vii) breach of any fiduciary duty to the Company; (viii) gross incompetence, neglect, or misconduct in the performance of Executive’s duties; or (ix) repeated failure to perform Executive’s duties and responsibilities for the Company or follow the reasonable and lawful instructions of the Company.

(d)    “Change in Control” means the first occurrence of any of the following events on or after the Effective Date:

(i)    Change in Ownership of the Company. A change in the ownership of the Company which occurs on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group (“Person”), acquires ownership of the stock of the Company that, together with the stock held by such Person, constitutes more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection, the acquisition of

 

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additional stock by any one Person, who is considered to own more than fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power of the stock of the Company will not be considered a Change in Control; provided, further, that any change in the ownership of the stock of the Company as a result of a private financing of the Company that is approved by the Board also will not be considered a Change in Control. Further, if the stockholders of the Company immediately before such change in ownership continue to retain immediately after the change in ownership, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company’s voting stock immediately prior to the change in ownership, direct or indirect beneficial ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the total voting power of the stock of the Company or of the ultimate parent entity of the Company, such event shall not be considered a Change in Control under this subsection (i). For this purpose, indirect beneficial ownership shall include, without limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting securities of one or more corporations or other business entities which own the Company, as the case may be, either directly or through one or more subsidiary corporations or other business entities; or

(ii)    Change in Effective Control of the Company. If the Company has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, a change in the effective control of the Company which occurs on the date that a majority of members of the Board is replaced during any twelve (12) month period by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election. For purposes of this subsection (ii), if any Person is considered to be in effective control of the Company, the acquisition of additional control of the Company by the same Person will not be considered a Change in Control; or

(iii)    Change in Ownership of a Substantial Portion of the Companys Assets. A change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets which occurs on the date that any Person acquires (or has acquired during the twelve (12) month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such Person or Persons) assets from the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately prior to such acquisition or acquisitions; provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (iii), the following will not constitute a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of the Company’s assets: (A) a transfer to an entity that is controlled by the Company’s stockholders immediately after the transfer, or (B) a transfer of assets by the Company to: (1) a stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange for or with respect to the Company’s stock, (2) an entity, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, (3) a Person, that owns, directly or indirectly, fifty percent (50%) or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of the Company, or (4) an entity, at least fifty percent (50%) of the total value or voting power of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by a Person described in this subsection (iii)(B)(3). For purposes of this subsection (iii), gross fair market value means the value of the assets of the Company, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

For purposes of this definition, persons will be considered to be acting as a group if they are owners of a corporation that enters into a merger, consolidation, purchase or acquisition of stock, or similar business transaction with the Company.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, a transaction will not be deemed a Change in Control unless the transaction qualifies as a change in control event within the meaning of Section 409A. Further and for the avoidance of doubt, a transaction will not constitute a Change in Control if: (x) its sole purpose is to change the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation, or (y) its sole purpose is to create a holding company that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such transaction.

(e)    “Change in Control Period” means the period beginning on the date three (3) months prior to a Change in Control and ending on (and inclusive of) the date that is the one (1) year anniversary of a Change in Control.

(f)    “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Reference to a specific section of the Code or regulation thereunder will include such section or regulation, any valid regulation promulgated under such section, and any comparable provision of any future legislation or regulation amending, supplementing or superseding such section or regulation.

(g)    “Confidentiality Agreement” means Executive’s Employee Confidentiality, Inventions and Non-Interference Agreement entered into with the Company dated [Date].

(h)    “Director” means a member of the Board.

(i)    “Disability” means total and permanent disability as defined in Code Section 22(e)(3).

(j)    “Effective Date” means the business day immediately prior to the effective date of the first registration statement that is filed by the Company and declared effective pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

(k)    “Equity Awards” means Awards that, as of the date of the Qualifying Termination, or in the case of a Qualifying Termination during the Change in Control Period, the later of the date of the Qualifying Termination or immediately prior to the Change in Control, are held by Executive and subject to continued service-based vesting criteria, but not subject to the achievement of any performance-based or other similar vesting criteria.

(l)    “Good Reason” means Executive’s termination of Executive’s employment with the Company within thirty (30) days following the end of the Company’s Cure Period (as defined below) as a result of the occurrence of any of the following without Executive’s written consent: (i) a material diminution in Executive’s base salary; (ii) the assignment to Executive of duties that are materially inconsistent with Executive’s duties that results in a material diminution of Executive’s duties with the Company in effect immediately prior to such assignment; (iii) a material diminution in Executive’s authority, responsibilities, or job title; (iv) a material change in the location of Executive’s primary place of work to a location more than thirty (30) miles from Executive’s primary place of work immediately prior to such change and that is further from Executive’s residence; provided, however, that Executive must provide written notice to [the Board][the Company] of the condition that could constitute a “Good Reason” event within sixty (60) days following the initial existence of such condition and such condition must not have been

 

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remedied by the Company within thirty (30) days (the “Cure Period”) of such written notice. To the extent Executive’s primary work location is Executive’s residence due to a shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement that applies to Executive, Executive’s primary place of work, from which a change in location under the foregoing clause (iv) will be measured, will be considered the Company’s office location where Executive’s employment with the Company primarily was based immediately prior to the commencement of such shelter-in-place order or similar work-from-home arrangement.

(m)    “Qualifying Termination” means a termination of Executive’s employment with the Company either (i) by the Company without Cause and other than due to Executive’s death or Disability, or (ii) by Executive for Good Reason.

(n)    “Salary” means Executive’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to Executive’s Qualifying Termination (or, if the termination is due to a resignation for Good Reason based on a [material] reduction in Executive’s base salary, then Executive’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the reduction) or, if Executive’s Qualifying Termination occurs during the Change in Control Period and the amount is greater, Executive’s annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control.

(o)    “Section 409A” means Code Section 409A and the Treasury Regulations and guidance thereunder, and any applicable state law equivalent, as each may be promulgated, amended or modified from time to time.

(p)    “Target Bonus” means Executive’s annual (or annualized, if applicable) target bonus in effect immediately prior to Executive’s Qualifying Termination or, if Executive’s Qualifying Termination occurs during the Change in Control Period and the amount is greater, Executive’s annual (or annualized, if applicable) target bonus in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control.

9.    Successors. This Agreement will be binding upon and inure to the benefit of (a) the heirs, executors, and legal representatives of Executive upon Executive’s death, and (b) any successor of the Company. Any such successor of the Company will be deemed substituted for the Company under the terms of this Agreement for all purposes. For this purpose, “successor” means any person, firm, corporation, or other business entity which at any time, whether by purchase, merger, or otherwise, directly or indirectly acquires all or substantially all of the assets or business of the Company. None of the rights of Executive to receive any form of compensation payable pursuant to this Agreement may be assigned or transferred except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Any other attempted assignment, transfer, conveyance, or other disposition of Executive’s right to compensation or other benefits will be null and void.

10.    Notice.

(a)    General. All notices and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement will be in writing and will be effectively given (i) upon actual delivery to the party to be notified, (ii) upon transmission by email, (iii) twenty-four (24) hours after confirmed facsimile transmission, (iv) one (1) business day after deposit with a recognized overnight courier, or (v) three (3) business days after deposit with the U.S. Postal Service by first class certified or

 

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registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed: (A) if to Executive, at the address Executive will have most recently furnished to the Company in writing, (B) if to the Company, at the following address:

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.

866 Malcolm Road, Suite 100

Burlingame, California 94010

Attention: [General Counsel]

(b)    Notice of Termination. Any termination of Executive’s employment by the Company for Cause will be communicated by a notice of termination of Executive’s employment to Executive, and any termination by Executive for Good Reason will be communicated by a notice of termination to the Company, in each case given in accordance with Section 10(a). The notice will indicate the specific termination provision in this Agreement relied upon, will set forth in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination under the provision so indicated, and will specify the termination date (which will be not more than thirty (30) days after the later of (i) the giving of the notice or (ii) the end of any applicable cure period).

11.    Resignation. The termination of Executive’s employment for any reason also will constitute, without any further required action by Executive, Executive’s voluntary resignation from all officer and/or director positions held at the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and at the Board’s request, Executive will execute any documents reasonably necessary to reflect the resignations.

12.    Miscellaneous Provisions.

(a)    No Duty to Mitigate. Executive will not be required to mitigate the amount of any payment contemplated by this Agreement, nor will any payment be reduced by any earnings that Executive may receive from any other source except as specified in Sections 4(d), 6(d) and 7.

(b)    Waiver; Amendment. No provision of this Agreement will be modified, waived or discharged unless the modification, waiver or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by an authorized officer of the Company (other than Executive) and by Executive. No waiver by either party of any breach of, or of compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement by the other party will be considered a waiver of any other condition or provision or of the same condition or provision at another time.

(c)    Headings. Headings are provided herein for convenience only, and will not serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of this Agreement.

(d)    Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Confidentiality Agreement, [Executive’s confirmatory employment letter with the Company dated [date],] and the Company’s 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and award agreements thereunder governing Executive’s stock option Awards, constitutes the entire agreement of the parties and supersedes in their entirety all prior representations, understandings, undertakings or agreements (whether oral or written and whether expressed or implied) of the parties with respect to the subject matter of this Agreement[, including without limitation, Executive’s Employment Agreement entered into with the Company dated [date]].

 

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(e)    Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of [California] but without regard to the conflict of law provision. To the extent that any lawsuit is permitted with respect to any provisions under this Agreement, Executive hereby expressly consents to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in the State of California for any lawsuit filed against Executive by the Company.

(f)    Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such invalidity, illegality, or unenforceability will not affect the remaining parts of this Agreement, and this Agreement will be construed and enforced as if the invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision had not been included.

(g)    Withholding. The Company (and any parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company, as applicable) will have the right and authority to deduct from any payments or benefits all applicable federal, state, local, and/or non-U.S. taxes or other required withholdings and payroll deductions (“Withholdings”). Prior to the payment of any amounts or provision of any benefits under this Agreement, the Company (and any parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company, as applicable) is permitted to deduct or withhold, or require Executive to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy any applicable Withholdings with respect to such payments and benefits. Neither the Company nor any parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of the Company will have any responsibility, liability or obligation to pay Executive’s taxes arising from or relating to any payments or benefits under this Agreement.

(h)    Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which will be deemed an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument.

By its signature below, each of the parties signifies its acceptance of the terms of this Agreement, in the case of the Company by its duly authorized officer.

 

COMPANY     ALX ONCOLOGY HOLDINGS INC.
    By:  

 

      [Name]
    Title:  

 

    Date:  

 

EXECUTIVE    

 

    [Name]  
    Date:  

 

 

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EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

ALX Oncology Holdings Inc.:

We consent to the use of our report dated June 12, 2020, except for the retroactive effect of the reverse stock split as described under the heading ‘Reverse Stock Split’ in Note 4, which is as of July 13, 2020, with respect to the balance sheet of ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. as of April 1, 2020 (inception), and the related notes, included herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California

July 13, 2020

EX-23.2

Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

ALX Oncology Limited:

We consent to the use of our report dated May 5, 2020, except for the retroactive effect of the reverse stock split as described under the heading ‘Reverse Stock Split’ in Note 13, which is as of July 13, 2020, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of ALX Oncology Limited as of December 31, 2018 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, convertible preferred shares and shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes, included herein and to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” in the prospectus.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Francisco, California

July 13, 2020