Avadel Pharmaceuticals 424B5 Prospectus supplement for primary offering

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The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state or other jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)

File No: 333-236258

Subject to Completion, dated April 27, 2020

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated February 14, 2020)

$100,000,000

American Depositary Shares

Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc

Representing Ordinary Shares

We are offering up to $100,000,000 of American Depositary Shares, or the ADSs. Each ADS represents the right to receive one of our ordinary shares, nominal value $0.01 per share. The ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “AVDL.” On April 27, 2020, the last reported sale price of the ADSs on The Nasdaq Global Market was $11.15 per ADS.

Investing in the ADSs involves a high degree of risk. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement and in the related sections noted in the accompanying prospectus, and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

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

Per ADS

Total

Public offering price

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

Proceeds to Avadel, before expenses

(1)

See “Underwriting” beginning on page S-24 of this prospectus supplement for additional information regarding total underwriter compensation.

Delivery of the ADSs is expected to be made on or about , 2020. We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional $15,000,000 of ADSs. If the underwriters exercise the option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us will be $ and the total proceeds to us, before expenses, will be $ .

Joint Book-Running Managers

Jefferies

Piper Sandler

Stifel

Prospectus Supplement Dated , 2020.

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Table of Contents

Prospectus supplement

Prospectus

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections of this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”

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About this prospectus supplement

This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-236258) that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process on February 5, 2020, which was declared effective on February 14, 2020. This document contains two parts. The first part consists of this prospectus supplement, which provides you with specific information about this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, provides more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer only to the “prospectus,” we are referring to both parts combined.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus supplement to the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc. References to our “ordinary shares” refer to the ordinary shares of Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc. References to “ADSs” refer to American Depositary Shares, each of which represents one ordinary share, of Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc.

All references in this prospectus supplement to our consolidated financial statements include, unless the context indicates otherwise, the related notes.

We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. If the description of the offering varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.

If the description of the offering varies between any free writing prospectus we have authorized for use in connection with this offering and this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in such free writing prospectus.

You should assume that the information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and in any free writing prospectus we have authorized for use in connection with this offering is accurate only as of the respective dates of those documents in which such information is contained, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or any sale of ordinary shares. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

Any statement made in this prospectus supplement or in a document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or in any other subsequently filed document that is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement. See “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus supplement.

We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the information incorporated by reference herein and therein includes trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or other companies. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols.

This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market and the Irish regulations issued pursuant to the Prospectus Regulation and this prospectus has not been approved by the Central Bank of Ireland, as competent authority under the Prospectus Regulation, or any equivalent authority in an European Economic Area member state. No offer of shares to the public is made, or will be made, that requires the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Irish or European prospectus law within the meaning of the above legislation.

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Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

■

Our expectations related to the use of proceeds from this offering;

■

Our reliance on a single product candidate, FT218 and our ability to obtain regulatory approval of and successfully commercialize FT218, including any delays in submission or approval related to COVID-19;

■

Our plans and expectations regarding the effectiveness of our restructuring plan announced in February 2019, including our ability to achieve the desired cost savings;

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Any further restructuring actions that may be required and our ability to obtain any required consents (including any consents required pursuant to the Indenture governing our Exchangeable Senior Notes due 2023, or the 2023 Notes);

■

Our reliance on a small number of products to generate all or substantially all of our revenue and the competitive pressures that these products face;

■

The lack of patent protection for three of our approved products, Bloxiverz, Vazculep and Akovaz;

■

Our ability to successfully launch Nouress in the United States;

■

Our consideration of strategic alternatives for our Unapproved Marketed Drugs program;

■

Our ability to develop and obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approval for any future potential “unapproved marketed drug” product candidates in the future;

■

Our ability to continue to service the 2023 Notes, including making the ongoing interest payments on the 2023 Notes, settling exchanges of the 2023 Notes in cash or completing any required repurchases of the 2023 Notes;

■

The ability of our product candidates and products to gain market acceptance;

■

Our ability to enter into strategic partnerships for the development, commercialization, manufacturing and distribution of our products and product candidates;

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Our dependence on a limited number of suppliers for the manufacturing of our products and certain raw materials in our products and any failure of such suppliers to deliver sufficient quantities of these raw materials, which could have a material adverse effect on our business;

■

Our ability to finance our operations on acceptable terms, either through the raising of capital, the incurrence of convertible or other indebtedness or through strategic financing or commercialization partnerships;

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Our expectations about the potential market sizes and market participation potential for our approved or proposed products;

■

Our ability to retain members of our management team and our employees;

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Competition existing today or that will likely arise in the future; and

■

Other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under the caption entitled “Risk Factors.”

These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance due to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” section in this prospectus, the section of any accompanying prospectus supplement entitled “Risk Factors” and the risk factors and cautionary statements described in other documents that we file from time to time with the SEC which are incorporated by reference herein. Given these uncertainties, readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which the statements were made and are not guarantees of future performance. Except as may be required by applicable law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus or the respective dates of documents incorporated by reference herein or therein that include forward-looking statements.

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Prospectus Supplement Summary

The following summary of our business highlights some of the information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Because this is only a summary, however, it does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should carefully read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, which are described under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You should also carefully consider the matters discussed in the section in this prospectus supplement entitled “Risk Factors” and in the accompanying prospectus and in other periodic reports incorporated by reference herein and therein.

Overview

We are an emerging biopharmaceutical company. Our lead product candidate, FT218, is an investigational once-nightly formulation of sodium oxybate for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, and cataplexy in narcolepsy patients. FT218, which uses our Micropump drug-delivery technology, completed a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of narcolepsy patients suffering from EDS and cataplexy. In addition, we have three commercial products developed under our “unapproved marketed drug,” or UMD, program, Akovaz, Bloxiverz and Vazculep, and a fourth approved product, Nouress, which are sterile injectable drugs used in the hospital setting.

We are primarily focused on the development and potential FDA approval of FT218. In addition, we continue to market and distribute our current approved hospital products portfolio. Outside of our product candidate and our existing commercial products, we continue to evaluate opportunities to expand our product portfolio.

FT218 (Micropump sodium oxybate)

FT218 is a once-nightly formulation of sodium oxybate that uses our Micropump controlled release drug- delivery technology for the treatment of EDS and cataplexy in patients suffering from narcolepsy. Sodium oxybate is the sodium salt of gamma hydroxybutyrate, an endogenous compound and metabolite of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid. Sodium oxybate is approved in Europe and the United States as a twice-nightly formulation indicated for the treatment of EDS and cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy.

In December 2019, we completed patient enrollment of our Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial of FT218 to assess the safety and efficacy of a once-nightly formulation of FT218 for the treatment of EDS and cataplexy in patients suffering from narcolepsy. The REST-ON trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that enrolled 212 patients and was conducted in clinical sites in the United States, Canada, Western Europe and Australia.

In January 2018, the FDA granted FT218 Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of narcolepsy, which makes the drug eligible for certain development and commercial incentives, including a potential U.S. market exclusivity for up to seven years. Additionally, in April 2019, our first FT218 patent was issued, providing intellectual property protection into 2037. There are additional patent applications currently in development and/or pending at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, as well as foreign patent offices.

We believe FT218 has the potential to demonstrate improved dosing compliance, safety and patient satisfaction over the current standard of care for EDS and cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy, which is a twice-nightly sodium oxybate formulation. If approved, we believe FT218 has the potential to take a significant share of the sodium oxybate market. The current market size for the twice-nightly administration of sodium oxybate is estimated at an annualized revenue run rate of $1.7 billion.

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Micropump Drug-Delivery Technology

Our Micropump drug-delivery technology allows for the delayed delivery of small molecule drugs taken orally, which has the potential to improve dosing compliance, reduce toxicity and improve patient compliance. Beyond FT218, we believe there could be other product development opportunities for our Micropump drug delivery technology, representing either “life cycle” opportunities, whereby additional intellectual property can be added to a pharmaceutical product to extend the commercial viability of a currently marketed product, or innovative formulation opportunities for new chemical entities.

Recent Developments

FT218 Phase 3 Clinical Trial Topline Results

On April 27, 2020, we announced topline results from our Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial of FT218. Patients who received 9g of once-nightly FT218 demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement compared to placebo across the three co-primary endpoints of the trial: maintenance of wakefulness test, or MWT, clinical global impression-improvement, or CGI-I, and mean weekly cataplexy attacks. P-value was <0.001 for all three co-primary endpoints.

Change from Baseline (Week 13)

FT218 Difference
from Placebo

Once-nightly FT218
(9g)

Placebo

MWT(1)

10.82

4.69

LS Mean 6.13

CGI-I(2)

31.6

Odds ratio 5.56

Mean Weekly Cataplexy Attacks

-11.51

-4.86

LS Mean-6.65

(1)

Measured in minutes.

(2)

Measured by percentage of patients determined to be “much” or “very much” improved.

We observed the 9g dose of once-nightly FT218 to be generally well tolerated. Adverse reactions commonly associated with sodium oxybate were observed in a small number of patients (nausea 1.3%, vomiting 5.2%, decreased appetite 2.6%, dizziness 5.2%, somnolence 3.9%, tremor 1.3%, enuresis 9%) and 3.9% of the patients who received 9g of FT218 discontinued the trial due to adverse reactions.

We also assessed the three co-primary endpoints in patients who received 7.5g of once-nightly FT218. Patients who received 7.5g of once-nightly FT218 also demonstrated statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvements compared to placebo for each of the three co-primary endpoints. P-value was <0.001 for all three co-primary endpoints.

Change from Baseline (Week 13)

FT218 Difference
from Placebo

Once-nightly FT218
(7.5g)

Placebo

MWT(1)

9.55

3.34

LS Mean 6.21

CGI-I(2)

62.6

22.8

Odds ratio 5.67

Mean Weekly Cataplexy Attacks

-9.98

-3.71

LS Mean -6.23

(1)

Measured in minutes.

(2)

Measured by percentage of patients determined to be “much” or “very much” improved.

Patients who received 6g of once-nightly FT218 also demonstrated statistically significant, clinically meaningful improvements compared to placebo for each of the three co-primary endpoints. P-value was <0.001 for all three co-primary endpoints.

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Change from Baseline (Week 13)

FT218 Difference
from Placebo

Once-nightly FT218
(6g)

Placebo

MWT(1)

8.08

3.1

LS Mean 4.98

CGI-I(2)

40.1

6.1

Odds ratio 10.29

Mean Weekly Cataplexy Attacks

-7.42

-2.59

LS Mean -4.63

(1)

Measured in minutes.

(2)

Measured by percentage of patients determined to be ��much” or “very much” improved.

Unapproved Marketed Drugs Program

The FDA generally allows certain unapproved prescription drugs to be marketed if (i) they are relied on by health care professionals to treat serious medical conditions, and (ii) there is no FDA-approved drug to treat such condition or insufficient supply of FDA-approved drugs. In most cases, these prescription drugs pre-date the establishment of the FDA. Although these products are typically not protected by patents or similar intellectual property, FDA guidance states that, if it approves an NDA for any such products, the FDA is more likely to seek enforcement action, such as seizure or injunction, against remaining unapproved drugs of the same type, potentially after a grace period provided by the FDA. Given the topline data from our Phase 3 trial and our intent to focus our resources on FT218, we are currently considering strategic alternatives for our UMD program.

Existing Commercial Products

To date, we have received FDA approvals for three previously unapproved prescription drugs:

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Bloxiverz (neostigmine methylsulfate injection) — Bloxiverz was approved by the FDA in May 2013 and was launched in July 2013. Bloxiverz is a drug used intravenously in the operating room to reverse the effects of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents after surgery. Bloxiverz was the first FDA-approved version of neostigmine methylsulfate. Today, neostigmine is one of the two most frequently used products for the reversal of the effects of other agents used for neuromuscular blocks. There are approximately 2.5 million vials of neostigmine sold annually in the U.S.

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Vazculep (phenylephrine hydrochloride injection) — Vazculep was approved by the FDA in June 2014 and was launched in October 2014. Vazculep is indicated for the treatment of clinically important hypotension occurring in the setting of anesthesia. There are approximately 7.4 million vials of Vazculep sold annually in the U.S.

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Akovaz (ephedrine sulfate injection). Akovaz, was approved by the FDA in April 2016 and was launched in August 2016. Akovaz was the first FDA approved formulation of ephedrine sulfate, an alpha- and beta- adrenergic agonist and a norepinephrine-releasing agent that is indicated for the treatment of clinically important hypotension occurring in the setting of anesthesia. There are approximately 6.8 million vials of Akovaz sold annually in the U.S.

Nouress

We received FDA approval for Nouress (cysteine hydrochloride injection), a sterile injectable product for use in the hospital setting in December 2019, and currently have two patents covering that product. Several additional patent applications for Nouress are pending with the USPTO. In light of the recently filed patent suit by Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC, we are currently evaluating the timing and process for a commercial launch of Nouress in the U.S.

We use the revenue from our UMD products to fund the research and development of FT218. In addition, we believe evaluating opportunities to commercialize other unapproved drugs in markets with a limited number of competitors may provide us with near-term revenue growth and potentially provide cash flows that can also be used to fund research and development initiatives for the development of FT218 and other potential product candidates.

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Estimated Financial and Balance Sheet Data as of March 31, 2020

We estimate that, as of March 31, 2020, we had approximately $112 to $114 million of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities. These amounts are unaudited and preliminary, are subject to completion of financial closing and review procedures that could result in changes to the amounts, and does not present all information necessary for an understanding of our financial condition as of March 31, 2020. The preliminary financial data included in this prospectus supplement is based on information available to management as of the date of this prospectus supplement and is subject to completion by management of our financial statements as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. Complete quarterly results will be included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated on December 1, 2015 as an Irish private limited company, and re-registered as an Irish public limited company, or plc, on November 21, 2016. We are the successor company to Flamel Technologies S.A., a French société anonyme. Our registered address is at 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland and our phone number is +353-1-920-1000. Our website is www.avadel.com. We do not incorporate the information on or accessible through our website into this prospectus.

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The offering

ADSs offered by us

$100,000,000 of ADSs

Option to purchase additional ADSs

We have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to $15,000,000 of additional ADSs.

ADSs to be outstanding after this offering

ADSs ( shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional ADSs)

Ordinary shares to be outstanding after this offering

shares ( shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional ADSs)

Depositary

The Bank of New York Mellon

Use of proceeds

Risk factors..

This investment involves a high degree of risk. See the information contained in or incorporated by reference under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-10 of this prospectus supplement and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

Nasdaq Global Market symbol

“AVDL”

The number of ordinary shares to be outstanding after this offering is based on 37,519,716 ordinary shares outstanding on December 31, 2019 and excludes:

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565,716 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan as of December 31, 2019;

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290,969 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $13.59 per share;

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13,324,991 ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of the 2023 Notes outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at an exchange price of $10.79;

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347,478 ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2019;

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5,121,797 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of share options outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted average exercise price of $7.51 per share;

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487,614 ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the Series A Convertible Preferred Shares that were issued in connection with the Company’s private placement that closed on February 25, 2020; and

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8,680,225 ordinary shares that were issued in connection with the Company’s private placement that closed on February 25, 2020.

If the underwriters’ option is exercised in full, we will issue and sell an additional $15,000,000 of ADSs and will have ordinary shares outstanding after the offering.

Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus supplement assumes:

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no exercise by the underwriters of their option; and

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no exercise or conversion of the outstanding options, notes and warrants above and no grant of additional equity awards after December 31, 2019.

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Risk factors

An investment in the ADSs and our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in the ADSs and our ordinary shares, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including (i) our most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 which is on file with the SEC and is incorporated herein by reference and (ii) other documents we file with the SEC (including Current Reports on Form 8-K) that are deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. Any of these risks could seriously harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow, resulting in the decline of the trading price of ADSs and a loss of all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to This Offering and Other Matters

COVID-19 may materially and adversely affect our business and our financial results.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic is understood to have originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and has since spread globally, including to the United States and European countries. The continued spread of COVID-19 could adversely impact our operations, including our ability to initiate or complete clinical trials, manufacture sufficient supply of our product candidates, file our New Drug Application, or NDA, for FT218 or to manufacture FT218 at sufficient scale for commercialization, if approved. Any delay in submission of our NDA could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize FT218, particularly on our current projected timelines, increase our operating expenses and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

In addition, COVID-19 has resulted in significant governmental measures being implemented to control the spread of the virus, including quarantines, travel restrictions, social distancing and business shutdowns. We have taken temporary precautionary measures intended to help minimize the risk of the virus to our employees, including temporarily requiring all employees to work remotely. We have already suspended non-essential travel worldwide for our employees and are discouraging employee attendance at other gatherings. These measures could negatively affect our business. For instance, temporarily requiring all employees to work remotely may induce absenteeism, disrupt our operations or increase the risk of a cybersecurity incident. COVID-19 has also caused volatility in the global financial markets and threatened a slowdown in the global economy, which may negatively affect our ability to raise additional capital on attractive terms or at all.

The extent to which COVID-19 may impact our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the duration of the pandemic, the severity of COVID-19 or the effectiveness of actions to contain and treat COVID-19, particularly in the geographies where we or our third party suppliers and contract manufacturers, including those for our approved hospital products portfolio, or contract research organizations operate. We cannot presently predict the scope and severity of any potential business shutdowns or disruptions. If we or any of the third parties with whom we engage, however, were to experience shutdowns or other business disruptions, our ability to conduct our business in the manner and on the timelines presently planned could be materially and negatively affected, which could have a material adverse impact on our business and our results of operations and financial condition.

Third parties may claim that our products infringe their rights, and we may incur significant costs resolving these claims.

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Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ currently marketed sodium oxybate product and other Jazz Pharmaceuticals patent applications are pending with claims directed to sodium oxybate formulations, and, in connection with us seeking regulatory approval for FT218, Jazz may allege that FT218 infringes its patents or other intellectual property rights and file suit to prevent us from commercializing FT218. In response to any claim of infringement, we may choose or be forced to seek licenses, defend infringement actions or challenge the validity or enforceability of those patent rights in court or administrative proceedings. If we cannot obtain required licenses on commercially reasonably terms, or at all, are found liable for infringement or are not able to have such patent rights declared invalid or unenforceable, our business could be materially harmed. We may be subject to claims (and even held liable) for significant monetary damages (including enhanced damages and/or attorneys’ fees), encounter significant delays in bringing products to market or be precluded from the manufacture, use, import, offer for sale or sale of products or methods of drug delivery covered by the patents of others. Even if a license is available, it may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. We may not have identified, or be able to identify in the future, U.S. or foreign patents that pose a risk of potential infringement claims.

Parties making claims against us may be able to sustain the costs of patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any claims, with or without merit, that our products or drug delivery technologies infringe proprietary rights of third parties could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation or divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, any of which could disrupt our relationships with our partners and could significantly harm our financial positions and operating results.

Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the proceeds from this offering, and we may not use the proceeds effectively.

We have not designated the amount of net proceeds we will use for any particular purpose. Accordingly, our management will have broad discretion as to the application of the net proceeds and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of this offering. Our shareholders may not agree with the manner in which our management chooses to allocate and spend the net proceeds. Moreover, our management may use the net proceeds for corporate purposes that may not increase our profitability or our market value. See “Use of Proceeds” for a description of our management’s intended use of the proceeds from this offering.

You will experience immediate dilution in the book value per share of the ADSs you purchase.

Because the price per share of the ADSs being offered is substantially higher than the book value per share of ADSs, you will suffer substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of the ADSs you purchase in this offering. Based on the public offering price of $ per ADS, if you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will suffer immediate and substantial dilution of $ per ADS compared to the net tangible book value of ADSs as of December 31, 2019. To the extent outstanding options and other securities are exercised or converted into ordinary shares or ADSs, you will experience significant additional dilution. See “Dilution” for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur in this offering.

If the price of ADSs fluctuates, purchasers of the ADSs could incur substantial losses.

The market price of ADSs has fluctuated significantly and may continue to fluctuate significantly in response to factors that are beyond our control. The stock market in general has from time to time experienced, and is currently experiencing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, extreme price and volume fluctuations, and the biotechnology sector in particular has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have been extremely volatile, and have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the clinical development progress or operating performance of these companies, including as a result of adverse development events. These broad market and sector fluctuations have resulted and could in the future result in extreme fluctuations in the price of our ordinary shares, which could cause purchasers of our ordinary shares to incur substantial losses.

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Sales of additional ADSs, including by us or our directors and officers following expiration or early release of the 90-day lock-up, could cause the price of ADSs to decline.

Sales of substantial amounts of ADSs in the public market, or the availability of such ADSs for sale, by us or others, including the issuance of ADSs upon exercise of outstanding options or warrants, could adversely affect the price of ADSs. In connection with this offering, we and our directors and officers have entered into lock-up agreements for a period of 90 days following this offering. We and our directors and officers may be released from lock-up prior to the expiration of the lock-up period at the discretion of Jefferies LLC, Piper Sandler & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated. See “Underwriting.” Upon expiration or earlier release of the lock-up, we and our directors and officers may sell ADSs into the market, which could adversely affect the market price of ADSs. Sales of a substantial number of such ADSs upon expiration of the lock-up agreements, the perception that such sales may occur, or early release of these agreements, could cause our market price to fall or make it more difficult for you to sell your ordinary shares at a time and price that you deem appropriate.

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Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of $100,000,000 of ADSs that we are offering will be approximately $ million, or approximately $ million if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional ADSs, based on the public offering price of $ per ADS and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, (1) to commercialize our products and for research and development and clinical development costs to support the advancement of our product candidates and the expansion of our product candidate pipeline; (2) to fund the hiring of additional personnel and the costs of operating as a public company; and (3) to fund working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. We also may use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire strategic assets, although we currently have no agreements or commitments in this regard. See “Use of Proceeds.” We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, and investors will be relying on our judgment regarding the application of the net proceeds of this offering.

The amounts and timing of these expenditures will depend on a number of factors, including (1) the actual amount of net proceeds received from this offering; (2) whether or not FT218 is approved; (3) if approved, the timing of and our ability to commercialize FT218; (4) changes in the competitive and regulatory environment in which we operate; and (5) our ability to attract and retain the internal and external resources required to operate our business. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the proceeds from this offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of such proceeds.

Our expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our current intentions based upon our present plans and business condition. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering, or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. The amounts and timing of our actual use of the net proceeds will vary depending on numerous factors, including our ability to access additional financing, the relative success and cost of our research and development programs and commercialization efforts, and whether we are able to enter into future licensing arrangements. In addition, we might decide to postpone, scale down or not pursue certain clinical or commercial activities if the net proceeds from this offering, and any other sources of cash are less than expected.

Until we use the net proceeds from this offering, we intend to maintain the net proceeds in a combination of cash and cash equivalents and invest in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

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Capitalization

The table below sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities as well as our capitalization as of December 31, 2019:

■

on an actual basis; and

■

on an as adjusted basis to give effect to the issuance and sale by us of ADSs in this offering at the public offering price of $ per ADS, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expended payable by us.

The information set forth in the following table should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by, reference to our audited and unaudited financial statements and notes thereto incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

	As of December 31, 2019
	Actual			As adjusted
	(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities		$	64,158
Principal amount of 4.50% exchangeable senior notes due 2023		$	143,750
Shareholders’ (deficit) equity:
Preferred shares, nominal value of $0.01 per share; 50,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding			__
Ordinary shares, nominal value of $0.01 per share; 500,000 shares authorized; 42,927 issued and 37,520 outstanding, actual, and issued and outstanding, as adjusted			429
Treasury shares, at cost, 5,407 shares actual and as adjusted			(49,998)
Additional paid-in capital			434,391
Accumulated deficit			(391,215)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(22,806)
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity			(29,199)
Total capitalization		$	114,551

The number of ordinary shares to be outstanding after this offering is based on 37,519,716 ordinary shares outstanding on December 31, 2019 and excludes:

■

565,716 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan as of December 31, 2019;

■

290,969 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $13.59 per share;

■

13,324,991 ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of the 2023 Notes outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at an exchange price of $10.79;

■

347,478 ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2019;

■

5,121,797 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of share options outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted average exercise price of $7.51 per share;

■

8,680,225 ordinary shares that were issued in connection with the Company’s private placement that closed on February 25, 2020.

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Dilution

Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 was approximately $(48.5) million, or $(1.29) per ADS. Net tangible book value per ADS is determined by dividing our total tangible assets, less total liabilities, by the number of our ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019. Dilution in net tangible book value per ADS represents the difference between the amount per ADS paid by purchasers of ADSs in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of the ADSs immediately after this public offering.

After giving effect to the sale of $ million of ADSs in this offering at the public offering price of $ per ADS after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 would have been approximately $ million, or $ per ADS. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $ per ADS to existing shareholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $ per ADS to investors purchasing the ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution on a per ADS basis:

Public offering price per ADS			$
Net tangible book value per ADS as of December 31, 2019	$	(1.29)
Increase per ADS attributable to investors in this offering
As adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after giving effect to this offering			$
Dilution per ADS to investors in this offering			$

If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional ADSs at the public offering price of $ per ADS, the as adjusted net tangible book value after this offering would be $ per ADS, representing an increase in net tangible book value of $ per ADS to existing shareholders and immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $ per ADS to investors purchasing the ADSs in this offering.

The number of ordinary shares to be outstanding after this offering is based on 37,519,716 ordinary shares outstanding on December 31, 2019 and excludes:

■

565,716 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan as of December 31, 2019;

■

290,969 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $13.59 per share;

■

13,324,991 ordinary shares issuable upon the conversion of the 2023 Notes outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at an exchange price of $10.79;

■

347,478 ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon vesting of restricted stock units outstanding as of December 31, 2019;

■

5,121,797 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of share options outstanding as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted average exercise price of $7.51 per share;

■

8,680,225 ordinary shares that were issued in connection with the Company’s private placement that closed on February 25, 2020.

To the extent that outstanding options or other securities are exercised or converted into ordinary shares or ADSs, investors purchasing the ADSs in this offering will experience significant further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our shareholders.

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Taxation

The following is a description of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to “U.S. Holders”, as defined below, of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares or ADSs. It is not a comprehensive description of all tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular person’s decision to acquire securities. This discussion applies only to a U.S. Holder that is an initial purchaser of the ordinary shares or ADSs pursuant to this offering and that holds ordinary shares or ADSs as a capital asset for tax purposes (generally, property held for investment). In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, including state and local tax consequences, estate tax consequences, alternative minimum tax consequences, the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax, and tax consequences applicable to U.S. Holders subject to special rules, such as:

■

banks, insurance companies, and certain other financial institutions;

■

U.S. expatriates and certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

■

dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting;

■

persons holding ordinary shares or ADSs as part of a hedging transaction, “straddle,” wash sale, conversion transaction or integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to ordinary shares or ADSs;

■

persons whose “functional currency” for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. Dollar;

■

brokers, dealers or traders in securities, commodities or currencies;

■

tax-exempt entities or government organizations;

■

S corporations, partnerships, or other entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

■

regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts;

■

persons who acquired ordinary shares or ADSs pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation;

■

persons holding ordinary shares or ADSs in connection with a trade or business, permanent establishment, or fixed base outside the United States; and

■

persons owning (directly, indirectly or through attribution) 10% or more, by voting power or value of outstanding ordinary shares (including underlying ordinary shares represented by ADSs).

If an entity or agreement that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds ordinary shares or ADSs, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding ordinary shares or ADSs and partners in such partnerships are encouraged to consult their tax advisors as to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding and disposing of ordinary shares or ADSs.

The discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions, final, temporary and proposed Treasury Regulations, and the income tax treaty between Ireland and the United States (the “Treaty”), all as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to differing interpretations and/or change, of which may affect the tax consequences described herein — possibly with retroactive effect.

A “U.S. Holder” is a holder who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of ordinary shares or ADSs and is:

(i)

An individual who is a citizen or individual resident of the United States;

(ii)

a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia;

(iii)

an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

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(iv)

a trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) the trust has a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations.

The discussion below assumes that the representations contained in the deposit agreement are true and that the obligations in the deposit agreement and any related agreement will be complied with in accordance with their terms. Generally, a holder of an ADS should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as holding the ordinary shares represented by the ADS. Accordingly, no gain or loss will be recognized upon an exchange of ADSs for ordinary shares.

PERSONS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT IN ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES APPLICABLE TO THEM RELATING TO THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY OF U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAX LAWS. The U.S. Treasury has expressed concerns that intermediaries in the chain of ownership between the holder of an ADS and the issuer of the security underlying the ADS may be taking actions that are inconsistent with the beneficial ownership of the underlying security. Accordingly, the creditability of foreign taxes, if any, as described below, could be affected by actions taken by intermediaries in the chain of ownership between the holders of ADSs and our company if as a result of such actions the holders of ADSs are not properly treated as beneficial owners of the underlying ordinary shares.

PFIC rules

If we are classified as a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder will be subject to special rules generally intended to reduce or eliminate any benefits from the deferral of U.S. federal income tax that a U.S. Holder could derive from investing in a non-U.S. company that does not distribute all of its earnings on a current basis.

A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either:

■

at least 75% of its gross income is passive income (such as interest income); or

■

at least 50% of its gross assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income.

We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation, the equity of which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value).

We believe that we were not a PFIC for the taxable year ending December 31, 2019 and, based on the expected value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the expected nature and composition of our income and assets, we do not anticipate that we will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. To determine whether we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a separate determination must be made after the close of that taxable year. As a result, our PFIC status may change from year to year, and we may be classified as a PFIC currently or in the future. The total value of our assets for purposes of the asset test generally will be calculated using the market price of the ordinary shares or ADSs, which may fluctuate considerably. Fluctuations in the market price of the ordinary shares or ADSs may result in our being a PFIC for any taxable year. Because of the uncertainties involved in determining our PFIC status for any taxable year, there can be no assurance regarding whether we currently are treated as a PFIC, or may be treated as a PFIC in the future.

If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. Holder owns the ordinary shares or ADSs, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder owns the ordinary shares or ADSs, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above unless we cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder has made a “deemed sale” election under the PFIC rules. If the “deemed sale” election is made, a U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold the ordinary shares or ADSs the U.S. Holder holds at their fair market value and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described below. After the deemed sale election, so long as we do not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, the U.S. Holder’s

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ordinary shares or ADSs with respect to which such election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC and the U.S. Holder will not be subject to the rules described below with respect to any “excess distribution” the U.S. Holder receives from us or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if we cease to be a PFIC and such election becomes available.

For each taxable year we are treated as a PFIC with respect to U.S. Holders, U.S. Holders will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any “excess distribution” such U.S. Holder receives and any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes from a sale or other disposition (including, under certain circumstances, a pledge) of ordinary shares or ADSs, unless (i) the U.S. Holder makes a Qualified Electing Fund Election, or QEF Election, with respect to all taxable years during such U.S. Holder’s holding period in which we are a PFIC or (ii) our ordinary shares or ADSs constitute “marketable” securities, and such U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election as discussed below. Distributions a U.S. Holder receives in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions a U.S. Holder received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:

■

the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the ordinary shares or ADSs;

■

the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we became a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income; and

■

the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year.

The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or “excess distribution” cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the ordinary shares or ADSs cannot be treated as capital, even if a U.S. Holder holds the ordinary shares or ADSs as capital assets.

If we determine that we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we currently expect that we would provide the information necessary for U.S. Holders to make a QEF Election. In addition, if we are a PFIC, a U.S. Holder will generally be subject to similar rules with respect to distributions we receive from, and our dispositions of the stock of, any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries that also are PFICs, as if such distributions were indirectly received by, and/or dispositions were indirectly carried out by, such U.S. Holder. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to our subsidiaries.

U.S. Holders can avoid the interest charge on excess distributions or gain relating to the ordinary shares or ADSs by making a mark-to-market election with respect to the ordinary shares or ADSs, provided that the ordinary shares or ADSs are “marketable.” Ordinary shares or ADSs will be marketable if they are “regularly traded” on certain U.S. stock exchanges or on a foreign stock exchange that meets certain conditions. For these purposes, the ordinary shares or ADSs will be considered regularly traded during any calendar year during which they are traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. Any trades that have as their principal purpose meeting this requirement will be disregarded. ADSs are currently listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, which is a qualified exchange for these purposes. Consequently, if ADSs remain listed on the Nasdaq Global Market and are regularly traded, and you are a holder of ADSs, we expect the mark-to-market election would be available to U.S. Holders if we are a PFIC. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisor as to the whether a mark-to-market election is available or advisable with respect to the ordinary shares or ADSs.

A U.S. Holder that makes a mark-to-market election must include in ordinary income for each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ordinary shares or ADSs at the close of the taxable year over the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs. An electing holder may also claim an ordinary loss for the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs over the fair market value of the ordinary shares or ADSs at the close of the taxable year, but this loss is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years. Gains from an actual sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs will

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be treated as ordinary income, and any losses incurred on a sale or other disposition of the shares will be treated as an ordinary loss to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years, and thereafter as capital loss. Once made, the election cannot be revoked without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, unless the ordinary shares or ADSs cease to be marketable.

However, a mark-to-market election generally cannot be made for equity interests in any lower-tier PFICs that we own, unless shares of such lower-tier PFIC are themselves “marketable.” As a result, even if a U.S. Holder validly makes a mark-to-market election with respect to our ordinary shares or ADSs, the U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules (described above) with respect to its indirect interest in any of our investments that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. We have not made any determinations as to whether our subsidiaries or other investments are treated as lower-tier PFICs. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors to determine whether any of these elections would be available and if so, what the consequences of the alternative treatments would be in their particular circumstances.

Unless otherwise provided by the U.S. Treasury, each U.S. shareholder of a PFIC is required to file an annual report containing such information as the U.S. Treasury may require. A U.S. Holder’s failure to file the annual report will cause the statute of limitations for such U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax return to remain open with regard to the items required to be included in such report until three years after the U.S. Holder files the annual report, and, unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the statute of limitations for the U.S. Holder’s entire U.S. federal income tax return will remain open during such period. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the requirements of filing such information returns under these rules.

WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE IMPACT OF OUR PFIC STATUS ON YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF THE PFIC RULES TO YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs.

Taxation of distributions

Subject to the discussion above under “PFIC rules,” distributions paid on ordinary shares or ADSs, other than certain pro rata distributions of ordinary shares or ADSs, will generally be treated as dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Because we may not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, we expect that distributions generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as dividends. Subject to applicable limitations and the discussions above regarding concerns expressed by the U.S. Treasury, dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxable at preferential rates applicable to “qualified dividend income” if we are a “qualified foreign corporation” and certain other requirements are met. We will be treated as a “qualified foreign corporation” if either (x) we are eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States which the Secretary of Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of these rules and which includes an exchange of information provision, or (y) our ordinary shares or ADSs are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States and we were not classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which a dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year. Our ADSs will generally be considered to be readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States if they are listed on Nasdaq Global Market, as we intend them to be. The amount of the dividend will be treated as foreign-source dividend income to U.S. Holders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally available to U.S. corporations under the Code.

Dividends will generally be included in a U.S. Holder’s income on the date of the U.S. Holder’s receipt of the dividend. The amount of any dividend income paid in foreign currency will be the U.S. Dollar amount calculated by reference to the exchange rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. Dollars. If the dividend is converted into U.S. Dollars on the date of receipt, a U.S. Holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend income. A U.S. Holder may have foreign currency gain or loss if the dividend is converted into U.S. Dollars after the date of

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receipt. Such gain or loss would generally be treated as U.S.-source ordinary income or loss. The amount of any distribution of property other than cash (and other than certain pro rata distributions of ordinary shares or ADSs or rights to acquire ordinary shares or ADSs) will be the fair market value of such property on the date of distribution.

For foreign tax credit limitation purposes, our dividends will generally be treated as passive category income. Subject to applicable limitations, some of which vary depending upon a U.S. Holder’s particular circumstances, Irish income taxes withheld from dividends on the ordinary shares or ADSs at a rate not exceeding the rate provided by the Treaty may be creditable against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. The rules governing foreign tax credits are complex and U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect of the receipt of dividends for foreign tax credit limitation purposes. In lieu of claiming a foreign tax credit, U.S. Holders may, at their election, deduct foreign taxes, including any Irish income tax withheld from dividends on ADS or ordinary shares. An election to deduct foreign taxes instead of claiming foreign tax credits applies to all foreign taxes paid or accrued by a taxpayer in a taxable year.

Sale or other taxable disposition of ordinary shares and ADSs

Subject to the discussion above under “PFIC rules,” gain or loss realized on the sale or other taxable disposition of ordinary shares or ADSs will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the ordinary shares or ADSs for more than one year. The amount of the gain or loss will equal the difference between the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition, in each case as determined in U.S. Dollars. This gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

If the consideration received by a U.S. Holder is not paid in U.S. Dollars, the amount realized will be the U.S. Dollar value of the payment received determined by reference to the spot rate of exchange on the date of the sale or other disposition. However, if the ordinary shares or ADSs are treated as traded on an “established securities market” and you are either a cash basis taxpayer or an accrual basis taxpayer that has made a special election (which must be applied consistently from year to year and cannot be changed without the consent of the IRS), you will determine the U.S. Dollar value of the amount realized in a non-U.S. Dollar currency by translating the amount received at the spot rate of exchange on the settlement date of the sale. If you are an accrual basis taxpayer that is not eligible to or does not elect to determine the amount realized using the spot rate on the settlement date, you will recognize foreign currency gain or loss to the extent of any difference between the U.S. Dollar amount realized on the date of sale or disposition and the U.S. Dollar value of the currency received at the spot rate on the settlement date.

Information reporting and backup withholding

Payments of dividends and sales proceeds that are made within the United States or through certain U.S.-related financial intermediaries generally are subject to information reporting, and may be subject to backup withholding, unless (i) the U.S. Holder is a corporation or other exempt recipient or (ii) in the case of backup withholding, the U.S. Holder provides a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding on a duly executed Form W-9 or otherwise establishes an exemption.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against the U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle the U.S. Holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Information with respect to foreign financial assets

Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals (and, under regulations, certain entities) may be required to report information relating to the ordinary shares or ADSs, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for ordinary shares or ADSs held in accounts maintained by certain U.S. financial institutions), by filing IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) with their federal income tax return. Such U.S. Holders who fail to timely furnish the required information may be subject to a penalty. Additionally, if a U.S. Holder does not file the

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required information, the statute of limitations with respect to tax returns of the U.S. Holder to which the information relates may not close until three years after such information is filed. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their reporting obligations with respect to their ownership and disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs.

CERTAIN MATERIAL IRISH. TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following is a summary of the material Irish tax consequences for certain beneficial holders of our ADSs and ordinary shares. The summary is based upon Irish tax laws and the practice of the Irish Revenue Commissioners in effect on the date of this prospectus supplement and correspondence with the Irish Revenue Commissioners. Changes in law and/or administrative practice may result in alteration of the tax considerations described below, possibly with retrospective effect.

The summary does not constitute tax advice and is intended only as a general guide. The summary is not exhaustive and holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares should consult their own tax advisors about the Irish tax consequences (and the tax consequences under the laws of other relevant jurisdictions) of this offering, including the acquisition, ownership and disposal of our ADSs or ordinary shares. The summary applies only to shareholders who will own our ADSs or ordinary shares as capital assets and does not apply to other categories of shareholders, such as dealers in securities, trustees, insurance companies, collective investment schemes and shareholders who have, or who are deemed to have, acquired our ADSs or ordinary shares by virtue of an Irish office or employment (performed or carried on in Ireland).

Tax on Chargeable Gains

The current rate of tax on chargeable gains (where applicable) in Ireland is 33%.

A disposal of our ADSs or ordinary shares by a shareholder who is not resident or ordinarily resident for tax purposes in Ireland will not give rise to Irish tax on any chargeable gain realized on such disposal unless such ADSs or shares are used, held or acquired for the purposes of a trade or business carried on by such shareholder through a branch or agency in Ireland.

A holder of our ADSs or ordinary shares who is an individual and who is temporarily non-resident in Ireland may, under Irish anti-avoidance legislation, be liable to Irish tax on any chargeable gain realized on a disposal of our ADSs or ordinary shares during the period in which such individual is non-resident.

Stamp Duty

The rate of stamp duty (where applicable) on transfers of shares of Irish incorporated companies is generally 1% of the price paid or the market value of the shares acquired, whichever is greater. Where Irish stamp duty arises, it is generally a liability of the transferee.

Shares Held Through DTC

A transfer of our ADSs or ordinary shares effected by means of the transfer of book entry interests in DTC will not be subject to Irish stamp duty. On the basis that most of our ADSs and ordinary shares are expected to be held through DTC, it is anticipated that most transfers of our ADSs and ordinary shares will be exempt from Irish stamp duty.

Shares Held Outside of DTC or Transferred Into or Out of DTC

A transfer of our ordinary shares where any party to the transfer holds such shares outside of DTC may be subject to Irish stamp duty. Shareholders wishing to transfer their shares into (or out of) DTC may do so without giving rise to Irish stamp duty provided that:

■

there is no change in the beneficial ownership of such shares as a result of the transfer; and

■

the transfer into (or out of) DTC is not effected in contemplation of a sale of such shares by a beneficial owner to a third party.

A transfer of our ADSs where any party to the transfer holds such shares outside of DTC should not be subject to Irish stamp duty provided the ADSs remain dealt in on the Nasdaq Global Market.

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Withholding Tax on Dividends

As noted elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, we do not expect to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. To the extent that we do make dividend payments (or other returns to shareholders that are treated as “distributions” for Irish tax purposes), it should be noted that such distributions made by us will, in the absence of one of many exemptions, be subject to Irish dividend withholding tax, which is referred to in this prospectus supplement as DWT, currently at a rate of 25%.

For DWT purposes, a distribution includes any distribution that may be made by us to our shareholders, including cash dividends, non-cash dividends and additional stock taken in lieu of a cash dividend. Where an exemption does not apply in respect of a distribution made to a particular shareholder, we are responsible for withholding DWT prior to making such distribution.

General Exemptions

The following is a general overview of the scenarios where it will be possible for us to make payments of dividends without deduction of DWT.

Irish domestic law provides that a non-Irish resident shareholder is not subject to DWT on dividends received from us if such shareholder is beneficially entitled to the dividend and is either:

■

a person (not being a company) resident for tax purposes in a Relevant Territory (including the United States) and is neither resident nor ordinarily resident in Ireland (Relevant Territories for DWT purposes include the following: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Republic Of Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia);

■

a company resident for tax purposes in a Relevant Territory, provided such company is not under the control, whether directly or indirectly, of a person or persons who is or are resident in Ireland;

■

a company, wherever resident, that is controlled, directly or indirectly, by persons resident in a Relevant Territory and who is or are (as the case may be) not controlled by, directly or indirectly, persons who are not resident in a Relevant Territory;

■

a company, wherever resident, whose principal class of shares (or those of its 75% direct or indirect parent) is substantially and regularly traded on a stock exchange in Ireland, on a recognized stock exchange in a Relevant Territory or on such other stock exchange approved by the Irish Minister for Finance; or

■

a company, wherever resident, that is wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by two or more companies where the principal class of shares of each of such companies is substantially and regularly traded on a stock exchange in Ireland, on a recognized stock exchange in a Relevant Territory or on such other stock exchange approved by the Irish Minister for Finance, and provided, in all cases noted above, we have received from the shareholder, where required, the relevant DWT Form(s) prior to the payment of the dividend and such DWT Form(s) remain valid.

For non-Irish resident shareholders that cannot avail themselves of one of Ireland’s domestic law exemptions from DWT, it may be possible for such shareholders to rely on the provisions of a double tax treaty to which Ireland is party to reduce the rate of DWT.

Our shareholders that do not fall within any of the categories specifically referred to above may nonetheless fall within other exemptions from DWT. If any shareholders are exempt from DWT, but receive dividends subject to DWT, such shareholders may apply for refunds of such DWT from the Irish Revenue Commissioners.

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Income Tax on Dividends Paid on our Ordinary Shares

Irish income tax may arise for certain persons in respect of dividends received from Irish resident companies. A shareholder that is not resident or, in the case of individuals, ordinarily resident in Ireland and that is entitled to an exemption from DWT generally has no liability to Irish income tax or the universal social charge on a dividend received from us. An exception to this position may apply where such shareholder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares through a branch or agency in Ireland through which a trade is carried on.

A shareholder that is not resident or ordinarily resident in Ireland and that is not entitled to an exemption from DWT generally has no additional Irish income tax liability or a liability to the universal social charge. The DWT deducted by us discharges the liability to income tax. An exception to this position may apply where the shareholder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares through a branch or agency in Ireland through which a trade is carried on.

Capital Acquisitions Tax

Irish capital acquisitions tax, or CAT, comprises principally gift tax and inheritance tax. CAT could apply to a gift or inheritance of our ADSs or ordinary shares irrespective of the place of residence, ordinary residence or domicile of the parties. This is because our ADSs may be, and our ordinary shares are, regarded as property situated in Ireland for Irish CAT purposes as our share register must be held in Ireland. The person who receives the gift or inheritance has primary liability for CAT.

CAT is levied at a rate of 33% above certain tax-free thresholds. The appropriate tax free threshold is dependent upon (i) the relationship between the donor and the donee, and (ii) the aggregation of the values of previous gifts and inheritances received by the donee from persons within the same group threshold. Gifts and inheritances passing between spouses of the same marriage or civil partners of the same civil partnership are exempt from CAT. Children have a tax free threshold of €335,000 in respect of taxable gifts or inheritances received from their parents. Our shareholders should consult their own tax advisors as to whether CAT is creditable or deductible in computing any domestic tax liabilities.

There is also a “small gift exemption” from CAT whereby the first €3,000 of the taxable value of all taxable gifts taken by a donee from any one donor, in each calendar year, is exempt from CAT and is also excluded from any future aggregation. This exemption does not apply to an inheritance.

THE IRISH TAX CONSIDERATIONS SUMMARIZED ABOVE ARE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY. HOLDERS OF OUR ADSs OR ORDINARY SHARES SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES IN IRELAND, INCLUDING THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSAL OF OUR ADSs OR ORDINARY SHARES.

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Underwriting

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement among us and Jefferies LLC, Piper Sandler & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, as the representatives of the underwriters named below and the joint book-running managers of this offering, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, and each of the underwriters has agreed, severally and not jointly, to purchase from us, the respective number of ADSs shown opposite its name below:

Underwriter			Number of ADSs
Jefferies LLC
Piper Sandler & Co.
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated
Total

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriters of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by their counsel. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters will purchase all of the ADSs if any of them are purchased. If an underwriter defaults, the underwriting agreement provides that the purchase commitments of the nondefaulting underwriters may be increased or the underwriting agreement may be terminated. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and certain of their controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

We expect to deliver the ADSs against payment for the ADSs on or about 2020, which will be the business day following the date of the pricing of the ADSs (such settlement cycle being referred to as T+ ). Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade ADSs prior to the second business day before the settlement date will be required, by virtue of the fact that the ADSs initially will settle in T+ , to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement. Purchasers of the ADSs who wish to trade the ADSs prior to the date of delivery hereunder should consult their own advisors.

The underwriters have advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the ADSs as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriters are not obligated to do so, and the underwriters may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in their sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the ADSs, that you will be able to sell any of the ADSs held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.

The underwriters are offering the ADSs subject to their acceptance of the ADSs from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriters reserve the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Commission and Expenses

The underwriters have advised us that they propose to offer the ADSs to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to certain dealers, which may include the underwriters, at that price less a concession not in excess of $ per ADS. The underwriters may allow, and certain dealers may reallow, a discount from the concession not in excess of $ per ADS to certain brokers and dealers. After the offering, the initial public offering price, concession and reallowance to dealers may be reduced by the representatives. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.

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The following table shows the public offering price, the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us in connection with this offering. Such amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs.

Per ADS

Total

Without
Option to
Purchase
Additional
ADSs

With
Option to
Purchase
Additional
ADSs

Without
Option to
Purchase
Additional
ADSs

With
Option to
Purchase
Additional
ADSs

Public offering price

Underwriting discounts and commissions paid by us

Proceeds to us, before expenses

We estimate expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $ . We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses incurred by them in connection with the offering.

Listing

Our ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “AVDL”.

Stamp Taxes

If you purchase ADSs offered in this prospectus supplement, you may be required to pay stamp taxes and other charges under the laws and practices of the country of purchase, in addition to the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.

Option to Purchase Additional ADSs

We have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of $15,000,000 of ADSs from us at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, less underwriting discounts and commissions. If the underwriters exercise this option, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to specified conditions, to purchase a number of additional ADSs proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment as indicated in the table above.

No Sales of Similar Securities

We, our officers and our directors have agreed, subject to specified exceptions, not to directly or indirectly:

■

sell, offer, contract or grant any option to sell (including any short sale), pledge, transfer, establish an open “put equivalent position” within the meaning of Rule 16a-l(h) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or

■

otherwise dispose of any ordinary shares, ADSs, options or warrants to acquire ordinary shares or ADSs, or securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into ordinary shares or ADSs currently or hereafter owned either of record or beneficially, or

■

publicly announce an intention to do any of the foregoing for a period of 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement without the prior written consent of Jefferies LLC, Piper Sandler & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated.

This restriction terminates after the close of trading of the ADSs on and including the 90th day after the date of this prospectus supplement.

Jefferies LLC, Piper Sandler & Co. and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated may, in their sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 90-day period release all or any portion of the securities

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subject to lock-up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriters and any of our shareholders who will execute a lock-up agreement, providing consent to the sale of ADSs prior to the expiration of the lock-up period.

Stabilization

The underwriters have advised us that they, pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, certain persons participating in the offering, may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the ADSs at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.

“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares of our ADSs in this offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional ADSs or purchasing our ADSs in the open market. In determining the source of ADSs to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of ADSs available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase ADSs through the option to purchase additional ADSs.

“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional ADSs. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing ADSs in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our ADSs in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.

A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of ADSs on behalf of the underwriters for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the ADSs. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of ADSs on behalf of the underwriters to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriters in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our ADSs or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our ADSs. As a result, the price of our ADSs may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriters to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the ADSs originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.

Neither we, nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of ADSs. The underwriters are not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.

The underwriters may also engage in passive market making transactions in our ADSs on The Nasdaq Global Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of our ADSs in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Electronic Distribution

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the web sites or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of ADSs for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations.

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Other than this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ web sites and any information contained in any other web site maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.

Other Activities and Relationships

The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. For example, Jefferies LLC is the sales agent under an Open Market Sale AgreementSM dated as of February 4, 2020, by and between us and Jefferies LLC. Under the Open Market Sale AgreementSM, we may offer and sell, from time to time, shares of our ADSs through Jefferies LLC through an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments issued by us and our affiliates. If the underwriters or their respective affiliates have a lending relationship with us, they routinely hedge their credit exposure to us consistent with their customary risk management policies. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may hedge such exposure by entering into transactions which consist of either the purchase of credit default swaps or the creation of short positions in our securities or the securities of our affiliates, including potentially the ADSs offered hereby. Any such short positions could adversely affect future trading prices of the ADSs offered hereby. The underwriters and certain of their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Disclaimers About Non-U.S. Jurisdictions

Canada

(A) Resale Restrictions. The distribution of the securities in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.

(B) Representations of Canadian Purchasers. By purchasing the securities in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

■

the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 — Prospectus Exemptions,

■

the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 — Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

■

where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and

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■

the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

(C) Conflicts of Interest. Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

(D) Statutory Rights of Action. Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

(E) Enforcement of Legal Rights. All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

(F) Taxation and Eligibility for Investment. Canadian purchasers of the securities should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the securities in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the securities for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

Australia

This prospectus supplement is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus supplement in Australia:

You confirm and warrant that you are either:

■

a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;

■

a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the Company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made;

■

a person associated with us under Section 708(12) of the Corporations Act; or

■

a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.

To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus supplement is void and incapable of acceptance.

You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the securities issued to you pursuant to this prospectus supplement for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.

European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a “Relevant State”), no ADSs have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the ADSs which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of ADSs may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

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■

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;

■

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters; or

■

in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

provided that no such offer of ADSs shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any ADSs or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and us that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. In the case of any ADSs being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the ADSs acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of any ADSs to the public other than their offer or resale in a Relevant State to qualified investors as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters have been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to ADSs in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any ADSs to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any ADSs, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

France

The ADSs have not been and will not be offered or sold to the public in the Republic of France, and no offering or this prospectus supplement or any marketing materials relating to the ADSs must be made available or distributed in any way that would constitute, directly or indirectly, an offer to the public in the Republic of France.

The ADSs may only be offered or sold in the Republic of France pursuant to article L. 411-2-II of the French Code monétaire et financier to (i) providers of third party portfolio management investment services, (ii) qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) acting for their own account and/or (iii) a limited group of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs) acting for their own account, all as defined in and in accordance with articles L. 411-1, L. 411-2 and D. 411-1 to D.411-4, D.744-1 and D. 754-1 and D. 764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

Prospective investors are informed that:

■

neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering materials relating to the ADSs described in this prospectus supplement has been submitted for clearance to the French financial market authority (Autorité des marchés financiers);

■

neither this prospectus supplement, nor any offering material relating to the ADSs has been or will be released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France or used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the ADSs to the public in France within the meaning of article L. 411-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

■

individuals or entities referred to in article L. 411-2-II of the French Code monétaire et financier may participate in this offering, as provided under articles D.411-1, D.411-2, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier; and

■

the direct and indirect distribution or sale to the public of the ADSs acquired by them may only be made in compliance with articles L. 411-1, L. 411-2, L. 412-1 and L. 621-8 to L. 621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

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Hong Kong

No securities have been offered or sold, and no securities may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong, or SFO, and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong, or CO, or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the securities has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.

This prospectus supplement has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the securities may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the securities will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the securities, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the securities described in this prospectus supplement and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.

Israel

This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus supplement is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the securities is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

Japan

The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the underwriters will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Singapore

This prospectus supplement has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the securities may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of

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the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore, or the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

(a)

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

(b)

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

(i)

to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

(ii)

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

(iii)

where the transfer is by operation of law;

(iv)

as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

(v)

as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Switzerland

The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, or SIX, or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus supplement has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or this offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this prospectus supplement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to this offering, us or the securities have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus supplement will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes, or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

United Kingdom

This prospectus supplement is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended, or the Order, and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the ADSs in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

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Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.

Legal matters

Goodwin Procter LLP of Boston, Massachusetts is acting as U.S. counsel to the Company in connection with this offering. Arthur Cox of Dublin, Ireland is acting as Irish counsel to the Company in connection with this offering and will issue an opinion with respect to the validity of the issuance of the securities being offered hereby. Cooley LLP, New York, New York is acting as U.S. counsel to the underwriters in connection with this offering. A&L Goodbody is acting as Irish counsel to the underwriters in connection with this offering.

Experts

The consolidated financial statements, and the related financial statement schedule incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the effectiveness of Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing

Where you can find more information

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and do not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. For additional information about our company, please refer to other documents we have filed with the SEC and that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as listed under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Additional information about us can be found on our website, at www.avadel.com, and in our filings with the SEC. Copies of our filings with the SEC are available online at www.sec.gov and our website at www.avadel.com. We have included the SEC’s website address and our website address as inactive textual references only. Neither the contents of the SEC’s website or our website, nor any other website that may be accessed from such websites, is incorporated in or otherwise considered a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus except as expressly set forth under the heading “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

Incorporation of certain information by reference

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13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions, after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering:

■

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020;

■

the information specifically incorporated by reference in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14(a), as filed with the SEC on April 27, 2020;

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our Current Reports on Form 8-K (other than information furnished rather than filed) filed with the SEC on January 10, 2020, February 24, 2020 and April 27, 2020; and

■

the description of our ordinary shares contained in our registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC on February 5, 2020, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, information that we furnish (and that is not deemed “filed” with the SEC) under Items 2.02 and 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K, including the related exhibits under Item 9.01, is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including exhibits to these documents. You should direct any requests for documents to Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc, 16640 Chesterfield Grove Road, Suite 200, Attention: Jerad G. Seurer, Chesterfield, Missouri 63005, telephone: +1 (636) 449-1840.

You also may access these filings on our website at www.avadel.com. We do not incorporate the information on our website into this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus (other than those filings with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference into this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus).

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus will be deemed modified, superseded or replaced for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies, supersedes or replaces such statement.

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PROSPECTUS

$250,000,000

Ordinary Shares

Ordinary Shares represented by American Depositary Shares

Preferred Shares

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

By this prospectus, we may offer and sell from time to time, in one or more series or classes, up to $250,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of our ordinary shares, ordinary shares represented by American Depositary Share, or ADSs, preferred shares, debt securities, warrants and/or units. We may also offer securities as may be issuable upon conversion, redemption, repurchase, exchange or exercise of any securities registered hereunder, including any applicable anti-dilution provisions.

This prospectus provides a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities, we will provide specific terms of the securities offered in a supplement to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as any documents incorporated by reference, before you invest in any of the securities being offered.

ADSs representing our ordinary shares are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “AVDL.” On February 3, 2020, the closing price for ADSs, as reported on The Nasdaq Global Market, was $7.07 per share. We may offer and sell these securities directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commissions, discounts or over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus beginning on page 7 and any applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

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

The date of this prospectus is February 14, 2020.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings for an aggregate offering price of up to $250,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 65 of this prospectus.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in any accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to the “company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc.

This prospectus contains trade names, trademarks and service marks of others, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols.

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Any statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions, risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this prospectus, and in particular those factors referenced in the section “Risk Factors.”

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

■

Our reliance on a single product candidate, FT218, the expected completion of the Phase III clinical trial for FT218 and our ability to obtain regulatory approval of and successfully commercialize FT218;

■

Our plans and expectations regarding the effectiveness of our restructuring plan announced in February 2019, including our ability to achieve the desired cost savings;

■

Our reliance on a small number of products to generate all or substantially all of our revenue and the competitive pressures that these products face;

■

The lack of patent protection for three of our approved products, Bloxiverz, Vazculep and Akovaz;

■

Our ability to successfully launch Nouress in the United States;

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Our ability to develop and obtain U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approval for any future potential “unapproved marketed drug” product candidates in the future;

■

The ability of our product candidates and products to gain market acceptance;

■

Our ability to enter into strategic partnerships for the development, commercialization, manufacturing and distribution of our products and product candidates;

■

Our expectations about the potential market sizes and market participation potential for our approved or proposed products;

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Our ability to retain members of our management team and our employees; and

■

Competition existing today or that will likely arise in the future.

Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or developments occurring after the date of this prospectus, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

Overview

We are an emerging biopharmaceutical company. Our lead product candidate, FT218, is an investigational once-nightly formulation of sodium oxybate for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, and cataplexy in narcolepsy patients. FT218, which uses our Micropump drug-delivery technology, is in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of narcolepsy patients suffering from EDS and cataplexy. In addition, we have three commercial products developed under our “unapproved marketed drug,” or UMD, program, Akovaz, Bloxiverz and Vazculep, and a fourth approved product, Nouress, which are sterile injectable drugs used in the hospital setting.

We are primarily focused on the development and potential FDA approval of FT218. In addition, we continue to market and distribute our current approved hospital products portfolio and, pending resolution of the existing patent infringement claim (as described below), we plan to commercialize Nouress. Outside of our product candidate and our existing commercial products, we continue to evaluate opportunities to expand our product portfolio.

FT218 (Micropump sodium oxybate)

In December 2019, we completed patient enrollment of our Phase 3 REST-ON clinical trial of FT218 to assess the safety and efficacy of a once-nightly formulation of FT218 for the treatment of EDS and cataplexy in patients suffering from narcolepsy. The REST-ON trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that has enrolled 212 patients and is being conducted in clinical sites in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe and Australia. Top line data from the REST-ON trial is currently expected in the second quarter of 2020.

In January 2018, the FDA granted FT218 Orphan Drug Designation, which makes the drug eligible for certain development and commercial incentives, including a potential U.S. market exclusivity for up to seven years. Additionally, in April 2019, our first FT218 patent was issued, providing intellectual property protection into 2037. There are additional patent applications currently in development and/or pending at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, as well as foreign patent offices.

Micropump Drug-Delivery Technology

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Unapproved Marketed Drugs Program

The FDA allows certain unapproved prescription drugs to be marketed if (i) they are relied on by health care professionals to treat serious medical conditions, and (ii) there is no FDA-approved drug to treat such condition or insufficient supply of FDA-approved drugs. In most cases, these prescription drugs pre-date the establishment of the FDA. Although these products are typically not protected by patents or similar intellectual property, FDA guidance states that, if it approves an NDA for any such products via a 505(b)(2) process, the FDA is more likely to seek enforcement action, such as seizure or injunction, against remaining unapproved drugs of the same type, potentially after a grace period provided by the FDA.

Existing Commercial Products

To date, we have received FDA approvals for three previously unapproved prescription drugs:

■

Vazculep (phenylephrine hydrochloride injection) — Vazculep was approved by the FDA in June 2014 and was launched in October 2014. Vazculep is indicated for the treatment of clinically important hypotension occurring in the setting of anesthesia. There are approximately 7.1 million vials of Vazculep sold annually in the U.S.

■

Akovaz (ephedrine sulfate injection). Akovaz, was approved by the FDA in April 2016 and was launched in August 2016. Akovaz was the first FDA approved formulation of ephedrine sulfate, an alpha- and beta- adrenergic agonist and a norepinephrine-releasing agent that is indicated for the treatment of clinically important hypotension occurring in the setting of anesthesia. There are approximately 7.5 million vials of Akovaz sold annually in the U.S.

Nouress

We received FDA approval for Nouress (cysteine hydrochloride injection), a sterile injectable product for use in the hospital setting in December 2019, and currently have one patent covering that product. Several additional patent applications for Nouress are pending with the USPTO and we expect to receive a second patent in the first quarter of 2020. In light of the recently filed patent suit by Exela Pharma Sciences, LLC, we are currently evaluating the timing and process for a commercial launch of Nouress in the U.S.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated on December 1, 2015 as an Irish private limited company, and re-registered as an Irish public limited company, or plc, on November 21, 2016. We are the successor company to Flamel Technologies S.A., a French société anonyme. Our principal place of business is located at 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland and our phone number is 00 353 1 920 1000. Our website is www.avadel.com. We do not incorporate the information on or accessible through our website into this prospectus.

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase any of the securities being registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.

Risks Relating to Our 2018 Net Loss and Our 2019 Restructuring

Our net loss and use of cash from operating activities in 2018 and 2019 may limit our ability to fully pursue our business strategy.

We reported a net loss of $95.3 million in 2018 and a net use of cash from operating activities of $82.7 million and we continued to operate at a loss in 2019. As a result, our cash and marketable securities as of September 30, 2019 was $ 72.5 million. Our business strategy is to primarily focus on the development and potential FDA approval for FT218 which is in a Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of narcolepsy patients suffering from EDS and cataplexy. In addition, we will continue to maximize the value of our current approved hospital products portfolio, including the potential commercialization of our fourth product, Nouress (cysteine hydrochloride injection). The successful pursuit of all components of our strategy will require substantial financial resources, and there can be no assurance that our existing cash and marketable securities assets and the cash generated by our operations will be adequate for these purposes. Failure to implement any component of our strategy may prevent us from achieving profitability in the future or may otherwise have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.

Our restructuring plan announced in February 2019 may not be as effective as anticipated, and we may fail to fully realize the expected cost savings or may experience unintended negative impacts from the restructuring.

In February 2019, we announced a restructuring plan intended to achieve future cost savings through, among other actions, a reduction of our overall workforce by approximately 50 percent. In conjunction with the restructuring plan, we also announced the voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by our subsidiary, Avadel Specialty Pharmaceuticals, LLC, or Specialty Pharma, which was responsible solely for the sales, marketing and distribution of our Noctiva product. We refer to the restructuring plan and the Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Specialty Pharma as the 2019 Restructuring. We implemented the restructuring plan in light of disappointing results from the commercial launch of Noctiva, and in order to focus our resources on other product development activities, in particular the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial of FT218 for the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, and cataplexy in narcolepsy patients. The restructuring plan requires the devotion of management attention as well as significant resources, including one-time pre-tax cash charges which we estimated at $10.0 million to $15.0 million, and may pose significant risks. The restructuring plan may not be as effective as we anticipated and may not fully produce the expected cost savings or the effective re-focusing of our efforts toward completing the development of FT218. In addition, the restructuring plan may result in greater implementation costs than we have estimated or may result in unintended negative consequences. For example, because of the speed and magnitude of the workforce reduction that occurred during the 2019 restructuring, it may be difficult in the future to retain certain remaining employees who are critical to our ability to successfully pursue our business plan.

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If we need to take further restructuring actions, necessary third-party consents may not be granted.

Our management may determine we need to take further restructuring actions to achieve additional cost savings, to generate additional capital needed for our business strategy, or for other purposes. Certain restructuring scenarios that management consider could require obtaining the consent of third parties, such as holders of our Exchangeable Senior Notes, or the 2023 Notes. For example, the voluntary bankruptcy filing by Specialty Pharma required the consent of holders of a majority in principal amount of our 2023 Notes in order to avoid a default under the Indenture governing such 2023 Notes. While we were successful in obtaining that consent, there can be no assurance we will be successful in obtaining additional consents in the future from such holders or from other third parties whose consents may be required. Failure to obtain these third-party consents would prevent us from taking additional restructuring actions, which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow, financial resources and ability to successfully pursue our business strategy.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Specialty Pharma may have unexpected adverse results.

As part of the 2019 Restructuring, Avadel US Holdings Inc., Specialty Pharma’s immediate parent and our wholly-owned subsidiary, agreed to provide debtor-in-possession financing to Specialty Pharma of up to $2.7 million. We could face challenges in having the liquidation plan for Specialty Pharma approved and costs from the restructuring may exceed the amount of financing Avadel US Holdings Inc. has committed to provide. Adverse or unexpected results from the bankruptcy proceeding could impair the success of the 2019 Restructuring.

A management-directed third-party evaluation of our FT218 development program could result in changes that increase the cost of the program and further delay its completion.

We recently announced completion of enrollment in the clinical trial for our FT218 product and an estimated completion date for that clinical trial. Management, in conjunction with pharmaceutical industry consulting firms, continues its evaluation of the FT218 program. The results of this on-going evaluation, in addition to the results of our FT218 development program, including our pivotal phase III REST ON study and all other components of an NDA submission, could cause us to modify our development plan with respect to FT218 in ways that could materially increase the ultimate cost of such development or further delay its completion, or could identify unknown risks or problems with the product. Any such cost increases, added delays, risks or problems could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

We derive a substantial majority of our revenues from a small number of products facing competitive pressures, and from a small number of customers, and the loss of any one of these products or customers could reduce our revenues significantly.

In 2018, we derived $97.5 million, or 96.2%, of our $101.4 million in revenues from sales of our three hospital products, Bloxiverz , Vazculep and Akovaz. Revenue from these three products in 2018 were 40.7% lower than in 2017, although Vazculep revenue increased by $4.7 million, or 12.4%, in 2018 compared to the prior year. Our Noctiva product failed to achieve anticipated revenue levels despite a substantial investment of resources toward its commercialization, and these disappointing results led to the voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by Specialty Pharma in February 2019. In addition, we depend on a small number of customers for the majority of our revenues from our three hospital products. Four customers accounted for approximately 86.8% of total revenues from sales of these products in 2018. These four customers comprise a significant portion of the distribution network for pharmaceutical products in the U.S.

Competition for our hospital products in 2018 caused significant downward pricing pressure and, with the exception of Vazculep, loss of market share, resulting in lower aggregate revenues for these products. Further competition in the future could cause further reductions in prices and market share. The distribution network for pharmaceutical products is continuing to undergo consolidation marked by mergers and acquisitions among wholesale distributors and retail drug store chains. As a result, a small number of large wholesale distributors and large chain drug stores

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control a significant share of the market. We expect that continuing consolidation in the industry may cause competitive pressures on pharmaceutical companies. The loss of any one of our three hospital products, the termination of our relationship with any of our customers or our failure to broaden our customer base could cause our revenues to further decrease significantly and result in further losses from our operations. Further, we may be unable to negotiate favorable business terms with customers that represent a significant portion of our revenues, and any such inability could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

Further, as part of our 2013 debt financing transaction with Deerfield, we granted Deerfield a security interest in the intellectual property and product registration rights of certain legacy products. If we default on the terms of the loan agreement with Deerfield, Deerfield could enforce its security interest, which could further impact our revenues.

We must invest substantial sums in research and development in order to remain competitive, and we may not fully recover these investments.

To be successful in the highly-competitive pharmaceutical industry, we must commit substantial resources each year to research and development in order to develop new products and enhance our technologies. In 2018, we spent $39.3 million on research and development, including on our FT218 product candidate and on Nouress, which was approved by the FDA in December 2019. Our ongoing investments in research and development for FT218 as well as possible future products could result in higher costs without a proportionate increase, or any increase, in revenues. The research and development process is lengthy and carries a substantial risk of failure. If our research and development does not yield sufficient products that achieve commercial success, our future operating results will be adversely affected.

Our products may not reach the commercial market for a number of reasons.

Drug development is an inherently uncertain process with a high risk of failure at every stage of development. Successful research and development of pharmaceutical products is difficult, expensive and time consuming. Many product candidates fail to reach the market. Our success will depend on the development and the successful commercialization of new drugs, including additional previously unapproved marketed drugs, or UMD products, and products that utilize our drug delivery technologies. If any of our additional UMD products or products incorporating our drug delivery technologies fails to reach the commercial market, our future revenues would be adversely affected.

Even if our products and current drug delivery technologies appear promising during development, there may not be successful commercial applications developed for them for a number of reasons, including:

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the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, the competent authority of an EU Member State or an Institutional Review Board, or IRB, or an Ethics Committee (the EU equivalent to IRB), or our partners may delay or halt applicable clinical trials;

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we or our partners may face slower than expected rate of patient recruitment and enrollment in clinical trials, or may devote insufficient funding to the clinical trials;

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our drug delivery technologies and drug products may be found to be ineffective or to cause harmful side effects, or may fail during any stage of pre-clinical testing or clinical trials;

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we or our partners may find that certain products cannot be manufactured on a commercial scale and, therefore, may not be economical or feasible to produce; or

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our products could fail to obtain regulatory approval or, if approved, could fail to achieve market acceptance, could fail to be included within the pricing and reimbursement schemes of the U.S. or EU Member States, or could be precluded from commercialization by proprietary rights of third parties.

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We may rely on collaborations with third parties to commercialize certain of our products in development, particularly products using our drug delivery technologies, and such strategy involves risks that could impair our prospects for realizing profits from such products.

We expect that the commercialization of some of our products in development, which utilize our drug delivery technologies, may require collaboration with third-party partners involving strategic alliances, licenses, product divestitures or other arrangements. We may not be successful in entering into such collaborations on favorable terms, if at all, or our collaboration partners may not adequately perform under such arrangements, and as a result our ability to commercialize these products will be negatively affected and our prospects will be impaired.

Our products may not gain market acceptance.

Our products and technologies may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, healthcare payor and medical communities. The degree of market acceptance of any product or technology will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

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the scope of regulatory approvals, including limitations or warnings in a product’s regulatory-approved labeling, or other restrictions under a FDA Risk Evaluations and Mitigations Strategies, or REMS, program;

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in the case of any new UMD product we may successfully pursue, whether and the extent to which the FDA removes

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competing products from the market;

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in the case of our product candidates that are controlled substances the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, scheduling classification;

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demonstration of the clinical safety and efficacy of the product or technology;

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the absence of evidence of undesirable side effects of the product or technology that delay or extend trials;

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the lack of regulatory delays or other regulatory actions;

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its cost-effectiveness and related access to payor coverage;

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its potential advantage over alternative treatment methods;

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the availability of third-party reimbursement; and

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the marketing and distribution support it receives.

If any of our products or technologies fails to achieve market acceptance, our ability to generate additional revenue will be limited, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

The development of several of our drug delivery technologies and products depends on the services of a single provider and any interruption of operations of such provider could significantly delay or have a material adverse effect on our product pipeline.

Currently, we use a single source provider for the development, supply of clinical materials and potentially the supply of commercial batches for several of our products incorporating our drug delivery technologies. Any disruption in the operations of this provider or if this provider fails to supply acceptable quantity and quality materials or services to us for any reason, such disruption or failure could delay our product development and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In case of a disruption, we may need to establish alternative manufacturing sources for our drug delivery products, and this would likely lead to substantial production delays as we build or locate replacement facilities and seek to satisfy necessary regulatory requirements.

We depend on a limited number of suppliers for the manufacturing of our products and certain raw materials used in our products and any failure of such suppliers to deliver sufficient quantities of supplies of product or these raw materials could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Currently, we depend on a limited number of contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, for three products, Bloxiverz, Vazculep and Akovaz, from which we derive our revenues. Additionally, we purchase certain raw materials used in our products from a limited number of suppliers, including a single supplier for certain key ingredients. If the supplies of these products or materials were interrupted for any reason, our manufacturing and marketing of certain products could be delayed. These delays could be extensive and expensive, especially in situations where a

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substitution was not readily available or required variations of existing regulatory approvals and certifications or additional regulatory approval. For example, an alternative supplier may be required to pass an inspection by the FDA, EMA or the competent authorities of EU Member States for compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, requirements before supplying us with product or before we may incorporate that supplier’s ingredients into the manufacturing of our products by our contract, development, and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs. Failure to obtain adequate supplies in a timely manner could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our competitors develop and market technologies or products that are safer or more effective than ours, or obtain regulatory approval and market such technologies or products before we do, our commercial opportunity will be diminished or eliminated.

Competition in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is intense and is expected to increase. We compete with academic laboratories, research institutions, universities, joint ventures and other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including other companies developing drug delivery technologies or niche brand or generic specialty pharmaceutical products. Some of these competitors may also be our business partners.

Our drug delivery technologies compete with technologies provided by several other companies. In particular, delivery technologies and products, could be developed that, if successful, could compete against our drug delivery technologies or products. Among the many experimental therapies being tested in the U.S. and in the EU, there may be some that we do not now know of that may compete with our drug delivery technologies or products in the future. These new biological or chemical products may be safer or may work better than our products.

With respect to our UMD products, the FDA has approved generic versions or previously filed NDAs of our marketed products and may approve additional generic versions in the future.

Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, technological, manufacturing, marketing, managerial and research and development resources and experience than we do. Furthermore, acquisitions of competing drug delivery companies by large pharmaceutical companies could enhance our competitors’ resources. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in developing competing technologies and products, obtaining regulatory approval and gaining market share for their products more rapidly than we do.

Our revenues may be negatively affected by healthcare reforms and increasing pricing pressures.

Future prices for our pharmaceutical products and medical devices will be substantially affected by reimbursement policies of third-party payors such as government healthcare programs, private insurance plans and managed care organizations; by our contracts with the drug wholesalers who distribute our products; and by competitive market forces generally. In recent years, third-party payors have been exerting downward pressure on prices at which products will be reimbursed, and the drug wholesale industry has been undergoing consolidation which gives greater market power to the remaining, larger drug wholesalers. In the U.S., the Trump administration has made public and social media statements causing uncertainty as to future federal U.S. government policies regulating drug prices. Further, the trend toward increased availability of generic products has contributed to overall pricing pressures in the pharmaceutical industry. Additionally, on December 18, 2019, President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the FDA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that, if finalized, would allow for the importation of certain prescription drugs from Canada. FDA also issued a Draft Guidance document outlining a potential pathway for manufacturers to obtain an additional National Drug Code, or NDC, for an FDA-approved drug that was originally intended to be marketed in a foreign country and that was authorized for sale in that foreign country. The regulatory and market implications of the notice of proposed rulemaking and Draft Guidance are unknown at this time, but legislation, regulations or policies allowing the reimportation of drugs, if enacted and implemented, could decrease the price we receive for our products and adversely affect our future revenues and prospects for profitability. Similarly, any future changes in laws, regulations, practices or policies, in the drug wholesale industry, or in the prevalence of generic products, may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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If we cannot keep pace with the rapid technological change in our industry, we may lose business, and our products and technologies could become obsolete or noncompetitive.

Our success also depends, in part, on maintaining a competitive position in the development of products and technologies in a rapidly evolving field. Major technological changes can happen quickly in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. If we cannot maintain competitive products and technologies, our competitors may succeed in developing competing technologies or obtaining regulatory approval for products before us, and the products of our competitors may gain market acceptance more rapidly than our products. Such rapid technological change, or the development by our competitors of technologically improved or different products, could render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive.

We may fail to effectively execute our business strategy.

Our business strategy is to continue our UMD program by commercializing our fourth UMD product, Nouress, as well as potentially seek FDA approval for and commercialize additional future UMD product candidates, and continue to seek FDA approval for FT218, which completed enrollment for its Phase 3 clinical trial and for which we expect topline data in the second quarter of 2020. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in any of these objectives; and a failure in any of these objectives could negatively impact our business and operating results..

Failure to comply with domestic and international privacy and security laws could result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties.

The costs of compliance with privacy and security laws, including protecting electronically stored information from cyber-attacks, and potential liability associated with any compliance failures could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are subject to various domestic and international privacy and security regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA and the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, (Regulation EU 2016/679). HIPAA mandates, among other things, the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of information in common healthcare transactions, as well as standards relating to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information, which require the adoption of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. In addition, many states have enacted comparable laws addressing the privacy and security of health information, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA. GDPR requires Avadel to ensure personal data collected by Avadel is gathered legally and under strict conditions and to protect such personal data from misuse and exploitation. If Avadel fails to comply with GDPR, we will face significant fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our effective tax rate could be highly volatile and could adversely affect our operating results.

Our future effective tax rate may be adversely affected by a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including:

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the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed;

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changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

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the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities;

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changes in share-based compensation expense;

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changes in domestic or international tax laws or the interpretation of such tax laws;

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changes in available tax credits;

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increases in expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including increases in the fair value of related party payables, write-offs of acquired in-process research and development and impairment of goodwill in connection with acquisitions;

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adjustments to estimated taxes upon finalization of various tax returns;

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the tax effects of purchase accounting for acquisitions that may cause fluctuations between reporting periods.

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Any significant increase in our future effective tax rates could impact our results of operations for future periods adversely.

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

As of December 31, 2018, we had U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $26 million due to prior period losses, some of which, if not utilized, will expire in 2034 and 2035 for federal tax purposes. Approximately $10 million of these net operating loss carryforwards could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities, which could adversely affect our profitability. The $10 million of U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation as a result of the FSC acquisition under Internal Revenue Code Section 382 and may not be fully utilized before they expire.

Under U.S. federal tax legislation enacted in 2017, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or Tax Act, U.S. federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such U.S. federal net operating losses is limited. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” (generally defined as a greater than 50 percentage-point cumulative change (by value) in the equity ownership of certain stockholders over a rolling three-year period), the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating losses and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change taxable income or taxes may be limited. We may also experience ownership changes as a result of this offering or future issuances of our stock or as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership, some of which are outside our control. We have completed an analysis to determine that no events have been triggered in the past. If any ownership changes are determined to be triggered in the future, our ability to use our current net operating losses to offset post-change taxable income or taxes would be subject to limitation. We will be unable to use our net operating losses if we do not attain profitability sufficient to offset our available net operating losses prior to their expiration.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had approximately $72 million of net operating losses in Ireland and approximately $3 million of net operating losses in France that do not have an expiration date. While these losses do not have an expiration date, substantial changes in the activities performed in these jurisdictions could have an impact on our ability to utilize these tax attributes in the future.

We outsource important activities to consultants, advisors and outside contractors.

We outsource many key functions of our business and therefore rely on a substantial number of consultants, advisors and outside contractors. If we are unable to effectively manage our outsourced activities or if the quality or accuracy of the services provided by such third parties is compromised for any reason, our development activities may be extended, delayed or terminated which would have an adverse effect on our development program and our business.

We depend on key personnel to execute our business plan. If we cannot attract and retain key personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business plan.

Our success depends in large part upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. During our operating history, we have assigned many key responsibilities within our Company to a relatively small number of individuals, each of whom has played key roles in executing various important components of our business. We do not maintain material key person life insurance for any of our key personnel. If we lose the services of Greg Divis, our interim Chief Executive Officer, or other members of our senior executive team, we may have difficulty executing our business plan in the manner we currently anticipate. Further, because each of our key personnel is involved in numerous roles in various components of our business, the loss of any one or more of such individuals could have an adverse effect on our business.

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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we cannot adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary information, we may be unable to effectively compete.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights for our products and technology, including our drug delivery technologies, and to preserve our trade secrets and other proprietary information. If we cannot do so, our competitors may exploit our technologies and deprive us of the ability to realize revenues and profits from our products and technologies.

To the extent any of our products may benefit from protections afforded by patents, we face the risk that patent law relating to the scope of claims in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields is continually evolving and can be the subject of uncertainty and may change in a way that would limit protection. Our patents may not be exclusive, valid or enforceable. For example, our patents may not protect us against challenges by companies that submit drug marketing applications to the FDA, or the competent authorities of EU Member States or other jurisdictions in which we may attempt to compete, in particular where such applications rely, at least in part, on safety and efficacy data from our products or our business partners’ products. In addition, competitors may obtain patents that may have an adverse effect on our ability to conduct business, or they may discover ways to circumvent our patents. The scope of any patent protection may not be sufficiently broad to cover our products or to exclude competing products. Any patent applications we have made or may make relating to our potential products or technologies may not result in patents being issued. Even after issuance, our patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. Such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical product candidates, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our product candidates. Further, patent protection once obtained is limited in time, after which competitors may use the covered product or technology without obtaining a license from us. Because of the time required to obtain regulatory marketing approval, the remaining period of effective patent protection for a marketed product is frequently substantially shorter than the full duration of the patent. While a patent term extension can be requested under certain circumstances, the grant of such a request is not guaranteed.

Our partnerships with third parties expose us to risks that they will claim intellectual property rights on our inventions or fail to keep our unpatented products or technology confidential.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, the value of our technology could be materially adversely affected and our business would be harmed.

We also rely on trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and know-how to develop, maintain and strengthen our competitive position.

To protect our products, trade secrets and proprietary technologies, we rely, in part, on confidentiality agreements with our employees, suppliers, consultants, advisors and partners. These agreements may not provide adequate protection for our trade secrets and other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure, or if others lawfully develop the information. If these agreements are breached, we cannot be certain we will have adequate remedies. Further, we cannot guarantee that third parties will not know, discover or independently develop equivalent proprietary information or technologies, or that they will not gain access to our trade secrets or disclose our trade secrets to the public. Therefore, we cannot guarantee we can maintain and protect unpatented proprietary information and trade secrets. Misappropriation or other loss of our intellectual property would adversely affect our competitive position and may cause us to incur substantial litigation or other costs.

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Changes in U.S. or ex-U.S. patent laws could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.

Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation thereof in the U.S. or in ex-U.S. jurisdictions could increase uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents. For example, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011, or AIA, changed the previous U.S. “first-to-invent” system to the current system that awards a patent to the “first-inventor-to-file” for an application for a patentable invention. This change alters the pool of available materials that can be used to challenge patents in the U.S. and limits the ability to rely on prior research to lay claim to patent rights. Under the current system, disputes are resolved through new derivation proceedings, and the AIA includes mechanisms to allow challenges to issued patents in reexamination, inter partes review and post grant proceedings. The AIA also includes bases and procedures that may make it easier for competitors to challenge our patents, which could result in increased competition and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. The AIA may also make it harder to challenge third-party patents and place greater importance on being the first inventor to file a patent application on an invention. The AIA amendments to patent filing and litigation procedures in the U.S. may result in litigation being more complex and expensive and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel.

In addition, the patent positions of companies in the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals may be particularly uncertain. Depending on future actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, or by similarly legislative, judicial, and regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could have a material adverse effect on our existing patent portfolio and our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property in the future.

Third parties may claim that our products infringe their rights, and we may incur significant costs resolving these claims.

Third parties may claim infringement of their patents and other intellectual property rights by the manufacture, use, import, offer for sale or sale of our drug delivery technologies or our other products. For example, an Orange Book patent exists related to Exela Pharma Sciences’ currently marketed cysteine hydrochloride injection product. In this regard, Exela filed a complaint against us and our subsidiary, Avadel Legacy Pharmaceuticals, LLC, or Avadel Legacy, in the United States District for the District of Delaware in January of 2020 alleging infringement of that Orange Book patent by our recently-approved Nouress product.. As another example, approximately 14 Orange Book patents exist related to Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ currently marketed sodium oxybate product, and, in connection with us seeking regulatory approval for FT218, Jazz may allege that FT218 infringes their patents or other intellectual property rights and file suit to prevent us from commercializing FT218. In response to any claim of infringement, we may choose or be forced to seek licenses, defend infringement actions or challenge the validity or enforceability of those patent rights in court or administrative proceedings. If we cannot obtain required licenses on commercially reasonably terms, or at all, are found liable for infringement or are not able to have such patent rights declared invalid or unenforceable, our business could be materially harmed. We may be subject to claims (and even held liable) for significant monetary damages (including enhanced damages and/or attorneys’ fees), encounter significant delays in bringing products to market or be precluded from the manufacture, use, import, offer for sale or sale of products or methods of drug delivery covered by the patents of others. Even if a license is available, it may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. We may not have identified, or be able to identify in the future, U.S. or foreign patents that pose a risk of potential infringement claims.

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If we or our partners are required to obtain licenses from third parties, our revenues and royalties on any commercialized products could be reduced.

The development of certain products based on our drug delivery technologies may require the use of raw materials (e.g., proprietary excipient), active ingredients, drugs (e.g., proprietary proteins) or technologies developed by third parties. The extent to which efforts by other researchers have resulted or will result in patents and the extent to which we or our partners are forced to obtain licenses from others, if available, on commercially reasonable terms is currently unknown. If we or our partners must obtain licenses from third parties, fees may be required for such licenses, which could reduce the net revenues and royalties we receive on commercialized products that incorporate our drug delivery technologies.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise confidential information and expose us to liability and cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store on our networks various intellectual property including our proprietary business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners. The secure maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Despite our security measures, our information systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, investigations by regulatory authorities in the U.S. and EU Member States, disruption to our operations and damage to our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business.

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

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

We may become involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents or other intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our patents or other intellectual property. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering our product(s) or product candidate(s), the defendant could counterclaim that the patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, written description or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. There is risk that a court could rule in favor of the defendant with respect to such a counterclaim of patent invalidity and/or unenforceability.

Interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by us or declared by the USPTO may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions with respect to our patents or patent applications. An unfavorable outcome could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or if a non-exclusive license is offered and our competitors gain access to the same

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technology. Our defense of litigation or interference or derivation proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. In addition, the uncertainties associated with litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development partnerships that would help us bring our product candidates to market.

Because of the substantial amount of discovery that can occur in connection with intellectual property-related litigation and/or administrative proceedings, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation/proceeding. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of third parties or that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

We employ or may employ individuals who were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we endeavor to ensure that our employees, consultants and independent contractors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any of our employee’s former employer or other third parties. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying any awarded monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel, which could adversely impact our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and/or be a distraction to management and other employees.

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

Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to be paid to the USPTO and various governmental patent agencies outside of the United States in several stages over the lifetime of the patents and/or applications. We rely on our outside counsel to coordinate payment of these fees due to patent agencies. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply, and in many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors might be able to enter the market and this circumstance would have a material adverse effect on our business.

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

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

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

Risks Related to Regulatory and Legal Matters

Our products will generally be subject to regulatory approval. If we or our pharmaceutical and biotechnology company partners do not obtain such approvals, or if such approvals are delayed, our revenues may be adversely affected.

Our FT218 product, as well as products we may wish to market in the future, may not gain regulatory approval and reach the commercial market for a variety of reasons.

In the U.S., federal, state and local government agencies, primarily the FDA, regulate all pharmaceutical products, including existing products and those under development. Neither we nor our pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners can control whether we obtain regulatory approval for any of these products or, if obtained, the timing thereof. There may be significant delays in expected product releases while attempting to obtain regulatory approval for products incorporating our technologies. If we or our partners are not successful in timely obtaining such approvals, our revenues and profitability may decline.

Applicants for FDA approval often must submit to the FDA extensive clinical and pre-clinical data, as well as information about product manufacturing processes and facilities and other supporting information. Varying interpretations of the data obtained from pre-clinical and clinical testing could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval of a drug product. The FDA also may require us, or our partners to conduct additional pre-clinical studies or clinical trials.

Similarly, although we anticipate submitting applications for approval for our development products that rely on existing data to demonstrate safety and effectiveness, the FDA may determine that additional studies particular to our products are necessary. If the FDA requires such additional studies, it would impact development plans for those products.

Changes in FDA approval policy during the development period, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted new product application, also may delay an approval or result in rejection of an application. For instance, under the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, or FDAAA, we or our partners may be required to develop REMS to ensure the safe use of product candidates. If the FDA disagrees with such REMS proposals, it may be more difficult and costly to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates. Similarly, FDAAA provisions may make it more likely that the FDA will refer a marketing application for a new product to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. This review may add to the time for approval, and, although the FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, objections or concerns expressed by an advisory committee may cause the FDA to delay or deny approval.

The FDA has substantial discretion in the approval process and may disagree with our or our partners’ interpretations of data and information submitted in an application, which also could cause delays of an approval or rejection of an application. Even if the FDA approves a product, the approval may limit the uses or indications for which the product may be marketed, restrict distribution of the product or require further studies.

The FDA may also withdraw product approvals for failure to comply with regulatory requirements or if problems follow initial marketing. In the same way, medicinal products for supply on the EU market are subject to marketing

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authorization by either the European Commission, following an opinion by the EMA, or by the competent authorities of EU Member States. Applicants for marketing authorization must submit extensive technical and clinical data essentially in the form of the ICH Common Technical Document. The data is subject to extensive review by the competent authorities, and after such review the data may be considered inappropriate or insufficient. If applications for marketing authorization by pharmaceutical and biotechnology company partners are delayed or rejected, if the therapeutic indications for which the product is approved are limited, or if conditional marketing authorization imposing post-marketing clinical trials or surveillance is imposed, our revenues, operating results and liquidity may decline and earnings may be negatively impacted.

Our products are subject to continuing regulation, and we on our own, and in conjunction with our pharmaceutical partners, may be subject to adverse consequences if we or they fail to comply with applicable regulations.

We, on our own, and in conjunction with our pharmaceutical partners will be subject to extensive regulatory requirements for our and the co-developed products and product candidates, even if the products receive regulatory approval. These regulations are wide-ranging and govern, among other things:

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adverse drug experiences and other reporting requirements;

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product promotion and marketing;

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APIs and/or product manufacturing, including cGMP compliance;

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record keeping;

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distribution of drug samples;

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required clinical trials and/or post-marketing studies;

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authorization renewal procedures;

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authorization variation procedures;

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compliance with any required REMS;

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updating safety and efficacy information;

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processing of personal data;

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use of electronic records and signatures; and

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changes to product manufacturing or labeling.

Clinical development of drugs is costly and time-consuming, and the outcomes are uncertain. A failure to prove that our product candidates are safe and effective in clinical trials could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

We have made significant investments in our REST-ON Phase 3 clinical trial of FT218. Clinical trials are expensive and can take many years to complete, and the outcome is uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of potential medicine candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials. Drug candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical testing. Any failure of our REST-ON Phase 3 clinical trial would prevent or delay the potential approval and commercialization of our sodium oxybate product, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

In addition to issues relating to the results generated in clinical trials, clinical trials can be delayed or halted for a variety of reasons, including:

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obtaining regulatory approval to commence a trial;

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reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites, the terms of which can be subject to extensive negotiation and may vary significantly among different CROs and trial sites;

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obtaining institutional review board or ethics committee approval at each site;

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recruiting suitable patients to participate in a trial;

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having patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;

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clinical sites dropping out of a trial;

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adding new sites; or

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manufacturing sufficient quantities of medicine candidates for use in clinical trials.

We rely and expect to rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our future clinical trials and while we have and intend to have agreements governing their committed activities, we will have limited influence over their actual performance.

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials, and if they do not properly and successfully perform their contractual, legal and regulatory duties, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approvals for or commercialize our drug product candidates.

We rely on CROs and other third parties to assist us in designing, managing, monitoring and otherwise carrying out our clinical trials, including with respect to site selection, contract negotiation and data management. We do not control these third parties and, as a result, they may not treat our clinical studies as a high priority, which could result in delays. We are responsible for confirming that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its general investigational plan and protocol, as well as the FDA’s and non-U.S. regulatory agencies’ requirements, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to ensure that the data and results are credible and accurate and that the trial participants are adequately protected. The FDA and non-U.S. regulatory agencies enforce good clinical practices through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we, CROs or other third parties assisting us or our study sites fail to comply with applicable good clinical practices, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the FDA or its non-U.S. counterparts may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. We cannot assure you that, upon inspection, the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory agencies will determine that any of our clinical trials comply with good clinical practices. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under the FDA’s cGMP regulations and similar regulations outside of the U.S. Our failure, or the failure of our product suppliers, to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat or redesign clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

If third parties do not successfully carry out their duties under their agreements with us, if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to failure to adhere to our clinical protocols, including dosing requirements, or regulatory requirements, or if they otherwise fail to comply with clinical trial protocols or meet expected deadlines, our clinical trials may not meet regulatory requirements. If our clinical trials do not meet regulatory requirements or if these third parties need to be replaced, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated. If any of these events occur, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates or succeed in our efforts to create approved line extensions for certain of our existing products or generate additional useful clinical data in support of these products.

If we or our partners, including any CDMOs that we use, fail to comply with these laws and regulations, the FDA, the European Commission, competent authorities of EU Member States, or other regulatory organizations, may take actions that could significantly restrict or prohibit commercial distribution of our products and products that incorporate our technologies. If the FDA, the European Commission or competent authorities of EU Member States determine that we are not in compliance with these laws and regulations, they could, among other things:

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issue warning letters;

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impose fines;

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seize products or request or order recalls;

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issue injunctions to stop future sales of products;

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refuse to permit products to be imported into, or exported out of, the U.S. or the E.U.;

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suspend or limit our production;

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withdraw or vary approval of marketing applications;

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order the competent authorities of EU Member States to withdraw or vary national authorization; and

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initiate criminal prosecutions.

If FT218 is approved by the FDA, we may not obtain orphan drug marketing exclusivity.

Orphan drug status may be granted by the FDA to certain products intended to treat diseases and conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States or, if they affect more than 200,000 individuals in the United States, there is no reasonable expectation of recovering the cost of developing and making the product available in the United States for the applicable disease or condition.

Our proposed product FT218 obtained orphan drug designation for the treatment of narcolepsy from the FDA in January 2018. Generally, a product with orphan drug designation that subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation will be entitled to certain U.S. marketing exclusivity for a period of seven years. FT218 would not be the first sodium oxybate product with such FDA approval. However, if the FDA concludes that FT218 is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care, the FDA could award FT218 with such marketing exclusivity. A designated orphan drug may not receive orphan drug exclusivity. Among other factors, the FDA will consider the results of our FT218 Phase 3 clinical trial with respect to the efficacy and safety of the previously approved sodium oxybate product. Thus, there can be no assurance that FT218 will receive orphan drug status exclusivity, if approved. In addition, even if such orphan drug marketing exclusivity rights were granted by the FDA, such exclusivity rights may be lost if the FDA later determines that our request for such designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition to be treated with the product. Further, even with respect to the indications for which we have received orphan designation, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval for any particular orphan indication due to the uncertainties associated with developing pharmaceutical products, and thus, for example, approval of our product candidates could be blocked for seven years if another company previously obtained approval and orphan drug exclusivity in the United States for the same drug and same condition.

We are subject to U.S. federal and state and international laws and regulations prohibiting “kickbacks” and false claims that, if violated, could subject us to substantial penalties, and any challenges to or investigation into our practices under these laws could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and thus could harm our business.

We are subject to extensive and complex U.S. federal and state and international laws and regulations, including but not limited to, health-care “fraud and abuse” laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws and regulations pertaining to government benefit program reimbursement, price reporting and regulations, and sales and marketing practices. These laws and regulations are broad in scope and subject to evolving interpretations, which could require us to incur substantial costs associated with compliance or to alter one or more of our sales or marketing practices. In addition, violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our revenues, profitability, and financial condition. In the current environment, there appears to be a greater risk of investigations of possible violations of these laws and regulations. This increased risk is reflected by recent enforcement activity and pronouncements by the US Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services that it intends to continue to vigorously pursue fraud and abuse violations by pharmaceutical companies, including through the potential to impose criminal penalties on pharmaceutical company executives. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.

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Healthcare reform and restrictions on reimbursements may limit our financial returns.

Our ability to successfully commercialize our products and technologies may depend on the extent to which the government health administration authorities, the health insurance funds in the EU Member States, private health insurers and other third-party payor in the U.S. will reimburse consumers for the cost of these products, which would affect the volume of drug products sold by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that incorporate our technology into their products. Third party payor are increasingly challenging both the need for, and the price of, novel therapeutic drugs and uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved therapeutics. The commercial success of our products depends in part on the conditions under which products incorporating our technology are reimbursed. Adequate third-party reimbursement may not be available for such drug products to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investments in research and product development, which could materially and adversely affect our business. We cannot predict the effect that changes in the healthcare system, especially cost containment efforts, may have on our business. In particular, it is difficult to predict the effect of health care reform legislation enacted in the U.S. in 2010, certain provisions of which are still subject to regulatory implementation, further legislative change and ongoing judicial review. Any such changes or changes due to future legislation governing the pricing and reimbursement of healthcare products in the EU Member States may adversely affect our business.

Regulatory reforms may adversely affect our ability to sell our products profitably.

From time to time, the U.S. Congress, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, as well as the legislators of the EU Member States, adopt changes to the statutes that the FDA, the European Commission and the competent authorities of the EU Member States enforce in ways that could significantly affect our business. In addition, the FDA, the European Commission and the competent authorities of the EU Member States often issue new regulations or guidance, or revise or reinterpret their current regulations and guidance in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. It is impossible to predict whether legislative changes will be enacted or FDA, EU or EU Member State’s regulations, guidance or interpretations changed, and what the impact of any such changes may be. Any such changes could have a significant impact on the path to approval of our proposed products or of competing products, and on our obligations and those of our pharmaceutical industry partners.

We and companies to which we have licensed, or will license our products or drug delivery technologies and subcontractors we engage for services related to the development and manufacturing of our products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Our and their failure to meet strict regulatory requirements could adversely affect our business.

We, and companies to which we license our products or drug delivery technologies, as well as companies acting as subcontractors for our product developments, including but not limited to non-clinical, pre-clinical and clinical studies, and manufacturing, are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA, other domestic regulatory authorities and equivalent foreign regulatory authorities, particularly the European Commission and the competent authorities of EU Member States. Those regulatory authorities may conduct periodic audits or inspections of the applicable facilities to monitor compliance with regulatory standards and we remain responsible for the compliance of our subcontractors. If the FDA or another regulatory authority finds failure to comply with applicable regulations, the authority may institute a wide variety of enforcement actions, including:

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warning letters or untitled letters;

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fines and civil penalties;

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delays in clearing or approving, or refusal to clear or approve, products;

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withdrawal, suspension or variation of approval of products; product recall or seizure;

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orders to the competent authorities of EU Member States to withdraw or vary national authorization;

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orders for physician notification or device repair, replacement or refund;

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interruption of production;

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operating restrictions;

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injunctions; and

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criminal prosecution.

Any adverse action by a competent regulatory agency could lead to unanticipated expenditures to address or defend such action and may impair our ability to produce and market applicable products, which could significantly impact our revenues and royalties that we receive from our customers.

We may face product liability claims related to clinical trials for our products or their misuse.

The testing, including through clinical trials, manufacturing and marketing, and the use of our products may expose us to potential product liability and other claims. If any such claims against us are successful, we may be required to make significant compensation payments. Any indemnification that we have obtained, or may obtain, from CROs or pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies or hospitals conducting human clinical trials on our behalf may not protect us from product liability claims or from the costs of related litigation. Insurance coverage is expensive and difficult to obtain, and we may be unable to obtain coverage in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. We currently maintain general liability insurance and product liability and recall insurance. We cannot be certain that the coverage limits of our insurance policies or those of our strategic partners will be adequate. If we are unable to obtain sufficient insurance at an acceptable cost, a product liability claim or recall could adversely affect our financial condition.

Similarly, any indemnification we have obtained, or may obtain, from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with whom we are developing, or will develop, our products may not protect us from product liability claims from the consumers of those products or from the costs of related litigation.

If we use hazardous biological and/or chemical materials in a manner that causes injury, we may be liable for significant damages.

Our research and development activities involve the controlled use of potentially harmful biological and/or chemical materials, and are subject to U.S., state, EU, national and local laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of those materials and specified waste products. We cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these materials, including fires and/or explosions, storage tank leaks and ruptures and discharges or releases of toxic or hazardous substances. These operating risks can cause personal injury, property damage and environmental contamination, and may result in the shutdown of affected facilities and the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. The occurrence of any of these events may significantly reduce the productivity and profitability of a particular manufacturing facility and adversely affect our operating results.

We currently maintain property, business interruption and casualty insurance with limits that we believe to be commercially reasonable, but may be inadequate to cover any actual liability or damages.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in any applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include costs to commercialize our products, research and development and clinical development costs to support the advancement of our product candidates and the expansion of our product candidate pipeline; funding for the hiring of additional personnel, capital expenditures and the costs of operating as a public company. We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including investment grade instruments, certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the use of net proceeds.

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SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

This prospectus contains summary descriptions of the securities we may offer from time to time. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. These summary descriptions are not meant to be complete descriptions of each security. The particular terms of any security will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL

The following description of our ordinary shares and preferred shares together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the ordinary shares, which may be represented by ADSs, and preferred shares that we may offer under this prospectus. The following description of our share capital does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, our memorandum and articles of association (the “Avadel Constitution”), which is an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and by applicable law.

The following description includes comparisons of certain provisions of the Avadel Constitution and Irish law applicable to us and the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, the law under which many publicly listed companies in the United States are incorporated. Because such statements are summaries, they do not address all aspects of Irish law that may be relevant to us and our shareholders or all aspects of Delaware law which may differ from Irish law, and they are not intended to be a complete discussion of the respective rights.

General

Our authorized share capital is $5,500,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares with a nominal value of $0.01 each and 50,000,000 preferred shares with a nominal value of $0.01 each, plus €25,000 divided into 25,000 deferred ordinary shares with a nominal value of €1.00 each. As of the date of this prospectus, our issued share capital consists of 42,985,371 ordinary shares, nominal value $0.01 per share, no issued and outstanding preferred shares, nominal value $0.01 per share and 25,000 issued and outstanding deferred ordinary shares, nominal value €1.00 per share. These figures do not include securities that may be issued: (i) pursuant to outstanding warrants to purchase shares or (ii) pursuant to outstanding options underlying shares of our ordinary shares related to our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan.

We, directly or through agents, dealers or underwriters designated from time to time, may offer, issue and sell, together or separately, up to $250,000,000 in the aggregate of:

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ordinary shares, represented by ADSs;

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preferred shares;

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secured or unsecured debt securities consisting of notes, debentures or other evidences of indebtedness which may be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt securities or subordinated debt securities, each of which may be convertible into equity securities;

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warrants to purchase our securities; or

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units comprised of, or other combinations of, the foregoing securities.

We may issue the debt securities as exchangeable for or convertible into ordinary shares, preferred shares or other securities. The preferred shares may also be exchangeable for and/or convertible into ordinary shares, another series of preferred shares or other securities. The debt securities, the preferred shares, the ordinary shares, which may be in the form of ADSs, the warrants and the units comprised of, or other combination of, the foregoing securities, are collectively referred to in this prospectus as the “securities.” When a particular series of securities is offered, a supplement to this prospectus will be delivered with this prospectus, which will set forth the terms of the offering and sale of the offered securities.

Ordinary Shares

As of the date of this prospectus, there were 42,985,371 issued ordinary shares and 37,577,986 outstanding ordinary shares, nominal value $0.01 per share. The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders.

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Preferred Shares

The Avadel Constitution empowers our Board of Directors, without action by our shareholders, to issue up to 50,000,000 preferred shares from time to time in one or more classes or series, which preferred shares may be offered by this prospectus and supplements thereto. As of the date of this prospectus, no preferred shares are issued and outstanding. Our Board of Directors is authorized, without obtaining any vote or consent of the holders of any class or series of shares, unless expressly provided by the terms of that class or series of shares, to provide from time to time for the issuance of other classes or series of shares and to establish the characteristics of each class or series, including the number of shares, designations, relative voting rights, dividend rights, liquidation and other rights, redemption, repurchase or exchange rights and any other preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights and limitations not inconsistent with applicable law.

You should refer to the prospectus supplement relating to the series of preferred shares being offered for the specific terms of that series, including:

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the title of the series and the number of shares in the series;

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the price at which the preferred shares will be offered;

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the dividend rate or rates or method of calculating the rates, the dates on which the dividends will be payable, whether or not dividends will be cumulative or noncumulative and, if cumulative, the dates from which dividends on the preferred shares being offered will cumulate;

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the voting rights, if any, of the holders of shares of the preferred shares being offered;

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the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, and the provisions for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred shares being offered, including any restrictions on the foregoing as a result of arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments;

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the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred shares being offered will be convertible into our ordinary shares, including the conversion price, or the manner of calculating the conversion price, and the conversion period;

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the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred shares being offered will be exchangeable for debt securities, including the exchange price, or the manner of calculating the exchange price, and the exchange period;

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any listing of the preferred shares being offered on any securities exchange;

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a discussion of any material Irish or U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the preferred shares being offered;

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any preemptive rights;

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the relative ranking and preferences of the preferred shares being offered as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or the winding up of our affairs;

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any limitations on the issuance of any class or series of preferred shares ranking senior or equal to the series of preferred shares being offered as to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution or the winding up of our affairs; and

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any additional rights, preferences, qualifications, limitations and restrictions of the series.

Upon issuance, the preferred shares will be fully paid and nonassessable, which means that its holders will have paid their purchase price in full and we may not require them to pay additional funds.

Warrants

We may issue warrants for the purchase of our ordinary shares, preferred shares or debt securities or any combination thereof. Warrants may be issued independently or together with our ordinary shares, preferred shares or debt securities and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. To the extent warrants that we issue are to be publicly-traded, each series of such warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in

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connection with such warrants. The warrant agent will not have any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. This summary of certain provisions of the warrants is not complete. For the terms of a particular series of warrants, you should refer to the prospectus supplement for that series of warrants and the warrant agreement for that particular series.

Anti-Takeover Provisions of Irish Law

Business Combinations with Interested Shareholders

The Avadel Constitution includes a provision similar to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which generally prohibits us from engaging in a business combination with an interested shareholder for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested shareholder, unless, in general:

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our Board of Directors approved the transaction which resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder;

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upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the shareholder owned at least 85% of the voting shares outstanding at the time of commencement of such transaction, excluding for purposes of determining the number of voting shares outstanding (but not the outstanding voting shares owned by the interested shareholder), voting shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and by certain employee share plans; or

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the business combination is approved by our Board of Directors and authorized at an annual or extraordinary general meeting of shareholders by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding voting shares that are not owned by the interested shareholder.

A “business combination” is generally defined as a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested shareholder. An “interested shareholder” is generally defined as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the date in question, owned 15% or more of our outstanding voting shares.

Irish Takeover Rules and Substantial Acquisition Rules

A transaction in which a third party seeks to acquire 30% or more of our voting rights and any other acquisitions of our securities will be governed by the Irish Takeover Panel Act 1997 and the Irish Takeover Rules made thereunder, the Irish Takeover Panel Act, 1997, Takeover Rules, 2013 (the “Irish Takeover Rules”), and will be regulated by the Irish Takeover Panel. The “General Principles” of the Irish Takeover Rules and certain important aspects of the Irish Takeover Rules are described below.

General Principles

The Irish Takeover Rules are built on the following General Principles which will apply to any transaction regulated by the Irish Takeover Panel:

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in the event of an offer, all holders of securities of the target company must be afforded equivalent treatment and, if a person acquires control of a company, the other holders of securities must be protected;

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the holders of securities in the target company must have sufficient time and information to enable them to reach a properly informed decision on the offer; where it advises the holders of securities, the Board of Directors of the target company must give its views on the effects of the implementation of the offer on employment, employment conditions and the locations of the target company’s place of business;

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a target company’s Board of Directors must act in the interests of that company as a whole and must not deny the holders of securities the opportunity to decide on the merits of the offer;

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false markets must not be created in the securities of the target company, the bidder or any other company concerned by the offer in such a way that the rise or fall of the prices of the securities becomes artificial and the normal functioning of the markets is distorted;

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a bidder can only announce an offer after ensuring that he or she can fulfill in full the consideration offered, if such is offered, and after taking all reasonable measures to secure the implementation of any other type of consideration;

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a target company may not be hindered in the conduct of its affairs longer than is reasonable by an offer for its securities; and

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a “substantial acquisition” of securities, whether such acquisition is to be effected by one transaction or a series of transactions, shall take place only at an acceptable speed and shall be subject to adequate and timely disclosure.

Mandatory Bid

Under certain circumstances, a person who acquires shares, or other voting securities, of a company may be required under the Irish Takeover Rules to make a mandatory cash offer for the remaining outstanding voting securities in that company at a price not less than the highest price paid for the securities by the acquiror, or any parties acting in concert with the acquiror, during the previous 12 months. This mandatory bid requirement is triggered if an acquisition of securities would increase the aggregate holding of an acquiror, including the holdings of any parties acting in concert with the acquiror, to securities representing 30% or more of the voting rights in a company, unless the Irish Takeover Panel otherwise consents. An acquisition of securities by a person holding, together with its concert parties, securities representing between 30% and 50% of the voting rights in a company would also trigger the mandatory bid requirement if, after giving effect to the acquisition, the percentage of the voting rights held by that person, together with its concert parties, would increase by 0.05% within a 12-month period. Any person, excluding any parties acting in concert with the holder, holding securities representing more than 50% of the voting rights of a company is not subject to these mandatory offer requirements in purchasing additional securities.

Voluntary Bid; Requirements to Make a Cash Offer and Minimum Price Requirement

If a person makes a voluntary offer to acquire our outstanding ordinary shares, the offer price must not be less than the highest price paid for our ordinary shares by the bidder or its concert parties during the three-month period prior to the commencement of the offer period. The Irish Takeover Panel has the power to extend the “look back” period to 12 months if the Irish Takeover Panel, taking into account the General Principles, believes it is appropriate to do so.

If the bidder or any of its concert parties has acquired our ordinary shares (1) during the 12-month period prior to the commencement of the offer period that represent more than 10% of our total ordinary shares or (2) at any time after the commencement of the offer period, the offer must be in cash or accompanied by a full cash alternative and the price per ordinary share must not be less than the highest price paid by the bidder or its concert parties during, in the case of clause (1), the 12-month period prior to the commencement of the offer period or, in the case of (2), the offer period. The Irish Takeover Panel may apply this Rule to a bidder who, together with its concert parties, has acquired less than 10% of our total ordinary shares in the 12-month period prior to the commencement of the offer period if the Irish Takeover Panel, taking into account the General Principles, considers it just and proper to do so.

An offer period will generally commence from the date of the first announcement of the offer or proposed offer.

Substantial Acquisition Rules

The Irish Takeover Rules also contain rules governing substantial acquisitions of shares and other voting securities which restrict the speed at which a person may increase his or her holding of shares and rights over shares to an aggregate of between 15% and 30% of the voting rights of the company. Except in certain circumstances, an acquisition or series of acquisitions of shares or rights over shares representing 10% or more of the voting rights of the company is prohibited, if such acquisition(s), when aggregated with shares or rights already held, would result in the acquirer holding 15% or more but less than 30% of the voting rights of the company and such acquisitions are made within a period of seven days. These rules also require accelerated disclosure of acquisitions of shares or rights over shares relating to such holdings.

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Frustrating Action

Under the Irish Takeover Rules, our Board of Directors is not permitted to take any action that might frustrate an offer for our shares once our Board of Directors has received an approach that may lead to an offer or has reason to believe that such an offer is or may be imminent, subject to certain exceptions. Potentially frustrating actions such as 1) the issue of shares, options, restricted share units or convertible securities, (2) material acquisitions or disposals, (3) entering into contracts other than in the ordinary course of business or (4) any action, other than seeking alternative offers, which may result in frustration of an offer, are prohibited during the course of an offer or at any earlier time during which our Board of Directors has reason to believe an offer is or may be imminent. Exceptions to this prohibition are available where:

(a) the action is approved by our shareholders at a general meeting; or

(b) the Irish Takeover Panel has given its consent, where:

(i)

it is satisfied the action would not constitute frustrating action;

(ii)

our shareholders holding more than 50% of the voting rights state in writing that they approve the proposed action and would vote in favor of it at a general meeting;

(iii)

the action is taken in accordance with a contract entered into prior to the announcement of the offer, or any earlier time at which our Board of Directors considered the offer to be imminent; or

(iv)

the decision to take such action was made before the announcement of the offer and either has been at least partially implemented or is in the ordinary course of business.

Shareholders’ Rights Plan

Irish law does not expressly authorize or prohibit companies from issuing share purchase rights or adopting a shareholder rights plan as an anti-takeover measure. However, there is no directly relevant case law on the validity of such plans under Irish law. In addition, such a plan would be subject to the Irish Takeover Rules and the General Principles underlying the Irish Takeover Rules. The Avadel Constitution allows our Board of Directors to adopt a shareholder rights plan upon such terms and conditions as our Board of Directors deems expedient and in the best interests of us, subject to applicable law.

Subject to the Irish Takeover Rules, our Board of Directors also has power to issue any of our authorized and unissued shares on such terms and conditions as it may determine and any such action should be taken in our best interests. It is possible, however, that the terms and conditions of any issue of preference shares could discourage a takeover or other transaction that holders of some or a majority of the ordinary shares believe to be in their best interests or in which holders might receive a premium for their shares over the then-market price of the shares.

Disclosure of Interests in Shares

Under the Irish Companies Act, our shareholders must notify us if, as a result of a transaction, the shareholder will become interested in three percent or more of our voting shares, or if as a result of a transaction a shareholder who was interested in three percent or more of our voting shares ceases to be so interested. Where a shareholder is interested in three percent or more of our voting shares, the shareholder must notify us of any alteration of his or her interest that brings his or her total holding through the nearest whole percentage number, whether an increase or a reduction. The relevant percentage figure is calculated by reference to the aggregate nominal value of the voting shares in which the shareholder is interested as a proportion of the entire nominal value of our issued share capital (or any such class of share capital in issue). Where the percentage level of the shareholder’s interest does not amount to a whole percentage, this figure may be rounded down to the next whole number. We must be notified within five business days of the transaction or alteration of the shareholder’s interests that gave rise to the notification requirement. If a shareholder fails to comply with these notification requirements, the shareholder’s rights in respect of any of our shares it holds will not be enforceable, either directly or indirectly. However, such person may apply to the court to have the rights attaching to such shares reinstated.

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In addition to these disclosure requirements, we, under the Irish Companies Act, may, by notice in writing, require a person whom we know or have reasonable cause to believe to be, or at any time during the three years immediately preceding the date on which such notice is issued to have been, interested in shares comprised in our relevant share capital to (i) indicate whether or not it is the case and (ii) where such person holds or has during that time held an interest in our shares, to provide additional information, including the person’s own past or present interests in our shares. If the recipient of the notice fails to respond within the reasonable time period specified in the notice, we may apply to the Irish court for an order directing that the affected shares be subject to certain restrictions, as prescribed by the Irish Companies Act, as follows:

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any transfer of those shares or, in the case of unissued shares, any transfer of the right to be issued with shares and any issue of shares, shall be void;

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no voting rights shall be exercisable in respect of those shares;

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no further shares shall be issued in right of those shares or in pursuance of any offer made to the holder of those shares; and

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no payment shall be made of any sums due from us on those shares, whether in respect of capital or otherwise.

The court may also order that shares subject to any of these restrictions be sold with the restrictions terminating upon the completion of the sale.

In the event we are in an offer period pursuant to the Irish Takeover Rules, accelerated disclosure provisions apply for persons holding an interest in our securities of one percent or more.

Differences in Corporate Law

As a public limited company incorporated under the laws of Ireland, the rights of our shareholders are governed by applicable Irish law, including the Irish Companies Act, and not by the law of any U.S. state. As a result, our directors and shareholders are subject to different responsibilities, rights and privileges than are applicable to directors and shareholders of U.S. corporations. The applicable provisions of the Irish Companies Act differ from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain differences between the provisions of the Irish Companies Act applicable to us and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to shareholders’ rights and protections. The applicable provisions in respect of the Company under the Avadel Constitution is also set out where relevant. This summary is not intended to be a complete discussion of the respective rights and it is qualified in its entirety by reference to Delaware law and Irish law. You are also urged to carefully read the relevant provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Irish Companies Act for a more complete understanding of the differences between Delaware and Irish law.

	Ireland	Delaware
Number of Directors	The Irish Companies Act provides for a minimum of two directors. The Avadel Constitution provides for a minimum of two directors and a maximum of 13. Our shareholders may from time to time increase or reduce the maximum number, or increase the minimum number, of directors by ordinary resolution. Our Board of Directors determines the number of directors within the range of two to 13.	Under Delaware law, a corporation must have at least one director and the number of directors shall be fixed by or in the manner provided in the bylaws.
Removal of Directors	Under the Irish Companies Act, the shareholders may, by ordinary resolution, remove a director from office before the expiration of his or her term, at a meeting held no less than 28 days’ notice and at	Under Delaware law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors, except (i) unless

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	Ireland	Delaware
	which the director is entitled to be heard. Because of this provision of the Irish Companies Act, a director may be so removed before the expiration of his or her period of office. The power of removal is without prejudice to any claim for damages for breach of contract (e.g., employment contract) that the director may have against the Company in respect of his or her removal. The Avadel Constitution also provides that the office of a director will also be vacated if the director is restricted or disqualified to act as a director under the Irish Companies Act; resigns his or her office by notice in writing to us or in writing offers to resign and the directors resolve to accept such offer; or is requested to resign in writing by not less than 75% of the other directors.	the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, in the case of a corporation whose board of directors is classified, stockholders may effect such removal only for cause, or (ii) in the case of a corporation having cumulative voting, if less than the entire board of directors is to be removed, no director may be removed without cause if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire board of directors, or, if there are classes of directors, at an election of the class of directors of which he is a part.
Vacancies on the Board of Directors	Any vacancy on our Board of Directors, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of directors or from the death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal of a director, shall be deemed a casual vacancy. Subject to the terms of any one or more classes or series of preferred shares, any casual vacancy shall only be filled by the decision of a majority of our Board of Directors then in office, provided that a quorum is present and provided that the appointment does not cause the number of directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the Avadel Constitution as the maximum number of directors. Any director of a class of directors elected to fill a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of directors of such class shall hold office for the remaining term of that class. Any director elected to fill a vacancy not resulting from an increase in the number of directors shall have the same remaining term as that of his predecessor. A director retiring at a meeting shall retain office until the close or adjournment of the meeting.	Under Delaware law, vacancies and newly created directorships may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office (even though less than a quorum) or by a sole remaining director unless (i) otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or (ii) the certificate of incorporation directs that a particular class of stock is to elect such director, in which case a majority of the other directors elected by such class, or a sole remaining director elected by such class, will fill such vacancy.

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	Ireland	Delaware
Annual General Meeting	We are required to hold annual general meetings at intervals of no more than fifteen months after the previous annual general meeting, provided that an annual general meeting is held in each calendar year following our first annual general meeting, no more than nine months after our fiscal year-end. The only matters which must, as a matter of Irish company law, be transacted at an annual general meeting are the consideration of the Irish statutory financial statements, the report of the directors, the report of the auditors on those statements and that report and a review by the members of our affairs. If no resolution is made in respect of the reappointment of an auditor at an annual general meeting, the previous auditor will be deemed to have continued in office.	Under Delaware law, the annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, on such date and at such time as may be designated from time to time by the board of directors or as provided in the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws.
General Meeting	Our extraordinary general meetings may be convened by (i) our Board of Directors, (ii) on requisition of shareholders holding not less than 10% of our paid up share capital carrying voting rights or (iii) on requisition of our auditors. Extraordinary general meetings are generally held for the purposes of approving shareholder resolutions as may be required from time to time. If our directors become aware that our net assets are half or less of the amount of our called-up share capital, our directors must convene an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders not later than 28 days from the date that they learn of this fact. This meeting must be convened for the purposes of considering whether any, and if so what, measures should be taken to address the situation.	Under Delaware law, special meetings of the stockholders may be called by the board of directors or by such person or persons as may be authorized by the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws.
Notice of General Meetings	Notice of a general meeting must be given to all our shareholders and to our auditors. The Avadel Constitution provides that the maximum notice period is 60 days. The minimum notice periods are 21 days’ notice in writing for an annual general meeting or an extraordinary general meeting to approve a special resolution and 14 days’ notice in writing for any other extraordinary general meeting. General meetings may be called by shorter	Under Delaware law, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, written notice of any meeting of the stockholders must be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting and shall specify the place, date, hour and purpose or purposes of the meeting.

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	Ireland	Delaware
	notice, but only with the consent of our auditors and all of our shareholders entitled to attend and vote thereat. Because of the 21-day and 14-day requirements described in this paragraph, the Avadel Constitution includes provisions reflecting these requirements of Irish law. In the case of an extraordinary general meeting convened by our shareholders, the proposed purpose of the meeting must be set out in the requisition notice. Upon receipt of this requisition notice, our Board of Directors has 21 days to convene a meeting of our shareholders to vote on the matters set out in the requisition notice. This meeting must be held within two months of the receipt of the requisition notice. If our Board of Directors does not convene the meeting within such 21-day period, the requisitioning shareholders, or any of them representing more than one half of the total voting rights of all of them, may themselves convene a meeting, which meeting must be held within three months of the receipt of the requisition notice.
Quorum	The presence, in person or by proxy, of five or more persons holding or representing by proxy at least a majority in nominal value of the class or, at any adjourned meeting of such holders, one holder holding or representing by proxy at least a majority in nominal value of the issued shares of the class constitutes a quorum for the conduct of business. No business may take place at a general meeting if a quorum is not present in person or by proxy. Our Board of Directors has no authority to waive quorum requirements stipulated in the Avadel Constitution. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum in respect of the proposals.	The certificate of incorporation or bylaws may specify the number of shares, the holders of which shall be present or represented by proxy at any meeting in order to constitute a quorum, but in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one third of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting. In the absence of such specification in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, a majority of the shares entitled to vote, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of stockholders.

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	Ireland	Delaware
Proxy	Under Irish law, a shareholder may designate another person to attend, speak and vote at a general meeting of the company on their behalf by proxy, which proxy need not be a shareholder. Where interests in shares are held by a nominee trust company, this company may exercise the rights of the beneficial holders on their behalf as their proxy. Voting rights may be exercised by shareholders registered in the share register as of the record date for the meeting or by a duly appointed proxy of such a registered shareholder, which proxy need not be a shareholder. Where interests in shares are held by a nominee trust company, this company may exercise the rights of the beneficial holders on their behalf as their proxy. All proxies must be appointed in accordance with the Avadel Constitution. The Avadel Constitution permits the appointment of proxies by our shareholders to be notified to us electronically, when permitted by our directors.	Under Delaware law, at any meeting of stockholders, a stockholder may designate another person to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A director of a Delaware corporation may not issue a proxy representing the director’s voting rights as a director.
Issue of New Shares	Under the Avadel Constitution, we may issue shares subject to the maximum authorized share capital contained in the Avadel Constitution. The authorized share capital may be increased or reduced by a resolution approved by a simple majority of the votes cast at a general meeting of our shareholders, referred to under Irish law as an “ordinary resolution.” As a matter of Irish law, the directors of a company may issue new ordinary or preferred shares without shareholder approval once authorized to do so by its constitution or by an ordinary resolution adopted by our shareholders at a general meeting. The authorization may be granted for a maximum period of five years, at which point it may be renewed by shareholders by an ordinary resolution. Accordingly, the Avadel Constitution authorizes our Board of Directors to issue new ordinary or preferred shares without shareholder approval for a period of five years from the date of the adoption of the Avadel Constitution. The authority to issue preferred shares provides us with the	Under Delaware law, if the company’s certificate of incorporation so provides, the directors have the power to authorize the issuance of additional stock. The directors may authorize capital stock to be issued for consideration consisting of cash, any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the company or any combination thereof.

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				Ireland			Delaware
				flexibility to consider and respond to future business needs and opportunities as they arise from time to time, including in connection with capital raising, financing and acquisition transactions or opportunities. Under the Avadel Constitution, our Board of Directors will be authorized to issue preferred shares on a non-pre-emptive basis, with discretion as to the terms attaching to the preferred shares, including as to voting, dividend and conversion rights and priority relative to other classes of shares with respect to dividends and upon a liquidation. As described in the preceding paragraph, this authority extends until five years from the date of the adoption of the Avadel Constitution, at which time it will expire unless renewed by our shareholders. Notwithstanding this authority, under the Irish Takeover Rules our Board of Directors would not be permitted to issue any of our shares, including preferred shares, during a period when an offer has been made for us or is believed to be imminent unless the issue is (i) approved by our shareholders at a general meeting; (ii) consented to by the Irish Takeover Panel on the basis it would not constitute action frustrating the offer; (iii) consented to by the Irish Takeover Panel and approved by the holders of more than 50% of our shares carrying voting rights; (iv) consented to by the Irish Takeover Panel in circumstances where a contract for the issue of the shares had been entered into prior to that period; or (v) consented to by the Irish Takeover Panel in circumstances where the issue of the shares was decided by our directors prior to that period and either action has been taken to implement the issuance (whether in part or in full) prior to such period or the issuance was otherwise in the ordinary course of business.

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	Ireland	Delaware
Preemptive Rights	Under Irish law, unless otherwise authorized, when an Irish public limited company issues shares for cash to new shareholders, it is required first to offer those shares on the same or more favorable terms to existing shareholders of the company on a pro rata basis, commonly referred to as the statutory preemption right. However, we have opted out of these preemption rights in the Avadel Constitution as permitted under Irish law. Because Irish law permits this opt-out to last for a maximum of five years, the Avadel Constitution provides that this opt-out will lapse five years after the adoption of the Avadel Constitution. Such opt-out may be renewed by a special resolution of the shareholders. A special resolution requires not less than 75% of the votes cast at a general meeting of our shareholders. If the opt-out is not renewed, shares issued for cash must be offered to pre-existing shareholders of Avadel plc pro rata to their existing shareholding before the shares can be issued to any new shareholders. The statutory preemption rights do not apply where shares are issued for non-cash consideration and do not apply to the issue of non-equity shares (that is, shares that have the right to participate only up to a specified amount in any income or capital distribution).	Under Delaware law, shareholders have no preemptive rights to subscribe to additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and except to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the certificate of incorporation.
Authority to Allot	Under the Avadel Constitution, we may issue shares subject to the maximum authorized share capital contained in the Avadel Constitution. The authorized share capital may be increased or reduced by a resolution approved by a simple majority of the votes cast at a general meeting of our shareholders, referred to under Irish law as an “ordinary resolution.” Our authorized share capital may be divided into shares of such nominal value as the resolution shall prescribe. As a matter of Irish law, the directors of a company may issue new ordinary or preferred shares without shareholder approval once authorized to do so by its constitution or by an ordinary resolution adopted by our shareholders at a general meeting. The authorization may be granted for a maximum period of five years, at which	Under Delaware law, if the corporation’s charter or certificate of incorporation so provides, the board of directors has the power to authorize the issuance of stock. The board may authorize capital stock to be issued for consideration consisting of cash, any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the corporation or any combination thereof. It may determine the amount of such consideration by approving a formula. In the absence of actual fraud in the transaction, the judgment of the directors as to the value of such consideration is conclusive.

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	Ireland	Delaware
	point it may be renewed by shareholders by an ordinary resolution. Accordingly, the Avadel Constitution authorizes our Board of Directors to issue new ordinary or preferred shares without shareholder approval for a period of five years from the date of the adoption of the Avadel Constitution. The authority to issue preferred shares provides us with the flexibility to consider and respond to future business needs and opportunities as they arise from time to time, including in connection with capital raising, financing and acquisition transactions or opportunities.
Liability of Directors and Officers	To the fullest extent permitted by Irish law, the Avadel Constitution contains indemnification for the benefit of our directors, company secretary and executive officers. However, as to our directors and company secretary, this indemnity is limited by the Irish Companies Act, which prescribes that an advance commitment to indemnify only permits a company to pay the costs or discharge the liability of a director or company secretary where judgment is given in favor of the director or company secretary in any civil or criminal action in respect of such costs or liability, or where an Irish court grants relief because the director or company secretary acted honestly and reasonably and ought fairly to be excused. Any provision whereby an Irish company seeks to commit in advance to indemnify its directors or company secretary over and above the limitations imposed by the Irish Companies Act will be void, whether contained in its articles of association or any contract between the company and the director or company secretary. This restriction does not apply to our executive officers who are not directors, our company secretary or other persons who would be considered “officers” within the meaning of the Irish Companies Act. We are permitted under the Avadel Constitution and the Irish Companies Act to take out directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, as well as other types of insurance, for our directors, officers,	Under Delaware law, a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may include a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation and its stockholders for damages arising from a breach of fiduciary duty as a director. However, no provision can limit the liability of a director for: ■ any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; ■ acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; ■ intentional or negligent payment of unlawful dividends or stock purchases or redemptions; or ■ any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

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	Ireland	Delaware
	employees and agents. In order to attract and retain qualified directors and officers, we expect to purchase and maintain customary directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and other types of comparable insurance.
Voting Rights	Under the Avadel Constitution, each holder of our ordinary shares is entitled to one vote for each ordinary share that he or she holds as of the record date for the meeting. The holder of our deferred ordinary shares is not entitled to a vote. We may not exercise any voting rights in respect of any shares held as treasury shares. Any shares held by our subsidiaries will count as treasury shares for this purpose, and such subsidiaries cannot therefore exercise any voting rights in respect of those shares.	Delaware law provides that, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of capital stock held by such stockholder.
Shareholder Vote on Certain Transactions	Pursuant to Irish law, shareholder approval in connection with a transaction involving the Company would be required under the following circumstances: in connection with a scheme of arrangement, both a court order from the Irish High Court and the approval of a majority in number representing 75% in value of the shareholders present and voting in person or by proxy at a meeting called to approve such a scheme would be required; in connection with an acquisition of the Company by way of a merger with an EU company under the EU Cross-Border Mergers Directive 2005/56/EC, (as replaced by Directive (EU) 2017/1132 of 14 June 2017), approval by a special resolution of the shareholders would be required; and in connection with a merger with an Irish company under the Irish Companies Act, approval by a special resolution of shareholders would be required.	Generally, under Delaware law, unless the certificate of incorporation provides for the vote of a larger portion of the stock, completion of a merger, consolidation, sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of a corporation’s assets or dissolution requires: ■ the approval of the board of directors; and ■ the approval by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding stock or, if the certificate of incorporation provides for more or less than one vote per share, a majority of the votes of the outstanding stock of the corporation entitled to vote on the matter.

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	Standard of Conduct for Directors			The directors of the Company have certain statutory and fiduciary duties as a matter of Irish law. All of the directors have equal and overall responsibility for the management of the Company (although directors who also serve as employees may have additional responsibilities and duties arising under their employment agreements (if applicable), and it is likely that more will be expected of them in compliance with their duties than non-executive directors). The Irish Companies Act provides specifically for certain fiduciary duties of the directors of Irish companies, including duties: to act in good faith and in the best interests of the company; to act honestly and responsibly in relation to the company’s affairs; to act in accordance with the company’s constitution and to exercise powers only for lawful purposes; not to misuse the company’s property, information and/or opportunity; not to fetter their independent judgment; to avoid conflicts of interest; to exercise care, skill and diligence; and to have regard for the interests of the company’s shareholders. Other statutory duties of directors include ensuring the maintenance of proper books of account, having annual accounts prepared, having an annual audit performed, maintaining certain registers, making certain filings and disclosing personal interests. Directors of public limited companies such as Avadel will have a specific duty to ensure that the company secretary is a person with the requisite knowledge and experience to discharge the role. Directors may rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, prepared or presented by (1) other directors, officers or employees of the company whom the director reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters prepared or presented, (2) legal counsel, public			Delaware law does not contain specific provisions setting forth the standard of conduct of a director. The scope of the fiduciary duties of directors is generally determined by the courts of the State of Delaware. In general, directors have a duty to act without self-interest, on a well-informed basis and in a manner they reasonably believe to be in the best interest of the stockholders. Directors of a Delaware corporation owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the corporation and to its shareholders. The duty of care generally requires that a director act in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. In general, but subject to certain exceptions, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Delaware courts have also imposed a heightened standard of conduct upon directors of a Delaware corporation who take any action designed to defeat a threatened change in control of the corporation. In addition, under Delaware law, when the board of directors of a Delaware corporation approves the sale or break-up of a corporation, the board of directors may, in certain circumstances, have a duty to obtain the highest value reasonably available to the shareholders.

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	Ireland	Delaware
	accountants or other persons as to matters the director reasonably believes to be within their professional or expert competence, or (3) a committee of the board of which the director does not serve as to matters within its designated authority, which committee the director reasonably believed to merit confidence.
Shareholder Suits	In Ireland, the decision to institute proceedings is generally taken by a company’s board of directors, who will usually be empowered to manage the company’s business. In certain limited circumstances, a shareholder may be entitled to bring a derivative action on behalf of the company. The central question at issue in deciding whether a minority shareholder may be permitted to bring a derivative action is whether, unless the action is brought, a wrong committed against the company would otherwise go un-redressed. The principal case law in Ireland indicates that to bring a derivative action a person must first establish a prima facie case (i) that the company is entitled to the relief claimed and (ii) that the action falls within one of the five exceptions derived from case law, as follows: (1) where an ultra vires or illegal act is perpetrated; (2) where more than a bare majority is required to ratify the “wrong” complained of; (3) where the shareholders’ personal rights are infringed; (4) where a fraud has been perpetrated upon a minority by those in control; or (5) where the justice of the case requires a minority to be permitted to institute proceedings. Shareholders may also bring proceedings against the company where the affairs of the company are being conducted, or the powers of the directors are being exercised, in a manner oppressive to theshareholders or in disregard of their interests. Oppression connotes conduct that is burdensome, harsh or wrong.	Under Delaware law, a stockholder may initiate a derivative action to enforce a right of a corporation if the corporation fails to enforce the right itself. The complaint must: ■ state that the plaintiff was a stockholder at the time of the transaction of which the plaintiff complains or that the plaintiffs shares thereafter devolved on the plaintiff by operation of law; and ■ allege with particularity the efforts made by the plaintiff to obtain the action the plaintiff desires from the directors and the reasons for the plaintiff’s failure to obtain the action; or ■ state the reasons for not making the effort. Additionally, the plaintiff must remain a stockholder through the duration of the derivative suit. The action will not be dismissed or compromised without the approval of the Delaware Court of Chancery.

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				Conduct must relate to the internal management of the company. This is an Irish statutory remedy and the court can grant any order it sees fit, usually providing for the purchase or transfer of the shares of any shareholder.

Listing

ADSs representing our ordinary shares are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol “AVDL.”

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

As used in this prospectus, the term “debt securities” means the debentures, notes, bonds and other evidences of indebtedness that we may issue from time to time. The debt securities will either be senior debt securities, senior subordinated debt or subordinated debt securities. We may also issue convertible debt securities. Debt securities issued under an indenture (which we refer to herein as an Indenture) will be under an Indenture entered into between us and a trustee to be named therein. It is likely that convertible debt securities will not be issued under an Indenture.

The Indenture or forms of Indentures, if any, will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The statements and descriptions in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement regarding provisions of the Indentures and debt securities are summaries thereof, do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and are qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Indentures (and any amendments or supplements we may enter into from time to time which are permitted under each Indenture) and the debt securities, including the definitions therein of certain terms.

General

Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the debt securities will be direct secured or unsecured obligations of our company. The senior debt securities will rank equally with any of our other unsecured senior and unsubordinated debt. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment to any senior indebtedness.

We may issue debt securities from time to time in one or more series, in each case with the same or various maturities, at par or at a discount. Unless indicated in a prospectus supplement, we may issue additional debt securities of a particular series without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series outstanding at the time of the issuance. Any such additional debt securities, together with all other outstanding debt securities of that series, will constitute a single series of debt securities under the applicable Indenture and will be equal in ranking.

Should an Indenture relate to unsecured indebtedness, in the event of a bankruptcy or other liquidation event involving a distribution of assets to satisfy our outstanding indebtedness or an event of default under a loan agreement relating to secured indebtedness of our company or its subsidiaries, the holders of such secured indebtedness, if any, would be entitled to receive payment of principal and interest prior to payments on the senior indebtedness issued under an Indenture.

Prospectus Supplement

Each prospectus supplement will describe the terms relating to the specific series of debt securities being offered. These terms will include some or all of the following:

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the title of debt securities and whether they are subordinated, senior subordinated or senior debt securities;

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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of debt securities of such series;

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the percentage of the principal amount at which the debt securities of any series will be issued;

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the ability to issue additional debt securities of the same series;

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the purchase price for the debt securities and the denominations of the debt securities;

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the specific designation of the series of debt securities being offered;

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the maturity date or dates of the debt securities and the date or dates upon which the debt securities are payable and the rate or rates at which the debt securities of the series shall bear interest, if any, which may be fixed or variable, or the method by which such rate shall be determined;

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the basis for calculating interest if other than 360-day year or twelve 30-day months;

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the date or dates from which any interest will accrue or the method by which such date or dates will be determined;

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the duration of any deferral period, including the maximum consecutive period during which interest payment periods may be extended;

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whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the debt securities may be determined with reference to any index, formula or other method, such as one or more currencies, commodities, equity indices or other indices, and the manner of determining the amount of such payments;

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the dates on which we will pay interest on the debt securities and the regular record date for determining who is entitled to the interest payable on any interest payment date;

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the place or places where the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the debt securities will be payable, where any securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer, exchange or conversion, as applicable, and notices and demands may be delivered to or upon us pursuant to the applicable Indenture;

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the rate or rates of amortization of the debt securities;

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if we possess the option to do so, the periods within which and the prices at which we may redeem the debt securities, in whole or in part, pursuant to optional redemption provisions, and the other terms and conditions of any such provisions;

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our obligation or discretion, if any, to redeem, repay or purchase debt securities by making periodic payments to a sinking fund or through an analogous provision or at the option of holders of the debt securities, and the period or periods within which and the price or prices at which we will redeem, repay or purchase the debt securities, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation, and the other terms and conditions of such obligation;

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the terms and conditions, if any, regarding the option or mandatory conversion or exchange of debt securities;

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the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which any debt securities of the series may be redeemed, in whole or in part at our option and, if other than by a board resolution, the manner in which any election by us to redeem the debt securities shall be evidenced;

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any restriction or condition on the transferability of the debt securities of a particular series;

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the portion, or methods of determining the portion, of the principal amount of the debt securities which we must pay upon the acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities in connection with any event of default if other than the full principal amount;

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the currency or currencies in which the debt securities will be denominated and in which principal, any premium and any interest will or may be payable or a description of any units based on or relating to a currency or currencies in which the debt securities will be denominated;

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provisions, if any, granting special rights to holders of the debt securities upon the occurrence of specified events;

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any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the events of default or our covenants with respect to the applicable series of debt securities, and whether or not such events of default or covenants are consistent with those contained in the applicable Indenture;

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any limitation on our ability to incur debt, redeem stock, sell our assets or other restrictions;

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the application, if any, of the terms of the applicable Indenture relating to defeasance and covenant defeasance (which terms are described below) to the debt securities;

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what subordination provisions will apply to the debt securities;

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the terms, if any, upon which the holders may convert or exchange the debt securities into or for our ordinary shares, preferred shares or other securities or property;

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whether we are issuing the debt securities in whole or in part in global form;

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any change in the right of the trustee or the requisite holders of debt securities to declare the principal amount thereof due and payable because of an event of default;

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the depositary for global or certificated debt securities, if any;

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any material U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to the debt securities, including any debt securities denominated and made payable, as described in the prospectus supplements, in foreign currencies, or units based on or related to foreign currencies;

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any right we may have to satisfy, discharge and defease our obligations under the debt securities, or terminate or eliminate restrictive covenants or events of default in the Indentures, by depositing money or U.S. government obligations with the trustee of the Indentures;

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the names of any trustees, depositories, authenticating or paying agents, transfer agents or registrars or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

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to whom any interest on any debt security shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the security is registered, on the record date for such interest, the extent to which, or the manner in which, any interest payable on a temporary global debt security will be paid if other than in the manner provided in the applicable Indenture;

■

if the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities is to be payable in one or more currencies or currency units other than as stated, the currency, currencies or currency units in which it shall be paid and the periods within and terms and conditions upon which such election is to be made and the amounts payable (or the manner in which such amount shall be determined);

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the portion of the principal amount of any debt securities which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity of the debt securities pursuant to the applicable Indenture if other than the entire principal amount;

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if the principal amount payable at the stated maturity of any debt security of the series will not be determinable as of any one or more dates prior to the stated maturity, the amount which shall be deemed to be the principal amount of such debt securities as of any such date for any purpose, including the principal amount thereof which shall be due and payable upon any maturity other than the stated maturity or which shall be deemed to be outstanding as of any date prior to the stated maturity (or, in any such case, the manner in which such amount deemed to be the principal amount shall be determined); and

■

any other specific terms of the debt securities, including any modifications to the events of default under the debt securities and any other terms which may be required by or advisable under applicable laws or regulations.

Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not be listed on any securities exchange. Holders of the debt securities may present registered debt securities for exchange or transfer in the manner described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as limited by the applicable Indenture, we will provide these services without charge, other than any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with the exchange or transfer.

Debt securities may bear interest at a fixed rate or a variable rate as specified in the prospectus supplement. In addition, if specified in the prospectus supplement, we may sell debt securities bearing no interest or interest at a rate that at the time of issuance is below the prevailing market rate, or at a discount below their stated principal amount. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement any special federal income tax considerations applicable to these discounted debt securities.

We may issue debt securities with the principal amount payable on any principal payment date, or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date, to be determined by referring to one or more currency exchange rates, commodity prices, equity indices or other factors. Holders of such debt securities may receive a principal amount on any principal payment date, or interest payments on any interest payment date, that are greater or less than the amount of principal or interest otherwise payable on such dates, depending upon the value on such dates of

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applicable currency, commodity, equity index or other factors. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information as to how we will determine the amount of principal or interest payable on any date, as well as the currencies, commodities, equity indices or other factors to which the amount payable on that date relates and certain additional tax considerations.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our ordinary shares, our preferred shares or other securities (including securities of a third-party). We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our ordinary shares, our preferred shares or other securities (including securities of a third-party) that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the Indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the Indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for other securities of ours or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

Events of Default Under the Indenture

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the Indenture with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

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if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended;

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if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable at maturity, upon redemption or repurchase or otherwise, and the time for payment has not been extended;

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if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the Indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and

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if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.

We will describe in each applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any additional events of default relating to the relevant series of debt securities.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the unpaid principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.

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The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the Indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

Subject to the terms of the Indentures, if an event of default under an Indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such Indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

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the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable Indenture; and

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subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “Trust Indenture Act”), the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the Indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:

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the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

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the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the trustee or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense or to be incurred in compliance with instituting the proceeding as trustee; and

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the trustee does not institute the proceeding and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities, or other defaults that may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus.

We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the Indentures.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

Subject to the terms of the Indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue, we and the trustee may change an Indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to the following specific matters:

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to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the Indenture;

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to comply with the provisions described above under “Consolidation, Merger or Sale;”

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to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any Indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

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to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the Indenture;

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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “Description of Debt Securities — General,” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the Indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;

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to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;

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to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred to us in the Indenture; or

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to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

In addition, under the Indenture, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, subject to the terms of the Indenture for any series of debt securities that we may issue or as otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

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extend the stated maturity of the series of debt securities;

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reduce the principal amount, reduce the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reduce any premium payable upon the redemption or repurchase of any debt securities; or

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reduce the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.

Discharge

Each Indenture will provide that, subject to the terms of the Indenture and any limitation otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:

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replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

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maintain paying agencies;

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hold monies for payment in trust;

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recover excess money held by the trustee;

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compensate and indemnify the trustee; and

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appoint any successor trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The Indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depository named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus with respect to that series.

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the Indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

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Subject to the terms of the Indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will make no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series. If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

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issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

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register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

Information Concerning the Trustee

The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an Indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable Indenture. Upon an event of default under an Indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs.

Subject to this provision, the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the Indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

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Governing Law

The Indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.

Ranking of Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. The subordinated Indenture will not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue. It also will not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

The senior debt securities will rank equally in right of payment to all our other senior unsecured debt. The senior Indenture does not limit the amount of senior debt securities that we may issue. It also does not limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

American Depositary Shares

The Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, will register and deliver American Depositary Shares, also referred to as ADSs. Each ADS will represent one share (or a right to receive one share) deposited with The Bank of New York Mellon, acting through an office located in the United Kingdom, as custodian for the depositary. Each ADS will also represent any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The depositary’s office at which the ADSs will be administered and its principal executive office are located at 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286.

You may hold ADSs either (A) directly (i) by having an American Depositary Receipt, also referred to as an ADR, which is a certificate evidencing a specific number of ADSs, registered in your name, or (ii) by having uncertificated ADSs registered in your name, or (B) indirectly by holding a security entitlement in ADSs through your broker or other financial institution that is a direct or indirect participant in The Depository Trust Company, also called DTC. If you hold ADSs directly, you are a registered ADS holder, also referred to as an ADS holder. This description assumes you are an ADS holder. If you hold the ADSs indirectly, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or other financial institution to assert the rights of ADS holders described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.

Registered holders of uncertificated ADSs will receive statements from the depositary confirming their holdings.

As an ADS holder, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have shareholder rights. Irish law governs shareholder rights. The depositary will be the holder of the shares underlying your ADSs. As a registered holder of ADSs, you will have ADS holder rights. A deposit agreement among us, the depositary, ADS holders and all other persons indirectly or beneficially holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADSs.

The following is a summary of the material provisions of the deposit agreement. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR. Directions on how to obtain copies of those documents are provided under the section titled “Where You Can Find More Information”.

Dividends and Other Distributions

How will you receive dividends and other distributions on the shares?

The depositary has agreed to pay or distribute to ADS holders the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on shares or other deposited securities, upon payment or deduction of its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of shares your ADSs represent.

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Cash. The depositary will (if necessary) convert any cash dividend or other cash distribution we pay on the shares into U.S. dollars, if it can do so on a reasonable basis and can transfer the U.S. dollars to the United States. If that is not possible or if any government approval is needed and can not be obtained, the deposit agreement allows the depositary to distribute the foreign currency only to those ADS holders to whom it is possible to do so. It will hold the foreign currency it cannot convert for the account of the ADS holders who have not been paid. It will not invest the foreign currency and it will not be liable for any interest.

Before making a distribution, any withholding taxes, or other governmental charges that must be paid will be deducted. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders.

The depositary will distribute only whole U.S. dollars and cents and will round fractional cents to the nearest whole cent. If the exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert the foreign currency, you may lose some of the value of the distribution.

Shares. The depositary may distribute additional ADSs representing any shares we distribute as a dividend or fee distribution. The depositary will only distribute whole ADSs. It will sell shares which would require it to deliver a fraction of an ADS (or ADSs representing those shares) and distribute the net proceeds in the same way as it does with cash. If the depositary does not distribute additional ADSs, the outstanding ADSs will also represent the new shares. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed shares (or ADSs representing those shares) sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution.

Rights to purchase additional shares. If we offer holders of our securities any rights to subscribe for additional shares or any other rights, the depositary may (i) exercise those rights on behalf of ADS holders, (ii) distribute those rights to ADS holders or (iii) sell those rights and distribute the net proceeds to ADS holders, in each case after deduction or upon payment of its fees and expenses. To the extent the depositary does not do any of those things, it will allow the rights to lapse. In that case, you will receive no value for them. The depositary will exercise or distribute rights only if we ask it to and provide satisfactory assurances to the depositary that it is legal to do so. If the depositary will exercise rights, it will purchase the securities to which the rights relate and distribute those securities or, in the case of shares, new ADSs representing the new shares, to subscribing ADS holders, but only if ADS holders have paid the exercise price to the depositary. U.S. securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute rights or ADSs or other securities issued on exercise of rights to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.

Other Distributions. The depositary will send to ADS holders anything else we distribute on deposited securities by any means it thinks is legal, fair and practical. If it cannot make the distribution in that way, the depositary has a choice. It may decide to sell what we distributed and distribute the net proceeds, in the same way as it does with cash. Or, it may decide to hold what we distributed, in which case ADSs will also represent the newly distributed property. However, the depositary is not required to distribute any securities (other than ADSs) to ADS holders unless it receives satisfactory evidence from us that it is legal to make that distribution. The depositary may sell a portion of the distributed securities or property sufficient to pay its fees and expenses in connection with that distribution. U.S. securities laws may restrict the ability of the depositary to distribute securities to all or certain ADS holders, and the securities distributed may be subject to restrictions on transfer.

The depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any ADS holders. We have no obligation to register ADSs, shares, rights or other securities under the Securities Act. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, shares, rights or anything else to ADS holders. This means that you may not receive the distributions we make on our shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you.

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Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation

How are ADSs issued?

The depositary will deliver ADSs if you or your broker deposits shares or evidence of rights to receive shares with the custodian. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will register the appropriate number of ADSs in the names you request and will deliver the ADSs to or upon the order of the person or persons that made the deposit.

How can ADS holders withdraw the deposited securities?

You may surrender your ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal at the depositary’s office. Upon payment of its fees and expenses and of any taxes or charges, such as stamp taxes or stock transfer taxes or fees, the depositary will deliver the shares and any other deposited securities underlying the ADSs to the ADS holder or a person the ADS holder designates at the office of the custodian. Or, at your request, risk and expense, the depositary will deliver the deposited securities at its office, if feasible. The depositary may charge you a fee and its expenses for instructing the custodian regarding delivery of deposited securities.

How do ADS holders interchange between certificated ADSs and uncertificated ADSs?

You may surrender your ADR to the depositary for the purpose of exchanging your ADR for uncertificated ADSs. The depositary will cancel that ADR and will send to the ADS holder a statement confirming that the ADS holder is the registered holder of uncertificated ADSs. Upon receipt by the depositary of a proper instruction from a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs requesting the exchange of uncertificated ADSs for certificated ADSs, the depositary will executed and deliver to the ADS holder an ADR evidencing those ADSs.

Voting Rights

How do you vote?

ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote the number of deposited shares their ADSs represent. If we request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions (and we are not required to do so), the depositary will notify you of a shareholders’ meeting and send or make voting materials available to you. Those materials will describe the matters to be voted on and explain how ADS holders may instruct the depositary how to vote. For instructions to be valid, they much reach the depositary by a date set by the depositary. The depositary will try, as far as practical, subject to the laws of Ireland and the provisions of our articles of association or similar documents, to vote or to have its agents vote the shares or other deposited securities as instructed by ADS holders. If we do not request the depositary to solicit your voting instructions, you can still send voting instructions, and, in that case, the depositary may try to vote as you instruct, but it is not required to do so.

Except by instructing the depositary as described above, you won’t be able to exercise voting rights unless you surrender your ADSs and withdraw the shares. However, you may not know about the meeting enough in advance to withdraw the shares. In any event, the depositary will not exercise any discretion in voting deposited securities and it will only vote or attempt to vote as instructed or as described in the following sentence. If we asked the depositary to solicit your instructions at least 30 days before the meeting date but the depositary does not receive voting instructions from you by the specified date, it will consider you to have authorized and directed it to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote the number of deposited securities represented by your ADSs. The depositary will give a discretionary proxy in those circumstances to vote on all questions at to be voted upon unless we notify the depositary that:

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we do not wish to receive a discretionary proxy;

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there is substantial shareholder opposition to the particular question; or

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the particular question would have an adverse impact on our shareholders.

We are required to notify the depositary if one of the conditions specified above exists.

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We can not assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote your shares. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise voting rights and there may be nothing you can do if your shares are not voted as you requested.

In order to give you a reasonable opportunity to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of voting rights relating to Deposited Securities, if we request the Depositary to act, we agree to give the depositary notice of any such meeting and details concerning the matters to be voted upon at least 30 days in advance of the meeting date.

Fees and Expenses

Persons depositing or withdrawing shares or ADS holders must pay:			For:
$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs)			Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of shares or rights or other property Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates
$.05 (or less) per ADS			Any cash distribution to ADS holders
A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been shares and the shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs			Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities (including rights) that are distributed by the depositary to ADS holders
$.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year			Depositary services
Registration or transfer fees			Transfer and registration of shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw shares
Expenses of the depositary			Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement) converting foreign currency to U.S. dollars
Taxes and other governmental charges the depositary or the custodian has to pay on any ADSs or shares underlying ADSs, such as stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes			As necessary
Any charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities			As necessary

The depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable (or by selling a portion of securities or other property distributable) to ADS holders that are obligated to pay those fees. The depositary may generally refuse to provide fee-attracting services until its fees for those services are paid.

From time to time, the depositary may make payments to us to reimburse us for costs and expenses generally arising out of establishment and maintenance of the ADS program, waive fees and expenses for services provided to us by the depositary or share revenue from the fees collected from ADS holders. In performing its duties under the deposit agreement, the depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.

The depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates and, in those cases, acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under the deposit agreement and the rate that the depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for

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its own account. The depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained in any currency conversion under the deposit agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to ADS holders, subject to the depositary’s obligations under the deposit agreement. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions is available upon request.

Payment of Taxes

You will be responsible for any taxes or other governmental charges payable on your ADSs or on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs. The depositary may refuse to register any transfer of your ADSs or allow you to withdraw the deposited securities represented by your ADSs until those taxes or other charges are paid. It may apply payments owed to you or sell deposited securities represented by your ADSs to pay any taxes owed and you will remain liable for any deficiency. If the depositary sells deposited securities, it will, if appropriate, reduce the number of ADSs to reflect the sale and pay to ADS holders any proceeds, or send to ADS holders any property, remaining after it has paid the taxes.

Tender and Exchange Offers; Redemption, Replacement or Cancellation of Deposited Securities

The depositary will not tender deposited securities in any voluntary tender or exchange offer unless instructed to do by an ADS holder surrendering ADSs and subject to any conditions or procedures the depositary may establish.

If deposited securities are redeemed for cash in a transaction that is mandatory for the depositary as a holder of deposited securities, the depositary will call for surrender of a corresponding number of ADSs and distribute the net redemption money to the holders of called ADSs upon surrender of those ADSs.

If there is any change in the deposited securities such as a sub-division, combination or other reclassification, or any merger, consolidation, recapitalization or reorganization affecting the issuer of deposited securities in which the depositary receives new securities in exchange for or in lieu of the old deposited securities, the depositary will hold those replacement securities as deposited securities under the deposit agreement. However, if the depositary decides it would not be lawful and to hold the replacement securities because those securities could not be distributed to ADS holders or for any other reason, the depositary may instead sell the replacement securities and distribute the net proceeds upon surrender of the ADSs.

If there is a replacement of the deposited securities and the depositary will continue to hold the replacement securities, the depositary may distribute new ADSs representing the new deposited securities or ask you to surrender your outstanding ADRs in exchange for new ADRs identifying the new deposited securities.

If there are no deposited securities underlying ADSs, including if the deposited securities are cancelled, or if the deposited securities underlying ADSs have become apparently worthless, the depositary may call for surrender or of those ADSs or cancel those ADSs upon notice to the ADS holders.

Amendment and Termination

How may the deposit agreement be amended?

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADRs without your consent for any reason. If an amendment adds or increases fees or charges, except for taxes and other governmental charges or expenses of the depositary for registration fees, facsimile costs, delivery charges or similar items, or prejudices a substantial right of ADS holders, it will not become effective for outstanding ADSs until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, you are considered, by continuing to hold your ADSs, to agree to the amendment and to be bound by the ADRs and the deposit agreement as amended.

How may the deposit agreement be terminated?

The depositary will initiate termination of the deposit agreement if we instruct it to do so. The depositary may initiate termination of the deposit agreement if

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60 days have passed since the depositary told us it wants to resign but a successor depositary has not been appointed and accepted its appointment;

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we delist the ADSs from an exchange on which they were listed and do not list the ADSs on another exchange;

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we appear to be insolvent or enter insolvency proceedings

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all or substantially all the value of the deposited securities has been distributed either in cash or in the form of securities;

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there are no deposited securities underlying the ADSs or the underlying deposited securities have become apparently worthless; or

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there has been a replacement of deposited securities.

If the deposit agreement will terminate, the depositary will notify ADS holders at least 90 days before the termination date. At any time after the termination date, the depositary may sell the deposited securities. After that, the depositary will hold the money it received on the sale, as well as any other cash it is holding under the deposit agreement, unsegregated and without liability for interest, for the pro rata benefit of the ADS holders that have not surrendered their ADSs. Normally, the depositary will sell as soon as practicable after the termination date.

After the termination date and before the depositary sells, ADS holders can still surrender their ADSs and receive delivery of deposited securities, except that the depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing deposited securities if it would interfere with the selling process. The depositary may refuse to accept a surrender for the purpose of withdrawing sale proceeds until all the deposited securities have been sold. The depositary will continue to collect distributions on deposited securities, but, after the termination date, the depositary is not required to register any transfer of ADSs or distribute any dividends or other distributions on deposited securities to the ADSs holder (until they surrender their ADSs) or give any notices or perform any other duties under the deposit agreement except as described in this paragraph.

Limitations on Obligations and Liability

Limits on our Obligations and the Obligations of the Depositary; Limits on Liability to Holders of ADSs

The deposit agreement expressly limits our obligations and the obligations of the depositary. It also limits our liability and the liability of the depositary. We and the depositary:

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are only obligated to take the actions specifically set forth in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith;

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are not liable if we are or it is prevented or delayed by law or circumstances beyond our or its control from performing our or its obligations under the deposit agreement;

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are not liable if we or it exercises discretion permitted under the deposit agreement;

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are not liable for the inability of any holder of ADSs to benefit from any distribution on deposited securities that is not made available to holders of ADSs under the terms of the deposit agreement, or for any special, consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement;

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have no obligation to become involved in a lawsuit or other proceeding related to the ADSs or the deposit agreement on your behalf or on behalf of any other person;

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the depositary has no duty to make any determination or provide any information as to our tax status, or any liability for any tax consequences that may be incurred by ADS holders as a result of owning or holding ADSs;

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are not liable for the acts or omissions of any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system; and

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may rely upon any documents we believe or it believes in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper person.

In the deposit agreement, we and the depositary agree to indemnify each other under certain circumstances.

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Requirements for Depositary Actions

Before the depositary will deliver or register a transfer of ADSs, make a distribution on ADSs, or permit withdrawal of shares, the depositary may require:

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payment of stock transfer or other taxes or other governmental charges and transfer or registration fees charged by third parties for the transfer of any shares or other deposited securities;

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satisfactory proof of the identity and genuineness of any signature or other information it deems necessary; and

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compliance with regulations it may establish, from time to time, consistent with the deposit agreement, including presentation of transfer documents.

The depositary may refuse to deliver ADSs or register transfers of ADSs when the transfer books of the depositary or our transfer books are closed or at any time if the depositary or we think it advisable to do so.

Your Right to Receive the Shares Underlying your ADSs

ADS holders have the right to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying shares at any time except:

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when temporary delays arise because: (i) the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books; (ii) the transfer of shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting; or (iii) we are paying a dividend on our shares;

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when you owe money to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; or

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when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of shares or other deposited securities.

This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.

Direct Registration System

In the deposit agreement, all parties to the deposit agreement acknowledge that the Direct Registration System, also referred to as DRS, and Profile Modification System, also referred to as Profile, will apply to the ADSs. DRS is a system administered by DTC that facilitates interchange between registered holding of uncertificated ADSs and holding of security entitlements in ADSs through DTC and a DTC participant. Profile is a feature of DRS that allows a DTC participant, claiming to act on behalf of a registered holder of uncertificated ADSs, to direct the depositary to register a transfer of those ADSs to DTC or its nominee and to deliver those ADSs to the DTC account of that DTC participant without receipt by the depositary of prior authorization from the ADS holder to register that transfer.

In connection with and in accordance with the arrangements and procedures relating to DRS/Profile, the parties to the deposit agreement understand that the depositary will not determine whether the DTC participant that is claiming to be acting on behalf of an ADS holder in requesting registration of transfer and delivery as described in the paragraph above has the actual authority to act on behalf of the ADS holder (notwithstanding any requirements under the Uniform Commercial Code). In the deposit agreement, the parties agree that the depositary’s reliance on and compliance with instructions received by the depositary through the DRS/Profile system and in accordance with the deposit agreement will not constitute negligence or bad faith on the part of the depositary.

Shareholder communications; inspection of register of holders of ADSs

The depositary will make available for your inspection at its office all communications that it receives from us as a holder of deposited securities that we make generally available to holders of deposited securities. The depositary will send you copies of those communications or otherwise make those communications available to you if we ask it to. You have a right to inspect the register of holders of ADSs, but not for the purpose of contacting those holders about a matter unrelated to our business or the ADSs.

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Jury Trial Waiver

The deposit agreement provides that, to the extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable in the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable case law.

You will not, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, be deemed to have waived our or the depositary’s compliance with U.S. Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.

General

We may issue warrants for the purchase of ordinary shares, preferred shares and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with ordinary shares, preferred shares and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities.

We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue under a separate warrant agreement. We will enter into the warrant agreement with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:

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the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

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the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

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if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

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in the case of warrants to purchase ordinary shares or preferred shares, the number of ordinary shares or preferred shares, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

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the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;

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the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

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any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

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the periods during which, and places at which, the warrants are exercisable;

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the manner of exercise;

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the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

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the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;

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U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

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the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units comprised of ordinary shares, preferred shares, debt securities and/or warrants in any combination. We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section outlines certain provisions of the units that we may issue. If we issue units, they will be issued under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. The information described in this section may not be complete in all respects and is qualified entirely by reference to the unit agreement with respect to the units of any particular series. The specific terms of any series of units offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If so described in a particular supplement, the specific terms of any series of units may differ from the general description of terms presented below. We urge you to read any prospectus supplement related to any series of units we may offer, as well as the complete unit agreement and unit certificate that contain the terms of the units. If we issue units, forms of unit agreements and unit certificates relating to such units will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement, which includes this prospectus.

Each unit that we may issue will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date. The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:

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the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

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any provisions of the governing unit agreement;

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the price or prices at which such units will be issued;

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the applicable U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the units;

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any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and

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any other terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Share Capital,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to the securities included in each unit, to the extent relevant and as may be updated in any prospectus supplements.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Unit Agreements

We will issue any units under one or more unit agreements to be entered into between us and a bank or other financial institution, as unit agent. We may add, replace or terminate unit agents from time to time. We will identify the unit agreement under which each series of units will be issued and the unit agent under that agreement in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The following provisions will generally apply to all unit agreements unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement:

Modification without Consent

We and the applicable unit agent may amend any unit or unit agreement without the consent of any holder:

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to cure any ambiguity; any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below;

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to correct or supplement any defective or inconsistent provision; or

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to make any other change that we believe is necessary or desirable and will not adversely affect the interests of the affected holders in any material respect.

We do not need any approval to make changes that affect only units to be issued after the changes take effect. We may also make changes that do not adversely affect a particular unit in any material respect, even if they adversely affect other units in a material respect. In those cases, we do not need to obtain the approval of the holder of the unaffected unit; we need only obtain any required approvals from the holders of the affected units.

Modification with Consent

We may not amend any particular unit or a unit agreement with respect to any particular unit unless we obtain the consent of the holder of that unit, if the amendment would:

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impair any right of the holder to exercise or enforce any right under a security included in the unit if the terms of that security require the consent of the holder to any changes that would impair the exercise or enforcement of that right; or

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reduce the percentage of outstanding units or any series or class the consent of whose holders is required to amend that series or class, or the applicable unit agreement with respect to that series or class, as described below.

Any other change to a particular unit agreement and the units issued under that agreement would require the following approval:

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If the change affects only the units of a particular series issued under that agreement, the change must be approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding units of that series; or

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If the change affects the units of more than one series issued under that agreement, it must be approved by the holders of a majority of all outstanding units of all series affected by the change, with the units of all the affected series voting together as one class for this purpose.

These provisions regarding changes with majority approval also apply to changes affecting any securities issued under a unit agreement, as the governing document.

In each case, the required approval must be given by written consent.

Unit Agreements Will Not Be Qualified under Trust Indenture Act

No unit agreement will be qualified as an Indenture, and no unit agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of units issued under unit agreements will not have the protections of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their units.

Mergers and Similar Transactions Permitted; No Restrictive Covenants or Events of Default

The unit agreements will not restrict our ability to merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets to, another corporation or other entity or to engage in any other transactions. If at any time we merge or consolidate with, or sell our assets substantially as an entirety to, another corporation or other entity, the successor entity will succeed to and assume our obligations under the unit agreements. We will then be relieved of any further obligation under these agreements.

The unit agreements will not include any restrictions on our ability to put liens on our assets, nor will they restrict our ability to sell our assets. The unit agreements also will not provide for any events of default or remedies upon the occurrence of any events of default.

Governing Law

The unit agreements and the units will be governed by Delaware law.

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Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue each unit in global — i.e., book-entry — form only. Units in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the units represented by the global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a unit will do so through participants in the depositary’s system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants. We will describe book-entry securities, and other terms regarding the issuance and registration of the units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Each unit and all securities comprising the unit will be issued in the same form.

If we issue any units in registered, non-global form, the following will apply to them.

The units will be issued in the denominations stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders may exchange their units for units of smaller denominations or combined into fewer units of larger denominations, as long as the total amount is not changed.

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Holders may exchange or transfer their units at the office of the unit agent. Holders may also replace lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated units at that office. We may appoint another entity to perform these functions or perform them ourselves.

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Holders will not be required to pay a service charge to transfer or exchange their units, but they may be required to pay for any tax or other governmental charge associated with the transfer or exchange. The transfer or exchange, and any replacement, will be made only if our transfer agent is satisfied with the holder’s proof of legal ownership. The transfer agent may also require an indemnity before replacing any units.

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If we have the right to redeem, accelerate or settle any units before their maturity, and we exercise our right as to less than all those units or other securities, we may block the exchange or transfer of those units during the period beginning 15 days before the day we mail the notice of exercise and ending on the day of that mailing, in order to freeze the list of holders to prepare the mailing. We may also refuse to register transfers of or exchange any unit selected for early settlement, except that we will continue to permit transfers and exchanges of the unsettled portion of any unit being partially settled. We may also block the transfer or exchange of any unit in this manner if the unit includes securities that are or may be selected for early settlement.

Only the depositary will be entitled to transfer or exchange a unit in global form, since it will be the sole holder of the unit.

Payments and Notices

In making payments and giving notices with respect to our units, we will follow the procedures as described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell securities:

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through underwriters;

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through dealers;

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through agents;

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directly to purchasers; or

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through a combination of any of these methods or any other method permitted by law.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders.

We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. In the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, we will name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act and describe any commissions that we must pay to any such agent. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

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at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

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at negotiated prices.

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

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the name of the agent or any underwriters;

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the public offering or purchase price;

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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;

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all other items constituting underwriting compensation;

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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or paid to dealers; and

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any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

If any underwriters or agents are used in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement, sales agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

In connection with the offering of securities, we may grant to the underwriters an option to purchase additional securities with an additional underwriting commission, as may be set forth in the accompanying prospectus supplement. If we grant any such option, the terms of such option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for such securities

If a dealer is used in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer, who may be deemed to be an “underwriter” as that term is defined in the Securities Act, may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

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If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

Agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

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the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

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if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

Offered securities may also be offered and sold, if so indicated in the prospectus supplement, in connection with a remarketing upon their purchase, in accordance with a redemption or repayment pursuant to their terms, or otherwise, by one or more remarketing firms, acting as principals for their own accounts or as agents for us. Any remarketing firm will be identified and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and its compensation will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with their remarketing of offered securities.

Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates, may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may over allot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may

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use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

Under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.

The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

The anticipated date of delivery of offered securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to each offer.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Certain legal matters with respect to United States law in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Goodwin Procter LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Certain legal matters with respect to Irish law in connection with this offering will be passed upon for us by Arthur Cox. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements, and the related financial statement schedule incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the effectiveness of Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports, which are incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule have been so incorporated in reliance upon the reports of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC. Certain information in the registration statement has been omitted from this prospectus in accordance with the rules of the SEC. For further information, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference concerning the contents of any contract or any other document are not necessarily complete. If a contract or document has been filed or incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement, we refer you to the copy of the contract or document that has been filed. Each statement in this prospectus or incorporated by reference relating to a contract or document filed as an exhibit is qualified in all respects by the filed exhibit. The SEC maintains a web site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers like us that file electronically with the SEC.

We are subject to the reporting and information requirements of the Exchange Act and, as a result, we file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These periodic reports, proxy statements and other information will be available for inspection on the web site of the SEC referred to above.

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information and reports we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including all filings made after the date of the filing of this registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, except as to any portion of any future report or document that is not deemed filed under such provisions, after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering:

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Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as filed with the SEC on March 15, 2019;

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The information specifically incorporated by reference in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14(a), as filed with the SEC on April 30, 2019;

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Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC for the quarters ended March 31, 2019, June 30, 2019 and September 30, 2019, as filed with the SEC on May 8, 2019 and August 9, 2019 and November 12, 2019, respectively;

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Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 3, 2019, February 7, 2019, February 12, 2019, February 14, 2019, April 30, 2019, May 10, 2019, June 5, 2019, July 5, 2019, August 7, 2019, August 9, 2019, September 23, 2019, September 24, 2019, October 4, 2019, November 21, 2019, November 25, 2019, December 2, 2019, December 10, 2019 and January 10, 2020; and

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The description of our ordinary shares contained in our post-effective amendment no. 2 to our registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the SEC on January 6, 2017, including any amendments or reports filed for the purposes of updating this description.

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$100,000,000

American Depositary Shares

Representing Ordinary Shares

Prospectus Supplement

Joint Book-Running Managers

Jefferies

Piper Sandler

Stifel

, 2020

Avadel Pharmaceuticals (AVDL) 424B5Prospectus supplement for primary offering