ORIC Pharmaceuticals Reports Inducement Grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

Rhea-AI Summary

ORIC Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company, has announced the granting of inducement equity awards to two new non-executive employees. The grants, approved under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), include 35,000 non-qualified stock options and 5,800 restricted stock units.

The stock options will vest 25% after one year, with the remaining vesting monthly over three years. The restricted stock units will vest in three equal annual installments. These grants were made through the company's 2022 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan and were approved by ORIC's Compensation Committee.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, Aug. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company focused on developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, today announced that on August 1, 2025 (the “Grant Date”), ORIC granted a total of 35,000 non-qualified stock options and 5,800 restricted stock units to two new non-executive employees who began their employment with ORIC in July 2025.

These inducement grants were granted pursuant to the ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2022 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, subject to recipient’s continued employment or service through each applicable vesting date. The stock options have an exercise price equal to the closing price of ORIC’s common stock on the Grant Date. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the shares subject to the stock options will vest on the one (1) year anniversary of the Grant Date, with one thirty-sixth (1/36^th) of the remaining shares vesting each one-month period thereafter. One-third (1/3^rd) of the restricted stock units will vest on each of the first three anniversaries of the Grant Date. The inducement grants are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable stock option and restricted stock unit agreements and the ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2022 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan.

The inducement grants were approved by ORIC’s Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, as required by Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4), and were granted as a material inducement to employment in accordance with Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4).

About ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

ORIC Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving patients’ lives by Overcoming Resistance In Cancer. ORIC’s clinical stage product candidates include (1) ORIC-944, an allosteric inhibitor of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) via the EED subunit, being developed for prostate cancer, and (2) ORIC-114, a brain penetrant inhibitor that selectively targets EGFR exon 20, HER2 exon 20 and EGFR atypical mutations, being developed across multiple genetically defined cancers. Beyond these two product candidates, ORIC^® is also developing multiple precision medicines targeting other hallmark cancer resistance mechanisms. ORIC has offices in South San Francisco and San Diego, California. For more information, please go to www.oricpharma.com, and follow us on X or LinkedIn.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding the vesting of the inducement grants; target indications for ORIC’s product candidates; the potential advantages of ORIC’s product candidates; and plans underlying ORIC’s clinical trials and development. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based upon ORIC’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to: risks associated with the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics and operating as an early clinical stage company; ORIC’s ability to develop, initiate or complete preclinical studies and clinical trials for, obtain approvals for and commercialize any of its product candidates; changes in ORIC’s plans to develop and commercialize its product candidates; the potential for clinical trials of ORIC’s product candidates to differ from preclinical, initial, interim, preliminary or expected results; negative impacts of health emergencies, economic instability or international conflicts on ORIC’s operations, including clinical trials; the risk of the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of ORIC’s license and collaboration agreements; the potential market for our product candidates, and the progress and success of competing therapeutics currently available or in development; ORIC’s ability to raise any additional funding it will need to continue to pursue its business and product development plans; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; ORIC’s reliance on third parties, including contract manufacturers and contract research organizations; ORIC’s ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for its product candidates; the loss of key scientific or management personnel; competition in the industry in which ORIC operates; general economic and market conditions; and other risks. Information regarding the foregoing and additional risks may be found in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in ORIC’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 5, 2025, and ORIC’s future reports to be filed with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and ORIC assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Contact:
Dominic Piscitelli, Chief Financial Officer
dominic.piscitelli@oricpharma.com
info@oricpharma.com

FAQ

What equity awards did ORIC Pharmaceuticals grant to new employees in August 2025?

ORIC granted 35,000 non-qualified stock options and 5,800 restricted stock units to two new non-executive employees who joined in July 2025.

What is the vesting schedule for ORIC's August 2025 inducement stock options?

The stock options vest 25% after one year, with the remaining shares vesting in 36 monthly installments thereafter.

How do the restricted stock units (RSUs) vest in ORIC's August 2025 inducement grants?

The restricted stock units vest in three equal annual installments, with one-third vesting on each of the first three anniversaries of the grant date.

Under what Nasdaq rule were ORIC's August 2025 inducement grants approved?

The inducement grants were approved under Nasdaq Rule 5635(c)(4) as material inducements to employment.