Exhibit 4.8

 

EXACT SCIENCES CORPORATION

 

2015 INDUCEMENT AWARD PLAN

 

Exact Sciences Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), sets forth herein the terms of its 2015 Inducement Award Plan (the “Plan”), as follows:

 

1.             PURPOSE

 

The purpose of the Plan is to provide, among other equity awards, restricted stock unit awards and non-qualified stock options to individuals not previously employees of the Company (or following such individuals’ bona fide period of non-employment with the Company), as an inducement material to the individuals’ entry into employment with the Company within the meaning of Rule 5635(c)(4) of the NASDAQ Listing Rules.  It is anticipated that providing such persons with a direct stake in the Company’s welfare will assure a closer identification of their interests with those of the Company and its stockholders, thereby stimulating their efforts on the Company’s behalf and strengthening their desire to remain with the Company.

 

2.             DEFINITIONS

 

For purposes of interpreting the Plan and related documents (including Award Agreements), the following definitions shall apply:

 

2.1.         “2010 Omnibus Plan” means the Company’s 2010 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended.

 

2.2.         “Alternative Award” means an Award made pursuant to Section 8.2.

 

2.3.         “Award” means an Inducement RSU Award or an Alternative Award.

 

2.4.         “Award Agreement” means a written agreement between the Company and a Grantee, or notice from the Company to a Grantee that evidences and sets out the terms and conditions of an Award.

 

2.5.         “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

2.6.         “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board.

 

2.7.         “Company” means Exact Sciences Corporation, a Delaware corporation, or any successor corporation.

 

2.8.         “Effective Date” means February 9, 2015.

 

2.9.         “Eligible Individual” means any individual who was not previously an employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or who has had a bona fide period of non-employment with the Company and its Subsidiaries) who is hired by the Company or one of its Subsidiaries.

 

2.10.       “Family Member” means a person who is a spouse, former spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, niece, nephew, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother, sister, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships, of the applicable individual, any person sharing the applicable individual’s household (other than a tenant or employee), a trust in which any one or more of these persons

 











 

have more than fifty percent of the beneficial interest, a foundation in which any one or more of these persons (or the applicable individual) control the management of assets, and any other entity in which one or more of these persons (or the applicable individual) own more than fifty percent of the voting interests.

 

2.11.       “Grantee” means a person who receives or holds an Award under the Plan.

 

2.12.       “Inducement RSU Award” is defined in Section 8.1.

 

2.13.       “Plan” means this Exact Sciences Corporation 2015 Inducement Award Plan.

 

2.14.       “Termination Date” means the date of the Company’s 2015 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting.

 

Any capitalized terms used but not defined herein are defined in the 2010 Omnibus Plan.

 

3.             ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN

 

3.1.         General

 

Except as otherwise may be required by applicable law, regulatory requirement or the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws of the Company, the Committee shall have full power and authority to take all actions and to make all determinations required or provided for under the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement, and shall have full power and authority to take all such other actions and make all such other determinations not inconsistent with the specific terms and provisions of the Plan that the Committee deems to be necessary or appropriate to the administration of the Plan. The interpretation and construction by the Committee of any provision of the Plan, any Award or any Award Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive. Without limitation, the Committee shall have full and final authority, subject to the other terms and conditions of the Plan, to:

 

(i)    designate Grantees;

 

(ii)   determine the type or types of Awards to be made to a Grantee;

 

(iii)  determine the number of shares of Stock to be subject to an Award;

 

(iv)  establish the terms and conditions of each Award (including, but not limited to, the Option Price of any Option, the nature and duration of any restriction or condition (or provision for lapse thereof) relating to the vesting, exercise, transfer, or forfeiture of an Award or the shares of Stock subject thereto);

 

(v)   prescribe the form of each Award Agreement; and

 

(vi)  amend, modify, or supplement the terms of any outstanding Award including the authority, in order to effectuate the purposes of the Plan, to modify Awards to foreign nationals or individuals who are employed outside the United States to recognize differences in local law, tax policy, or custom.

 

3.2.         Restrictions; No Repricing.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment or modification may be made to an outstanding Option or SAR that causes the Option SAR to become subject to Section 409A without the Grantee’s prior written approval.  Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the repricing of Options or SARs is prohibited without prior written approval of the Company’s stockholders.  For this purpose, a “repricing” means any of the following (or any other action that has the same effect as any of the

 

2











 

following): (A) changing the terms of an Option or SAR to lower its Option Price or SAR Exercise Price; (B) any other action that is treated as a “repricing” under generally accepted accounting principles; and (C) repurchasing for cash or canceling an Option or SAR at a time when its Option Price or SAR Exercise Price is greater than the Fair Market Value of the underlying shares in exchange for another Award, unless the cancellation and exchange occurs in connection with a change in capitalization or similar change under Section 15 of the 2010 Omnibus Plan.  A cancellation and exchange under clause (C) would be considered a “repricing” regardless of whether it is treated as a “repricing” under generally accepted accounting principles and regardless of whether it is voluntary on the part of the Grantee.

 

3.3.         No Liability

 

No member of the Board or of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan, any Award or Award Agreement.

 

3.4.         Book Entry

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, the Company may elect to satisfy any requirement under this Plan for the delivery of stock certificates through the use of book-entry.

 

4.             STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

 

4.1.         Authorized Number of Shares

 

Subject to adjustment under Section 9, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be initially issued pursuant to the Plan is 315,000 shares.

 

4.2.         Share Counting

 

If any Award under the Plan expires, or is terminated, surrendered or forfeited, in whole or in part, or the shares of Common Stock are not delivered because the Award is settled in cash or used to satisfy the applicable tax withholding obligations, the unissued Common Stock covered by such Award shall again be available for the grant of Awards under the Plan.  If shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Plan are repurchased by, or are surrendered or forfeited to the Company at no more than cost, such shares of Common Stock shall again be available for the grant of Awards under the Plan.

 

5.             EFFECTIVE DATE, DURATION AND AMENDMENTS

 

5.1.         Term

 

The Plan shall be effective as of the Effective Date.  The Plan shall terminate automatically on the Termination Date and may be terminated on any earlier date as provided in Section 5.2.

 

5.2.         Amendment and Termination of the Plan

 

The Committee may, at any time and from time to time, amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan as to any Awards which have not been made. An amendment shall be contingent on approval of the Company’s shareholders to the extent stated by the Committee, required by applicable law or required by applicable stock exchange listing requirements.  No Awards shall be made after the Termination Date. The applicable terms of the Plan, and any terms and conditions applicable to Awards granted prior to the Termination Date shall survive the termination of the Plan and continue to apply to such Awards.  No

 

3











 

amendment, suspension, or termination of the Plan shall, without the consent of the Grantee, materially impair rights or obligations under any Award theretofore awarded.

 

6.             ELIGIBILITY

 

Grantees under the Plan will be such Eligible Individuals as are selected from time to time by the Committee in its sole discretion, and such Grantees shall be eligible to receive an Award in accordance with Section 8.

 

7.             AWARD AGREEMENT

 

Each Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, in such form or forms as the Committee shall from time to time determine.  Without limiting the foregoing, an Award Agreement may be provided in the form of a notice which provides that acceptance of the Award constitutes acceptance of all terms of the Plan and the notice.  Award Agreements granted from time to time or at the same time need not contain similar provisions but shall be consistent with the terms of the Plan.

 

8.             AWARDS

 

8.1.         Inducement RSU Awards

 

The Committee may, from time to time and in its sole discretion, grant to Grantees an award of restricted stock units (an “Inducement RSU Award”) in such form as the Committee may from time to time approve.

 

8.2.         Other Awards

 

In addition to Inducement RSU Awards granted pursuant to Section 8.1, the Committee is authorized to grant an alternative form of Award (other than Incentive Stock Options), as long as such form of Award is provided for in the 2010 Omnibus Plan.

 

9.             EFFECT OF CHANGES IN CAPITALIZATION

 

9.1.         Changes in Stock

 

Subject to any required action by the shareholders of the Company, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the shareholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (excepting normal cash dividends) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number and class of shares subject to the Plan and to any outstanding Awards, and in the Option Price, SAR Exercise Price or Purchase Price per share of any outstanding Awards in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Grantees’ rights under the Plan. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” If a majority of the shares which are of the same class as the shares that are subject to outstanding Awards are exchanged for, converted into, or otherwise become (whether or not pursuant to a Change in Control) shares of another corporation (the “New Shares”), the Committee may unilaterally amend the outstanding Awards to provide that such Awards are for New Shares. In the event of any such amendment, the number of shares subject to, and the Option Price, SAR Exercise Price 

 

4











 

or Purchase Price per share of, the outstanding Awards shall be adjusted in a fair and equitable manner as determined by the Committee, in its discretion.  Any fractional share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number and the Option Price, SAR Exercise Price or Purchase Price per share shall be rounded up to the nearest whole cent.  In no event may the exercise price of any Award be decreased to an amount less than the par value, if any, of the stock subject to the Award. The Committee in its sole discretion, may also make such adjustments in the terms of any Award to reflect, or related to, such changes in the capital structure of the Company or distributions as it deems appropriate. Adjustments determined by the Committee pursuant to this Section shall be made in accordance with Section 409A to the extent applicable.

 

9.2.         Change in Control

 

9.2.1.      Consequences of a Change in Control

 

Subject to the requirements and limitations of Section 409A if applicable, the Committee may provide for any one or more of the following in connection with a Change in Control:

 

9.2.1.1  Accelerated Vesting. The Committee may, in its discretion, provide in any Award Agreement or, in the event of a Change in Control, may take such actions as it deems appropriate to provide for the acceleration of the exercisability, vesting and/or settlement in connection with such Change in Control of each or any outstanding Award or portion thereof and shares acquired pursuant thereto upon such conditions, including termination of the Grantee’s Service prior to, upon, or following such Change in Control, to such extent as the Committee shall determine.

 

9.2.1.2  Assumption, Continuation or Substitution. In the event of a Change in Control, the surviving, continuing, successor, or purchasing corporation or other business entity or parent thereof, as the case may be (the “Acquiror”), may, without the consent of any Grantee, either assume or continue the Company’s rights and obligations under each or any Award or portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control or substitute for each or any such outstanding Award or portion thereof a substantially equivalent award with respect to the Acquiror’s stock, as applicable. For purposes of this Section, if so determined by the Committee, in its discretion, an Award denominated in shares of Stock shall be deemed assumed if, following the Change in Control, the Award confers the right to receive, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, for each share of Stock subject to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash, other securities or property or a combination thereof) to which a holder of a share of Stock on the effective date of the Change in Control was entitled; provided, however, that if such consideration is not solely common stock of the Acquiror, the Committee may, with the consent of the Acquiror, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise or settlement of the Award, for each share of Stock subject to the Award, to consist solely of common stock of the Acquiror equal in Fair Market Value to the per share consideration received by holders of Stock pursuant to the Change in Control. If any portion of such consideration may be received by holders of Stock pursuant to the Change in Control on a contingent or delayed basis, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine such Fair Market Value per share as of the time of the Change in Control on the basis of the Committee’s good faith estimate of the present value of the probable future payment of such consideration. Any Award or portion thereof which is neither assumed or continued by the Acquiror in connection with the Change in Control nor exercised or settled as of

 

5











 

the time of consummation of the Change in Control shall terminate and cease to be outstanding effective as of the time of consummation of the Change in Control.

 

9.2.1.3  Cash-Out of Awards. The Committee may, in its discretion and without the consent of any Grantee, determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each or any Award or a portion thereof outstanding immediately prior to the Change in Control and not previously exercised or settled shall be canceled in exchange for a payment with respect to each vested share (and each unvested share, if so determined by the Committee) of Stock subject to such canceled Award in (i) cash, (ii) stock of the Company or of a corporation or other business entity a party to the Change in Control, or (iii) other property which, in any such case, shall be in an amount having a Fair Market Value equal to the Fair Market Value of the consideration to be paid per share of Stock in the Change in Control, reduced by the exercise or purchase price per share, if any, under such Award. If any portion of such consideration may be received by holders of Stock pursuant to the Change in Control on a contingent or delayed basis, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, determine such Fair Market Value per share as of the time of the Change in Control on the basis of the Committee’s good faith estimate of the present value of the probable future payment of such consideration. In the event such determination is made by the Committee, the amount of such payment (reduced by applicable withholding taxes, if any) shall be paid to Grantees in respect of the vested portions of their canceled Awards as soon as practicable following the date of the Change in Control and in respect of the unvested portions of their canceled Awards in accordance with the vesting schedules applicable to such Awards.

 

9.3.         Adjustments

 

Adjustments under this Section 9 related to shares of Stock or securities of the Company shall be made by the Committee, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive. No fractional shares or other securities shall be issued pursuant to any such adjustment, and any fractions resulting from any such adjustment shall be eliminated in each case by rounding downward to the nearest whole share.

 

10.          NO LIMITATIONS ON COMPANY

 

The making of Awards pursuant to the Plan shall not affect or limit in any way the right or power of the Company to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure or to merge, consolidate, dissolve, or liquidate, or to sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.

 

11.          TERMS APPLICABLE GENERALLY TO AWARDS GRANTED UNDER THE PLAN

 

11.1.       Disclaimer of Rights

 

No provision in the Plan or in any Award Agreement shall be construed to confer upon any individual the right to remain in the employ or service of the Company or any Affiliate, or to interfere in any way with any contractual or other right or authority of the Company either to increase or decrease the compensation or other payments to any individual at any time, or to terminate any employment or other relationship between any individual and the Company. In addition, notwithstanding anything contained in the Plan to the contrary, unless otherwise stated in the applicable Award Agreement, no Award granted under the Plan shall be affected by any change of duties or position of the Grantee, so long as such Grantee continues to be a Service Provider. The obligation of the Company to pay any benefits pursuant

 

6











 

to this Plan shall be interpreted as a contractual obligation to pay only those amounts described herein, in the manner and under the conditions prescribed herein. The Plan shall in no way be interpreted to require the Company to transfer any amounts to a third party trustee or otherwise hold any amounts in trust or escrow for payment to any Grantee or beneficiary under the terms of the Plan.

 

11.2.       Withholding Taxes

 

The Company or an Affiliate, as the case may be, shall have the right to deduct from payments of any kind otherwise due to a Grantee any federal, state, or local taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld (i) with respect to the vesting of or other lapse of restrictions applicable to an Award, (ii) upon the issuance of any shares of Stock upon the exercise of an Option or SAR, or (iii) otherwise due in connection with an Award. At the time of such vesting, lapse, or exercise, the Grantee shall pay to the Company or the Affiliate, as the case may be, any amount that the Company or the Affiliate may reasonably determine to be necessary to satisfy such withholding obligation. Subject to the prior approval of the Company or the Affiliate, which may be withheld by the Company or the Affiliate, as the case may be, in its sole discretion, the Grantee may elect to satisfy such obligations, in whole or in part, (i) by causing the Company or the Affiliate to withhold the minimum required number of shares of Stock otherwise issuable to the Grantee as may be necessary to satisfy such withholding obligation or (ii) by delivering to the Company or the Affiliate shares of Stock already owned by the Grantee. The shares of Stock so delivered or withheld shall have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to such withholding obligations. The Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock used to satisfy such withholding obligation shall be determined by the Company or the Affiliate as of the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined. A Grantee who has made an election pursuant to this Section 11.2 may satisfy his or her withholding obligation only with shares of Stock that are not subject to any repurchase, forfeiture, unfulfilled vesting, or other similar requirements.

 

11.3.       Captions

 

The use of captions in this Plan or any Award Agreement is for the convenience of reference only and shall not affect the meaning of any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement.

 

11.4.       Other Provisions

 

Each Award Agreement may contain such other terms and conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as may be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion.

 

11.5.       Number and Gender

 

With respect to words used in this Plan, the singular form shall include the plural form, the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender, etc., as the context requires.

 

11.6.       Severability

 

If any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other jurisdiction.

 

7











 

11.7.       Governing Law

 

The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Wisconsin without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of law, provided that the provisions set forth herein that are required to be governed by the Delaware General Corporation Law shall be governed by such law.

 

11.8.       Section 409A

 

11.8.1.    Short-Term Deferrals

 

For each Award intended to comply with the short-term deferral exception provided for under Section 409A, the related Award Agreement shall provide that such Award shall be paid out by the later of (i) the 15th day of the third month following the Grantee’s first taxable year in which the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture or (ii) the 15th day of the third month following the end of the Company’s first taxable year in which the Award is no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture.

 

11.8.2.    Adjustments

 

To the extent that the Committee determines that a Grantee would be subject to the additional 20% tax imposed on certain deferred compensation arrangements pursuant to Section 409A as a result of any provision of any Award, to the extent permitted by Section 409A, such provision shall be deemed amended to the minimum extent necessary to avoid application of such additional tax. The Committee shall determine the nature and scope of such amendment.

 

11.9.       Separation from Service

 

The Committee shall determine the effect of a Separation from Service upon Awards, and such effect shall be set forth in the appropriate Award Agreement.  Without limiting the foregoing, the Committee may provide in the Award Agreements at the time of grant, or any time thereafter with the consent of the Grantee, the actions that will be taken upon the occurrence of a Separation from Service, including, but not limited to, accelerated vesting or termination, depending upon the circumstances surrounding the Separation from Service.

 

11.10.     Transferability of Awards

 

11.10.1. Transfers in General

 

Except as provided in Section 11.10.2, no Award shall be assignable or transferable by the Grantee to whom it is granted, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and, during the lifetime of the Grantee, only the Grantee personally (or the Grantee’s personal representative) may exercise rights under the Plan.

 

11.10.2. Family Transfers

 

If authorized in the applicable Award Agreement, a Grantee may transfer, not for value, all or part of an Award to any Family Member. For the purpose of this Section 11.10.2, a “not for value” transfer is a transfer which is (i) a gift, (ii) a transfer under a domestic relations order in settlement of marital property rights; or (iii) a transfer to an entity in which more than fifty percent of the voting interests are owned by Family Members (or the Grantee) in exchange for an interest in that entity. Following a transfer under this Section 11.10.2, any such Award shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to transfer. Subsequent transfers of transferred

 

8











 

Awards are prohibited except to Family Members of the original Grantee in accordance with this Section 11.10.2 or by will or the laws of descent and distribution.

 

11.11.     Dividends and Dividend Equivalent Rights

 

If specified in the Award Agreement, the recipient of an Award under this Plan may be entitled to receive, currently or on a deferred basis, dividends or dividend equivalents with respect to the Common Stock or other securities covered by an Award.  The terms and conditions of a dividend equivalent right may be set forth in the Award Agreement.  Dividend equivalents credited to a Grantee may be paid currently or may be deemed to be reinvested in additional shares of Stock or other securities of the Company at a price per unit equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date that such dividend was paid to shareholders, as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee.

 

 

	
 
    	
EXACT   SCIENCES CORPORATION
    
	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
By:
    	
/s/ D. Scott Coward
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
Title:
    	
Senior Vice President,   General Counsel and Secretary
    	
 
    


 

The Plan was adopted by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors on February 9, 2015.

 

9