Legend Biotech Corp 6-K, filed Jul 27, 2022
Legend Biotech Corp (LEGN)
About this 6-K
Legend Biotech Corp filed this 6-K on July 27, 2022.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report: July 27, 2022
Commission File Number: 001-39307
Legend Biotech Corporation
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
2101 Cottontail Lane
Somerset, New Jersey 08873
(Address of principal executive office)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
☒ Form 20-F ☐ Form 40-F
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ☐
Underwriting Agreement
On July 26, 2022, Legend Biotech Corporation (the “Company”) entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Evercore Group L.L.C., relating to the underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 8,140,000 American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, representing 16,280,000 ordinary shares, at a price to the public of $43.00 per ADS. The gross proceeds to the Company from the Offering are expected to be approximately $350 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The Offering is expected to close on or about July 29, 2022, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Company has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 1,221,000 additional ADSs at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The Offering was made pursuant to the Company’s effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-257609), which was filed and automatically effective on July 1, 2021, as supplemented by a prospectus supplement dated July 26, 2022.
In the Underwriting Agreement, the Company makes customary representations, warranties and covenants and also agrees to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make because of such liabilities. The foregoing is only a brief description of the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, does not purport to be a complete description of the rights and obligations of the parties thereunder, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Underwriting Agreement that is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Form 6-K and incorporated by reference herein. The legal opinion of Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP relating to the ordinary shares is filed as Exhibit 5.1 to this Form 6-K and incorporated by reference herein.
On July 26, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing the pricing of the Offering. A copy of this press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 6-K.
The information contained in this Form 6-K, including Exhibits 1.1 and 5.1 hereto, but excluding Exhibit 99.1, is hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statements on Form F-3 (Registration Nos. 333-257625 and 333-257609) and the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 333-239478).
EXHIBIT LIST
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Legend Biotech Corporation | ||||||
| Date: July 27, 2022 | By: | /s/ Ying Huang | ||||
| Name Ying Huang, Ph.D. | ||||||
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | ||||||
Exhibit 1.1
Execution Version
LEGEND BIOTECH CORPORATION
8,140,000 AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
REPRESENTING
16,280,000 ORDINARY SHARES, $0.0001 PAR VALUE PER SHARE
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
July 26, 2022
July 26, 2022
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Jefferies LLC
Evercore Group L.L.C.
c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
c/o Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor
New York, New York 10055
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Legend Biotech Corporation, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (“J.P. Morgan”), Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”) and Evercore Group L.L.C. (“Evercore”) are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), 8,140,000 American Depositary Shares representing 16,280,000 ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Firm ADSs”).
The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 1,221,000 American Depositary Shares representing 2,442,000 ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Additional ADSs”), if and to the extent that the Representatives shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such American Depositary Shares granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm ADSs and the Additional ADSs are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ADSs.” The ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Ordinary Shares.”
The ADSs are to be issued pursuant to a deposit agreement dated June 5, 2020 (the “Deposit Agreement”) among the Company, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Depositary (the “Depositary”), and the owners and holders from time to time of the American Depositary Receipts (the “ADRs”) issued by the Depositary and evidencing the ADSs. Each American Depositary Share will initially represent the right to receive two Ordinary Shares deposited pursuant to the Deposit Agreement.
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-257609), including a preliminary prospectus, relating to the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs. The registration statement, as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of ADSs (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional ADSs pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (a “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. The Company has filed a registration statement on Form F-6 (No. 333-238581) relating to the ADSs with the Commission (such registration statement on Form F-6, including all exhibits thereto, as amended at the time such registration statement becomes effective, being hereafter referred to as the “ADS Registration Statement”). The Company has also filed, in accordance with Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), a registration statement on Form 8-A (the “Form 8-A Registration Statement”) to register the Ordinary Shares of the Company under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.
For purposes of this Underwriting Agreement (the “Agreement”), “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, “preliminary prospectus” shall mean each prospectus used prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, and each prospectus that omitted information pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, “Time of Sale Prospectus” means the preliminary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto, and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement,” “preliminary prospectus,” “Time of Sale Prospectus” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof. The terms “supplement,” “amendment” and “amend” as used herein with respect to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein.
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1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) Each of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the ADS Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act are pending before or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i) Each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (ii) each of the Registration Statement and the ADS Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, 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, (iii) each of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iv) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the ADSs in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 4), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (v) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (vi) the Prospectus, as of its date, does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain, as of the date of such amendment or supplement, or as of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date (as defined in Section 2), any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives or on their behalf expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described in Section 8(b).
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(c) The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Securities Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies, or if filed after the effective date of this Agreement will comply when filed, in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Except for the free writing prospectuses, if any, identified in Schedule II hereto, and electronic road shows, if any, each furnished to the Underwriters before first use, the Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without the Representatives’ prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus.
(d) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction) would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(e) Each significant subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act) of the Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction), has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction (to the extent the concept of good standing or an equivalent concept is applicable in such jurisdiction) in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the
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extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; all of the issued shares of capital stock of each significant subsidiary (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act) of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims, except to the extent that such liens, encumbrances, equity or claims would not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(f) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(g) The Deposit Agreement was duly authorized and constitutes a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforceability, to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equity principles, and upon issuance by the Depositary of ADRs evidencing ADSs and the deposit of Ordinary Shares in respect thereof in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, such ADRs will be duly and validly issued and the persons in whose names the ADRs are registered will be entitled to the rights specified therein and in the Deposit Agreement; and the Deposit Agreement and the ADRs conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(h) The authorized share capital of the Company conforms as to legal matters in all material respects to the description thereof contained in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(i) The Ordinary Shares outstanding prior to the issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs to be sold pursuant to this Agreement have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
(j) The Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs to be sold pursuant to this Agreement have been duly authorized and, when issued, delivered and paid for in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Ordinary Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights that have not been validly waived.
(k) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement and the issuance and sale of the ADSs and the deposit of the Ordinary Shares after the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Deposit Agreement, will not contravene any provision of (i) applicable law, (ii) the certificate of incorporation or memorandum and articles of association of the
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Company, (iii) any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company or any of its subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (iv) any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary, except that in the case of clauses (i), (iii) and (iv) above, where such contravention would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement; and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body, agency or court is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as has previously been obtained and such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states or foreign jurisdictions or the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the offer and sale of the ADSs.
(l) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(m) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and proceedings that would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or a material adverse effect on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus and are not so described in all material respects; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound that are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described in all material respects or filed as required.
(n) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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(o) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the ADSs and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(p) The Company and each of its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (i) are 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 (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(q) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (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) which would, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(r) Except as have been validly waived or complied with in connection with the issuance and sale of the ADSs contemplated hereby and as have been described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Ordinary Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(s) (i) None of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or any director, officer or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment, giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political
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party or party official or candidate for political office) (“Government Official”) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws; (ii) the Company and each of its subsidiaries and affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries will use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
(t) The operations of the Company and each of its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and each of its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-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 Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(u) (i) None of the Company, any of its subsidiaries, or any director, officer, or employee thereof, or, to the Company’s knowledge, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so- called Luhansk People’s Republic, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
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(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions, except to the extent permitted for a Person required to comply with Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions, except to the extent permitted for a Person required to comply with Sanctions.
(v) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, have not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding share capital (except for acquisitions of share capital by the Company pursuant to agreements that permit the Company to repurchase such shares or in connection with the exercise of the Company’s right of first refusal with respect to transfers of such shares upon the applicable party’s termination of service to the Company), nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its share capital other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the share capital and/or capital stock (other than the exercise or forfeiture of equity awards outstanding on such respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case granted pursuant to equity compensation plans described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus), short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(w) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property (other than intellectual property, which is covered by Section 1(x)) below) owned by them which is material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Registration
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Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or such as do not materially diminish the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and, to the Company’s knowledge, enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, in each case except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(x) (i) The Company and its subsidiaries solely and exclusively own or have a license to all patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names and all other intellectual property and similar proprietary rights (including all registrations and applications for registration of, and all goodwill associated with, any of the foregoing, as applicable) (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used in, held for use in or reasonably necessary to the conduct of their businesses; (ii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the validity, scope or enforceability of any such Intellectual Property Rights and, to the Company’s knowledge, the Intellectual Property Rights owned or controlled by, or licensed to, the Company or any of its subsidiaries are valid, subsisting and enforceable; (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any written notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights of any third party by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (iv) to the Company’s knowledge, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any valid Intellectual Property Rights owned or in-licensed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (v) to the Company’s knowledge, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries infringes, misappropriates or otherwise violates, or has infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, any valid Intellectual Property Rights of any third party; (vi) all employees or contractors engaged in the development of Intellectual Property Rights on behalf of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company have executed an invention assignment agreement whereby such employees or contractors presently assign all of their right, title and interest in and to such Intellectual Property Rights to the Company or the applicable subsidiary, and to the Company’s knowledge no such agreement has been breached or violated; and (vii) the Company and its subsidiaries use, and have used, commercially reasonable efforts to appropriately maintain all information intended to be maintained as a trade secret.
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(y) (i) The Company and its subsidiaries use and have used any and all software and other materials distributed under a “free,” “open source,” or similar licensing model (including but not limited to the MIT License, Apache License, GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License and GNU Affero General Public License) (“Open Source Software”) in compliance with all license terms applicable to such Open Source Software; and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries uses or distributes or has used or distributed any Open Source Software in any manner that requires or has required (A) the Company or any of its subsidiaries to permit reverse engineering of any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (B) any software code or other technology owned by the Company or any of its subsidiaries to be (1) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (2) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works or (3) redistributed at no charge.
(z) (i) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company and each of its subsidiaries have complied and are presently in compliance with all internal and external Company privacy policies, contractual obligations, applicable laws, statutes, judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or other governmental or regulatory authority and any other legal obligations, in each case, relating to the collection, use, transfer, import, export, storage, protection, disposal and disclosure by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Data Security Obligations”, and such data, “Data”); (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notification of or complaint regarding and is unaware of any other facts that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably indicate non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation; and (iii) there is no action, suit, investigation or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body pending or threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries alleging non-compliance with any Data Security Obligation.
(aa) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications and databases (“IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform appropriately as required in connection with, the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have taken all technical and organizational measures necessary to protect the IT Systems and Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company and its subsidiaries have used reasonable efforts to establish, maintain, implement, and comply with, reasonable information technology, information security, cyber security and data protection controls, policies and procedures, that are designed to protect against and prevent breach, destruction, loss, unauthorized distribution, use, access, disablement, misappropriation or modification, or other compromise or misuse of any IT Systems or Data used in connection with the operation of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ businesses (“Breach”). Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company has experienced no such Breach, and the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any such Breach.
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(bb) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent; and the Company is not aware of any existing, threatened or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its principal suppliers, manufacturers or contractors that could, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(cc) The Company and each of its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as the Company reasonably believes are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be insured would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries 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, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(dd) The Company and each of its subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses, including, without limitation, from the Regulatory Authorities (as defined in Section 1(nn)), except where the failure to obtain such certificates, authorizations or permits would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries 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 on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(ee) The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of the dates shown and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods shown, and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standard (“IFRS”)
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as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except for any normal year-end adjustments in the Company’s quarterly financial statements. The other financial information included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby.
(ff) The statistical, industry and market related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate and such data is consistent with the sources from which they are derived, in each case in all material respects.
(gg) Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries and delivered its report with respect to the audited consolidated financial statements filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Ernst & Young LLP, which is the Company’s current independent registered public accounting firm, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(hh) The Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting,” as defined in Rule 13(a)-15(f) under the Exchange Act, that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and are designed 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 IFRS and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (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 and (v) the interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement is accurate. Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s “internal control over financial reporting,” as defined in Rule 13(a)-15(f) under the Exchange Act (whether or not remediated), except as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially and adversely affected, or is reasonably likely to materially and adversely affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
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(ii) The Company has not sold, issued or distributed any Ordinary Shares during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act, other than shares issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans, pursuant to outstanding options, rights or warrants or in connection with the Company’s initial public offering.
(jj) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign income and other tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by IFRS have been created in the financial statements of the Company, or, except to the extent that such taxes have been accrued on the Company’s financial statements in accordance with IFRS), and no unpaid tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries which, singly or in the aggregate, has had (nor does the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have any notice or knowledge of any unpaid tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company or its subsidiaries and which could reasonably be expected to have) a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
(kk) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(ll) The Company has not (i) engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication or (ii) distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications, in each case with respect to the offering of the ADSs contemplated hereby. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) or Rule 163B of the Securities Act. “Written Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
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(mm) As of the time of each sale of the ADSs in connection with the offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, (B) any free writing prospectus, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (C) any individual Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will 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 this representation and warranty does not apply to any statements or omissions based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives or on their behalf expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information is that described in Section 8(b).
(nn) The Company has operated at all times and is currently in compliance in all material respects with all applicable statutes, rules, regulations and policies of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) and applicable foreign regulatory authorities, including the National Medical Product Administration of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), the European Medicines Agency of the European Union and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency of Japan (collectively, the “Regulatory Authorities”) and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign health care laws, including, without limitation:
(i) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(ii) the Public Health Service Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(iii) the Orphan Drug Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(iv) the PRC Drug Administration Law and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(v) the U.S. Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(b)), the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7a), the U.S. Civil False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. Section 3729 et seq.), all applicable federal, state, local and all foreign criminal laws relating to health care fraud and abuse, including but not limited to the U.S. False Statements Law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7b(a)), 18 U.S.C. Sections 286 and 287, and the health care fraud criminal provisions under the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) (42 U.S.C. Section 1320d et seq.), the exclusions law (42 U.S.C. Section 1320a-7), the statutes and regulations of applicable government funded or sponsored healthcare programs, and the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes;
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(vi) the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, the Security Standards, and the Standards for Electronic Transactions and Code Sets promulgated under HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (42 U.S.C. Section 17921 et seq.), and the regulations promulgated thereunder and any state or non-U.S. counterpart thereof;
(vii) the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
(viii) all other local, state, federal, national, supranational and foreign laws, relating to the ownership, testing, development, manufacture, packaging, processing, use, distribution, marketing, labeling, promotion, sale, offer for sale, storage, import, export or disposal of any product under development, manufactured or distributed by the Company; (clauses (i) through (vii), collectively, “Health Care Laws”).
(oo) (i) The studies, tests and preclinical and clinical trials conducted by or on behalf of or sponsored by the Company or in which the Company has participated, were, and if still pending are, being conducted in all material respects in accordance with standard medical and experimental protocols, procedures and controls pursuant to accepted professional scientific research standards and procedures, and all applicable Health Care Laws, the rules and regulations of the Regulatory Authorities and current Good Clinical Practices and Good Laboratory Practices; (ii) the descriptions of the results of such studies and trials contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus are accurate and complete in all material respects and fairly present the data derived from such trials and studies; (iii) the Company has no knowledge of any other studies or trials not described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the results of which call into question the results described or referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; (iv) the Company has provided the Underwriters with all substantive written notices, correspondence and summaries of all other communications provided to the Company or its subsidiaries from the Regulatory Authorities; and (v) the Company has not received any written notices, correspondence or other communications from any Regulatory Authority or any other governmental entity alleging or asserting material noncompliance with any applicable Health Care Law or requiring or threatening the termination, modification or suspension of any studies or trials that are described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus or the results of which are referred to in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, and, to the Company’s knowledge, there are no reasonable grounds for the same.
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(pp) (i) Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, the Company has filed, obtained, maintained or submitted all reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments as required by any Health Care Laws, and, all such reports, documents, forms, notices, applications, records, claims, submissions and supplements or amendments were timely, complete, accurate and not misleading on the date filed (or were corrected or supplemented by a subsequent submission); (ii) the Company has not received written notice of any claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action from any court or arbitrator or Regulatory Authority, other governmental entity or third party alleging that any Company or product operation or activity is in violation of any Health Care Laws, including, without limitation, any FDA Form 483, notice of adverse finding, warning letter, untitled letter or other correspondence or notice from the FDA or any other Regulatory Authority or governmental entity, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, is any such claim, action, suit, proceeding, hearing, enforcement, investigation, arbitration or other action threatened; (iii) the Company is not a party to any corporate integrity agreements, monitoring agreements, consent decrees, settlement orders, or similar agreements with or imposed by any Regulatory Authority or other governmental entity; and (iv) neither the Company nor any of its employees, officers or directors has been excluded, suspended or debarred from participation in any U.S. federal health care program or human clinical research or, to the knowledge of the Company, is subject to an inquiry, investigation, proceeding or other similar action by a Regulatory Authority or other governmental entity that could reasonably be expected to result in debarment, suspension, or exclusion.
(qq) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any securities rated by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act.
(rr) No stamp, documentary, issuance, registration, transfer, withholding, capital gains, income or other taxes or duties are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the Cayman Islands or the PRC or to any taxing authority thereof or therein in connection with (i) the execution, delivery or consummation of this Agreement, (ii) the creation, allotment and issuance of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs, (iii) the deposit with the Depositary of the Ordinary Shares represented by the ADSs by the Company against issuance of ADRs evidencing the ADSs, (iv) the sale and delivery of the ADSs to the Underwriters or purchasers procured by the Underwriters, or (v) the resale and delivery of the ADSs by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein.
(ss) The Company does not expect to be a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes for its current taxable year.
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(tt) The Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective numbers of Firm ADSs set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $40.42 per ADS (the “Purchase Price”).
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional ADSs, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 1,221,000 Additional ADSs at the Purchase Price, provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional ADSs shall be reduced by an amount per ADS equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm ADSs but not payable on such Additional ADSs. The Representatives may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional ADSs to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such Additional ADSs are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least one business day after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm ADSs or later than ten business days after the date of such notice. On each day, if any, that Additional ADSs are to be purchased (an “Option Closing Date”), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional ADSs (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Representatives may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm ADSs set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm ADSs.
3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by the Representatives that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the ADSs as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in the Representatives’ judgment is advisable. The Company is further advised by the Representatives that the ADSs are to be offered to the public initially at $43.00 per ADS (the “Public Offering Price”) and to certain dealers selected by the Representatives at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $1.548 a share under the Public Offering Price.
4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm ADSs shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm ADSs for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on July 29, 2022, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than August 5, 2022, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.”
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Payment for any Additional ADSs shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional ADSs for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than September 9, 2022, as shall be designated in writing by the Representatives.
The Firm ADSs and Additional ADSs shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Representatives shall request not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm ADSs and Additional ADSs shall be delivered to Morgan Stanley on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the ADSs to the Underwriters duly paid, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor.
5. Conditions to the Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the ADSs to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the ADSs on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 P.M. (New York City time) on the date hereof.
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date:
(i) no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; and
(ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in the Representatives judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable to market the ADSs on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed on behalf of the Company by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Sections 5(a)(i) and 5(a)(ii) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.
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The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
(c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Cooley LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Morrison & Foerster LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Ice Miller LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(f) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Klarquist Sparkman, LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(g) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(h) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion and negative assurance letter of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(i) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of JunHe LLP, People’s Republic of China counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(j) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Jingtian & Gongcheng, People’s Republic of China counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
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(k) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, counsel for the Depositary, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
(l) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Jones Day, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters.
With respect to the negative assurance letters to be delivered pursuant to Sections 5(c) and 5(h) above, Cooley LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP may state that their opinions and beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent check or verification, except as specified.
The opinions of Cooley LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP, Ice Miller LLP, Klarquist Sparkman, LLP, Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, JunHe LLP, Jingtian & Gongcheng, Jones Day and Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP described in Section 5(c) , Section 5(d), Section 5(e), Section 5(f), Section 5(g), Section 5(h), Section 5(i), Section 5(j), Section 5(k) and Section 5(l) above, respectively, shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
(m) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than the date hereof.
(n) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a certificate dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, and signed by the chief financial officer of the Company, in her capacity as such, with respect to certain financial and accounting information in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.
(o) The “lock-up” agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between the Representatives and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company relating to restrictions on sales and certain other dispositions of Ordinary Shares or certain other securities, delivered to the Representatives on or before the date hereof (the “Lock-up Agreements”), shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
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(p) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional ADSs hereunder are subject to the delivery to the Underwriters on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(ii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Cooley LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(c) hereof;
(iii) an opinion of Morrison & Foerster LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date , substantially in the same form and substance as the opinion required by Section 5(d) hereof.
(iv) an opinion of Ice Miller LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date , substantially in the same form and substance as the opinion required by Section 5(e) hereof.
(v) an opinion of Klarquist Sparkman, LLP, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, substantially in the same form and substance as the opinion required by Section 5(f) hereof.
(vi) an opinion of Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP, Cayman Islands counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(g) hereof;
(vii) an opinion and negative assurance letter of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(h) hereof;
(viii) an opinion of JunHe LLP, People’s Republic of China counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(i) hereof;
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(ix) an opinion of Jingtian & Gongcheng, People’s Republic of China counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(j) hereof;
(x) an opinion of Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, counsel for the Depositary, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(k) hereof;
(xi) an opinion of Jones Day, outside intellectual property counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(l) hereof;
(xii) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(m) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a “cut-off date” not earlier than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date;
(xiii) a certificate dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, and signed by the chief financial officer of the Company, in her capacity as such, substantially in the same form and substance as the certificate furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(n) hereof; and
(xiv) such other documents as the Representatives may reasonably request, including with respect to the good standing of the Company and its subsidiaries, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional ADSs to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional ADSs.
(q) The Company and the Depositary shall have executed and delivered the Deposit Agreement, and the Deposit Agreement shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date. The Company and the Depositary shall have taken all actions necessary to permit the deposit of the Ordinary Shares and the issuance of the ADSs representing such Ordinary Shares in accordance with the Deposit Agreement.
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(r) 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 with respect to the deposit with it of the Ordinary Shares against issuance of the ADSs, the execution, issuance, countersignature and delivery of the ADSs pursuant to the Deposit Agreement and such other matters related thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(s) The Firm ADSs and Additional ADSs, if any, shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, subject to official notice of issuance.
6. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish the Representatives, without charge, four signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto but including documents incorporated by reference) and to furnish to the Representatives in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Section 6(e) or 6(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to the Representatives a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) To furnish to the Representatives a copy of each proposed free writing prospectus to be prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and not to use or refer to any proposed free writing prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object.
(d) Not to take any action that would result in an Underwriter or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of the Underwriter that the Underwriter otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder.
(e) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the ADSs at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any
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event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(f) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the ADSs as in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses the Representatives will furnish to the Company) to which ADSs may have been sold by the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(g) To endeavor to qualify the ADSs for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request; 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 ADSs, or taxation in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(h) To make generally available to the Company’s security holders and to the Underwriters as soon as practicable an earnings statement covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the date of this Agreement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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(i) Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the ADS Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the reasonable and documented cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable and documented fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees in respect of the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the ADSs and Ordinary Shares represented thereby by FINRA (provided that the amount payable by the Company with respect to the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters incurred pursuant to subsections (iii) and (iv) of this Section 6(i) shall not exceed $20,000 in the aggregate), (v) all fees and expenses incident to listing the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Ordinary Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the ADSs, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and fifty percent (50%) of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show (the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the cost of such aircraft to be paid by the Underwriters), (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement and (x) all other
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costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled “Indemnity and Contribution” and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the ADSs by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make and all travel and other expenses of the Underwriters or any of their employees incurred by them in connection with participation in investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the ADSs, other than the cost of aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, for which the Underwriters agree to pay for the other fifty percent (50%) not paid for by the Company, as described above.
(j) The Company shall pay, and shall indemnify and hold the Underwriters harmless against, any stamp, issue, registration, documentary, sales, transfer income, capital gains or other similar taxes or duties imposed under the laws of the Cayman Islands or any political sub-division or taxing authority thereof or therein that is payable in connection with (i) the execution, delivery, consummation or enforcement of this Agreement, (ii) the creation, allotment and issuance of the ADSs (iii) the sale and delivery of the ADSs to the Underwriters or purchasers procured by the Underwriters, or (iv) the resale and delivery of the ADSs by the Underwriters in the manner contemplated herein.
(k) All sums payable by the Company under this Agreement shall be paid free and clear of and without deductions or withholdings of any present or future taxes or duties, unless the deduction or withholding is required by law, in which case the Company shall pay such additional amount as will result in the receipt by each Underwriter of the full amount that would have been received had no deduction or withholding been made.
(l) All sums payable to an Underwriter shall be considered exclusive of any value added or similar taxes. Where the Company is obliged to pay value added or similar tax on any amount payable hereunder to an Underwriter, the Company shall in addition to the sum payable hereunder pay an amount equal to any applicable value added or similar tax.
(m) To comply with the terms of the Deposit Agreement so that the ADSs will be issued by the Depositary and delivered to each Underwriter’s participant account in DTC, pursuant to this Agreement on the Closing Date and each applicable Option Closing Date.
The Company also covenants with each Underwriter that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Evercore Group L.L.C. on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period ending 60 days after the date of the Prospectus (the “Restricted Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any
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option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Ordinary Shares or ADSs, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Ordinary Shares, ADSs or such other securities, in cash or otherwise or (3) file any registration statement with the Commission relating to the offering of any Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs.
The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (A) the Ordinary Shares represented by ADSs to be sold hereunder, (B) the issuance by the Company of Ordinary Shares or ADSs upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof as described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, (C) the grant of options, restricted stock units or any other type of equity award described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, or the issuance of Ordinary Shares or ADSs by the Company (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to employees, officers, directors, advisors or consultants of the Company pursuant to employee benefit plans in effect on the date hereof and described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that each recipient of Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares pursuant to this clause (C) shall execute a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto with respect to the remaining portion of the Restricted Period, (D) the filing by the Company of a registration statement on Form S-8 relating to the issuance, vesting, exercise or settlement of equity awards granted or to be granted pursuant to any employee benefit plan in effect on the date hereof and described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus, (E) facilitating the establishment of a trading plan on behalf of a shareholder, officer or director of the Company pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Ordinary Shares or ADSs, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Ordinary Shares or ADSs during the Restricted Period and (ii) to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act, if any, is required of or voluntarily made by the Company regarding the establishment of such plan, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that no transfer of Ordinary Shares or ADSs may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period or (F) the sale or issuance of or entry into an agreement to sell or issue Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs in connection with one or more mergers; acquisitions of securities, businesses, property or other assets, products or technologies; joint ventures; commercial relationships or other strategic corporate transactions or alliances; provided that the aggregate amounts of Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs (on an as-converted, as-exercised or as-exchanged basis) that the Company may sell or issue or agree to sell or issue pursuant to this paragraph shall not exceed 10% of the total number of Ordinary Shares or ADSs of the Company
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issued and outstanding immediately following the completion of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement determined on a fully-diluted basis, and provided further that each recipient of Ordinary Shares, ADSs or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Ordinary Shares or ADSs pursuant to this clause (F) shall execute a lock-up agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto with respect to the remaining portion of the Restricted Period.
7. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) of the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.
8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a “road show”), the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication, or arise out of, or are based upon, any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Underwriters through the Representatives consists of the information described as such in paragraph (b) below. The Company agrees and confirms that references to “affiliates” of Morgan Stanley that appear in this Agreement shall be understood to include Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co., Ltd.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to such Underwriter, but only with reference to information relating to such
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Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through or on behalf of the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus, road show or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter through the Representatives consists of the following information in the Prospectus: the concession figure in the third paragraph and the information set forth in the seventh and fourteenth paragraphs, in each case under the caption “Underwriters.”
(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b), such person (the “indemnified party”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the “indemnifying party”) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed in writing to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all such indemnified parties and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representatives, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a), and by the Company, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(b). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the
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indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.
(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the ADSs or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the offering of the ADSs shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the ADSs (after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the ADSs. The relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of ADSs they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the ADSs underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public 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. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the ADSs.
9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by the Representatives to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to or on the Closing Date or any Option Closing Date, as the case may be, (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Market or other relevant exchanges, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal, New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in the Representatives’ judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in the Representatives’ judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the ADSs on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase ADSs that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the ADSs to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the
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number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm ADSs set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as the Representatives may specify, to purchase the ADSs which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of ADSs that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of ADSs without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm ADSs and the aggregate number of Firm ADSs with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm ADSs to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to the Representatives and the Company for the purchase of such Firm ADSs are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional ADSs and the aggregate number of Additional ADSs with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional ADSs to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional ADSs to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional ADSs that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement (other than by reason of a default by the Underwriters or the occurrence of any of the events described in clauses (i), (iii), (iv) or (v) of Section 9), the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder.
11. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the ADSs, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Underwriters with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the offering, and the purchase and sale of the ADSs.
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(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the ADSs: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arm’s length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement, any contemporaneous written agreements and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company and (iv) none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the ADSs.
12. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. (a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United State.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
13. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
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14. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
15. Submission to Jurisdiction; Appointment of Agents for Service. (a) The Company irrevocably submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York (the “Specified Courts”) over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the offering of the ADSs (each, a “Related Proceeding”). The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any Related Proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such Related Proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. To the extent that the Company has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (on the grounds of sovereignty or otherwise) from the jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process with respect to itself or its property, the Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, such immunity in respect of any such suit, action or proceeding.
(b) The Company hereby irrevocably appoints Ying Huang, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, at 2101 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, New Jersey 08873, as its agent for service of process in any Related Proceeding and agrees that service of process in any such Related Proceeding may be made upon it at the office of such agent. The Company waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. The Company represents and warrants that such agent has agreed to act as the Company’s agent for service of process, and the Company agrees to take any and all action, including the filing of any and all documents and instruments, that may be necessary to continue such appointment in full force and effect.
16. Judgment Currency. If for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder into any currency other than United States dollars, the parties hereto agree, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that the rate of exchange used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Underwriters could purchase United States dollars with such other currency in The City of New York on the business day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of the Company with respect to any sum due from it to any Underwriter or any person controlling 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 or controlling person of any sum in such other currency, and only to the extent that such Underwriter or controlling person 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
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due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, the Company agrees as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter or controlling person against such loss. If the United States dollars so purchased are greater than the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder, such Underwriter or controlling person agrees to pay to the Company an amount equal to the excess of the dollars so purchased over the sum originally due to such Underwriter or controlling person hereunder.
17. Taxes. If any sum payable by the Company under this Agreement is subject to tax in the hands of an Underwriter or taken into account as a receipt in computing the taxable income of that Underwriter (excluding net income taxes on underwriting commissions payable hereunder), the sum payable to the Underwriter under this Agreement shall be increased to such sum as will ensure that the Underwriter shall be left with the sum it would have had in the absence of such tax.
18. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
19. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to Morgan Stanley in care of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 1585 Broadway, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Investment Banking Division (fax: (212) 507-8999); J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk, with a copy to the Legal Department; Jefferies LLC, 520 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 (fax: (646) 619-4437), Attention: General Counsel; and Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, New York 10055 (fax: (212) 857-3101), Attention: ECM General Counsel; and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to Legend Biotech Corporation, Attention: Ying Huang, 2101 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, New Jersey 08873.
[Signature page follows]
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| Very truly yours,
LEGEND BIOTECH CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Lori Macomber | |
| Name: Lori Macomber | ||
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
| Accepted as of the date hereof
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Jefferies LLC Evercore Group L.L.C. | ||
| Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto. | ||
| By: | Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | |
| By: | /s/ Chirag D. Surti | |
| Name: Chirag D. Surti | ||
| Title: Vice President | ||
| By: | J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | |
| By: | /s/ David Ke | |
| Name: David Ke | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| By: | Jefferies LLC | |
| By: | /s/ Michael Brinkman | |
| Name: Michael Brinkman | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| By: | Evercore Group L.L.C. | |
| By: | /s/ Gloria Tang | |
| Name: Gloria Tang | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
| Underwriter |
Number of Firm ADSs To Be Purchased |
|||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC |
2,442,000 | |||
| J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
2,442,000 | |||
| Jefferies LLC |
1,628,000 | |||
| Evercore Group L.L.C. |
1,221,000 | |||
| BMO Capital Markets Corp. |
407,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total: |
8,140,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
I-1
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
| 1. | Preliminary Prospectus issued July 25, 2022 |
| 2. | Orally communicated pricing information: |
| • | Number of Firm ADSs: 8,140,000 |
| • | Number of Additional ADSs: 1,221,000 |
| • | Price to Public: $43.00 per ADS |
II-1
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
[•], 2022
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Jefferies LLC
Evercore Group L.L.C.
c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
c/o Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor
New York, New York 10055
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Evercore Group L.L.C. (together, the “Representatives”) propose to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Legend Biotech Corporation, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands (the “Company”), providing for the public offering (the “Public Offering”) by the several Underwriters, including the Representatives (the “Underwriters”), of ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Ordinary Shares”) in the form of American Depositary Shares (collectively with the Ordinary Shares, the “Securities”).
To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Evercore Group L.L.C. on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, and will not publicly disclose an intention to, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 90 days after the date of the final prospectus (the “Prospectus”) relating to the Public Offering (the “Restricted Period”), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Securities beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), by the undersigned or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Securities or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to:
(a) transactions relating to Securities acquired in the Public Offering or in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering;
(b) transfers of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities (i) as a bona fide gift, or for bona fide estate planning purposes, upon death or by will, testamentary document or intestate succession, (ii) to an immediate family member of the undersigned or to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned (for purposes of this agreement, “immediate family” shall mean any relationship by blood, current or former marriage or adoption, not more remote than first cousin), (iii) not involving a change in beneficial ownership, or (iv) if the undersigned is a trust, to any beneficiary of the undersigned or the estate of any such beneficiary;
(c) distributions of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities to stockholders, direct or indirect affiliates (within the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended), current partners (general or limited), members or managers of the undersigned, as applicable, or to the estates of any such stockholders, affiliates, partners, members or managers;
(d) (i) the receipt by the undersigned from the Company of Securities upon the exercise of options or warrants, insofar as such options or warrants are outstanding as of the date of the Prospectus, provided that such options or warrants are described in the Prospectus and the Securities received upon exercise of such option or warrant shall remain subject to this agreement or (ii) the transfer of Securities or any securities convertible into Securities to the Company upon a vesting event of the Company’s securities or upon the exercise of options or warrants to purchase the Company’s securities on a “cashless” or “net exercise” basis to the extent permitted by the instruments representing such options or warrants so long as such “cashless” exercise or “net exercise” is effected solely by the surrender of outstanding options or warrants to the Company and the Company’s cancellation of all or a portion thereof to pay the exercise price and/or withholding tax obligations, but for the avoidance of doubt, excluding all methods of exercise that would involve a sale of any Securities relating to options or
warrants, whether to cover the applicable exercise price, withholding tax obligations or otherwise, provided that in the case of either (i) or (ii), no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or any other public filing or disclosure of such receipt or transfer by or on behalf of the undersigned shall be required or shall be voluntarily made within 60 days after the date of the Prospectus, and after such 60th day, any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that (A) the filing relates to the circumstances described in (i) or (ii), as the case may be, (B) no shares were sold by the reporting person and (C) in the case of (i), the shares received upon exercise of the option are subject to a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters of the Public Offering;
(e) sales of securities pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement;
(f) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of Securities, provided that (i) such plan does not provide for the transfer of Securities during the Restricted Period and (ii) 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 Securities may be made under such plan during the Restricted Period;
(g) the sale of Securities pursuant to a trading plan pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act that is existing as of the date hereof, provided that to the extent a public announcement or filing under the Exchange Act is required of the undersigned or the Company regarding the sale, such announcement or filing shall include a statement to the effect that the sale occurred pursuant to such trading plan;
(h) the transfer of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities that occurs by operation of law pursuant to a qualified domestic order in connection with a divorce settlement or other court order;
(i) any transfer of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities to the Company pursuant to any contractual arrangement under which the Company has the option to repurchase such shares or a right of first refusal with respect to transfers of such shares in the event the undersigned ceases to provide services to the Company, provided that such contractual arrangement is disclosed in the Prospectus or filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form F-3 relating to the Public Offering or a document incorporated by reference therein, and provided further that no filing under the Exchange Act or other public filing, report or announcement reporting a change in beneficial ownership of Securities shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period within 60 days after the date the undersigned ceases to provide services to the Company, and after such 60th day, if the undersigned is required to file a report under the Exchange Act reporting a change in beneficial ownership of Securities during the Restricted Period, the undersigned shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that the filing relates to the termination of the undersigned’s employment or other services and no other filing or public announcement shall be made voluntarily during the Restricted Period in connection with such transfer; and
(j) the transfer of Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, made to all holders of Securities involving a Change of Control (as defined below), provided that in the event that the tender offer, merger, consolidation or other such transaction is not completed, the Securities owned by the undersigned shall remain subject to the restrictions contained in this agreement;
provided that in the case of any sale, transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a) (b), or (c), no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or any other public filing or disclosure reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of Securities shall be required or shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period;
provided further that in the case of any distribution pursuant to clause (c), such distribution shall not involve a disposition for value;
provided further that in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (b), (c) or (h), each transferee, donee or distributee shall sign and deliver a lock-up letter substantially in the form of this agreement; and
provided further that in the case of any transfer pursuant to clause (h), no filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act or any other public filing or disclosure shall be voluntarily made during the Restricted Period, and any required filing shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto that such transfer is by operation of law, court order or in connection with a divorce settlement, as the case may be.
For the purposes of clause (j), “Change of Control” shall mean the transfer (whether by tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, to a person or group of affiliated persons (other than an Underwriters pursuant to the Public Offering), of the Company’s voting securities if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold more than 75% of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity).
In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Jefferies LLC and Evercore Group L.L.C. on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the Restricted Period, make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Securities or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Securities. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company’s transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned’s Securities except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions.
The undersigned hereby consents to receipt of this agreement in electronic form and understand and agree that this letter agreement may be signed electronically. If any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission, electronic mail, or otherwise by electronic transmission evidencing an intent to sign this agreement (including any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., www.docusign.com), such facsimile transmission, electronic mail or other electronic transmission shall create a valid and binding obligation of the undersigned with the same force and effect as if such signature were an original. Execution and delivery of this agreement by facsimile transmission, electronic mail or other electronic transmission is legal, valid and binding for all purposes.
The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned’s heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns.
The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Shares: none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The undersigned acknowledges that the Underwriters have not solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offering of the Securities and that the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Underwriters may provide certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures or other related documentation to you in connection with the Public Offering, the Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offering or sell any Securities at the price determined in the Public Offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures or documentation is intended to suggest that any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, this agreement will automatically terminate and the undersigned will be released from all obligations hereunder upon the earliest to occur, if any, of (i) the Company, on the one hand, or all of the Representatives, on the other hand, advises in writing that it has determined not to proceed with the Public Offering prior to the execution of the Underwriting Agreement, (ii) the Company files an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission to withdraw the registration statement related to the Public Offering, (iii) the date the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Securities to be sold thereunder, or (iv) September 30, 2022, if the Underwriting Agreement has not been executed by such date.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
[Signature page follows]
Very truly yours,
| IF AN INDIVIDUAL: | IF AN ENTITY: | |||
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Title: (please print full title) | ||||
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Exhibit 5.1
| Our ref | MCR/807659-000005/24486933v2 | |
| Direct | +65 8388 8567 / +852 3690 7405 | |
| Matt.roberts@maples.com |
Legend Biotech Corporation
2101 Cottontail Lane,
Somerset, NJ 08873,
United States of America
27 July 2022
Dear Sirs
Legend Biotech Corporation
We have acted as Cayman Islands legal advisers to Legend Biotech Corporation (the “Company”) in connection with an offering (the “Offering”) by the Company of an aggregate 9,361,000 American depository shares (the “ADSs”) (including up to 1,221,000 ADSs if the underwriters to the Offering exercise their option to purchase additional ADSs in full), each ADS representing two ordinary shares of par value US$0.0001 per share (the “Shares”), pursuant to an “automatic shelf” registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-257609) that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on 1 July 2021 (the “Registration Statement”) and the prospectus supplement dated 26 July 2022 (the “Prospectus Supplement”).
We are furnishing this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Form 6-K to be filed by the Company with the Commission in connection with the Offering.
| 1 | Documents Reviewed |
For the purposes of this opinion, we have reviewed only originals, copies or final drafts of the following documents:
| 1.1 | The certificate of incorporation dated 27 May 2015 issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
| 1.2 | The third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of the Company as adopted by a special resolution passed on 26 May 2020 and effective immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s initial public offering of the ADSs representing its Shares (the “Memorandum and Articles”). |
| 1.3 | The written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company dated 29 June 2021 and the written resolutions of the pricing committee of the directors of the Company dated 26 July 2022 (collectively, the “Board Resolutions”). |
| 1.4 | A certificate from a director of the Company, a copy of which is attached as Annexure A hereto (the “Director’s Certificate”). |
| 1.5 | A certificate of good standing dated 19 July 2022, issued by the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands (the “Certificate of Good Standing”). |
| 1.6 | The Registration Statement. |
| 1.7 | The Prospectus Supplement. |
| 2 | Assumptions |
The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving these opinions we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as of the date of this opinion letter, of the Director’s Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:
| 2.1 | Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals. |
| 2.2 | All signatures, initials and seals are genuine. |
| 2.3 | There is nothing under any law (other than the law of the Cayman Islands), which would or might affect the opinions set out below. |
| 3 | Opinion |
Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications set out below and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:
| 3.1 | The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands. |
| 3.2 | The issue and allotment of the Shares have been duly authorised, and when allotted, issued and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus Supplement, the Shares will be legally issued and allotted, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders). |
| 3.3 | The statements under the headings “Selling Restrictions”, “Cayman Islands Taxation” and “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement are accurate in so far as such statements are summaries of or relate to Cayman Islands law, and such statements constitute our opinion. |
| 4 | Qualifications |
In this opinion the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to the Shares in the Company, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, and in absence of a contractual arrangement, or an obligation pursuant to the Memorandum and Articles, to the contrary, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the Shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions, which are the subject of this opinion.
2
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our name under the headings “Material Income Tax Considerations” and “Legal Matters” and elsewhere in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.
Yours faithfully
/s/ Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP
Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP
3
Director’s Certificate
27 July 2022
| To: | Maples and Calder (Singapore) LLP |
1 Raffles Place #36-01
One Raffles Place
Singapore 048616
Dear Sirs
Legend Biotech Corporation (the “Company”)
I, the undersigned, being a director of the Company, am aware that you are being asked to provide a legal opinion (the “Opinion”) in relation to certain aspects of Cayman Islands law. Capitalised terms used in this certificate have the meaning given to them in the Opinion. I hereby certify that:
| 1 | The Memorandum and Articles remain in full force and effect and are unamended. |
| 2 | The Board Resolutions were duly adopted, are in full force and effect at the date hereof and have not been amended, varied or revoked in any respect. |
| 3 | The shareholders of the Company have not restricted or limited the powers of the directors in any way and there is no contractual or other prohibition (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting it from issuing and allotting the Shares or otherwise performing its obligations under the Registration Statement. |
| 4 | The minute book and corporate records of the Company as maintained at its registered office in the Cayman Islands and made available to you are complete and accurate in all material respects and all minutes and resolutions filed therein represent a complete and accurate record of all meetings of the shareholders and directors (or any committee thereof) (duly convened and held in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles) and all resolutions passed at the meetings, or passed by written consent as the case may be. |
| 5 | The directors of the Company at the date of the Board Resolutions and as at the date of this certificate were and are as follows: |
WANG Ye
Corazon D. Sanders
Ji Darren Xiaohui
Yau Philip
Patrick CASEY
ZHU Li
HUANG Ying
| 6 | Each director considers the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement to be of commercial benefit to the Company and has acted in good faith in the best interests of the Company, and for a proper purpose of the Company in relation to the transactions which are the subject of the Opinion. |
4
| 7 | To the best of my knowledge and belief, having made due inquiry, the Company is not the subject of legal, arbitral, administrative or other proceedings in any jurisdiction that would have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company. Nor have the directors or shareholders taken any steps to have the Company struck off or placed in liquidation, nor have any steps been taken to wind up the Company. Nor has any receiver been appointed over any of the Company’s property or assets. |
I confirm that you may continue to rely on this Certificate as being true and correct on the day that you issue the Opinion unless I shall have previously notified you personally to the contrary.
[signature page follows]
5
| Signature: | /s/ Ying Huang | |
| Name: | Ying Huang | |
| Title: | Director | |
6
Exhibit 99.1
Legend Biotech Corporation
Announces Pricing of Public Offering
SOMERSET, NJ – July 26, 2022 – Legend Biotech Corporation (NASDAQ: LEGN) (“Legend Biotech”), a global biotechnology company developing, manufacturing and commercializing novel therapies to treat life-threatening diseases, today announced that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 8,140,000 American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”), each representing two ordinary shares, at a public offering price of $43.00 per ADS, for total gross proceeds of approximately $350 million. In addition, Legend Biotech has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,221,000 ADSs at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. All of the ADSs are being offered by Legend Biotech. The offering is expected to close on July 29, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.
Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, Jefferies and Evercore ISI are serving as joint book-running managers for the offering. BMO Capital Markets is acting as a book-runner.
The ADSs are being offered by Legend Biotech pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The offering is being made only by means of a written prospectus and prospectus supplement that form a part of the registration statement. A preliminary prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the offering was filed with the SEC on July 25, 2022. The final prospectus supplement relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. A copy of the final prospectus supplement can be obtained, when available, from Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by telephone at (866) 718-1649; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at 866-803-9204 or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmorganchase.com; Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022, by telephone at 877-821-7388 or by email at prospectus_department@jefferies.com; or Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10055, by telephone at 888-474-0200 or by email at ecm.prospectus@evercore.com.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Legend Biotech
Legend Biotech is a global biotechnology company dedicated to treating, and one day curing, life-threatening diseases. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, we are developing advanced cell therapies across a diverse array of technology platforms, including autologous and allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy. From our three R&D sites around the world, we apply these innovative technologies to pursue the discovery of safe, efficacious and cutting-edge therapeutics for patients worldwide.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the closing of the public offering. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements
contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties related to market conditions and the completion of the proposed public offering on the anticipated terms or at all, and the other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Legend Biotech’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2022 as well as in Legend Biotech’s other filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Legend Biotech specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers should not rely upon the information in this press release as current or accurate after its publication date.
Investor Contacts:
Joanne Choi, Senior Manager of Investor Relations, Legend Biotech
joanne.choi@legendbiotech.com
Crystal Chen, Manager of Investor Relations, Legend Biotech
crystal.chen@legendbiotech.com
Press Contact:
Tina Carter, Corporate Communications Lead, Legend Biotech
tina.carter@legendbiotech.com
(908) 331-5025