UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT DATED 1/28/03

EX-1.1 3 g80385exv1w1.txt UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT DATED 1/28/03 EXHIBIT 1.1 7,200,000 SHARES ATHEROGENICS, INC. COMMON STOCK (NO PAR VALUE) UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT January 28, 2003 January 28, 2003 Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated Lehman Brothers, Inc. Lazard Freres & Co. LLC Adams, Harkness & Hill, Inc. c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated 1585 Broadway New York, New York 10036 Dear Sirs and Mesdames: AtheroGenics, a Georgia corporation (the "COMPANY"), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the "UNDERWRITERS"), an aggregate of 7,200,000 shares of its Common Stock, no par value (the "FIRM SHARES"). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 1,080,000 shares of its Common Stock, no par value (the "ADDITIONAL SHARES"), if and to the extent that you, as managers of the offering, shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such shares of common stock granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Shares and the Additional Shares are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "SHARES." The shares of Common Stock, no par value, of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the "COMMON STOCK." The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "COMMISSION") a registration statement, including a prospectus (the "BASE Prospectus"), relating to the Shares, and has filed with, or transmitted for filing to, or shall promptly hereafter file with or transmit for filing to, the Commission a final prospectus supplement (the "PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT") specifically relating to the Shares pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "SECURITIES ACT"). The term "REGISTRATION STATEMENT" means such registration statement, including the exhibits thereto, as amended to the date of this Agreement. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the "RULE 462 REGISTRATION STATEMENT"), then any reference herein to the term "REGISTRATION STATEMENT" shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. The term "PROSPECTUS" means the Base Prospectus together with the Prospectus Supplement. The term "PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS" means a preliminary prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Shares, together with the Base Prospectus. All references to the Registration Statement, Base Prospectus, preliminary prospectus or Prospectus shall include documents incorporated therein by reference. The terms "SUPPLEMENT" and "AMENDMENT" or "AMEND" as used in this Agreement with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "EXCHANGE ACT"), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus. 1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that: (a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or threatened by the Commission. (b) (i) Each document, if any, filed or to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus complied or will comply when so filed in all material respects with the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (ii) the Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (iii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and (iv) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein. (c) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing 2 of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company. (d) The Company does not have any subsidiaries; provided, however, the Company has caused a charter to be filed in Delaware under the name AGI Technologies, Inc., which entity has had no operations and has incurred no liabilities. (e) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. (f) The authorized capital stock of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus. (g) The shares of common stock, no par value, of the Company outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. (h) The Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights. (i) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene any provision of applicable U.S. law or the articles of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, as each has been amended to date, or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company that is material to the Company, or any judgment, order or decree of any U.S. governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any U.S. governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares. (j) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development reasonably likely to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company from that set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement). 3 (k) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened to which the Company is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company is subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described or any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required. (l) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. (m) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an "investment company" as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. (n) The Company (i) is in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants ("ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS"), (ii) has received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of it under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct its business and (iii) is in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company. (o) There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, singly or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the Company. (p) The Company has all consents, approvals, orders, certificates, authorizations and permits issued by, and has made all declarations and filings with, all appropriate federal, state or foreign governmental or self-regulatory authorities and all courts and other 4 tribunals necessary to conduct its business and to own, lease or license and use its properties in the manner described in the Prospectus, except for such consents, approvals, orders, certificates, authorizations, permits, declarations and filings the failure of which to have, maintain or make would not have a material adverse effect on the Company, and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such consent, approval, order, certificate, authorization or permit. (q) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, the Company owns or possesses, or has rights to all material patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names currently employed by it in connection with the business now operated by it or, with respect to AGI-1067, proposed to be operated by it as described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, and the Company has not received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company. (r) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company or to require the Company to include such securities with the Shares registered pursuant to the Registration Statement other than such contracts, agreements or understandings as have been waived with respect to the transactions contemplated hereunder. (s) There are no contracts or other documents, relating to patents or patent applications owned or licensed by, or licenses of patents or patent applications held by, the Company of a character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, to the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2001 or to the Company's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for each of the first three fiscal quarters of 2002, or required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in such Form 10-K or Forms 10-Q that are not so filed or described. 2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the 5 Company the respective numbers of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $5.875 a share (the "PURCHASE PRICE"). On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Shares, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 1,080,000 Additional Shares at the Purchase Price. You may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice of each election to exercise the option not later than 30 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Shares to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least two business days after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Shares nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Shares may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Shares. On each day, if any, that Additional Shares are to be purchased (an "OPTION CLOSING DATE"), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Shares (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Shares set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Shares. The Company hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period ending 90 days after the date of the Prospectus Supplement, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph shall not apply to (A) the Shares to be sold hereunder, (B) the issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof, (C) the grant of options to purchase Common Stock under the Company's stock option plans or (D) transactions by any person other than the Company relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the offering of the Shares. 6 3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Shares as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in your judgment is advisable. The Company is further advised by you that the Shares are to be offered to the public initially at $6.25 a share (the "PUBLIC OFFERING PRICE") and to certain dealers selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $.23 a share under the Public Offering Price. 4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Shares to be sold by the Company shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Firm Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on February 3, 2003, or at such other time on the same or such other date, not later than February 10, 2003, as shall be designated in writing by you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the "CLOSING DATE." Payment for any Additional Shares shall be made to the Company in Federal or other funds immediately available in New York City against delivery of such Additional Shares for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date, in any event not later than March 4, 2003, as shall be designated in writing by you. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as you shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Shares and Additional Shares shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the Shares to the Underwriters duly paid, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor. 5. Conditions to the Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Shares to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Shares on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 2:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof. The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions: (a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date: 7 (i) there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the Company's securities by any "nationally recognized statistical rating organization," as such term is defined for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act; and (ii) there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company from that set forth in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement) that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment, impracticable to market the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus. (b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 5(a)(i) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date. The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened. (c) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that: (i) the Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in the State of Georgia; (ii) the shares of common stock, no par value, of the Company outstanding prior to the issuance of the Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; 8 (iii) the Shares to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights; (iv) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company; (v) the execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement will not contravene any provision of applicable U.S. law or the articles of incorporation or by-laws of the Company or, to such counsel's knowledge, any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company and either (A) filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, (B) filed as an exhibit to a document incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, or (C) material to the Company and was entered into after September 30, 2002, other than such provisions as have been waived with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, or, to such counsel's knowledge, any judgment, order or decree of any U.S. governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any U.S. governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, except such as may be required by the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares; (vi) the description of the rights and preferences of the Company's capital stock included in the Prospectus under the caption "Description of Capital Stock", when read in conjunction with the other information contained in the Registration Statement as amended or supplemented fairly summarizes in all material respects, the rights and preferences of such capital stock; provided, however, that such counsel may rely on representations of officers of the Company with respect to factual matters contained in such statements; (vii) to such counsel's knowledge, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company is subject that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described or of any statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the 9 Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required; (viii) the Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an "investment company" as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; and (ix) nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that causes such counsel to believe that (A) each document filed pursuant to the Exchange Act and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which such counsel need not express any belief) did not comply as to form when filed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (B) the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which such counsel need not express any belief) do not comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. The Underwriters shall also have received on the Closing Date a statement by McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that causes such counsel to believe that (A) the Registration Statement or the prospectus included therein (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which such counsel need not express any belief) at the time the Registration Statement became effective contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (B) the Prospectus (except for the financial statements and financial schedules and other financial and statistical data included therein, as to which such counsel need not express any belief) as of its date or as of the Closing Date contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Notwithstanding anything in such counsel's opinion to the contrary, neither such counsel's opinion nor the statement contemplated 10 by the immediately preceding paragraph is intended to cover or include the matters described in the sections "Risk Factors - Our failure to protect adequately or enforce our intellectual property rights or secure rights to third party patents could materially adversely affect our proprietary position in the marketplace or prevent the commercialization of our products" included in, or "Business - Patents and Intellectual Property" included in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 and incorporated by reference into, the Registration Statement and Prospectus, as may be supplemented or amended, or any other matter relating to any patents, patent applications or intellectual property rights associated therewith or related thereto owned or used by or licensed to or from the Company; provided, however, the immediately preceding paragraph is intended to cover or include the ownership and use by the Company of the trademarks "AtheroGenics" and associated design, "AGI," "Oxykine" and "v-protectant" as described in the Prospectus. (d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of King & Spalding LLP, patent counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Underwriters and their counsel. (e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, (i) to the effect that the statements relating to legal matters, documents or proceedings included in the Prospectus under the caption "Underwriters," when read in conjunction with the other information contained in the Registration Statement as amended or supplemented, fairly summarizes in all material respects such matters, documents or proceedings and (ii) covering the matters referred to in clauses (A) and (B) of the penultimate paragraph of Section 5(c) above. With respect to Section 5(c)(ix) and the penultimate paragraph of Section 5(c) above, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP may state that their beliefs are based upon their participation in conferences with officials and other representatives of the Company, the Underwriters, Underwriters' counsel and the independent certified public accountants of the Company, at which conferences the contents of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and related matters were discussed and in the preparation of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and documents incorporated therein by reference and review and discussion of the contents thereof, but are without independent investigation or verification, and without assumption of any responsibility for the factual accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, except as specified. With respect to clauses (A) and (B) of the penultimate paragraph of Section 5(c) above, 11 Davis Polk & Wardwell may state that their beliefs are based upon their participation in the preparation of the Registration Statement and Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto (other than the documents incorporated by reference) and upon review and discussion of the contents thereof (including documents incorporated by reference), but are without independent check or verification, except as specified. The opinions of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP and King & Spalding LLP described in Sections 5(c) and 5(d) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein. (f) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Ernst & Young LLP, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in or incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a "cut-off date" not earlier than the date hereof. (g) The "lock-up" agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto, between you and the executive officers and directors of the Company relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Common Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date. The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Shares hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option Closing Date of such documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Shares. 6. Covenants of the Company. In further consideration of the agreements of the Underwriters herein contained, the Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows: (a) To furnish to you, without charge, three signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto but including documents incorporated by reference) and, to furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City 12 time on the second business day next following the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in paragraph (c) below, as many copies of the Prospectus, any documents incorporated therein by reference and any supplements and amendments thereto as you may reasonably request. (b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement with a reasonable opportunity, under the circumstances, to review and provide comments on such amendment or supplement, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule. (c) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Shares may have been sold by you on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with law. (d) To endeavor to qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably request; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified. (e) To make generally available to the Company's security holders and to you as soon as practicable an earning statement covering the twelve-month period ending March 31, 2004 that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. 7. Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company 13 agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of their obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company's counsel and the Company's accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Shares under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Shares to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(d) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees (up to an aggregate of $5,000) and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Shares by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., (v) all fees and expenses incident to listing the Shares on the Nasdaq National Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Shares, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any "road show" undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Shares, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, and one-half of the cost of any aircraft chartered in connection with the road show, and (ix) subject to the foregoing, all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled "Indemnity and Contribution", and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their costs and expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, stock transfer taxes payable on resale of any of the Shares by them and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make. 8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act which affiliate directly or indirectly participated in the distribution of the Shares from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any 14 such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity agreement with respect to any preliminary prospectus shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities purchased Shares, or any person controlling such Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act which affiliate directly or indirectly participated in the distribution of the Shares, if a copy of the Prospectus (as then amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto) was not sent or given by or on behalf of such Underwriter to such person, if required by law so to have been delivered, at or prior to the written confirmation of the sale of the Shares to such person, and if the Prospectus (as so amended or supplemented) would have cured the defect giving rise to such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, unless such failure is the result of noncompliance by the Company with Section 6(a) hereof. (b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the directors of the Company, the officers of the Company who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented if the Company shall have furnished any amendments or supplements thereto), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of such Underwriter through you expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto. 15 (c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) or 8(b), such person (the "INDEMNIFIED PARTY") shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the "INDEMNIFYING PARTY") in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for (i) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Underwriters and all persons, if any, who control any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or who are affiliates of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act which affiliates directly or indirectly participated in the distribution of the Shares and (ii) the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either such Section, and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. In the case of any such separate firm for the Underwriters and such control persons and such affiliates of any Underwriters, such firm shall be designated in writing by Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. In the case of any such separate firm for the Company, and such directors, officers and control persons of the Company, such firm shall be designated in writing by the Company. The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance 16 with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding. (d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a) or 8(b) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand from the offering of the Shares or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and of the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Shares shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Shares (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Shares. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters' respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares they have purchased hereunder, and not joint. (e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred 17 to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity. (f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter which affiliate directly or indirectly participated in the distribution of the Shares, or the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Shares. 9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by you to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq National Market, the Chicago Board of Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or the Chicago Board of Trade, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in your judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, in the event the Underwriters shall terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 9, the Company shall only be required to pay the expenses to the Underwriters and Underwriter's counsel 18 described in Section 7 hereof if such termination is solely due to the event specified in clause (ii) of this Section 9 and within the control of the Company. 10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto. If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Shares that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Shares to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to purchase the Shares which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Shares that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Shares without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Shares and the aggregate number of Firm Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Shares to be purchased, and arrangements satisfactory to you and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Shares are not made within 24 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter, or the Company. In any such case either you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Shares and the aggregate number of Additional Shares with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Shares to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Shares to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Shares that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement. If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement within the control of the 19 Company, or if for any reason the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement due to circumstances within the control of the Company, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the offering contemplated hereunder. 11. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. 12. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York. 13. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement. [Remainder of the page intentionally left blank] 20 Very truly yours, ATHEROGENICS, INC. By: /s/ RUSSELL M. MEDFORD ------------------------------- Name: Russell M. Medford Title: President and Chief Executive Officer Accepted as of the date hereof Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated Lehman Brothers, Inc. Lazard Freres & Co. LLC Adams, Harkness & Hill, Inc. Acting severally on behalf of themselves and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto By: Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated By: /s/ BRYAN ANDRZEJEWSKI ------------------------------------ Name: Bryan Andrzejewski Title: Executive Director 21 SCHEDULE I

EXHIBIT A [FORM OF LOCK-UP LETTER] January 18, 2003 Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated Lehman Brothers, Inc. Lazard Freres & Co. LLC Adams, Harkness & Hill, Inc. c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated 1585 Broadway New York, NY 10036 Dear Sirs and Mesdames: The undersigned understands that Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated ("MORGAN STANLEY") proposes to enter into an Underwriting Agreement (the "UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT") with AtheroGenics, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the "COMPANY"), providing for the public offering (the "PUBLIC OFFERING") by the several Underwriters, including Morgan Stanley (the "UNDERWRITERS"), of 6,000,000 shares (the "SHARES") of the Common Stock, no par value, of the Company (the "COMMON STOCK"). To induce the Underwriters that may participate in the Public Offering to continue their efforts in connection with the Public Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 90 days after the date of the final prospectus supplement relating to the Public Offering (the "PROSPECTUS"), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock, or (2) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Common Stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, that this Lock-Up Agreement shall terminate immediately if the Public Offering is not consummated by February 15, 2003. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (a) the sale of any Shares to the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement or (b) transactions relating to shares of Common Stock or other securities acquired in open market transactions after the completion of the Public Offering. In addition, the undersigned agrees that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 90 days after the date of the Prospectus (unless this Lock-Up Agreement is earlier terminated as provided above), make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock. The undersigned also agrees and consents to the entry of stop transfer instructions with the Company's transfer agent and registrar against the transfer of the undersigned's shares of Common Stock except in compliance with the foregoing restrictions. The undersigned further agrees to suspend any existing trading plans or other arrangements pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and agrees not to enter into any such plan or arrangement during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending 90 days after the date of the Prospectus (unless this Lock-Up Agreement is earlier terminated as provided above). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may exercise warrants and stock options issued or granted by the Company; provided, however, that any Common Stock received from the Company by the undersigned upon exercise of such warrants and stock options shall be bound by the terms of this Lock-Up Agreement. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the undersigned may transfer any Common Stock either during his or her lifetime or on death by will or by intestacy to his or her immediate family or to a trust or other legal entity the beneficiaries of which are the undersigned and/or a member of his or her immediate family or to a charitable organization or other legal entity over which such individual maintains control over the disposition and voting of such Common Stock; provided, however, that in any case it shall be a condition to the transfer that (i) the transferee execute and deliver to Morgan Stanley an agreement stating that the transferee is receiving and holding the Common Stock so transferred subject to the provisions of this Lock-Up Agreement, (ii) there shall be no further transfer of such Common Stock except in accordance with this Lock-Up Agreement and (iii) no filing by any party (transferor or transferee) under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the 90-day period referred to above). For purposes of this Lock-Up Agreement, "immediate family" shall mean spouse, lineal descendant, father, mother, brother or sister of the transferor and "charitable organization" shall mean an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The undersigned understands that the Company and the Underwriters are relying upon this Lock-Up Agreement in proceeding toward consummation of the Public Offering. The undersigned further understands that this Lock-Up Agreement is irrevocable and shall be binding upon the undersigned's heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns. 2 Whether or not the Public Offering actually occurs depends on a number of factors, including market conditions. Any Public Offering will only be made pursuant to an Underwriting Agreement, the terms of which are subject to negotiation between the Company and the Underwriters. Very truly yours, ---------------------------------- (Name) ---------------------------------- (Address) 3