Exhibit 19.1
OCULAR THERAPEUTIX, INC.
Insider Trading Policy
| 1. | Background and purpose |
The federal securities laws prohibit any member of the Board of Directors (a “Director”) or employee of Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) from purchasing or selling Company securities on the basis of material nonpublic information concerning the Company, or from tipping material nonpublic information to others. These laws impose severe sanctions on individuals who violate them. In addition, the SEC has the authority to impose large fines on the Company and on the Company’s Directors, executive officers and controlling stockholders if the Company’s employees engage in insider trading and the Company has failed to take appropriate steps to prevent it (so-called “controlling person” liability).
This insider trading policy is being adopted in light of these legal requirements, and with the goal of helping:
| ● | prevent inadvertent violations of the insider trading laws; |
| ● | avoid embarrassing proxy disclosure of reporting violations by persons subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); |
| ● | avoid even the appearance of impropriety on the part of those employed by, or associated with, the Company; |
| ● | protect the Company from controlling person liability; and |
| ● | protect the reputation of the Company, its Directors and its employees. |
As detailed below, this policy applies to family members and certain other persons and entities with whom Directors and employees have relationships. However, nothing in this policy is applicable to transactions by the Company itself.
Information concerning the Company is considered “material” if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable shareholder would consider the information important in making a decision to buy or sell the Company’s securities. Stated another way, there must be a substantial likelihood that a reasonable shareholder would view the information as having significantly altered the “total mix” of information available about the Company. Material information can include positive or negative information about the Company. Information concerning any of the following subjects, or the Company’s plans with respect to any of these subjects, would often be considered material:
| ● | the Company’s revenues or earnings; |
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| ● | a merger or acquisition or licensing transaction involving the Company; |
| ● | a change in management or the Board of Directors of the Company; |
| ● | the Company’s decision to commence or terminate the payment of cash dividends; |
| ● | the public or private sale of a significant amount of securities of the Company; |
| ● | the establishment of a program to repurchase securities of the Company; |
| ● | a stock split; |
| ● | a default on outstanding debt of the Company or a bankruptcy filing; |
| ● | a new product release or a significant development, invention or discovery; |
| ● | information concerning upcoming FDA actions or other significant regulatory developments, including significant new clinical trial results or a significant product recall; |
| ● | a significant licensing or collaboration agreement, or serious discussions regarding such an agreement; |
| ● | the loss, delay or gain of a significant contract, sale or order or other important development regarding customers or suppliers; |
| ● | any litigation or dispute to which the Company may be a party; |
| ● | a conclusion by the Company or a notification from its independent auditor that any of the Company’s previously issued financial statements should no longer be relied upon; or |
| ● | a change in or dispute with the Company’s independent auditor. |
This list is illustrative only and is not intended to provide a comprehensive list of circumstances that could give rise to material information.
Information concerning the Company is considered nonpublic if it has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally.
Information will generally be considered nonpublic unless (1) the information has been disclosed in a press release, in a public filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission (such as a Report on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K), or through a news wire service or daily newspaper of wide circulation, and (2) a sufficient amount of time has passed so that the information has had an opportunity to be digested by the marketplace.
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| 2. | PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO TRANSACTIONS IN THE COMPANY’S SECURITIES |
| ● | all Directors; |
| ● | all employees; |
| ● | all family members of Directors and employees who share the same address as, or are financially dependent on, the Director or employee and any other person who shares the same address as the Director or employee (other than (x) an employee or tenant of the Director or employee or (y) another unrelated person whom the Chief Financial Officer determines should not be covered by this policy); and |
| ● | all corporations, partnerships, trusts or other entities controlled by any of the above persons, unless the entity has implemented policies or procedures designed to ensure that such person cannot influence transactions involving Company securities by the entity. |
| ◾ | purchase, sell or donate any securities of the Company while he or she is aware of any material nonpublic information concerning the Company or recommend to another person that they do so; |
| ◾ | disclose to any other person any material nonpublic information concerning the Company if such person may misuse that information, such as by purchasing or selling Company securities or tipping that information to others; |
| ◾ | purchase, sell or donate any securities of another company while he or she is aware of any material nonpublic information concerning such other company which he or she learned in the course of his or her service as a Director or employee of the Company or recommend to another person that they do so; or |
| ◾ | disclose to any other person any material nonpublic information concerning another company which he or she learned in the course of his or her service as a Director or employee of the Company if such person may misuse that information, such as by purchasing or selling securities of such other company or tipping that information to others. |
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| ◾ | exercises of stock options or other equity awards or the surrender of shares to the Company in payment of the exercise price or in satisfaction of any tax withholding obligations, in each case in a manner permitted by the applicable equity award agreement; provided, however, that the securities so acquired may not be sold (either outright or in connection with a “cashless” exercise transaction through a broker) while the employee or Director is aware of material nonpublic information or during a blackout period (as defined in Section 2.3(b)); |
| ◾ | acquisitions or dispositions of Company common stock under the Company’s 401(k) or other individual account plan that are made pursuant to standing instructions not entered into or modified while the employee or Director is aware of material nonpublic information or during a blackout period; |
| ◾ | other purchases of securities from the Company (including purchases under any employee stock purchase plan of the Company) or sales of securities to the Company; |
| ◾ | bona fide gifts, unless the person making the gift has reason to believe that the recipient intends to sell the securities while the employee or Director is aware of material nonpublic information or during a blackout period; and |
| ◾ | purchases or sales made pursuant to a binding contract, written plan or specific instruction (a “trading plan”) which is adopted and operated in compliance with Rule 10b5-1; provided such trading plan: (1) is in writing; (2) was submitted to the Company for review by the Company prior to its adoption; and (3) was not adopted while the employee or Director was aware of material nonpublic information or during a blackout period; and provided further that (i) any trade under such trading plan shall not occur until at least 30 days after the date of such trading plan and (ii) if such trading plan is amended in any material respect or terminated, trades may not occur pursuant to such trading plan or a subsequent trading plan until at least 30 days after such amendment or termination. |
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| ● | short sales of Company securities, including short sales “against the box”; or |
| ● | purchases or sales of puts, calls or other derivative securities based on the Company’s securities. |
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| 3. | ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS APPLICABLE TO DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DESIGNATED EMPLOYEES |
| ● | all Directors; |
| ● | all executive officers; |
| ● | such other employees as are designated from time to time by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer as being subject to this Section 3 (the “Designated Employees”); |
| ● | all family members of Directors, executive officers and Designated Employees who share the same address as, or are financially dependent on, the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee and any other person who shares the same address as the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee (other than (x) an employee or tenant of the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee or (y) another unrelated person whom the Chief Financial Officer determines should not be covered by this policy); and |
| ● | all corporations, partnerships, trusts or other entities controlled by any of the above persons, unless the entity has implemented policies or procedures designed to ensure that such person cannot influence transactions by the entity involving Company securities. |
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| 4. | REGULATION BTR |
If the Company is required to impose a “pension fund blackout period” under Regulation BTR, each Director and executive officer shall not, directly or indirectly sell, purchase or otherwise transfer during such blackout period any equity securities of the Company acquired in connection with his or her service as a director or officer of the Company, except as permitted by Regulation BTR.
| 5. | penalties for VIOLATION |
Violation of any of the foregoing rules is grounds for disciplinary action by the Company, including termination of employment. In addition to any disciplinary actions the Company may take, insider trading can also result in administrative, civil or criminal proceedings which can result in significant fines and civil penalties, being barred from service as an officer or director of a public company, or being sent to jail.
| 6. | company assistance and EDUCATION |
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