ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) S-8 Registration of securities for employees

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 6, 2023

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

ACADIA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware	06-1376651
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

12830 El Camino Real, Suite 400

San Diego, CA 92130

(858) 558-2871

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Including Zip Code)

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

2023 Inducement Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Austin D. Kim

Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary

Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.

12830 El Camino Real, Suite 400

San Diego, CA 92130

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

(858) 558-2871

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

L. Kay Chandler, Esq.

Carlos Ramirez, Esq.

Cooley LLP

10265 Science Center Drive

San Diego, CA 92121-1117

(858) 550-6000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

Large accelerated filer	☒	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☐	Smaller reporting company	☐
		Emerging growth company	☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

Not required to be filed with this Registration Statement.

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

Not required to be filed with this Registration Statement.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed by Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the “Registrant”) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are each incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

(a)	The Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December  31, 2021, filed with the Commission on March 1, 2022;
(b)	The Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Commission on April 29, 2022.
(c)	The Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September  30, 2022, filed with the Commission on May  5, 2022, August  9, 2022, and November 3, 2022, respectively.
(d)	The Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on April 8, 2022, June  10, 2022, October  13, 2022 and October 28, 2022, to the extent the information in such reports is filed and not furnished.
(e)	The description of the Registrant’s common stock contained in Exhibit 4.3 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the Commission on February 27, 2020, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All other reports and documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”) (other than Current Reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits furnished on such form that relate to such items) on or after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Registrant is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Section 102 of the Delaware General Corporation Law allows a corporation to eliminate the personal liability of directors of a corporation to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except where the director breached their duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, failed to act in good faith, engaged in intentional misconduct or knowingly violated a law, authorized the payment of a dividend or approved a stock repurchase in violation of Delaware corporate law or obtained an improper personal benefit. The Registrant’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as amended, includes such a provision.

Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides, among other things, that a director who willfully or negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption, may be held liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved or dissented at the time may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered in the books containing minutes of the meetings of the board of directors at the time such action occurred or immediately after such absent director receives notice of the unlawful acts.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides that a corporation has the power to indemnify a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation and certain other persons serving at the request of the corporation in related capacities against amounts paid and expenses incurred in connection with an action or proceeding to which they were or are a party or is threatened to be made a party by reason of such position, if such person shall have acted in good faith and in a manner they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in any criminal proceeding, if such person had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful; provided that, in the case of actions brought by or in the right of the corporation, no indemnification shall be made with respect to any matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the adjudicating court determines that such indemnification is proper under the circumstances.

The Registrant’s amended and restated bylaws include provisions that indemnify directors and officers of the corporation for actions taken in such capacity, if the actions were taken in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation and, in a criminal proceeding, the director or officer had no reasonable cause to believe that their conduct was unlawful.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation law, the Registrant has entered into, and continues to enter into, indemnification agreements with its officers and directors that require the Registrant to indemnify such persons against any and all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), witness fees, damages, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts incurred in connection with any action, suit or proceeding, whether actual or threatened, to which any such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was or at any time becomes a director, an officer or an employee of the Registrant or any of its affiliated enterprises, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their or her conduct was unlawful.

The Registrant maintains directors and officers insurance providing indemnification for certain of the Registrant’s directors, officers, affiliates, partners and employees for certain liabilities.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Exhibit Number	Description
4.1	Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 6, 2015).
4.2	Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed February 25, 2021).
4.3	Amended and Restated Bylaws (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed September 12, 2013).
4.4	Form of common stock certificate of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Registration Statement No. 333-52492, filed December 21, 2000).
5.1*	Opinion of Cooley LLP.
23.1*	Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
23.2*	Consent of Cooley LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1*	Power of Attorney (included on the signature page).
99.1*	Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2023 Inducement Plan.
99.2*	Forms of Stock Option Grant Notice and Stock Option Agreement under Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2023 Inducement Plan.
99.3*	Forms of Restricted Stock Unit Grant Notice and Restricted Stock Unit Agreement under Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. 2023 Inducement Plan.
107*	Filing Fee Table.

^*  Filed herewith.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”);

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Diego, State of California, on February 6, 2023.

ACADIA PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
By:	/s/ Stephen R. Davis
	Stephen R. Davis
	Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Stephen R. Davis and Austin D. Kim, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Stephen R. Davis Stephen R. Davis	Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)	February 6, 2023
/s/ Mark C. Schneyer Mark C. Schneyer	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)	February 6, 2023
/s/ James K. Kihara James K. Kihara	Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller (Principal Accounting Officer)	February 6, 2023
/s/ Stephen R. Biggar Stephen R. Biggar	Chairman of the Board	February 6, 2023
/s/ Julian C. Baker Julian C. Baker	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ Laura A. Brege Laura A. Brege	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ James M. Daly James M. Daly	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ Elizabeth A. Garofalo Elizabeth A. Garofalo	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ Edmund P. Harrigan Edmund P. Harrigan	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ Adora Ndu Adora Ndu	Director	February 6, 2023
/s/ Daniel B. Soland Daniel B. Soland	Director	February 6, 2023