OPEN MARKET SALE AGREEMENTSM
Exhibit 1.1
October 15, 2021
JEFFERIES LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Silence Therapeutics plc, a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales with registered number 02992058 (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell from time to time through Xxxxxxxxx LLC, as sales agent and/or principal (the “Agent”), American Depositary Shares of the Company (the “ADSs”), each representing three ordinary shares, nominal value £0.05 per share in the capital of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”), on the terms set forth in this agreement (this “Agreement”).
The ADSs may be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) issued pursuant to a deposit agreement, dated as of September 4, 2020, (the “Deposit Agreement”), by and among the Company, The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary (the “Depositary”), and all holders and beneficial holders of the ADSs issued thereunder. The Company shall, following subscription by the Agent of the ADSs, deposit, on behalf of the Agent, the Ordinary Shares represented by such ADSs (the “Underlying Shares”) with The Bank of New York Mellon, acting through an office located in the United Kingdom, as custodian for the Depositary (the “Custodian”), pursuant to which the Depositary (or the Custodian acting on behalf of the Depositary) shall deliver the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing ADSs) to the Agent.
References in this Agreement to (1) the Company issuing and selling ADSs through the Agent, and similar or analogous expressions, shall be understood to include references to the Company allotting and issuing the new Ordinary Shares underlying those ADSs to the Depositary or its nominee and procuring the issue of ADSs representing such Ordinary Shares by the Depositary or its nominee to the Agent (acting as agent and/or principal); and (2) the purchase of, or payment for, any ADSs, and similar or analogous expressions, shall be understood to refer to the subscription for the Ordinary Shares underlying those ADSs, as well as the deposit of the Ordinary Shares for ADSs representing such Ordinary Shares, and the payment of the subscription moneys in respect of such Ordinary Shares.
Section 1. DEFINITIONS
(a) Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the following respective meanings:
“Agency Period” means the period commencing on the date of this Agreement and expiring on the earliest to occur of (x) the date on which the Agent shall have placed the Maximum Program Amount pursuant to this Agreement and (y) the date this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 7.
“AIM” means AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange, on which the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading.
“AIM Delisting” means the proposed cancellation of the admission of the Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM which was announced on October 15, 2021, and (subject to shareholder approval and actions required pursuant to Rule 41 of the AIM Rules for Companies) is expected to become effective on November 30, 2021.
SM | “Open Market Sale Agreement” is a service xxxx of Xxxxxxxxx LLC |
“AIM Rules for Companies” means the rules for companies published by the London Stock Exchange setting out the rules and responsibilities governing AIM listed companies, as amended or re-issued from time to time.
“CA 2006” means the UK Companies Xxx 0000, as amended.
“Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Delisting Effective Date” means the date on which the AIM Delisting takes effect in accordance with the AIM Rules for Companies (as amended);
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“Floor Price” means the minimum price set by the Company in the Issuance Notice below which the Agent shall not sell Shares (as defined below) during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice, which may be adjusted by the Company at any time during the period set forth in the Issuance Notice by delivering written notice of such change to the Agent and which in no event shall be less than $1.00 without the prior written consent of the Agent, which may be withheld in the Agent’s sole discretion (and in no event shall be less than the nominal value per Ordinary Share represented by the ADSs).
“Issuance Amount” means the aggregate Sales Price of the Shares to be sold by the Agent pursuant to any Issuance Notice.
“Issuance Notice” means a written notice delivered to the Agent by the Company in accordance with this Agreement in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A that is executed by its Chief Executive Officer, President or Chief Financial Officer.
“Issuance Notice Date” means any Trading Day during the Agency Period that an Issuance Notice is delivered pursuant to Section 3(b)(i).
“Issuance Price” means the Sales Price less the Selling Commission.
“London Stock Exchange” means London Stock Exchange plc.
“Maximum Program Amount” means Shares with an aggregate Sales Price of the lesser of (a) the number or dollar amount of Underlying Shares registered under the effective Registration Statement (defined below) pursuant to which the offering is being made, (b) the number of Ordinary Shares representing the pound sterling nominal amount of Ordinary Shares that the Company’s board of directors or a duly authorized committee thereof is authorized to allot from time to time, in accordance with the Company’s articles of association and pursuant to a valid authority under section 551 of the CA 2006 and a valid power under section 570 of the CA 2006 and, if applicable, section 571 of the CA 2006 to allot Ordinary Shares as if section 561 of the CA 2006 did not apply (less any Ordinary Shares issued or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into Ordinary Shares granted pursuant to such authorities) , (c) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares, as evidenced by ADSs, permitted to be sold under Form F-3 (including General Instruction I.B.5 thereof, if applicable) and Form F-6, as applicable, or (d) the number or dollar amount of ADSs for which the Company has filed a Prospectus (defined below).
“Person” means an individual or a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, joint stock company, governmental authority or other entity of any kind.
“Principal Market” means the Nasdaq Global Market or such other U.S. national securities exchange on which the ADSs, including any Shares, are then listed.
“Privacy Laws” means any applicable laws relating to the processing, privacy and/or use of personally identifiable information, including U.S. federal, state, local data security and data protection laws and regulations, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (the “GDPR”), the GDPR as it forms part of UK law by virtue of section 3 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the “UK GDPR”) and the UK’s Data Protection Xxx 0000, as amended, and any laws that replace, extend, re-enact, consolidate or amend any of the foregoing.
“Sales Price” means the actual sale execution price of each Share placed by the Agent pursuant to this Agreement.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
“Selling Commission” means three percent (3.0%) of the gross proceeds of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement, or as otherwise agreed between the Company and the Agent with respect to any Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement.
“Settlement Date” means the second business day following each Trading Day during the period set forth in the Issuance Notice on which Shares are sold pursuant to this Agreement, when the Company shall deliver to the Agent the amount of Shares sold on such Trading Day and the Agent shall deliver to the Company the Issuance Price received on such sales.
“Shares” shall mean the Company’s ADSs issued or issuable pursuant to this Agreement.
“Trading Day” means any day on which the Principal Market is open for trading.
Section 2. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Agent that as of (1) the date of this Agreement, (2) each Issuance Notice Date, (3) each Settlement Date, (4) each Triggering Event Date with respect to which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o) and (5) each Time of Sale (each of the times referenced above is referred to herein as a “Representation Date”), except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto) on or before a Representation Date:
(a) Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed, or will file, with the Commission a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 that contains a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”). Such registration statement registers the issuance and sale by the Company of the Underlying Shares under the Securities Act. The Company may file one or more additional registration statements from time to time that will contain a base prospectus and related prospectus or prospectus supplement, if applicable, with respect to the Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement(s), including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, including all financial statements, exhibits and schedules thereto and all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference pursuant to Item 6 of Form F-3 under the Securities Act as from time to time amended or supplemented, is herein referred to as the “Registration Statement,” and the prospectus constituting a part of such registration statement(s), together with any prospectus supplement filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act relating to a particular issuance of the Shares, including all documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference pursuant to Item 6 of Form F-3 under the Securities Act, in each case, as from time to time amended or supplemented, is referred to herein as the “Prospectus,” except that if any revised prospectus is provided to the Agent by the Company for use in connection with the offering of the Shares that is not required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, the term “Prospectus” shall refer to such revised prospectus from and after the time it is first provided to the Agent for such use. The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement.” As used in this Agreement, the terms “amendment” or “supplement” when applied to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to include the filing by the Company with the Commission of any document under the Exchange Act after the date hereof that is or is deemed to be incorporated therein by reference. The Company and the Depositary have filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-6 (No. 333-248217) covering the
registration of the ADSs under the Securities Act. The registration statements relating to the ADSs are hereinafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statement.” The ADS Registration Statement has (i) been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, (ii) been properly filed with the Commission under the Securities Act and (iii) become effective under the Securities Act. Copies of the ADS Registration Statement have been delivered by the Company to the Agent. The Commission has not issued any order suspending the effectiveness of the ADS Registration Statement, and no proceeding for that purpose has been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The ADS Registration Statement, at the time it became effective under the Securities Act and at each Representation Date, (i) conformed and will conform in all respects to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and (ii) and did not, as of the applicable effective date and will not, on such Representation Date, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained,” “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus (and all other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed under the Securities Act to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, as of any specified date; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include, without limitation, the filing of any document under the Exchange Act which is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed under the Securities Act to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus, as the case may be, as of any specified date.
At the time the Original Registration Statement was or is declared effective and at the time the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F or other applicable form was filed with the Commission, if later, the Company met the then-applicable requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Securities Act. During the Agency Period, each time the Company files an annual report on Form 20-F or other applicable form the Company will meet the then-applicable requirements for use of Form F-3 or Form S-3, as applicable, under the Securities Act.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements. The Original Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement have been or will be declared effective by the Commission under the Securities Act. The Company has complied or will comply to the Commission’s satisfaction with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is in effect and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.
The Prospectus when filed complied or will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and, if filed with the Commission through its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“XXXXX”) (except as may be permitted by Regulation S T under the Securities Act), was or will be identical to the copy thereof delivered to the Agent for use in connection with the issuance and sale of the Shares. Each of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) 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 date of this Agreement, the Prospectus and any Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) considered together (collectively, the “Time of Sale Information”) did 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, as amended or supplemented, as of its date and at each Representation Date, did not and 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, the ADS Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto, or the Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements thereto, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Agent furnished to the Company in writing by the Agent expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Agent to the Company consists of the information described in Section 6 below. There are no contracts or other documents
required to be described in the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which have not been described or filed as required. The Registration Statement and the offer and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby meet the requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act and comply in all material respects with said rule.
(c) Ineligible Issuer Status. The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any Free Writing Prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act. Each Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending, and each such Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the issuance and sale of the Shares did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts with or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein. Except for the Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, and electronic road shows, if any, furnished to the Agent before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the Agent’s prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any Free Writing Prospectus.
(d) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the Prospectus, at the time they were filed with the Commission, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, do not contain an 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, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(e) Exchange Act Compliance. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, and any Free Writing Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and, when read together with the other information in the Prospectus, at the time the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and any amendments thereto become effective and at each Time of Sale (as defined below), as the case may be, will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Company is subject to and in compliance with the reporting requirements of Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
(f) Emerging Growth Company Status. From the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). The Company agrees to notify the Agent as soon as practicable, but no later than 10 calendar days, if it ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company during the Agency Period.
(g) Statistical and Market-Related Data. All statistical, demographic and market-related data included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate. To the extent required, the Company has obtained the written consent for the use of such data from such sources.
(h) Disclosure Controls and Procedures; Deficiencies in or Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15 and 15d 15 under the Exchange Act), which (i) enable the Company to comply with the applicable requirements of the AIM Rules for Companies (prior to the Delisting Effective Date), (ii) 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; (iii) have been evaluated by management of the Company for effectiveness as of the end of the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter; and (iv) are effective in all material respects to perform the functions for which they were established. Since the end of the
Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there have been no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company is not aware of any change in its internal control over financial reporting that has occurred during its most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(i) This Agreement. The Company has the corporate power to enter into this Agreement and this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms.
(j) Authorization and Description of Ordinary Shares. On each Settlement Date, the Company and its directors will have the power and authority to allot and issue the Underlying Shares to be delivered on such Settlement Date pursuant to this Agreement without further sanction or consent by any securityholder of the Company (including under section 551 of the CA 2006) and, when the Underlying Shares are issued and allotted by the Company to the Custodian (or its nominee) and the ADSs are issued and delivered pursuant to the Deposit Agreement against payment of the consideration therefor, those ADSs (and the Underlying Shares) will be validly allotted and issued and fully paid without any encumbrance or call for payment of further capital; and on each Settlement Date, the issuance of the Underlying Shares will not be subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company (including under section 561 of the CA 2006), or any such rights will have been validly waived or disapplied. Except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Underlying Shares will rank equally in all respects with the existing Ordinary Shares. The Ordinary Shares will conform to all statements relating thereto contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same. Upon the delivery to the Custodian of the Shares, the Depositary will, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Shares, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances.
(k) Registration Rights or Other Similar Rights. There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities registered for sale pursuant to the Registration Statement or otherwise registered for sale or sold by the Company under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement, other than those rights that have been disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and have been validly waived.
(l) No Material Adverse Changes. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus: (A) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that would be reasonably expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business, properties, operations, operating results, assets, liabilities or affairs or business prospects, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries of the Company (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), 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, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business a “Material Adverse Change” or “Material Adverse Effect”), (C) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of 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 (D) there has not been any material decrease in the share capital or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (E) there have been no material losses or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or action, order or decree of any court or governmental or regulatory authority, otherwise
than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus and (F) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries on any class of share capital, or any repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any class of share capital.
(m) Transfer Taxes. No stamp duty, stamp duty reserve, issuance, registration, documentary, transfer or other similar taxes or duties (“Transfer Taxes”) are payable in the United States or the United Kingdom by or on behalf of the Agent in connection with (i) the issuance and/or delivery of the Underlying Shares and/or the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) in each case in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (ii) the sale (including the agreement for sale) or delivery of the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) to or for the account of the Agent in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (iii) the sale (including the agreement for sale) or delivery by the Agent of the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company to or for the account of the initial purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.
(n) Dividends and Distributions. Except as described in the Prospectus, no approvals are currently required in England and Wales for the Company to pay dividends or other distributions declared by the Company to the holders of the Ordinary Shares. Any amount payable with respect to the Ordinary Shares and upon liquidation of the Company or upon redemption thereof and all dividends and other distributions declared and payable on the Ordinary Shares may under applicable English law and regulations be paid to the Depositary in pounds sterling and may be converted into foreign currency that may be freely transferred out of the United Kingdom in accordance with the Deposit Agreement, no such payments are subject to any withholding taxes under the current laws and regulations of the United Kingdom, and each such payment may be made without the necessity of obtaining any governmental authorization in the United Kingdom or any political subdivision thereof or therein. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, no Subsidiary 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.
(o) Foreign Private Issuer. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, unless the Company has notified the Agent that it is no longer a Foreign Private Issuer. During the Agency Period, the Company agrees to notify the Agent as soon as practicable upon the Company ceasing to be a Foreign Private Issuer.
(p) Passive Foreign Investment Company. Based on the Company’s current estimates and certain assumptions with respect to the characterization of its gross income and its gross assets, and the nature of its business and its current business plan, the Company does not believe it was a “passive foreign investment company” (as defined in Section 1297 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and the regulations and published regulations thereunder) for its taxable year ended December 31, 2020.
(q) Shell Company. The Company is not a shell company (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) and has not been a shell company at any time during the twelve calendar months prior to the date hereof.
(r) Independent Accountants. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which has certified the Company’s audited financial statements (which term as used in this Agreement includes the related notes thereto) included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (i) is an independent registered public accounting firm as required by, and delivered its report thereon in compliance with, the Securities Act and the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), (ii) is 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) is 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.
(s) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related notes, comply as to form in all material respects with Regulation S-X under the Securities Act and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the results of operations and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus. The financial data set forth in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus under the caption “Capitalization” fairly present in all material respects the information set forth therein on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. To the Company’s knowledge, no person who has been suspended or barred from being associated with a registered public accounting firm, or who has failed to comply with any sanction pursuant to Rule 5300 promulgated by the PCAOB, has participated in or otherwise aided the preparation of, or audited, the financial statements, supporting schedules or other financial data filed with the Commission as a part of, or incorporated by reference in, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(t) Compliance with the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any applicable provision of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(u) Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a public limited company under the laws of England and Wales 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 and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing (to the extent such concept applies) in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(v) Subsidiaries. Each Subsidiary has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing in good standing (or their jurisdictional equivalent and to the extent such concept applies) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has corporate or similar power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing (to the extent such concept applies) in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify or be in good standing would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding share capital or capital stock or other equity ownership interests (as applicable) of each Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable (to the extent such concept applies) and is owned by the Company, directly or through Subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim or equity of any third party. The constitutive or organizational documents of each Subsidiary comply with the requirements of applicable laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and are in full force and effect. None of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary. The only Subsidiaries of the Company are the entities listed on Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, as filed with the Commission, for its most recently completed fiscal year.
(w) Capitalization. (i) The issued and outstanding share capital of the Company is as set forth or incorporated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued and fully paid and no further contribution of capital in respect of such Ordinary Shares will be required to be made to the Company by the holders of such shares by reason solely of them being such holders, and have been issued and in compliance with all applicable securities law (including pursuant to section 549 and 561 of CA 2006) and were issued free of any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal, pre-emptive or other similar rights or restrictions on transfer, save for any rights of pre-emption under the CA 2006 that were duly waived or disapplied, and have been issued in compliance with the Company’s articles of association and applicable law. The issued and outstanding ADSs have been duly authorized and are validly issued. (ii) The Underlying Shares may be issued to the Custodian or its nominee against payment therefor to the Company following which the Depositary will issue ADSs (or ADRs evidencing ADSs) against the deposit of the Underlying Shares (or ADRs evidencing ADSs) and at the time of issue such issuance of Underlying Shares will be within all authorizations of the directors and/or shareholders of the Company (as appropriate) for the issuance of Ordinary Shares under the CA 2006. Upon due issuance by the Depositary of the ADSs against the deposit of the Underlying Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADSs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADSs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the allotment and issue of the Underlying Shares in the form of ADSs by the Company and the deposit of the Underlying Shares with the Depositary or its nominee and the issuance of the ADSs evidencing such Underlying Shares as contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement will not trigger any anti-dilution or preemptive or similar rights of any holder of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs, securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs or options, warrants or other rights to purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs, save for any rights of preemption under the CA 2006 that will, at the time of allotment of the Underlying Shares, have been validly waived or disapplied. The Deposit Agreement and the ADRs evidencing ADSs (if any) or ADSs conform to each description thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Each holder of ADSs and, to the extent applicable, ADRs issued pursuant to the Deposit Agreement shall be entitled, subject to the Deposit Agreement, to seek enforcement of its rights through the Depositary or its nominee registered as a representative of the holders of the ADSs and ADRs, as applicable, in a direct suit, action or proceeding against the Company. (iii) There are no authorized or outstanding options, warrants, preemptive rights (other than pre-emption rights provided for under the CA 2006), rights of first refusal or other rights to purchase, or equity or debt securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable(including contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance) for any class of shares of the Company or its Subsidiaries other than those described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The descriptions of the Company’s share option, share bonus and other stock plans or arrangements, and the options or other rights granted thereunder, set forth in or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus accurately and fairly present the information required to be shown with respect to such plans, arrangements, options and rights.
(x) Authorization of Deposit Agreement. The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnification thereunder may be limited by applicable law and public policy considerations and subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles; upon due issuance by the Depositary of the ADSs against the deposit of the Underlying Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADSs will be duly and validly issued, and the persons in whose names the ADSs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein, respectively, and in the Deposit Agreement; and the Deposit Agreement and the ADSs conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. There has been no change in the Company’s agreement with the Depositary in connection with any pre-release of the ADSs and no such change is currently contemplated.
(y) Absence of Violations, Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is (A) in violation of its articles of association, charter, by-laws or similar constitutive or organizational document, (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which either of them may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”), (C) in violation
of any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), or (D) prior to the Delisting Effective Date, in violation of the AIM Rules for Companies (including, where applicable, any guidance notes published by the London Stock Exchange from time to time that apply to the Company), except in the case of each of (B) and (C) above, for such defaults or violations that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the performance of the Deposit Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein or therein and in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the allotment and issuance of the Underlying Shares and Shares and deposit with the Custodian or its nominee of the Underlying Shares and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described therein under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action by the Company and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments (except for such conflicts, breaches, defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Change), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the articles of association, charter, by-laws or similar constitutive or organizational document of the Company or its Subsidiaries or any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any Governmental Entity. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives 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 its Subsidiaries.
(z) Stock Exchange Listing. The ADSs are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act and are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the ADSs under the Exchange Act or delisting the ADSs from the Nasdaq Global Market, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the Nasdaq Global Market is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company is in compliance with all applicable listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Market. The Ordinary Shares are currently admitted to trading on AIM and the Company is in compliance with all applicable requirements of AIM (this representation, warranty and agreement is made in connection with Ordinary Shares admitted to AIM, it shall not be applicable on any Representation Date following the Delisting Effective Date).
(aa) No Material Actions or Proceedings. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, there is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation brought by or before any legal or governmental entity now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, which would be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change..
(bb) Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or its Subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
(cc) Absence of Monitoring Agreements. 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.
(dd) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, allotment or issuance of the ADSs or the issuance and deposit with the Custodian or its nominee of the Underlying Shares hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except such as have been already obtained or as may be required under the Securities Act, the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market, state securities laws or the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), or, prior to the Delisting Effective Date, AIM or the London Stock Exchange,; and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction or the CA 2006 in connection
with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Agent in the manner contemplated herein and in the Prospectus. Without limitation, the Company has not, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to activities by the Agent, caused the Shares to be, and will not cause them to be, the subject of an offer to the public in the United Kingdom (or in any EU Member State) for the purposes of section 85(1) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Xxx 0000 (as amended) (“FSMA”) and no invitation or inducement to acquire them has been or will be made by the Company, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to activities of the Agent, which would be prohibited by section 21 of FSMA.
(ee) FINRA Matters. All of the information provided to the Agent or to counsel for the Agent by the Company, its counsel, or to the Company’s knowledge, by the Company’s officers and directors and the holders of any securities (debt or equity) or options to acquire any securities of the Company in connection with the offering of the Shares for purposes of the Agent’s filings with FINRA is true, complete and correct and compliant with FINRA 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.
(ff) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, authorizations and permits issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate U.S. or non-U.S. governmental authorities of competent jurisdiction that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (collectively, the “Governmental Permits”). The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all such Governmental Permits, and all such Governmental Permits are valid and in full force and effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received written notification of any revocation, modification, suspension, termination or invalidation (or proceedings related thereto) of any such Governmental Permit and the Company has no knowledge that any such Governmental Permit requiring renewal will not be renewed. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any applicable laws or Governmental Permits, and all such material 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 materially corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission). To the knowledge of the Company, the manufacturing facilities and operations of the suppliers of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are operated in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules, regulations and policies of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) and comparable drug regulatory agencies outside of the United States to which they are subject including but not limited to the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”). None of the product candidates of the Company or its Subsidiaries have received marketing approval from any Regulatory Authority.
(gg) Company Studies and Trials. The preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries that are described in or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as applicable, (collectively, the “Company Studies and Trials”) were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with the protocols, procedures and controls designed and approved for such Company Studies and Trials and pursuant to accepted professional scientific standards and all applicable laws, including the rules and regulations of the applicable Regulatory Authorities; the descriptions of the results of the Company Studies and Trials contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies and trials; except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials not described in the Prospectus, the results of which materially call into question the results described or referred to in the Prospectus when viewed in the context in which such results are described and the clinical stage of development; except to the extent disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company has not received any written notices or correspondence from the FDA, the EMA or comparable U.S. or non-U.S. governmental authorities of competent jurisdiction requiring the termination, suspension or material modification of any Company Studies and Trials, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for same.
(hh) Relationships. There are no business relationships or related-party transactions involving the Company or any Subsidiary or any other person required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which have not been described as required.
(ii) Title to Properties. The Company and its Subsidiaries has good and marketable title to all of the real and personal property and other assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 2(s) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, adverse claims and other defects, except such as would not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Change. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or of its Subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, 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 Subsidiaries.
(jj) Company Not an “Investment Company.” The Company is not, and will not be, either after receipt of payment for the Shares or after the application of the proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, required to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(kk) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its officers, directors or affiliates has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed or intended to stabilize or manipulate the price of any security of the Company, or which caused or resulted in, or which would in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company.
(ll) Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries own, possess, license or have other rights to use, on reasonable terms, all patents, patent applications, trade and service marks, trade and service xxxx registrations, trade names, copyrights, licenses, inventions, trade secrets, technology, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, “Company Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as now conducted or as proposed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus to be conducted. Except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a) to the Company’s knowledge, there are no rights of third parties to any Company Intellectual Property, including no liens, security interests or other encumbrances; (b) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no material infringement by third parties of any Company Intellectual Property; (c) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to any Company Intellectual Property, and the Company is unaware of any facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; (d) Company Intellectual Property has not been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part; (e) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity or scope of any Company Intellectual Property, including 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; (f) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and, except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change, the Company is aware of no factual basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; and (g) all prior art of which the Company is aware that may be material to the validity of a U.S. patent or to the patentability of a U.S. patent application has been disclosed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and all such prior art has been disclosed to the patent office of other jurisdictions where required. All licenses to which the Company is a party relating to Company Intellectual Property are in full force and effect and the Company is not in violation of any term of such license.
(mm) Compliance with Health Care Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries (i) is and at all times has been in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Health Care Laws, rules and regulations in the United States or any other jurisdiction, including, without limitation the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. §301 et seq.), all applicable federal, state, local and all foreign civil and criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. §1320a-7b(b)), the civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq.), criminal false statements (42 U.S.C. §1320a-7b(a)), the health care fraud criminal provisions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d et seq.), the exclusions law (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7), the U.S. Physician Payments Sunshine Act (42 U.S.C.
§ 1320a-7h), the civil monetary penalties law (42 U.S.C. §1320a-7a), Medicare (Title XVIII of the Social Security Act), Medicaid (Title XIX of the Social Security Act), HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (“HITECH”) (42 U.S.C. §§ 17921 et seq.), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. Law 111-148), as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. Law 111-152), the regulations promulgated pursuant to such laws, and any successor government programs and comparable state laws, regulations relating to Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices, and all other local, state, federal, national, supranational and foreign laws applicable to the regulation of the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, advertising, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product under development, manufactured or distributed by or for the Company (collectively, the “Health Care Laws”); (ii) has not received any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter, or other correspondence or notice from the FDA or any other correspondence or notice from any other Regulatory Authority or Governmental Entity or third party alleging or asserting noncompliance with any Health Care Laws or any licenses, certificates, approvals, clearances, exemptions, authorizations, permits and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such applicable laws (“Authorizations”); (iii) possesses all material Authorizations and such Authorizations are valid and in full force and effect and are not in violation of any term of any such Authorizations; (iv) has not received notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from the FDA or any Governmental Entity or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Health Care Laws or Authorizations and has no knowledge that the FDA or any Governmental Entity or third party is considering any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action; (v) has not received any notice that the FDA or any Governmental Entity or third party has taken, is taking or intends to take, action to limit, suspend, materially modify or revoke any Authorizations and has no knowledge that the FDA or any Governmental Entity or third party is considering any such limitation, suspension, modification or revocation; (vi) has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all material reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Health Care Laws or Authorizations and that all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were complete and accurate on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission); and (vii) has not, nor have any of its shareholders with more than five (5) percent interest, officers, directors or employees been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. state or federal health care program or human clinical research or subject to a governmental inquiry, investigation, proceeding, or other any other action that would reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
(nn) Compliance with Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and except as would not 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 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) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of an order for clean-up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.
(oo) ERISA Compliance. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its Subsidiaries or their “ERISA Affiliates” (as defined below) are in compliance in all material
respects with ERISA. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code of which the Company or such Subsidiary is a member. No “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur with respect to any “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates. No “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates, if such “employee benefit plan” were terminated, would have any “amount of unfunded benefit liabilities” (as defined under ERISA). Neither the Company, its Subsidiaries nor any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan” or (ii) Sections 412, 4971, 4975 or 4980B of the Code. Each “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(pp) Payment of Taxes. All tax returns of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been timely filed (to the extent that such tax returns are required by law to have been so filed as at the date hereof, taking into account any properly requested extensions) pursuant to applicable U.S. or non-U.S. (including United Kingdom), state, local or other law, except insofar as the failure to file such tax returns or request such extensions would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company and its Subsidiaries have timely 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 (i) as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been established by the Company or its Subsidiary (as applicable) in conformity with IFRS or other applicable accounting principles or (ii) insofar as the failure to pay would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(qq) Insurance. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, the Company and its Subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained and are customary and prudent by companies of established repute and similar size engaged in the same or similar business, and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or its Subsidiaries will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been denied any insurance coverage which it has sought or for which it has applied.
(rr) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. 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 Xxxxxxx Xxx 0000, 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 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.
(ss) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries are, and have been conducted at all times, in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar applicable rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(tt) Sanctions. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries, directors, officers, or employees, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently the subject or the target of any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”) or the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”); nor is the Company or any of its Subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria; and the Company will not directly or knowingly 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, 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 prohibiting such financing 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 prohibiting such dealing or transaction.
(uu) Cybersecurity. The Company and its Subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) 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. 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 and security of all IT Systems and data, including “Personal Data,” used in connection with their businesses. “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph, social security number or tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, credit card number, bank information, or customer or account number; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (iii) “personal data” as defined by the GDPR and/or UK GDPR; (iv) any information which would qualify as “protected health information” under HIPAA, as amended by HITECH; and (v) 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. There have, to the knowledge of the Company, 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 and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.
(vv) Lending Relationship. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other material relationship with any banking or lending affiliate of the Agent and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any Agent.
(ww) 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 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 would cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement.
(xx) No Rated Securities. The Company has no debt securities or preferred shares that is rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as that term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act).
(yy) Compliance with Data Privacy Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries are, and at all prior times were, in material compliance with the Privacy Laws and, to the extent applicable HIPAA. To ensure compliance with the Privacy Laws, the Company and its Subsidiaries have in place and take appropriate steps to comply with policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security and the collection, storage, use, disclosure, handling, and analysis of Personal Data (the “Policies”). The Company and its Subsidiaries have at all times made all disclosures to users or customers required by the Privacy Laws and none of such disclosures have, to the knowledge of the Company, been inaccurate or in violation of the Privacy Laws 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 of any 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 a party to any order, decree, or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Privacy Law.
(zz) No Broker Fees. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any Person that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Agent for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby.
(aaa) Listing Approval. The Ordinary Shares outstanding as of the date hereof are currently admitted to trading on AIM under the symbol “SLN” (this representation, warranty and agreement shall not be applicable on any Representation Date following the Delisting Effective Date). The ADSs have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Market, subject only to notice of issuance. A registration statement has been filed on Form 8-A pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, which registration statement complies in all material respects with the Exchange Act.
(bbb) Corporate Governance. The Company is in compliance with all admission requirements and continuing obligations pursuant to the AIM Rules for Companies, Regulation (EU) 596/2014 (as it forms part of English domestic law pursuant to European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018) and the UK Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules made by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, as amended from time to time (as applicable to the Company). The directors of the Company have considered the compliance by the Company with the principles of the 2018 Quoted Companies Alliance Governance Code and have established procedures to enable the Company to comply with the principles set out in such Governance Code. This section (aaa) shall not apply on any Representation Date following the Delisting Effective Date.
(ccc) No Public Offering in European Economic Area or the United Kingdom. The Company has not made and will not make an offer to the public of the Underlying Shares in any member state of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom.
(ddd) Valid Choice of Laws. The choice of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law of this Agreement is a valid choice of law under the laws of England and Wales and will be recognized by courts in England and Wales except as may be limited by general principles of equity and except where to do so would be inconsistent with or overridden by the Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations (Rome I) (as it forms part of English domestic law pursuant to European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018). The Company has the corporate power to submit, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the personal jurisdiction of 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 has validly and irrevocably waived any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court; and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and empower an authorized agent for service
of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the offering of the Shares in any Specified Court and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to notify the Company of any action under this Agreement.
(eee) Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company has the power to submit, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably submitted, to the jurisdiction of the Specified Courts, and the Company has the power to designate, appoint and authorize, and pursuant to Section 8(g) of this Agreement, has legally, validly, effectively and irrevocably designated, appointed and authorized an agent for service of process in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Shares in such court, and service of process effected on such authorized agent will be effective to confer valid jurisdiction over the Company as provided in Section 8(g) hereof.
(fff) No Sovereign Immunity. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor any of their respective properties, assets or revenues enjoy any rights of immunity from any legal proceedings (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise) or the execution of judgement or other attachment in England and Wales, pursuant to the Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Xxx 0000, or the United States, pursuant to the Foreign Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxx Xxx 0000, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, the Deposit Agreement or the Shares. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 8(g) of this Agreement.
(ggg) Enforceability of Judgment. Any final judgment for a fixed or readily calculable sum of money rendered by a Specified Court having jurisdiction under its own domestic laws and recognized by the English courts as having jurisdiction (according to English conflicts of laws principles and rules of English private international law at the time when proceedings were initiated) to give such final judgment in respect of any suit, action or proceeding against the Company based upon this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement and any instruments or agreements entered into for the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein would be declared enforceable against the Company, without re-examination or review of the merits of the cause of action in respect of which the original judgment was given or re-litigation of the matters adjudicated upon, by the courts of England and Wales; provided, however, that the Company may have defenses open to it and enforcement may not be permitted if, among other things, (a) the judgment was obtained by fraud, or in proceedings contrary to natural or substantial justice, or contravenes public policy in England or the Human Rights Xxx 0000 (or any subordinate legislation made thereunder, to the extent applicable); (b) the judgment is for a sum payable in respect of taxes, or other charges of a like nature or is in respect of a fine or other penalty or otherwise based on a foreign law that an English court considers to relate to a penal, revenue or other public law; (c) the judgment amounts to judgment on a matter previously determined by an English court or conflicts with a judgment on the same matter given by a court other than a Specified Court or was obtained in breach of a jurisdiction or arbitration clause except with the agreement of the defendant or the defendant’s subsequent submission to the jurisdiction of the court; (d) the judgment is given in proceedings brought in breach of an agreement for the settlement of disputes; (e) the judgment has been arrived at by doubling, trebling or otherwise multiplying a sum assessed as compensation for the loss or damage sustained, or is a judgment that is otherwise specified in section 5 of the Protection of Trading Xxxxxxxxx Xxx 0000, or is a judgment based on measures designated by the Secretary of State under section 1 of that Act; and (f) enforcement proceedings are not commenced within six years of the date of such judgment.
(hhh) No Immunity from Suit. Except as provided by laws or statutes generally applicable to transactions of the type described in this Agreement, neither the Company nor any of its respective properties, assets or revenues has any right of immunity under United Kingdom, New York or United States law, from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from the giving of any relief in any such legal action, suit or proceeding, from set-off or counterclaim, from the jurisdiction of any law of the United Kingdom, New York or United States federal court, from service of process, attachment upon or prior judgment, or attachment in aid of execution of judgment, or from execution of a judgment, or other legal process or proceeding for the giving of any relief or for the enforcement of a judgment, in any such court, with respect to its obligations, liabilities or any other matter under or arising out of or in connection with this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement. To the extent that the Company or any of its respective properties, assets or revenues may have or may hereafter become entitled to any such right of immunity in any such court in which proceedings may at any time be commenced, the Company waives or will waive such right to the extent permitted by law and has consented to such relief and enforcement as provided in Section 8(g) of this Agreement.
(iii) Other Underwriting Agreements. The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction.
(jjj) Proper Form. This Agreement and the Deposit Agreement are each in proper form to be enforceable in England and Wales in accordance with its terms; to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability or admissibility into evidence in England and Wales of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement it is not necessary that this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement, respectively, be filed or recorded with any court or other authority in England and Wales (other than court filings in the ordinary course of proceedings).
(kkk) United States and United Kingdom Tax Considerations. The statements contained in the Prospectus under the headings (i) “Material Tax Considerations—Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders” and (ii) “Material Tax Considerations—United Kingdom Taxation,” insofar as such statements purport to summarize matters of U.S. federal income or United Kingdom tax laws (as applicable), fairly present, to the extent required by the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, in all material respects, such U.S. federal income or United Kingdom tax laws (as applicable). Any certificate signed by any officer or representative of the Company or any Subsidiary and delivered to the Agent or counsel for the Agent in connection with an issuance of Shares shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Agent as to the matters covered thereby on the date of such certificate.
The Company acknowledges that the Agent and, for purposes of the opinions to be delivered pursuant to Section 4(p) hereof, counsel to the Company and counsel to the Agent, will rely upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the foregoing representations and hereby consents to such reliance.
Section 3. ISSUANCE AND SALE OF SHARES
(a) Sale of Securities. On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and the Agent agree that the Company may from time to time seek to sell Shares through the Agent, acting as sales agent, or directly to the Agent, acting as principal, as follows, with an aggregate Sales Price of up to the Maximum Program Amount, based on and in accordance with Issuance Notices as the Company may deliver, during the Agency Period.
(b) Mechanics of Issuances.
(i) Issuance Notice. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, on any Trading Day during the Agency Period on which the conditions set forth in Section 5(a) and Section 5(b) shall have been satisfied, the Company may exercise its right to request an issuance of Shares by delivering to the Agent an Issuance Notice; provided, however, that (A) in no event may the Company deliver an Issuance Notice to the extent that (I) the sum of (x) the aggregate Sales Price of the requested Issuance Amount, plus (y) the aggregate Sales Price of all Shares issued under all previous Issuance Notices effected pursuant to this Agreement, would exceed the Maximum Program Amount; and (B) prior to delivery of any Issuance Notice, the period set forth for any previous Issuance Notice shall have expired or been terminated. An Issuance Notice shall be considered delivered on the Trading Day that it is received by e-mail to the persons set forth in Schedule A hereto and confirmed by the Company by telephone (including a voicemail message to the persons so identified), with the understanding that, with adequate prior written notice, the Agent may modify the list of such persons from time to time.
(ii) Agent Efforts. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, upon the receipt of an Issuance Notice, the Agent will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal sales and trading practices to place the Shares with respect to which the Agent has agreed to act as sales agent, subject to, and in accordance with the information specified in, the Issuance Notice, unless the sale of the Shares described therein has been suspended, cancelled or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties to this Agreement may modify an Issuance Notice at any time provided they both agree in writing to any such modification.
(iii) Method of Offer and Sale. The Shares may be offered and sold (A) in negotiated transactions with the consent of the Company; or (B) by any other method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, including block transactions, sales made directly on the Principal Market or sales made into any other existing trading market of the ADSs. Nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to require either party to agree to the method of offer and sale specified in the preceding sentence, and (except as specified in clauses (A) and (B) above) the method of placement of any Shares by the Agent shall be at the Agent’s discretion.
(iv) Confirmation to the Company. If acting as sales agent hereunder, the Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day next following the Trading Day on which it has placed Shares hereunder setting forth the number of shares sold on such Trading Day, the corresponding Sales Price and the Issuance Price payable to the Company in respect thereof.
(v) Settlement. Each issuance of Shares will be settled on the applicable Settlement Date for such issuance of Shares and, subject to the provisions of Section 5, on or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Shares being sold against the prior deposit with the Custodian of the corresponding number of Underlying Shares necessary for the issuance of the Shares by crediting the Agent or its designee’s account at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian (DWAC) System, or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto and, upon receipt of such Shares, which in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form, the Agent will deliver, by wire transfer of immediately available funds, the related Issuance Price in same day funds delivered to an account designated by the Company prior to the Settlement Date. The Company may sell Shares to the Agent as principal at a price agreed upon at each relevant time Shares are sold pursuant to this Agreement (each, a “Time of Sale”).
(vi) Suspension or Termination of Sales. Consistent with standard market settlement practices, the Company or the Agent may, upon notice to the other party hereto in writing or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable e-mail), suspend any sale of Shares, and the period set forth in an Issuance Notice shall immediately terminate; provided, however, that (A) such suspension and termination shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Shares placed or sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice; (B) if the Company suspends or terminates any sale of Shares after the Agent confirms such sale to the Company, the Company shall still be obligated to comply with Section 3(b)(v) with respect to such Shares; and (C) if the Company defaults in its obligation to deliver Shares on a Settlement Date, the Company agrees that it will hold the Agent harmless against any loss, claim, damage or expense (including, without limitation, penalties, interest and reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that, in performing its obligations under this Agreement, the Agent may borrow ADSs from stock lenders in the event that the Company has not delivered Shares to settle sales as required by subsection (v) above, and may use the Shares to settle or close out such borrowings. The Company agrees that no such notice shall be effective against the Agent unless it is made to the persons identified in writing by the Agent pursuant to Section 3(b)(i).
(vii) No Guarantee of Placement, Etc. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (A) there can be no assurance that the Agent will be successful in placing Shares; (B) the Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other Person if it does not sell Shares; and (C) the Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Agent and the Company.
(viii) Material Non-Public Information. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company and the Agent agree that the Company shall not deliver any Issuance Notice to the Agent, and the Agent shall not be obligated to place any Shares, during any period in which the Company is in possession of material non-public information.
(c) Fees. As compensation for services rendered, the Company shall pay to the Agent, on the applicable Settlement Date, the Selling Commission for the applicable Issuance Amount (including with respect to any suspended or terminated sale pursuant to Section 3(b)(vi)) by the Agent deducting the Selling Commission from the applicable Issuance Amount.
(d) Transfer Taxes. The Company shall indemnify and hold the Agent harmless against, any Transfer Taxes, and any interest and penalties, which are payable by or on behalf of the Agent (or, in the case of clause (iii) below only, any initial purchaser) in connection with (i) the issuance and/or delivery of the Underlying Shares and/or the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) in each case in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (ii) the sale (including the agreement for sale), issuance or delivery of the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) to or for the account of the Agent in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; (iii) the sale (including the agreement for sale) or delivery by the Agent of the ADSs (or ADRs evidencing the ADSs) to or for the account of the initial purchasers thereof in the manner contemplated by this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement; or (iv) the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement.
(e) 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 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 Shares; (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 Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company, and all amendments and supplements thereto, and this Agreement; (vi) all filing fees, attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred by the Company or the Agent in connection with qualifying or registering (or obtaining exemptions from the qualification or registration of) all or any part of the 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 Agent, preparing and printing a “Blue Sky Survey” or memorandum, and any supplements thereto, advising the Agent of such qualifications, registrations, determinations and exemptions; (vii) the reasonable fees and disbursements of the Agent’s counsel, including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Agent in connection with, FINRA review, if any, and approval of the Agent’s participation in the offering and distribution of the Shares; (viii) the filing fees incident to FINRA review, if any; and (ix) the fees and expenses associated with listing the Shares on the Nasdaq Global Market and, for as long as the Ordinary Shares are admitted to trading on AIM, the listing and obtaining admission to trading of the Underlying Shares on AIM. The fees and disbursements of Agent’s counsel pursuant to subsections (vii) and (viii) above shall not exceed (A) $100,000 in connection with the execution of this Agreement and (B) $20,000 in connection with each Triggering Event Date (as defined below) on which the Company is required to provide a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o).
Section 4. ADDITIONAL COVENANTS
The Company covenants and agrees with the Agent as follows, in addition to any other covenants and agreements made elsewhere in this Agreement:
(a) Exchange Act Compliance.
(i) During the Agency Period, the Company shall (i) file, on a timely basis, with the Commission all reports and documents required to be filed under Section 13, 14 or 15 of the Exchange Act in the manner and within the time periods required by the Exchange Act; and (ii) either (A) include in its quarterly reports on Form 6-K or Form 10-Q that include the Company’s quarterly financial statements or financial information and its annual reports on Form 20-F or Form 10-K, a summary detailing, for the relevant reporting period, (1) the number of Shares sold through the Agent pursuant to this Agreement and (2) the net proceeds received by the Company from such sales, in the Company’s sole discretion, or (B) prepare a prospectus supplement containing, or include in such other filing permitted by the Securities Act
or Exchange Act (each an “Interim Prospectus Supplement”), such summary information and, at least once a quarter and subject to this Section 4, file such Interim Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (and within the time periods required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430B under the Securities Act)).
(ii) During the term of this Agreement (the “Voluntary Reporting Period”), the Company shall file quarterly financial statements with the Commission using a Form 6-K (or on Form 10-Q, if applicable). This obligation is in addition to the Company’s obligation to file an annual report and other regulatory or contractual reporting obligations required by the Company or as otherwise reported in the Registration Statement. The Company shall file said reports at the same time such reports would be due if it were a U.S. domestic issuer of the same size, subject to the same extension periods permitted to such issuers.
(b) Securities Act Compliance. After the date of this Agreement, the Company shall promptly advise the Agent in writing (i) of the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional or supplemental information from, the Commission; (ii) of the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, any Free Writing Prospectus; (iii) of the time and date that any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective; and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or of any proceedings to remove, suspend or terminate from listing or quotation the ADSs from any securities exchange upon which they are listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or of the threatening or initiation of any proceedings for any of such purposes. If the Commission shall enter any such stop order at any time, the Company will use its best efforts to obtain the lifting of such order as soon as practicable. Additionally, the Company agrees that it shall comply with the provisions of Rule 424(b) and Rule 433, as applicable, under the Securities Act and will use its reasonable efforts to confirm that any filings made by the Company under such Rule 424(b) or Rule 433 were received in a timely manner by the Commission.
(c) 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 to a purchaser, not misleading, or if in the opinion of the Agent or counsel for the Agent it is otherwise necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, including the Securities Act, the Company agrees (subject to Section 4(d) and Section 4(f)) to promptly prepare, file with the Commission and furnish at its own expense to the Agent, 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 to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law including the Securities Act. Neither the Agent’s consent to, or delivery of, any such amendment or supplement shall constitute a waiver of any of the Company’s obligations under Section 4(d) and Section 4(f). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to file such amendment or supplement if there is no pending Issuance Notice and the Company believes that it is in its best interests not to file such amendment or supplement.
(d) Agent’s Review of Proposed Amendments and Supplements. Prior to amending or supplementing the Registration Statement (including any registration statement filed under Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement through incorporation of any report filed under the Exchange Act), the Company shall furnish to the Agent for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement, and the Company shall not file or use any such proposed amendment or supplement without the Agent’s prior consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed, and to 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.
(e) Use of Free Writing Prospectus. Neither the Company nor the Agent has prepared, used, referred to or distributed, or will prepare, use, refer to or distribute, without the other party’s prior written consent, any “written communication” that constitutes a “free writing prospectus” as such terms are defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act with respect to the offering contemplated by this Agreement (any such free writing prospectus being referred to herein as a “Free Writing Prospectus”).
(f) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall furnish to the Agent 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 to be 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 Agent’s consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. The Company shall furnish to the Agent, without charge, as many copies of any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, or used by the Company, as the Agent may reasonably request. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the Securities Act (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 173(d)) to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares (but in any event if at any time through and including the date of this Agreement) there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or 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 that subsequent 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 subsequent 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 Agent for review, a reasonable amount of time prior to the proposed time of filing or use thereof, a copy of such proposed amended or supplemented free writing prospectus and the Company shall not file, use or refer to any such amended or supplemented free writing prospectus without the Agent’s consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
(g) Filing of Agent Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company shall not take any action that would result in the Agent 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 the Agent that the Agent otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(h) Copies of Registration Statement and Prospectus. After the date of this Agreement through the last time that a prospectus is required by the Securities Act (including, without limitation, pursuant to Rule 173(d)) to be delivered in connection with sales of the Shares, the Company agrees to furnish the Agent with copies (which may be electronic copies) of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto, and with copies (which may be electronic copies) of the Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto in the form in which it is filed with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act or Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, both in such quantities as the Agent may reasonably request from time to time; and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required under the Securities Act or under the blue sky or securities laws of any jurisdiction at any time on or prior to the applicable Settlement Date for any period set forth in an Issuance Notice in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at such time any event has occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it is necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to notify the Agent and to request that the Agent suspend offers to sell Shares (and, if so notified, the Agent shall cease such offers as soon as practicable); and if the Company decides to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented, to advise the Agent promptly by telephone (with confirmation in writing) and to prepare and cause to be filed promptly with the Commission an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement or the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented that will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; provided, however, that if during such same period the Agent is required to deliver a prospectus in respect of transactions in the Shares, the Company shall promptly prepare and file with the Commission such an amendment or supplement.
(i) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company shall cooperate with the Agent and counsel for the Agent to qualify or register the Shares for sale under (or obtain exemptions from the application of) the state securities or blue sky laws or Canadian provincial securities laws of those jurisdictions designated by the Agent, shall comply with such laws and shall continue such qualifications, registrations and exemptions in effect so long as required for the distribution of the 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 Agent promptly of the suspension of the qualification or registration of (or any such exemption relating to) the Shares for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such qualification, registration or exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof as soon as practicable.
(j) Earnings Statement. As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Agent 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 occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 under the Securities Act, which requirement may be satisfied by publicly filing the required information on XXXXX.
(k) Listing; Reservation of Ordinary Shares; Approval of Admission to AIM. The Company will (a) maintain the listing of the Shares on the Principal Market; (b) reserve and keep available at all times, free of preemptive rights, a sufficient number of Ordinary Shares for the purpose of enabling the Company to satisfy its obligations under this Agreement; and (c) keep registered with the Commission a sufficient number of Shares for the purpose of enabling the Company to satisfy its obligations under this Agreement. The Company will use its best efforts (a) to procure that an application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for a block admission of up to 17,879,768 Ordinary Shares to be allotted and issued from time to time pursuant to this agreement (the “Block Admission”) and, prior to the Delisting Effective Date, to make announcements of the utilization of such Block Admission from time to time as required under the AIM Rules for Companies ; (b) to, prior to the Delisting Effective Date, make the appropriate announcements through a regulatory information service of the issues of the Shares and the Underlying Shares and the arrangements contemplated by this Agreement in accordance with the AIM Rules for Companies (as applicable); and (c) to, prior to the Delisting Effective Date, otherwise to comply with the AIM Rules for Companies in relation to the arrangements contemplated by this Agreement.
(l) Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Shares.
(m) Due Diligence. During the term of this Agreement, the Company will reasonably cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by the Agent in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during normal business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as the Agent may reasonably request from time to time.
(n) Representations and Warranties. The Company acknowledges that each delivery of an Issuance Notice and each delivery of Shares on a Settlement Date shall be deemed to be (i) an affirmation to the Agent that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are true and correct as of the date of such Issuance Notice or of such Settlement Date, as the case may be, as though made at and as of each such date, except as may be disclosed in the Prospectus (including any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements thereto); and (ii) an undertaking that the Company will advise the Agent if any of such representations and warranties will not be true and correct as of the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such Issuance Notice, as though made at and as of each such date (except that such representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating to such Shares).
(o) Deliverables at Triggering Event Dates; Certificates. The Company agrees that on or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and, during the term of this Agreement after the date of the first Issuance Notice, upon:
(A) the filing of the Prospectus or the amendment or supplement of any Registration Statement or Prospectus (other than a prospectus supplement relating solely to an offering of securities other than the Shares or a prospectus filed pursuant to Section 4(a)(ii)(B)), by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker or supplement, but not by means of incorporation of documents by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus;
(B) the filing with the Commission of an annual report on Form 20-F or Form 10-K of the Company (including any Form 20-F/A or Form 10-K/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed annual report on Form 20-F or Form 10-K);
(C) the furnishing or filing with the Commission of a report on Form 6-K or Form 10-Q containing quarterly financial statements of the Company (including any Form 6-K/A or Form 10-Q/A containing amended financial information), or if applicable, the filing with the Commission of a current report on Form 8-K of the Company containing amended financial information (other than information “furnished” pursuant to Item 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or to provide disclosure pursuant to Item 8.01 of Form 8-K relating to reclassification of certain properties as discontinued operations in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144) that is material to the offering of securities of the Company in the Agent’s reasonable discretion; or
(D) the furnishing or filing with the Commission of a report on Form 6-K or From 10-Q or For 8-K containing amended financial information that is material to the offering of the Shares in the Agent’s reasonable discretion; (any such event, a “Triggering Event Date”), the Company shall furnish the Agent (but in the case of clause (C) above only if the Agent reasonably determines that the information contained in such report on Form 6-K of the Company is material) with a certificate as of the Triggering Event Date, in the form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented, (A) confirming that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct, (B) confirming that the Company has performed all of its obligations hereunder to be performed on or prior to the date of such certificate and as to the matters set forth in Section 5(a)(iii) hereof, and (C) containing any other certification that the Agent shall reasonably request. The requirement to provide a certificate under this Section 4(o) shall be waived for any Triggering Event Date occurring at a time when no Issuance Notice is pending or a suspension is in effect, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers instructions for the sale of Shares hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Triggering Event Date) and the next occurring Triggering Event Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Shares following a Triggering Event Date when a suspension was in effect and did not provide the Agent with a certificate under this Section 4(o), then before the Company delivers the instructions for the sale of Shares or the Agent sells any Shares pursuant to such instructions, the Company shall provide the Agent with a certificate in conformity with this Section 4(o) dated as of the date that the instructions for the sale of Shares are issued.
(p) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be furnished, at the request of the Agent:
(A) a negative assurance letter (a “Negative Assurance Letter”) and the written legal opinion of Xxxxxx LLP, U.S. counsel to the Company, and a written legal opinion of Xxxxxx (UK) LLP, English counsel to the Company, each dated the date of delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented; and
(B) the written legal opinions of Xxxxxxxx, Gerstein & Borun LLP and Mewburn Xxxxx LLP, intellectual property counsel to the Company, (a “IP Opinions”) dated the date of delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented.
In lieu of such opinions for subsequent periodic filings, in the discretion of the Agent, the Company may furnish a reliance letter from such counsel to the Agent, permitting the Agent to rely on a previously delivered opinion letter, modified as appropriate for any passage of time or Triggering Event Date (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of such Triggering Event Date).
(q) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 4(o) for which no waiver is applicable and excluding the date of this Agreement, the Company shall cause PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm who have audited the financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or assisted in the review of the Registration Statement, as the case may be, to furnish the Agent a comfort letter, dated the date of delivery, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel, substantially similar to the form previously provided to the Agent and its counsel; provided, however, that any such comfort letter will only be required on the Triggering Event Date specified to the extent that it contains financial statements filed with the Commission under the Exchange Act and incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into a Prospectus. If requested by the Agent, the Company shall also cause a comfort letter to be furnished to the Agent within ten Trading Days of the date of occurrence of any material transaction or event requiring the filing of a report on Form 6-K or Form 10-Q containing material amended financial information of the Company, including the restatement of the Company’s financial statements.
(r) Secretary’s Certificate. On or prior to the date of the first Issuance Notice and on or prior to each Triggering Event Date, the Company shall furnish the Agent a certificate executed by the Secretary of the Company, signing in such capacity, dated the date of delivery (i) certifying that attached thereto are true and complete copies of the resolutions duly adopted by the board of directors of the Company authorizing the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including, without limitation, the issuance of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement), which authorization shall be in full force and effect on and as of the date of such certificate, (ii) certifying and attesting to the office, incumbency, due authority and specimen signatures of each Person who executed this Agreement for or on behalf of the Company, and (iii) containing any other certification that the Agent shall reasonably request.
(s) Agent’s Own Account; Clients’ Account. The Company consents to the Agent trading, in compliance with applicable law, in the ADSs for the Agent’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement.
(t) Investment Limitation. The Company shall not invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the 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.
(u) Market Activities. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares or any other reference security, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or otherwise, and the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with all applicable provisions of Regulation M. If the limitations of Rule 102 of Regulation M (“Rule 102”) do not apply with respect to the Shares or any other reference security pursuant to any exception set forth in Section (d) of Rule 102, then promptly upon notice from the Agent (or, if later, at the time stated in the notice), the Company will, and shall cause each of its affiliates to, comply with Rule 102 as though such exception were not available but the other provisions of Rule 102 (as interpreted by the Commission) did apply. The Company shall promptly notify the Agent if it no longer meets the requirements set forth in Section (d) of Rule 102.
(v) Notice of Other Sale. Without the written consent of the Agent, the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares, ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than Shares hereunder), warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares or ADSs, or effect a reverse share split, recapitalization, share consolidation, reclassification or similar transaction affecting the outstanding Ordinary Shares or ADSs, during the period beginning on the second Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Issuance
Notice is delivered to the Agent hereunder and ending on the second Trading Day immediately following the Settlement Date with respect to Shares sold pursuant to such Issuance Notice; and will not directly or indirectly enter into any other “at the market” or continuous equity transaction pursuant to which the Company will offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs (other than the Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, Ordinary Shares or ADSs prior to the termination of this Agreement; provided, however, that such restrictions will not be required in connection with the Company’s (i) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs, options to purchase Ordinary Shares or ADSs or Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon the exercise of options or other equity awards pursuant to any employee or director share option, incentive or benefit plan, share purchase or ownership plan, long-term incentive plan, dividend reinvestment plan, inducement award under the rules of the Principal Market or other compensation plan of the Company or its Subsidiaries, as in effect on the date of this Agreement, (ii) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs issuable upon exchange, conversion or redemption of securities or the exercise or vesting of warrants, options or other equity awards outstanding at the date of this Agreement (iii) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs in connection with strategic transactions including joint ventures, manufacturing, marketing, sponsored research, collaboration, license or distribution arrangements which are not issued primarily for capital raising purposes, provided that the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs issued or sold under this subsection (iii) shall not exceed 5% of the number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs outstanding immediately prior to giving effect to such sale of issuance, (iv) issuance or sale of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs as consideration for mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations, joint ventures or strategic alliances occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not used for capital raising purposes, provided that the aggregate number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs issued or sold under this subsection (iv) shall not exceed 5% of the number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs outstanding immediately prior to giving effect to such sale of issuance, and (v) modification of any outstanding options, warrants of any rights to purchase or acquire Ordinary Shares or ADSs.
Section 5. CONDITIONS TO DELIVERY OF ISSUANCE NOTICES AND TO SETTLEMENT
(a) Conditions Precedent to the Right of the Company to Deliver an Issuance Notice and the Obligation of the Agent to Sell Shares. The right of the Company to deliver an Issuance Notice hereunder is subject to the satisfaction, on the date of delivery of such Issuance Notice, and the obligation of the Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts to place Shares during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice is subject to the satisfaction, on each Trading Day during the applicable period set forth in the Issuance Notice, of each of the following conditions:
(i) Accuracy of the Company’s Representations and Warranties; Performance by the Company. The Company shall have delivered the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 4(o) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 4(o). The Company shall have performed, satisfied and complied with all covenants, agreements and conditions required by this Agreement to be performed, satisfied or complied with by the Company at or prior to such date, including, but not limited to, the covenants contained in Section 4(p), Section 4(q) and Section 4(r).
(ii) No Injunction. No statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby that prohibits or directly and materially adversely affects any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and no proceeding shall have been commenced that may have the effect of prohibiting or materially adversely affecting any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(iii) Material Adverse Change. Except as disclosed in the Prospectus and the Time of Sale Information, (a) in the judgment of the Agent there shall not have occurred any Material Adverse Change; and (b) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of
any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” as such term is defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
(iv) No Suspension of Trading in or Delisting of ADSs; Other Events. The trading of the ADSs (including without limitation the Shares) shall not have been suspended by the Commission, the Principal Market or FINRA and the ADSs (including without limitation the Shares) shall have been approved for listing or quotation on and shall not have been delisted from the Nasdaq Stock Market, the New York Stock Exchange or any of their constituent markets. There shall not have occurred (and be continuing in the case of occurrences under clauses (i) and (ii) below) any of the following: (i) trading or quotation in any of the Company’s securities shall have been suspended or limited by the Commission or by the Principal Market or trading in securities generally on either the Principal Market shall have been suspended or limited, or minimum or maximum prices shall have been generally established on any of such stock exchanges by the Commission or FINRA; (ii) a general banking moratorium shall have been declared by any of federal or New York, authorities; or (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 Agent is material and adverse and makes it impracticable to market the Shares in the manner and on the terms described in the Prospectus or to enforce contracts for the sale of securities.
(v) Issue of Underlying Shares. The Underlying Shares shall have been allotted and issued.
(vi) Approval of Admission to AIM. Prior to the AIM Delisting only, , the Block Admission having become, and remaining, effective and there being a number of Ordinary Shares unutilized under the Block Admission equal to the Underlying Shares to be admitted to trading on AIM, by 8:00 a.m. (UK time) on the Trading Day of/immediately prior to the Settlement Date and such Underlying Shares shall have been allotted conditional only on receipt by the Company of funds for the Underlying Shares.
(b) Documents Required to be Delivered on each Issuance Notice Date. The Agent’s obligation to use its commercially reasonable efforts to place Shares hereunder shall additionally be conditioned upon the delivery to the Agent on or before the Issuance Notice Date of a certificate in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Agent, executed by the Chief Executive Officer, President or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, to the effect that all conditions to the delivery of such Issuance Notice shall have been satisfied as at the date of such certificate (which certificate shall not be required if the foregoing representations shall be set forth in the Issuance Notice).
(c) No Misstatement or Material Omission. Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Time of Sale Information, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in the Agent’s reasonable opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(d) Agent Counsel Legal Opinion. Agent shall have received from Xxxxxxx Procter LLP, counsel for Agent, such opinion or opinions, on or before the date on which the delivery of the Company counsel legal opinion is required pursuant to Section 4(p), with respect to such matters as Agent may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(e) Agent Depositary’s Counsel Legal Opinion. Agent shall have received from Xxxxx, Xxxxxx & Xxxxxx, LLP, counsel for the Depositary, an opinion, on or prior to the first Settlement Date, dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Agent and its counsel.
Section 6. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
(a) Indemnification of the Agent. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Agent, its officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred, to which the Agent or such officer, employee 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 Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation), 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, including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of 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 contained in 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 or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of 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 to reimburse the Agent and each such officer, employee and controlling person for any and all expenses (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Agent) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by the Agent or such officer, employee 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 written information furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any such Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Agent to the Company consists of the information described in subsection (b) below. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 6(a) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Indemnification of the Company, its Directors and Officers. The Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its 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 the laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Shares have been offered or sold or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation), 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, including any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of 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 contained in 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 or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; but, for each of (i) and (ii) above, 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 written information furnished to the Company by the Agent expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any such Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Agent to the Company consists of the information set forth in the first sentence of the ninth paragraph under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus, and to reimburse the Company and each such director, officer and controlling person for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements of one counsel chosen by the Company) as such expenses are reasonably incurred by the Company or such officer, director or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 6(b) shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Agent or the Company may otherwise have.
(c) Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 6 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 6, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party for contribution or otherwise than under the indemnity agreement contained in this Section 6 or to the extent it is not prejudiced as a proximate result of such failure. 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, if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded based on the advice of counsel 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 so to 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 6 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 indemnified party (in the case of counsel for the indemnified parties referred to in Section 6(a) and 6(b) above), (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action or (iii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.
(d) Settlements. The indemnifying party under this Section 6 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 6(c) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request; and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding.
(e) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 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 Agent, on the other hand, from the offering of the 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 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 Agent, 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 Agent, on the other hand, in connection with the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total gross proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total commissions received by the Agent. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Agent, 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 Agent, 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 6(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 6(c) with respect to notice of commencement of any action shall apply if a claim for contribution is to be made under this Section 6(e); provided, however, that no additional notice shall be required with respect to any action for which notice has been given under Section 6(c) for purposes of indemnification.
The Company and the Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 6(e) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this Section 6(e).
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6(e), the Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the Selling Commission received by the Agent in connection with the offering contemplated hereby. 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. For purposes of this Section 6(e), each officer and employee of the Agent and each person, if any, who controls the Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Agent, 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 7. TERMINATION & SURVIVAL
(a) Term. Subject to the provisions of this Section 7, the term of this Agreement shall continue from the date of this Agreement until the end of the Agency Period, unless earlier terminated by the parties to this Agreement pursuant to this Section 7.
(b) Termination; Survival Following Termination.
(i) Either party may terminate this Agreement prior to the end of the Agency Period, by giving written notice as required by this Agreement, upon ten (10) Trading Days’ notice to the other party; provided that, (A) if the Company terminates this Agreement after the Agent confirms to the Company any sale of Shares, the Company shall remain obligated to comply with Section 3(b)(v) with respect to such Shares and (B) Section 2, Section 3(d), Section 6, Section 7 and Section 8 shall survive termination of this Agreement. If termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Shares, such sale shall nevertheless settle in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(ii) In addition to the survival provision of Section 7(b)(i), the respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company, of its officers and of the Agent 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 the Agent or the Company or any of its or their partners, officers or directors or any controlling person, as the case may be, and, anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares sold hereunder and any termination of this Agreement.
Section 8. MISCELLANEOUS
(a) Press Releases and Disclosure. The Company may issue a press release describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby as soon as practicable following the date of this Agreement, and may file with the Commission a Report on Form 6-K, or the applicable successor form, with this Agreement attached as an exhibit thereto, describing the material terms of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Company shall consult with the Agent prior to making such disclosures, and the parties hereto shall use all commercially reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a text for such disclosures that is reasonably satisfactory to all parties hereto. No party hereto shall issue thereafter any press release or like public statement (including, without limitation, any disclosure required in reports filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act) related to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated hereby without the prior written approval of the other party hereto, except as may be necessary or appropriate in the reasonable opinion of the party seeking to make disclosure to comply with the requirements of applicable law or stock exchange rules. If any such press release or like public statement is so required, the party making such disclosure shall consult with the other party prior to making such disclosure, and the parties shall use all commercially reasonable efforts, acting in good faith, to agree upon a text for such disclosure that is reasonably satisfactory to all parties hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Company be required to seek the Agent’s prior consent to (i) any public statements made by the Company (including, without limitation, any statement included in reports filed with the Commission) that are consistent with the statements set forth in the press release and Report on Form 6-K described above or (ii) the public disclosure by the Company of the number of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement.
(b) No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including the determination of any fees, are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Company and the Agent, (ii) when acting as a principal under this Agreement, the Agent is and has been acting solely as a principal is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its shareholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (iii) the Agent has not assumed nor will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Agent has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and the Agent does not have any obligation to the Company with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) the Agent and its affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company, and (v) the Agent has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.
(c) Research Analyst Independence. The Company acknowledges that the Agent’s research analysts and research departments are required to and should be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and as such the Agent’s research analysts may hold views and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company or the offering that differ from the views of their respective investment banking divisions. The Company understands that the Agent is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short positions in debt or equity securities of the companies that may be the subject of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) 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 Agent:
Jefferies LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention: General Counsel
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxxx Procter LLP
000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Esq.
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
If to the Company:
Silence Therapeutics
00 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxx X00 0xx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Attention: Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Email: x.xxxxxx@xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Xxxxxx LLP
00 Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx and Nicolas X.X. Xxxxxx
Email: xxxx.xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx and xxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
And
Xxxxxx (UK) LLP
00 Xxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx XX0X 0XX
Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxx
Any party hereto may change the address for receipt of communications by giving written notice to the others in accordance with this Section 8(d).
(e) Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto, and to the benefit of the employees, officers and directors and controlling persons referred to in Section 6, and in each case their respective successors, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. The term “successors” shall not include any purchaser of the Shares as such from the Agent merely by reason of such purchase.
(f) Partial Unenforceability. The invalidity or unenforceability of any Article, Section, paragraph or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other Article, Section, paragraph or provision hereof. If any Article, 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.
(g) 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 Specified Courts, and each party irrevocably submits to the
exclusive jurisdiction (except for proceedings instituted in regard to the enforcement of a judgment of any such court (a “Related Judgment”), as to which such jurisdiction is non-exclusive) of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Service of any process, summons, notice or document by mail to such party’s address set forth above shall be effective service of process for any suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court. The parties irrevocably and unconditionally waive any objection to the laying of venue of any suit, action or other proceeding in the Specified Courts and irrevocably and unconditionally waive and agree not to plead or claim in any such court that any such suit, action or other proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company irrevocably appoints Silence Therapeutics Inc., which currently maintains an office at 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx, 0xx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx of America, as its agent to receive service of process or other legal summons for purposes of any such suit, action or proceeding that may be instituted in any Specified Court. 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.
(h) Judgment Currency. The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to the Agent shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than U.S. dollars, not be discharged until the first business day following receipt by the Agent of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency on which (and only to the extent that) the Agent may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase U.S. dollars with such other currency. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Agent against such loss. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder, the Agent agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to the Agent hereunder.
(i) Payments. All payments made by the Company under this Agreement (if any) will be made without withholding or deduction for or on account of any present or future taxes, duties, levies, imposts, fees, assessments or governmental charges of whatever nature unless the Company is or becomes required by law to withhold or deduct such taxes, duties, levies, imposts, fees, assessments or other governmental charges. In such event, the Company will pay such additional amounts as will result, after such withholding or deduction, in the receipt by the Agent of the amounts that would otherwise have been receivable in respect thereof.
(j) VAT. If the performance by the Agent of any of its obligations under this Agreement shall represent for VAT purposes under any applicable law the making by the Agent of any supply of goods or services to the Company (to the extent applicable), the Company shall pay to the Agent, in addition to the amounts otherwise payable by the Company pursuant to this Agreement, an amount equal to the VAT chargeable on any such supply of goods or services provided that the Agent has issued the Company with an appropriate and valid VAT invoice in respect of the supply to which the payment relates. Where a sum (a “Relevant Sum”) is paid or reimbursed to the Agent pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any cost, expense or other amount and that cost, expense or other amount includes an amount in respect of irrecoverable VAT (the “VAT Element”), then the Company, to the extent applicable, shall, in addition, pay an amount equal to the VAT Element to the Agent. For the purposes of this Agreement, “VAT” means value added tax as provided for in the Value Added Tax Xxx 0000 (“VATA”) and subordinate legislation made under VATA as amended, modified or re-enacted (whether before or after the date of this Agreement) and any similar value added, sales, goods and services, consumption, use or turnover tax whether within the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the world.
(k) 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, and may be delivered by facsimile transmission or by electronic delivery of a portable document format (PDF) file (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx). 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 Article and Section headings herein are for the convenience of the parties only and shall not affect the construction or interpretation of this Agreement.
[Signature Page Immediately Follows]
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, | ||
By: |
/s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxx Xxxxxx | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted by the Agent in New York, New York as of the date first above written.
XXXXXXXXX LLC | ||
By: |
/s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx | ||
Title: Managing Director |
EXHIBIT A
ISSUANCE NOTICE
[Date]
Jefferies LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attn: [ ]
Reference is made to the Open Market Sale AgreementSM between Silence Therapeutics plc (the “Company”) and Xxxxxxxxx LLC (the “Agent”) dated as of October , 2021. The Company confirms that all conditions to the delivery of this Issuance Notice are satisfied as of the date hereof.
Date of Delivery of Issuance Notice (determined pursuant to Section 3(b)(i)):
Issuance Amount (equal to the total Sales Price for such Shares):
$ |
| |||
Number of days in selling period: |
| |||
First date of selling period: |
| |||
Last date of selling period: |
| |||
Settlement Date(s) if other than standard T+2 settlement: |
|
Floor Price Limitation (in no event less than $1.00 without the prior written consent of the Agent, which consent may be withheld in the Agent’s sole discretion): $ per share
Comments: |
|
| ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Schedule A
Notice Parties
The Company
[●]
[●]
The Agent
[●]
[●]
[●]