INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT UNDER THE AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. 2010 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

EX-10.6 2 d447885dex106.htm EX-10.6 EX-10.6

Exhibit 10.6

 

INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

UNDER THE AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

2010 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

Name of Optionee:

No. of Option Shares:

Option Exercise Price per Share: $

Grant Date:

Expiration Date:

Pursuant to the Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2010 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as amended through the date hereof (the “Plan”), Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants to the Optionee named above an option (the “Stock Option”) to purchase on or prior to the Expiration Date specified above all or part of the number of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Stock”), of the Company specified above at the Option Exercise Price per Share specified above subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the Plan. Capitalized terms in this Agreement shall have the meaning specified in the Plan, unless a different meaning is specified herein.

1. Exercisability Schedule. No portion of this Stock Option may be exercised until such portion shall have become exercisable according to the vesting schedule below or in accordance with Section 3. Except as set forth in Section 3, and subject to the discretion of the Administrator to accelerate the exercisability schedule, this Stock Option shall become exercisable in equal monthly installments, rounded down to the nearest whole share of Stock, over [            ] from the Grant Date commencing on [            ] of the Grant Date.1

Once exercisable, this Stock Option shall continue to be exercisable at any time or times prior to the close of business on the Expiration Date, subject to the provisions hereof and of the Plan.

 

1  Maximum of $100,000 per year as “incentive stock options” per Section 5(e) of the Plan.


2. Manner of Exercise.

(a) The Optionee may exercise this Stock Option from time to time on or prior to the Expiration Date by giving written notice to the Company of his or her election to purchase some or all of the Option Shares purchasable at the time of such notice. This notice shall specify the number of Option Shares to be purchased.

Payment of the purchase price for the Option Shares may be made by one or more of the following methods: (i) in cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the Administrator; (ii) through the delivery (or attestation to the ownership) of shares of Stock that have been purchased by the Optionee on the open market or that are beneficially owned by the Optionee and are not then subject to any restrictions under any Company plan and that otherwise satisfy any holding periods as may be required by the Administrator; (iii) by the Optionee delivering to the Company a properly executed exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to a broker to promptly deliver to the Company cash or a check payable and acceptable to the Company to pay the option purchase price, provided that in the event the Optionee chooses to pay the option purchase price as so provided, the Optionee and the broker shall comply with such procedures and enter into such agreements of indemnity and other agreements as the Administrator shall prescribe as a condition of such payment procedure; or (iv) a combination of (i), (ii) and (iii) above. Payment instruments will be received subject to collection.

The transfer to the Optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent of the Option Shares will be contingent upon (i) the Company’s receipt from the Optionee of the full purchase price for the Option Shares, as set forth above, (ii) the fulfillment of any other requirements contained herein or in the Plan or in any other agreement or provision of laws, and (iii) the receipt by the Company of any agreement, statement or other evidence that the Company may require to satisfy itself that the issuance of Stock to be purchased pursuant to the exercise of Stock Options under the Plan and any subsequent resale of the shares of Stock will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In the event the Optionee chooses to pay the purchase price by previously-owned shares of Stock through the attestation method, the number of shares of Stock transferred to the Optionee upon the exercise of the Stock Option shall be net of the shares attested to.

(b) The shares of Stock purchased upon exercise of this Stock Option shall be transferred to the Optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent upon compliance to the satisfaction of the Administrator with all requirements under applicable laws or regulations in connection with such issuance and with the requirements hereof and of the Plan. The determination of the Administrator as to such compliance shall be final and binding on the Optionee. The Optionee shall not be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any shares of Stock subject to this Stock Option unless and until this Stock Option shall have been exercised pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company or the transfer agent shall have transferred the shares to the Optionee, and the Optionee’s name shall have been entered as the stockholder of record on the books of the Company. Thereupon, the Optionee shall have full voting, dividend and other ownership rights with respect to such shares of Stock.

 

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(c) The minimum number of shares with respect to which this Stock Option may be exercised at any one time shall be 100 shares, unless the number of shares with respect to which this Stock Option is being exercised is the total number of shares subject to exercise under this Stock Option at the time.

(d) Notwithstanding any other provision hereof or of the Plan, no portion of this Stock Option shall be exercisable after the Expiration Date hereof.

3. Termination of Employment.

(a) Termination Due to Death. If the Optionee’s employment terminates by reason of the Optionee’s death, any portion of this Stock Option outstanding on such date shall become fully exercisable and may thereafter be exercised by the Optionee’s legal representative or legatee for a period of 12 months from the date of death or until the Expiration Date, if earlier.

(b) Termination Due to Disability. If the Optionee’s employment terminates by reason of the Optionee’s Disability (as defined in the Employment Agreement between the Optionee and the Company dated as of December 1, 2011; the “Employment Agreement”), any portion of this Stock Option outstanding on such date shall become fully exercisable and may thereafter be exercised by the Optionee for a period of 12 months from the date of termination or until the Expiration Date, if earlier.

(c) Termination for Cause. If the Optionee’s employment terminates for Cause (as defined in the Employment Agreement), any portion of this Stock Option outstanding on such date shall terminate immediately and be of no further force and effect.

(d) Termination Without Cause or with Good Reason in Connection with a Sale Event. [CUSTOMIZE TO REFLECT THE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT TERMS OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER – DEFAULT PROVISION FOLLOWS:] In connection with a Sale Event (as defined in the Plan), if the Optionee’s employment terminates without Cause or with Good Reason (in each case, as defined in the Employment Agreement), any portion of this Stock Option which is unvested and outstanding on such date shall vest and become fully exercisable and non-forfeitable; provided that such termination without Cause or with Good Reason, as the case may be, and the Optionee’s termination date occurs within 18 months after a Sale Event and the Optionee has executed a Release of Claims (as defined in the Employment Agreement), in which case the Optionee shall have 90 days from such termination date or until the Expiration Date, if earlier, to exercise the Stock Option.

(e) Other Termination. If the Optionee’s employment terminates for any reason other than in the circumstances above, and unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, any portion of this Stock Option outstanding on such date may be exercised, to the extent exercisable on the date of termination, for a period of three months from the date of termination or until the Expiration Date, if earlier. Any portion of this Stock Option that is not exercisable on the date of termination shall terminate immediately and be of no further force or effect.

 

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The Administrator’s determination of the reason for termination of the Optionee’s employment shall be conclusive and binding on the Optionee and his or her representatives or legatees.

4. Incorporation of Plan. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Stock Option shall be subject to and governed by all the terms and conditions of the Plan, including the powers of the Administrator set forth in Section 2(b) of the Plan.

5. Transferability. This Agreement is personal to the Optionee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. This Stock Option is exercisable, during the Optionee’s lifetime, only by the Optionee, and thereafter, only by the Optionee’s legal representative or legatee.

6. Status of the Stock Option. This Stock Option is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), but the Company does not represent or warrant that this Stock Option qualifies as such. The Optionee should consult with his or her own tax advisors regarding the tax effects of this Stock Option and the requirements necessary to obtain favorable income tax treatment under Section 422 of the Code, including, but not limited to, holding period requirements. To the extent any portion of this Stock Option does not so qualify as an “incentive stock option,” such portion shall be deemed to be a non-qualified stock option. If the Optionee intends to dispose or does dispose (whether by sale, gift, transfer or otherwise) of any Option Shares within the one-year period beginning on the date after the transfer of such shares to him or her, or within the two-year period beginning on the day after the grant of this Stock Option, he or she will so notify the Company within 30 days after such disposition.

7. Tax Withholding. The Optionee shall, not later than the date as of which the exercise of this Stock Option becomes a taxable event for Federal income tax purposes, pay to the Company or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator for payment of any Federal, state, and local taxes required by law to be withheld on account of such taxable event. The Company shall have the authority to cause the minimum required tax withholding obligation to be satisfied, in whole or in part, by withholding from shares of Stock to be issued to the Optionee a number of shares of Stock with an aggregate Fair Market Value that would satisfy the withholding amount due.

8. No Obligation to Continue Employment. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is obligated by or as a result of the Plan or this Agreement to continue the Optionee in employment and neither the Plan nor this Agreement shall interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any Subsidiary to terminate the employment of the Optionee at any time.

9. Notices. Notices hereunder shall be mailed or delivered to the Company at its principal place of business and shall be mailed or delivered to the Optionee at the address on file with the Company or, in either case, at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.

 

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AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By:  

 

The foregoing Agreement is hereby accepted and the terms and conditions thereof hereby agreed to by the undersigned.

 

 

   

 

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NON-QUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

FOR NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS

UNDER THE AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

2010 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

Name of Optionee:

No. of Option Shares:

Option Exercise Price per Share: $

Grant Date:

Expiration Date:

Pursuant to the Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2010 Stock Option and Incentive Plan as amended through the date hereof (the “Plan”), Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants to the Optionee named above, who is a Non-Employee Director, an option (the “Stock Option”) to purchase on or prior to the Expiration Date specified above all or part of the number of shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Stock”), of the Company specified above at the Option Exercise Price per Share specified above, that has become exercisable under Section 1, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the Plan. This Stock Option is not intended to be an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Capitalized terms in this Agreement shall have the meaning specified in the Plan, unless a different meaning is specified herein.

1. Exercisability Schedule. No portion of this Stock Option may be exercised until such portion shall have become exercisable. Except as set forth in Section 3, and subject to the discretion of the Administrator to accelerate the exercisability schedule hereunder, this Stock Option shall be exercisable with respect to [                    ]; provided the Optionee continues to be a Non-Employee Director as of such date.

2. Manner of Exercise.

(a) The Optionee may exercise this Stock Option only in the following manner: from time to time on or prior to the Expiration Date of this Stock Option, the Optionee may give written notice to the Administrator of his or her election to purchase some or all of the Option Shares purchasable at the time of such notice. This notice shall specify the number of Option Shares to be purchased.


Payment of the purchase price for the Option Shares may be made by one or more of the following methods: (i) in cash, by certified or bank check or other instrument acceptable to the Administrator; (ii) through the delivery (or attestation to the ownership) of shares of Stock that have been purchased by the Optionee on the open market or that are beneficially owned by the Optionee and are not then subject to any restrictions under any Company plan and that otherwise satisfy any holding periods as may be required by the Administrator; (iii) by the Optionee delivering to the Company a properly executed exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to a broker to promptly deliver to the Company cash or a check payable and acceptable to the Company to pay the option purchase price, provided that in the event the Optionee chooses to pay the option purchase price as so provided, the Optionee and the broker shall comply with such procedures and enter into such agreements of indemnity and other agreements as the Administrator shall prescribe as a condition of such payment procedure; (iv) by a “net exercise” arrangement pursuant to which the Company will reduce the number of shares of Stock issuable upon exercise by the largest whole number of shares with a Fair Market Value that does not exceed the aggregate exercise price; or (v) a combination of (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) above. Payment instruments will be received subject to collection.

The transfer to the Optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent of the Option Shares will be contingent upon (i) the Company’s receipt from the Optionee of the full purchase price for the Option Shares, as set forth above, (ii) the fulfillment of any other requirements contained herein or in the Plan or in any other agreement or provision of laws, and (iii) the receipt by the Company of any agreement, statement or other evidence that the Company may require to satisfy itself that the issuance of Stock to be purchased pursuant to the exercise of Stock Options under the Plan and any subsequent resale of the shares of Stock will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In the event the Optionee chooses to pay the purchase price by previously-owned shares of Stock through the attestation method, the number of shares of Stock transferred to the Optionee upon the exercise of the Stock Option shall be net of the Shares attested to.

(b) The shares of Stock purchased upon exercise of this Stock Option shall be transferred to the Optionee on the records of the Company or of the transfer agent upon compliance to the satisfaction of the Administrator with all requirements under applicable laws or regulations in connection with such transfer and with the requirements hereof and of the Plan. The determination of the Administrator as to such compliance shall be final and binding on the Optionee. The Optionee shall not be deemed to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to, any shares of Stock subject to this Stock Option unless and until this Stock Option shall have been exercised pursuant to the terms hereof, the Company or the transfer agent shall have transferred the shares to the Optionee, and the Optionee’s name shall have been entered as the stockholder of record on the books of the Company. Thereupon, the Optionee shall have full voting, dividend and other ownership rights with respect to such shares of Stock.

(c) The minimum number of shares with respect to which this Stock Option may be exercised at any one time shall be 100 shares, unless the number of shares with respect to which this Stock Option is being exercised is the total number of shares subject to exercise under this Stock Option at the time.

 

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(d) Notwithstanding any other provision hereof or of the Plan, no portion of this Stock Option shall be exercisable after the Expiration Date hereof.

3. Termination as a Non-Employee Director. In the event that the Optionee’s service as a Non-Employee Director ceases because of death, retirement, as defined by the Administrator, or Disability (as defined below), or in the event of a Change of Control (as defined below) that occurs at such time when the Optionee is serving as a Non-Employee Director, this Stock Option shall become exercisable in full, whether or not exercisable at such time. “Disability” shall mean that the Non-Employee Director, because of illness or incapacity for ninety (90) consecutive days or an aggregate of six (6) months, is unable to perform his or her principal duties as a director and fails to be nominated or stand for re-election. “Change of Control” shall mean a Sale Event and any event in which a “person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ) acquires beneficial ownership of 50% or more of the total voting power of the Company.

If the Optionee ceases to be a Non-Employee Director for any reason other than removal for cause, no further amount shall become exercisable, but any portion of this Stock Option outstanding on such date, to the extent exercisable, may be exercised (including by his/her legal representative or legatee as the case may be) for a period of three (3) years from the date of termination or until the Expiration Date, if earlier. In the event the Optionee is removed for cause, all Stock Options (vested and unvested) shall terminate immediately.

4. Incorporation of Plan. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Stock Option shall be subject to and governed by all the terms and conditions of the Plan, including the powers of the Administrator set forth in Section 2(b) of the Plan.

5. Transferability. This Agreement is personal to the Optionee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. This Stock Option is exercisable, during the Optionee’s lifetime, only by the Optionee, and thereafter, only by the Optionee’s legal representative or legatee.

6. No Obligation to Continue as a Director. Neither the Plan nor this Stock Option confers upon the Optionee any rights with respect to continuance as a Director.

7. Notices. Notices hereunder shall be mailed or delivered to the Company at its principal place of business and shall be mailed or delivered to the Optionee at the address on file with the Company or, in either case, at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.

8. Amendment. Pursuant to Section 18 of the Plan, the Administrator may at any time amend or cancel any outstanding portion of this Stock Option, but no such action may be taken that adversely affects the Optionee’s rights under this Agreement without the Optionee’s consent.

 

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AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By:  

 

The foregoing Agreement is hereby accepted and the terms and conditions thereof hereby agreed to by the undersigned.

 

Dated:  

 

     

 

        Optionee’s Signature
        Optionee’s name:

 

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RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT

UNDER THE AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

2010 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN

Name of Grantee:

No. of Shares:

Grant Date:

Pursuant to the Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2010 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) as amended through the date hereof, Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants a Restricted Stock Award (an “Award”) to the Grantee named above. Upon acceptance of this Award, the Grantee shall receive the number of shares of Common Stock (the “Stock”) of the Company specified above, subject to the restrictions and conditions set forth herein and in the Plan. The Company acknowledges the receipt from the Grantee of consideration with respect to the par value of the Stock in the form of cash, past or future services rendered to the Company by the Grantee or such other form of consideration as is acceptable to the Administrator.

1. Acceptance of Award. The Grantee shall have no rights with respect to this Award unless he or she shall have accepted this Award by (i) signing and delivering to the Company a copy of this Award Agreement, and (ii) delivering to the Company a stock power endorsed in blank. Upon acceptance of this Award by the Grantee, the shares of Restricted Stock so accepted shall be issued and held by the Company’s transfer agent in book entry form, and the Grantee’s name shall be entered as the stockholder of record on the books of the Company. Thereupon, the Grantee shall have all the rights of a stockholder with respect to such shares, including voting and dividend rights, subject, however, to the restrictions and conditions specified in Paragraph 2 below.

2. Restrictions and Conditions.

(a) Any book entries for the shares of Restricted Stock granted herein shall bear an appropriate legend, as determined by the Administrator in its sole discretion, to the effect that such shares are subject to restrictions as set forth herein and in the Plan.

(b) Shares of Restricted Stock granted herein may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of by the Grantee prior to vesting.


(c) If the Grantee’s service as a director of the Company is voluntarily or involuntarily terminated for any reason (other than death, retirement or disability, in each case as defined by the Administrator or the Plan, or a Sale Event) prior to vesting of shares of Restricted Stock granted herein, all shares of Restricted Stock shall immediately and automatically be forfeited and returned to the Company.

3. Vesting of Restricted Stock. The restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 2 of this Agreement shall lapse on the Vesting Date or Dates specified in the following schedule so long as the Grantee remains a board member of the Company or a Subsidiary on such Dates. If a series of Vesting Dates is specified, then the restrictions and conditions in Paragraph 2 shall lapse only with respect to the number of shares of Restricted Stock specified as vested on such date.

 

Number of

Shares Vested

   

Vesting Date

  (33 1/3 %)    [1st anniversary of grant date]
  (33 1/3 %)    [2nd anniversary of grant date]
  (33 1/3 %)    [3rd anniversary of grant date]

Subsequent to such Vesting Date or Dates, the shares of Stock on which all restrictions and conditions have lapsed shall no longer be deemed Restricted Stock. The Administrator may at any time accelerate the vesting schedule specified in this Paragraph 3.

If the Grantee’s service as a director of the Company terminates by reason of the Grantee’s death, disability, retirement or a Sale Event, the restrictions and conditions set forth in Paragraph 2 of this Agreement on any portion of the shares of Restricted Stock shall lapse with respect to all such shares of Restricted Stock and all of such shares shall thereafter not be considered Restricted Stock

4. Dividends. Dividends on Shares of Restricted Stock shall be paid currently to the Grantee.

5. Incorporation of Plan. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall be subject to and governed by all the terms and conditions of the Plan, including the powers of the Administrator set forth in Section 2(b) of the Plan. Capitalized terms in this Agreement shall have the meaning specified in the Plan, unless a different meaning is specified herein.

6. Transferability. This Agreement is personal to the Grantee, is non-assignable and is not transferable in any manner, by operation of law or otherwise, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

7. Tax Withholding. The Grantee shall, not later than the date as of which the receipt of this Award becomes a taxable event for Federal income tax purposes, pay to the Company or make arrangements satisfactory to the Administrator for payment of any Federal, state, and local taxes required by law to be withheld on account of such taxable event. Except in

 

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the case where an election is made pursuant to Paragraph 8 below, the Company shall have the authority to cause the required minimum tax withholding obligation to be satisfied, in whole or in part, by withholding from shares of Stock to be issued or released by the transfer agent a number of shares of Stock with an aggregate Fair Market Value that would satisfy the withholding amount due.

8. Election Under Section 83(b). The Grantee and the Company hereby agree that the Grantee may, within 30 days following the acceptance of this Award as provided in Paragraph 1 hereof, file with the Internal Revenue Service and the Company an election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. In the event the Grantee makes such an election, he or she agrees to provide a copy of the election to the Company. The Grantee acknowledges that he or she is responsible for obtaining the advice of his or her tax advisors with regard to the Section 83(b) election and that he or she is relying solely on such advisors and not on any statements or representations of the Company or any of its agents with regard to such election.

9. Notices. Notices hereunder shall be mailed or delivered to the Company at its principal place of business and shall be mailed or delivered to the Grantee at the address on file with the Company or, in either case, at such other address as one party may subsequently furnish to the other party in writing.

 

AEGERION PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
By:  

 

The foregoing Agreement is hereby accepted and the terms and conditions thereof hereby agreed to by the undersigned.

 

Dated:  

 

     

 

        Grantee’s Signature
        Grantee’s name and address:

 

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