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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-257609
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus Dated July 1, 2021)
5,468,750
American Depositary Shares
Representing 10,937,500 ordinary shares
We are offering 5,468,750 ADSs directly to certain investors in this offering at a price per ADS of $64.00. Each ADS represents two ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share. This offering is being made without an underwriter or placement agent and we are not paying underwriting discounts or commissions, so the proceeds to us, before expenses, will be approximately $350 million. We estimate the total expenses of this offering will be approximately $650,000.
Our ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “LEGN.” On May 5, 2023, the last reported sale price of our ADSs on Nasdaq was $66.99 per ADS.
We are a “foreign private issuer” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Supplement Summary—Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer and a Controlled Company” for additional information.
Investing in the ADSs involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as well as any amendment or update to our risk factors reflected in subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus supplement is May 5, 2023
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We have not authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, or in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you.
For investors outside the United States: We have not done anything that would permit the offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities described herein and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering of ADSs and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus dated July 1, 2021, included in our registration statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-257609) that became effective automatically upon filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, along with the documents incorporated by reference, which provides more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. To the extent information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus or any of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. You should read and consider the information in both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference.”
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus supplement to the terms “Legend,” “Legend Biotech,” “the company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Legend Biotech Corporation and its subsidiaries.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part or other SEC filings, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”
You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any such related free writing prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any such related free writing prospectus or of any sale of our ordinary shares or ADSs. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or ordinary shares or ADSs are sold, on a later date. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you, in their entirety before making an investment decision.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties and covenants were accurate only as of the date when made; therefore, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurate representations of the current state of our affairs.
“Legend Biotech,” the Legend logo and other trademarks or service marks of the Company appearing in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus are the property of the Company. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus supplement or the
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accompanying prospectus are without the ®, ™ and other similar symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks and trade names. CARVYKTI is a registered trademark in the United States of Johnson & Johnson. Other trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus are the property of their respective holders. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, service marks or trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other person.
The financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have been prepared in accordance with the international financial reporting standards, or IFRS, as issued by the international accounting standards board, or the IASB. None of the financial information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP.
CONVENTIONS THAT APPLY TO THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus supplement to:
• | “ADSs” are to our American depositary shares, each of which represents two of our ordinary shares; |
• | “ADRs” are to the American depositary receipts that evidence the ADSs; |
• | “China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, and solely in the context of describing PRC rules, laws, regulations and other legal and tax matters, excludes rules, laws, regulations and other legal and tax matters of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, however, the legal and operational risks discussed by the Company with respect to operating in the PRC throughout this filing also apply to Hong Kong and Macau; “Greater China” does not exclude the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan; |
• | “ordinary shares” are to ordinary shares of our company, par value $0.0001 per share; and |
• | “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” or “dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States. |
MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, contains estimates, projections and other information concerning our industry, our business and the markets for our product candidates, including data regarding the estimated size of such markets and the incidence of certain medical conditions. We obtained this industry, market and similar data from our internal estimates and research and from academic and industry research, publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties, including governmental agencies. In some cases, we do not expressly refer to the sources from which this data is derived. Information that is based on estimates, forecasts, projections, market research or similar methodologies is inherently subject to uncertainties and actual events or circumstances may differ materially from events and circumstances that are assumed in this information. While we believe that the data we use from third parties are reliable, we have not separately verified this data. Further, while we believe that our internal research is reliable, such research has not been verified by any third party. You are cautioned not to give undue weight to any such information, projections and estimates.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you contain “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. These statements are based on our management’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions about future events, conditions and results and on information currently available to us.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expects,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative or plural of those terms, and similar expressions intended to identify statements about the future, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These statements 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 the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Any statements in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding:
• | the ability to effectively manufacture, market and sell CARVYKTI; |
• | the market opportunity for and potential for commercial success of CARVYKTI; |
• | potential effects of treatment with CARVYKTI; |
• | the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate acceptable safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results; |
• | the timing, progress and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for product candidates we may develop, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available, and our research and development programs; |
• | the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including final regulatory approval of our product candidates; |
• | our ability to achieve specified milestones under our collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc., or Janssen, for cilta-cel; |
• | our ability to develop and advance our current product candidates and programs into, and successfully complete, clinical trials; |
• | our manufacturing, commercialization, and marketing capabilities and strategy; |
• | our plans relating to commercializing our product candidates, if approved, including the geographic areas of focus and sales strategy; |
• | the need to hire additional personnel and our ability to attract, retain and motivate such personnel; |
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• | the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates, including our estimates of the number of patients who suffer from the diseases we are targeting; |
• | our expectations regarding the approval and use of our product candidates as first, second or subsequent lines of therapy or in combination with other drugs; |
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• | our competitive position and the success of competing therapies that are or may become available; |
• | our estimates of the number of patients that we will enroll in our clinical trials; |
• | the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates; |
• | our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates; |
• | our plans relating to the further development of our product candidates, including additional indications we may pursue; |
• | our intellectual property position, including the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering product candidates we may develop, including the extensions of existing patent terms where available, the validity of intellectual property rights held by third parties, and our ability not to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property rights; |
• | our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates, and for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials; |
• | our ability to obtain, and negotiate favorable terms of, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates; |
• | the pricing and reimbursement of the product candidates we may develop, if approved; |
• | information about the prices and availability of labor, transportation and raw materials, including as a result of inflation, and our ability to obtain them in a timely manner; |
• | our exposure to and the potential impact of risks inherent in our foreign operations, including currency fluctuations, exchange controls and pricing restrictions; |
• | the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates we may develop; |
• | the effectiveness of our key information technology systems, networks, processes or related controls or those of our service providers; |
• | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; |
• | our financial performance; |
• | our ability to consistently maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, including our ability to remediate material weaknesses; |
• | changes in tax laws and the resolution of tax contingencies resulting in additional tax liabilities; |
• | the period over which we estimate our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our future operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; |
• | the impact of United States or foreign laws and regulations on the Company’s operations, including the impact of tariffs; |
• | the effect of epidemics and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic (including mitigation effects), rising inflation rates, geopolitical tensions, the failure and instability of financial institutions, or other world events’ disruptions on our business, including, without limitation, our ability to manage the demand, supply and operational challenges associated with the actual or perceived effects of such disruptions; and |
• | our anticipated use of our existing resources and the proceeds from this offering. |
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These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks, uncertainties and other factors in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and in the section “Item3.D-Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, or the Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus supplement, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
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The following summary highlights information about us, this offering and other information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. For a more complete understanding of our company and this offering, you should read and consider carefully the more detailed information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement and in the section “Item3.D-Risk Factors” of our Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as well as the information included in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you.
OVERVIEW
We are a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and commercialization of novel cell therapies for oncology and other indications. Our team of approximately 1,520 employees in the United States, China and Europe, our differentiated technology, global development and manufacturing strategy and expertise provide us with the ability to generate, test and manufacture next-generation cell therapies targeting indications with high unmet needs. Our lead product candidate, ciltacabtagene autoleucel, or cilta-cel, is a chimeric antigen receptor T cell, or CAR-T, therapy we are jointly developing with our strategic partner, Janssen, for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Clinical trial results achieved to date demonstrate that cilta-cel has the potential to deliver deep and durable anti-tumor responses in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (“RRMM”) patients with a manageable safety profile.
On February 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved cilta-cel under the brand name CARVYKTI for the treatment of adults with RRMM who have received four or more prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. CARVYKTI was our first product approved by a health authority.
RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus supplement summary and in the section “Item3.D-Risk Factors” of our Annual Report. Some of these risks are:
Risks Related to the Commercialization of CARVYKTI and Our Other Product Candidates
• | We are substantially dependent on the commercial success of CARVYKTI. If we are unable to successfully commercialize CARVYKTI or experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed. |
• | We have limited experience as a commercial company and the marketing and sale of CARVYKTI or future products may be unsuccessful or have less success than anticipated. |
• | The commercial success of CARVYKTI, and of any future products, will depend upon the degree of market acceptance by physicians, third-party payors and others in the medical community. |
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• | If the market opportunities for our product or any future products are smaller than we believe they are, and if we are not able to successfully identify patients and achieve significant market share, our revenues may be adversely affected and our business may suffer. |
• | We may not be able to successfully create our own manufacturing infrastructure for supply of our requirements of products for use in clinical trials and for commercial sale. |
• | We have no prior sales experience and limited capabilities for marketing and market access. We expect to continue to invest significant financial and management resources to establish necessary capabilities and infrastructure to support our commercial needs. If we are unable to establish these commercial capabilities, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue to sustain our business. |
• | We operate in a rapidly changing industry and face significant competition. |
• | Potential product liability risks. |
Risks Related to Our Business
• | Our ability to become and remain profitable may never be achieved due to the uncertainty of developing and commercializing complex therapies, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. |
• | Our limited operating history, which has focused on research and development, makes it difficult to assess our future prospects. |
• | Our need for additional funding to complete the development of our product candidates, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. |
• | Our inability to obtain raw materials or key starting materials necessary for product manufacture, such as lentiviral vectors, would adversely affect the clinical development and commercialization of these products, which could, in turn, adversely affect our sales and profitability. |
Risks Related to the Development of Our Product Candidates
• | The uncertainties of the biopharmaceutical development process for novel and emergent treatment, including the uncertainty of outcomes of clinical trials, and the potential failure of product candidates to show safety or efficacy. |
• | Potential failure to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals for our product candidates. |
• | Our primary research and development efforts are focused on cell therapies, including CAR-T cell therapies and chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cell therapies, which are emerging treatments that face significant challenges and hurdles. |
• | Our product candidates require significant preclinical study and clinical trials, which can be difficult to design and implement. |
• | Our dependence on enrollment of patients in clinical trials for development of our product candidates. |
• | Risks associated with investigator-initiated clinical trials, studies that we do not fully control. |
• | Certain product opportunities may face limited market opportunities. |
• | Adverse side effects or other safety risks associated with our product candidates. |
• | Costs and difficulties in the manufacture of complex cell therapies. |
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Risks Related to Our Business Operations
• | Economic, political, regulatory and other risks associated with international operations. |
• | Potential difficulties in growing operations and attracting and retaining key personnel. |
• | Risks associated with potential acquisitions or strategic collaborations. |
• | Dependence on information technology systems. |
• | Any failure to comply with various governmental laws and regulations may adversely affect our business. |
• | Risks associated with any failure to implement and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, including any impact as a result of the identified material weaknesses and any future material weaknesses. |
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
• | Our dependence on third parties, such as Janssen, for development, manufacturing and commercialization of our product candidates. |
• | Our reliance on third parties to conduct our preclinical and clinical trials and the potential that such third parties may not perform satisfactorily. |
• | The availability of reagents, specialized equipment and other specialty materials. |
Risks Related to Regulatory Approval of Our Product Candidates and Other Legal Compliance Matters
• | The risks and costs associated with complying with a rigorous, complex and evolving regulatory framework, including stringent clinical trial regulations, pre-marketing regulatory requirements, pricing, reimbursement and cost-containment regulations, and rigorous ongoing regulation of approved products. |
• | The effect of price controls in certain jurisdictions on our revenue and commercialization. |
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
• | Our ability to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property rights in our products and disparities in intellectual property rights throughout the world. |
• | Risks related to third party intellectual property rights, including the significant cost and complexity associate with intellectual property proceedings. |
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
• | Risks related to doing business in China, including the impact of extensive Chinese regulation on the pharmaceutical industry. |
• | The heightened level of government involvement in the Chinese economy and uncertain legal protections in the PRC legal system. |
• | PRC governmental authorities may intervene or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and significantly and adversely impact the value of our ADSs. |
• | The adverse effect of an investigation involving our majority shareholder and our Chairman. |
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• | PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries. |
• | The PRC government may exert more control over offerings conducted outside the PRC and/or investment by non-PRC investors in issuers with operations in China, which could materially and adversely affect our operations in the PRC, and could significantly limit, delay or hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. For example, the approval of, or filing or other procedures with, the China Securities Regulatory Commission or other governmental authority may be required in connection with issuing our equity securities outside of the PRC under Chinese law, and, if required, we cannot predict whether we will be able, or how long it will take us, to obtain such approval or complete such filing or other procedures. |
• | Our ADSs may be delisted under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is unable to inspect our auditors for two consecutive years as we were identified by the SEC as a Commission-Identified Issuer on May 4, 2022. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of our securities being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections deprives investors of the benefits of such inspections. PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of our ADSs. |
• | PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and enterprises may increase our administrative burden and restrict our non-PRC and cross-border investment activity. |
• | Monetary, economic, political, environmental, social, and trade disputes between the U.S. and China. |
• | The heightened level of actions by the U.S. government in targeting Chinese companies and, in the biotech industry, the U.S. government seeking to implement heightened supply chain security for sourcing from China and limitations on the transfer of technology to recipients within China. |
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
• | Our organizational structure may create significant conflicts of interest. |
• | The impact of GenScript Biotech Corporation’s, or GenScript’s, significant control over us as our majority shareholder, including potential changes to our board of directors. |
• | The more limited protections afforded to shareholders as a result of our status as a controlled company and a foreign private issuer. |
Risks Related to this Offering and Our Securities
• | Risks associated with owning our ADSs, including volatility in our trading price due to our business and financial performance. |
• | Risks associated with owning our ADSs, including volatility in our trading price due to our business and financial performance, and risks from dilution of our ADSs and ordinary shares if we issue additional ADSs or other securities. |
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IMPLICATIONS OF BEING A FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER AND A CONTROLLED COMPANY
We currently report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. As long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including:
• | the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
• | the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
• | the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. |
Foreign private issuers are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, as long as we remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are not a foreign private issuer.
We are a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. Under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules, a “controlled company” may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the Nasdaq corporate governance rules requiring a board of directors to have:
• | a majority of independent directors; |
• | an independent compensation committee; and |
• | an independent nominations/corporate governance committee. |
CORPORATE HISTORY AND INFORMATION
We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability. We commenced our operations in China in November 2014 as a wholly owned subsidiary of GenScript. In May 2015, we incorporated Legend Biotech Corporation under the laws of the Cayman Islands, which became our ultimate holding company through a series of transactions.
Our principal executive offices are located at 2101 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, New Jersey 08873. Our telephone number at this address is (732) 317-5050. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands. Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices set forth above.
Our main website is www.legendbiotech.com. The information contained on this website is not a part of this prospectus supplement.
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ADSs offered by us | 5,468,750 ADSs. | |
Ordinary shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering | 341,071,980 ordinary shares | |
American Depositary Shares | Each ADS represents two ordinary shares. | |
The depositary will hold ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. You will have rights as provided in the deposit agreement among us, the depositary and owners and holders of ADSs from time to time. | ||
We do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. If, however, we declare dividends on our ordinary shares, the depositary will distribute the cash dividends and other distributions it receives on our ordinary shares after deducting its fees and expenses in accordance with the terms set forth in the deposit agreement. | ||
You may surrender your ADSs to the depositary for cancellation in exchange for ordinary shares. The depositary will charge you fees for any cancellation. | ||
We may amend or terminate the deposit agreement without your consent. If you continue to hold your ADSs after an amendment to the deposit agreement, you agree to be bound by the deposit agreement as amended. | ||
To better understand the terms of the ADSs, you should carefully read the “Description of American Depositary Shares” section of the accompanying prospectus. You should also read the deposit agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement to which this prospectus supplement relates. | ||
Depositary | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | |
Use of proceeds | We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us, to be approximately $349.4 million. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to fund the clinical development of cilta-cel, fund the construction and expansion of our manufacturing facilities, fund the commercialization of CARVYKTI, and fund the development of our pipeline programs, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” for additional information. | |
Risk factors | Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. Please read the information contained in and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-8 of this prospectus supplement before deciding whether to invest in our ADSs. | |
The Nasdaq Global Select Market Symbol | “LEGN” |
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The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 330,134,480 ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2022, and excludes:
• | 9,179,778 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2022, with a weighted average exercise price of $7.14 per ordinary share; |
• | 3,428,817 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting of restricted share units outstanding as of December 31, 2022; |
• | 10,000,000 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of an outstanding warrant as of December 31, 2022, with an exercise price of $20.00 per ordinary share; |
• | 3,041,266 ordinary shares available for future issuance under our Share Option Scheme as of December 31, 2022; |
• | 6,039,919 ordinary shares available for future issuance under our Restricted Share Unit Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2022 (of which 452,038 ordinary shares are issuable upon the vesting of restricted share units as of March 31, 2023); and |
• | an aggregate of 8,141,960 ordinary shares issued pursuant to private placement offerings in April and May 2023. |
Except as otherwise noted, the information in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise of outstanding options or warrants or vesting of the restricted share units described above.
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Investing in our ADSs involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our ADSs, you should consider carefully the risks described below and in the section “Item3.D-Risk Factors” of our Annual Report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in its entirety, together with the other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our ADSs, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to 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 Related to this Offering and Ownership of our ADSs
If you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will suffer immediate dilution of your investment.
The offering price of our ADSs is substantially higher than the as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS. Therefore, if you purchase ADSs in this offering, you will pay a price per ADS that substantially exceeds our as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled “Dilution” below. After this offering, we will also have outstanding options and warrants to purchase ordinary shares with exercise prices lower than the offering price. To the extent any outstanding options or warrants are exercised, there will be further dilution to investors in this offering.
A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our ADSs to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market could occur at any time. If our shareholders sell, or the market perceives that our shareholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market following this offering, the market price of our ADSs could decline significantly. Pursuant to the terms of recent private placement subscription agreements, we intend to file a registration statement on Form F-3 covering the resale of the ordinary shares (which may be represented by ADSs) issued pursuant to such agreements. Upon effectiveness of such registration statement, all such ordinary shares (which may be represented by ADSs) will be freely tradeable in the United States.
We will have broad discretion in the use of proceeds from this offering and may invest or spend the proceeds in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may not increase the value of your investment.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our ADSs. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a negative impact on our business, cause the price of our ADSs to decline and delay the development of our product candidates and preclinical program. Pending their use, we may invest our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. See the section titled “Use of Proceeds” for additional information.
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We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of 5,468,750 ADSs in this offering will be approximately $349.4 million, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
The principal purposes of this offering are to obtain additional capital to support our operations and business initiatives. We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, to fund the clinical development of cilta-cel, fund the construction and expansion of our manufacturing facilities, fund the commercialization of CARVYKTI and fund the development of our pipeline programs, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
Based on our current operating plan, we believe that the net proceeds from this offering, together with our existing cash and cash equivalents, are expected to enable us to fund our planned operating expenses and capital expenditures through the fourth quarter of 2025. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, and we may use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. We anticipate needing to raise additional capital to complete the development of and commercialize product candidates in our pipeline. It is difficult to predict the cost and timing required to complete development and obtain regulatory approval of, and commercialize, our product candidates due to, among other factors, the relatively short history of our experience with initiating, conducting and completing clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval and commercializing our product candidates, the rate of subject enrollment in our clinical trials, filing requirements with various regulatory agencies, clinical trial results and the actual costs of manufacturing and supplying our product candidates.
Our expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, 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. We believe that opportunities may exist from time to time to expand our current business through licenses with or acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary businesses, products or technologies, and we may use a portion of the net proceeds for these purposes.
Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering. The amounts and timing of our expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including the results of our research and development efforts, the timing, cost and success of preclinical studies and any ongoing clinical trials or clinical trials we may commence in the future, the timing of regulatory submissions, our ability to obtain additional financing, the amount of cash obtained through our existing collaborations and future collaborations, if any, and any unforeseen cash needs.
Pending any use described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short- and intermediate-term investment-grade instruments, such as certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.
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Our board of directors has discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association of our company and certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or the credit standing in our company’s share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business immediately following the date on which the distribution or dividend is paid. Even if we decide to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.
We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.
If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends, which are payable in respect of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares” of the accompanying prospectus. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.
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If you invest in the ADSs, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per ADS you pay in this offering and our net tangible book value per ADS after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the offering price per ordinary share in this offering is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.
Our historical net tangible book value as of December 31, 2022 was $740.9 million, or $2.24 per ordinary share (equivalent to $4.48 per ADS). Historical net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting historical net tangible book value per ordinary share or ADS, as applicable, after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the offering price of $64.00 per ADS, and after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
After giving effect to our sale of the ADSs offered in this offering at the offering price of $64.00 per ADS, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2022 would have been $1.09 billion, or $3.30 per ordinary share (equivalent to $6.60 per ADS). This represents an immediate further increase in net tangible book value of $2.12 per ADS to our existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $57.40 per ADS to investors purchasing ADSs in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:
Offering price | $ | 64.00 | ||||||
Historical net tangible book value per ADS as of December 31, 2022 | $ | 4.48 | ||||||
Increase in as adjusted net tangible book value per ADS attributable to our existing shareholders as of December 31, 2022 | 2.12 | |||||||
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As adjusted net tangible book value per ADS after this offering | 6.60 | |||||||
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Dilution to investors in this offering per ADS as of December 31, 2022 | $ | 57.40 | ||||||
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The number of ordinary shares outstanding in the table above is based on 330,134,480 ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2022 on an actual basis and excludes:
• | 9,179,778 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2022, with a weighted average exercise price of $7.14 per ordinary share; |
• | 3,424,817 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting of restricted share units outstanding as of December 31, 2022; |
• | 10,000,000 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of an outstanding warrant as of December 31, 2022, with an exercise price of $20.00 per ordinary share; |
• | 3,041,266 ordinary shares available for future issuance under our Share Option Scheme as of December 31, 2022; |
• | 6,309,919 ordinary shares available for future issuance under our Restricted Share Unit Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2022 (of which 452,038 ordinary shares are issuable upon the vesting of restricted share units as of March 31, 2023); and |
• | an aggregate of 8,141,960 ordinary shares issued pursuant to private placement offerings in April and May 2023. |
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To the extent that any outstanding options or warrants are exercised or new options are issued under the equity benefit plans, or we issue additional ordinary shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ordinary shares in the future, there will be further dilution to investors participating in this offering. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital because of market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. If we raise additional capital 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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We are selling 5,468,750 ADSs offered under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus directly to certain investors, or the Investors, in this offering at a price of $64.00 per share. We have entered into a securities purchase agreement, dated as of May 5, 2023, or Securities Purchase Agreement, with the Investors relating to the sale of these ADSs.
On or about the closing date, we will issue the ADSs to the Investors and we will receive proceeds (before expenses) in the amount of approximately $350 million. We estimate that the expenses of this offering payable by us will be approximately $650,000.
The shares were offered directly to the Investors without a placement agent, underwriter, broker or dealer.
The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Securities Purchase Agreement were made solely for the benefit of us and the Investors. In addition, such representations, warranties and covenants (i) are intended as a way of allocating the risk between us and Investors and not as statements of fact, and (ii) may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material by shareholders of, or other investors in, our company. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures.
A copy of the Securities Purchase Agreement will be filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus form a part.
We currently anticipate that the closing of the sale of the ADSs will take place on or about May 10, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “LEGN.”
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We are being represented by Cooley LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs offered in this offering and legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Harney Westwood & Riegels. Cooley LLP may rely upon Harney, Westwood & Riegels with respect to matters governed by Cayman Islands law.
The consolidated financial statements of Legend Biotech Corporation appearing in Legend Biotech Corporation’s Annual Report (Form 20-F) for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the effectiveness of Legend Biotech Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, which conclude, among other things, that Legend Biotech Corporation did not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, based on Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), because of the effects of the material weaknesses described therein, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. The consolidated financial statements of Legend Biotech Corporation at December 31, 2021, and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2021, appearing in Legend Biotech Corporation’s Annual Report (Form 20-F) for the year ended December 31, 2022 has been audited by Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are currently subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we are required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address is www.sec.gov.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, and all notices of shareholders’ meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders’ meeting received by the depositary from us if we ask it to.
This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement to which this prospectus supplement relates or otherwise with the SEC. Statements in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SEC’s website, as provided above.
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INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Each document incorporated by reference is current only as of the date of such document, and the incorporation by reference of such documents shall not create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date thereof or that the information contained therein is current as of any time subsequent to its date. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus supplement and should be read with the same care. When we update the information contained in documents that have been incorporated by reference by making future filings with the SEC, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement is considered to be automatically updated and superseded. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information contained in this prospectus supplement and information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.
The documents we are incorporating by reference are:
• | our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 30, 2023 (File No. 001-39307); |
• | the description of the securities contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on June 2, 2020 (File No. 001-39307) pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, together with all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description, including Exhibit 2.4 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022; |
• | our Reports on Form 6-K filed with the SEC on March 30, 2023, April 3, 2023, April 14, 2023, April 18, 2023, April 19, 2023, and April 21, 2023; |
• | any future annual reports on Form 20-F filed with the SEC after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement; and |
• | any future current reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus supplement and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement that are identified in such reports as being incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. |
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus supplement shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specially incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:
Legend Biotech Corporation
2101 Cottontail Lane
Somerset, NJ 08873
(732) 317-5050
You may also access these documents on our website, www.legendbiotech.com. The information contained on this website is not a part of this prospectus supplement.
You should rely only on information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. We are not making offers to sell the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.
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PROSPECTUS
Legend Biotech Corporation
Ordinary Shares
Debt Securities
We may offer and sell ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares, or ADSs, or debt securities in any combination from time to time in one or more offerings, at prices and on terms described in one or more supplements to this prospectus. In addition, this prospectus may be used to offer securities for the account of persons other than us.
Each time we or any selling security holder sell securities, we will provide the specific terms of any offering in one or more supplements to this prospectus. Any 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 the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement before you purchase any of the securities offered hereby.
We or any selling security holder may sell the securities independently or together with any other securities registered hereunder to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods, on a continuous or delayed basis. The names of any underwriters, dealers, or agents involved in the sale of our securities, their compensation and any over-allotment options held by them will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. For a more complete description of the plan of distribution of these securities, see “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page 38 of this prospectus.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Our Company—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company” and “Our Company—Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer and a Controlled Company” for additional information.
Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “LEGN.” On June 30, 2021, the last reported sale price of the ADSs on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $41.05 per ADS.
Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” on page 6 of this prospectus, in any accompanying prospectus supplement or in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement before making a decision to invest in our securities.
This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Neither the United States 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 July 1, 2021.
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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, in the applicable prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates thereof. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, using this prospectus, together with a prospectus supplement, we or selling security holders may sell any of our securities described in this prospectus from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we or any selling security holder may offer. Each time we or any selling security holder use this prospectus to offer securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the offering and the terms of those securities. We may also add, update or change other information contained in this prospectus by means of a prospectus supplement or by incorporating by reference information we file with the SEC. The registration statement on file with the SEC includes exhibits that provide more details on the matters discussed in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the applicable prospectus supplement. Before you invest in any securities offered by this prospectus, you should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplements and the related exhibits to the registration statement filed with the SEC, together with the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference.” You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or the applicable supplement to this prospectus is accurate as of its respective date, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
In this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated or unless the context otherwise requires,
• | “ADSs” are to the American depositary shares, each of which represents two of our ordinary shares; |
• | “ADRs” are to the American depositary receipts that evidence the ADSs; |
• | “China” or “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this prospectus only, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan; “Greater China” does not exclude Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macau Special Administrative Region and Taiwan; |
• | “ordinary shares” are to ordinary shares of our company, par value $0.0001 per share; |
• | “Renminbi” or “RMB” refers to the legal currency of the PRC; |
• | “Series A Preference Shares” are to the Series A preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share; and |
• | “US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” or “dollars” are to the legal currency of the United States. |
References in any prospectus supplement to “the accompanying prospectus” are to this prospectus and references to “the prospectus” are to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement taken together.
We are not making an offer to sell the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
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This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference contain forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “future,” “is/are likely to,” “project” or “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to, among other things:
• | the ability of our clinical trials to demonstrate acceptable safety and efficacy of our product candidates, and other positive results; |
• | the timing, progress and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials for product candidates we may develop, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and completion of studies or trials and related preparatory work, the period during which the results of the trials will become available, and our research and development programs; |
• | the timing, scope and likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including final regulatory approval of our product candidates; |
• | our ability to achieve milestones under our collaboration with Janssen for cilta-cel; |
• | our ability to develop and advance our current product candidates and programs into, and successfully complete, clinical trials; |
• | our manufacturing, commercialization, and marketing capabilities and strategy; |
• | our plans relating to commercializing our product candidates, if approved, including the geographic areas of focus and sales strategy; |
• | the need to hire additional personnel and our ability to attract and retain such personnel; |
• | the size of the market opportunity for our product candidates, including our estimates of the number of patients who suffer from the diseases we are targeting; |
• | our expectations regarding the approval and use of our product candidates as first, second or subsequent lines of therapy or in combination with other drugs; |
• | our competitive position and the success of competing therapies that are or may become available; |
• | our estimates of the number of patients that we will enroll in our clinical trials; |
• | the beneficial characteristics, safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of our product candidates; |
• | our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates; |
• | our plans relating to the further development of our product candidates, including additional indications we may pursue; |
• | our intellectual property position, including the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering product candidates we may develop, including the extensions of existing patent terms where available, the validity of intellectual property rights held by third parties, and our ability not to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property rights; |
• | our continued reliance on third parties to conduct additional clinical trials of our product candidates, and for the manufacture of our product candidates for preclinical studies and clinical trials; |
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• | our ability to obtain, and negotiate favorable terms of, any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements that may be necessary or desirable to develop, manufacture or commercialize our product candidates; |
• | the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates we may develop, if approved; |
• | the rate and degree of market acceptance and clinical utility of our product candidates we may develop; |
• | our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing; |
• | our financial performance; |
• | the period over which we estimate our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our future operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; |
• | the impact of laws and regulations; |
• | our expectations regarding the period during which we will qualify as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act; and |
• | our anticipated use of our existing resources. |
The forward-looking statements included in this prospectus, in the documents incorporated by reference herein and in any prospectus supplement are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about our company which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect our results. Our actual results of operations may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors disclosed in this prospectus, in the documents incorporated by reference herein or in any accompanying prospectus supplement.
We would like to caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, and you should read these statements in conjunction with the risk factors disclosed herein, in the documents incorporated by reference herein or in any accompanying prospectus supplement for a more complete discussion of the risks of an investment in our securities. We operate in a rapidly evolving environment. New risks emerge from time to time and it is impossible for our management to predict all risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required under applicable law.
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Company Overview
We are a global, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel cell therapies for oncology and other indications. Our team of over 900 employees in the United States, China and Europe, our differentiated technology, global development and manufacturing strategy and expertise provide us with the ability to generate, test and manufacture next-generation cell therapies targeting indications with high unmet needs.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
As a company with less than $1.07 billion in revenue for the last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, related to the assessment of the effectiveness of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. We have elected to take advantage of such exemptions.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of our fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.07 billion; (b) December 31, 2025; (c) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.
Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer and a Controlled Company
We currently report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including:
• | the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; |
• | the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and |
• | the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. |
Both foreign private issuers and emerging growth companies are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules. Thus, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, but remain a foreign private issuer, we will continue to be exempt from the more stringent compensation disclosures required of companies that are neither an emerging growth company nor a foreign private issuer.
We are a “controlled company” as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because our majority shareholder, GenScript, beneficially owns 58.77% of our ordinary shares representing 58.77% of the voting power of our total issued and outstanding shares. Under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules, a “controlled company”
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may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the Nasdaq corporate governance rules requiring a board of directors to have:
• | a majority of independent directors; |
• | an independent compensation committee; and |
• | an independent nominations/corporate governance committees. |
We have utilized and plan to continue utilizing the “controlled company” exemptions with respect to our corporate governance practice.
Corporate Information
We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability. We commenced our operations in China in November 2014 as a wholly owned subsidiary of GenScript. In May 2015, we incorporated Legend Biotech Corporation under the laws of the Cayman Islands, which became our ultimate holding company through a series of transactions.
Our principal executive offices are located at 2101 Cottontail Lane, Somerset, New Jersey 08873. Our telephone number at this address is (732) 317-5050. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at 4th Floor, Harbour Place, 103 South Church Street, P.O. Box 10240, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, Cayman Islands. Investors should submit any inquiries to the address and telephone number of our principal executive offices set forth above.
Our main website is www.legendbiotech.com. The information contained on this website is not a part of this prospectus.
“Legend Biotech,” the Legend logo and other trademarks or service marks of Legend Biotech Corporation appearing in this prospectus are the property of Legend Biotech Corporation. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders.
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Investing in our securities involves risk. Before you decide to buy our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described in our most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which is incorporated herein by reference, as well as the risks that are described in the applicable prospectus supplement and in other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could suffer, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Please see “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” for information on where you can find the documents we have filed with or furnished to the SEC and which are incorporated into this prospectus by reference.
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Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement, we plan to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities for general corporate purposes. We will not receive proceeds from sales of securities by persons other than us except as may otherwise be stated in any applicable prospectus supplement.
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We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, which we refer to as the Companies Act below and the common law by the Cayman Islands.
As of the date of this prospectus, our authorized share capital is $200,000 divided into 2,000,000,000 shares, of which (i) 1,999,000,000 are designated as ordinary shares of a par value of $0.0001 each and (ii) 1,000,000 of such class or classes (however designated) of shares, par value $0.0001 each, as our board of directors may determine in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. All of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares are fully paid.
As of May 31, 2021, we had 289,264,118 ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
Our board of directors may, without further action by our shareholders, fix the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 other shares, including preference shares, in one or more classes or series and authorize their issuance. These rights, preferences, and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms, and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of our ordinary shares. The issuance of our other shares, including potentially preference shares, could adversely affect the voting power of holders of ADSs and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. In addition, the issuance of other shares, including preference shares, could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a change of control or other corporate action. We have no present plan to issue any preference shares.
Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
The following are summaries of material provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and of the Companies Act, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our ordinary shares.
Objects of Our Company. Under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the objects of our company are unrestricted and we have the full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the law of the Cayman Islands.
Ordinary Shares. Our ordinary shares are issued in registered form and are issued when registered in our register of shareholders. We may not issue shares to bearer. Our shareholders who are nonresidents of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and vote their shares.
Dividends. The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by our board of directors. In addition, our shareholders may declare dividends by ordinary resolution, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Our amended memorandum and restated articles of association provide that the directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the directors, be applicable for meeting contingencies or for equalizing dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied. Under the laws of the Cayman Islands, our company may pay a dividend out of either profit or the credit standing in our company’s share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business immediately following the date on which the distribution or dividend is paid.
Voting Rights. Holders of our ordinary shares shall be entitled to one vote per ordinary share. Voting at any shareholders’ meeting is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded (before or on the declaration of the result of
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the show of hands). A poll may be demanded by the chairman of such meeting or any one or more shareholders who together hold not less than 10% of the votes attaching to the total ordinary shares which are present in person or by proxy at the meeting.
An ordinary resolution to be passed at a meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the ordinary shares cast at a meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of no less than two-thirds of the votes cast attaching to the outstanding ordinary shares at a meeting. A special resolution will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Holders of the ordinary shares may, among other things, divide or combine their shares by ordinary resolution.
General Meetings of Shareholders. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are not obliged by the Companies Act to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we may (but are not obliged to) in each year hold a general meeting as our annual general meeting in which case we shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it, and the annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by our directors.
Shareholders’ general meetings may be convened by a majority of our board of directors. Advance notice of at least ten calendar days is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders’ meeting (if any) and any other general meeting of our shareholders. A quorum required for any general meeting of shareholders consists of at least one shareholder present or by proxy, representing not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all of our shares in issue and entitled to vote.
The Companies Act provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that upon the requisition of shareholders representing in aggregate not less than one-third of the votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings, our board will convene an extraordinary general meeting and put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. Shareholders seeking to bring business before the annual general meeting or to nominate candidates for election to our board of directors at the annual general meeting are required to deliver notice not later than the 90th day nor earlier than the 120th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual general meeting.
Transfer of Ordinary Shares. Subject to the restrictions set out below, any of our shareholders may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.
Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:
• | the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer; |
• | the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of ordinary shares; |
• | the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; |
• | in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be transferred does not exceed four; and |
• | a fee of such maximum sum as The Nasdaq Global Select Market may determine to be payable or such lesser sum as our directors may from time to time require is paid to us in respect thereof. |
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If our directors refuse to register a transfer they shall, within three months after the date on which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.
The registration of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required of The Nasdaq Select Global Market, be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.
Liquidation. On the winding up of our company, if the assets available for distribution amongst our shareholders shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them at the commencement of the winding up, subject to a deduction from those shares in respect of which there are monies due, of all monies payable to our company for unpaid calls or otherwise. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay the whole of the share capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders in proportion to the par value of the shares held by them.
Calls on Shares and Forfeiture of Shares. Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their shares in a notice served to such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time and place of payment. The shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares. We may issue shares on terms that such shares are subject to redemption, at our option or at the option of the holders of these shares, on such terms and in such manner as may be determined by our board of directors. We may also repurchase any of our shares on such terms and in such manner as have been approved by our board of directors or by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. Under the Companies Act, the redemption or repurchase of any share may be paid out of our profits or out of the proceeds of a new issue of shares made for the purpose of such redemption or repurchase, or out of capital (including share premium account and capital redemption reserve) if our company can, immediately following such payment, pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, under the Companies Act no such share may be redeemed or repurchased (a) unless it is fully paid up, (b) if such redemption or repurchase would result in there being no shares outstanding or (c) if the company has commenced liquidation. In addition, our company may accept the surrender of any fully paid share for no consideration.
Variations of Rights of Shares. If at any time our share capital is divided into different classes or series of shares, the rights attached to any class or series of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class or series), whether or not our company is being wound-up, may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or series or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the shares of the class or series. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued shall not, unless otherwise expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking pari passu with such existing class of shares.
Issuance of Additional Shares. Our amended and restated memorandum of association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional ordinary shares from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.
Our amended and restated memorandum of association also authorizes our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preference shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preference shares, the terms and rights of that series, including:
• | the designation of the series; |
• | the number of shares of the series; |
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• | the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; |
• | the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences; and |
• | any other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights. |
Our board of directors may issue preference shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting power of holders of ordinary shares.
Inspection of Books and Records. Holders of our ordinary shares will have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our corporate records (except for the memorandum and articles of association of our company, any special resolutions passed by our company and the register of mortgages and charges of our company). However, we will provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Anti-Takeover Provisions. Some provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that:
• | authorize our board of directors to issue preference shares in one or more series and to designate the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preference shares without any further vote or action by our shareholders; and |
• | limit the ability of shareholders to requisition and convene general meetings of shareholders. |
However, under Cayman Islands law, our directors may only exercise the rights and powers granted to them under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association for a proper purpose and for what they believe in good faith to be in the best interests of our company.
Exempted Company. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except that an exempted company:
• | does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
• | is not required to open its register of members for inspection; |
• | does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
• | may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value; |
• | may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
• | may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
• | may register as a limited duration company; and |
• | may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
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Differences in Corporate Law
The Companies Act is derived, to a large extent, from the older Companies Acts of England but does not follow recent English statutory enactments and accordingly there are significant differences between the Companies Act and the current Companies Act of England. In addition, the Companies Act differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. The Companies Act permits mergers and consolidations between Cayman Islands companies and between Cayman Islands companies and non-Cayman Islands companies. For these purposes, (i) “merger” means the merging of two or more constituent companies and the vesting of their undertaking, property and liabilities in one of such companies as the surviving company, and (ii) a “consolidation” means the combination of two or more constituent companies into a consolidated company and the vesting of the undertaking, property and liabilities of such companies to the consolidated company. In order to effect such a merger or consolidation, the directors of each constituent company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation, which must then be authorized by (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each constituent company, and (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. The written plan of merger or consolidation must be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands together with a declaration as to the solvency of the consolidated or surviving company, a list of the assets and liabilities of each constituent company and an undertaking that a copy of the certificate of merger or consolidation will be given to the members and creditors of each constituent company and that notification of the merger or consolidation will be published in the Cayman Islands Gazette. Court approval is not required for a merger or consolidation which is effected in compliance with these statutory procedures.
A merger between a Cayman parent company and its Cayman subsidiary or subsidiaries does not require authorization by a resolution of shareholders of that Cayman subsidiary if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of that Cayman subsidiary to be merged unless that member agrees otherwise. For this purpose a company is a “parent” of a subsidiary if it holds issued shares that together represent at least ninety percent (90%) of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary.
The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest over a constituent company is required unless this requirement is waived by a court in the Cayman Islands.
Save in certain limited circumstances, a shareholder of a Cayman constituent company who dissents from the merger or consolidation is entitled to payment of the fair value of his shares (which, if not agreed between the parties, will be determined by the Cayman Islands court) upon dissenting to the merger or consolidation, provide the dissenting shareholder complies strictly with the procedures set out in the Companies Act. The exercise of dissenter rights will preclude the exercise by the dissenting shareholder of any other rights to which he or she might otherwise be entitled by virtue of holding shares, save for the right to seek relief on the grounds that the merger or consolidation is void or unlawful.
Separate from the statutory provisions relating to mergers and consolidations, the Companies Act also contains statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction and amalgamation of companies by way of schemes of arrangement, provided that the arrangement is approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made, and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at a meeting, or meetings, convened for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder has the right to express to the court the view that the transaction ought not to be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it determines that:
• | the statutory provisions as to the required majority vote have been met; |
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• | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question and the statutory majority are acting bona fide without coercion of the minority to promote interests adverse to those of the class; |
• | the arrangement is such that may be reasonably approved by an intelligent and honest man of that class acting in respect of his interest; and |
• | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act. |
The Companies Act also contains a statutory power of compulsory acquisition which may facilitate the “squeeze out” of dissentient minority shareholder upon a tender offer. When a tender offer is made and accepted by holders of 90.0% of the shares affected within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period commencing on the expiration of such four month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares to the offeror on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed in the case of an offer which has been so approved unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith or collusion.
If an arrangement and reconstruction by way of scheme of arrangement is thus approved and sanctioned, or if a tender offer is made and accepted, a dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights, which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of Delaware corporations, providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares.
Shareholders’ Suits. In principle, we will normally be the proper plaintiff to sue for a wrong done to us as a company, and as a general rule a derivative action may not be brought by a minority shareholder. However, based on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority in the Cayman Islands, the Cayman Islands court can be expected to follow and apply the common law principles (namely the rule in Foss v. Harbottle and the exceptions thereto) so that a non-controlling shareholder may be permitted to commence a class action against or derivative actions in the name of the company to challenge actions where:
• | a company acts or proposes to act illegally or ultra vires; |
• | the act complained of, although not ultra vires, could only be effected duly if authorized by more than a simple majority vote that has not been obtained; and |
• | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers and Limitation of Liability. Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we shall indemnify our officers and directors against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of our company’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning our company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. This standard of conduct is generally the same as permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law for a Delaware corporation.
In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with our directors and executive officers that provide such persons with additional indemnification beyond that provided in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
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Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers or persons controlling us under the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Directors’ Fiduciary Duties. Under Delaware corporate law, a director of a Delaware corporation has a fiduciary duty to the corporation and its shareholders. This duty has two components: the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. The duty of care 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, and disclose to shareholders, all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty requires that a director acts 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. This duty prohibits self-dealing by a director and mandates that the best interest of the corporation and its shareholders take precedence over any interest possessed by a director, officer or controlling shareholder and not shared by the shareholders generally. In general, 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. Should such evidence be presented concerning a transaction by a director, the director must prove the procedural fairness of the transaction, and that the transaction was of fair value to the corporation.
As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a director of a Cayman Islands company is in the position of a fiduciary with respect to the company and therefore it is considered that he owes the following duties to the company—a duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company, a duty not to make a profit based on his position as director (unless the company permits him to do so), a duty not to put himself in a position where the interests of the company conflict with his personal interest or his duty to a third party, and a duty to exercise powers for the purpose for which such powers were intended. A director of a Cayman Islands company owes to the company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance of his duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands.
Shareholder Action by Written Resolution. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may eliminate the right of shareholders to act by written consent by amendment to its certificate of incorporation. Our amended and restated articles of association provide that no action shall be taken by the shareholders except at an annual or extraordinary general meeting called in accordance with our amended and restated articles of association and no action shall be taken by the shareholders by written consent or electronic transmission.
Shareholder Proposals. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a shareholder has the right to put any proposal before the annual meeting of shareholders, provided it complies with the notice provisions in the governing documents. A special meeting may be called by the board of directors or any other person authorized to do so in the governing documents, but shareholders may be precluded from calling special meetings.
The Companies Act provides shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting. However, these rights may be provided in a company’s articles of association. Our amended and restated articles of association allow our shareholders holding in aggregate not less than one-third of all votes attaching to the issued and outstanding shares of our company entitled to vote at general meetings to requisition an extraordinary general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our board is obliged to convene an extraordinary general meeting and to put the resolutions so requisitioned to a vote at such meeting. As an exempted Cayman Islands company, we may but are not obliged by law to call shareholders’ annual general meetings. See “-Our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association-General Meetings of Shareholders” for more information on the rights of our shareholders’ rights to put proposals before the annual general meeting.
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Cumulative Voting. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, cumulative voting for elections of directors is not permitted unless the corporation’s certificate of incorporation specifically provides for it. Cumulative voting potentially facilitates the representation of minority shareholders on a board of directors since it permits the minority shareholder to cast all the votes to which the shareholder is entitled for a single director, which increases the shareholder’s voting power with respect to electing such director. There are no prohibitions in relation to cumulative voting under the laws of the Cayman Islands but our amended and restated articles of association do not provide for cumulative voting. As a result, our shareholders are not afforded any less protections or rights on this issue than shareholders of a Delaware corporation.
Removal of Directors. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a director of a corporation with a classified board may be removed only for cause with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under our amended and restated articles of association, directors may be removed only for cause by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. In addition, a director’s office shall be vacated if the director (i) becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; (ii) is found to be or becomes of unsound mind or dies; (iii) resigns his office by notice in writing to the company; (iv) without special leave of absence from our board of directors, is absent from three consecutive meetings of the board and the board resolves that his office be vacated; or (v) is removed from office pursuant to any other provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Transactions with Interested Shareholders. The Delaware General Corporation Law contains a business combination statute applicable to Delaware corporations whereby, unless the corporation has specifically elected not to be governed by such statute by amendment to its certificate of incorporation, it is prohibited from engaging in certain business combinations with an “interested shareholder” for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder. An interested shareholder generally is a person or a group who or which owns or owned 15% or more of the target’s outstanding voting share within the past three years. This has the effect of limiting the ability of a potential acquirer to make a two-tiered bid for the target in which all shareholders would not be treated equally. The statute does not apply if, among other things, prior to the date on which such shareholder becomes an interested shareholder, the board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the person becoming an interested shareholder. This encourages any potential acquirer of a Delaware corporation to negotiate the terms of any acquisition transaction with the target’s board of directors.
Cayman Islands law has no comparable statute. As a result, we cannot avail ourselves of the types of protections afforded by the Delaware business combination statute. However, although Cayman Islands law does not regulate transactions between a company and its significant shareholders, it does provide that such transactions must be entered into bona fide in the best interests of the company and not with the effect of constituting a fraud on the minority shareholders.
Dissolution; Winding up. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, unless the board of directors approves the proposal to dissolve, dissolution must be approved by shareholders holding 100% of the total voting power of the corporation. Only if the dissolution is initiated by the board of directors may it be approved by a simple majority of the corporation’s outstanding shares. Delaware law allows a Delaware corporation to include in its certificate of incorporation a supermajority voting requirement in connection with dissolutions initiated by the board.
Under Cayman Islands law, a company may be wound up by either an order of the courts of the Cayman Islands or by a special resolution of its members or, if the company is unable to pay its debts as they fall due, by an ordinary resolution of its members. The court has authority to order winding up in a number of specified circumstances including where it is, in the opinion of the court, just and equitable to do so. Under the Companies Act and our amended and restated articles of association, our company may be dissolved, liquidated or wound up by a special resolution of our shareholders.
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Variation of Rights of Shares. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation may vary the rights of a class of shares with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of such class, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated articles of association, if our share capital is divided into more than one class of shares, we may vary the rights attached to any class with the written consent of the holders of two-thirds of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class.
Amendment of Governing Documents. Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, a corporation’s governing documents may be amended with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote, unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Under the Companies Act and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution of our shareholders.
Rights of Non-resident or Foreign Shareholders. There are no limitations imposed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association on the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our shares. In addition, there are no provisions in our post-offering amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the ownership threshold above which shareholder ownership must be disclosed.
History of Securities Issuances
The following is a summary of the events that have changed the number of our share capital since January 1, 2018.
• | From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018, we issued options to purchase an aggregate of 7,990,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $1.00. |
• | From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, we issued options to purchase an aggregate of 20,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $1.00, options to purchase an aggregate of 3,235,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $1.50, and options to purchase an aggregate of 502,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $11.50. |
• | On March 30, 2020, we issued 19,308,262 Series A Preference Shares to new investors for aggregate gross proceeds of $150.5 million. |
• | On April 16, 2020, we issued 1,283,367 Series A Preference Shares to a new investor for aggregate gross proceeds of $10.0 million. |
• | On June 9, 2020, we issued 1,043,478 ordinary shares to GenScript for aggregate gross proceeds of $12.0 million. |
• | On June 9, 2020, we issued 21,188,750 ADSs, representing 42,377,500 ordinary shares, in our initial public offering for aggregate gross proceeds of $487.3 million. |
• | From January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, we issued options to purchase an aggregate of 90,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $11.50, options to purchase an aggregate of 569,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $16.335, options to purchase an aggregate of 20,000 ordinary shares to employees with an exercise price of $13.575, and restricted stock units representing 1,138,863 ordinary shares. |
• | On May 21, 2021, we issued 20,809,850 ordinary shares for aggregate gross proceeds of $300.0 million and a warrant exercisable for up to an aggregate of 10,000,000 ordinary shares to an institutional investor. |
Options
As of May 31, 2021, there were options to purchase 11,417,682 ordinary shares outstanding with a weighted average exercise price of $2.5340 per ordinary share. The options generally lapse after 10 years from date of grant.
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Restricted Stock Units
As of May 31, 2021, there were restricted stock units outstanding representing 2,827,515 ordinary shares upon vesting.
Registration Rights
Holders of the ordinary shares issued in connection with our initial public offering upon conversion of the then-outstanding convertible redeemable Series A preference shares, which we refer to as registrable securities, or their transferees are entitled to the following rights with respect to the registration of such shares for public resale under the Securities Act pursuant to an investors’ rights agreement by and among us and certain of our shareholders, until such shares can otherwise be sold without restriction under Rule 144, or until the rights otherwise terminate pursuant to the terms of the investors’ rights agreement. The registration of our ordinary shares as a result of the following rights being exercised would enable holders to trade these shares without restriction under the Securities Act when the applicable registration statement is declared effective.
If the holders of a majority of the registrable securities request in writing that we effect a registration with respect to at least 40% of such registrable securities then outstanding (or a lesser percent if the anticipated aggregate offering price, net of selling expenses, would exceed $30.0 million), we may be required to register their ordinary shares. We are obligated to effect at most two registrations in response to these demand registration rights.
If at any time after we become entitled under the Securities Act to register securities on a registration statement on Form F-3, 20% of the holders of the registrable securities then outstanding request in writing that we effect a registration with respect to registrable securities at an aggregate price to the public in the offering of at least $10.0 million, we will be required to file such registration statement within 45 days after the date of such request; provided, however, that we will not be required to effect such a registration if, within any twelve-month period, we have already effected two registrations on Form F-3 for the holders of registrable securities.
If the holders requesting registration intend to distribute their shares by means of an underwriting, the managing underwriter of such offering will have the right to limit the numbers of shares to be underwritten for reasons related to the marketing of the shares.
Ordinarily, other than selling expenses, we will be required to pay all expenses incurred by us related to any registration effected pursuant to the exercise of these registration rights. These expenses may include all registration, filing, and qualification fees; printers’ and accounting fees; fees and disbursements of our counsel; and reasonable fees and disbursements of a counsel for the selling securityholders up to $80,000.
The registration rights terminate upon the earliest of (i) the closing of a liquidation event, as defined in our second amended and restated articles of association, or, with respect to the registration rights of an individual holder, (ii) when the holder can sell all of such holder’s registrable securities in a three-month period without restriction under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or (iii) upon the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering.
Listing
Our ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the trading symbol “LEGN.”
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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
American Depositary Receipts
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., or JPMorgan, as depositary, will issue the ADSs. Each ADS will represent an ownership interest in a designated number of shares which we will deposit with the custodian, as agent of the depositary, under the deposit agreement among ourselves, the depositary, yourself as an ADR holder and all other ADR holders, and all beneficial owners of an interest in the ADSs evidenced by ADRs from time to time.
The depositary’s office is located at 383 Madison Avenue, Floor 11, New York, NY 10179.
The ADS to share ratio is subject to amendment as provided in the form of ADR (which may give rise to fees contemplated by the form of ADR). In the future, each ADS will also represent any securities, cash or other property deposited with the depositary but which they have not distributed directly to you.
A beneficial owner is any person or entity having a beneficial ownership interest ADSs. A beneficial owner need not be the holder of the ADR evidencing such ADS. If a beneficial owner of ADSs is not an ADR holder, it must rely on the holder of the ADR(s) evidencing such ADSs in order to assert any rights or receive any benefits under the deposit agreement. A beneficial owner shall only be able to exercise any right or receive any benefit under the deposit agreement solely through the holder of the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs owned by such beneficial owner. The arrangements between a beneficial owner of ADSs and the holder of the corresponding ADRs may affect the beneficial owner’s ability to exercise any rights it may have.
An ADR holder shall be deemed to have all requisite authority to act on behalf of any and all beneficial owners of the ADSs evidenced by the ADRs registered in such ADR holder’s name for all purposes under the deposit agreement and ADRs. The depositary’s only notification obligations under the deposit agreement and the ADRs is to registered ADR holders. Notice to an ADR holder shall be deemed, for all purposes of the deposit agreement and the ADRs, to constitute notice to any and all beneficial owners of the ADSs evidenced by such ADR holder’s ADRs.
Unless certificated ADRs are specifically requested, all ADSs will be issued on the books of our depositary in book-entry form and periodic statements will be mailed to you which reflect your ownership interest in such ADSs. In our description, references to American depositary receipts or ADRs shall include the statements you will receive which reflect your ownership of ADSs.
You may hold ADSs either directly or indirectly through your broker or other financial institution. If you hold ADSs directly, by having an ADS registered in your name on the books of the depositary, you are an ADR holder. This description assumes you hold your ADSs directly. If you hold the ADSs through your broker or financial institution nominee, you must rely on the procedures of such broker or financial institution to assert the rights of an ADR holder described in this section. You should consult with your broker or financial institution to find out what those procedures are.
As an ADR holder or beneficial owner, we will not treat you as a shareholder of ours and you will not have any shareholder rights. Cayman Island law governs shareholder rights. Because the depositary or its nominee will be the shareholder of record for the shares represented by all outstanding ADSs, shareholder rights rest with such record holder. Your rights are those of an ADR holder or of a beneficial owner. Such rights derive from the terms of the deposit agreement to be entered into among us, the depositary and all holders and beneficial owners from time to time of ADRs issued under the deposit agreement and, in the case of a beneficial owner, from the arrangements between the beneficial owner and the holder of the corresponding ADRs. The obligations of the depositary and its agents are also set out in the deposit agreement. Because the depositary or its nominee will actually be the registered owner of the shares, you must rely on it to exercise the rights of a shareholder on your behalf.
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The following is a summary of what we believe to be the material terms of the deposit agreement. Notwithstanding this, because it is a summary, it may not contain all the information that you may otherwise deem important. For more complete information, you should read the entire deposit agreement and the form of ADR which contains the terms of your ADSs. You can read a copy of the deposit agreement which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. You may also obtain a copy of the deposit agreement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room which is located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-732-0330. You may also find the registration statement and the attached deposit agreement on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
Share Dividends and Other Distributions
How will I receive dividends and other distributions on the shares underlying my ADSs?
We may make various types of distributions with respect to our securities. The depositary has agreed that, to the extent practicable, it will pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on shares or other deposited securities, after converting any cash received into U.S. dollars (if it determines such conversion may be made on a reasonable basis) and, in all cases, making any necessary deductions provided for in the deposit agreement. The depositary may utilize a division, branch or affiliate of JPMorgan to direct, manage and/or execute any public and/or private sale of securities under the deposit agreement. Such division, branch and/or affiliate may charge the depositary a fee in connection with such sales, which fee is considered an expense of the depositary. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of underlying securities that your ADSs represent.
Except as stated below, the depositary will deliver such distributions to ADR holders in proportion to their interests in the following manner:
• | Cash. The depositary will distribute any U.S. dollars available to it resulting from a cash dividend or other cash distribution or the net proceeds of sales of any other distribution or portion thereof (to the extent applicable), on an averaged or other practicable basis, subject to (i) appropriate adjustments for taxes withheld, (ii) such distribution being impermissible or impracticable with respect to certain registered ADR holders, and (iii) deduction of the depositary’s and/or its agents’ expenses in (1) converting any foreign currency to U.S. dollars to the extent that it determines that such conversion may be made on a reasonable basis, (2) transferring foreign currency or U.S. dollars to the United States by such means as the depositary may determine to the extent that it determines that such transfer may be made on a reasonable basis, (3) obtaining any approval or license of any governmental authority required for such conversion or transfer, which is obtainable at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable time and (4) making any sale by public or private means in any commercially reasonable manner. If exchange rates fluctuate during a time when the depositary cannot convert a foreign currency, you may lose some or all of the value of the distribution. |
• | Shares. In the case of a distribution in shares, the depositary will issue additional ADRs to evidence the number of ADSs representing such shares. Only whole ADSs will be issued. Any shares which would result in fractional ADSs will be sold and the net proceeds will be distributed in the same manner as cash to the ADR holders entitled thereto. |
• | Rights to receive additional shares. In the case of a distribution of rights to subscribe for additional shares or other rights, if we timely provide evidence satisfactory to the depositary that it may lawfully distribute such rights, the depositary will distribute warrants or other instruments in the discretion of the depositary representing such rights. However, if we do not timely furnish such evidence, the depositary may: |
(i) sell such rights if practicable and distribute the net proceeds in the same manner as cash to the ADR holders entitled thereto; or
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(ii) if it is not practicable to sell such rights by reason of the non-transferability of the rights, limited markets therefor, their short duration or otherwise, do nothing and allow such rights to lapse, in which case ADR holders will receive nothing and the rights may lapse.
• | Other Distributions. In the case of a distribution of securities or property other than those described above, the depositary may either (i) distribute such securities or property in any manner it deems equitable and practicable or (ii) to the extent the depositary deems distribution of such securities or property not to be equitable and practicable, sell such securities or property and distribute any net proceeds in the same way it distributes cash. |
If the depositary determines in its discretion that any distribution described above is not practicable with respect to any specific registered ADR holder, the depositary may choose any method of distribution that it deems practicable for such ADR holder, including the distribution of foreign currency, securities or property, or it may retain such items, without paying interest on or investing them, on behalf of the ADR holder as deposited securities, in which case the ADSs will also represent the retained items.
Any U.S. dollars will be distributed by checks drawn on a bank in the United States for whole dollars and cents. Fractional cents will be withheld without liability and dealt with by the depositary in accordance with its then current practices.
The depositary is not responsible if it fails to determine that any distribution or action is lawful or reasonably practicable.
There can be no assurance that the depositary will be able to convert any currency at a specified exchange rate or sell any property, rights, shares or other securities at a specified price, nor that any of such transactions can be completed within a specified time period. All purchases and sales of securities will be handled by the depositary in accordance with its then current policies, which are currently set forth in the “Depositary Receipt Sale and Purchase of Security” section of https://www.adr.com/Investors/FindOutAboutDRs, the location and contents of which the depositary shall be solely responsible for.
Deposit, Withdrawal and Cancellation
How does the depositary issue ADSs?
The depositary will issue ADSs if you or your broker deposit shares or evidence of rights to receive shares with the custodian and pay the fees and expenses owing to the depositary in connection with such issuance. In the case of the ADSs to be issued under this prospectus, we will arrange with the underwriters named herein to deposit such shares.
Shares deposited in the future with the custodian must be accompanied by certain delivery documentation and shall, at the time of such deposit, be registered in the name of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as depositary for the benefit of holders of ADRs or in such other name as the depositary shall direct.
The custodian will hold all deposited shares (including those being deposited by or on our behalf in connection with the offering to which this prospectus relates) for the account and to the order of the depositary, in each case for the benefit of ADR holders. ADR holders and beneficial owners thus have no direct ownership interest in the shares and only have such rights as are contained in the deposit agreement. The custodian will also hold any additional securities, property and cash received on or in substitution for the deposited shares. The deposited shares and any such additional items are referred to as “deposited securities.”
Deposited securities are not intended to, and shall not, constitute proprietary assets of the depositary, the custodian or their nominees. Beneficial ownership in deposited securities is intended to be, and shall at all times during the term of the deposit agreement continue to be, vested in the beneficial owners of the ADSs representing
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such deposited securities. Notwithstanding anything else contained herein, in the deposit agreement, in the form of ADR and/or in any outstanding ADSs, the depositary, the custodian and their respective nominees are intended to be, and shall at all times during the term of the deposit agreement be, the record holder(s) only of the deposited securities represented by the ADSs for the benefit of the ADR holders. The depositary, on its own behalf and on behalf of the custodian and their respective nominees, disclaims any beneficial ownership interest in the deposited securities held on behalf of the ADR holders.
Upon each deposit of shares, receipt of related delivery documentation and compliance with the other provisions of the deposit agreement, including the payment of the fees and charges of the depositary and any taxes or other fees or charges owing, the depositary will issue an ADR or ADRs in the name or upon the order of the person entitled thereto evidencing the number of ADSs to which such person is entitled. All of the ADSs issued will, unless specifically requested to the contrary, be part of the depositary’s direct registration system, and a registered holder will receive periodic statements from the depositary which will show the number of ADSs registered in such holder’s name. An ADR holder can request that the ADSs not be held through the depositary’s direct registration system and that a certificated ADR be issued.
How do ADR holders cancel an ADS and obtain deposited securities?
When you turn in your ADR certificate at the depositary’s office, or when you provide proper instructions and documentation in the case of direct registration ADSs, the depositary will, upon payment of certain applicable fees, charges and taxes, deliver the underlying shares to you or upon your written order. Delivery of deposited securities in certificated form will be made at the custodian’s office. At your risk, expense and request, the depositary may deliver deposited securities at such other place as you may request.
The depositary may only restrict the withdrawal of deposited securities in connection with:
• | temporary delays caused by closing our transfer books or those of the depositary or the deposit of shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends; |
• | the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges; or |
• | compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations relating to the ADRs or to the withdrawal of deposited securities. |
This right of withdrawal may not be limited by any other provision of the deposit agreement.
Record Dates
The depositary may, after consultation with us if practicable, fix record dates (which, to the extent applicable, shall be as near as practicable to any corresponding record dates set by us) for the determination of the registered ADR holders who will be entitled (or obligated, as the case may be):
• | to receive any distribution on or in respect of deposited securities, |
• | to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at a meeting of holders of shares, or |
• | to pay the fee assessed by the depositary for administration of the ADR program and for any expenses as provided for in the ADR, |
• | to receive any notice or to act in respect of other matters, |
all subject to the provisions of the deposit agreement.
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Voting Rights
How do I vote?
If you are an ADR holder and the depositary asks you to provide it with voting instructions, you may instruct the depositary how to exercise the voting rights for the shares which underlie your ADSs. As soon as practicable after receipt from us of notice of any meeting at which the holders of shares are entitled to vote, or of our solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of shares, the depositary shall fix the ADS record date in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement, provided that if the depositary receives a written request from us in a timely manner and at least 30 days prior to the date of such vote or meeting, the depositary shall, at our expense, distribute to the registered ADR holders a “voting notice” stating (i) final information particular to such vote and meeting and any solicitation materials, (ii) that each ADR holder on the record date set by the depositary will, subject to any applicable provisions of Cayman Islands law, be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the deposited securities represented by the ADSs evidenced by such ADR holder’s ADRs and (iii) the manner in which such instructions may be given, or deemed to be given pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, including instructions for giving a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us. Each ADR holder shall be solely responsible for the forwarding of voting notices to the beneficial owners of ADSs registered in such ADR holder’s name. There is no guarantee that ADR holders and beneficial owners generally or any holder or beneficial owner in particular will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable such ADR holder or beneficial owner to return any voting instructions to the depositary in a timely manner.
Following actual receipt by the ADR department responsible for proxies and voting of ADR holders’ instructions (including, without limitation, instructions of any entity or entities acting on behalf of the nominee for DTC), the depositary shall, in the manner and on or before the time established by the depositary for such purpose, endeavor to vote or cause to be voted the deposited securities represented by the ADSs evidenced by such ADR holders’ ADRs in accordance with such instructions insofar as practicable and permitted under the provisions of or governing deposited securities.
To the extent that (A) we have provided the depositary with at least 35 days’ notice of the proposed meeting, (B) the voting notice will be received by all ADR holders and beneficial owners no less than 10 days prior to the date of the meeting and/or the cut-off date for the solicitation of consents, and (C) the depositary does not receive instructions on a particular agenda item from an ADR holder (including, without limitation, any entity or entities acting on behalf of the nominee for DTC) in a timely manner, such ADR holder shall be deemed, and in the deposit agreement the depositary is instructed to deem such ADR holder, to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy for such agenda item(s) to a person designated by us to vote the deposited securities represented by the ADSs for which actual instructions were not so given by all such ADR holders on such agenda item(s), provided that no such instruction shall be deemed given and no discretionary proxy shall be given unless (1) we inform the depositary in writing (and we agree to provide the depositary with such instruction promptly in writing) that (a) we wish such proxy to be given with respect to such agenda item(s), (b) there is no substantial opposition existing with respect to such agenda item(s) and (c) such agenda item(s), if approved, would not materially or adversely affect the rights of holders of shares, and (2) the depositary has obtained an opinion of counsel, in form and substance satisfactory to the depositary, confirming that (i) the granting of such discretionary proxy does not subject the depositary to any reporting obligations in the Cayman Islands, (ii) the granting of such proxy will not result in a violation of the laws, rules, regulations or permits of the Cayman Islands, (iii) the voting arrangement and deemed instruction as contemplated herein will be given effect under the laws, rules and regulations of the Cayman Islands, and (iv) the granting of such discretionary proxy will not under any circumstances result in the shares represented by the ADSs being treated as assets of the depositary under the laws, rules or regulations of the Cayman Islands.
The depositary may from time to time access information available to it to consider whether any of the circumstances described above exist, or request additional information from us in respect thereto. By taking any such action, the depositary shall not in any way be deemed or inferred to have been required, or have had any
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duty or responsibility (contractual or otherwise), to monitor or inquire whether any of the circumstances described above existed. In addition to the limitations provided for in the deposit agreement, ADR holders and beneficial owners are advised and agree that (a) the depositary will rely fully and exclusively on us to inform it of any of the circumstances set forth above, and (b) neither the depositary, the custodian nor any of their respective agents shall be obliged to inquire or investigate whether any of the circumstances described above exist and/or whether we complied with our obligation to timely inform the depositary of such circumstances. Neither the depositary, the custodian nor any of their respective agents shall incur any liability to ADR holders or beneficial owners (i) as a result of our failure to determine that any of the circumstances described above exist or our failure to timely notify the depositary of any such circumstances or (ii) if any agenda item which is approved at a meeting has, or is claimed to have, a material or adverse effect on the rights of holders of shares. Because there is no guarantee that ADR holders and beneficial owners will receive the notices described above with sufficient time to enable such ADR holders or beneficial owners to return any voting instructions to the depositary in a timely manner, ADR holders and beneficial owners may be deemed to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us in such circumstances, and neither the depositary, the custodian nor any of their respective agents shall incur any liability to ADR holders or beneficial owners in such circumstances.
ADR holders are strongly encouraged to forward their voting instructions to the depositary as soon as possible. For instructions to be valid, the ADR department of the depositary that is responsible for proxies and voting must receive them in the manner and on or before the time specified, notwithstanding that such instructions may have been physically received by the depositary prior to such time. The depositary will not itself exercise any voting discretion in respect of deposited securities. The depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the deposited securities, for the manner in which any voting instructions are given, or deemed to be given pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, including instructions to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us, for the manner in which any vote is cast, including, without limitation, any vote cast by a person to whom the depositary is instructed to grant a discretionary proxy (or deemed to have been instructed pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement), or for the effect of any such vote. Notwithstanding anything contained in the deposit agreement or any ADR, the depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by any law, regulation, or requirement of the stock exchange on which the ADSs are listed, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided to the depositary in connection with any meeting of or solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of deposited securities, distribute to the registered holders of ADRs a notice that provides such ADR holders with or otherwise publicizes to such ADR holders instructions on how to retrieve such materials or receive such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).
We have advised the depositary that under Cayman Islands law and our constituent documents, each as in effect as of the date of the deposit agreement, voting at any meeting of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the results of the show of hands) demanded. In the event that voting on any resolution or matter is conducted on a show of hands basis in accordance with our constituent documents, the depositary will refrain from voting and the voting instructions received by the depositary from ADR holders shall lapse. The depositary will not demand a poll or join in demanding a poll, whether or not requested to do so by ADR holders or beneficial owners.
There is no guarantee that you will receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote.
Reports and Other Communications
Will ADR holders be able to view our reports?
The depositary will make available for inspection by ADR holders at the offices of the depositary and the custodian the deposit agreement, the provisions of or governing deposited securities, and any written
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communications from us which are both received by the custodian or its nominee as a holder of deposited securities and made generally available to the holders of deposited securities.
Additionally, if we make any written communications generally available to holders of our shares, and we furnish copies thereof (or English translations or summaries) to the depositary, it will distribute the same to registered ADR holders.
Fees and Expenses
What fees and expenses will I be responsible for paying?
The depositary may charge each person to whom ADSs are issued, including, without limitation, issuances against deposits of shares, issuances in respect of share distributions, rights and other distributions, issuances pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by us or issuances pursuant to a merger, exchange of securities or any other transaction or event affecting the ADSs or deposited securities, and each person surrendering ADSs for withdrawal of deposited securities or whose ADRs are cancelled or reduced for any other reason, $5.00 for each 100 ADSs (or any portion thereof) issued, delivered, reduced, canceled or surrendered, or upon which a share distribution or elective distribution is made or offered, as the case may be. The depositary may sell (by public or private sale) sufficient securities and property received in respect of a share distribution, rights and/or other distribution prior to such deposit to pay such charge.
The following additional charges shall also be incurred by the ADR holders, the beneficial owners, by any party depositing or withdrawing shares or by any party surrendering ADSs and/or to whom ADSs are issued (including, without limitation, issuance pursuant to a stock dividend or stock split declared by us or an exchange of stock regarding the ADSs or the deposited securities or a distribution of ADSs), whichever is applicable:
• | a fee of U.S.$1.50 per ADR or ADRs for transfers of certificated or direct registration ADRs; |
• | a fee of U.S.$0.05 or less per ADS held for any cash distribution made, or for any elective cash/stock dividend offered, pursuant to the deposit agreement; |
• | an aggregate fee of U.S.$0.05 or less per ADS per calendar year (or portion thereof) for services performed by the depositary in administering the ADRs (which fee may be charged on a periodic basis during each calendar year and shall be assessed against holders of ADRs as of the record date or record dates set by the depositary during each calendar year and shall be payable in the manner described in the next succeeding provision); |
• | a fee for the reimbursement of such fees, charges and expenses as are incurred by the depositary and/or any of its agents (including, without limitation, the custodian and expenses incurred on behalf of ADR holders in connection with compliance with foreign exchange control regulations or any law or regulation relating to foreign investment) in connection with the servicing of the shares or other deposited securities, the sale of securities (including, without limitation, deposited securities), the delivery of deposited securities or otherwise in connection with the depositary’s or its custodian’s compliance with applicable law, rule or regulation (which fees and charges shall be assessed on a proportionate basis against ADR holders as of the record date or dates set by the depositary and shall be payable at the sole discretion of the depositary by billing such ADR holders or by deducting such charge from one or more cash dividends or other cash distributions); |
• | a fee for the distribution of securities (or the sale of securities in connection with a distribution), such fee being in an amount equal to the $0.05 per ADS issuance fee for the execution and delivery of ADSs which would have been charged as a result of the deposit of such securities (treating all such securities as if they were shares) but which securities or the net cash proceeds from the sale thereof are instead distributed by the depositary to those ADR holders entitled thereto; |
• | stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges; |
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• | cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery charges incurred at your request in connection with the deposit or delivery of shares, ADRs or deposited securities; |
• | transfer or registration fees for the registration of transfer of deposited securities on any applicable register in connection with the deposit or withdrawal of deposited securities; and |
• | fees of any division, branch or affiliate of the depositary utilized by the depositary to direct, manage and/or execute any public and/or private sale of securities under the deposit agreement. |
To facilitate the administration of various depositary receipt transactions, including disbursement of dividends or other cash distributions and other corporate actions, the depositary may engage the foreign exchange desk within JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., or the Bank, and/or its affiliates in order to enter into spot foreign exchange transactions to convert foreign currency into U.S. dollars. For certain currencies, foreign exchange transactions are entered into with the Bank or an affiliate, as the case may be, acting in a principal capacity. For other currencies, foreign exchange transactions are routed directly to and managed by an unaffiliated local custodian (or other third party local liquidity provider), and neither the Bank nor any of its affiliates is a party to such foreign exchange transactions.
The foreign exchange rate applied to an foreign exchange transaction will be either (a) a published benchmark rate, or (b) a rate determined by a third party local liquidity provider, in each case plus or minus a spread, as applicable. The depositary will disclose which foreign exchange rate and spread, if any, apply to such currency on the “Disclosure” page (or successor page) of www.adr.com. Such applicable foreign exchange rate and spread may (and neither the depositary, the Bank nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to ensure that such rate does not) differ from rates and spreads at which comparable transactions are entered into with other customers or the range of foreign exchange rates and spreads at which the Bank or any of its affiliates enters into foreign exchange transactions in the relevant currency pair on the date of the foreign exchange transaction. Additionally, the timing of execution of an foreign exchange transaction varies according to local market dynamics, which may include regulatory requirements, market hours and liquidity in the foreign exchange market or other factors. Furthermore, the Bank and its affiliates may manage the associated risks of their position in the market in a manner they deem appropriate without regard to the impact of such activities on the depositary, us, holders or beneficial owners. The spread applied does not reflect any gains or losses that may be earned or incurred by the Bank and its affiliates as a result of risk management or other hedging related activity.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent we provide U.S. dollars to the depositary, neither the Bank nor any of its affiliates will execute a foreign exchange transaction as set forth herein. In such case, the depositary will distribute the U.S. dollars received from us.
Further details relating to the applicable foreign exchange rate, the applicable spread and the execution of foreign exchange transactions will be provided by the depositary on ADR.com. Each holder and beneficial owner by holding or owning an ADR or ADS or an interest therein, and we, each acknowledge and agree that the terms applicable to foreign exchange transactions disclosed from time to time on ADR.com will apply to any foreign exchange transaction executed pursuant to the deposit agreement.
We will pay all other charges and expenses of the depositary and any agent of the depositary (except the custodian) pursuant to agreements from time to time between us and the depositary.
The right of the depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and expenses survives the termination of the deposit agreement, and shall extend for those fees, charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of any resignation or removal of the depositary.
The fees and charges described above may be amended from time to time by agreement between us and the depositary.
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The depositary may make available to us a set amount or a portion of the depositary fees charged in respect of the ADR program or otherwise upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary may agree from time to time. The depositary collects its fees for issuance and cancellation 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 will generally set off the amounts owing from distributions made to holders of ADSs. If, however, no distribution exists and payment owing is not timely received by the depositary, the depositary may refuse to provide any further services to ADR holders that have not paid those fees and expenses owing until such fees and expenses have been paid. At the discretion of the depositary, all fees and charges owing under the deposit agreement are due in advance and/or when declared owing by the depositary.
Payment of Taxes
ADR holders or beneficial owners must pay any tax or other governmental charge payable by the custodian or the depositary on any ADS or ADR, deposited security or distribution. If any taxes or other governmental charges (including any penalties and/or interest) shall become payable by or on behalf of the custodian or the depositary with respect to any ADR, any deposited securities represented by the ADSs evidenced thereby or any distribution thereon, including, without limitation, any Chinese Enterprise Income Tax owing if the SAT Circular 82 issued by the SAT or any other circular, edict, order or ruling, as issued and as from time to time amended, is applied or otherwise, such tax or other governmental charge shall be paid by the ADR holder thereof to the depositary and by holding or owning, or having held or owned, an ADR or any ADSs evidenced thereby, the ADR holder and all beneficial owners thereof, and all prior ADR holders and beneficial owners thereof, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify, defend and save harmless each of the depositary and its agents in respect of such tax or other governmental charge. Notwithstanding the depositary’s right to seek payment from current and former beneficial owners, by holding or owning, or having held or owned, an ADR, the ADR holder thereof (and prior ADR holder thereof) acknowledges and agrees that the depositary has no obligation to seek payment of amounts owing from any current or former beneficial owner. If an ADR holder owes any tax or other governmental charge, the depositary may (i) deduct the amount thereof from any cash distributions, or (ii) sell deposited securities (by public or private sale) and deduct the amount owing from the net proceeds of such sale. In either case the ADR holder remains liable for any shortfall. If any tax or governmental charge is unpaid, the depositary may also refuse to effect any registration, registration of transfer, split-up or combination of deposited securities or withdrawal of deposited securities until such payment is made. If any tax or governmental charge is required to be withheld on any cash distribution, the depositary may deduct the amount required to be withheld from any cash distribution or, in the case of a non-cash distribution, sell the distributed property or securities (by public or private sale) in such amounts and in such manner as the depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay such taxes and distribute any remaining net proceeds or the balance of any such property after deduction of such taxes to the ADR holders entitled thereto.
As an ADR holder or beneficial owner, you will be agreeing to indemnify us, the depositary, its custodian and any of our or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents and affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from, any claims by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to tax, penalties or interest arising out of any refund of taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit obtained.
Reclassifications, Recapitalizations and Mergers
If we take certain actions that affect the deposited securities, including (i) any change in par value, split-up, consolidation, cancellation or other reclassification of deposited securities or (ii) any distributions of shares or other property not made to holders of ADRs or (iii) any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation,
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liquidation, receivership, bankruptcy or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, then the depositary may choose to, and shall if reasonably requested by us:
• | amend the form of ADR; |
• | distribute additional or amended ADRs; |
• | distribute cash, securities or other property it has received in connection with such actions; |
• | sell any securities or property received and distribute the proceeds as cash; or |
• | none of the above. |
If the depositary does not choose any of the above options, any of the cash, securities or other property it receives will constitute part of the deposited securities and each ADS will then represent a proportionate interest in such property.
Amendment and Termination
How may the deposit agreement be amended?
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement and the ADSs without your consent for any reason. ADR holders must be given at least 30 days’ notice of any amendment that imposes or increases any fees or charges (other than stock transfer or other taxes and other governmental charges, transfer or registration fees, SWIFT, cable, telex or facsimile transmission costs, delivery costs or other such expenses), or otherwise prejudices any substantial existing right of ADR holders or beneficial owners. Such notice need not describe in detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, but must identify to ADR holders and beneficial owners a means to access the text of such amendment. If an ADR holder continues to hold an ADR or ADRs after being so notified, such ADR holder and any beneficial owner are deemed to agree to such amendment and to be bound by the deposit agreement as so amended. No amendment, however, will impair your right to surrender your ADSs and receive the underlying securities, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of applicable law.
Any amendments or supplements which (i) are reasonably necessary (as agreed by us and the depositary) in order for (a) the ADSs to be registered on Form F-6 under the Securities Act of 1933 or (b) the ADSs or shares to be traded solely in electronic book-entry form and (ii) do not in either such case impose or increase any fees or charges to be borne by ADR holders, shall be deemed not to prejudice any substantial rights of ADR holders or beneficial owners. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any governmental body or regulatory body should adopt new laws, rules or regulations which would require amendment or supplement of the deposit agreement or the form of ADR to ensure compliance therewith, we and the depositary may amend or supplement the deposit agreement and the ADR at any time in accordance with such changed laws, rules or regulations. Such amendment or supplement to the deposit agreement in such circumstances may become effective before a notice of such amendment or supplement is given to ADR holders or within any other period of time as required for compliance.
Notice of any amendment to the deposit agreement or form of ADRs shall not need to describe in detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, and failure to describe the specific amendments in any such notice shall not render such notice invalid, provided, however, that, in each such case, the notice given to the ADR holders identifies a means for ADR holders and beneficial owners to retrieve or receive the text of such amendment (i.e., upon retrieval from the SEC’s, the depositary’s or our website or upon request from the depositary).
How may the deposit agreement be terminated?
The depositary may, and shall at our written direction, terminate the deposit agreement and the ADRs by mailing notice of such termination to the registered holders of ADRs at least 30 days prior to the date fixed in
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such notice for such termination; provided, however, if the depositary shall have (i) resigned as depositary under the deposit agreement, notice of such termination by the depositary shall not be provided to registered ADR holders unless a successor depositary shall not be operating under the deposit agreement within 60 days of the date of such resignation, and (ii) been removed as depositary under the deposit agreement, notice of such termination by the depositary shall not be provided to registered holders of ADRs unless a successor depositary shall not be operating under the deposit agreement on the 60th day after our notice of removal was first provided to the depositary.
After the date so fixed for termination, (a) all direct registration ADRs shall cease to be eligible for the direct registration system and shall be considered ADRs issued on the ADR register maintained by the depositary and (b) the depositary shall use its reasonable efforts to ensure that the ADSs cease to be DTC eligible so that neither DTC nor any of its nominees shall thereafter be a registered holder of ADRs. At such time as the ADSs cease to be DTC eligible and/or neither DTC nor any of its nominees is a registered holder of ADRs, the depositary shall (a) instruct its custodian to deliver all shares to us along with a general stock power that refers to the names set forth on the ADR register maintained by the depositary and (b) provide us with a copy of the ADR register maintained by the depositary. Upon receipt of such shares and the ADR register maintained by the depositary, we have agreed to use our best efforts to issue to each registered ADR holder a Share certificate representing the Shares represented by the ADSs reflected on the ADR register maintained by the depositary in such registered ADR holder’s name and to deliver such Share certificate to the registered ADR holder at the address set forth on the ADR register maintained by the depositary. After providing such instruction to the custodian and delivering a copy of the ADR register to us, the depositary and its agents will perform no further acts under the deposit agreement or the ADRs and shall cease to have any obligations under the deposit agreement and/or the ADRs.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in connection with any such termination, the depositary may, in its sole discretion and without notice to us, establish an unsponsored American depositary share program (on such terms as the depositary may determine) for our shares and make available to ADR holders a means to withdraw the shares represented by the ADSs issued under the deposit agreement and to direct the deposit of such shares into such unsponsored American depositary share program, subject, in each case, to receipt by the depositary, at its discretion, of the fees, charges and expenses provided for under the deposit agreement and the fees, charges and expenses applicable to the unsponsored American depositary share program.
Limitations on Obligations and Liability to ADR holders
Limits on our obligations and the obligations of the depositary; limits on liability to ADR holders and holders of ADSs
Prior to the issue, registration, registration of transfer, split-up, combination, or cancellation of any ADRs, or the delivery of any distribution in respect thereof, and from time to time in the case of the production of proofs as described below, we or the depositary or its custodian may require:
• | payment with respect thereto of (i) any stock transfer or other tax or other governmental charge, (ii) any stock transfer or registration fees in effect for the registration of transfers of shares or other deposited securities upon any applicable register and (iii) any applicable fees and expenses described in the deposit agreement; |
• | the production of proof satisfactory to it of (i) the identity of any signatory and genuineness of any signature and (ii) such other information, including without limitation, information as to citizenship, residence, exchange control approval, beneficial or other ownership of, or interest in, any securities, compliance with applicable law, regulations, provisions of or governing deposited securities and terms of the deposit agreement and the ADRs, as it may deem necessary or proper; and |
• | compliance with such regulations as the depositary may establish consistent with the deposit agreement. |
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The issuance of ADRs, the acceptance of deposits of shares, the registration, registration of transfer, split-up or combination of ADRs or the withdrawal of shares, may be suspended, generally or in particular instances, when the ADR register or any register for deposited securities is closed or when any such action is deemed advisable by the depositary; provided that the ability to withdraw shares may only be limited under the following circumstances: (i) temporary delays caused by closing transfer books of the depositary or our transfer books or the deposit of shares in connection with voting at a shareholders’ meeting, or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes, and similar charges, and (iii) compliance with any laws or governmental regulations relating to ADRs or to the withdrawal of deposited securities.
The deposit agreement expressly limits the obligations and liability of the depositary, ourselves and our respective agents, provided, however, that no disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act of 1933 is intended by any of the limitations of liabilities provisions of the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement provides that each of us, the depositary and our respective agents will:
• | incur or assume no liability (including, without limitation, to holders or beneficial owners) if any present or future law, rule, regulation, fiat, order or decree of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China, the United States or any other country or jurisdiction, or of any governmental or regulatory authority or securities exchange or market or automated quotation system, the provisions of or governing any deposited securities, any present or future provision of our charter, any act of God, war, terrorism, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strike, civil unrest, revolutions, rebellions, explosions, computer failure or circumstance beyond our, the depositary’s or our respective agents’ direct and immediate control shall prevent or delay, or shall cause any of them to be subject to any civil or criminal penalty in connection with, any act which the deposit agreement or the ADRs provide shall be done or performed by us, the depositary or our respective agents (including, without limitation, voting); |
• | incur or assume no liability (including, without limitation, to holders or beneficial owners) by reason of any non-performance or delay, caused as aforesaid, in the performance of any act or things which by the terms of the deposit agreement it is provided shall or may be done or performed or any exercise or failure to exercise discretion under the deposit agreement or the ADRs including, without limitation, any failure to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable; |
• | incur or assume no liability (including, without limitation, to holders or beneficial owners) if it performs its obligations under the deposit agreement and ADRs without gross negligence or willful misconduct; |
• | in the case of the depositary and its agents, be under no obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities the ADSs or the ADRs; |
• | in the case of us and our agents, be under no obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities the ADSs or the ADRs, which in our or our agents’ opinion, as the case may be, may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to us or our agent, as the case may be against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and liability be furnished as often as may be requested; |
• | not be liable (including, without limitation, to holders or beneficial owners) for any action or inaction by it in reliance upon the advice of or information from any legal counsel, any accountant, any person presenting shares for deposit, any registered holder of ADRs, or any other person believed by it to be competent to give such advice or information and/or, in the case of the depositary, us; or |
• | may rely and shall be protected in acting upon any written notice, request, direction, instruction or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, presented or given by the proper party or parties. |
Neither the depositary nor its agents have any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities, the ADSs or the ADRs. We and our agents shall only be
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obligated to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in respect of any deposited securities, the ADSs or the ADRs, which in our opinion may involve us in expense or liability, if indemnity satisfactory to us against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and liability is furnished as often as may be required. The depositary and its agents may fully respond to any and all demands or requests for information maintained by or on its behalf in connection with the deposit agreement, any registered holder or holders of ADRs, any ADRs or otherwise related to the deposit agreement or ADRs to the extent such information is requested or required by or pursuant to any lawful authority, including without limitation laws, rules, regulations, administrative or judicial process, banking, securities or other regulators. The depositary shall not be liable for the acts or omissions made by, or the insolvency of, any securities depository, clearing agency or settlement system. Furthermore, the depositary shall not be responsible for, and shall incur no liability in connection with or arising from, the insolvency of any custodian that is not a branch or affiliate of JPMorgan. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in the deposit agreement or any ADRs, the depositary shall not be responsible for, and shall incur no liability in connection with or arising from, any act or omission to act on the part of the custodian except to the extent that any registered ADR holder has incurred liability directly as a result of the custodian having (i) committed fraud or willful misconduct in the provision of custodial services to the depositary or (ii) failed to use reasonable care in the provision of custodial services to the depositary as determined in accordance with the standards prevailing in the jurisdiction in which the custodian is located. The depositary and the custodian(s) may use third party delivery services and providers of information regarding matters such as, but not limited to, pricing, proxy voting, corporate actions, class action litigation and other services in connection with the ADRs and the deposit agreement, and use local agents to provide services such as, but not limited to, attendance at any meetings of security holders of issuers. Although the depositary and the custodian will use reasonable care (and cause their agents to use reasonable care) in the selection and retention of such third party providers and local agents, they will not be responsible for any errors or omissions made by them in providing the relevant information or services. The depositary shall not have any liability for the price received in connection with any sale of securities, the timing thereof or any delay in action or omission to act nor shall it be responsible for any error or delay in action, omission to act, default or negligence on the part of the party so retained in connection with any such sale or proposed sale.
The depositary has no obligation to inform ADR holders or beneficial owners about the requirements of the laws, rules or regulations or any changes therein or thereto of the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China, the United States or any other country or jurisdiction or of any governmental or regulatory authority or any securities exchange or market or automated quotation system.
Additionally, none of us, the depositary or the custodian shall be liable for the failure by any registered holder of ADRs or beneficial owner therein to obtain the benefits of credits or refunds of non-U.S. tax paid against such ADR holder’s or beneficial owner’s income tax liability. The depositary is under no obligation to provide the ADR holders and beneficial owners, or any of them, with any information about our tax status. Neither we nor the depositary shall incur any liability for any tax or tax consequences that may be incurred by registered ADR holders or beneficial owners on account of their ownership or disposition of ADRs or ADSs.
Neither the depositary nor its agents will be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote any of the deposited securities, for the manner in which any voting instructions are given, or deemed to be given pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, including instructions to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us, for the manner in which any vote is cast, including, without limitation, any vote cast by a person to whom the depositary is instructed to grant a discretionary proxy (or deemed to have been instructed pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement), or for the effect of any such vote. The depositary may rely upon instructions from us or our counsel in respect of any approval or license required for any currency conversion, transfer or distribution. The depositary shall not incur any liability for the content of any information submitted to it by us or on our behalf for distribution to ADR holders or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, for any investment risk associated with acquiring an interest in the deposited securities, for the validity or worth of the deposited securities, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse upon the terms of the deposit agreement or for the failure or timeliness of any notice from us. The depositary shall not be
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liable for any acts or omissions made by a successor depositary whether in connection with a previous act or omission of the depositary or in connection with any matter arising wholly after the removal or resignation of the depositary. Neither the depositary nor any of its agents shall be liable for any indirect, special, punitive or consequential damages (including, without limitation, legal fees and expenses) or lost profits, in each case of any form incurred by any person or entity (including, without limitation holders or beneficial owners of ADRs and ADSs), whether or not foreseeable and regardless of the type of action in which such a claim may be brought.
In the deposit agreement each party thereto (including, for avoidance of doubt, each ADR holder and beneficial owner) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any suit, action or proceeding against the depositary and/or us directly or indirectly arising out of or relating to the shares or other deposited securities, the ADSs or the ADRs, the deposit agreement or any transaction contemplated therein, or the breach thereof (whether based on contract, tort, common law or any other theory). No provision of the deposit agreement or the ADRs is intended to constitute a waiver or limitation of any rights which an ADR holder or any beneficial owner may have under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, to the extent applicable.
The depositary and its agents may own and deal in any class of securities of our company and our affiliates and in ADRs.
Disclosure of Interest in ADSs
To the extent that the provisions of or governing any deposited securities may require disclosure of or impose limits on beneficial or other ownership of, or interest in, deposited securities, other shares and other securities and may provide for blocking transfer, voting or other rights to enforce such disclosure or limits, you as ADR holders or beneficial owners agree to comply with all such disclosure requirements and ownership limitations and to comply with any reasonable instructions we may provide in respect thereof.
Books of Depositary
The depositary or its agent will maintain a register for the registration, registration of transfer, combination and split-up of ADRs, which register shall include the depositary’s direct registration system. Registered holders of ADRs may inspect such records at the depositary’s office at all reasonable times, but solely for the purpose of communicating with other ADR holders in the interest of the business of our company or a matter relating to the deposit agreement. Such register may be closed at any time or from time to time, when deemed expedient by the depositary or, in the case of the issuance book portion of the ADR Register, when reasonably requested by the Company solely in order to enable the Company to comply with applicable law.
The depositary will maintain facilities for the delivery and receipt of ADRs.
Appointment
In the deposit agreement, each registered holder of ADRs and each beneficial owner, upon acceptance of any ADSs or ADRs (or any interest in any of them) issued in accordance with the terms and conditions of the deposit agreement will be deemed for all purposes to:
• | be a party to and bound by the terms of the deposit agreement and the applicable ADR or ADRs, |
• | appoint the depositary its attorney-in-fact, with full power to delegate, to act on its behalf and to take any and all actions contemplated in the deposit agreement and the applicable ADR or ADRs, to adopt any and all procedures necessary to comply with applicable laws and to take such action as the depositary in its sole discretion may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the deposit agreement and the applicable ADR or ADRs, the taking of such actions to be the conclusive determinant of the necessity and appropriateness thereof; and |
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• | acknowledge and agree that (i) nothing in the deposit agreement or any ADR shall give rise to a partnership or joint venture among the parties thereto, nor establish a fiduciary or similar relationship among such parties, (ii) the depositary, its divisions, branches and affiliates, and their respective agents, may from time to time be in the possession of non-public information about us, ADR holders, beneficial owners and/or their respective affiliates, (iii) the depositary and its divisions, branches and affiliates may at any time have multiple banking relationships with us, ADR holders, beneficial owners and/or the affiliates of any of them, (iv) the depositary and its divisions, branches and affiliates may, from time to time, be engaged in transactions in which parties adverse to us, ADR holders, beneficial owners and/or their respective affiliates may have interests, (v) nothing contained in the deposit agreement or any ADR(s) shall (A) preclude the depositary or any of its divisions, branches or affiliates from engaging in any such transactions or establishing or maintaining any such relationships, or (B) obligate the depositary or any of its divisions, branches or affiliates to disclose any such transactions or relationships or to account for any profit made or payment received in any such transactions or relationships, (vi) the depositary shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any information held by any branch, division or affiliate of the depositary and (vii) notice to an ADR holder shall be deemed, for all purposes of the deposit agreement and the ADRs, to constitute notice to any and all beneficial owners of the ADSs evidenced by such ADR holder’s ADRs. For all purposes under the deposit agreement and the ADRs, the ADR holders thereof shall be deemed to have all requisite authority to act on behalf of any and all beneficial owners of the ADSs evidenced by such ADRs. |
Governing Law
The deposit agreement, the ADSs and the ADRs are governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York. In the deposit agreement, we have submitted to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of New York and appointed an agent for service of process on our behalf. Any action based on the deposit agreement, the ADSs, the ADRs or the transactions contemplated therein or thereby may also be instituted by the depositary against us in any competent court in the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, the People’s Republic of China, the United States and/or any other court of competent jurisdiction.
Under the deposit agreement, by holding or owning an ADR or ADS or an interest therein, ADR holders and beneficial owners each irrevocably agree that any legal suit, action or proceeding against or involving ADR holders or beneficial owners brought by us or the depositary, arising out of or based upon the deposit agreement, the ADSs, the ADRs or the transactions contemplated thereby, may be instituted in a state or federal court in New York, New York, irrevocably waive any objection which you may have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. By holding or owning an ADR or ADS or an interest therein, ADR holders and beneficial owners each also irrevocably agree that any legal suit, action or proceeding against or involving the depositary brought by ADR holders or beneficial owners, arising out of or based upon the deposit agreement, the ADSs, the ADRs or the transactions contemplated thereby, may only be instituted in a state or federal court in New York, New York.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the depositary may, in its sole discretion, elect to institute any dispute, suit, action, controversy, claim or proceeding directly or indirectly based on, arising out of or relating to the deposit agreement, the ADSs, the ADRs or the transactions contemplated therein or thereby, including without limitation any question regarding its or their existence, validity, interpretation, performance or termination, against any other party or parties to the deposit agreement (including, without limitation, against ADR holders and beneficial owners of interests in ADSs), by having the matter referred to and finally resolved by an arbitration conducted under the terms described below, and (ii) the depositary may in its sole discretion require, by written notice to the relevant party or parties, that any dispute, suit, action, controversy, claim or proceeding against the depositary by any party or parties to the deposit agreement (including, without limitation, by ADR holders and beneficial owners of interests in ADSs) shall be referred to and finally settled by an arbitration conducted under the terms described below. Any such arbitration shall be conducted in the English language
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either in New York, New York in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association or in Hong Kong following the arbitration rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
Jury Trial Waiver
In the deposit agreement, each party thereto (including, for the avoidance of doubt, each holder and beneficial owner of, and/or holder of interests in, ADSs or ADRs) irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any right it may have to a trial by jury in any suit, action or proceeding against the depositary and/or us directly or indirectly arising out of or relating to the shares or other deposited securities, the ADSs or the ADRs, the deposit agreement or any transaction contemplated therein, or the breach thereof (whether based on contract, tort, common law or any other theory), including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.
If we or the depositary were to oppose a jury trial demand based on such waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable in the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable state and federal law, including whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. The waiver to right to a jury trial in the deposit agreement is not intended to be deemed a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs of our or the depositary’s compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indenture, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.
We will issue the debt securities under the indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the indenture. The indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We have filed the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.
The following summary of material provisions of the debt securities and the indenture is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities.
General
The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. It provides that we may issue debt securities up to the principal amount that we may authorize and may be in any currency or currency unit that we may designate. Except for the limitations on consolidation, merger and sale of all or substantially all of our assets contained in the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the terms of the indenture do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to give holders of any debt securities protection against changes in our operations, financial condition or transactions involving us.
We may issue the debt securities issued under the indenture as “discount securities,” which means they may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. These debt securities, as well as other debt securities that are not issued at a discount, may be issued with “original issue discount,” or OID, for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of interest payment and other characteristics or terms of the debt securities. Material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities issued with OID will be described in more detail in any applicable prospectus supplement.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:
• | the title of the series of debt securities; |
• | any limit upon the aggregate principal amount that may be issued; |
• | the maturity date or dates; |
• | the form of the debt securities of the series; |
• | the applicability of any guarantees; |
• | whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt; |
• | whether the debt securities rank as senior debt, senior subordinated debt, subordinated debt or any combination thereof, and the terms of any subordination; |
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• | if the price (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount thereof) at which such debt securities will be issued is a price other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, or if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such debt securities that is convertible into another security or the method by which any such portion shall be determined; |
• | the interest rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates; |
• | our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period; |
• | if applicable, the date or dates after which, or the period or periods during which, and the price or prices at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions; |
• | the date or dates, if any, on which, and the price or prices at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable; |
• | the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; |
• | any and all terms, if applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the debt securities of that series and any security for our obligations with respect to such debt securities and any other terms which may be advisable in connection with the marketing of debt securities of that series; |
• | whether the debt securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of a global security or securities; the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such global security or securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for other individual securities; and the depositary for such global security or securities; |
• | if applicable, the provisions relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of the series and the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at our option or the holders’ option) conversion or exchange features, the applicable conversion or exchange period and the manner of settlement for any conversion or exchange; |
• | if other than the full principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of debt securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof; |
• | additions to or changes in the covenants applicable to the particular debt securities being issued, including, among others, the consolidation, merger or sale covenant; |
• | additions to or changes in the events of default with respect to the securities and any change in the right of the trustee or the holders to declare the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, with respect to such securities to be due and payable; |
• | additions to or changes in or deletions of the provisions relating to covenant defeasance and legal defeasance; |
• | additions to or changes in the provisions relating to satisfaction and discharge of the indenture; |
• | additions to or changes in the provisions relating to the modification of the indenture both with and without the consent of holders of debt securities issued under the indenture; |
• | the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; |
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• | whether interest will be payable in cash or additional debt securities at our or the holders’ option and the terms and conditions upon which the election may be made; |
• | the terms and conditions, if any, upon which we will pay amounts in addition to the stated interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the debt securities of the series to any holder that is not a “United States person” for federal tax purposes; |
• | any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the debt securities of the series; and |
• | any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, any other additions or changes in the provisions of the indenture, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations. |
Conversion or Exchange Rights
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our ordinary shares or our other securities. We will include provisions as to settlement upon conversion or exchange and 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 our ordinary shares or our other securities 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 applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indenture will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of our assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets (other than a subsidiary of ours) must assume all of our obligations under the indenture or the debt securities, as appropriate.
Events of Default under the Indenture
Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement 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:
• | if we fail to pay any installment of interest on any series of debt securities, as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment period by us in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose; |
• | if we fail to pay the principal of, or premium, if any, on any series of debt securities as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to such series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such debt securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of principal or premium, if any; |
• | if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement contained in the debt securities or the indenture, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such is a notice of default thereunder, from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and |
• | if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur. |
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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 of, 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 principal amount of 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.
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 indenture, if an event of default under the 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. 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:
• | the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and |
• | subject to its duties under 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 indenture or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:
• | the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series; |
• | the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, |
• | such holders have offered to the trustee indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred by the trustee in compliance with the request; and |
• | 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.
We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indenture.
Modification of Indenture; Waiver
We and the trustee may change the indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters:
• | to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture or in the debt securities of any series; |
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• | to comply with the provisions described above under “—Consolidation, Merger or Sale;” |
• | to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; |
• | to add to our covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities, 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 upon us in the indenture; |
• | 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; |
• | to make any change that does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series in any material respect; |
• | to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided above under “—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; |
• | to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under any indenture by a successor trustee; or |
• | to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. |
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, unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement 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:
• | extending the fixed maturity of any debt securities of any series; |
• | reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any series of any debt securities; or |
• | reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver. |
Discharge
The indenture provides that 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:
• | provide for payment; |
• | register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series; |
• | replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series; |
• | pay principal of and premium and interest on any debt securities of the series; |
• | maintain paying agencies; |
• | hold monies for payment in trust; |
• | recover excess money held by the trustee; |
• | compensate and indemnify the trustee; and |
• | appoint any successor trustee. |
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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, if any, 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 provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indenture provides 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 DTC, or another depositary named by us and identified in the applicable prospectus supplement with respect to that series. To the extent the debt securities of a series are issued in global form and as book-entry, a description of terms relating to any book-entry securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, 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.
Subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, 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 impose 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 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:
• | 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 |
• | 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 the indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. Upon an event of default under the 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 indenture 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.
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Payment and Paying Agents
Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, 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, 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, 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 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.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act is applicable.
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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated and existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as:
• | political and economic stability; |
• | an effective judicial system; |
• | a favorable tax system; |
• | the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and |
• | the availability of professional and support services. |
However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include:
• | the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides significantly less protection to investors; and |
• | Cayman Islands companies do not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States. |
Our constituent documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.
Certain of our directors are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and most of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these individuals, or to bring an action against us or these individuals in the United States, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
Harney Westwood & Riegels, our counsel as to Cayman Islands law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States.
Harney Westwood & Riegels has informed us that although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the federal or state courts of the United States (and the Cayman Islands are not a party to any treaties for the reciprocal enforcement or recognition of such judgments), the courts of the Cayman Islands will, at common law, recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the liquidated sum for which such judgment has been given, provided such judgment (i) is final and conclusive, (ii) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty or similar fiscal or revenue obligations, and (iii) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities law if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
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Selling security holders are persons or entities that, directly or indirectly, have acquired or will from time to time acquire from us, our securities. If the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part is used by selling security holders for the resale of any securities registered thereunder, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement, which will set forth the name of each selling security holder, the number of securities beneficially owned by such selling security holder and the number of securities they are offering. The prospectus supplement also will disclose whether any of the selling security holders have held any position or office with, have been employed by or otherwise have had a material relationship with us during the three years prior to the date of the prospectus supplement.
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We and any selling security holders may sell the securities described in this prospectus from time to time in one or more of the following ways:
• | to or through underwriters or dealers; |
• | through agents; |
• | directly to one or more purchasers; or |
• | through a combination of any of these methods of sale. |
In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders. In some cases, we or any selling security holder or any dealers acting for us or on our behalf or a selling security holder may also repurchase the securities and reoffer them to the public by one or more of the methods described above. 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.
We may distribute securities from time to time in one or more of transactions:
• | at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed; |
• | at prices relating to prevailing market prices at the time of sale; |
• | at varying prices determined at the time of sale; or |
• | at negotiated prices. |
A prospectus supplement with respect to the offered securities will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:
• | the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
• | any public offering price or purchase price of the securities or other consideration therefor, and the proceeds from such sale; |
• | any underwriting discounts or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
• | any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; |
• | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
• | any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed. |
Sale through Underwriters or Dealers
If we or any selling security holder use underwriters for the sale of securities, they will acquire securities for their own account, including through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Underwriters may offer the securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless we otherwise state in the applicable prospectus supplement, various conditions will apply to the underwriters’ obligation to purchase securities, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities contemplated in an offering if they purchase any of such securities. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. The underwriter or underwriters of a particular underwritten offering of securities, or, if an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter or underwriters, will be set forth on the cover of the applicable prospectus supplement.
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If we or any selling security holders use dealers in the sale, unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we or any selling security holder will sell securities to the dealers as principals. The dealers may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices that the dealers may determine at the time of resale.
Sales through Agents
We or any selling security holders may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment or to sell securities on a continuing basis. Any agent involved will be named, and any commissions payable by us to such agent will be set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Direct Sales
We or any selling security holders may also sell securities directly without using agents, underwriters, or dealers.
Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions
Certain persons participating in an offering may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the offered securities. If any such activities will occur, they will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
Derivative Transactions and Hedging
We, any selling security holder and the underwriters may engage in derivative transactions involving the securities. These derivatives may consist of short sale transactions and other hedging activities. The underwriters may acquire a long or short position in the securities, hold or resell securities acquired and purchase options or futures on the securities and other derivative instruments with returns linked to or related to changes in the price of the securities. In order to facilitate these derivative transactions, we or any selling security holder may enter into security lending or repurchase agreements with the underwriters. The underwriters may effect the derivative transactions through sales of the securities to the public, including short sales, or by lending the securities in order to facilitate short sale transactions by others. The underwriters may also use the securities purchased or borrowed from us or others (or, in the case of derivatives, securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives) to directly or indirectly settle sales of the securities or close out any related open borrowings of the securities.
Loans of Securities
We or any selling security holder may loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement.
General Information
We or any selling security holders may enter into agreements with underwriters, dealers and agents that entitle them to indemnification against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the underwriters, dealers or agents may be required to make. Underwriters, dealers and agents may be customers of, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business.
Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the
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resale of the securities by them may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Any underwriters, dealers or agents used in the offer or sale of securities will be identified and their compensation described in an applicable prospectus supplement.
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We are being represented by Cooley LLP with respect to certain legal matters of United States federal securities and New York state law. Certain legal matters of United States federal securities and New York state law in connection with this offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by a law firm or firms named in the applicable prospectus supplement. The validity of the securities offered in this offering and legal matters as to Cayman Islands law will be passed upon for us by Harney Westwood & Riegels. Certain legal matters as to PRC law will be passed upon for us by JunHe LLP and for the underwriters by a law firm or firms named in the applicable prospectus supplement. Cooley LLP and Harney Westwood & Riegels may rely upon JunHe LLP with respect to legal matters governed by PRC law. Our controlling shareholder GenScript is being represented by Jones Day with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities law, New York State law and Hong Kong law.
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The consolidated financial statements of Legend Biotech Corporation appearing in Legend Biotech Corporation’s annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 have been audited by Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The offices of Ernst & Young Hua Ming LLP are located at 50/F, Shanghai World Financial Center, 100 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 200120, the People’s Republic of China.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT US
We are currently subject to periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Exchange Act, as applicable to foreign private issuers. Accordingly, we are required to file reports, including annual reports on Form 20-F and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address is www.sec.gov.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the Exchange Act from, among other things, the rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. However, we intend to furnish the depositary with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, and all notices of shareholders’ meetings and other reports and communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information contained in any notice of a shareholders’ meeting received by the depositary from us if we ask it to.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information on us and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.
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INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. Each document incorporated by reference is current only as of the date of such document, and the incorporation by reference of such documents shall not create any implication that there has been no change in our affairs since the date thereof or that the information contained therein is current as of any time subsequent to its date. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus and should be read with the same care. When we update the information contained in documents that have been incorporated by reference by making future filings with the SEC, the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus is considered to be automatically updated and superseded. In other words, in the case of a conflict or inconsistency between information contained in this prospectus and information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the document that was filed later.
We incorporate by reference the documents listed below:
• | our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on April 2, 2021 (File No. 001-39307); |
• | the description of the securities contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on June 2, 2020 (File No. 001-39307) pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, together with all amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating that description; |
• | our Reports on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on April 30, 2021; May 13, 2021; May 18, 2021; May 20, 2021; May 27, 2021; June 1, 2021; June 10, 2021; and June 22, 2021. |
• | any future annual reports on Form 20-F filed with the SEC after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus; and |
• | any future current reports on Form 6-K that we furnish to the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the securities offered by this prospectus that are identified in such reports or in any applicable prospectus supplement as being incorporated by reference in this prospectus. |
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specially incorporated by reference in this prospectus, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:
Legend Biotech Corporation
2101 Cottontail Lane
Somerset, NJ 08873
(732) 317-5050
You should rely only on the information that we incorporate by reference or provide in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making any offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents.
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Table of Contents
5,468,750
American Depositary Shares
Representing 10,937,500 Ordinary Shares
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
May 5, 2023