NuCana plc [●] American Depositary Shares Representing An Aggregate of [●] Ordinary Shares Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
[●] American Depositary Shares
Representing An Aggregate of [●] Ordinary Shares
Underwriting Agreement
[●], 2017
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Xxxxxxxxx LLC
Xxxxx and Company, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters,
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
c/x Xxxxxxxxx LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
c/o Cowen and Company, LLC
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Ladies and Gentlemen:
NuCana plc, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales with registered number 03308778 (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you (the “Representatives”) are acting as representatives, an aggregate of [●] American Depository Shares (“ADSs”), each representing one ordinary share, nominal value £0.04 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”) of the Company, pursuant to this underwriting agreement (this “Agreement”). The ADSs to be issued and sold by the Company are hereinafter called the “Underwritten Securities.” The Company also proposes to grant to the Underwriters, pursuant to this Agreement, an option to purchase up to [●] additional ADSs to cover over-allotments, if any (the “Option Securities”; the Option Securities, together with the Underwritten Securities, being hereinafter called the “Offered Securities”). The new Ordinary Shares underlying the Offered Securities are herein called the “Shares.” The Offered Securities and the Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Securities.”
The ADSs will be evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) issued pursuant to that certain Deposit Agreement dated [●], 2017 (the “Deposit Agreement”), by and among the Company, Citibank, N.A. as depositary (the “Depositary”), and all holders and beneficial owners of ADSs issued thereunder. The Company shall, following subscription by the Underwriters of the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement, deposit, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Shares being delivered in the form of the Offered Securities with Citibank, N.A., London Branch as custodian (the “Custodian”) for the Depositary, which shall deliver the Offered Securities to the Representatives for the account of the several Underwriters for subsequent delivery to the other several Underwriters or the investors, as the case may be.
Unless the context otherwise requires, each reference to the Offered Securities or ADSs herein also includes the Shares and the ADRs evidencing such ADSs. To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires. Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 22 hereof.
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1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1.
(a) The Company has prepared and filed with the Commission a registration statement (File No. 333- 220321) on Form F-1, including a related Preliminary Prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Securities. Such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the Execution Time, has become effective. The Company may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a related Preliminary Prospectus, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will file with the Commission a final Prospectus in accordance with Rule 424(b). As filed, such final Prospectus shall contain all information with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof in the form of ADSs required by the Act and the rules thereunder and, except to the extent the Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the latest Preliminary Prospectus that describes the Securities and the offering thereof and is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the Execution Time, will be included or made therein.
(b) On the Effective Date, at the Execution Time and on the Closing Date (as defined herein), the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the 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; when the Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b), on the Closing Date and on any date on which Option Securities are purchased, if such date is not the Closing Date (a “settlement date”), the Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder; and as of the date of any filing of the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and as of the Closing Date and of any settlement date, will not include 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; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(c) The Company has caused to be filed with the Commission a registration statement on Form F-6 (File No. 333-220392) relating to the ADSs (such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto, at the time it became effective, being hereinafter referred to as the “F-6 Registration Statement”). The F-6 Registration Statement has (i) been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, (ii) been filed with the Commission under the Act and (iii) become effective under the Act. Copies of the F-6 Registration Statement have been delivered by the Company to you. The Commission has not issued any order suspending the effectiveness of the F-6 Registration Statement, and no proceeding for that purpose has been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission. The F-6 Registration Statement, at the time it became effective under the Act and at each Closing Date, (i) conformed and will conform in all respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and (ii) and did not, as of the applicable effective date and will not, at the Execution Time and on such Closing Date and any settlement 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.
(d) Assuming compliance by the Depositary with the terms of the Deposit Agreement, upon issuance by the Depositary of the ADSs evidenced by ADRs against deposit of the underlying Shares in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified in the ADRs and in the Deposit Agreement; and upon the sale and delivery to the Underwriters of the Offered Securities, and payment therefor, pursuant to this Agreement, the Underwriters will acquire good, marketable and valid title to such Offered Securities, free and clear of all pledges, liens, security interests, charges, claims or encumbrances of any kind.
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(e) (i) The Disclosure Package and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities to be included on the cover page of the Prospectus, when taken together as a whole, (ii) each electronic road show, when taken together as a whole with the Disclosure Package and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities to be included on the cover page of the Prospectus, and (iii) any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, when taken together as a whole with the Disclosure Package and the price to the public, the number of Underwritten Securities and the number of Option Securities to be included on the cover page of the Prospectus, does not 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. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(f) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the Execution Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an Ineligible Issuer.
(g) From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement with the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any Person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the Execution Time, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”). “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.
(h) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act; and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule III hereto. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.
(i) Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not include any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(j) Each of the Company and its subsidiaries has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is chartered or organized (to the extent such concepts are applicable in such jurisdictions) with full corporate power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each jurisdiction which requires such qualification.
(k) The Company’s issued share capital is as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; the share capital of the Company conforms to the description thereof contained in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the Shares have been duly authorized and validly allotted and issued, are fully paid and not subject to any call for the payment of further capital and have been issued in compliance with all applicable securities law (including pursuant to section 551 and section 570 of the United Kingdom Companies Act 2006); and, except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for shares or ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
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(l) All the outstanding share capital of each subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and not subject to any call for the payment of further capital and, except as otherwise set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all outstanding share capital of the subsidiaries are owned by the Company either directly or through wholly owned subsidiaries free and clear of any perfected security interest or any other security interests, claims, liens or encumbrances.
(m) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(n) There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Registration Statement, F-6 Registration Statement or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required (and the Preliminary Prospectus contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus); and the statements in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings “Taxation,” “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property,” “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Marketing Approval of our Product Candidates,” “Business – Legal Proceedings,” “Description of Share Capital,” “Related Party Transactions,” “Business – Government Regulation and Product Approval” and “Business – Intellectual Property” insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.
(o) The Shares have been duly authorized for issuance and sale (including pursuant to section 551 of the United Kingdom Companies Act 2006) and, when issued by the Company and delivered to the Custodian against payment for the Offered Securities pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued and fully paid and not subject to any call for the payment of further capital, and the issuance and sale of the Shares is not subject to any liens, encumbrances, preemptive rights, rights of first refusal or other similar rights to subscribe for or purchase the Securities (including those provided by section 561 (1) of the United Kingdom Companies Act 2006). 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.
(p) The Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. Assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the Depositary, the Deposit Agreement constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally or by equitable principles relating to enforceability. Upon (i) issuance by the Depositary of the ADSs against the deposit of Shares in respect thereof and/or (ii) due execution and delivery by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing the ADSs against the deposit of Shares in respect thereof, in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADSs and/or ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADSs and/or the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement; and the ADSs and ADRs will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(q) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, will not be an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(r) No consent, approval, authorization, filing with or order of any court or governmental agency or body is required in connection with the transactions contemplated herein or in the Deposit Agreement, except such as have been obtained under the Act; and such as may be required under the blue sky laws of any jurisdiction or the United Kingdom Companies Act 2006 in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein and in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Without limitation, the Company has not, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to activities by the Underwriters, caused the Securities to be, and will not cause them to be, the subject of an offer to the public in the United Kingdom (or in any other EU Member State) for the purposes of section 85 (1) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“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 Underwriters, which would be prohibited by section 21 of UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
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(s) Neither the issue and sale of the Securities nor the consummation of any other of the transactions herein contemplated nor the fulfillment of the terms hereof or the Deposit Agreement or the execution or delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement will conflict with, result in a breach or violation of, or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to (i) the organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or bound or to which its or their property is subject; or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of its or their properties.
(t) No holders of securities of the Company have rights to the registration of such securities under the Registration Statement, except for such rights that have been waived in writing.
(u) The consolidated historical financial statements and schedules of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and have been prepared in conformity with international financial reporting standards applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The selected financial data set forth under the caption “Selected Financial Data” in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and Registration Statement fairly present, on the basis stated in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement, the information included therein.
(v) 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 or its or their property is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened that (i) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (ii) could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(w) Each of the Company and each of its subsidiaries owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct of its operations as presently conducted, except as, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(x) Neither the Company nor any subsidiary is in violation or default of (i) any provision of its articles of association, constitutional documents or bylaws (as the case may be); (ii) the terms of any indenture, contract, lease, mortgage, deed of trust, note agreement, loan agreement or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which it is a party or bound or to which its property is subject; or (iii) any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or such subsidiary or any of its properties, as applicable, except in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) as, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(y) The subsidiaries listed on Annex A attached hereto are the only significant subsidiaries of the Company as defined by Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X.
(z) Ernst & Young Global Limited, who have certified the consolidated financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and delivered their report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements and schedules included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder.
(aa) Except as described in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, there are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the Securities.
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(bb) The Company has filed all tax returns that are required to be filed or has requested extensions thereof (except in any case in which the failure to so file would not have a Material Adverse Effect and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(cc) No labor problem or dispute with the current or former employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or 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, contractors or customers, that could have a Material Adverse Effect.
(dd) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged; all policies of insurance and fidelity or surety bonds insuring the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ee) No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s share capital, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company, except as described in or contemplated by the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(ff) The Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by all applicable authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, and neither the Company nor any such subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
(gg) The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and its subsidiaries’ internal controls over financial reporting are effective and the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any material weakness in their internal controls over financial reporting.
(hh) The Company and its subsidiaries maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.
(ii) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to activities by the Underwriters, any action designed to or that would constitute, or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
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(jj) The Company and its subsidiaries are (i) in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, the “Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability under any environmental law, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of the subsidiaries has been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.
(kk) In the ordinary course of its business, the Company periodically reviews the effect of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws, or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties). On the basis of such review, the Company has reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(ll) None of the following events has occurred or exists: (i) a failure to fulfill the obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) or any foreign equivalent, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder with respect to a Plan, determined without regard to any waiver of such obligations or extension of any amortization period; (ii) an audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation or any other federal or state governmental agency or any foreign regulatory agency with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by any of the Company or any of its subsidiaries that could have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) any breach of any contractual obligation, or any violation of law or applicable qualification standards, with respect to the employment or compensation of employees by the Company or any of its subsidiaries that could have a Material Adverse Effect. None of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (i) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans in the current fiscal year of the Company and its subsidiaries compared to the amount of such contributions made in the most recently completed fiscal year of the Company and its subsidiaries; (ii) a material increase in the “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 106) of the Company and its subsidiaries compared to the amount of such obligations in the most recently completed fiscal year of the Company and its subsidiaries; (iii) any event or condition giving rise to a liability under Title IV of ERISA (or foreign equivalent) that could have a Material Adverse Effect; or (iv) the filing of a claim by one or more employees or former employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries related to their employment that could have a Material Adverse Effect. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “Plan” means a plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA) subject to Title IV of ERISA with respect to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries may have any liability. None of the Company or its subsidiaries is under a liability or obligation, or a party to any ex-gratia arrangement or promise, to pay, or accustomed to paying, pensions, gratuities, superannuation allowances or the like, or otherwise under any obligation to provide “relevant benefits” within the meaning of section 393B of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 to or for any of its past or present officers or employees or their dependents; and there are no retirement benefit, pension or death benefit or similar schemes or arrangements in relation to, or binding on, the Company or its subsidiaries or to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries contributes.
(mm) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act”) to which it is or has been subject, including Section 402 relating to loans.
(nn) All of the information provided to the Underwriters or to counsel for the Underwriters by the Company and 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 Securities for purposes of the Underwriters’ filings with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) is true, complete and correct in all material respects.
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(oo) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has (i) taken any action, directly or indirectly, that could result in a violation or a sanction for violation by such persons of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, each as may be amended, or any similar law of any other relevant jurisdiction, or the rules or regulations thereunder (collectively, “Anti-Corruption Laws”); (ii) promised, offered, provided, attempted to provide, or authorized the provision of money or anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any person for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, influencing any act or decision of the recipient, or securing any improper advantage; or (iii) made, offered, agreed, or requested any unlawful bribe or unlawful benefit including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback, or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted and maintain policies and procedures to ensure compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws. No part of the proceeds of the offering will be used, directly or indirectly, in violation of Anti-Corruption Laws.
(pp) 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 and the money laundering statutes and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(qq) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate, or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (i) is, or is controlled or 50% or more owned in the aggregate by, or is acting on behalf of, one or more individuals or entities that are currently the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States (including, but not limited to, designation on any U.S. Government prohibited party list such as the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List or Foreign Sanctions Evaders List which are maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the List of Statutorily Debarred Parties maintained by the U.S. Department of State or the Entity List, Denied Persons List, or Unverified List which are maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, a member state of the European Union (including sanctions administered or enforced by Her Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom) or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions” and such persons, “Sanctioned Persons” and each such person, a “Sanctioned Person”), (ii) is located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of Sanctions that broadly prohibit dealings with that country or territory, including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, and the Crimea Region of the Ukraine (collectively, “Sanctioned Countries” and each, a “Sanctioned Country”) or (iii) will, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other individual or entity to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with a Sanctioned Person or a Sanctioned Country, or in any manner that would result in a violation of any Sanctions by, or could result in the imposition of Sanctions against, any individual or entity (including any individual or entity participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(rr) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has engaged in any dealings or transactions with or for the benefit of a Sanctioned Person, or with or in a Sanctioned Country, in the preceding three years, nor does the Company or any of its subsidiaries have any plans to engage in dealings or transactions with or for the benefit of a Sanctioned Person, or with or in a Sanctioned Country.
(ss) 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 mark 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 Disclosure Package and Prospectus to be conducted. Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and Prospectus under the caption “Business—Intellectual Property,” (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
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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 Effect, the Company is aware of no factual basis for any such action, suit, proceeding, or claim; (g) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no prior art that may render any patent held by the Company invalid or any patent application held by the Company unpatentable; and (h) 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.
(tt) The Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters; and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the Underwriters.
(uu) The Company (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 exclusion laws (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 (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 manufactured or distributed by or for the Company (collectively, the “Health Care Laws”); (ii) has not received any notice from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging or asserting noncompliance with any Health Care Laws or any licenses, exemptions, certificates, approvals, clearances, authorizations, permits, registrations and supplements or amendments thereto required by any such Health Care Laws (“Authorizations”); (iii) possesses all necessary 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 written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority or third party alleging that any product operation or activity is in violation of any Health Care Laws or Authorizations nor is any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action threatened; (v) has not received any written notice that any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority has taken, is taking or intends to take, action to limit, suspend, materially modify or revoke any Authorizations nor is any such limitation, suspension, modification or revocation threatened; (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 officers or directors, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, have any of its 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 could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion; and (viii) is not 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.
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(vv) The clinical trials and pre-clinical studies conducted by or on behalf of or sponsored by the Company, or in which the Company has participated, that are described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, as applicable, and are intended to be submitted to Regulatory Authorities as a basis for product approval, were and, if still pending, are being conducted in all material respects in accordance with standard medical and scientific research procedures and all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the United States 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 (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”) and current Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices; the descriptions in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus of the results of such studies and trials are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such studies and trials; the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials the results of which are inconsistent with or otherwise call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; the Company is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable statutes, rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities and has not received any written notices, correspondence or other communication from the Regulatory Authorities or any other governmental agency which could lead to the termination or suspension of any clinical trials or pre-clinical studies that are described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for same.
(ww) The Company possesses all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations (collectively, “Permits”) issued by, and has made all declarations and filings with, the applicable federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of its properties or the conduct of its businesses as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or to permit all clinical trials and nonclinical studies conducted by or on behalf of the Company, including, without limitation, all necessary FDA and applicable foreign regulatory agency approvals; the Company is not in violation of, or in default under, any such Permit; and the Company has not received notice of any revocation, suspension or modification of any such Permit and does not have any reason to believe that any such Permit will not be renewed in the ordinary course. The Company (i) is, and at all times has been, in compliance with all Applicable Laws; and (ii) has not received any FDA Form 483, written notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or written notice from any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority alleging or asserting non-compliance with (A) any Applicable Laws or (B) any Permits required by any such Applicable Laws.
(xx) To the knowledge of the Company, the manufacturing facilities and operations of its suppliers are operated in compliance with all applicable statutes, rules, regulations and policies of the Regulatory Authorities.
(yy) None of the Company’s product candidates have received marketing approval from any Regulatory Authority.
(zz) The Company is a “foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.
(aaa) Based on the Company’s current estimates and characterization of its gross income and its gross assets, and the nature of its business and its current business plan, the Company believes that it is not, as of the date hereof, and will not become, upon the sale of the Offered Securities as contemplated by this Agreement, a “passive foreign investment company” (as defined in Section 1297 of the Code, and the regulations promulgated thereunder).
(bbb) Except as described in the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, there are no transfer taxes, stamp duties, capital duties, stamp duty reserve tax or other similar fees or charges under the laws of the United Kingdom, federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid by or on behalf of the Underwriters or the Company in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the Deposit Agreement or the issuance by the Company to the Underwriters of the Offered Securities or the Shares or the sale by the Company of the Offered Securities to the Underwriters, in each case as contemplated by this Agreement. Except pursuant to this Agreement, there is no broker, finder or other party that is entitled to receive from the Company any brokerage or finder’s fee or other fee or commission as a result of any transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
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(ccc) The statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(ddd) Each financial or operational projection or other “forward-looking statement” (as defined by Section 27A of the Act or Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Prospectus (i) was so included by the Company in good faith and with reasonable basis after due consideration by the Company of the underlying assumptions, estimates and other applicable facts and circumstances and (ii) is accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying those factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statement.
(eee) Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of its or their properties or assets has any immunity from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution or otherwise).
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Offered Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
2. Purchase and Sale. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to subscribe for from the Company, at a purchase price of $[●] per ADS, the amount of the Underwritten Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to [●] Option Securities at the same purchase price per ADS as the Underwriters shall pay for the Underwritten Securities, less an amount per ADS equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. Said option may be exercised only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Underwritten Securities by the Underwriters. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time on or before the 30th day after the date of the Prospectus upon written, electronic or telegraphic notice by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the settlement date. The number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the same percentage of the total number of the Option Securities to be purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the Underwritten Securities, subject to such adjustments as you in your absolute discretion shall make to eliminate any fractional shares.
3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Underwritten Securities, and the Option Securities (if the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof shall have been exercised on or before the third Business Day immediately preceding the Closing Date), shall be made at 10:00 AM, New York City time, on [●], 2017, or at such time on such later date not more than three Business Days after the foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of the Offered Securities in the form of ADSs shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
If the option provided for in Section 2(b) hereof is exercised after the third Business Day immediately preceding the Closing Date, the Company will deliver the Option Securities (at the expense of the Company) to the Representatives, at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, on the date specified by the Representatives (which shall be within three Business Days after exercise of said option) for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to an account specified by the Company. If settlement for the Option Securities occurs after the Closing Date, the Company will deliver to the Representatives on the settlement date for
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the Option Securities in the form of ADSs, and the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase the Option Securities shall be conditioned upon receipt of, supplemental opinions, certificates and letters confirming as of such date the opinions, certificates and letters delivered on such settlement date pursuant to Section 6 hereof.
The ADR certificates, if any, evidencing the Underwritten Securities and Option Securities shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives may request not less than two full Business Days prior to such Closing Date or the settlement date for the Option Securities, as the case may be.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Offered Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.
5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object. The Company will cause the Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed in a form approved by the Representatives with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Representatives of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives (i) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) or when any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement shall have been filed with the Commission; (ii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective; (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information; (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, or of any notice objecting to their use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose; and (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, or a new registration statement and using its best efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.
(b) If, at any time prior to the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the Disclosure Package would include 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 at such time not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Representatives so that any use of the Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Disclosure Package to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(c) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include 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 or the circumstances then prevailing not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the rules thereunder, the Company promptly will (i) notify the Representatives of any such event; (ii) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance; and (iii) supply any supplemented Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
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(d) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158.
(e) The Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement and the F-6 Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and to each other Underwriter a copy of the Registration Statement and the F-6 Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering.
(f) The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Offered Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Offered Securities; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Offered Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(g) The Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any affiliate of the Company (except as permitted by the lock-up letter described in Section 6(m) hereof)) directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act, any other Shares or ADSs, or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, Shares or ADSs; or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of this Agreement, provided, however, that the Company may (i) issue and sell securities pursuant to any stock option plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (ii) issue Ordinary Shares issuable upon the conversion of securities outstanding at the Execution Time or upon the exercise of options issued under any stock option plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (iii) issue securities convertible into Ordinary Shares pursuant to the series B conversion adjustment to be effected prior to the initial Closing, as described in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; (iv) file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 relating to stock option or employee benefit plans described in the Disclosure Package and Prospectus; and (v) issue Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into Ordinary Shares representing in the aggregate no more than 5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares following the Closing Date to one or more counterparties in connection with the consummation of a credit facility, strategic partnership, joint venture, collaboration, or the acquisition or license of any business or intellectual property, provided, however, that the recipients of any such securities agree to be bound by a lock-up agreement in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto.
(h) If the Representatives, in their sole discretion, agree to release or waive the restrictions set forth in a lock-up letter described in Section 6(m) hereof for an officer or director of the Company and provides the Company with notice of the impending release or waiver at least three Business Days before the effective date of the release or waiver, the Company agrees to announce the impending release or waiver by a press release substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto through a major news service at least two Business Days before the effective date of the release or waiver.
(i) The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in all material respects in the manner specified in the Disclosure Package under the heading “Use of Proceeds.”
(j) The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to maintain the listing for, subject to notice of issuance, ADSs issued and sold by the Company on the NASDAQ Global Market.
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(k) The Company will file with the Commission such reports as may be required by Rule 463 under the Act.
(l) The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or the ADSs.
(m) The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses relating to the following matters: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the F-6 Registration Statement, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the preparation of the Deposit Agreement, the deposit of the Shares under the Deposit Agreement, the issuance thereunder of ADSs representing such deposited Shares, the issuance of ADRs evidencing such ADSs and the fees of the Depositary; (iii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, the F-6 Registration Statement and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities; (iv) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (v) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Securities; (vi) the registration of the Securities under the Exchange Act and the listing of the Securities on the NASDAQ Global Market; (vii) any registration or qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such registration and qualification); (viii) any filings required to be made with the FINRA (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such filings, which fees and expenses of counsel, together with the fees and expenses of counsel described in clause (vii), shall not exceed $30,000 in the aggregate); (ix) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities, provided that the Underwriters shall be responsible for 50% of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show; (x) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
(n) The Company agrees that, unless it has or shall have obtained the prior written consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees with the Company that, unless it has or shall have obtained, as the case may be, the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Free Writing Prospectuses included in Schedule II hereto and any electronic road show. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Representatives or the Company is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that (x) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (y) it has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
(o) The Company will notify promptly the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act and (b) completion of the 180-day restricted period referred to in Section 5(g) hereof.
(p) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any event occurs as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication would include 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 at such time not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Representatives so that use of the Written Testing-the-Waters Communication may cease until it is
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amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to the Representatives in such quantities as may be reasonably requested.
(q) The Company agrees, at or prior to such Closing Date, to facilitate the issue of the Shares underlying the Offered Securities to the Custodian in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and otherwise to comply with the Deposit Agreement so that ADSs will be issued by the Depositary against receipt of such Shares and delivered to the Underwriters on such Closing Date.
(r) The Company will make the appropriate filings with Companies House in England in relation to allotment of the Shares underlying the Offered Securities.
6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to subscribe for the Underwritten Securities and the Option Securities, as the case may be, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, such Closing Date and any settlement date of the Option Securities, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); any material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, or any notice objecting to their use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b) The Company shall have requested and caused Xxxxx, Xxxxx, Xxxx, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx and Xxxxx, P.C., U.S. counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives their opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(c) The Company shall have requested and caused Xxxxxxxx LLP, as UK counsel to the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives such opinion or opinions dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(d) The Company shall have requested and caused Xxxxx Xxxx LLP, as U.S. intellectual property counsel to the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives such opinion or opinions each dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(e) The Company shall have requested and caused HGF Limited, as intellectual property counsel to the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives such opinion or opinions each dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
(f) The Representatives shall have received from Xxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(g) The Depositary shall have requested and caused Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx & Xxxxx XXX, counsel for the Depositary, to have furnished to the Representatives its opinion or opinions each dated as of such Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, to the effect that:
(i) the Deposit Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Depositary and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Depositary enforceable against the Depositary in accordance with its terms;
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(ii) upon execution and delivery by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing the ADSs against the deposit of the Securities in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, the ADSs will be validly issued and will entitle the holders of the ADSs to the rights specified in those ADRs and in the Deposit Agreement.
(h) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the Company, signed by the Chief Executive Officer and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated such Closing Date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, as well as each electronic road show used in connection with the offering of the Securities, and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of such Closing Date with the same effect as if made on such Closing Date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such Closing Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, or any notice objecting to their use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), there has been no Material Adverse Effect, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
(i) The Representatives shall have received from Ernst & Young Global Limited, independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, at the Execution Time and at such Closing Date, letters, dated respectively as of the Execution Time and as of such Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountant’s “comfort letters” to underwriters, delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), with respect to the audited and unaudited financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, and each free writing prospectus, if any.
(j) Subsequent to the Execution Time or, if earlier, the dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof) and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (e) of this Section 6; or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment of the Representatives, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(k) The Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect and the Company and the Depositary shall have taken all action necessary to permit the deposit of the Shares and the issuance of the ADSs in accordance with the Deposit Agreement.
(l) The Depositary shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Representatives a certificate of one of its authorized officers, satisfactory to the Representatives, evidencing the deposit with the Custodian of the Shares against the issuance of the ADSs to be delivered by the Company at such Closing Date, the execution, issuance, countersignature (if applicable) and delivery of the ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and such other matters related thereto as the Representatives reasonably request.
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(m) At or prior to each Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(n) Subsequent to the Execution Time, there shall not have been any decrease in the rating of any of the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Rule 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act) or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.
(o) The ADSs shall have been listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the NASDAQ Global Market, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Representatives.
(p) At or before the Execution Time, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto from each officer and director of the Company and substantially all securityholders of the Company addressed to the Representatives.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, such Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the office of Xxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, at Xxxxxx LLP, The Grace Building, 0000 Xxxxxx xx xxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, on such Closing Date.
7. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally through the Representatives on demand for all accountable expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.
8. Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Securities as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the F-6 Registration Statement as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in any Preliminary Prospectus, or the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, or in any Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement or the F-6 Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent
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as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements (i) set forth in the last paragraph of the cover page regarding delivery of the Securities; and (ii) under the heading “Underwriting”, (x) the list of Underwriters and their respective participation in the sale of the Securities, (y) the sentences related to concessions and reallowances, and (z) the paragraph related to stabilization, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses; and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest; (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded 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; (iii) 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 the institution of such action; or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding; and (ii) does not include an admission of fault.
(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the same) (collectively “Losses”) to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were
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determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee, affiliate and agent of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
9. Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions which the amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto bears to the aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate amount of Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Company. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this Section 9, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement, the F-6 Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Company and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
10. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such delivery and payment (i) trading in the Company’s securities shall have been suspended by the Commission or the NASDAQ Global Market or trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange or Euronext or in the over-the-counter market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on any of such stock exchanges; (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared either by federal or state authorities in the United States or authorities in the United Kingdom; (iii) there shall have occurred a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services; (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak of or escalation in hostilities involving the United States or the United Kingdom, or there shall have been a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United States or the United Kingdom or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on the United States or the United Kingdom, or the United States or the United Kingdom shall have become engaged in hostilities, or subject of an act of terrorism; or (v) there shall have occurred such a material adverse change in general economic, political or financial conditions (or the effect of international conditions on the financial markets in the United States or the United Kingdom shall be such) as to make it in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto).
11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
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12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to (i) Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Attention: General Counsel, at facsimile no.: x0 000 000 0000 and confirmed to the General Counsel, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, Attention: General Counsel; (ii) Xxxxxxxxx LLC, Attention: General Counsel, at facsimile no.: x0 000 000 0000 and confirmed to the General Counsel, Xxxxxxxxx LLC, 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000; or (iii) Xxxxx and Company, LLC, Attention: Head of Equity Capital Markets, at facsimile no.: + 1 646 562 1124 and to be confirmed at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, (or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, telefaxed or delivered to NuCana plc, facsimile number: [●], and confirmed to it at 00 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxxxx, XX, XX00 0XX, Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Chief Executive Officer.
13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. Jurisdiction. The Company agrees that any suit, action or proceeding against the Company brought by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in any State or U.S. federal court in The City of New York and County of New York, and waives any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any suit, action or proceeding. The Company hereby appoints Corporation Service Company as its authorized agent (the “Authorized Agent”) upon whom process may be served in any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated herein that may be instituted in any State or U.S. federal court in The City of New York and County of New York, by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, and expressly accepts the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any such court in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding. The Company hereby represents and warrants that the Authorized Agent has accepted such appointment and has agreed to act as said agent for service of process, and the Company agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect as aforesaid. Service of process upon the Authorized Agent shall be deemed, in every respect, effective service of process upon the Company.
15. Judgment Currency. The obligations of the Company pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any sum due to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than United States dollars, not be discharged until the first Business Day, following receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency, on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase United States dollars with such other currency; if the United States dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such loss.
16. No Fiduciary Duty. The Company hereby acknowledges that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters and any affiliate through which it may be acting, on the other, (b) the Underwriters are acting as principal and not as an agent or fiduciary of the Company and (c) the Company’s engagement of the Underwriters in connection with the offering and the process leading up to the offering is as independent contractors and not in any other capacity. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the offering (irrespective of whether any of the Underwriters has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters). The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe an agency, fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
17. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
18. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York.
19. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
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20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
21. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
22. Definitions. The terms that follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.
“Commission” shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Disclosure Package” shall mean (i) the Preliminary Prospectus that is generally distributed to investors and used to offer the Securities; (ii) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto; and (iii) any other Free Writing Prospectus that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package.
“Effective Date” shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement and the F-6 Registration Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement became or becomes effective.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Execution Time” shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
“F-6 Registration Statement” shall mean the registration statement referred to in Section 1(c) hereof, including all exhibits thereto, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective.
“Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433.
“Preliminary Prospectus” shall mean any preliminary prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) above and any preliminary prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Date that omits Rule 430A Information.
“Prospectus” shall mean the prospectus relating to the Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) after the Execution Time.
“Registration Statement” shall mean the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a) hereof, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430A, as amended at the Execution Time and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement becomes effective prior to such Closing Date, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, as the case may be.
“Rule 158,” “Rule 172,” “Rule 405,” “Rule 424,” “Rule 430A,” “Rule 433,” Rule 463 and “Rule 501” refer to such rules under the Act.
“Rule 430A Information” shall mean information with respect to the Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.
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“Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” shall mean a registration statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating to the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in Section 1(a) hereof.
[Signature pages follow]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the several Underwriters.
Very truly yours, | ||
NUCANA PLC | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[NuCana plc – Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]
The foregoing Agreement is hereby
confirmed and accepted as of the
date first above written.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Xxxxxxxxx LLC
Xxxxx and Company, LLC
For themselves and the other
several Underwriters named in
Schedule I to the foregoing
Agreement.
By: Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | Xxxxxxxxx LLC | |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
By: | Xxxxx and Company, LLC | |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[NuCana plc – Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Underwriters |
Number of Underwritten Securities to be Purchased |
|||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
||||
Xxxxxxxxx LLC |
||||
Xxxxx and Company, LLC |
||||
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx & Company, L.L.C. |
||||
|
|
|||
Total |
||||
|
|
SCHEDULE II
Schedule of Free Writing Prospectuses included in the Disclosure Package
SCHEDULE III
Schedule of Written Testing-the-Waters Communication
EXHIBIT A
Form of Lock-up Agreement
Lock-Up Agreement
Public Offering of Ordinary Shares,
which may be in the form of American Depositary Shares
, 2017
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Xxxxxxxxx LLC
Xxxxx and Company, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters,
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
New York, New York 10013
c/x Xxxxxxxxx LLC
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
New York, New York 10022
c/o Cowen and Company, LLC
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter agreement (this “Agreement”) is being delivered to you in connection with the proposed Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), between NuCana plc, a public limited company organized under the laws of England and Wales (the “Company”), and each of you, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Xxxxxxxxx LLC and Xxxxx and Company, LLC, as representatives (the “Representatives”) of a group of underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of the Company’s ordinary shares, par value of £0.01 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), which may be in the form of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”).
In order to induce you and the other Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement, the undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect to, any ADSs, Ordinary Shares or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares of the Company, or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period from the date hereof until 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement (the “Lock-up Period”), other than:
(i) ADSs or Ordinary Shares disposed of as bona fide gifts, transferred to a trust for the benefit of the undersigned or an immediate family member (as defined below), transferred by will or
intestate succession upon the death of the undersigned, or transferred pursuant to operation of law, including pursuant to a domestic order or negotiated divorce settlement, provided that in each case (x) the transferee agree in writing prior to such disposition or transfer to be bound by the terms of this Agreement as if he, she or it were a party hereto and (y) no public disclosure or filing, including under the Exchange Act or other applicable rules and regulations, shall be required or voluntarily made during the Lock-up Period;
(ii) the exercise of options to purchase Ordinary Shares or the receipt of Ordinary Shares upon the vesting of restricted stock awards disclosed in the Prospectus or any related transfer of ADSs or Ordinary Shares to the Company (x) deemed to occur upon the cashless exercise of such options or (y) for the purpose of paying the exercise price of such options or for paying taxes due as a result of the exercise of such options or as a result of the vesting of such Ordinary Shares, it being understood that all Ordinary Shares received upon such exercise or transfer will remain subject to the restrictions of this Agreement during the Lock-up Period;
(iii) transfers of ADSs or Ordinary Shares to any affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended), limited partners, general partners, limited liability company members of stockholders of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a corporation to any wholly-owned subsidiary of such corporation, provided that in each case (x) the recipient agrees to be bound in writing by the same restrictions set forth herein, (y) no such transfer shall involve a disposition of value and (z) no public disclosure or filing, including under the Exchange Act or other applicable rules and regulations, reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of ADSs or Ordinary Shares shall be required or voluntarily made during the Lock-up Period;
(iv) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of ADSs or Ordinary Shares, provided that such plan does not provide for the sale of ADSs or Ordinary Shares during the Lock-up Period and to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by or on behalf of the undersigned or the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of ADSs or Ordinary Shares may be made under such plan during the Lock-up Period; and
(v) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all holders of the Company’s capital stock involving a change of control (as defined below) of the Company (provided that (x) such transaction is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and (y) in the event that the tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, the undersigned’s ADSs or Ordinary Shares shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this Agreement for the duration of the Lock-up Period).
The foregoing restrictions shall not apply to transactions relating to ADSs or Ordinary Shares acquired by the undersigned in the Offering or in open market transactions subsequent to the closing of the Offering.
In addition, the undersigned agrees that, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement, without the prior written consent of the Representatives (which consent may be withheld in their sole discretion): (a) the undersigned will not request, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ADSs or Ordinary Shares and (b) the undersigned waives any and all notice requirements and rights with respect to the registration of any such security pursuant to any agreement, understanding or otherwise to which the undersigned is a party.
For purposes of this Agreement, (i) “change of control” shall mean the consummation of any bona fide third party tender offer, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or other similar transaction the result of which is that any “person” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), or group of persons, other than the Company, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act) of 80% of the total voting power of the voting shares of the Company and (ii) “immediate family member” shall mean any relationship by blood, marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, the undersigned further agrees that the foregoing restrictions shall be equally applicable to any issuer-directed ADSs or Ordinary Shares the undersigned may purchase in the Offering.
If the undersigned is an officer or director of the Company, (i) the Representatives agree that, at least three business days before the effective date of any release or waiver of the foregoing restrictions in connection with a transfer of any ADSs or Ordinary Shares, the Representatives will notify the Company of the impending release or waiver, and (ii) the Company has agreed in the Underwriting Agreement to announce the impending release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the release or waiver. Any release or waiver granted by the Representatives hereunder to any such officer or director shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (a) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and (b) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
[In the event that the Representatives release, in full or in part, any holder of the Company holding five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) of the Company (a “Major Stockholder”) or any executive officer or director of the Company (collectively with the Major Stockholders, the “Triggering Parties”) from the restrictions of any lock-up letter signed by such Triggering Party with the Underwriters (a “Triggering Release”), then the undersigned shall be concurrently released in the same manner and on the same terms (including with respect to any conditions or provisos that apply to such release) from the restrictions of this Agreement with respect to that percentage of the total number of Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) held by the undersigned equal to the same percentage of such Triggering Party’s Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) released in the Triggering Release (the “Release Percentage”); provided that (i) the Representatives shall provide notice to the Company of any Triggering Release setting forth the number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs proposed to be released, provided that the failure to provide such notice shall not give rise to any claim or liability against the Underwriters; (ii) upon receipt of such notice from the Representatives, the Company will notify the undersigned of the requested Triggering Release within five business days following such receipt; (iii) any Triggering Release shall be effective as of, and not prior to, receipt of such notice of the Triggering Release by the other Triggering Parties (other than the directors who are not affiliates of a Major Stockholder and other than executive officers, to whom no such notice is required); and (iv) the undersigned may then require the release by the Representatives from the terms of this Agreement of a number of shares equal to the Release Percentage multiplied by the number of Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) held by the undersigned by (x) providing notice in writing to the Representatives of such requirement and (y) certifying in writing to the Representatives and the Company the total number of Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) held by the undersigned as of the time of the request of the Triggering Release. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no release by the Representatives of any Ordinary Shares or ADSs will constitute a Triggering
Release if the aggregate of any release granted during the Lock-Up Period to any individual Triggering Party requesting a release does not exceed 5% of the then outstanding Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) determined as of the date of any such release (as adjusted for any stock splits, reverse stock splits and the like after the date hereof). For the avoidance of doubt, each individual affiliate of the undersigned that is a party to a separate lock-up letter with the Underwriters shall be treated as a separate Triggering Party. Furthermore, notwithstanding the foregoing, no release by the Representatives of any Ordinary Shares (including in the form of ADSs) from the restrictions of a lock-up agreement will constitute a Triggering Release if such release, in full or in part, is in connection with an underwritten public offering of Ordinary Shares or ADSs (a “Follow-On Offering”) in which all such released shares are offered in the Follow-On Offering.
This Agreement shall not become effective unless and until all executive officers and directors of the Company and holders of at least 5% of the Ordinary Shares (determined as of the date hereof and assuming the conversion into Ordinary Shares of all shares of the Company’s equity securities that are convertible into Ordinary Shares) enter into substantially similar agreements with the Representatives.]1
This Agreement and the obligations of the undersigned pursuant hereto shall automatically terminate upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (i) the date that the Company advises the Representatives, in writing, prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, that it has determined not to proceed with the Offering, (ii) the date of termination of the Underwriting Agreement if prior to the closing of the Offering, (iii) the registration statement with respect to the Offering is withdrawn by the Company or (iv) December 31, 2017 if the Offering has not been completed by such date.
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1 | Bracketed language included in lock-up agreements for Sofinnova Capital VI FCPR, Sofinnova Venture Partners VIII, L.P., Morningside Venture Investments Limited, Scottish Enterprises, Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxx and Xxxxx Xxxxx. |
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[Signature page to NuCana lock-up agreement]
EXHIBIT B
Form of Press Release
[Date]
NuCana plc (the “Company”) announced today that Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Xxxxxxxxx LLC and Xxxxx and Company, LLC, the joint book-running managers in the Company’s recent public sale of American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) representing ordinary shares of the Company, are [waiving] [releasing] a lock-up restriction with respect to [ordinary shares][ADSs] of the Company held by [certain officers or directors] [an officer or director] of the Company. The [waiver] [release] will take effect on , 20 , and the [ordinary shares][ADSs] may be sold on or after such date.
This press release is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction where such offer is prohibited, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
ANNEX A
Significant Subsidiaries
None
ADDENDUM
Form of Waiver of Lock-up
Public Offering of Ordinary Shares and ADSs
, 20
[Name and Address of
Officer or Director
Requesting Waiver]
Dear Mr./Ms. [Name]:
This letter is being delivered to you in connection with the offering by NuCana plc (the “Company”) of ordinary shares, nominal value £0.01 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), of the Company, represented by American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) and the lock-up letter dated , 20 (the “Lock-up Letter”), executed by you in connection with such offering, and your request for a [waiver] [release] dated , 20 , with respect to [Ordinary Shares][ADSs] (the “Shares”).
Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Xxxxxxxxx LLC and Xxxxx and Company, LLC hereby agree to [waive] [release] the transfer restrictions set forth in the Lock-up Letter, but only with respect to the Shares, effective , 20 . This letter will serve as notice to the Company of the impending [waiver] [release].
Except as expressly [waived] [released] hereby, the Lock-up Letter shall remain in full force and effect.
Yours very truly,
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
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Xxxxxxxxx LLC | ||
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cc: NuCana plc |