proxy.htm
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange
Act of 1934
Filed by
the Registrant [X]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the
appropriate box:
[ ]
Preliminary proxy statement.
[ ]
Confidential, for use of the Commission only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2)).
[X]
Definitive proxy statement.
[ ]
Definitive additional materials.
[ ]
Soliciting material pursuant to § 240.14a-11(c) of
§ 240.14a-12.
Antares
Pharma, Inc.
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(Name
of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the
Registrant)
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Payment
of filing fee (check the appropriate box):
[X] No
fee required.
[ ]
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
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(1)
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction
applies:
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(3)
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was
determined):
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(4)
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of
transaction:
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[ ]
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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[ ]
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number,
or the form or schedule and the date of its
filing.
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(1)
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement
No.:
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ANTARES
PHARMA, INC.
Princeton
Crossroads Corporate Center
250
Phillips Boulevard, Suite 290
Ewing,
New Jersey 08618
April
19, 2010
Dear
Stockholder:
You are
cordially invited to attend the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Antares
Pharma, Inc., to be held at 9:00 a.m., local time, on Thursday, May 27, 2010, in
the offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 1701 Market Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103. The phone number for Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius LLP is 215-963-5000 and the website address is
www.morganlewis.com.
The
Secretary’s Notice of Annual Meeting and the Proxy Statement that appear on the
following page describe the matters scheduled to come before the meeting. At the
meeting, I will report on our company’s performance during the past year, as
well as other current items of interest to our stockholders. In addition,
certain members of our Board of Directors and management team, as well as
representatives of KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm,
will be available to answer your questions.
I hope
you will join us at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Whether or not you plan to attend,
please complete and return your signed proxy card as soon as possible. If you
attend the meeting, you may withdraw any proxy previously given and vote your
shares in person at the meeting.
On behalf
of our Board of Directors and our employees, thank you for your continued
support of and interest in Antares Pharma, Inc.
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Sincerely, |
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Paul
K. Wotton |
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President
and Chief Executive Officer |
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ANTARES
PHARMA, INC.
Princeton
Crossroads Corporate Center
250
Phillips Boulevard, Suite 290
Ewing,
New Jersey 08618
NOTICE IS
HEREBY GIVEN of the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Antares Pharma, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation.
Date &
Time:
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Thursday,
May 27, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. local
time
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Place:
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Morgan,
Lewis & Bockius LLP
1701
Market Street
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19103
Phone:
215-963-5000
www.morganlewis.com
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Items of
Business:
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1.
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To
elect three members to the Company’s Board of Directors for a term of three
years.
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2.
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To
approve an amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2008 Equity
Compensation Plan to increase the maximum number of shares authorized for
issuance under the plan from 10,000,000 to
11,500,000.
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3.
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To
ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31,
2010.
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4.
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To
transact other business that may properly come before the
meeting.
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Record
Date:
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All
stockholders of record as of the close of business on Wednesday, March 31,
2010, will be entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders.
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Your
attention is directed to the enclosed proxy statement. Whether or not you intend
to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, please complete, sign and return
the proxy card in the enclosed, postage prepaid and addressed
envelope.
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By order of the Board of
Directors, |
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Robert
F. Apple |
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Secretary |
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April 19,2010
This
proxy statement and the accompanying proxy card are being mailed on or about
April 19, 2010 to all stockholders entitled to vote.
Important
notice regarding the availability of proxy materials for the 2010 Annual Meeting
of Stockholders to be held on May 27, 2010:
This
proxy statement and our 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available directly
at:
http://materials.proxyvote.com/036642
PROXY
STATEMENT OF
ANTARES
PHARMA, INC.
Princeton
Crossroads Corporate Center
250
Phillips Boulevard, Suite 290
Ewing,
New Jersey 08618
Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held
This
proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by
the Board of Directors of Antares Pharma, Inc. (referred to in this proxy
statement as Antares, we, our, us or the Company), to be used at our 2010 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Thursday, May 27, 2010. This proxy
statement is first being sent to stockholders on or about April 19, 2010. The Board of Directors recommends
that stockholders vote in favor of Items 1, 2 and 3. Each stockholder who
signs and returns a proxy card in the form enclosed with this proxy statement
may revoke the same at any time prior to use by giving notice of such revocation
to us in writing prior to the meeting or in person at the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. Unless so revoked, the shares represented by such proxy will be
voted at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and at any adjournment thereof in
the manner specified. Presence at the meeting of a stockholder who has signed a
proxy does not alone revoke the proxy. If no direction is made, the proxy will
be voted in favor of Items 1, 2 and 3, each of which are discussed
below.
The Company’s Annual Report to
Stockholders on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, including
financial statements, is being mailed to stockholders with this proxy statement
but does not constitute a part of this proxy statement.
This
proxy statement and our 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available indirectly
in the Investor Relations section of our website at
http://www.antarespharma.com. You may access this material by choosing the
“Investor Relations” button at the top of the page, and then selecting “SEC
Filings” from the items listed in the Investor Relations section. The
information on our website is not part of this proxy statement. References to
our website in this proxy statement are intended to serve as inactive textual
references only.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
VOTING
AT THE MEETING
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3
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PROPOSAL
NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
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4
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CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
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7
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Corporate Governance
Guidelines
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7
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Board
Independence
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7
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Meetings and Committees of our
Board
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7
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Director
Nominations
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8
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Communicating with our Board of
Directors
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10
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Compensation of
Directors
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10
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Compensation Committee Interlocks
and Insider Participation
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11
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PROPOSAL
NO. 2: APPROVAL
OF AN AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE COMPANY’S 2008 EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN TO
INCREASE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SHARES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE
UNDER THE PLAN FROM 10,000,000 TO 11,500,000
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12
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PROPOSAL
NO. 3: RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED
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PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANTS
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20
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EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
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22
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CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
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23
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION – COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
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25
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STOCK
OWNERSHIP GUIDELINES
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32
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ONGOING
AND POST-EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
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32
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TAX
CONSIDERATIONS
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33
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REPORT
OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
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33
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COMPENSATION
TABLES
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34
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SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
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37
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REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
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38
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OTHER
MATTERS
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39
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EXHIBIT
A: 2008 EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN
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A-1
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VOTING
AT THE MEETING
Only holders of record of shares of the
Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), at the close
of business on March 31, 2010, the record date, are entitled to vote at the
Annual Meeting. As of that date, there were 82,392,768 shares of
Common Stock outstanding. Each stockholder entitled to vote shall
have the right to cast one vote for each share of Common Stock outstanding in
such stockholder’s name.
Shares cannot be voted at the Annual
Meeting unless the holder of record is present in person or by
proxy. The enclosed form of proxy is a means by which a stockholder
may authorize the voting of his, her or its shares at the Annual
Meeting.
The Company presently has no other
class of stock outstanding and entitled to be voted at the Annual
Meeting. The presence in person or by proxy of stockholders entitled
to cast a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at the Annual Meeting will
constitute a quorum. If a broker that is a record holder of Common
Stock does not return a signed proxy, the shares of Common Stock represented by
such proxy will not be considered present at the Annual Meeting and will not be
counted toward establishing a quorum. If a broker that is a record
holder of Common Stock does return a signed proxy, but is not authorized to vote
on one or more matters (with respect to each such matter, a “broker non-vote”),
the shares of Common Stock represented by such proxy will be considered present
at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining the presence of a
quorum. A broker that is a member of the New York Stock Exchange is
prohibited, unless the stockholder provides the broker with written
instructions, from giving a proxy on non-routine matters. Please note
that the New York Stock Exchange rules that guide how brokers vote your stock
have changed. The election of directors is no longer considered a
“routine” matter under these rules. Consequently, your brokerage firm
or other nominee may no longer vote your shares with respect to Proposal 1 and
the election of directors without specific instructions from you as to how to
vote with respect to the election of each of the three nominees for
director.
Assuming
a quorum is present:
(i)
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a
plurality of the votes cast by stockholders present, in person or by
proxy, and entitled to vote for the election of directors at the Annual
Meeting will be required to elect the members of the Board of Directors of
the Company. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no
effect on the outcome of the election of
directors;
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(ii)
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the
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by stockholders present,
in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, will be
required to approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2008
Equity Compensation Plan to increase the maximum number of shares
authorized for issuance under the Plan from 10,000,000 to
11,500,000. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no
effect on the outcome of the vote to approve the amendment and restatement
of the Company’s 2008 Equity Compensation Plan to increase the maximum
number of shares authorized for issuance under the Plan from 10,000,000 to
11,500,000; and
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(iii)
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the
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or
represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote will be
required for the ratification of the appointment of the independent
registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year.
Abstentions will be counted towards the tabulations of votes cast and will
have the same effect as votes against the ratification of the appointment
of KPMG LLP; however, broker non-votes will not affect the
results.
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Stockholders
are urged to specify their voting preference by marking the appropriate boxes on
the enclosed proxy card. The shares of Common Stock represented by
each properly executed proxy will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance
with each stockholder’s directions. If no choice has been specified
and the enclosed proxy card is properly executed and returned, the shares
represented by that proxy will be voted “FOR” the nominees for election as
directors
named under the caption “Election of Directors,”
“FOR” the approval of the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2008 Equity
Compensation Plan to increase the maximum number of shares authorized for
issuance under the Plan from 10,000,000 to 11,500,000 and “FOR”
the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year
ending December 31, 2010. If any other matters are
properly presented at the Annual Meeting for action, the proxy
holders will vote the proxies (which
confer discretionary authority to vote on such matters) in accordance with their
judgment.
Proposal
No. 1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Our Bylaws provide that the number of
directors that constitute the Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to
time by the Board of Directors and that directors shall be divided into three
classes of as nearly equal size as possible. The Board of Directors has set the
number of directors at seven. The members of each class are elected to serve a
three-year term, and the terms of each class are staggered. The terms of Thomas
J. Garrity, Dr. Jacques Gonella and Dr. Rajesh C. Shrotriya will
expire at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the terms of Dr. Leonard
S. Jacob and Paul K. Wotton will expire at the 2011 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and the terms of Anton G. Gueth and Eamonn P. Hobbs will expire at
the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Following the recommendation for
nomination by our Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board of Directors
has nominated the persons named below for election as directors.
The
accompanying proxy will be voted in favor of the election of the following
nominees for director, unless the stockholder giving the proxy indicates to the
contrary on the proxy. The nominees have agreed to stand for election at the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders. If any nominee is not available as a candidate
for director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for
another nominee designated by the Board of Directors to fill such vacancy,
unless the stockholder giving the proxy indicates to the contrary on the
proxy.
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the election of
the nominees.
Nominees
to be elected at the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders for a
term
continuing until the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Mr. Garrity
joined the Board of Directors in October 2003 and serves as Chairman of our
Audit Committee and as a member of our Governance and Nominating Committee. He
was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for PCS Health Systems,
a provider of managed pharmaceutical care, from 1994 to 2000. He played a key
role during its subsequent integration with Advance Paradigm, Inc. and became
Executive Vice President of Financial Operations for the resultant entity,
AdvancePCS, a provider of health improvement solutions. Prior to that,
Mr. Garrity held various positions at Eli Lilly and Company, including
Director of Public Policy Planning and Development; Director of Corporate
Financial Planning; and other international, marketing and financial positions.
Mr. Garrity holds a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in aerospace engineering and an MBA in finance from the University of
Chicago. He is currently a private investor and consultant.
Mr.
Garrity’s long executive experience in the pharmaceutical arena and additional
extensive experience in leadership positions in pharmaceutical companies enable
him to assist the Board of Directors in assessing government regulatory
considerations and other matters facing the pharmaceutical industry and the
companies operating therein. In addition, his experience as a
financial executive enables him to provide knowledgeable perspectives on
financial matters.
Dr. Jacques
Gonella |
Age
68 |
Dr. Gonella
served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors from January 2001 to October
2008. Dr. Gonella was the founder of Permatec (a Swiss company that was
merged with Medi-Ject, Inc., to form Antares Pharma, Inc.) and served as the
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Permatec since its founding in June 1997.
Prior to founding Permatec, Dr. Gonella founded JAGO Pharma AG in 1983 and
served as its President and Chief Executive Officer until its acquisition in May
1996 by SkyePharma, PLC, a United Kingdom company listed on the London Stock
Exchange and quoted on Nasdaq (“SkyePharma”). Prior to the founding of JAGO,
Dr. Gonella occupied various positions with F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. and
Pfizer Inc. between 1968 and 1979. Dr. Gonella served as a member of the
board of directors of Protherics PLC, London from January 2007 to December 2008
and currently sits on the board of directors of several private pharmaceutical
companies and pharmaceutical investment funds. He holds a doctorate in
analytical chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Lausanne,
Switzerland. He is currently a private investor and proprietor of JG
Consulting AG.
Dr.
Gonella’s experience in, and knowledge concerning, public companies and his
extensive corporate and board experience in the pharmaceutical industry provides
valuable insights into our corporate governance and
operations. Moreover, his lengthy experience in operating and
financial management enables him to provide useful insights on executive
management considerations. Further, Dr. Gonella’s intimate knowledge
of the Company, by virtue of his lengthy service on the Board of Directors,
enables him to provide valuable insight regarding our operations and
personnel.
Dr. Rajesh C.
Shrotriya |
Age
65 |
Dr. Shrotriya
joined the Board of Directors in April 2004 and is a member of our Compensation
Committee and our Governance and Nominating Committee. Dr. Shrotriya is the
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the in-licensing, clinical
development and commercialization of oncology drugs. In September 2000,
Dr. Shrotriya joined NeoTherapeutics, Inc., as President and Chief
Operating Officer, and in August 2002, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer.
In this capacity, he spearheaded major changes in business strategy and
coordinated the structural reorganization of NeoTherapeutics, culminating in the
formation of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to that, Dr. Shrotriya
was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for SuperGen, Inc.,
and Vice President, Medical Affairs and Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of
MGI Pharma, Inc. For 18 years, he held various positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb
Company, the most recent being Executive Director Worldwide CNS Clinical
Research. Dr. Shrotriya has also held various positions at Hoechst
Pharmaceuticals and was an attending physician and held a courtesy appointment
at St. Joseph Hospital in Stamford, Connecticut. Dr. Shrotriya received a
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree at the Armed Forces Medical
College in Poona, India; a post-graduate diploma in Chest Diseases from Delhi
University; and a post-graduate M.D. degree from the Grant Medical College in
Bombay, India. He also received a certificate for Advanced Biomedical Research
Management from Harvard University.
Dr. Shrotriya’s
long career as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry, including extensive
experience as a senior executive, enables him to provide valuable insights to
the Board of Directors on a variety of matters. Importantly,
Dr. Shrotriya’s background as a practicing physician allows him to provide
the Board of Directors with a physician’s insight on matters facing the
Company.
Directors
whose term continues until the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Dr. Paul K.
Wotton |
Age
49 |
Dr.
Wotton joined Antares as President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2008 and
was appointed Chief Executive Officer in October 2008. Dr. Wotton was
appointed to the Board of Directors of Antares in August 2004. Dr. Wotton
formerly served as President and CEO of Topigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a
biotechnology company based in Montreal, Canada. Dr. Wotton possesses over
twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining
Topigen, he was Head of Global Business Development at SkyePharma.
Dr. Wotton also previously served as Vice President of Corporate
Development for Eurand and Vice President of Business Development for Penwest
Pharmaceuticals Co. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacy from the University
of London, an MBA from Kingston Business School and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical
science from the University of Nottingham. Dr. Wotton was also a director
of Genaera Corp, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, until
2009.
Mr.
Wotton’s intimate knowledge of our company, by virtue of his service as our
President and Chief Operating Officer and as our Chief Executive Officer,
enables him to provide valuable insight regarding our operations and
personnel. In addition, his extensive pharmaceutical industry
experience, coupled with previous service as an executive of a public company,
brings valuable observations to the Board of Directors on a broad range of
matters relating to pharmaceutical company operations and regulatory
interactions.
Dr. Leonard S.
Jacob |
Age
61 |
Dr. Jacob
has served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors since October
2008. Dr. Jacob joined the Board of Directors in January 2007
and is the Chairman of our Governance and Nominating Committee and is a member
of our Compensation Committee. In 2006, Dr. Jacob was named Chairman
of the Board of Bradley Pharmaceuticals which was subsequently acquired by
Nycomed. He founded InKine Pharmaceutical Company Inc. in 1997 and
served as Chairman and CEO from its founding until the company was acquired by
Salix Pharmaceuticals in 2005. In 1989, Dr. Jacob co-founded Maganin
Pharmaceuticals and served as its Chief Operating Officer until 1996. From
1980 to
1989, Dr. Jacob served in a variety of executive roles including Worldwide
Vice President of SmithKline & French Labs (now Glaxo-SmithKline) and as a
member of their Corporate Management Committee. He earned a Ph.D. in
pharmacology from Temple University School of Medicine and an M.D. from the
Medical College of Pennsylvania (Drexel University College of Medicine).
Dr. Jacob currently serves as Chairman of Life Science Advisors, a
consulting group to the healthcare industry. He also serves on the Board of
Directors of QuiqMeds, a private drug wholesaler dispensing company, the Colon
Cancer Alliance and the Board of Overseers for Temple University School of
Medicine and he was a founding Director of the Jacob Internet fund, a public
mutual fund where he served from 1999 to 2010.
Dr.
Jacob’s experience on, and knowledge concerning, public company directorships
and his extensive executive experience provides valuable insights into our
corporate governance. Moreover, his lengthy experience in operating
and financial management enables him to provide useful insights on executive
management considerations. His background as a practicing physician
allows him to provide the Board of Directors with a physician’s insight on
matters facing the Company.
Directors
whose term continues until the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Mr. Gueth
joined the Board of Directors in October 2003 and serves as Chairman of our
Compensation Committee and as a member of our Audit Committee and our Governance
and Nominating Committee. Mr. Gueth is currently a Managing Director of Burrill
& Company, a merchant bank specialized in the health care field. His career
includes nearly 19 years with Eli Lilly and Company (“Lilly”), most recently as
director of Alliance Management. He also served as General Manager of Lilly’s
African and Middle Eastern operations; Vice President of Financial Planning and
Treasury of PCS Health Systems; Managing Director of Lilly’s Saudi Arabia, Gulf
and Yemen operations, as well as other sales, marketing and financial positions.
Mr. Gueth earned a Masters Degree in agricultural economics from the Justus
Liebig University in Giessen, Germany, as well as a Masters Degree in public
affairs from Indiana University. Mr. Gueth is a director of the
American Liver Foundation, Northern California Chapter.
Mr. Gueth’s
extensive financial experience provides valuable insights to both the Audit
Committee and the Board of Directors. In addition, his experience as
Managing Director of merchant bank specializing in the health care
field enables him to share with the Board of Directors considerable knowledge
regarding healthcare and pharmaceutical industry trends.
Mr. Hobbs
joined the Board of Directors in August 2009 and is a member of our Audit
Committee and our Governance and Nominating Committee. Mr. Hobbs has over 25
years experience in the medical device industry, including interventional
radiology, interventional cardiology and gastroenterology. Mr. Hobbs is
currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Delcath Systems, Inc., a
medical technology company specializing in cancer treatment. Prior to joining
Delcath Systems, Inc., Mr. Hobbs served as President and Chief Executive Officer
of AngioDynamics, Inc., a company he co-founded in 1988 which has grown into a
leading medical technology company with a highly diverse product
line. Throughout his 20 year tenure there, he led its efforts in
marketing, strategic planning, product development and general
management. Before joining AngioDynamics, Mr. Hobbs was Director
of Marketing and Product Development at NAMIC; founder, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Hobbs Medical, Inc; and a Product Development Engineer at
Cook Incorporated. Mr. Hobbs received a Bachelor of Science in Plastics
Engineering with a Biomaterials emphasis at the University of Massachusetts
(Lowell). Mr. Hobbs also serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of
Interventional Radiology Foundation and is Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association.
Mr.
Hobbs’ long career in the medical device industry and his executive experience
at companies in that industry enables him to assist the Board of Directors in
addressing many important issues, such as regulatory matters related to medical
devices. Moreover, his executive experience in the private sector
enables him to contribute meaningfully to the Board of Directors and the Audit
Committee in considering a variety of operational and financial
matters.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
In
accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and our
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, our business and affairs are managed
under the direction of the Board of Directors. We provide information to the
directors about our business through, among other things, operating, financial
and other reports, as well as other documents presented at meetings of the Board
of Directors and Committees of the Board of Directors.
Corporate
Governance Guidelines
The Board
of Directors has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines that address the
practices of the Board of Directors and specify criteria to assist the Board of
Directors in determining Director independence. These criteria supplement the
listing standards of the NYSE Amex and the regulations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics sets
forth rules of conduct that apply to all of our directors, officers and
employees. The Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and
Ethics are available on our website at www.antarespharma.com as well
as in printed form, free of charge to any stockholder who requests them, by
writing or telephoning Antares Pharma, Inc., 250 Phillips Boulevard, Suite 290,
Ewing, NJ 08618. (Telephone Number: 609-359-3020). With respect to
any amendments or waivers of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (to the
extent applicable to our chief executive officer, principal accounting officer
or controller, or persons performing similar functions) we intend to either post
such amendments or waivers on our website, www.antarespharma.com, or
disclose such amendments or waivers pursuant to a Current Report on Form
8-K.
Board
Independence
The Board
of Directors has determined that Dr. Leonard S. Jacob, Thomas J. Garrity, Anton
G. Gueth, Dr. Rajesh Shrotriya and Eamonn P. Hobbs are “independent” as defined
under the listing standards of the NYSE Amex. The Board of Directors
believes that the NYSE Amex independence requirements contained in the listing
standards provide the appropriate standard for assessing director independence
and uses the requirements in assessing the independence of each of its
members.
Meetings
and Committees of the Board of Directors
The Board of Directors met 6 times
during 2009. The Board of Directors has an Audit Committee, a Compensation
Committee and a Governance and Nominating Committee. During 2009, all of our
current directors attended at least 83% of the aggregate number of meetings of
the Board of Directors and of the Committees on which they served. Our directors
are invited, but are not required, to attend our Annual Meetings of
Stockholders. Last year, all of our directors attended the 2009 Annual Meeting
of Stockholders.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee consisted of Thomas
J. Garrity, Anton G. Gueth and Eamonn P. Hobbs. Dr. Rajesh
Shrotriya was a member of the Audit Committee until August 12, 2009, at which
time Mr. Hobbs joined the Committee. With Mr. Garrity acting as Chairman,
this Committee met, either telephonically or in person, 8 times during 2009. The
Audit Committee engages our independent registered public accounting firm,
reviews the results and scope of the audit and other services provided by our
independent registered public accounting firm, as well as our accounting
principles and systems of internal controls, and reports the results of its
review to, or holds concurrent meetings with, the full Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors has determined that
Mr. Garrity meets the requirements of an “audit committee financial
expert,” as that term is defined by the SEC. Additionally, the Board of
Directors has determined that Mr. Garrity is independent, as defined in
Item 7(d)(3)(iv) of Schedule 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”), and that each of the members of our Audit
Committee is “independent” within the meaning of Section 803(A) of the NYSE Amex
(formerly the American Stock Exchange) listing standards.
You can
find a copy of our Audit Committee Charter by visiting our website at www.antarespharma.com
and following the links to “Investor Relations,” “Reports and Documents” and
“Audit Committee Charter.”
Compensation
Committee
The Compensation Committee consisted of
Anton G. Gueth, Dr. Rajesh Shrotriya and Dr. Leonard S.
Jacob. With Mr. Gueth acting as Chairman, the Compensation
Committee met, either telephonically or in person, 4 times during 2009. The
Compensation Committee makes recommendations concerning executive salaries,
incentive compensation for employees as well as employee benefits. The Board of
Directors as a whole administers our 2008 Equity Compensation Plan (the
“Plan”). The Board of Directors appoints the Compensation Committee
to perform all of the administrative functions for the Plan. All
actions taken by the Compensation Committee for the Plan are reported to the
Board of Directors.
You can
find a copy of our Compensation Committee Charter by visiting our website at
www.antarespharma.com
and following the links to “Investor Relations,” “Reports and Documents” and
“Compensation Committee Charter.”
Governance
and Nominating Committee
The Governance and Nominating Committee
consists of all independent members of the Board of Directors and in 2009
consisted of Dr. Leonard S. Jacob, Thomas J. Garrity, Anton G. Gueth,
Dr. Rajesh Shrotriya and Eamonn P. Hobbs. With Dr. Jacob acting
as Chairman, the Governance and Nominating Committee met in person 1 time during
2009. The purpose of the Governance and Nominating Committee is (i) to advise
the Board of Directors regarding the membership and operations of the Board of
Directors; (ii) to identify individuals qualified to serve as members of the
Board of Directors, to select, subject to ratification by the Board of
Directors, the director nominees for the next annual meeting of stockholders,
and to recommend to the Board of Directors individuals to fill vacancies on the
Board of Directors; (iii) to recommend to the Board of Directors the
responsibilities of each Board committee, the structure and operation of each
Board committee, and the director nominees for assignment to each Board
committee; (iv) to oversee the Board of Director’s annual evaluation of its
performance and the performance of other Board committees; and (v) to develop
and recommend to the Board of Directors a set of corporate governance guidelines
applicable to the Company and to periodically review the
guidelines.
Although
no formal diversity policy is in place, in performance of its duties, the
Governance and Nominating Committee believes that the backgrounds and
qualifications of the Board of Directors, considered as a group, should provide
a significant composite mix of experience, knowledge and abilities that will
enable the Board of Directors to fulfill its
responsibilities. Therefore, the Governance and Nominating Committee
considers diversity in identifying nominees for directors. In this
regard, the Governance and Nominating Committee views diversity in a broad
sense, including on the basis of business experience, public service experience,
gender and ethnicity.
You can
find a copy of our Governance and Nominating Committee Charter by visiting our
website at www.antarespharma.com
and following the links to “Investor Relations,” “Reports and Documents” and
“Governance and Nominating Committee Charter.”
Director
Nominations
In
connection with our proxy solicitation relating to our Annual Meeting of
Stockholders, the Board of Directors recommends a slate of director nominees for
election by our stockholders. In addition, the Board of Directors
fills vacancies on the Board of Directors when necessary or
appropriate. The Board of Directors’ recommendations or
determinations are made after consideration of the recommendations of, and
information supplied by, our Governance and Nominating Committee as to the
suitability of each individual nominee, taking into account the criteria
described below and other factors, including the requirements for Board
committee membership. The Board of Directors as a whole should
collectively possess a broad range of skills, expertise, industry and other
knowledge, and business and other experience useful to the effective oversight
of our business. The Board of Directors also seeks members from diverse
backgrounds so that the Board of Directors consists of members with a broad
spectrum of experience and expertise and with a reputation for
integrity. Directors should have experience in positions with a high
degree of responsibility, be leaders in the companies or institutions with which
they are affiliated, and be selected based on contributions that they can make
to us. In determining whether to recommend a director for reelection,
our Governance and Nominating Committee also considers a director’s past
attendance at meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities
of the Board of Directors and committees of the Board of Directors on which the
director served. Our Board of Directors considers recommendations for
nominations from a wide variety of sources, including members of our Board
of Directors, business contacts, our legal counsel, community leaders and
members of our management.
The Board
of Directors will also consider candidates for nomination recommended by a
stockholder. The procedures for nominating directors for election, other than by
the Board of Directors, are set forth in the Bylaws and our Corporate Governance
Guidelines. Nominations for the election of directors, other than by the Board
of Directors, must be made by a stockholder entitled to vote for the election of
directors by giving timely written notice to the Secretary of the Company (the
“Secretary”) at the Company’s principal office. To be timely, a stockholder’s
notice of such nominations shall be delivered to the Secretary not later than
the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on
the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s Annual
Meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the Annual
Meeting is advanced by more than 30 days before or delayed by more than 60 days
after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so
delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such
Annual Meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th
day prior to such Annual Meeting or the 10th day following the day on which
public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Such
stockholder’s notice shall set forth as to each person whom the stockholder
proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director, all information
relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of
proxies for election of directors in an election contest, or is otherwise
required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act
(including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement
as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected) and as to the stockholder
giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
nomination or proposal is made the name and address of such stockholder, as they
appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, and the class and
number of shares of the Company which are owned beneficially and of record by
such stockholder and such beneficial owner. If a stockholder fails to comply
with the above provisions, then the Chairman of the meeting may declare that the
nomination was not made in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the
Bylaws and the defective nomination may be disregarded. Subject to compliance
with statutory or regulatory requirements, the Board of Directors does not
expect that candidates recommended by stockholders will be evaluated in a
different manner than other candidates.
Board
Role in Risk Oversight
The Board
of Directors regularly and continually receives information intended to apprise
the Board of Directors of the strategic, operational, commercial, financial,
legal, and compliance risks the Company faces. Oversight of risk is
an evolving process in which management continually seeks opportunities to
further engrain enterprise risk management into business processes throughout
the organization. The Board of Directors actively encourages
management to continue to drive this evolution. While the Board of
Directors has responsibility for oversight of the Company’s risk management
practices, the Audit, Compensation and Governance and Nominating Committees of
the Board of Directors also have risk management oversight responsibilities. In
particular, the Audit Committee focuses on financial risk, including internal
controls. The Audit Committee receives, reviews and discusses regular reports
from management concerning risk assessment and risk management policies and
practices and mitigation initiatives, to assure that the risk management
processes designed and implemented by the Company are adapted to the Company’s
strategy and are functioning as expected.
In
addition, as part of its compensation philosophy, the Compensation Committee
strives to adopt compensation incentives that encourage appropriate risk-taking
behavior that is consistent with the Company’s long term business strategy and
objectives. To meet its obligations under the Securities and Exchange
Commission’s Enhanced Disclosure Rules, the Company undertook a process to
assess to what extent risks arising from our compensation programs for employees
are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. We
concluded that it is not likely that our compensation policies will have such an
effect. The Governance and Nominating Committee oversees risk
management practices in its domain, including director candidate selection,
governance and succession matters.
Board
Leadership Structure
The Chairman of the Board of Directors
is an independent director. The Company and the Board of Directors
believe that the oversight function of the Board of Directors is enhanced when
an independent director, serving as Chairman, is in a position to set the agenda
for, and preside over, meetings of the Board of Directors. We also
believe that our leadership structure enhances the active participation of our
independent directors.
Communicating
with the Board of Directors
You may communicate in writing with any
or all of our directors via U.S. mail addressed to Antares Pharma, Inc., c/o
Corporate Secretary, Princeton Crossroads Corporate Center, 250 Phillips
Boulevard, Suite 290, Ewing, NJ 08618. Our Secretary will review and summarize
all communications received for the purpose of expediting director review of
matters communicated and will forward correspondence directly to the directors
as appropriate.
Compensation
of Directors
Under the Directors’ Compensation Plan,
effective January 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009, all non-employee directors
received an initial grant of an option to purchase 20,000 shares of Common Stock
on the day they were initially elected or appointed to the Board of Directors,
an annual grant of an option to purchase 30,000 shares of Common Stock at the
time of the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders and an annual retainer of
$25,000. The Board Chairman received an additional $55,000, which was
paid with stock options in lieu of cash, the Audit and Compensation Committee
Chairs each received an additional $12,000, the Governance and Nominating
Committee Chair received an additional $6,000, and the Audit and Compensation
Committee members received an additional $5,000. No additional
payments were earned for each Board or Committee meeting.
During 2009, we utilized Buck
Consultants, an independent compensation consultant, to analyze the compensation
packages for our directors as compared to the director compensation levels in
place at companies in the Company’s peer group. The analysis revealed
that the level of director compensation for the non-employee directors of the
Company was below the 25th percentile of the non-employee director compensation
paid by the companies in the Company’s peer group. As a result, the
level of director compensation was revised so that the Company’s director
compensation program was in the 50th percentile relative to the Company’s peer
group. Accordingly, effective October 1, 2009, the annual retainer
for all members was increased to $40,000 from $25,000 and the annual
nonqualified stock option grant was increased to 40,000 shares from 30,000, the
additional annual retainer for the chairpersons of the Audit and Compensation
Committees was increased to $15,000 from $12,000 per year, the additional annual
retainer for members of the Audit and Compensation Committees was increased to
$6,500 from $5,000 per year, the additional annual retainer for the chairperson
of the Governance/Nominating Committee was increased to $7,500 per year, and the
additional annual retainer for the Board Chairman was decreased to $40,000 per
year plus an additional annual nonqualified stock option grant of 40,000
shares. No additional payments are earned for each Board or Committee
meeting and there is no additional annual retainer for members of the
Governance/Nominating Committee.
Annually,
the directors can elect to take restricted stock or options in lieu of the cash
compensation. The number of shares of Common Stock issued would be
based on the market value of the stock and the number of options granted would
be determined based on a valuation using a Black-Scholes
calculation. All directors are reimbursed for expenses actually
incurred in attending meetings of the Board of Directors and its
committees.
The following table provides
information regarding director compensation in 2009, which reflects the standard
compensation described above and certain other payments. The table does not
include compensation for reimbursement of travel expenses related to attending
Board and Committee meetings. In addition, the table does not address
compensation for Dr. Wotton as Chief Executive Officer, which is addressed
under “Executive Compensation” below. Dr. Wotton does not receive
additional compensation for serving as a director.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION –
2009
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in
Cash
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
(1)
|
|
|
Option
Awards
(1)
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
|
|
|
Change
in
Pension
Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
(2)
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Thomas
J. Garrity
|
|
$ |
41,500 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
17,125 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
58,625 |
|
Dr.
Jacques Gonella
|
|
|
28,750 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
17,125 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2,151 |
|
|
|
48,026 |
|
Anton
G. Gueth
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
68,875 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
68,875 |
|
Dr.
Leonard S. Jacob
|
|
|
32,500 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
46,058 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
78,558 |
|
Dr.
Rajesh C. Shrotriya
|
|
|
17,250 |
|
|
|
17,500 |
|
|
|
17,125 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
51,875 |
|
Eamonn
P. Hobbs
|
|
|
11,625 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
17,144 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
28,769 |
|
(1)
|
The
amounts shown for stock and option awards relate to shares granted under
our 2008 Equity Compensation Plan. These amounts are equal to the
aggregate grant date fair value of the stock and option
awards. The assumptions used in determining the amounts for
option awards are set forth in note 8 to our consolidated financial
statements. At December 31, 2009 the directors held options to
purchase an aggregate of 1,493,591 shares of Common
Stock.
|
(2)
|
Represents
the cost of a Company-provided mobile phone for Dr. Gonella in
2009.
|
|
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
During 2009, no member of the
Compensation Committee had any relationship or transaction with us that is
required to be reported under Item 402(j) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange
Act.
Vote
Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors
The
affirmative vote of a plurality of votes of the shares of our Common Stock
present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to
vote is required to elect the three directors nominated above. That means the
nominees will be elected if he receives more affirmative votes than any other
nominees.
The
Board of Directors unanimously recommends votes FOR the election of Thomas J.
Garrity, Dr. Jacques Gonella and Dr. Rajesh C. Shrotriya.
Proposal
No. 2
APPROVAL
OF AN AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE COMPANY’S 2008 EQUITY
COMPENSATION
PLAN TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SHARES AUTHORIZED FOR
ISSUANCE
UNDER THE PLAN FROM 10,000,000 TO 11,500,000.
Antares
currently maintains the Antares Pharma, Inc. 2008 Equity Compensation Plan (the
“2008 Plan”), which was originally effective May 14, 2008 upon the approval by
the stockholders of the company. As of such date, the company’s 1993
Stock Option Plan (the “1993 Plan”), 1996 Stock Option Plan (the “1996 Plan”),
Amended and Restated 2001 Stock Option Plan (the “2001 Plan”), Amended and
Restated 2001 Incentive Stock Option Plan for Employees (the “2001 Employees
Plan”), and 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2006 Plan”) (the 1993 Plan, 1996
Plan, 2001 Plan, 2001 Employees Plan and 2006 Plan collectively, the “Prior
Plans”) were merged with and into the 2008 Plan.
On
February 23, 2010, the Board of Directors unanimously approved an amendment and
restatement of the 2008 Plan (i) to increase the maximum number of shares of
Common Stock that may be issued under the 2008 Plan from 10,000,000 to
11,500,000, (ii) to clarify the definition of fair market value and (iii) to add
a provision that allows for the net exercise of stock options granted
thereunder. The Board of Directors approved the increase in the
number of shares reserved and available for issuance under the 2008 Plan subject
to stockholder approval and, accordingly, the Board of Directors directed that
the amendment and restatement of the 2008 Plan be submitted to the Company’s
stockholders for approval at the Annual Meeting. The effectiveness of
the amendments described in (ii) and (iii) above is not subject to stockholder
approval and are effective as of February 23, 2010. The 2008 Plan
currently authorizes a maximum of 10,000,000 shares for issuance to employees,
non-employee directors, and consultants and advisors of Antares and its
subsidiaries who are participating in the 2008 Plan. If the
stockholders do not approve the amendment and restatement of the 2008 Plan at
the Annual Meeting, the increase in the number of shares of Common Stock
reserved and available for issuance under the 2008 Plan from 10,000,000 shares
to 11,500,000 shares will not be effective and the increase in the number of
shares reserved and available for issuance will not be effective.
The Board
of Directors believes that the number of shares available for issuance under the
2008 Plan is not sufficient in light of our compensation structure and
strategy. The Board of Directors has concluded that our ability to
attract, retain and motivate top quality employees, non-employee directors, and
consultants and advisors is important to our success and would be enhanced by
our continued ability to make grants under the 2008 Plan. In
addition, the Board of Directors believes that our interests and the interests
of our stockholders will be advanced if we can continue to offer our employees,
non-employee directors and consultants and advisors the opportunity to acquire
or increase their proprietary interests in us. The Board of Directors
believes that the an increase in the maximum number of shares available for
issuance under the 2008 Plan from 10,000,000 to 11,500,000 shares will ensure
that we continue to have a sufficient number of shares with which to achieve our
compensation strategy.
Currently,
the maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the 2008 Plan
cannot exceed 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock. Based on the number
of shares subject to outstanding grants under the 2008 Plan together with the
number of shares that could be issued under the performance-based stock bonus
awards, there would be a shortfall of 281,693 if all of the performance criteria
are achieved and no other outstanding grants under the 2008 Plan terminate, are
forfeited or expire. If such a shortfall were to occur, the
performance-based stock bonus award agreements provide that the Company will pay
the amount otherwise due under the award in cash. If this Proposal 2
is approved by our stockholders, no such shortfall will
occur. Further, if this Proposal 2 is approved by our stockholders at
the Annual Meeting, in no event will the maximum aggregate number of shares that
may be issued under the 2008 Plan exceed 11,500,000 shares of Common
Stock.
As of
March 31, 2010, the Company had 7,932,984 options outstanding with a weighted
average exercise price of $1.16 and a weighted average remaining term of 6.7
years, 531,354 shares subject to outstanding restricted stock awards and 994,092
shares that could be issued pursuant to outstanding performance-based stock
bonus awards. Of the 531,354 shares subject to outstanding restricted
stock awards: (i) 169,999 represent shares subject to restricted stock awards
received by our executives in connection with their performance of services for
us and are fully vested and non-forfeitable; (ii) 265,769 represent shares
subject to restricted stock awards received by our executives in connection with
their performance of services for us and are unvested; (iii) 62,567 represent
shares subject to restricted stock awards received by any of our non-employee
directors as payment of the annual retainer fee and are fully vested and
nonforfeitable; (iv) 33,019 represent shares subject to restricted stock awards
received by any of our non-employee directors as payment of the annual retainer
fee and are unvested, each as of March 31,
2010. With respect to the 994,092 shares that could be issued
pursuant to outstanding performance-based stock bonus awards, none of such
shares has actually been issued under the 2008 Plan. Instead, shares
may only be issued under the 2008 Plan with respect to such awards to the extent
the applicable performance criteria are achieved on or before December 31,
2010. As of March 31, 2010, 180,681 shares have been granted under
the 2008 Plan pursuant to outstanding performance-based stock bonus awards based
upon attainment of applicable performance criteria. As of March 31,
2010, option exercises have resulted in the issuance of 642,582 shares under the
2008 Plan.
Stockholder
approval is being sought (i) in order to meet the NYSE Amex Exchange listing
requirements, (ii) so that compensation attributable to grants under the 2008
Plan may qualify for an exemption from the $1 million deduction limit under
section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (see discussion of “Federal Income
Tax Consequences” below), and (iii) in order for incentive stock options to meet
the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code (the
“Code”). Stockholder approval of this proposal will also constitute a
reapproval of the foregoing 1,000,000 share limitation and $1,000,000 limitation
for purposes of section 162(m) of the Code.
The
material terms of the 2008 Plan are summarized below. A copy of the
full text of the 2008 Plan is attached to this Proxy Statement as Exhibit
A. This summary of the 2008 Plan is not intended to be a complete
description of the 2008 Plan and is qualified in its entirety by the actual text
of the 2008 Plan to which reference is made.
Material
Features of the 2008 Plan
General. The 2008
Plan provides that grants may be made in any of the following
forms:
·
|
|
Incentive
stock options
|
·
|
|
Nonqualified
stock options
|
·
|
|
Stock
appreciation rights ("SARs'")
|
·
|
|
Other
stock-based awards
|
The 2008
Plan provides that the maximum aggregate number of shares of Common Stock with
respect to which grants may be made to any individual during any calendar year
is 1,000,000 shares, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances as described
below. If dividend equivalents are granted as qualified
performance-based compensation under section 162(m) of the Code, a grantee may
not accrue more than $1,000,000 of such dividend equivalents during any calendar
year.
If and to
the extent options (including options granted under the Prior Plans) and SARs
granted under the 2008 Plan terminate, expire or are cancelled, forfeited,
exchanged or surrendered without being exercised or if any stock awards
(including stock awards granted under the Prior Plans), stock units, or other
stock-based awards are forfeited, terminated, or otherwise not paid in full, the
shares subject to such grants will become available again for purposes of the
2008 Plan. Shares of Common Stock surrendered in payment of the
exercise price of an option, or withheld for payment of taxes, shall not be
available for re-issuance under the 2008 Plan. Upon the exercise of
an option through a net exercise procedure, or upon the exercise of a SAR, both
for purposes of calculating the number of shares remaining available for
issuance under the 2008 Plan and the number of shares remaining available for
exercise under such option or SAR, the number of such shares shall be reduced by
the gross number of shares for which the option or SAR is exercised and without
regard to any cash settlement of a SAR. Except as provided with respect to cash
settlement of SARs, to the extent that any grants are paid in cash and not in
shares of Common Stock, any shares previously subject to such grants shall again
be available for issuance or transfer under the 2008 Plan and shall not count
against the share limits for purposes of shares available under the 2008
Plan.
Administration. The
2008 Plan is administered and interpreted by the Compensation Committee (the
“Committee”). However, the Board of Directors approves and
administers all grants made to non-employee directors. References to
the Committee include the Board of Directors where appropriate. The
Committee may delegate authority to administer the 2008 Plan to one or more
subcommittees, as it deems appropriate.
The
Committee has the authority to (i) determine the individuals to whom grants will
be made under the
2008 Plan, (ii) determine the type, size, terms and conditions of the
grants, (iii) determine when grants will be made and the duration of any
applicable exercise or restriction period, including the criteria for
exercisability and the acceleration of exercisability, (iv) amend the terms and
conditions of any previously issued grant, subject to the limitations described
below and (v) deal with any other matters arising under the 2008
Plan. The Committee presently consists of Anton G. Gueth (Chair),
Leonard S. Jacob, M.D, Ph.D., and Dr. Rajesh C. Shrotriya, each of whom is a
non-employee director of our company.
Eligibility for
Participation. All of our employees and the employees of our
subsidiaries, all of our non-employee directors, and consultants and advisors
who perform services for us and our subsidiaries are eligible to receive grants
under the 2008 Plan. As of March 31, 2010, approximately 20 employees
and six non-employee directors are eligible to receive grants under the 2008
Plan. The Committee is authorized to select the persons to receive
grants from among those eligible and the Committee will determine the number of
shares of Common Stock that are subject to each grant.
Types
of Awards.
Stock
Options
The
Committee may grant options intended to qualify as incentive stock options
within the meaning of section 422 of the Code (“ISOs”) or “nonqualified stock
options” that are not intended to so qualify (“NQSOs”) or any combination of
ISOs and NQSOs. Anyone eligible to participate in the 2008 Plan may
receive a grant of NQSOs. Only our employees and employees of our
subsidiaries may receive a grant of ISOs.
The
Committee will fix the exercise price per share of options on the date of
grant. The exercise price of options granted under the 2008 Plan will
be equal to or greater than the last reported sale price of the underlying
shares of Common Stock on the date of grant. However, if the grantee
of an ISO is a person who holds more than 10% of the total combined voting power
of all classes of our outstanding stock, the exercise price per share of an ISO
granted to such person must be at least 110% of the last reported sale price of
a share of Common Stock on the date of grant.
The
Committee will determine the term of each option which shall not exceed ten
years from the date of grant, or, for Swiss employees, eleven years from the
date of grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the grantee of an
ISO is a person who holds more than 10% of the combined voting power of all
classes of our outstanding stock, the term of the ISO may not exceed five years
from the date of grant. To the extent that the aggregate fair market
value of shares of Common Stock, determined on the date of grant, with respect
to which ISOs become exercisable for the first time by a grantee during any
calendar year exceeds $100,000, such ISOs will be treated as NQSOs.
The
Committee will determine the terms and conditions of options, including when
they become exercisable. The Committee may accelerate the
exercisability of any options. The Committee will also determine
under what circumstances a grantee may exercise an option after termination of
employment or service. Generally, if a grantee ceases to be employed
by, or provide service to, us for any reason other than disability, death, or
termination for cause, the grantee’s options will terminate 90 days following
the date on which the grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to,
us. If a grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, us
on account of the grantee’s disability or death, the grantee’s options will
terminate one year following the date on which the grantee ceases to be employed
by, or provide service to, us. In each case described above, the
Committee may specify a different option termination date, but in any event no
later than the expiration of the option term. If a grantee ceases to
be employed by, or provide service to, us on account of termination for cause,
the grantee’s options will terminate immediately.
A grantee
may exercise an option by delivering notice of exercise to us. The
grantee will pay the exercise price and any withholding taxes for the option:
(i) in cash, (ii) unless the Committee determines otherwise, by delivering
shares of Common Stock already owned by the grantee and having a fair market
value on the date of exercise equal to the exercise price or by attestation to
ownership of shares of Common Stock having a fair market value on the date of
exercise at least equal to the exercise price, (iii) by payment through a broker
in accordance with the procedures permitted by Regulation T of the Federal
Reserve Board, (iv) through a net exercise procedure whereby a number of shares
of Common Stock having a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the
aggregate exercise price of the option and/or withholding taxes are withheld and
the remainder of the shares subject to such exercised option are delivered to
the grantee, or (v) by such other method as the Committee may
approve.
Stock
Awards
The
Committee may grant stock awards to anyone eligible to participate in the 2008
Plan. The Committee may require that grantees pay consideration for
the stock awards and may impose restrictions on the stock awards. If
restrictions are imposed on stock awards, the Committee will determine whether
they will lapse over a period of time or according to such other criteria as the
Committee determines.
The
Committee will determine the number of shares of Common Stock subject to the
grant of stock awards and the other terms and conditions of the
grant. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, a grantee will have
the right to vote shares of Common Stock and to receive dividends paid on such
shares during the restriction period. The Committee may determine
that a grantee’s entitlement to dividends with respect to stock awards will be
subject to the achievement of performance goals or other
conditions.
Unless
the Committee determines otherwise, if a grantee ceases to be employed by, or
provide service to, us during the restriction period, or if other specified
conditions are not met, then the grantee’s stock award will terminate as to all
shares covered by the award as to which the restrictions have not lapsed, and
those shares of Common Stock must be immediately returned to us.
Stock
Units
The
Committee may grant stock units to anyone eligible to participate in the 2008
Plan. Each stock unit provides the grantee with the right to receive
a share of Common Stock or an amount based on the value of a share of Common
Stock at a future date. The Committee will determine the number of
stock units that will be granted, whether stock units will become payable based
on achievement of performance goals or other conditions, and the other terms and
conditions applicable to stock units.
Stock
units may be paid at the end of a specified period or deferred to a date
authorized by the Committee. If a stock unit becomes distributable,
it will be paid to the grantee in cash, in shares of Common Stock, or in a
combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, as determined by the
Committee. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, if a grantee
ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, us before the stock units vest,
or if other conditions are not met, the grantee’s stock units will be
forfeited.
SARs
The
Committee may grant SARs to anyone eligible to participate in the 2008
Plan. SARs may be granted in connection with, or independently of,
any option granted under the 2008 Plan. Upon exercise of an SAR, the
grantee will receive an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of
Common Stock on the date of exercise over the base amount for the
SAR. Payment will be made in shares of Common Stock.
The base
amount of each SAR will be determined by the Committee and will be equal to the
per share exercise price of the related option or, if there is no related
option, an amount that is at least equal to the last reported sale price of a
share of Common Stock on the date of grant of the SAR. The Committee
will determine the terms and conditions of SARs, including when they become
exercisable. The Committee may accelerate the exercisability of any
SARs. SARs may only be exercised while the grantee is employed by, or
providing service to, us and our subsidiaries or within a specified period of
time after termination of employment or service, as determined by the
Committee.
Dividend
Equivalents
The
Committee may grant dividend equivalents in connection with stock units or other
stock-based awards. Dividend equivalents are payable in cash or
shares of Common Stock and may be paid currently or accrued as contingent
obligations. The terms and conditions of dividend equivalents will be
determined by the Committee.
Other Stock-Based
Awards
The
Committee may grant other stock-based awards, which are grants other than
options, SARs, stock units, and stock awards. The Committee may grant
other stock-based awards to anyone eligible to participate in the 2008
Plan. These grants will be based on or measured by shares of Common
Stock, and will be payable in cash, in
shares of Common Stock, or in a combination of cash and shares of Common
Stock. The terms and conditions for other stock-based awards will be
determined by the Committee.
Qualified Performance-Based
Compensation. The 2008 Plan permits the Committee to impose
objective performance goals that must be met with respect to grants of stock
units, stock awards, other stock-based awards or dividend equivalents granted to
employees under the 2008 Plan, in order for the grants to be considered
qualified performance-based compensation for purposes of section 162(m) of the
Code (see “Federal Income Tax Consequences” below). Prior to, or soon
after the beginning of, the performance period, the Committee will establish in
writing the performance goals that must be met, the applicable performance
period, the amounts to be paid if the performance goals are met, and any other
conditions. The Committee may provide in the grant agreement that
qualified performance-based grants will be payable or restrictions on such
grants will lapse, in whole or part, in the event of the grantee’s death or
disability during the performance period or under other circumstances consistent
with Treasury regulations.
The
performance goals, to the extent designed to meet the requirements of section
162(m) of the Code, will be based on one or more of the following measures:
stock price, earnings per share, net earnings, operating earnings, earnings
before income taxes, EBITDA (earnings before income tax expense, interest
expense, and depreciation and amortization expense), return on assets,
stockholder return, return on equity, growth in assets, unit volume, sales or
market share, or strategic business criteria consisting of one or more
objectives based on meeting specified revenue goals, market penetration goals,
geographic business expansion goals, cost targets or goals relating to
acquisitions or divestitures.
The
Committee will not have the discretion to increase the amount of compensation
that is payable upon achievement of the designated performance
goals. After the announcement of our financial results for the
performance period, the Committee will certify and announce the results for the
performance period. If and to the extent that the Committee does not
certify that the performance goals have been met, the grants of stock awards,
stock units, other stock-based awards and dividend equivalents for the
performance period will be forfeited or will not be made, as
applicable.
Deferrals. The
Committee may permit or require grantees to defer receipt of the payment of cash
or the delivery of shares of Common Stock that would otherwise be due to the
grantee in connection with any stock units or other stock-based awards under the
2008 Plan. The Committee will establish the rules and procedures
applicable to any such deferrals and may provide for interest or other earnings
to be paid on such deferrals.
Adjustment
Provisions. If there is any change in the number or kind of
shares of Common Stock outstanding (i) by reason of a stock dividend, spinoff,
recapitalization, stock split, or combination or exchange of shares, (ii) by
reason of a merger, reorganization or consolidation, (iii) by reason of a
reclassification or change in par value, or (iv) by reason of any other
extraordinary or unusual event affecting the outstanding shares of Common Stock
as a class without our receipt of consideration, or if the value of outstanding
shares of Common Stock is substantially reduced as a result of a spinoff or
payment by us of an extraordinary dividend or distribution, the maximum number
of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2008 Plan, the
maximum number of shares of Common Stock for which any individual may receive
grants in any year, the kind and number of shares covered by outstanding grants,
the kind and number of shares issued and to be issued under the 2008 Plan, and
the price per share or the applicable market value of such grants will be
equitably adjusted by the Committee, in such manner as the Committee deems
appropriate, to reflect any increase or decrease in the number of, or change in
the kind or value of, the issued shares of Common Stock to preclude, to the
extent practicable, the enlargement or dilution of rights and benefits under the
2008 Plan and such outstanding grants. Any fractional shares
resulting from such adjustment will be eliminated. In addition, in
the event of a change of control, the provisions applicable to a change in
control will apply. Any adjustments to outstanding grants shall be
consistent with section 409A or 422 of the Code, to the extent
applicable.
Change of
Control. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, effective
upon the date of the change of control:
·
|
|
All
outstanding options and SARs will automatically accelerate and become
fully exercisable;
|
·
|
|
The
restrictions and conditions on all outstanding stock awards will
immediately lapse; and
|
·
|
|
All
stock units, dividend equivalents and other stock-based awards will become
fully vested and will be paid at their target value, or in such greater
amounts as the Committee may
determine.
|
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, in the event of a change of control, the Committee may take any
of the following actions with respect to any or all outstanding grants under the
2008 Plan:
·
|
|
Require
that grantees surrender their options and SARs in exchange for payment by
us, in cash or shares of Common Stock as determined by the Committee, in
an amount equal to the amount by which the then fair market value of the
shares subject to the grantee’s unexercised options and SARs exceeds the
exercise price of the options or the base amount of the SARs, as
applicable;
|
·
|
|
After
giving grantees the opportunity to exercise their options and SARs,
terminate any or all unexercised options and SARs at such time as the
Committee deems appropriate;
or
|
·
|
|
Determine
that outstanding options and SARS that are not exercised will be assumed
by, or replaced with comparable options or rights by, the surviving
corporation (or a parent or subsidiary of the surviving corporation), and
other outstanding grants that remain in effect after the change of control
will be converted to similar grants of the surviving corporation (or a
parent or subsidiary of the surviving
corporation).
|
For
purposes of the 2008 Plan, a change of control will be deemed to have occurred
if one of the following events occurs:
·
|
|
Any
person becomes the beneficial owner of securities representing 50% or more
of the voting power of our securities, provided that a change of control
will not occur as a result of a transaction in which we become a
subsidiary of another corporation and in which our stockholders,
immediately prior to the transaction, will own shares representing more
than 50% of the parent
corporation;
|
·
|
|
Consummation
of a merger or consolidation whereby our stockholders immediately before
the transaction do not own more than 50% of the voting power of the voting
securities of the surviving
company;
|
·
|
|
A
sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets;
or
|
·
|
|
A
liquidation or dissolution of our
company.
|
Transferability of
Grants. Only the grantee may exercise rights under a grant
during the grantee’s lifetime. A grantee may not transfer those
rights except by will or the laws of descent and distribution; provided,
however, that a grantee may transfer a grant other than an ISO pursuant to a
domestic relations order. The Committee may also provide, in a grant
agreement, that a grantee may transfer NQSOs to his or her family members, or
one or more trusts or other entities for the benefit of or owned by such family
members, consistent with applicable securities laws, according to such terms as
the Committee may determine.
Participants Outside of the United
States. If any individual who receives a grant under the 2008
Plan is subject to taxation in a country other than the United States, the
Committee may make the grant on such terms and conditions as the Committee deems
appropriate to comply with the laws of the applicable country.
No Repricing of
Options. Neither the Board of Directors nor the Committee can
amend the 2008 Plan or options previously granted under the 2008 Plan to permit
a repricing of options, without prior stockholder approval.
Amendment and Termination of the
2008 Plan. The Board of Directors may amend or terminate the
2008 Plan at any time, subject to stockholder approval if such approval is
required under any applicable laws or stock exchange
requirements. The 2008 Plan will terminate on May 13, 2018, unless
the 2008 Plan is terminated earlier by the Board of Directors or is extended by
the Board of Directors with stockholder consent.
Stockholder Approval for Qualified
Performance-Based Compensation. If stock awards, stock units,
other stock-based awards or dividend equivalents are granted as qualified
performance-based compensation under section 162(m) of the Code, the 2008 Plan
must be re-approved by our stockholders no later than the first stockholders
meeting that occurs in the fifth year following the year in which our
stockholders previously approved the 2008 Plan.
Grants under the 2008 Plan.
No award has been or will be granted under the 2008 Plan that is contingent upon
approval of this proposal by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting. Grants
under the 2008 Plan are discretionary, so it is not currently possible to
predict the number of shares of Common Stock that will be granted or who will
receive grants under the 2008 Plan after the Annual Meeting. The last
reported sale price of a share of
Common Stock on March 31, 2010, was $1.37 per share.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences of the 2008 Plan
The
federal income tax consequences of grants under the 2008 Plan will depend on the
type of grant. The following description provides only a general
description of the application of federal income tax laws to grants under the
2008 Plan. This discussion is intended for the information of
stockholders considering how to vote at the Annual Meeting and not as tax
guidance to grantees, as the consequences may vary with the types of grants
made, the identity of the grantees and the method of payment or
settlement. The summary does not address the effects of other federal
taxes (including possible “golden parachute” excise taxes) or taxes imposed
under state, local, or foreign tax laws.
From the
grantees’ standpoint, as a general rule, ordinary income will be recognized at
the time of delivery of shares of Common Stock or payment of cash under the 2008
Plan. Future appreciation on shares of Common Stock held beyond the
ordinary income recognition event will be taxable as capital gain when the
shares of Common Stock are sold. The tax rate applicable to capital
gain will depend upon how long the grantee holds the shares. We, as a
general rule, will be entitled to a tax deduction that corresponds in time and
amount to the ordinary income recognized by the grantee, and we will not be
entitled to any tax deduction with respect to capital gain income recognized by
the grantee.
Exceptions
to these general rules arise under the following circumstances:
(i) If shares
of Common Stock, when delivered, are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture
by reason of any employment or performance-related condition, ordinary income
taxation and our tax deduction will be delayed until the risk of forfeiture
lapses, unless the grantee makes a special election to accelerate taxation under
section 83(b) of the Code.
(ii) If an
employee exercises a stock option that qualifies as an ISO, no ordinary income
will be recognized, and we will not be entitled to any tax deduction, if shares
of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of the stock option are held until the
later of (A) one year from the date of exercise and (B) two years from the date
of grant. However, if the employee disposes of the shares acquired
upon exercise of an ISO before satisfying both holding period requirements, the
employee will recognize ordinary income at the time of the disposition equal to
the difference between the fair market value of the shares on the date of
exercise (or the amount realized on the disposition, if less) and the exercise
price, and we will be entitled to a tax deduction in that amount. The
gain, if any, in excess of the amount recognized as ordinary income will be
long-term or short-term capital gain, depending upon the length of time the
employee held the shares before the disposition.
(iii) A grant
may be subject to a 20% tax, in addition to ordinary income tax, at the time the
grant becomes vested, plus interest, if the grant constitutes deferred
compensation under section 409A of the Code and the requirements of section 409A
of the Code are not satisfied.
Section
162(m) of the Code generally disallows a publicly held corporation’s tax
deduction for compensation paid to its chief executive officer or certain other
officers in excess of $1 million in any year. Qualified
performance-based compensation is excluded from the $1 million deductibility
limit, and therefore remains fully deductible by the corporation that pays
it. We intend that options and SARs granted under the 2008 Plan will
be qualified performance-based compensation. Stock units, stock
awards, dividend equivalents, and other stock-based awards granted under the
2008 Plan may be designated as qualified performance-based compensation if the
Committee conditions such grants on the achievement of specific performance
goals in accordance with the requirements of section 162(m) of the
Code.
We have
the right to require that grantees pay to us an amount necessary for us to
satisfy our federal, state or local tax withholding obligations with respect to
grants. We may withhold from other amounts payable to a grantee an amount
necessary to satisfy these obligations. The Committee may permit a grantee to
satisfy our withholding obligation with respect to grants paid in shares of
Common Stock by having shares withheld, at the time the grants become taxable,
provided that the number of shares withheld does not exceed the individual’s
minimum applicable withholding tax rate for federal, state and local tax
liabilities.
The
Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR approval of the
amendment and restatement of the Antares Pharma, Inc. 2008 Equity Compensation
Plan to increase the number of shares of Common Stock reserved and available for
issuance thereunder.
Proposal
No. 3
RATIFICATION
OF SELECTION
OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
At the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a vote will be taken on a proposal to ratify the
appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for
the year ending December 31, 2010. KPMG LLP has audited our financial statements
since 1995.
Representatives
of KPMG LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to
make a statement, if they so desire, and to respond to appropriate
questions.
Neither
our bylaws nor any other governing documents or law require stockholder
ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm. However, the Audit Committee is submitting the
appointment of KPMG LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good
corporate practice. If the stockholders fail to ratify the
appointment, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain KPMG
LLP. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its
discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered
public accounting firm at any time during the year if they determine that such a
change would be in the best interest of our stockholders.
Audit
Fees
Aggregate
fees billed to the Company by KPMG LLP during 2009 and 2008 for professional
services rendered in connection with the audit of the Company’s annual financial
statements and review of the financial statements included in the Company’s
quarterly reports totaled $300,970 and $279,486.
Audit-Related
Fees
There
were no fees billed to the Company by KPMG LLP during 2009 and 2008 for
audit-related services.
Tax
Fees
Aggregate
fees billed to the Company by KPMG LLP during 2009 and 2008 for professional
services rendered in connection with tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning
totaled $27,080 and $25,457.
All
Other Fees
There
were no other fees billed to the Company by KPMG LLP in 2009 and
2008.
Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures
The Audit
Committee has adopted a policy regarding pre-approval of non-audit services
performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit
Committee’s pre-approval policy prohibits engaging the independent auditor to
perform the following services:
|
|
bookkeeping
or other services relating to the accounting records or financial
statements,
|
|
•
|
financial
information systems design and implementation,
|
|
•
|
appraisal
and valuation services, fairness opinions or contribution-in-kind
reports,
|
|
•
|
actuarial
services,
|
|
•
|
internal
audit outsourcing services,
|
|
•
|
management
functions,
|
|
•
|
human
resource services,
|
|
•
|
broker-dealer,
investment advisor or investment banking services,
|
|
•
|
legal
services, and
|
|
•
|
expert
services unrelated to the audit.
|
The
policy requires the pre-approval of the Audit Committee for all audit services,
audit-related services, tax services and other services performed by the
independent registered public accounting firm. The policy contains lists of the
above categories of services that the Audit Committee has pre-approved, subject
to an annual aggregate
dollar limit for each category. Any proposed services exceeding these
limits require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee. Services not listed
in one of the above categories also require specific pre-approval from the Audit
Committee.
The policy permits the Audit Committee
to delegate pre-approval authority to one or more members of the Audit
Committee, provided that the member or members report(s) to the entire Audit
Committee pre-approval actions taken since the last Audit Committee meeting. The
policy expressly prohibits delegation of pre-approval authority to management.
In 2009, 100% of all services provided by our principal accounting firm were
pre-approved by the Audit Committee or one or more of its members.
Vote
Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock
present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to
vote is required to ratify the selection of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2010.
The
Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR the ratification
of the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public
accountants.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
The following individuals served as our
executive officers as of December 31, 2009:
Name
|
Age
|
Position
|
|
|
|
Paul
K. Wotton, Ph.D.
|
49
|
President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
|
|
|
Robert
F. Apple
|
43
|
Executive
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and President of the Parenteral
Products Division
|
|
|
|
Dario
Carrara, Ph.D.
|
46
|
Senior
Vice President and Managing Director - Pharmaceutical
Group
|
|
|
|
Peter
Sadowski, Ph.D.
|
62
|
Senior
Vice President and Managing Director - Parenteral Products
Division
|
Paul K. Wotton, is Antares’ President, Chief
Executive Officer and a director. Please see Dr. Wotton’s biographical
information set forth in the Election of Directors section in this proxy
statement.
Robert F. Apple is currently
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and
President of the Parenteral Products Division. He joined the Company
in February 2006 as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate
Secretary. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Apple served as Chief
Operating and Financial Officer at InKine Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. from 2003
to 2005, and Chief Financial Officer from 1997 to 2002. From 1995 to 1997,
Mr. Apple was employed by Genaera Corporation, Inc., a biotechnology
company, where he held the position of Corporate Controller. From May 1994 until
July 1995, Mr. Apple was employed by Liberty Technologies, Inc. as
Corporate Controller. Prior to May 1994, Mr. Apple held various positions
of increasing responsibility at Arthur Andersen & Company LLP. He holds a
B.A. degree in accounting from Temple University and is a CPA.
Dario Carrara, Ph.D. is
currently Senior Vice President and Managing Director – Pharmaceutical Group,
located in Muttenz, Switzerland. He served as General Manager of Permatec’s
Argentinean subsidiary from 1995 until its liquidation in 2000. Prior to joining
Permatec, between 1986 and 1995, Dr. Carrara worked as Pharmaceutical
Technology Manager for Laboratorios Beta, a pharmaceutical laboratory in
Argentina that ranks among the top ten pharmaceutical companies in Argentina.
Dr. Carrara has extensive experience in developing transdermal drug
delivery devices. He earned a double degree in Pharmacy and Biochemistry, as
well as a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Technology from the University of Buenos
Aires.
Peter Sadowski, Ph.D. is
currently Senior Vice President and Managing Director - Parenteral Products
Division, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He joined the Company in March 1994
as Vice President, Product Development. He was promoted to Executive Vice
President and Chief Technology Officer in 1999. From October 1992 to February
1994, Dr. Sadowski served as Manager, Product Development for GalaGen,
Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. From 1988 to 1992, he was Vice President,
Research and Development for American Biosystems, Inc., a medical device
company. Dr. Sadowski holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of
Minnesota.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Employment Agreement with Dr. Paul K.
Wotton. Paul K. Wotton was appointed President and Chief
Operating Officer on July 7, 2008, and appointed Chief Executive Officer on
October 10, 2008. We amended and restated Dr. Wotton’s former employment
agreement dated July 7, 2008 to (i) affirm Dr. Wotton’s appointment to the
position of Chief Executive Officer, (ii) adjust target bonus percentages and
(iii) make certain other desired changes. Dr. Wotton’s amended
employment agreement became effective on November 12, 2008. The
amended employment agreement supersedes and replaces the prior agreement in its
entirety. The amended employment agreement provides for a base salary
of $337,000 per year, which will be subject to increase (but not decrease) based
on Dr. Wotton’s and our performance, as determined by the Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee approved an increase in Dr. Wotton’s base
salary to $390,000 in February 2010. The amended agreement also
stipulates that Dr. Wotton is eligible to receive a target annual bonus of up to
75% of base salary upon attainment of certain pre-set performance goals, as
determined and approved by the Compensation Committee. This target bonus
percentage was adjusted to 55% in connection with the approval of the increase
in Dr. Wotton’s salary in February 2010. The terms of the amended
employment agreement with Dr. Wotton includes the issuance of stock options to
purchase 400,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price equal to the
closing price of a share of Common Stock on the date of grant, and vesting over
three years at the rate of 33-1/3% each year beginning on the first anniversary
of the date of grant. In addition, Dr. Wotton can earn up to an
additional 400,000 shares of Common Stock as performance stock bonuses upon the
occurrence of various triggering events. Pursuant to the amended agreement, Dr.
Wotton was also granted 100,000 shares of restricted stock vesting over three
years at the rate of 33-1/3% each year beginning on the first anniversary of the
date of grant. Dr. Wotton is also eligible to participate in any
other equity compensation plans established by the Company for members of
management. Dr. Wotton’s amended employment agreement has a term of three years
and automatically renews for successive one-year periods unless notice is given
by the Company at least 90 days prior to the end of a renewal period. The
amended employment agreement provides Dr. Wotton with severance in the event
that he is terminated by us without cause or resigns with good reason equal to
twelve months of base pay (or 24 months of base pay if Dr. Wotton is terminated
without cause or resigns for good reason during the one-year period following a
change of control in which the transaction proceeds equals or exceeds a targeted
amount), a pro-rated bonus payment for the year of termination based on actual
performance and the number of days Dr. Wotton was employed by us in the year of
his termination), and continued coverage under the Company’s group medical and
dental plans until the earlier of the last day of the twelve-month period
following Dr. Wotton’s termination or the date he obtains coverage from a new
employer through COBRA, on the same cost sharing basis as if Dr. Wotton were an
employee of the Company. Dr. Wotton will also receive the same
benefits if he voluntarily resigns without good reason shortly after a change of
control or a specified transition period following a change of
control. Further, during the term of Dr. Wotton’s employment with the
Company, and for the one-year period after Dr. Wotton’s termination of
employment, Dr. Wotton cannot (i) compete against the Company, (ii) solicit in
any way the customers of the Company; or (iii) recruit in any way the employees
of the Company.
Employment Agreement with
Mr. Robert F. Apple. Mr. Apple entered into an employment
agreement dated February 9, 2006 and further amended on November 12,
2008. The employment agreement provides for a base salary of
$250,000. Mr. Apple’s current base salary is $301,000. In addition,
Mr. Apple was granted a stock option to purchase 250,000 shares of Common
Stock that vests pro rata on the last day of each month over 48 months
commencing upon employment. Also, Mr. Apple was granted a stock option to
purchase an additional 150,000 shares of Common Stock, the vesting of which was
based upon the achievement of certain performance milestones. As
further discussed under the section “Long-Term Incentives – Equity
Compensation,” the Compensation Committee determined that these performance
milestones were met in 2006 and the stock option to purchase 150,000 shares of
Common Stock became fully vested in 2006. The agreement also
stipulates that Mr. Apple is eligible to receive a target annual bonus of
at least 20% up to a maximum of 35% of base salary upon attainment of certain
pre-set performance goals as determined and approved by the Compensation
Committee and is also eligible for additional bonuses and up to an additional
250,000 shares of Common Stock, upon the achievement of certain
performance-based criteria. The target annual bonus percentage was increased to
40% in August 2009. In addition, the employment agreement contains a
covenant not to compete and a covenant with respect to nonsolicitation and
noninterference with customers, suppliers or employees. Mr. Apple’s
agreement is for two years and automatically renews for consecutive one-year
periods unless one of the parties delivers 60 days prior written notice of
non-renewal. The employment agreement provides Mr. Apple with severance in
the event that his
employment
is terminated by us without cause or by him for good reason equal to twelve
months of base pay and continued coverage under the Company’s group medical and
dental plans for the corresponding period through COBRA, on the same cost
sharing basis as if Mr. Apple were an employee of the Company.
Employment Agreement with
Dr. Dario Carrara. Dr. Carrara entered into an employment
agreement dated October 13, 2006 and further amended on November 12,
2008. Dr. Carrara is a citizen of Argentina and, accordingly, is
considered a foreign service employee for Swiss employment purposes. The
employment agreement provides for a base salary of 305,000 Swiss Francs, or
approximately $293,834 using the exchange rate at December 31, 2009, of
1.038. Dr. Carrara’s current base salary is 320,250 Swiss Francs, or
approximately $308,526 using the exchange rate at December 31,
2009. In addition, Dr. Carrara is eligible to receive a target
annual bonus of at least 20% up to a maximum of 35% of base salary upon
attainment of certain pre-set performance goals as determined by the Chief
Executive Officer and approved by the Compensation Committee, but is subject to
reduction under certain conditions. Dr. Carrara also receives an expense
account allowance, two family trips per year to his home country, international
school costs for his children, family housing cost in Switzerland, and a tax
return allowance. Dr. Carrara is also eligible to receive up to
280,000 shares of Common Stock, upon the achievement of certain
performance-based criteria. In addition, the employment agreement contains a
covenant not to compete and a covenant with respect to nonsolicitation and
noninterference with customers, suppliers or employees. Dr. Carrara’s
agreement is for an indeterminate period of time and either party may terminate
the agreement by providing written notice six months in advance of termination.
The employment agreement provides Dr. Carrara with severance in the event
that his employment is terminated by us without cause equal to six months of
base pay. If Dr. Carrara’s employment is terminated due to a change
of control he is then entitled to six months pay and payment of health and
dental benefits.
Employment Agreement with
Dr. Peter Sadowski. Dr. Sadowski entered into an employment
agreement dated October 13, 2006 and further amended on November 12, 2008 in
order to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The
employment agreement provides for a base salary of $186,000. Dr. Sadowski’s
current base salary is $235,500. In addition, Dr. Sadowski is
eligible to receive a target annual bonus of at least 20% up to a maximum of 35%
of base salary upon attainment of certain pre-set performance goals as
determined by the Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Compensation
Committee, but is subject to reduction under certain conditions.
Dr. Sadowski is also eligible for up to 175,000 shares of restricted Common
Stock, upon the achievement of certain performance-based criteria. In addition,
the employment agreement contains a covenant not to compete and a covenant with
respect to nonsolicitation and noninterference with customers, suppliers or
employees. Dr. Sadowski’s agreement is for one year and automatically
renews for consecutive one-year periods unless one of the parties delivers 60
days prior written notice of non-renewal. The employment agreement provides
Dr. Sadowski with severance in the event that his employment is terminated
by us without cause equal to six months of base pay and continued coverage under
the Company’s group medical and dental plans for the corresponding period
through COBRA, on the same cost sharing basis as if Mr. Sadowski were an
employee of the Company.
Related-Party
Transaction
In 2008, the Company entered into an
employment agreement with an employee of JG Consulting AG, a company owned by
Dr. Jacques Gonella, a member of the Board of Directors, and the Company’s
largest shareholder. The employee worked half time for JG Consulting
AG and half time for the Company, providing business development and other
services. The Company’s employment agreement with this employee ended
in 2009. The Company paid this employee approximately $130,000 in
2009.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Executive
Summary
In this
Compensation Discussion and Analysis, we address the compensation paid or
awarded to the individuals listed in the Summary Compensation Table that
immediately follows this discussion. We sometimes refer to these
individuals as our “named executive officers.”
The
principal components of 2009 compensation that we paid to the named executive
officers to meet these objectives are as follows:
|
|
|
Salary
|
|
Competitive
Compensation
|
Annual
Incentive Compensation
|
|
Pay
for Performance
Competitive
Compensation
|
Stock
Options
|
|
Pay
for Performance
Stakeholder
Incentives
Competitive
Compensation
Retention
Incentives
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
Pay
for Performance
Stakeholder
Incentives
Competitive
Compensation
Retention
Incentives
|
In addition to the above components,
named executive officers have employment agreements that provide severance and
change of control benefits, principally as a retention incentive.
Our Compensation Committee and senior
management are focused on providing an appropriate mix of short-term and
long-term incentives, and we are mindful not to rely on highly leveraged
incentives that would result in risky short-term behavior. Our compensation
program provides long-term incentives to ensure that our executives continue in
employment with us and directly tie executive compensation to generation of
stockholder value.
Determination
of Competitive Compensation
In 2007,
our Compensation Committee retained Buck Consultants to provide an executive
compensation review of our overall executive compensation against that provided
by our peer group. In that December 2007 report, to assess
compensation levels, Buck Consultants, in collaboration with our senior
management and the Chairman of the Compensation Committee, identified a
comparator group of the 14 peer companies listed below. The
comparator group was selected for the following key comparator factors: our
competitors, primary area of business is drug delivery methods and technologies
within specialty pharmaceuticals, revenue size, number of employees and market
capitalization. In general, the comparator group consists of
companies one-half to two times our size. In addition, in the
comparator group, our revenues are in the 50th percentile, our market
capitalization is in the 30th percentile and our number of full time employees
is in the 15th percentile. The comparator companies consisted of the
following:
· Aradigm
Corporation
· Acusphere
Inc.
· BioSante
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
· Columbia
Laboratories
· DepoMed,
Inc.
|
· Epicept
Corp.
· Insite
Vision Inc.
· Inovio
Biomedical Corp.
· Javelin
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
· NexMed,
Inc.
|
· Novavax,
Inc.
· Penwest
Pharmaceuticals
· Pharmos
Corporation
· Spectrum
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
|
The
review conducted by Buck Consultants in December 2007 determined that the base
salaries and total target cash compensation (base salary plus target bonus) for
our executive group was generally in line with the market median (plus or minus
15%) based on the comparator group of companies and that total direct
compensation taking into account the 2008 stock option grants and one-half of
the number of shares of Common Stock our named executive officers are eligible
to earn under the performance stock bonus awards made to them in 2007, places
all of our names executive officers in line with market competitive
ranges. The report further concluded, that ownership percentages,
inclusive of the number of shares of Common Stock our named executive officers
are eligible to earn under the performance stock bonus awards made to them in
2007, were generally at competitive levels.
Our
Compensation Committee has not retained an independent compensation consultant
since December 2007, but has continued to refer to the report by Buck
Consultants from December 2007 as a guide in assessing the level of overall
compensation of our executives as well as more recent salary surveys and recent
proxy filings of our peer companies. Based on our compensation
objectives and philosophy with reference to the study conducted by Buck
Consultants and published reports, the Compensation Committee determined that
overall compensation, including base salary, annual incentive target payout and
long-term incentives, should be targeted at a level that approximates the 50th
percentile of our peer group. The Compensation Committee has from
time to time made and will continue to make, determinations that represent a
departure from this general guideline. In addition, because a
significant portion of our compensation is performance-based, if performance
targets are achieved (or not achieved), actual cash compensation paid to our
named executive officers may vary considerably from that paid to executives in
our peer group. In addition, as explained in more detail below, our
long-term incentive compensation continues to be based primarily on stock
options, coupled with performance stock awards.
We believe our approach to goal
setting, weighting of targets, and evaluation of performance results assist in
mitigating excessive risk-taking that could harm our value or reward poor
judgment by our executives. Several features of our programs reflect sound risk
management practices. We believe we have allocated our compensation among base
salary and short and long-term incentive compensation target opportunities in
such a way as to not encourage excessive risk-taking. This is based on our
belief that applying Company wide metrics encourages decision making that is in
the best long-term interests of the Company and our stockholders. In addition,
we believe that the mix of equity award instruments used under our long-term
incentive program that includes both stock options and full value awards as well
as the multiyear and performance based vesting of our equity awards also
mitigate risk and properly account for the time horizon of risk. For
example, a number of the performance goals in our performance-based stock bonus
awards can take up to three years to achieve based on the long-term strategy of
the Company. These goals align the interest of the executive to our
stockholders.
Each
named executive officer has an employment agreement with us that includes base
salary and annual and long term incentives as described in Certain Relationships
and Related Transactions in this Compensation Discussion and
Analysis. Further details regarding the terms of these agreements,
including the terms of Dr. Wotton’s agreement, are described below.
Role
of Executive Officers in Determining Executive Compensation for Named Executive
Officers.
The
Compensation Committee has established an annual performance review program for
our executives pursuant to which annual corporate and individual performance
goals are determined and communicated in writing to each executive at the
beginning of each calendar year. For executives other than the Chief
Executive Officer, individual goals are proposed by the Chief Executive
Officer. The Chief Executive Officer’s goals are approved by the
Compensation Committee. Each executive’s evaluation begins with a
written self-assessment which is submitted to the Chief Executive
Officer. The Chief Executive Officer then prepares a written
evaluation based on the executive’s self-assessment and the Chief Executive
Officer’s own evaluation. This process leads to a recommendation by
the Chief Executive Officer for annual executive salary increases and bonuses,
if any, which is then reviewed and approved by the Compensation
Committee. In the case of the Chief Executive Officer, his individual
performance evaluation is conducted by the Compensation Committee, which
determines his compensation changes and awards. For all executives,
annual base salary increases and annual bonuses, to the extent granted, are
implemented during the first calendar quarter of the year but before March
15. In connection with 2009 compensation, Dr. Wotton provided
recommendations to the Compensation Committee to assist it in determining
compensation levels. Dr. Wotton did not make recommendations as to
his own compensation. While the Compensation Committee utilized this
information, and valued Dr. Wotton’s observations with regard to other executive
officers, the ultimate decisions regarding executive compensation were made by
the Compensation Committee.
Salaries
In January 2009, based on the current
condition of the U.S. economy, the U.S. stock market and the Company’s cash
position at December 31, 2008, the Compensation Committee postponed any decision
regarding salary increases for fiscal year 2009 until August 2009. By
August 2009, the Company’s cash position had improved significantly, the Company
had received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) of our
human growth hormone (“hGH”) device in the United States and the Company had
successfully restructured certain strategic contracts. Accordingly,
in connection with the promotions of Mr. Apple and Dr. Sadowski, the Committee
approved an increase in salary for each of Messrs. Apple and Sadowski of
approximately 5% effective as of August 11, 2009. In January 2010,
the Committee approved modest salary increases of approximately 3% for each Mr.
Apple and Dr. Sadowski as set forth below and a significant increase for Dr.
Wotton of 15.7%. The Committee determined to award Dr. Wotton such a
significant salary increase to adjust his original base salary (that of Chief
Operating Officer) to one commensurate of the Chief Executive Officer, as well
as reward him for his significant leadership role in improving and stabilizing
the Company’s cash position, receiving approval by the FDA of the hGH device in
the United States and successfully restructuring certain strategic contracts, as
well as improving the integration and operation of the Company’s management team
which resulted in increased productivity and development.
Name
|
|
Percentage
Base Salary Increase
|
|
Base
Salary After Increase
|
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
|
15.7
% |
|
|
$390,000 |
|
Mr.
Robert F. Apple
|
|
|
3.0
% |
|
|
$310,000 |
|
Dr.
Dario Carrara
|
|
|
2.0
% |
|
CHF
327,000
|
|
Dr.
Peter Sadowski
|
|
|
3.1
% |
|
|
$235,500 |
|
Annual
Incentive Awards
Our
principal objective in providing incentive compensation is to provide pay for
performance. While we target our opportunities for incentive
compensation to be comparable to the median level of our peer group of
companies, this guideline is based on target award levels, and actual payouts to
the named executive officers can vary significantly based on actual
performance.
We set
target award levels for our executives based on a percentage of their base
salary. In August 2009, based on the significant improvement in the
Company’s cash position, the approval by the FDA of the hGH device in the United
States and the successful restructuring of certain strategic contracts, the
Compensation Committee determined to increase Mr. Apple’s target award level to
40% of his base salary, as increased on August 11, 2009, as described
above. The applicable percentages for 2009 for the other executives
are set forth below. The Compensation Committee reviewed the
performance goals for each of the executives at its January 2009 meeting and
finalized and approved the goals at its May 2009 meeting. In setting
the goals for 2009, the Compensation Committee determined that the weight any
particular goal carried within the applicable category, would be determined
after the end of the year by the Committee in its discretion, based on actual
performance, with input from Dr. Wotton (except with respect to his own
performance). The Compensation Committee determined at its February
2010 meeting whether and to what extent the applicable performance goals were
achieved for 2009 and approved the specific bonus amounts to be paid to each
named executive officer. For executives other than the Chief Executive Officer,
the Compensation Committee took into account the recommendations of the Chief
Executive Officer.
Dr.
Wotton has overall responsibility for the organization and progress
made. Dr. Wotton had seven goals in 2009 divided over the following
three categories and weighted as follows: Key Corporate Objectives
(30%), Business and Development Objectives (40%), Organizational Objectives
(30%). The Compensation Committee determined that he achieved 90% of
the goals. Among the corporate objectives were goals relating to cash
balance targets, pursuit of strategic alternatives for the Company and managing
a proactive investor relations program. Among the business and
development objectives were oversight of obtaining FDA approval for our hGH
device, restructuring strategic contracts as well as development and partnership
goals around Anturol and internal device projects. Among the
organizational goals were goals relating to management relationships and
processes. Dr. Wotton accomplished all seven of the goals
set.
For 2009,
Dr. Wotton’s bonus target was 55% of his base salary if his base salary was
$385,000 or higher or 75% of his base salary if his base salary was less than
$385,000. Because the Compensation Committee increased Dr. Wotton’s base salary
to $390,000 in January 2010, as described above, Dr. Wotton and the Compensation
Committee agreed that the application of the 75% target to his 2009 base salary
of $337,000 was appropriate. In January 2010, the Compensation
Committee determined that a bonus of 90% of his target award (75%) was
appropriate given Dr. Wotton’s overall performance and taking into account the
relevant proportionate weight.
Mr. Apple had 6 goals in 2009 divided
over the same categories as Dr. Wotton and weighted the same way. Mr.
Apple’s bonus target is 40% of his base salary. The corporate objective related
to cash balance targets. The business and development objectives were
obtaining FDA approval for our hGH device, restructuring strategic contracts as
well as development and partnership goals around the device development
projects. Among the organizational goals were goals relating to
management relationships and processes. With input from Dr. Wotton,
the Compensation Committee determined he achieved 90% of his
goals. Based on his performance and taking into account the relevant
weightings, the Compensation Committee, in consultation with Dr. Wotton,
determined that a bonus of 90% of his target award (40%) was
appropriate.
Dr. Carrara had 5 goals to accomplish
in 2009 divided over the same categories as Dr. Wotton and weighted the same
way. The corporate objective related to cash balance targets. The
business and development objectives were obtaining development and partnership
goals around Anturol and other gels. Among the organizational goals
were goals relating to management relationships and processes. With
input from Dr. Wotton, the Compensation Committee determined he achieved 20% of
his goals. Dr. Carrara’s bonus range is 20% to 35% of his base
salary. Based on his performance and taking into account the relevant
weightings, the Compensation Committee, in consultation with Dr. Wotton,
determined that a bonus of 18% of his maximum potential award (35%) was
appropriate.
Dr. Sadowski had 5 goals for 2009
divided over the same categories as Dr. Wotton and weighted the same
way. The corporate objective related to cash balance
targets. The business and development objectives were obtaining FDA
approval for our hGH device and restructuring strategic
contracts. Among the organizational goals were goals relating to
management relationships and processes. With input from Dr. Wotton,
the Compensation Committee determined he achieved 90% of his
goals. Dr. Sadowski’s bonus range is 20% to 35% of his base salary.
Based on his performance and taking into account the relevant weightings, the
Compensation Committee, in consultation with Dr. Wotton, determined a bonus of
90% of his maximum potential award (35%) was appropriate.
Based on
the applicable performance ratings described above, payments to the named
executive officers were as follows:
|
|
|
|
Percentage
of Salary Payable at Target Award Level
|
|
|
|
Actual
Award as Percentage of Maximum Target Award
Opportunity
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
Corporate
Discretionary
|
|
75%
|
|
62%
of base salary
|
|
83%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr.
Robert F. Apple
|
|
Corporate
Discretionary
|
|
40%
|
|
36%
of base salary
|
|
90%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr.
Dario Carrara
|
|
Corporate
Discretionary
|
|
20%-35%
|
|
6%
of base salary
|
|
18%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr.
Peter Sadowski
|
|
Corporate
Discretionary
|
|
20%-35%
|
|
31.5%
of base salary
|
|
90%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For Dr.
Wotton, Mr. Apple and Dr. Sadowski, the Compensation Committee determined to
award two-thirds of the above bonuses in cash and one-third in restricted stock
that will vest 100% on the third anniversary of the date of
grant. The Compensation Committee determined that this was
appropriate in order to preserve cash flow and to provide a long-term incentive
to the executives to remain with the company and increase stockholder
value. In accordance with applicable SEC regulations, the cash
portion of award payments appears in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan” column of
the Summary Compensation Table and the restricted stock portion appears in a
footnote
to the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan” column of the Summary Compensation Table
indicating that it was granted in 2010.
Long-Term
Incentives – Equity Compensation
Stock
Options
We
generally seek to position long-term incentive awards for our named executive
officers to be approximately equivalent to the median level of our peer
group. We utilize stock options as our principal form of long-term
compensation. Our stock options:
|
·
|
have
a 10-year term (except for options granted to Swiss employees which have
an eleven year term),
|
|
·
|
typically
vest as to the underlying shares as follows: 33 1/3% annually
in 8.33% installments each calendar quarter until the underlying shares
are fully vested, and
|
|
·
|
have
an exercise price equal to 100% of the fair market value per share on the
date of grant, which we determine based on the closing price as reported
on the NYSE Amex exchange on the date of
grant.
|
We believe that stock options provide a
strong incentive to increase stockholder value, because the value of the options
is entirely dependent on the increase in the market price of our Common Stock
following the date of grant.
Under
our long-term incentive program, we grant stock options to each of our named
executive officers on an annual basis. The size of the stock option
grants is based on the executive’s performance over the preceding calendar year
and competitive data provided by compensation consultants. For 2009,
stock options were granted in November 2009 consistent with target percentages
of the peer group of companies whereas 2008 option grants were used for employee
retention purposes.
The size of option grants in 2009 to
our named executive officers was decreased compared to 2008 based on fair value
of the stock option due to a smaller grant size offset in part by a higher
Common Stock price.
The Compensation Committee awarded the
following stock options to each of our named executive officers in November 2009
based on their performance, their potential to add value to the Company in the
future, and on the competitive data:
Name
of Executive
|
|
Number
of Shares Underlying Option Grant
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
150,000
|
Mr.
Robert F. Apple
|
|
100,000
|
Dr.
Dario Carrara
|
|
75,000
|
Dr.
Peter Sadowski
|
|
75,000
|
In addition, in August 2009, based upon
the recommendation from Dr. Wotton, the Compensation Committee awarded Dr.
Sadowski a stock option to purchase 25,000 shares to reward him for his
significant effort in connection with the FDA approval of our hGH device,
restructuring certain strategic contracts and increasing cash flow.
The
number of shares underlying options granted to the named executive officers in
November 2009 are set forth on page 35 under the caption “Grants of Plan-Based
Awards – 2009” table under the column heading, “All Other Option
Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options.” For
additional information regarding stock option terms, see the narrative
accompanying the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table. The dollar amount
shown in the Summary Compensation Table reflects the aggregate grant date
fair value of the option awards. See the footnotes to the Summary
Compensation Table for further information.
Stock
Awards
During
2007, the Compensation Committee engaged a compensation consultant to advise
them regarding certain considered changes in the structure of our long-term
compensation. Based on the recommendations of the consultant, the
Compensation Committee determined to utilize stock awards in addition to stock
options for purposes of long-term compensation. The Compensation
Committee determined that it would grant shares of our Common Stock based on
achievement of performance targets set by the Compensation
Committee. Mr. Apple had already been eligible to receive shares of
Common Stock based on the achievement of preestablished performance targets
pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement.
Dr.
Wotton, Dr. Carrara and Dr. Sadowski are also eligible to receive awards of
Common Stock under the terms of their new or amended employment
agreements. The Committee established the goals for the executives at
various Compensation Committee meetings. After the performance goals
were established by the Compensation Committee, the goals were then communicated
to the respective executive officer.
The
following table summarizes the number of shares that may be earned by the
executive officers upon the attainment of performance goals as established by
the Compensation Committee. The shares are not granted until the
performance goal is met.
Name
of Executive
|
|
Number
of Shares That May Be Awarded
|
|
Performance
Goals
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
400,000
|
|
Divided
among 14 categories with approximately equal weighting
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr.
Robert F. Apple
|
|
250,000
|
|
Spread
evenly over 11performance
goals
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr.
Dario Carrara
|
|
280,000
|
|
Spread
evenly over 14 performance goals
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr.
Peter Sadowski
|
|
175,000
|
|
Spread
evenly over 14 performance goals
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr.
Wotton’s 14 performance goals include annual revenue targets, profitability over
an established time period, business development goals as well as product and
device approvals. Two of Dr. Wotton’s goals have been achieved as
described below.
Mr.
Apple’s 11 performance goals include annual revenue targets above a certain
threshold, cash flow targets, financing targets, development deal targets,
internal department goals and market capitalization goals. Four of
Mr. Apple’s goals have been achieved, as described below.
Dr.
Carrara’s 14 goals include attainment of certain revenue goals for the Pharma
division, acceptance and approval by applicable government agencies of products,
revenue targets with respect to certain products and achieving certain strategic
partnerships relating to products.
Dr.
Sadowski’s 14 performance goals include annual revenue targets, product and
device approvals, revenue targets with respect to certain products and devices
and product launch targets. Three of Dr. Sadowski’s goals have been achieved, as
described below.
The
executive officers may achieve the goals at any time prior to December 31,
2010. Prior to December 31 of each year, the Compensation Committee
will evaluate whether any of the performance criteria have been met, and if the
Compensation Committee determines that the performance criteria have been met,
the Compensation Committee will certify the results in writing prior to December
31 and the shares will be awarded on or after December 31 of the year for which
the performance goal was achieved but not later than March 15 of the calendar
year following the calendar year for which the goal was
achieved. Additionally, if the Compensation Committee determines that
a performance condition is no longer viable or of value based on changes in the
strategic direction of the Company, the Compensation Committee shall have the
discretion to waive or modify the performance criteria to more relevant
criteria.
The
Compensation Committee approves all grants of stock options and stock
awards. In general, the Compensation Committee makes annual grants of
stock options. The Compensation Committee may also make off- cycle
grants for newly hired or newly promoted officers, and otherwise makes other
grants only in special circumstances. The Compensation Committee
makes stock awards upon the attainment of the applicable performance
objectives.
In May
2007, after evaluation by the Compensation Committee, Mr. Apple was awarded
22,727 shares of Common Stock as a result of the consummation of a non-dilutive
financing of $5 million to $10 million. This goal was carried over
from Mr. Apple’s employment agreement into Mr. Apple’s performance stock bonus
agreement awarded in October 2007 and counts toward the 250,000 shares of Common
Stock Mr. Apple is eligible to receive in the aggregate under the terms of the
performance stock bonus agreement.
In
January 2008, after evaluation by the Compensation Committee, Mr. Apple was
awarded 22,727 shares of Common Stock as a result of the consummation of an
additional equity financing in excess of $10 million.
In March
2009, based upon the Company’s audited financial statements for 2008, the
Compensation Committee determined that the $5 million in annual revenue goal in
place for Dr. Sadowski had been achieved and Dr. Sadowski was awarded 12,500
shares of Common Stock. In June 2009, the Compensation Committee determined that
the goal relating to approval of the hGH device in place for Dr. Sadowski was
met and Dr. Sadowski was awarded 12,500 shares of Common Stock.
In August
2009, the Compensation Committee reallocated the number of shares under Dr.
Wotton’s performance stock bonus award to the successful restructuring of
certain strategic contracts and FDA approval of the hGH device in the United
States and awarded Dr. Wotton 50,000 shares of Common Stock based upon
achievement of those goals.
In
November 2009, the Compensation Committee determined that the goal relating to
the launch of the hGH device in place for Dr. Wotton, Mr. Apple and Dr. Sadowski
had been achieved and accordingly, Dr. Wotton was awarded 25,000 shares of
Common Stock, Mr. Apple was awarded 22,727 shares of Common Stock and Dr.
Sadowski was awarded 12,500 shares of Common Stock.
In
February 2010, the Compensation Committee determined that the goal relating to
the cash flow objectives for the device business had been achieved and
accordingly, Mr. Apple was awarded 22,727 shares of Common Stock.
We do not
backdate grants of stock options or Common Stock, nor do we time grants to
coincide with the release of material non-public information about us. We believe that our
grant practices are appropriate and minimize questions regarding “timing” of
grants in anticipation of material events, since grants become effective in
accordance with standard grant procedures.
Perquisites
We do not
have programs for providing personal benefit perquisites to executive officers,
such as separate parking or dining facilities, except with respect to certain
benefits provided to Dr. Carrara.
Under Dr.
Carrara’s employment agreement, since he is a citizen of Argentina living in
Switzerland, we provide Dr. Carrara with a flat expense reimbursement, child
care expenses, a housing allowance, a life insurance policy, an incremental
health insurance policy, the cost of having his tax return completed by a
professional accounting firm, an annual car allowance including insurance, lease
and operating costs, an annual school allowance for the international school of
his three children and the costs of two round trips from Switzerland to Buenos
Aires per year. The total cost of the above perquisites for 2009 in
U.S. dollars was $163,492.
Broad-Based
Programs
Our executive officers participate in
our broad-based health plan and 401(k) savings plan. There is no
mandatory matching provided by the Company during the year. Annually,
the Compensation Committee determines if a discretionary match is to be made
based on the performance and financial position of the Company. Under
the 401(k) plan, we matched employee contributions at the rate of 50% for each
dollar contributed up to the maximum
dollar
amount that may be deferred under the 401(k) plan for 2009, excluding the age
fifty or over “catch up” contribution. The matching contributions
vest based on a four-year vesting schedule. Employees can designate
the investment of their 401(k) accounts from among a broad range of mutual
funds. We do not allow investment in our Common Stock through the 401(k)
plan.
STOCK
OWNERSHIP GUIDELINES
We do not have stock ownership
guidelines or holding requirements.
ONGOING
AND POST-EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
Our employment agreements with our
named executive officers provide for special benefits upon certain types of
termination events. These agreements were designed to be part of a
competitive compensation package. The description of these agreements
below does not include plans that are available generally to our salaried
employees and provide for the same method of allocation of benefits for
management and non-management employees.
Employment
Agreements
Our
employment agreements with Dr. Wotton, Mr. Apple, Dr. Carrara, and Dr. Sadowski
provide for certain severance payments and other benefits if we terminate such
named executive officer’s employment without cause, or with respect to Dr.
Wotton’s and Mr. Apple’s agreements only, if the executive officer terminates
employment for “good reason,” in each case, without regard to whether the
termination occurs in the context of a change of control.
Under his
amended employment agreement, Dr. Wotton is entitled to severance in the event
of a termination without cause or for good reason both before and after a change
of control equal to 12 months of his then-current base salary (or 24 months of
base salary if Dr. Wotton is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason
during the one-year period following a change of control in which the
transaction proceeds equals or exceeds $175 million), a pro-rated bonus payment
for the year of termination based on actual performance and the number of days
Dr. Wotton was employed by us in the year of his termination, continued health
and dental benefits through COBRA subject to the same cost-sharing as if he were
an employee for the shorter of 12 months or until the date he obtains coverage
from a new employer and continued eligibility to receive performance stock
bonuses for the 90-day period following Dr. Wotton’s termination of
employment. Dr. Wotton is also entitled to the same severance
payments and benefits if he voluntarily resigns without good reason within 30
days after a change of control or remains employed for a specified transition
period following a change of control and then resigns without good reason within
30 days after the transition period.
Potential payments to our other named
executive officers upon termination vary, but typically their employment
agreements include provisions for continued salary payments and continued health
and dental benefits through COBRA subject to the same cost-sharing as if he were
an employee for either twelve months (for Mr. Apple) or six months (for Dr.
Carrara and Dr. Sadowski) upon a termination without cause or upon termination
without cause following a change of control. The employment agreement
with Mr. Apple also provides for severance payments upon termination for “good
reason.”
Termination for “good reason” generally
means a termination initiated by Dr. Wotton or Mr. Apple in response to one or
more of the following events: (1) a decrease in the base salary of the officer,
(2) a decrease in the target annual bonus below a specified percentage, (3) a
change in the designation of title, unless such change is to a higher title and
level of responsibility, (4) a relocation of the principal business location, or
(5) the Company’s failure to materially comply with the terms of the employment
agreement.
Generally, a change of control under
the employment agreements means: (1) the acquisition by any person or entity of
50 percent or more of the Company’s then outstanding voting stock or voting
securities; (2) a merger or consolidation as a result of which our
stockholders do not own at least 50 percent of the value of our outstanding
equity or combined voting power of our voting securities; or (3) a sale of
all or substantially all of our assets occurs.
A named
executive officer’s employment may be terminated for “cause,” which generally
includes the following: (1) dishonesty, fraud or misrepresentation in connection
with employment, (2) theft, misappropriation or
embezzlement of the Company’s funds or resources, (3) conviction of or a
plea of guilty in connection with any felony, crime involving fraud or
misrepresentation, or any other crime, or (4) a breach by the officer of any
material term of the employment agreement. In the event of
termination for cause, the employment agreements generally require termination
of all compensation as of the termination date, except as to amounts already
earned.
Under our
incentive compensation plans, outstanding stock options generally will fully
vest upon a change of control. The value of the accelerated vesting benefit
equals the number of shares as to which the stock options would vest on an
accelerated basis upon the occurrence of the specified termination or change of
control event, multiplied by the difference between the closing price per share
of Common Stock and the exercise price per share for the affected
options. However, except as provided below, grants that vest based
upon the attainment of performance criteria will only vest upon a change of
control as determined by the Committee.
The employment agreement with Mr. Apple
stipulates that upon a change of control the portion of Mr. Apple’s 250,000
performance shares that would have been issued upon the attainment of
operational criteria shall be treated as fully earned and shall be granted to
him. The portion that would have been issued upon the attainment of
specific market-based criteria shall be issued if such market based criteria are
attained as a result of the change of control. A total of 90,908
shares have been issued to Mr. Apple as a result of achievement of four goals
described above. The balance (i.e., 159,092 shares) could be earned
upon a change of control as described above.
TAX
CONSIDERATIONS
Section 162(m)
of the Code limits to $1 million the deductibility for federal income tax
purposes of annual compensation paid by a publicly held company to its chief
executive officer and its four other highest paid executives, unless certain
conditions are met. To the extent feasible, we structure our
executive compensation to preserve deductibility for federal income tax
purposes. In this regard, our stock option plans are designed to
preserve, to the extent otherwise available, the deductibility of income
realized upon the exercise of stock options. Nevertheless, we
retain the flexibility to authorize compensation that may not be deductible if
we believe it is in the best interests of the Company.
REPORT
OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
The
Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis required by SEC regulations. Based on its review and
discussions, the Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy
statement.
|
Anton
G. Gueth (Chair) |
|
|
Dr.
Leonard S. Jacob |
|
|
Dr. Rajesh
C. Shrotriya |
|
|
Members
of the Compensation Committee |
|
|
|
|
COMPENSATION TABLES
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
The
following table provides information regarding the compensation for 2009 and
2008 of our named executive officers.
Name
and Principal Position
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
(1)
|
|
Option
Awards
(2)
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation
(3)
|
|
Other
Annual
Compensation
(4)
|
|
Total
|
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
2009
|
|
$ |
337,000 |
|
|
$ |
59,500 |
|
$ |
91,238 |
|
$ |
140,000 |
|
$ |
8,250 |
|
$ |
635,988 |
|
Chief Executive
Officer
|
2008
|
|
|
152,888 |
(5) |
|
|
80,000 |
|
|
318,021 |
|
|
83,407 |
|
|
7,445 |
|
|
641,761 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr. Robert
F. Apple
|
2009
|
|
|
291,862 |
|
|
|
60,227 |
|
|
60,825 |
|
|
72,000 |
|
|
8,250 |
|
|
493,164 |
|
Chief Financial
Officer
|
2008
|
|
|
278,200 |
|
|
|
23,375 |
|
|
109,688 |
|
|
52,088 |
|
|
15,550 |
|
|
478,901 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Dario
Carrara, (6)
|
2009
|
|
|
308,526 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
45,619 |
|
|
19,268 |
|
|
163,492 |
|
|
536,905 |
|
Managing
Director,
|
2008
|
|
|
300,056 |
|
|
|
23,375 |
|
|
45,782 |
|
|
28,418 |
|
|
198,893 |
|
|
596,524 |
|
Pharmaceutical
Group
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Peter
Sadowski
|
2009
|
|
|
221,900 |
|
|
|
21,250 |
|
|
59,446 |
|
|
51,000 |
|
|
8,250 |
|
|
361,846 |
|
Senior Vice President
and
|
2008
|
|
|
208,650 |
|
|
|
31,875 |
|
|
86,355 |
|
|
33,735 |
|
|
16,750 |
|
|
377,365 |
|
Managing Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Parenteral
Products Division |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(
|
1)
|
|
The
amounts shown for stock awards relate to shares granted under our 2008
Equity Compensation Plan. These amounts are equal to the aggregate grant
date fair value of the awards and include both incremental restricted
stock awards and potential shares that may be earned pursuant to
performance based stock awards. The full grant date fair value
of the potential shares that may be earned upon achievement of a
performance goal is included in this table in the year the performance
goal is first determined to be probable of achievement, even if the
expense for accounting purposes will be recorded in more than one
year. The assumptions used in determining the amounts in this
column are set forth in note 8 to our consolidated financial
statements. For information regarding the number of shares
subject to 2009 awards, other features of the award and the grant date
fair value of the award, see the Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table on
page 35.
|
(
|
2)
|
|
The
amounts shown for option awards relate to option awards granted under our
2008 Equity Compensation Plan. These amounts are equal to the aggregate
grant date fair value of the awards. The assumptions used in
determining the amounts in this column are set forth in note 8 to our
consolidated financial statements. For information regarding
the number of shares subject to 2009 awards, other features of those
awards, and the grant date fair value of the awards, see the Grants of
Plan-Based Awards Table on page 35.
|
(
|
3)
|
|
The
amounts shown represent performance based incentive compensation paid in
cash. For 2009, the amounts shown represent two-thirds of
the performance based incentive compensation earned while one-third will
be paid in restricted stock. The restricted stock will be
granted in 2010 and will vest 100% on the third anniversary of the date of
grant. Dr. Wotton will receive 53,846 shares, Mr. Apple will
receive 27,692 shares and Dr. Sadowski will receive 19,615
shares.
|
(
|
4)
|
|
Other
Annual Compensation for Dr. Carrara represents foreign employee allowances
including housing, auto, tuition for dependents and home country travel
expenses. The amounts for all other executive officers include
the value of discretionary matching contributions under the 401(k) plan
and, for 2008, the value of auto allowances.
|
(
|
5)
|
|
Dr.
Wotton was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer on July 7, 2008
and was appointed Chief Executive Officer on October 10,
2008. During 2009, his annual salary was
$337,000.
|
(
|
6)
|
|
Compensation
for Dr. Carrara was in Swiss Francs and has been converted to U.S.
dollars at the Swiss Francs per U.S. dollar exchange rate of 1.038 at
December 31, 2009.
|
GRANTS
OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS – 2009
The
following table provides details regarding plan-based awards granted to our
named executive officers in 2009.
|
|
Estimated
Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
All
Other Stock Awards: Number of
|
|
All
Other
Option
Awards: Number
|
|
Exercise
or
Base
|
|
Grant
Date
Fair
|
|
Name
|
Grant Date
|
Threshold
(#)
|
|
Target
(#)
(1)
|
|
Maximum
(#)
|
|
Shares
of
Stock or Units
(#)
|
|
of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)
(2)
|
|
Price
of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)
|
|
Value
of
Stock
and
Option
Awards
(3)
|
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
1/26/09
|
|
|
400,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
144,000 |
|
|
11/12/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
$ |
1.10 |
|
|
91,238 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr. Robert
F. Apple
|
8/12/09
|
|
|
22,727 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,591 |
|
|
11/12/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
1.10 |
|
|
60,825 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Dario
Carrara
|
11/12/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
1.10 |
|
|
45,619 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Peter
Sadowski
|
8/12/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
0.95 |
|
|
13,827 |
|
|
11/12/09
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
1.10 |
|
|
45,619 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
The
awards constitute potential shares which can be earned by meeting defined
performance goals under our 2008 Equity Compensation Plan. The
number of potential shares for Dr. Wotton was defined in his employment
agreement in 2008; however, the terms of the awards were defined in 2009,
therefore the grant date fair value was determined in
2009. Although the number of potential shares that could be
earned was 400,000, the fair value presented in the table is based on
300,000 shares, as 100,000 potential shares are based on performance
criteria that are no longer possible of achievement. The number
of potential shares for Mr. Apple represents a potential performance award
originally granted in a prior year for which the goal was redefined in
2009, thereby establishing a new grant date.
|
(2)
|
The
option awards were granted under our 2008 Equity Compensation Plan. Option
awards generally vest over three years, becoming exercisable as to 8.33%
of the underlying shares quarterly following the date of grant. Option
awards generally become fully exercisable in the event of the grantee’s
death, normal retirement or termination of employment in connection with a
change of control.
|
(3)
|
The
grant date fair value is computed in accordance with Financial Accounting
Standard Board Accounting Standard Codification Topic
718.
|
|
|
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL
YEAR-END — 2009
The
following table provides details regarding outstanding equity awards for the
named executive officers at December 31, 2009.
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number
of
Securities
Underlying Unexercised Options
Exercisable
(1)
|
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Unexercisable
(1)
|
|
|
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
Number
of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
(#)
|
|
|
Market
Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
($)
(2)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights
That Have Not Vested (#) (3)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or
Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($) (2)
|
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
|
2,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.8400 |
|
8/15/14
|
|
|
66,666 |
|
|
$ |
76,000 |
|
|
|
325,000 |
|
|
$ |
370,500 |
|
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.4000 |
|
10/24/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.4000 |
|
1/2/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5400 |
|
1/2/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5500 |
|
5/2/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.6500 |
|
5/9/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.8500 |
|
5/13/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
133,333 |
|
|
|
266,667 |
|
|
|
0.8000 |
|
8/5/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
156,667 |
|
|
|
313,333 |
|
|
|
0.5000 |
|
10/19/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
1.1000 |
|
11/11/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr. Robert
F. Apple
|
|
|
389,583 |
|
|
|
10,417 |
|
|
|
1.4300 |
|
2/9/16
|
|
|
18,334 |
|
|
|
20,901 |
|
|
|
181,819 |
|
|
|
207,274 |
|
|
|
|
55,000 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
1.2300 |
|
1/15/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33,333 |
|
|
|
6,667 |
|
|
|
1.6500 |
|
5/9/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41,250 |
|
|
|
41,250 |
|
|
|
0.8500 |
|
5/13/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
83,333 |
|
|
|
166,667 |
|
|
|
0.4700 |
|
11/11/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
1.1000 |
|
11/11/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Dario
Carrara
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.5630 |
|
3/22/12
|
|
|
18,334 |
|
|
|
20,901 |
|
|
|
280,000 |
|
|
|
319,200 |
|
|
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.5630 |
|
2/1/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
125,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.7700 |
|
9/16/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.3200 |
|
12/28/15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
90,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5100 |
|
1/24/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
80,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.2600 |
|
10/31/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,000 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
1.2300 |
|
1/15/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33,333 |
|
|
|
6,667 |
|
|
|
1.6500 |
|
5/9/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
41,250 |
|
|
|
41,250 |
|
|
|
0.8500 |
|
5/13/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
|
1.1000 |
|
11/11/20
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. Peter
Sadowski
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5625 |
|
1/3/10
|
|
|
16,667 |
|
|
|
19,000 |
|
|
|
137,500 |
|
|
|
156,750 |
|
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.5630 |
|
3/22/11
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.5630 |
|
2/1/12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
125,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.7700 |
|
9/16/13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
60,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.3200 |
|
12/28/14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.5100 |
|
1/24/16
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
55,000 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
1.2300 |
|
1/15/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
1.6500 |
|
5/9/17
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
0.8500 |
|
5/13/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
58,333 |
|
|
|
116,667 |
|
|
|
0.4700 |
|
11/11/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,083 |
|
|
|
22,917 |
|
|
|
1.1000 |
|
8/11/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
75,000 |
|
|
|
1.1000 |
|
11/11/19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
The
option awards typically vest 33 1/3% annually in 8.33% installments each
calendar quarter until the underlying shares are fully
vested.
|
(2) |
The
dollar values are based on the closing price of our Common Stock on
December 31, 2009 ($1.14).
|
(3) |
The
unearned shares are performance based awards which the Company is
contractually obligated to grant when the performance criteria is met and
therefore do not have a defined vesting
date.
|
OPTION
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED — 2009
The
following table provides information regarding stock award vesting for our named
executive officers in 2009. No options were exercised by the named
executive officers in 2009.
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number
of
Shares
Acquired
on
Exercise
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Exercise
|
|
|
Number
of
Shares
Acquired
on
Vesting
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Vesting
|
|
Dr.
Paul K. Wotton
|
|
|
- |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
|
108,334 |
|
|
$ |
107,000 |
|
Mr. Robert
F. Apple
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
31,893 |
|
|
|
29,858 |
|
Dr. Dario
Carrara
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
9,166 |
|
|
|
4,858 |
|
Dr. Peter
Sadowski
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
45,833 |
|
|
|
36,666 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PENSION
BENEFITS - 2009
The
Company does not provide pension benefits. The Company provides a
discretionary match under the Company’s 401(k) plan to the participating
employees’ accounts.
NONQUALIFIED
DEFERRED COMPENSATION - 2009
The
Company does not have nonqualified deferred compensation plans in which our
named executive officers participate.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF
CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth certain information concerning beneficial ownership
of Common Stock as of March 15, 2010, with respect to all persons known to be
the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of such stock,
each of our directors, each of our named executive officers, and all of our
directors and executive officers as a group. The addresses of those
listed below are the same as that of the Company unless otherwise
provided.
Name
|
|
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
(1)
|
|
Right
to Acquire
(1)
(2)
|
|
Total
|
|
Percentage
of Outstanding
Shares
|
|
Dr. Jacques
Gonella (3)
(4)
|
|
11,783,221
|
|
209,500
|
|
11,992,721
|
|
14.5
|
%
|
Thomas
J. Garrity
|
|
40,000
|
|
185,750
|
|
225,750
|
|
*
|
|
Anton
G. Gueth
|
|
44,000
|
|
439,590
|
|
483,590
|
|
*
|
|
Dr. Rajesh
C. Shrotriya
|
|
101,495
|
|
164,500
|
|
265,995
|
|
*
|
|
Dr. Paul
K. Wotton
|
|
249,092
|
|
510,833
|
|
759,925
|
|
*
|
|
Dr. Leonard
Jacob
|
|
45,000
|
|
426,247
|
|
471,247
|
|
*
|
|
Robert
F. Apple
|
|
95,681
|
|
696,667
|
|
792,348
|
|
*
|
|
Dr. Dario
Carrara
|
|
27,500
|
|
610,000
|
|
637,500
|
|
*
|
|
Dr. Peter
Sadowski
|
|
62,500
|
|
539,250
|
|
601,750
|
|
*
|
|
Eamonn
P. Hobbs
|
|
20,000
|
|
10,000
|
|
30,000
|
|
*
|
|
All
directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons)
|
|
12,468,489
|
|
3,792,337
|
|
16,260,826
|
|
18.8
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with rules of the SEC, and includes
generally voting power and/or investment power with respect to securities.
Shares of Common Stock subject to options or warrants currently
exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 15, 2010, are deemed
outstanding for computing the percentage of the person holding such
options but are not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of any
other person. Except as indicated by footnote, the Company believes that
the persons named in this table, based on information provided by such
persons, have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares
of Common Stock indicated.
|
(2)
|
Shares
of our Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock
options and warrants.
|
(3)
|
Dr. Jacques
Gonella owns controlling interest in Permatec Holding AG, which owns
2,900,000 shares of Common Stock. Therefore, he exercises voting and
investment control for the entity and beneficially owns these shares of
stock.
|
|
(4)
|
Dr.
Gonella’s address is Princeton Crossroads Corporate Center, 250 Phillips
Boulevard, Suite 290, Ewing,
NJ 08618.
|
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Audit
Committee reviews our financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of
Directors. In 2009, the Audit Committee consisted of Thomas J.
Garrity (Chair), Anton G. Gueth and Eamonn P. Hobbs. Dr. Rajesh
Shrotriya was a member of the Audit Committee until August 12, 2009, at which
time Mr. Hobbs joined the Committee. Management has the primary
responsibility for the consolidated financial statements and the reporting
process. Our independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for
expressing an opinion on the conformity of our audited consolidated financial
statements to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
In this context, the Audit Committee
reviewed and discussed with management and the independent registered public
accounting firm the audited consolidated financial statements for 2009. The
Audit Committee discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm
the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61
(Communication with Audit Committee). In addition, the Audit Committee received
from the independent registered public accounting firm the written disclosures
required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the
independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit
Committee concerning independence and discussed with them their independence
from us and our management. The Audit Committee determined that the tax services
provided to our company by our independent registered public accounting firm are
compatible with the independent registered public accounting firm’s
independence.
In
reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee
recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors approved, that
the audited consolidated financial statements be included in our company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, for filing with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
|
Thomas
J. Garrity (Chair) |
|
|
Anton
G. Gueth |
|
|
Eamonn
P. Hobbs |
|
|
Members of the Audit
Committee |
|
|
|
|
OTHER
MATTERS
Solicitation
We will
bear the cost of preparing, assembling and mailing the proxy card and proxy
statement to our stockholders in connection with this solicitation. Brokerage
houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries may be requested to
forward soliciting material to the beneficial owners of stock, in which case
they will be reimbursed by us for their expenses in doing so. Proxies are being
solicited primarily by mail, but our officers and directors may solicit proxies
personally by telephone or special letter, but such persons will not receive
compensation from us for doing so.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, certain officers and persons
who own more than ten percent of a registered class of our equity securities, to
file reports of ownership on Form 3 and changes in ownership on Forms 4 or 5
with the SEC. Such officers, directors and ten percent stockholders are also
required by the SEC rules to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports
they file.
Specific due dates for such reports
have been established by the SEC and we are required to disclose in this Proxy
Statement any failure to file reports by such dates. Based solely on a review of
the copies of such reports received by us or by written representations from
certain reporting persons, we believe that during the year ended December 31,
2009, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to officers, directors
and ten percent stockholders were met.
Advance
Notice Provisions
Under
our Bylaws, no business may be brought before an Annual Meeting of Stockholders
unless it is specified in the notice of the meeting or is otherwise brought
before the meeting at the direction of the Board of Directors or by a
stockholder of record entitled to vote who has delivered written notice to our
Secretary and such notice is received not less than 90 days nor more than 120
days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting and
such notice has complied with the information requirements in our Bylaws. In
addition, any stockholder who wishes to submit a nomination to the Board of
Directors must deliver written notice of the nomination within this time period
and comply with the information requirements in our Bylaws relating to
stockholder nominations. See “Corporate Governance – Director Nominations” for
additional information about stockholder nominations. These requirements are
separate from and in addition to requirements that a stockholder must meet in
order to have a stockholder proposal included in our proxy statement as
described below.
Stockholder
Proposals
Stockholders
interested in submitting a proposal for inclusion in the proxy statement for our
2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders may do so by following the procedures
prescribed in SEC Rule 14a-8. To be eligible for inclusion in our proxy
statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, stockholder proposals
must be prepared in accordance with the SEC’s proxy rules and received by our
Corporate Secretary no later than December 15, 2010.
Other
The Board
of Directors does not intend to present at the 2010 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders any matter not referred to above and does not presently know of any
matters that may be presented to the stockholders meeting by others. However, if
other matters properly come before the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, it
is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy to vote the
proxy in accordance with their best judgment.
EXHIBIT
A
ANTARES
PHARMA, INC.
2008 EQUITY COMPENSATION
PLAN
The Antares Pharma, Inc. 2008 Equity
Compensation Plan (the “Plan”) was
established effective as of May 14, 2008 as a successor to the 1993 Stock Option
Plan (the “1993
Plan”), 1996 Stock Option Plan (the “1996 Plan”), Amended
and Restated 2001 Stock Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors and Consultants
(the “2001 Directors
and Consultants Plan”), Amended and Restated 2001 Incentive Stock Option
Plan for Employees (the “2001 Employees Plan”)
and 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2006 Plan”) (the 1993
Plan, 1996 Plan, 2001 Directors and Consultants Plan, 2001 Employees Plan and
the 2006 Plan collectively, the “Prior
Plans”). The Prior Plans were merged with and into this Plan
as of May 14, 2008, and no additional grants shall be made thereafter under the
Prior Plans. Outstanding grants under the Prior Plans shall continue
in effect according to their terms as in effect before the Plan merger (subject
to such amendments as the Committee (as defined below) determines, consistent
with the Prior Plans, as applicable), and the shares with respect to outstanding
grants under the Prior Plans shall be issued or transferred under this
Plan.
The purpose of the Plan is to provide
(i) employees of Antares Pharma, Inc. (the “Company”) and its
subsidiaries, (ii) certain consultants and advisors who perform services for the
Company or its subsidiaries and (iii) non-employee members of the Board of
Directors of the Company with the opportunity to receive grants of incentive
stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, stock
awards, stock units and other stock-based awards. The Company
believes that the Plan will encourage the participants to contribute materially
to the growth of the Company, thereby benefiting the Company’s stockholders, and
will align the economic interests of the participants with those of the
stockholders. The Plan was originally effective as of May 14, 2008
upon approval by the stockholders of the Company. This amendment and
restatement is effective as of February 23, 2010; provided that the share
increase contemplated under Section 4(a) will be effective May 27, 2010, subject
to approval by the stockholders of the Company.
Section
1. Definitions
The
following terms shall have the meanings set forth below for purposes of the
Plan:
(a) “Board” shall mean the
Board of Directors of the Company.
(b) “Cause” shall mean,
except to the extent specified otherwise by the Committee, a finding by the
Committee that the Grantee (i) has breached his or her employment or service
contract with the Employer, (ii) has engaged in disloyalty to the Employer,
including, without limitation, fraud, embezzlement, theft, commission of a
felony or proven dishonesty, (iii) has disclosed trade secrets or confidential
information of the Employer to persons not entitled to receive such information,
(iv) has breached any written non-competition, non-solicitation or
confidentiality agreement between the Grantee and the Employer or (v) has
engaged in such other behavior detrimental to the interests of the Employer as
the Committee determines.
(c) “Change of Control”
shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(i) Any
“person” (as such term is used in sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act)
becomes a “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act),
directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 50%
of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company; provided
that a Change of Control shall not be deemed to occur as a result of a
transaction in which the Company becomes a subsidiary of another corporation and
in which the stockholders of the Company, immediately prior to the transaction,
will beneficially own, immediately after the transaction, shares entitling such
stockholders to more than 50% of all votes to which all stockholders of the
parent corporation would be entitled in the election of directors.
(ii) The
consummation of (A) a merger or consolidation of the Company with another
corporation where the stockholders of the Company, immediately prior to the
merger or consolidation, will not beneficially own, immediately after the merger
or consolidation, shares entitling such stockholders to more than 50% of all
votes to which all stockholders of the surviving corporation would be entitled
in the election of directors, or where the members of the Board, immediately
prior to the merger or consolidation, would not, immediately after the merger or
consolidation, constitute a majority of the board of directors of the surviving
corporation, (B) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company, or (C) a liquidation or dissolution of the
Company.
(d) “Code” shall mean the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(e) “Committee” shall mean
the committee, consisting of members of the Board, designated by the Board to
administer the Plan.
(f)
“Company” shall mean
Antares Pharma, Inc. and shall include its successors.
(g) “Company Stock” shall
mean common stock of the Company.
(h) “Disability” or “Disabled” shall mean
a Grantee’s becoming disabled within the meaning of section 22(e)(3) of the
Code, within the meaning of the Employer’s long-term disability plan applicable
to the Grantee or as otherwise determined by the Committee.
(i)
“Dividend Equivalent”
shall mean an amount determined by multiplying the number of shares of Company
Stock subject to a Grant by the per-share cash dividend paid by the Company on
its outstanding Company Stock, or the per-share fair market value (as determined
by the Committee) of any dividend paid on its outstanding Company Stock in
consideration other than cash.
(j)
“Employee” shall mean
an employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.
(k) “Employed by, or providing
service to, the Employer” shall mean employment or service as an
Employee, Key Advisor or member of the Board (so that, for purposes of
exercising Options and SARs and satisfying conditions with respect to Stock
Awards and Performance Units, a Grantee shall not be considered to have
terminated employment or service until the Grantee ceases to be both an
Employee, Key Advisor and member of the Board).
(l)
“Employer” shall mean
the Company and each of its subsidiaries.
(m) “Exchange Act” shall
mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(n) “Exercise Price” shall
mean the purchase price of Company Stock subject to an Option.
(o)
“Fair Market Value”
shall mean:
(i) If the
Company Stock is publicly traded, then the Fair Market Value per share shall be
determined as follows: (A) if the principal trading market for the Company Stock
is a national securities exchange, the last reported sale price during regular
trading hours thereof on the relevant date or (if there were no trades on that
date) the last reported sales price during regular trading hours on the latest
preceding date upon which a sale was reported, or (B) if the Company Stock is
not principally traded on any such exchange, the last reported sale price of a
share of Company Stock during regular trading hours on the relevant date, as
reported by the OTC Bulletin Board or, if shares are not reported on the OTC
Bulletin Board, as determined by the Committee through any reasonable valuation
method authorized under the Code.
(ii) If the
Company Stock is not publicly traded or, if publicly traded, is not subject to
reported transactions as set forth above, the Fair Market Value per share shall
be as determined by the Committee through any reasonable valuation method
authorized under the Code.
(p) “Grant” shall mean a
grant of Options, SARs, Stock Awards, Stock Units or Other Stock-Based Awards
under the Plan.
(q) “Grant Instrument”
shall mean the agreement that sets forth the terms of a Grant, including any
amendments.
(r)
“Grantee” shall mean
an Employee, Key Advisor or Non-Employee Director who receives a Grant under the
Plan.
(s) “Incentive Stock
Option” shall mean an option to purchase Company Stock that is intended
to meet the requirements of section 422 of the Code.
(t)
“Key Advisor” shall
mean a consultant or advisor of an Employer
(u) “Non-Employee
Director” shall mean a member of the Board who is not an
Employee.
(v)
“Nonqualified Stock
Option” shall mean an option to purchase Company Stock that is not
intended to meet the requirements of section 422 of the Code.
(w)
“Option” shall mean an
Incentive Stock Option or Nonqualified Stock Option granted under the
Plan.
(x) “Other Stock-Based
Award” shall mean any Grant based on, measured by or payable in Company
Stock, as described in Section 10.
(y) “SAR” shall mean a
stock appreciation right with respect to a share of Company Stock.
(z)
“Stock Award” shall
mean an award of Company Stock, with or without restrictions.
(aa) “Stock Unit” shall
mean a unit that represents a hypothetical share of Company Stock.
Section
2. Administration
(a) Committee. The
Plan shall be administered and interpreted by the Board or by a Committee
appointed by the Board. The Committee, if applicable, should consist
of two or more persons who are “outside directors” as defined under section
162(m) of the Code, and related Treasury regulations, and “non-employee
directors” as defined under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. The
Board shall approve and administer all grants made to Non-Employee
Directors. The Committee may delegate authority to one or more
subcommittees, as it deems appropriate. To the extent that the Board
or a subcommittee administers the Plan, references in the Plan to the “Committee” shall be
deemed to refer to the Board or such subcommittee. In the absence of
a specific designation by the Board to the contrary, the Plan shall be
administered by the Committee of the Board or any successor Board committee
performing substantially the same functions.
(b)
Committee
Authority. The Committee shall have the sole authority to (i)
determine the individuals to whom grants shall be made under the Plan, (ii)
determine the type, size and terms of the grants to be made to each such
individual, (iii) determine the time when the grants will be made and the
duration of any applicable exercise or restriction period, including the
criteria for exercisability and the acceleration of exercisability, (iv) amend
the terms of any previously issued grant, subject to the provisions of Section
18 below, and (v) deal with any other matters arising under the
Plan.
(c) Committee
Determinations. The Committee shall have full power and
express discretionary authority to administer and interpret the Plan, to make
factual determinations and to adopt or amend such rules, regulations, agreements
and instruments for implementing the Plan and for the conduct of its business as
it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion. The
Committee’s interpretations of the Plan and all determinations made by the
Committee pursuant to the powers vested in it hereunder shall be conclusive and
binding on all persons having any interest in the Plan or in any awards granted
hereunder. All powers of the Committee shall be executed in its sole
discretion, in the best interest of the Company, not as a fiduciary, and in
keeping with the objectives of the Plan and need not be uniform as to similarly
situated individuals.
Section
3.
Grants
Awards
under the Plan may consist of grants of Options as described in Section 6, Stock
Awards as described in Section 7, Stock Units as described in Section 8, SARs as
described in Section 9 and Other Stock-Based Awards as described in Section
10. All Grants shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth
herein and to such other terms and conditions consistent with this Plan as the
Committee deems appropriate and as are specified in writing by the Committee to
the individual in the Grant Instrument. All Grants shall be made
conditional upon the Grantee’s acknowledgement, in writing or by acceptance of
the Grant, that all decisions and determinations of the Committee shall be final
and binding on the Grantee, his or her beneficiaries and any other person having
or claiming an interest under such Grant. Grants under a particular
Section of the Plan need not be uniform as among the Grantees.
Section
4.
Shares
Subject to the Plan
(a) Shares
Authorized. Subject to adjustment as described below, the
aggregate number of shares of Company Stock that may be issued or transferred
under the Plan shall be equal to the sum of the following: (i) 1,500,000 shares,
plus (ii) the number of shares of Company Stock subject to outstanding grants
under the Plan as of May 27, 2010, plus (iii) the number of shares of Company
Stock remaining available for issuance under the Plan but not subject to
previously exercised, vested or paid grants as of May 27, 2010; provided that in
no event shall the maximum aggregate numbers of shares that may be issued or
transferred under the Plan exceed 11,500,000 shares. Shares issued or
transferred under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of Company
Stock or reacquired shares of Company Stock, including shares purchased by the
Company on the open market for purposes of the Plan. If and to the
extent Options or SARs granted under the Plan (including options granted under
the Prior Plans) terminate, expire or are canceled, forfeited, exchanged or
surrendered without having been exercised or if any Stock Awards, Stock Units or
Other Stock-Based Awards (including Stock Awards granted under the Prior Plans)
are forfeited, terminated or otherwise not paid in full, the shares subject to
such Grants shall again be available for purposes of the Plan. Shares
of Company Stock surrendered in payment of the Exercise Price of an Option, and
shares of Company Stock withheld or surrendered for payment of taxes, shall not
be available for re-issuance under the Plan. Upon the exercise of an
Option through the net exercise procedure under Section 6(g)(iv) or upon the
exercise of a SAR, then both for purposes of calculating the number of shares of
Company Stock remaining available for issuance under the Plan and the number of
shares of Company Stock remaining available for exercise under such Option or
SAR, the number of such shares shall be reduced by the gross number of shares
for which the Option or SAR is exercised and without regard to any cash
settlement of a SAR. Except as provided with respect to cash settlement of SARs,
to the extent that any Grants are paid in cash and not in shares of Company
Stock, any shares previously subject to such Grants shall again be available for
issuance or transfer under the Plan and shall not count against the share limits
in this Section 4(a).
(b) Individual
Limits. All Grants under the Plan shall be expressed in shares
of Stock. The maximum aggregate number of shares of Company Stock
that shall be subject to Grants made under the Plan to any individual during any
calendar year shall be 1,000,000 shares, subject to adjustment as described
below.
(c) Adjustments. If
there is any change in the number or kind of shares of Company Stock outstanding
by reason of (i) a stock dividend, spinoff, recapitalization, stock split, or
combination or exchange of shares, (ii) a merger, reorganization or
consolidation, (iii) a reclassification or change in par value, or (iv) any
other extraordinary or unusual event affecting the outstanding Company Stock as
a class without the Company’s receipt of consideration, or if the value of
outstanding shares of Company Stock is substantially reduced as a result of a
spinoff
or the Company’s payment of an extraordinary dividend or distribution, the
maximum number of shares of Company Stock available for issuance under the Plan,
the maximum number of shares of Company Stock for which any individual may
receive Grants in any year, the kind and number of shares covered by outstanding
Grants, the kind and number of shares issued and to be issued under the Plan,
and the price per share or the applicable market value of such Grants shall be
equitably adjusted by the Committee to reflect any increase or decrease in the
number of, or change in the kind or value of, the issued shares of Company Stock
to preclude, to the extent practicable, the enlargement or dilution of rights
and benefits under the Plan and such outstanding Grants; provided, however, that
any fractional shares resulting from such adjustment shall be
eliminated. In addition, in the event of a Change of Control of the
Company, the provisions of Section 16 of the Plan shall apply. Any
adjustments to outstanding Grants shall be consistent with section 409A or 424
of the Code, to the extent applicable. Any adjustments determined by
the Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Section
5.
Eligibility
for Participation
(a) Eligible
Persons. All Employees (including, for all purposes of the
Plan, an Employee who is a member of the Board) and Non-Employee Directors shall
be eligible to participate in the Plan. Key Advisors shall be
eligible to participate in the Plan if the Key Advisors render bona fide
services to the Employer, the services are not in connection with the offer and
sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and the Key Advisors do not
directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s
securities.
(b) Selection of
Grantees. The Committee shall select the Employees,
Non-Employee Directors and Key Advisors to receive Grants and shall determine
the number of shares of Company Stock subject to a particular Grant in such
manner as the Committee determines.
Section
6.
Options
The
Committee may grant Options to an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Key Advisor
upon such terms as the Committee deems appropriate. The following
provisions are applicable to Options:
(a) Number of
Shares. The Committee shall determine the number of shares of
Company Stock that will be subject to each Grant of Options to Employees,
Non-Employee Directors and Key Advisors.
(b)
Type of Option and
Price.
(i) The
Committee may grant Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options or any
combination of the two, all in accordance with the terms and conditions set
forth herein. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to
employees of the Company or its parent or subsidiary corporations, as defined in
section 424 of the Code. Nonqualified Stock Options may be granted to
Employees, Non-Employee Directors and Key Advisors.
(ii) The
Exercise Price of Company Stock subject to an Option shall be determined by the
Committee and shall be equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of a share
of Company Stock on the date the Option is granted. However, an
Incentive Stock Option may not be granted to an Employee who, at the time of
grant, owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of
all classes of stock of the Company, or any parent or subsidiary corporation of
the Company, as defined in section 424 of the Code, unless the Exercise Price
per share is not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Company
Stock on the date of grant.
(c)
Option
Term. The Committee shall determine the term of each
Option. The term of any Option for US Employees shall not exceed ten
years from the date of grant. The term of any Option for Swiss
Employees shall not excess eleven years from the date of
grant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term of any Incentive Stock
Option that is granted to an Employee who, at the time of grant, owns stock
possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of
stock of the Company, or any parent or subsidiary
corporation of the Company, as defined in section 424 of the Code, shall
not have a term that exceeds five years from the date of grant.
(d) Exercisability of
Options. Options shall become exercisable in accordance with
such terms and conditions, consistent with the Plan, as may be determined by the
Committee and specified in the Grant Instrument. The Committee may
accelerate the exercisability of any or all outstanding Options at any time for
any reason.
(e)
Grants to Non-Exempt
Employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Options granted to
persons who are non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938,
as amended, may not be exercisable for at least six months after the date of
grant (except that such Options may become exercisable, as determined by the
Committee, upon the Grantee’s death, Disability or retirement, or upon a Change
of Control or other circumstances permitted by applicable
regulations).
(f) Termination of Employment,
Disability or Death.
(i) Except as
provided below, an Option may only be exercised while the Grantee is employed
by, or providing service to, the Employer as an Employee, member of the Board or
Key Advisor.
(ii) In the
event that a Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, the
Employer for any reason other than Disability, death or termination for Cause,
any Option which is otherwise exercisable by the Grantee shall terminate unless
exercised within 90 days after the date on which the Grantee ceases to be
employed by, or provide service to, the Employer (or within such other period of
time as may be specified by the Committee), but in any event no later than the
date of expiration of the Option term. Except as otherwise provided
by the Committee, any of the Grantee’s Options that are not otherwise
exercisable as of the date on which the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or
provide service to, the Employer shall terminate as of such date.
(iii) In the
event the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, the Company
on account of a termination for Cause by the Employer, any Option held by the
Grantee shall terminate as of the date the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or
provide service to, the Employer. In addition, notwithstanding any
other provisions of this Section 6, if the Committee determines that the Grantee
has engaged in conduct that constitutes Cause at any time while the Grantee is
employed by, or providing service to, the Employer or after the Grantee’s
termination of employment or service, any Option held by the Grantee shall
immediately terminate and the Grantee shall automatically forfeit all shares
underlying any exercised portion of an Option for which the Company has not yet
delivered the share certificates, upon refund by the Company of the Exercise
Price paid by the Grantee for such shares. Upon any exercise of an
Option, the Company may withhold delivery of share certificates pending
resolution of an inquiry that could lead to a finding resulting in a
forfeiture.
(iv) In the
event the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, the Employer
because the Grantee is Disabled, any Option which is otherwise exercisable by
the Grantee shall terminate unless exercised within one year after the date on
which the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, the Employer
(or within such other period of time as may be specified by the Committee), but
in any event no later than the date of expiration of the Option
term. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, any of the
Grantee’s Options which are not otherwise exercisable as of the date on which
the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide service to, the Employer shall
terminate as of such date.
(v)
If the
Grantee dies while employed by, or providing service to, the Employer or within
90 days after the date on which the Grantee ceases to be employed or provide
service on account of a termination specified in Section 6(e)(ii) above (or
within such other period of time as may be specified by the Committee), any
Option that is otherwise exercisable by the Grantee shall terminate unless
exercised within one year after the date on which the Grantee ceases to be
employed by, or provide service to, the Employer (or within such other period of
time as may be specified by the Committee), but in any event no later than the
date of expiration of the Option term. Except as otherwise provided
by the Committee, any of the Grantee’s Options that
are not otherwise exercisable as of the date on which the Grantee ceases to
be employed by, or provide service to, the Employer shall terminate as of such
date.
(g) Exercise of
Options. A Grantee may exercise an Option that has become
exercisable, in whole or in part, by delivering a notice of exercise to the
Company. The Grantee shall pay the Exercise Price for an Option as
specified by the Committee (i) in cash, (ii) unless the Committee determines
otherwise, by delivering shares of Company Stock owned by the Grantee and having
a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise at least equal to the Exercise Price
or by attestation (on a form prescribed by the Committee) to ownership of shares
of Company Stock having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise at least
equal to the Exercise Price, (iii) by payment through a broker in accordance
with procedures permitted by Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, (iv)
through a net exercise of the Option whereby the Grantee instructs the Company
to withhold that number of shares of Company Stock having a Fair Market Value on
the date of exercise equal to the aggregate Exercise Price of the Option being
exercised and deliver to the Grantee the remainder of the shares subject to such
exercise, or (v) by such other method as the Committee may
approve. Shares of Company Stock used to exercise an Option in (ii)
above shall have been held by the Grantee for the requisite period of time
necessary to avoid adverse accounting consequences to the Company with respect
to the Option. Payment for the shares to be issued or transferred
pursuant to the Option, and any required withholding taxes, must be received by
the Company by the time specified by the Committee depending on the type of
payment being made, but in all cases prior to the issuance or transfer of such
shares.
(h) Limits on Incentive Stock
Options. Each Incentive Stock Option shall provide that, if
the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Company Stock on the date of the grant
with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time
by a Grantee during any calendar year, under the Plan or any other stock option
plan of the Company or a parent or subsidiary, exceeds $100,000, then the
Option, as to the excess, shall be treated as a Nonqualified Stock
Option. An Incentive Stock Option shall not be granted to any person
who is not an Employee of the Company or a parent or subsidiary corporation
(within the meaning of section 424(f) of the Code) of the Company.
Section
7.
Stock
Awards
The
Committee may issue or transfer shares of Company Stock to an Employee,
Non-Employee Director or Key Advisor under a Stock Award, upon such terms as the
Committee deems appropriate. The following provisions are applicable
to Stock Awards:
(a) General
Requirements. Shares of Company Stock issued or transferred
pursuant to Stock Awards may be issued or transferred for consideration or for
no consideration, and subject to restrictions or no restrictions, as determined
by the Committee. The Committee may, but shall not be required to,
establish conditions under which restrictions on Stock Awards shall lapse over a
period of time or according to such other criteria as the Committee deems
appropriate, including, without limitation, restrictions based upon the
achievement of specific performance goals. The period of time during
which the Stock Awards will remain subject to restrictions will be designated in
the Grant Instrument as the “Restriction Period.”
(b) Number of
Shares. The Committee shall determine the number of shares of
Company Stock to be issued or transferred pursuant to a Stock Award and the
restrictions applicable to such shares.
(c) Requirement of Employment or
Service. If the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide
service to, the Employer during a period designated in the Grant Instrument as
the Restriction Period, or if other specified conditions are not met, the Stock
Award shall terminate as to all shares covered by the Grant as to which the
restrictions have not lapsed, and those shares of Company Stock must be
immediately returned to the Company. The Committee may, however,
provide for complete or partial exceptions to this requirement as it deems
appropriate.
(d) Restrictions on Transfer and
Legend on Stock Certificate. During the Restriction Period, a
Grantee may not sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of the
shares of a Stock Award except under Section 15(a) below. Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee, the Company will retain possession of
certificates for shares of Stock Awards until all restrictions on such shares
have lapsed. Each certificate for a Stock
Award, unless held by the Company, shall contain a legend giving
appropriate notice of the restrictions in the Grant. The Grantee
shall be entitled to have the legend removed from the stock certificate covering
the shares subject to restrictions when all restrictions on such shares have
lapsed. The Committee may determine that the Company will not issue
certificates for Stock Awards until all restrictions on such shares have
lapsed.
(e) Right to Vote and to Receive
Dividends. Unless the Committee determines otherwise, during
the Restriction Period, the Grantee shall have the right to vote shares of Stock
Awards and to receive any dividends or other distributions paid on such shares,
subject to any restrictions deemed appropriate by the Committee, including,
without limitation, the achievement of specific performance goals.
(f) Lapse of
Restrictions. All restrictions imposed on Stock Awards shall
lapse upon the expiration of the applicable Restriction Period and the
satisfaction of all conditions, if any, imposed by the Committee. The
Committee may determine, as to any or all Stock Awards, that the restrictions
shall lapse without regard to any Restriction Period.
Section
8.
Stock
Units
The
Committee may grant Stock Units, each of which shall represent one hypothetical
share of Company Stock, to an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Key Advisor
upon such terms and conditions as the Committee deems
appropriate. The following provisions are applicable to Stock
Units:
(a) Crediting of
Units. Each Stock Unit shall represent the right of the
Grantee to receive a share of Company Stock or an amount of cash based on the
value of a share of Company Stock, if and when specified conditions are
met. All Stock Units shall be credited to bookkeeping accounts
established on the Company’s records for purposes of the Plan.
(b) Terms of Stock
Units. The Committee may grant Stock Units that are payable if
specified performance goals or other conditions are met, or under other
circumstances. Stock Units may be paid at the end of a specified
performance period or other period, or payment may be deferred to a date
authorized by the Committee. The Committee shall determine the number
of Stock Units to be granted and the requirements applicable to such Stock
Units.
(c) Requirement of Employment or
Service. If the Grantee ceases to be employed by, or provide
service to, the Employer prior to the vesting of Stock Units, or if other
conditions established by the Committee are not met, the Grantee’s Stock Units
shall be forfeited. The Committee may, however, provide for complete
or partial exceptions to this requirement as it deems appropriate.
(d) Payment With Respect to
Stock Units. Payments with respect to Stock Units shall be
made in cash, Company Stock or any combination of the foregoing, as the
Committee shall determine.
Section
9.
Stock
Appreciation Rights
The
Committee may grant SARs to an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Key Advisor
separately or in tandem with any Option. The following provisions are
applicable to SARs:
(a) General
Requirements. The Committee may grant SARs to an Employee or
Non-Employee Director separately or in tandem with any Option (for all or a
portion of the applicable Option). Tandem SARs may be granted either
at the time the Option is granted or at any time thereafter while the Option
remains outstanding; provided, however, that, in the case of an Incentive Stock
Option, SARs may be granted only at the time of the Grant of the Incentive Stock
Option. The Committee shall establish the base amount of the SAR at
the time the SAR is granted. The base amount of each SAR shall be
equal to the per share Exercise Price of the related Option or, if there is no
related Option, an amount equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of a
share of Company Stock as of the date of Grant of the SAR.
(b) Tandem
SARs. In the case of tandem SARs, the number of SARs granted
to a Grantee that shall be exercisable during a specified period shall not
exceed the number of shares of Company Stock that the Grantee may purchase upon
the exercise of the related Option during such period. Upon the
exercise of an Option, the SARs relating to the Company Stock covered by such
Option shall terminate. Upon the exercise of SARs, the related Option
shall terminate to the extent of an equal number of shares of Company
Stock.
(c)
Exercisability. An
SAR shall be exercisable during the period specified by the Committee in the
Grant Instrument and shall be subject to such vesting and other restrictions as
may be specified in the Grant Instrument. The Committee may
accelerate the exercisability of any or all outstanding SARs at any time for any
reason. SARs may only be exercised while the Grantee is employed by,
or providing service to, the Employer or during the applicable period after
termination of employment or service as described in Section 6(e)
above. A tandem SAR shall be exercisable only during the period when
the Option to which it is related is also exercisable.
(d) Grants to Non-Exempt
Employees. Notwithstanding the foregoing, SARs granted to
persons who are non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938,
as amended, may not be exercisable for at least six months after the date of
grant (except that such SARs may become exercisable, as determined by the
Committee, upon the Grantee’s death, Disability or retirement, or upon a Change
of Control or other circumstances permitted by applicable
regulations).
(e) Value of
SARs. When a Grantee exercises SARs, the Grantee shall receive
in settlement of such SARs an amount equal to the value of the stock
appreciation for the number of SARs exercised. The stock appreciation
for an SAR is the amount by which the Fair Market Value of the underlying
Company Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR exceeds the base amount of the
SAR as described in subsection (a).
(f) Form of
Payment. The appreciation in an SAR shall be paid in shares of
Company Stock, cash or any combination of the foregoing, as the Committee shall
determine. For purposes of calculating the number of shares of
Company Stock to be received, shares of Company Stock shall be valued at their
Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the SAR.
Section
10.
Other
Stock-Based Awards
The
Committee may grant Other Stock-Based Awards, which are awards (other than those
described in Sections 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the Plan) that are based on or measured
by Company Stock, to any Employee, Non-Employee Director or Key Advisor, on such
terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine. Other
Stock-Based Awards may be awarded subject to the achievement of performance
goals or other conditions and may be payable in cash, Company Stock or any
combination of the foregoing, as the Committee shall determine.
Section
11.
Dividend
Equivalents
The
Committee may grant Dividend Equivalents in connection Stock Units or Other
Stock-Based Awards. Dividend Equivalents may be paid currently or
accrued as contingent cash obligations and may be payable in cash or shares of
Company Stock, and upon such terms as the Committee may establish, including,
without limitation, the achievement of specific performance goals.
Section
12.
Qualified
Performance-Based Compensation
The
Committee may determine that Stock Awards, Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards
and Dividend Equivalents granted to an Employee shall be considered “qualified
performance-based compensation” under section 162(m) of the Code. The
following provisions shall apply to Grants of Stock Awards, Stock Units, Other
Stock-Based Awards and Dividend Equivalents that are to be considered “qualified
performance-based compensation” under section 162(m) of the Code:
(a) Performance
Goals.
(i) When
Stock Awards, Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or Dividend Equivalents that
are to be considered “qualified performance-based compensation” are granted, the
Committee shall establish in writing (A) the objective performance goals that
must be met, (B) the performance period during which the performance will be
measured, (C) the threshold, target and maximum amounts that may be paid if the
performance goals are met, and (D) any other conditions that the Committee deems
appropriate and consistent with the Plan and Section 162(m) of the
Code.
(ii) The
business criteria may relate to the Grantee’s business unit or the performance
of the Company and its parents and subsidiaries as a whole, or any combination
of the foregoing. The Committee shall use objectively determinable performance
goals based on one or more of the following criteria: stock price, earnings per
share, net earnings, operating earnings, earnings before income taxes, EBITDA
(earnings before income tax expense, interest expense, and depreciation and
amortization expense), return on assets, stockholder return, return on equity,
growth in assets, unit volume, sales or market share, or strategic business
criteria consisting of one or more objectives based on meeting specified revenue
goals, market penetration goals, geographic business expansion goals, cost
targets or goals relating to acquisitions or divestitures.
(b) Establishment of
Goals. The Committee shall establish the performance goals in
writing either before the beginning of the performance period or during a period
ending no later than the earlier of (i) 90 days after the beginning of the
performance period or (ii) the date on which 25% of the performance period has
been completed, or such other date as may be required or permitted under
applicable regulations under section 162(m) of the Code. The
performance goals shall satisfy the requirements for “qualified
performance-based compensation,” including the requirement that the achievement
of the goals be substantially uncertain at the time they are established and
that the goals be established in such a way that a third party with knowledge of
the relevant facts could determine whether and to what extent the performance
goals have been met. The Committee shall not have discretion to
increase the amount of compensation that is payable upon achievement of the
designated performance goals.
(c) Announcement of
Grants. The Committee shall certify and announce the results
for each performance period to all Grantees after the announcement of the
Company’s financial results for the performance period. If and to the
extent that the Committee does not certify that the performance goals have been
met, the grants of Stock Awards, Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards and
Dividend Equivalents for the performance period shall be forfeited or shall not
be made, as applicable. If Dividend Equivalents are granted as
“qualified performance-based compensation” under section 162(m) of the Code, a
Grantee may not accrue more than $1,000,000 of such Dividend Equivalents during
any calendar year.
(d) Death, Disability or Other
Circumstances. The Committee may provide that Stock Awards,
Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards and Dividend Equivalents shall be payable
or restrictions on such Grants shall lapse, in whole or in part, in the event of
the Grantee’s death or Disability during the performance period, or under other
circumstances consistent with the Treasury regulations and rulings under section
162(m) of the Code.
Section
13. Deferrals
The
Committee may permit or require a Grantee to defer receipt of the payment of
cash or the delivery of shares that would otherwise be due to such Grantee in
connection with any Stock Units or Other Stock-Based Awards. If any
such deferral election is permitted or required, the Committee shall establish
rules and procedures for such deferrals and may provide for interest or other
earnings to be paid on such deferrals. The rules and procedures for
any such deferrals shall be consistent with applicable requirements of section
409A of the Code.
Section
14.
Withholding
of Taxes
(a) Required
Withholding. All Grants under the Plan shall be subject to
applicable federal (including FICA), state and local tax withholding
requirements. The Employer may require that the Grantee or other
person receiving or exercising Grants pay to the Employer the amount of any
federal, state or local taxes that the Employer is required to withhold with
respect to such Grants, or the Employer may deduct from other wages and
compensation paid by the Employer the amount of any withholding taxes due with
respect to such Grants.
(b) Election to Withhold
Shares. If the Committee so permits, a Grantee may elect to
satisfy the Employer’s tax withholding obligation with respect to Grants paid in
Company Stock by having shares withheld up to an amount that does not exceed the
Grantee’s minimum applicable withholding tax rate for federal (including FICA),
state and local tax liabilities. The election must be in a form and
manner prescribed by the Committee and may be subject to the prior approval of
the Committee.
Section
15.
Transferability
of Grants
(a) Nontransferability of
Grants. Except as provided below, only the Grantee may
exercise rights under a Grant during the Grantee’s lifetime. A
Grantee may not transfer those rights except (i) by will or by the laws of
descent and distribution or (ii) with respect to Grants other than Incentive
Stock Options, pursuant to a domestic relations order. When a Grantee
dies, the personal representative or other person entitled to succeed to the
rights of the Grantee may exercise such rights. Any such successor
must furnish proof satisfactory to the Company of his or her right to receive
the Grant under the Grantee’s will or under the applicable laws of descent and
distribution.
(b) Transfer of Nonqualified
Stock Options. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may provide,
in a Grant Instrument, that a Grantee may transfer Nonqualified Stock Options to
family members, or one or more trusts or other entities for the benefit of or
owned by family members, consistent with the applicable securities laws,
according to such terms as the Committee may determine; provided that the
Grantee receives no consideration for the transfer of an Option and the
transferred Option shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions
as were applicable to the Option immediately before the transfer.
Section
16.
Consequences
of a Change of Control
(a) Notice and
Acceleration. Unless the Committee determines otherwise,
effective upon the date of the Change of Control, (i) all outstanding Options
and SARs shall automatically accelerate and become fully exercisable, (ii) the
restrictions and conditions on all outstanding Stock Awards shall immediately
lapse, and (iii) all Stock Units, Other Stock-Based Awards and Dividend
Equivalents shall become fully vested and shall be paid at their target values,
or in such greater amounts as the Committee may determine.
(b)
Other
Alternatives. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event of a
Change of Control, the Committee may take one or more of the following actions
with respect to any or all outstanding Grants: the Committee may (i) require
that Grantees surrender their outstanding Options and SARs in exchange for one
or more payments by the Company, in cash or Company Stock as determined by the
Committee, in an amount equal to the amount by which the then Fair Market Value
of the shares of Company Stock subject to the Grantee’s unexercised Options and
SARs exceeds the Exercise Price of the Options or the base amount of the SARs,
as applicable, (ii) after giving Grantees an opportunity to exercise their
outstanding Options and SARs, terminate any or all unexercised Options and SARs
at such time as the Committee deems appropriate, or (iii) determine that
outstanding Options and SARs that are not exercised shall be assumed by, or
replaced with comparable options or rights by, the surviving corporation, (or a
parent or subsidiary of the surviving corporation), and other outstanding Grants
that remain in effect after the Change of Control shall be converted to similar
grants of the surviving corporation (or a parent or subsidiary of the surviving
corporation). Such surrender or termination shall take place as of
the date of the Change of Control or such other date as the Committee may
specify.
Section
17.
Requirements
for Issuance or Transfer of Shares
No
Company Stock shall be issued or transferred in connection with any Grant
hereunder unless and until all legal requirements applicable to the issuance or
transfer of such Company Stock have been complied with to the satisfaction of
the Committee. The Committee shall have the right to condition any
Grant on the Grantee’s undertaking in writing to comply with such restrictions
on his or her subsequent disposition of the shares of Company Stock as the
Committee shall deem necessary or advisable, and certificates representing such
shares may be legended to reflect any such restrictions. Certificates
representing shares of Company Stock issued or transferred under the Plan may be
subject to such stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee
deems appropriate to comply with applicable laws, regulations and
interpretations, including any requirement that a legend be placed
thereon.
Section
18.
Amendment
and Termination of the Plan
(a) Amendment. The
Board may amend or terminate the Plan at any time; provided, however, that the
Board shall not amend the Plan without stockholder approval if such approval is
required in order to comply with the Code or other applicable law, or to comply
with applicable stock exchange requirements.
(b) No Repricing Without
Stockholder Approval. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to
the contrary, the Committee may not reprice Options, nor may the Board amend the
Plan to permit repricing of Options, unless the stockholders of the Company
provide prior approval for such repricing. An adjustment to an Option
pursuant to Section 4(c) above shall not constitute a repricing of the
Option.
(c) Stockholder Re-Approval
Requirement. If Stock Awards, Stock Units, Other Stock-Based
Awards or Dividend Equivalents are granted as “qualified performance-based
compensation” under Section 12 above, the Plan must be reapproved by the
stockholders no later than the first stockholders meeting that occurs in the
fifth year following the year in which the stockholders previously approved the
provisions of Section 12, if required by section 162(m) of the Code or the
regulations thereunder.
(d) Termination of
Plan. The Plan shall terminate on May 13, 2018, unless the
Plan is terminated earlier by the Board or is extended by the Board with the
approval of the stockholders.
(e) Termination and Amendment of
Outstanding Grants. A termination or amendment of the Plan
that occurs after a Grant is made shall not materially impair the rights of a
Grantee unless the Grantee consents or unless the Committee acts under Section
19(f) below. The termination of the Plan shall not impair the power
and authority of the Committee with respect to an outstanding
Grant. Whether or not the Plan has terminated, an outstanding Grant
may be terminated or amended under Section 19(f) below or may be amended by
agreement of the Company and the Grantee consistent with the Plan.
Section
19.
Miscellaneous
(a) Grants in Connection with
Corporate Transactions and Otherwise. Nothing contained in the
Plan shall be construed to (i) limit the right of the Committee to make Grants
under the Plan in connection with the acquisition, by purchase, lease, merger,
consolidation or otherwise, of the business or assets of any corporation, firm
or association, including Grants to employees thereof who become Employees, or
(ii) limit the right of the Company to grant stock options or make other awards
outside of the Plan. The Committee may make a Grant to an employee of
another corporation who becomes an Employee by reason of a corporate merger,
consolidation, acquisition of stock or property, reorganization or liquidation
involving the Company, in substitution for a stock option or stock awards grant
made by such corporation. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the
contrary, the Committee may establish such terms and conditions of the new
Grants as it deems appropriate, including setting the Exercise Price of Options
or the base price of SARs at a price necessary to retain for the Grantee the
same economic value as the prior options or rights.
(b) Governing
Document. The Plan shall be the controlling
document. No other statements, representations, explanatory materials
or examples, oral or written, may amend the Plan in any manner. The
Plan shall be binding upon and enforceable against the Company and its
successors and assigns.
(c) Funding of the
Plan. The Plan shall be unfunded. The Company shall
not be required to establish any special or separate fund or to make any other
segregation of assets to assure the payment of any Grants under the
Plan.
(d) Rights of
Grantees. Nothing in the Plan shall entitle any Employee,
Non-Employee Director, Key Advisor or other person to any claim or right to be
granted a Grant under the Plan. Neither the Plan nor any action taken
hereunder shall be construed as giving any individual any rights to be retained
by or in the employ of the Employer or any other employment rights.
(e) No Fractional
Shares. No fractional shares of Company Stock shall be issued
or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Grant. Except as otherwise
provided under the Plan, the Committee shall determine whether cash, other
awards or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such fractional
shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be
forfeited or otherwise eliminated.
(f) Compliance with
Law. The Plan, the exercise of Options and SARs and the
obligations of the Company to issue or transfer shares of Company Stock under
Grants shall be subject to all applicable laws and regulations, and to approvals
by any governmental or regulatory agency as may be required. With
respect to persons subject to section 16 of the Exchange Act, it is the intent
of the Company that the Plan and all transactions under the Plan comply with all
applicable provisions of Rule 16b-3 or its successors under the Exchange
Act. In addition, it is the intent of the Company that Incentive
Stock Options comply with the applicable provisions of section 422 of the Code,
that Grants of “qualified performance-based compensation” comply with the
applicable provisions of section 162(m) of the Code and that, to the extent
applicable, Grants comply with the requirements of section 409A of the
Code. To the extent that any legal requirement of section 16 of the
Exchange Act or section 422, 162(m) or 409A of the Code as set forth in the Plan
ceases to be required under section 16 of the Exchange Act or section 422,
162(m) or 409A of the Code, that Plan provision shall cease to
apply. To the extent applicable, if on the date of a Grantee’s
“separation from service” (as such term is defined under section 409A of the
Code), Company Stock (or stock of any other company required to be aggregated
with the Company for purposes of section 409A of the Code and its corresponding
regulations) is publicly-traded on an established securities market or otherwise
and the Grantee is a “specified employee” (as such term is defined in section
409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code and its corresponding regulations) as determined by
the Committee (or its delegate) in its discretion in accordance with the
requirements of sections 409A and 416 of the Code, then all Grants that are
deemed to be deferred compensation subject to the requirements of section 409A
of the Code and payable within six months following such Grantee’s “separation
from service” shall be postponed for a period of six months following the
Grantee’s “separation from service” with the Company. The Committee
may revoke any Grant if it is contrary to law or modify a Grant to bring it into
compliance with any valid and mandatory government regulation. The Committee
may, in its sole discretion, agree to limit its authority under this
Section.
(g) Employees Subject to
Taxation Outside the United States. With respect to Grantees
who are believed by the Committee to be subject to taxation in countries other
than the United States, the Committee may make Grants on such terms and
conditions, consistent with the Plan, as the Committee deems appropriate to
comply with the laws of the applicable countries, and the Committee may create
such procedures, addenda and subplans and make such modifications as may be
necessary or advisable to comply with such laws.
(h) Governing
Law. The validity, construction, interpretation and effect of
the Plan and Grant Instruments issued under the Plan shall be governed and
construed by and determined in accordance with the laws of the State of
Delaware, without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions
thereof.
ANTARES
PHARMA, INC.
Princeton
Crossroads Corporate Center
250 Phillips
Boulevard Suite 290
Ewing, NJ
08618
ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS
Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius LLP
1701 Market
Street
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19103
Phone:
215-963-5000
www.morganlewis.com
Antares
Pharma, Inc.
Princeton
Crossroads Corporate Center
250 Phillips
Boulevard Suite 290
Ewing, NJ
08618
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proxy
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Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held on May 27, 2010.
This
Proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors.
Please mark, sign, date and return in
the enclosed envelope.
By
signing the proxy, you revoke all prior proxies and appoint PAUL K. WOTTON and
ROBERT F. APPLE, or either one of them, as Proxies, each with the power to
appoint his substitute and to act without the other, and authorize each of them
to represent and to vote, as designated herein, all shares of common stock of
Antares Pharma, Inc., held of record by the undersigned on March 31, 2010,
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held on May 27,
2010, or any adjournment thereof.
See reverse for
voting instructions.
THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED,
WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED HEREIN BY THE UNDERSIGNED STOCKHOLDER. IF
NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED “FOR” THE PROPOSALS SET FORTH
BELOW AND THE PROXIES WILL BE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE IN THEIR DISCRETION WITH
RESPECT TO OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE
MEETING.
ò Please fold here ò
The Board of
Directors recommends that you vote “FOR” the proposals
below.
1. To
elect three members of the Company’s Board of Directors for a term of
three years.
01 Thomas J.
Garrity
02
Dr. Jacques
Gonella 03
Dr. Rajesh C. Shrotriya
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o Vote
FOR all
nominees
(except as
marked)
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o Vote
WITHHELD
from all
nominees
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(Instructions: To withhold authority to vote for any indicated nominee, write
the number(s) of the nominee(s) in the box provided to the right.)
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2. To
approve an amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2008 Equity
Compensation Plan to increase the maximum number of shares authorized for
issuance under the plan from 10,000,000 to 11,500,000.
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o For
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o Against
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o Abstain
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3. To
ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31,
2010.
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o For
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o Against
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o Abstain
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4. To
transact other business that may properly come before the
meeting.
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THIS
PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS
GIVEN, WILL BE VOTED FOR THE PROPOSALS SET FORTH ABOVE. THE PROXIES ARE
AUTHORIZED TO VOTE IN THEIR DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY
PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING.
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Address Change? Mark
Box o Indicate changes
below:
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Date
, 2010
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Signature(s)
In Box
Please
sign exactly as your name(s) appears on Proxy. If held in joint tenancy,
all persons should sign. Trustees, administrators, etc., should include
title and authority. Corporations should provide full name of corporation
and title of authorized officer signing the
proxy.
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