Achieve Life Sciences Announces Granting of New Hire Inducement Awards

Rhea-AI Summary

Achieve Life Sciences (Nasdaq: ACHV) announced that on October 1, 2025 its board approved inducement stock option grants totaling 161,000 shares for five new employees under the 2024 Equity Inducement Plan.

The options have an exercise price equal to the closing price on October 1, 2025, a 10‑year term, and vest 25% after one year with the remaining 75% vesting in 36 equal monthly installments, subject to continued service. Grants were made as inducements in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and are governed by the 2024 Equity Inducement Plan and individual option agreements.

SEATTLE and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACHV), a late-stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the global development and commercialization of cytisinicline for treatment of nicotine dependence for smoking cessation, today announced that effective October 1, 2025, Achieve’s board of directors approved stock option grants to purchase an aggregate of 161,000 shares of its common stock for five new employees under Achieve’s 2024 Equity Inducement Plan.

The stock options have an exercise price equal to the closing price of Achieve’s common stock on October 1, 2025. Each stock option has a ten-year term and will vest as to 25% of the shares underlying the stock option on the first anniversary following commencement of employment, and the remaining 75% of the shares underlying the stock option will vest in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter, subject to the employee’s continued service through each applicable vesting date.

The stock options are subject to the terms and conditions of the 2024 Equity Inducement Plan, as well as the terms and conditions of the stock option agreement covering the grant and were made as an inducement material to the individual entering into employment with Achieve in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

About Achieve Life Sciences, Inc. 
Achieve Life Sciences is a late-stage specialty pharmaceutical company committed to addressing the global smoking health and nicotine dependence epidemic through the development and commercialization of cytisinicline. In September 2025, the company announced that its New Drug Application, submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2025, had been accepted for review. The FDA has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of June 20, 2026. The NDA is for cytisinicline to be used as a treatment of nicotine dependence for smoking cessation in adults, based on two successfully completed Phase 3 studies and its open-label safety study. Additionally, the company has completed a Phase 2 study with cytisinicline in vaping cessation and conducted a successful end-of-Phase 2 meeting with the FDA for a future vaping indication.

About Cytisinicline
There are approximately 29 million adults in the United States who smoke combustible cigarettes.¹ Tobacco use is currently the leading cause of preventable death that is responsible for more than eight million deaths worldwide and nearly half a million deaths in the United States annually.^2,3 More than 87% of lung cancer deaths, 61% of all pulmonary disease deaths, and 32% of all deaths from coronary heart disease are attributable to smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.³

In addition, there are approximately 17 million adults in the United States who use e-cigarettes, also known as vaping.⁴ In 2024, approximately 1.6 million middle and high school students in the United States reported using e-cigarettes.⁵ There are no FDA-approved treatments indicated specifically as an aid to nicotine e-cigarette cessation. Cytisinicline has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA to address this critical unmet need.

Cytisinicline is a plant-derived alkaloid with a high binding affinity to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. It is believed to aid in treating nicotine dependence for smoking cessation and e-cigarette cessation by interacting with nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing the severity of nicotine craving symptoms, and reducing the reward and satisfaction associated with nicotine products. Cytisinicline is a new investigational product candidate being developed for the treatment of nicotine dependence for smoking cessation and has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for any indication in the United States.

Achieve Contact
Nicole Jones
Vice President, Strategic Communications and Stakeholder Relations
ir@achievelifesciences.com
425-686-1510

References
¹VanFrank B, Malarcher A, Cornelius ME, Schecter A, Jamal A, Tynan M. Adult Smoking Cessation — United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:633–641.
²World Health Organization. WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2017.
³U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking – 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014.
⁴Vahratian A, Briones EM, Jamal A, Marynak KL. Electronic cigarette use among adults in the United States, 2019–2023. NCHS Data Brief, no 524. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2025. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/ 10.15620/cdc/174583.
⁵Jamal A, Park-Lee E, Birdsey J, et al. Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2024. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:917–924.

FAQ

What did Achieve Life Sciences (ACHV) announce on October 2, 2025 about new hire awards?

The board approved stock option grants totaling 161,000 shares for five new employees effective October 1, 2025.

What are the key terms of the ACHV new hire stock options granted October 1, 2025?

Options have an exercise price equal to the Oct 1, 2025 closing price, a 10‑year term, 25% vest after one year, then 75% over 36 monthly installments.

Under which plan were Achieve's (ACHV) October 2025 inducement awards made?

Grants were made under the company's 2024 Equity Inducement Plan and governed by individual option agreements.

Were Achieve's (ACHV) new hire grants compliant with Nasdaq rules?

Yes. The press release states the grants were made as inducements in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

How many employees received stock options from Achieve (ACHV) on October 1, 2025?

Five new employees received the stock option grants totaling 161,000 shares.