Exhibit 10.1
SUPERGEN, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED
EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND INVENTION
ASSIGNMENT AGREEMENT
This Amended and Restated Executive
Employment and Confidential Information and Invention Assignment
Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as
of October 28, 2008 (the “Effective Date”) by
and between SuperGen, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and James S. Manuso
(“Executive”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company and Executive
previously entered into an Executive Employment and Confidential
Information and Invention Assignment Agreement (the “Original
Agreement”) dated January 1, 2007 (the “Original
Effective Date”) establishing the terms on which the Company
will employ Executive as its President and Chief Executive Officer;
and
WHEREAS, the Company and Executive
desire to amend and restate the Original Agreement to bring it into
compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended, and any regulations or other guidance promulgated
thereunder (“Section 409A”).
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and mutual promises, covenants, and conditions
contained herein, the Company and Executive agree on the terms and
conditions set forth herein as follows:
AGREEMENT
1.
Term . The Company hereby
agrees to continue to employ Executive and Executive hereby accepts
continued employment, on the terms and conditions set forth
herein. The term of this Agreement shall commence upon the
Effective Date and shall continue until and including
December 31, 2009.
2.
Positions And Duties . Executive agrees to
continue to serve the Company as its President and Chief Executive
Officer or in such other executive capacity as the Board may from
time to time request. During the term of this Agreement,
Executive will have all duties and responsibilities that are
reasonably consistent with these titles and positions and will
devote all of his normal business time and attention to, and use
his best efforts to advance, the business of the Company.
Executive agrees not to actively engage in any other employment,
occupation or consulting activity for any direct or indirect
remuneration without the prior approval of the Board of Directors
(the “Board”), except that without the prior approval,
Executive may serve on the board of directors of other companies if
in so doing Executive does not violate the terms of this
Agreement.
3.
Confidential Information .
3.1 Company
Information . Executive agrees at
all times during the term of his employment and thereafter, to hold
in the strictest confidence, and not to use, except for the benefit
of the Company, or to disclose to any person, firm or corporation
without written authorization of the Board, any confidential
Information of the Company, except under a non-disclosure agreement
duly authorized and executed by the Company. Executive
understands that “Confidential Information” means any
non-public information that relates to the actual or anticipated
business or research and development of the Company, technical
data, trade secrets or know-how, including, but not limited to,
research, product plans or other information regarding
Company’s products or services and markets therefore,
customer lists and customers (including, but not limited to,
customers of the Company on whom Executive called with whom
Executive became acquainted during the term of his employment),
software developments, inventions, processes, formulas, technology,
designs, drawings, engineering, hardware configuration information,
marketing, finances or other business information. Executive
further understands that Confidential Information does not include
any of the foregoing items that have become publicly known and made
generally available through no wrongful act of Executive’s or
of others who were under confidentiality obligations as to the item
or items involved or improvements or new versions
thereof.
3.2 Former Employer
Information . Executive agrees that
he will not, during his employment with the Company, improperly use
or disclose any proprietary information or trade secrets of any
former employer or other person or entity and that he will not
bring onto the premises of the Company any unpublished document or
proprietary information belonging to any such employer, person or
entity unless consented to in writing by such employer, person or
entity.
3.3 Third Party
Information . Executive recognizes
that the Company has received and in the future will receive from
third parties their confidential or proprietary information subject
to a duty on the Company’s part to maintain the
confidentiality of such information and to use it only for certain
limited purposes. Executive agrees to hold all such
confidential or proprietary information in the strictest confidence
and not to disclose it to any person, firm or corporation or to use
it except as necessary in carrying out Executive’s work for
the Company’s consistent with the Company’s agreement
with such third party.
4.
Inventions .
4.1 Inventions Retained And
Licensed . Except as listed on
Exhibit A , Executive does not have any inventions,
original works of authorship, developments, improvements, and trade
secrets which were made by him prior to his employment with the
Company (collectively referred to as “Prior
Inventions”), which belong to him, which may relate to the
Company’s proposed business, products or research and
development, and which were not previously assigned to the
Company. If in the course of Executive’s employment
with the Company, Executive incorporates into a Company
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product, process
or service a Prior Invention owned by Executive or in which
Executive has an interest, Executive hereby grants to the Company a
nonexclusive, royalty-free, fully paid-up, irrevocable, perpetual,
worldwide license to make, have made, modify, use and sell such
Prior Invention as part of or in connection with such product,
process or service, and to practice any method related
thereto.
4.2 Assignment of
Inventions . Executive agrees that
Executive will promptly make full written disclosure to the
Company, will hold in trust for the sole right and benefit of the
Company, and hereby assigns to the Company, or its designee, all
Executive’s right, title, and interest in and to any and all
inventions, original works of authorship, developments, concepts,
improvements, designs, discoveries, ideas, trademarks or trade
secrets, whether or not patentable or registrable under copyright
or similar laws, which Executive may solely or jointly conceive or
develop or reduce to practice, or cause to be conceived or
developed or reduced to practice, during the period of time
Executive is in the employ of the Company (collectively referred to
as “Inventions”), except as provided in
Section 4.6 below. Executive further acknowledges that
all original works of authorship which are made by him (solely or
jointly with others) within the scope of and during the period of
his employment with the Company, and which are protectible by
copyright, are “works made for hire,” as that term is
defined in the United States Copyright Act. Executive
understands and agrees that the decision whether or not to
commercialize or market any Invention developed by Executive solely
or jointly with others is within the Company’s sole
discretion and for the Company’s sole benefit and that no
royalty will be due to Executive as a result of the Company’s
efforts to commercialize or market any such Invention.
4.3 Inventions Assigned To
The United States . Executive agrees to
assign to the United States government all his right, title, and
interest in and to any and all Inventions whenever such full title
is required to be in the United States by a contract between the
Company and the United States or any of its agencies.
4.4 Maintenance Of
Records . Executive agrees to
keep and maintain adequate and current written records of all
Inventions made by Executive (solely or jointly with others) during
the period of his employment with the Company. The records
will be in the form of notes, sketches, drawings, and any other
format that may be specified by the Company. The records will
be available to and remain the sole property of the Company at all
times.
4.5 Patent And Copyright
Registrations . Executive agrees to
assist the Company, or its designee, at the Company’s
expense, in every proper way to secure the intellectual property
rights relating thereto in any and all countries, including the
disclosure to the Company of all pertinent information and data
with respect thereto, the execution of all applications,
specifications, oaths, assignments and all other instruments which
the Company shall deem necessary in order to apply for and obtain
such rights and in order to assign and convey to the Company, its
successors, assigns, and nominees the sole and exclusive rights,
title and interest in and to such Inventions, and any copyrights,
patents, mask work rights or other intellectual property rights
relating thereto. Executive further agrees that his
obligation to execute or cause to be
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executed when it
is in his power to do so, any such instrument or papers shall
continue after the termination of this Agreement. If the
Company is unable because of Executive’s mental or physical
incapacity or for any other reason to secure Executive’s
signature to apply for or to pursue any application for any United
States or foreign patents or copyright registrations covering
Inventions or original works of authorship assigned to the Company
as above, then Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints
the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as his
agent and attorney in fact, to act for and in Executive’s
behalf and stead to execute and file any such applications an to do
all other lawfully permitted acts to further the prosecution and
issuance of letters patent or copyright registrations thereon with
the same legal force and effect as if executed by
Executive.
4.6 Exception To
Assignments . Executive understands
that the provision of this Agreement requiring assignment of
Inventions to the Company do not apply to any Invention which
qualifies fully under the provisions of California Labor Code
section 2870 (attached as Exhibit B ). Executive
will advise the Company promptly in writing of any Inventions that
Executive believes meet the criteria in California Labor Code
Section 2870.
5.
Office . The Company shall
provide Executive with an office at the location of the
Company’s primary business operations that is consistent with
his positions and titles.
6.
Compensation And Fringe Benefits .
6.1 Base Salary
. For all
services rendered by Executive pursuant to this Agreement, the
Company shall pay Executive a base salary (the “Base
Salary”) at the annual rate of not less than Five Hundred
Sixty Two Thousand Three Hundred Eighty Dollars ($562,380.00) as of
the Effective Date. The Base Salary shall be paid in periodic
installments in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll
practices. Executive’s annual salary shall be adjusted
annually on January 1 of each year to compensate for changes
in the cost of living. The amount of each annual cost of
living increase shall be twice the rate determined for such annual
period by the “Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners
and Clerical Workers (All Items) published by the bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor (1967 equals
100).”
6.2 Bonuses
.
(a)
Executive shall be entitled to a guaranteed bonus of One Hundred
Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) on January 1 of each year
during the term of this Agreement, provided that he remains
continuously employed by the Company through each applicable date
(the “Guaranteed Bonus”), which shall be paid in
accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices and
policies no later than March 15 of the year following the year
in which Executive’s right to such bonus vests.
(b)
Executive shall be eligible to receive an annual performance-based
bonus of Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000.00)
based upon
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achievement of
certain criteria to be specified by the compensation committee of
the Board (“Compensation Committee”), including
(without limitation) revenue and profitability targets and/or other
organizational and strategic milestones (the “Performance
Bonus”; and together with the Guaranteed Bonus, the
“Bonuses”). The Performance Bonus shall be based
upon achieving performance objectives during each calendar year and
shall be payable in accordance with the Company’s normal
payroll practices and policies no later than March 15 of the
year following the year in which Executive’s right to such
bonus vests.
6.3 Stock
Options .
(a)
Executive shall be permitted to participate in any stock option and
similar plans as adopted by the Company from time to time for the
grant of stock options and other equity incentives to the
Company’s employees. On the first business day
occurring on or after January 1 of each year during the term
of this Agreement (subject to Executive’s continuous
employment with the Company through each such anniversary), the
Company shall grant Executive a stock option with a vesting
commencement date of January 1 of the year in which it is
granted, which will be, to the extent possible under the $100,000
rule of Section 422(d) of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), an “incentive
stock option” (as defined in Section 422 of the Code),
under the Company’s 2003 Stock Plan (the “Plan”)
to purchase 360,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (as
adjusted for stock splits and stock combinations that may occur
after the date of this Agreement), which each such option shall
have a per share exercise price equal to the fair market value of
the Company’s common stock on the applicable date of grant
(each an “Annual Option” and collectively, the
“Annual Options”). Subject to the accelerated
vesting provisions set forth herein, each Annual Option will vest
as to 1/12th of the shares subject to such option each month
following its date of grant, so that each Annual Option will be
fully vested and exercisable one year from its grant date, subject
to Executive’s continuous service to the Company through each
relevant vesting date. Notwithstanding the above, in the
event of a Change in Control (as defined in Section 8.1 below)
of the Company prior to the granting of all Annual Options, and
that occurs while Executive remains employed hereunder, then all
Annual Options yet to be granted through the term of the Agreement
will immediately be granted and 100% of the then-unvested shares
subject to all such Annual Options will vest and become
exercisable.
(b)
On the Original Effective Date, the Company granted Executive a
stock option, which is, to the extent possible under the $100,000
rule of Section 422(d) of the Code, an
“incentive stock option” (as defined in
Section 422 of the Code), under the Plan to purchase 1,000,000
shares of the Company’s common stock, which such option has a
per share exercise price equal to the fair market value of the
Company’s common stock on the Original Effective Date (the
“Performance Option” and together with the Annual
Options, the “Options”). The Performance Option
shall vest upon the Company’s achievement of the following
performance milestones, subject to Executive’s continuous
employment with the Company through the date any such performance
milestone is achieved:
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·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the filing of the first IND of a
drug derived from the “Montigen
acquisition;”
·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the filing of the second IND of a
drug derived from the “Montigen
acquisition;”
·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the filing of the third IND of a
drug derived from the “Montigen
acquisition;”
·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the acquisition of a corporate
partner or licensee for one or more of the drugs in the
Company’s portfolio, providing the value of any such deal is
projected to exceed $10MM in combined up-fronts, R&D payments,
milestones and royalties to the Company throughout its course
;
·
250,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the securing of a significant
corporate partner for one or more of the Company’s drugs or
$25,000,000 in additional financing;
·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the Company achieving a cash-flow
positive first year of operations;
·
100,000 shares subject to the
Performance Option will vest upon the Company achie
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