KALA BIO Reports Inducement Grants Under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

Rhea-AI Summary

KALA BIO, Inc. granted non-statutory stock options to a new employee as an inducement award outside the Company’s Amended and Restated 2017 Equity Incentive Plan in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The options allow purchase of up to 3,125 shares of its common stock. The exercise price is $7.85 per share, with a ten-year term and vesting over four years. The grant was approved by the Compensation Committee and made as a material inducement to the employee entering into employment with KALA.

ARLINGTON, Mass., Jan. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KALA BIO, Inc. (Nasdaq:KALA), today announced that the Company granted non-statutory stock options to a new employee as an inducement award outside the Company’s Amended and Restated 2017 Equity Incentive Plan in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

The Company granted stock options to purchase up to an aggregate of 3,125 shares of its common stock to one new employee. The stock options were granted on January 16, 2024. The grant was approved by the Compensation Committee and made as a material inducement to such employee entering into employment with KALA in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The option award has an exercise price of $7.85 per share, the closing price of KALA’s common stock on January 16, 2024. The options have a ten-year term and vest over four years, with 25% of the original number of shares vesting on the first anniversary of the employee’s new hire date and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following three years. Vesting of the options is subject to the employee’s continued service with KALA through the applicable vesting dates.

About KALA BIO, Inc.
KALA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the research and development of innovative therapies for rare and severe diseases of the eye. KALA’s biologics-based investigational therapies utilize KALA’s proprietary mesenchymal stem cell secretome (MSC-S) platform. KALA’s lead product candidate, KPI-012, is a human MSC-S, which contains numerous human-derived biofactors, such as growth factors, protease inhibitors, matrix proteins and neurotrophic factors that can potentially correct the impaired corneal healing that is an underlying etiology of multiple severe ocular diseases. KPI-012 is currently in clinical development for the treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defect (PCED), a rare disease of impaired corneal healing, for which it has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. KALA is also targeting the potential development of KPI-012 for the treatment of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency and other rare corneal diseases that threaten vision and has initiated preclinical studies to evaluate the potential utility of its MSC-S platform for retinal degenerative diseases, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt Disease. For more information on KALA, please visit www.kalarx.com.

Investor Contacts:
Hannah Deresiewicz
hannah.deresiewicz@sternir.com
212-362-1200

 

FAQ

What is the purpose of the stock options granted by KALA BIO, Inc.?

The stock options were granted as an inducement award to a new employee outside the Company’s Amended and Restated 2017 Equity Incentive Plan.

How many shares of common stock can be purchased through the stock options?

The options allow the purchase of up to 3,125 shares of KALA BIO, Inc.'s common stock.

What is the exercise price of the stock options?

The exercise price is $7.85 per share, based on the closing price of KALA's common stock on January 16, 2024.

What is the vesting period for the stock options?

The options have a ten-year term and vest over four years, with 25% of the original number of shares vesting on the first anniversary of the employee’s new hire date and the remainder vesting in equal monthly installments over the following three years.

What is the condition for vesting of the options?

Vesting of the options is subject to the employee’s continued service with KALA through the applicable vesting dates.