SEC Filing - Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.

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10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)


☒	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022


☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ______________ to ______________

Commission File Number: 001-38542

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware

47-3366145

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

4000 Shoreline Court, Suite 300

South San Francisco, CA, 94080

(650) 822-5600

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading symbol	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 par value	KZR	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.


Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒	Smaller reporting company	☒
Emerging growth company	☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of November 4, 2022, the registrant had 68,378,059 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, outstanding.

Table of Contents


		Page
PART I.	FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1.	Financial Statements (Unaudited)	1
	Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets	1
	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations	2
	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss	3
	Condensed Consolidated Statement of Stockholders’ Equity	4
	Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	5
	Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements	6
Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	16
Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	25
Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	25
PART II.	OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.	Legal Proceedings	26
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	26
Item 6.	Exhibits	64

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “potential,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “seek,” “target” or similar expressions, or the negative or plural of these words or expressions. These forward-looking statements include statements concerning the following:

•

statements regarding the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on our operations, research and development, clinical trials and financial position, and its potential effects on the operations of third-party manufacturers, contract research organizations, other service providers, and collaborators with whom we conduct business;

•

our plans to develop and commercialize our product candidates;

•

the initiation, timing, progress and expected results of our current and future clinical trials and our research and development programs;

•

our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;

•

our ability to maintain and establish collaborations or strategic relationships or obtain additional funding;

•

the timing and likelihood of obtaining regulatory approval of our current and future product candidates;

•

our expectations regarding the potential market size and the rate and degree of market acceptance of such product candidates;

•

our ability to fund our working capital requirements and expectations regarding the sufficiency of our capital resources;

•

the implementation of our business model and strategic plans for our business and product candidates;

•

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and the duration of our patent rights covering our product candidates;

•

developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;

•

the scalability and commercial viability of our manufacturing methods and processes;

•

our expectations regarding government and third-party payor coverage and reimbursement;

•

our ability to compete in the markets for our product candidates;

•

the impact of government laws and regulations;

•

developments relating to our competitors and our industry; and

•

other factors that may impact our financial results.

These statements are only current predictions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by law, we are under no duty to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements in this report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this report.

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Kezar,” “Kezar Life Sciences,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q refer to Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. and our wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Kezar Life Sciences Australia Pty Ltd.

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)


	September 30, 2022			December 31, 2021
	(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	64,453		$	62,882
Marketable securities		225,930			145,473
Prepaid expenses		7,726			2,570
Other current assets		818			729
Total current assets		298,927			211,654
Property and equipment, net		3,369			3,283
Operating lease right-of-use asset		2,192			2,714
Other assets		282			282
Total assets	$	304,770		$	217,933
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	2,274		$	2,028
Accrued and other current liabilities		5,992			4,985
Operating lease liabilities, current		1,329			1,199
Total current liabilities		9,595			8,212
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent		2,207			3,223
Debt, noncurrent		9,780			9,622
Total liabilities		21,582			21,057
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 125,000,000 shares authorized as of September 30, 2022 (unaudited) and December 31, 2021; 68,372,115 and 56,259,747 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 (unaudited) and December 31, 2021, respectively		68			56
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, zero shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2022 (unaudited) and December 31, 2021		—			—
Additional paid-in capital		515,297			377,765
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(1,465	)		(291	)
Accumulated deficit		(230,712	)		(180,654	)
Total stockholders' equity		283,188			196,876
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	304,770		$	217,933

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)


	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	September 30,						September 30,
	2022			2021			2022			2021
Operating expenses:
Research and development	$	13,860		$	10,527		$	36,150		$	29,154
General and administrative		5,067			3,972			14,978			11,402
Total operating expenses		18,927			14,499			51,128			40,556
Loss from operations		(18,927	)		(14,499	)		(51,128	)		(40,556	)
Interest income		1,390			37			1,906			138
Interest expense		(310	)		—			(836	)		—
Net loss	$	(17,847	)	$	(14,462	)	$	(50,058	)	$	(40,418	)
Net loss per common share, basic and diluted	$	(0.25	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.76	)	$	(0.78	)
Weighted-average shares used to compute net loss per common share, basic and diluted		72,153,952			52,048,563			65,730,202			51,674,063

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)


	Three Months Ended						Nine Months Ended
	September 30,						September 30,
	2022			2021			2022			2021
Net loss	$	(17,847	)	$	(14,462	)	$	(50,058	)	$	(40,418	)
Other comprehensive loss
Foreign currency translation adjustments		(51	)		(30	)		(90	)		(54	)
Unrealized loss on marketable securities		(250	)		(10	)		(1,084	)		(4	)
Total other comprehensive loss, net of tax		(301	)		(40	)		(1,174	)		(58	)
Comprehensive loss	$	(18,148	)	$	(14,502	)	$	(51,232	)	$	(40,476	)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share amounts)


	COMMON STOCK				ADDITIONAL PAID-IN		ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE			ACCUMULATED			TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS'
	SHARES		AMOUNTS		CAPITAL		LOSS			DEFICIT			EQUITY
Balance as of December 31, 2021		56,259,747	$	56	$	377,765	$	(291	)	$	(180,654	)	$	196,876
Issuance of common stock under the ATM Agreement, net of offering costs of $1,504		3,245,738		4		48,638		—			—			48,642
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		59,174		—		208		—			—			208
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		3,104		—			—			3,104
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(491	)		—			(491	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(16,024	)		(16,024	)
Balance as of March 31, 2022		59,564,659	$	60	$	429,715	$	(782	)	$	(196,678	)	$	232,315
Issuance of common stock under the ATM Agreement, net of offering costs of $2,409		8,665,961		8		77,892		—			—			77,900
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		111,022		—		420		—			—			420
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		3,298		—			—			3,298
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(382	)		—			(382	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(16,187	)		(16,187	)
Balance as of June 30, 2022		68,341,642	$	68	$	511,325	$	(1,164	)	$	(212,865	)	$	297,364
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		30,473		—		185		—			—			185
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		3,787		—			—			3,787
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(301	)		—			(301	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(17,847	)		(17,847	)
Balance as of September 30, 2022		68,372,115	$	68	$	515,297	$	(1,465	)	$	(230,712	)	$	283,188

	COMMON STOCK				ADDITIONAL PAID-IN		ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE			ACCUMULATED			TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS'
	SHARES		AMOUNTS		CAPITAL		LOSS			DEFICIT			EQUITY
Balance as of December 31, 2020		46,359,743	$	46	$	267,093	$	(137	)	$	(126,024	)	$	140,978
Issuance of common stock under the ATM Agreement, net of offering costs of $330		1,705,800		2		10,671		—			—			10,673
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		14,325		—		48		—			—			48
Vesting related to shares of common stock issued pursuant to early exercises		—		—		7		—			—			7
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		1,928		—			—			1,928
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(3	)		—			(3	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(12,994	)		(12,994	)
Balance as of March 31, 2021		48,079,868	$	48	$	279,747	$	(140	)	$	(139,018	)	$	140,637
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		66,440		—		282		—			—			282
Vesting related to shares of common stock issued pursuant to early exercises		—		—		7		—			—			7
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		1,937		—			—			1,937
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(15	)		—			(15	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(12,962	)		(12,962	)
Balance as of June 30, 2021		48,146,308	$	48	$	281,973	$	(155	)	$	(151,980	)	$	129,886
Issuance of common stock under the ATM Agreement, net of offering costs of $33		118,184		—		1,052		—			—			1,052
Issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		332,389		1		1,159		—			—			1,160
Vesting related to shares of common stock issued pursuant to early exercises		—		—		7		—			—			7
Stock-based compensation expense		—		—		1,878		—			—			1,878
Other comprehensive loss		—		—		—		(40	)		—			(40	)
Net loss		—		—		—		—			(14,462	)		(14,462	)
Balance as of September 30, 2021		48,596,881	$	49	$	286,069	$	(195	)	$	(166,442	)	$	119,481

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)


	Nine Months Ended
	September 30,
	2022			2021
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss	$	(50,058	)	$	(40,418	)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		1,306			1,123
Stock-based compensation		10,189			5,743
Amortization of premiums and discounts on marketable securities		(45	)		1,453
Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs and other non-cash interest		158			—
Loss on disposition of fixed assets		4			—
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Prepaid expenses, other current assets and other long-term assets		(5,245	)		356
Accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities		1,614			1,157
Operating lease liabilities		(886	)		(770	)
Net cash used in operating activities		(42,963	)		(31,356	)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment		(1,235	)		(50	)
Purchases of marketable securities		(238,635	)		(43,153	)
Maturities of marketable securities		157,139			97,250
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities		(82,731	)		54,047
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock and warrants, net of issuance costs		126,542			11,725
Proceeds from issuance of common stock under equity incentive plans		813			1,504
Net cash provided by financing activities		127,355			13,229
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		(90	)		(54	)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents		1,571			35,866
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of period		62,882			21,228
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period	$	64,453		$	57,094
Supplemental disclosures of noncash investing and financing information:
Reclassification of employee stock liability to equity upon vesting	$	—		$	21
Unpaid offering costs in accrued liabilities	$	—		$	25
Purchases of property and equipment in accounts payable	$	81		$	178
Supplemental disclosures
Cash paid for interest	$	678		$	—

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Organization and Description of the Business

Description of Business

Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) was incorporated in the state of Delaware in February 2015 and commenced operations in June 2015. The Company is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing breakthrough treatments in immune-mediated and oncologic disorders. The Company’s principal operations are in South San Francisco, California, and it operates in one segment.

Liquidity

Since commencing operations in mid-2015, substantially all of the Company’s efforts have been focused on research, development, and the advancement of the Company’s product candidates, zetomipzomib (KZR-616) and KZR-261. The Company’s ultimate success depends on the outcome of these ongoing research and development activities. The Company has not yet generated product sales and as a result has experienced operating losses since inception and had an accumulated deficit of $230.7 million as of September 30, 2022. The Company expects to incur additional losses in the future to conduct research and development and will need to raise additional capital to fully implement management’s business plan. The Company intends to raise such capital through the issuance of additional equity, and potentially through borrowings, strategic alliances with partner companies and other licensing transactions. However, if such financing is not available at adequate levels, the Company may need to reevaluate its operating plans. Management believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities will be sufficient to fund the Company’s cash requirements for at least 12 months following the issuance of these financial statements.

In December 2021, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with Cowen and Company, LLC (“Cowen”), pursuant to which the Company can offer and sell, from time to time at its sole discretion through Cowen, as its sales agent, shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million. Any shares of its common stock sold will be issued pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-261774). The Company will pay Cowen a commission equal to 3.0% of the gross sales proceeds of any shares of its common stock sold through Cowen under the ATM Agreement and also has provided Cowen with indemnification and contribution rights. No shares were sold under the ATM Agreement during the three months ended September 30, 2022. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company sold an aggregate of 11,911,699 shares of its common stock at a weighted average purchase price of $10.95 per share, pursuant to the ATM Agreement for net proceeds of approximately $126.5 million.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are disclosed in the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the notes thereto, which are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 17, 2022 (the “Annual Report”), and there have been no material changes during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and include the Company’s accounts and those of its wholly owned Australian subsidiary, Kezar Life Sciences Australia Pty Ltd., which is a proprietary company limited by shares. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements included in the Annual Report.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

The accompanying financial information as of September 30, 2022 is unaudited. The interim condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that our management

considers necessary for the fair statement of the results of operations for the interim periods covered and of our financial condition at the date of the interim balance sheet. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year or any other interim period. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the related notes thereto included in our Annual Report.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Significant items subject to such estimates and assumptions include the stock-based compensation, and accrued research and development costs. Management bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other market-specific relevant assumptions that management believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

The Company anticipates that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, recent geopolitical events and supply-chain concerns could have an impact on our clinical development timelines. Estimates and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty and therefore require the exercise of judgment. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, the Company is not aware of any specific event or circumstance that would require the Company to update its estimates, assumptions and judgments or revise the carrying value of its assets or liabilities. These estimates may change as new events occur and additional information is obtained and are recognized in the consolidated financial statements as soon as they become known. Actual results could differ from those estimates and any such differences may be material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Significant Risks and Uncertainties

The global economic slowdown, increased levels of inflation worldwide, recent geopolitical events, the disruption of global healthcare systems from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and risks and uncertainties associated with the global supply chains could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

In addition, the Company is subject to challenges and risks specific to its business and its ability to execute on its strategy, as well as risks and uncertainties common to companies in the biotechnology industry with development operations, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: obtaining regulatory feedback regarding the Company’s product candidates; delays or problems in the supply of its product candidates; loss of single source suppliers or their failure to comply with manufacturing regulations; clinical development and the inherent uncertainty of clinical success; the challenges of protecting and enhancing its intellectual property rights; and complying with applicable regulatory requirements.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

There have been no recent accounting pronouncements, changes in accounting pronouncements or recently adopted accounting guidance during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 that are of significance or potential significance to the Company.

3. Fair Value Measurements

Financial assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value. The carrying amount of certain financial instruments, including cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, other current assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their relatively short maturities. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis in the condensed consolidated balance sheets are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair values. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or an exit price that would be paid to transfer a liability in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The authoritative guidance on fair value measurements establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires management to make judgments and consider factors specific to the asset or liability.

The Company applies fair value accounting for all financial assets and liabilities and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that are required to be recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements. The Company determines the fair value of Level 1 assets using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets. The Company reviews trading activity and pricing for Level 2 investments as of each measurement date. Level 2 inputs, which are obtained from various third-party data providers, represent quoted prices for similar assets in active markets and were derived from observable market data, or, if not directly observable, were derived from or corroborated by other observable market data.

In certain cases, where there is limited activity or less transparency around inputs to valuation, securities are classified as Level 3 within the valuation hierarchy. The Company did not have any assets or liabilities measured using Level 3 inputs as of September 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021.

The following table summarizes the Company’s financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis and classified under the appropriate level of the fair value hierarchy as described above (in thousands):


	September 30, 2022
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Financial Assets:
Cash equivalents:
U.S. Treasury money market funds	$	61,978	$	61,978	$	—	$	—
Marketable securities:
U.S. Treasury securities		89,051		89,051		—		—
Commercial paper		121,991		—		121,991		—
U.S. agency bonds		14,888		—		14,888		—
Total	$	287,908	$	151,029	$	136,879	$	—


	December 31, 2021
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Financial Assets:
Cash equivalents:
U.S. Treasury money market funds	$	60,375	$	60,375	$	—	$	—
Marketable securities:
U.S. Treasury securities		82,106		82,106		—		—
Commercial paper		46,687		—		46,687		—
Corporate debt securities		15,481		—		15,481		—
U.S. agency bonds		1,199		—		1,199		—
Total	$	205,848	$	142,481	$	63,367	$	—

4. Available-for-Sale Securities

The following table is a summary of available-for-sale securities recorded in cash and cash equivalents or marketable securities in the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets (in thousands):


	September 30, 2022
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Cash equivalents:
U.S. Treasury money market funds	$	61,978	$	—	$	—		$	61,978
Marketable securities:
U.S. Treasury securities		89,548		—		(497	)		89,051
Commercial paper		122,562		—		(571	)		121,991
U.S. agency bonds		15,000		—		(112	)		14,888
Total available-for-sale securities	$	289,088	$	—	$	(1,180	)	$	287,908
Cash									2,475
Total cash, cash equivalent and marketable securities								$	290,383


	December 31, 2021
	Amortized Cost		Unrealized Gains		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value
Cash equivalents:
U.S. Treasury money market funds	$	60,375	$	—	$	—		$	60,375
Marketable securities:
U.S. Treasury securities		82,204		—		(98	)		82,106
Commercial paper		46,678		13		(4	)		46,687
Corporate debt securities		15,486		—		(5	)		15,481
U.S. agency bonds		1,200		—		(1	)		1,199
Total available-for-sale securities	$	205,943	$	13	$	(108	)	$	205,848
Cash									2,507
Total cash, cash equivalent and marketable securities								$	208,355

As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company has not recognized an allowance for credit losses on any securities in an unrealized loss position.

The following table displays additional information regarding gross unrealized losses and fair value by major security type for available-for-sale securities in an unrealized loss position as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 (in thousands):


	September 30, 2022					December 31, 2021
	Less than 12 consecutive months					Less than 12 consecutive months
	Fair Value		Unrealized Losses			Fair Value		Unrealized Losses
U.S. Treasury securities	$	89,051	$	(497	)	$	82,106	$	(98	)
Commercial paper		121,991		(571	)		13,734		(4	)
Corporate debt securities		—		—			15,481		(5	)
U.S. agency bonds		14,888		(112	)		1,199		(1	)
Total	$	225,930	$	(1,180	)	$	112,520	$	(108	)

The Company believes that the individual unrealized losses represent temporary declines primarily resulting from interest rate changes. The Company currently does not intend to sell these securities prior to maturity and does not consider these investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired as of September 30, 2022. There were no sales of available-for-sale securities in any of the periods presented.

As of September 30, 2022, the amortized cost and estimated fair value of the Company’s available-for-sale securities by contractual maturity are shown below (in thousands):


	Amortized		Estimated
Available-for-sale securities maturing:	Cost		Fair Value
In one year or less	$	289,088	$	287,908
Total available-for-sale securities	$	289,088	$	287,908

5. Balance Sheet Components

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment consisted of the following (in thousands):


	September 30, 2022			December 31, 2021
Leasehold improvements	$	3,337		$	3,268
Furniture, laboratory and office equipment		4,203			3,423
Computer equipment		244			244
Total property and equipment		7,784			6,935
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(4,415	)		(3,652	)
Property and equipment, net	$	3,369		$	3,283

Depreciation expense was $0.3 million and $0.8 million for each of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, compared to $0.2 million and $0.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

Accrued and Other Current Liabilities

Accrued liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):


	September 30, 2022		December 31, 2021
Accrued clinical costs	$	1,687	$	1,642
Accrued preclinical and research costs		1,329		1,043
Accrued employee-related costs		2,610		1,970
Accrued professional services		235		231
Other		131		99
Total accrued liabilities	$	5,992	$	4,985

6. Lease

In August 2017, the Company entered into a lease agreement to lease 24,357 square feet of combination laboratory and office space in South San Francisco, California. This lease expires in February 2025.

Information related to the Company’s ROU asset and related lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):


	Three months ended September 30, 2022		Nine months ended September 30, 2022
Cash paid for operating lease liabilities	$	305	$	886
Operating lease costs		275		825
Variable lease costs		190		491

Maturities of lease liabilities as of September 30, 2022 were as follows:
Less than 12 months			$	1,624
13 - 24 months				1,672
25 - 36 months				705
Total undiscounted lease payments				4,001
Less: imputed interest				(465	)
Total lease liabilities			$	3,536

Operating lease liabilities, current			$	1,329
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent				2,207
Total operating lease liabilities			$	3,536

7. Debt

In November 2021, the Company entered into a loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) with Oxford Finance, LLC (“Oxford Finance”), which provides the Company up to $50.0 million in borrowing capacity across four potential tranches (each a “Term Loan,” and collectively “Term Loans”). The initial tranche of $10.0 million was funded at the closing of the Loan Agreement, and an additional $10.0 million will be available at the Company’s election from July 1, 2022 to December 30, 2022. Subsequent tranches of $20.0 million each may become available upon achieving milestones related to the Company’s MISSION Phase 2 clinical trial and KZR-261 Phase 1 clinical trial, up to the aggregate maximum amount of $50.0 million. The loan facility is secured by all assets except intellectual property, which has a negative pledge, and will mature on November 1, 2026. There are no warrants or financial covenants associated with the Loan Agreement.

The Term Loans bear interest at a floating per annum rate (based on the actual number of days elapsed divided by a year of 360 days) equal to the sum of (a) the greater of (i) 30-day U.S. LIBOR rate reported in the Wall Street Journal on the last business day of the month that immediately precedes the month in which the interest will accrue and (ii) 0.08%, plus (b) 7.87%. The Company is required to make monthly interest-only payments prior to the amortization date of January 1, 2025, subject to a potential one-year extension upon satisfaction of certain conditions.

All unpaid principal and accrued and unpaid interest with respect to each Term Loan is due and payable in full on November 1, 2026 (the “Maturity Date”). The Company has the option to prepay the outstanding balance prior to maturity, subject to a prepayment fee of 1.0% to 2.0% depending upon when the prepayment occurs. Upon repayment of the Term Loans, the Company is required to make a final payment fee to the lenders equal to 6.5% of the original principal amount of the Term Loans funded which will be accrued by charges to interest expense over the term of the loans using the effective interest method.

The Loan Agreement also includes subjective acceleration clauses which permit the lenders to accelerate the Maturity Date under certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, material adverse effects on a Company’s financial status or otherwise. As of September 30, 2022, the Company is in compliance with all covenants in the Loan Agreement.

Interest expense was $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively. The initial effective interest rate on the Term Loans, including the amortization of the debt discount and issuance costs, and accretion of the final payment, was 11%. The components of the long-term debt balance are as follows:


	September 30, 2022			December 31, 2021
Principal loan balance	$	10,000		$	10,000
Unamortized debt discount and issuance costs		(364	)		(431	)
Cumulative accretion of final fee		144			53
Long-term debt, net	$	9,780		$	9,622

As of September 30, 2022, the estimated future principal payments due were as follows:


Years Ending December 31,
2022	$	—
2023		—
2024		—
2025		5,217
2026		4,783
Total	$	10,000

8. Pre-Funded Warrants

In connection with the Company’s previous underwritten public offerings, the Company has issued and outstanding pre-funded warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3,793,706 shares of the Company’s common stock. Each pre-funded warrant entitles the holder to purchase shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.001 per share and expires 20 years from the date of issuance. These warrants were recorded as a component of stockholders’ equity within additional paid-in capital. Per the terms of the warrant agreement, a holder of the outstanding warrant is not entitled to exercise any portion of the pre-funded warrant if, upon exercise of such portion of the warrant, the holder’s ownership of our common stock (together with its affiliates) or the combined voting power of our securities beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) would exceed 4.99% after giving effect to the exercise (“Maximum Ownership Percentage”). Upon at least 61 days’ prior notice to us by the warrant holder, any warrant holder may increase

or decrease the Maximum Ownership Percentage to any other percentage not to exceed 19.99%. As of September 30, 2022, no shares underlying the pre-funded warrants have been exercised.

The following table represents a summary of the pre-funded warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2022:

Issue Date

Classification

Exercise Price

Expiration Date

Number of shares underlying

February 4, 2020

Equity

0.001

February 4, 2040

2,884,615

June 11, 2020

Equity

0.001

June 11, 2040

909,091

Total Outstanding

3,793,706

9. Stock-Based Compensation

Stock Incentive Plans

2022 Inducement Plan

In April 2022, the Company adopted the Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. 2022 Inducement Plan (the “Inducement Plan”), which is a non-stockholder approved stock plan adopted pursuant to the “inducement exception” provided under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), for the award of nonstatutory stock options (“NSOs”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and other equity awards as permitted by the Inducement Plan (collectively, “Inducement Awards”) to persons not previously an employee or director of the Company, or following a bona fide period of non-employment, as an inducement material to such persons entering into employment with the Company (“Eligible Recipients”). Under the Inducement Plan, the Company may grant up to 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock in the form of Inducement Awards to Eligible Recipients in compliance with the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). Awards must be approved by either a majority of the Company’s independent directors or the Company’s independent compensation committee. Consultants and directors are not eligible to received grants under the Inducement Plan.

As of September 30, 2022, options to purchase 443,500 shares of common stock were outstanding, and 2,556,500 shares were available for future issuance under the Inducement Plan.

2018 Equity Incentive Plan

In June 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted and its stockholders approved the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), which became effective as of June 20, 2018, at which point no further grants could be made under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) described below. Under the 2018 Plan, the Company may grant incentive stock options (“ISOs”), NSOs, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, RSUs and other stock-based awards. As of September 30, 2022, options to purchase 7,554,352 shares of common stock and 438,415 RSUs were outstanding, and 764,272 shares were available for future issuance under the 2018 Plan.

Initially, subject to adjustment as provided in the 2018 Plan, the aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock authorized for issuance pursuant to stock awards under the 2018 Plan was 4,000,000 shares, which is the sum of (i) 1,600,692 shares plus (ii) the number of shares reserved and available for issuance under the 2015 Plan at the time the 2018 Plan became effective and (iii) the number of shares subject to stock options or other stock awards granted under the 2015 Plan that expire, terminate are forfeited or otherwise not issued, or are withheld to satisfy a tax withholding obligation in connection with an award or to satisfy a purchase or exercise price of an award (such as upon the expiration or termination of a stock award prior to vesting). The number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan automatically increases on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2019 and continuing through and including January 1, 2028, by 5% of the total number of shares of capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year, or a lesser number of shares determined by the Company’s board of directors prior to such increase. The maximum number of shares that may be issued upon the exercise of ISOs under the 2018 Plan is 12,500,000 shares.

2015 Equity Incentive Plan

The Company’s 2015 Plan provided for the granting of ISOs and NSOs to employees, directors and consultants at the discretion of its board of directors. The 2015 Plan was terminated as to future awards in June 2018, although it continues to govern the terms of options that remain outstanding under the 2015 Plan.

No additional stock awards will be granted under the 2015 Plan, and all outstanding stock awards granted under the 2015 Plan that are repurchased, forfeited, expire or are cancelled will become available for grant under the 2018 Plan in accordance with its terms.

Options granted under the 2015 Plan expire no later than 10 years from the date of grant. Options granted under the 2015 Plan vest over periods determined by the Company’s board of directors, generally over four years. The 2015 Plan allows for early exercise of certain options prior to vesting. Upon termination of employment, the unvested shares are subject to repurchase at the original exercise price. As of September 30, 2022, options to purchase 1,555,102 shares of common stock were outstanding under the 2015 Plan.

2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In June 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted and its stockholders approved the 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), which became effective as of June 20, 2018. The ESPP is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The number of shares of common stock initially reserved for issuance under the ESPP was 200,000 shares. The ESPP provides for an annual increase on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2019 and continuing through and including January 1, 2028, equal to the lesser of (i) 1% of the shares of common stock outstanding on the last day of the prior fiscal year or (ii) 375,000 shares, or a lesser number of shares determined by the Company’s board of directors prior to such increase. As of September 30, 2022, 291,067 shares of common stock had been issued under the ESPP and 1,042,157 shares remained available for future issuance under the ESPP. The price per share of common stock to be paid by an ESPP participant on the applicable purchase date of an offering period shall be equal to 85% of the lesser of the fair market value of a share of common stock on (i) the applicable offering date or (ii) the applicable purchase date. The Company’s board of directors authorized an initial six-month offering period beginning on November 16, 2018 and ending on May 15, 2019. The Company’s board of directors has subsequently authorized additional six-month offering periods, with the most recent offering period beginning on May 16, 2022.

Stock Option Activity

The following table summarizes activity under the Company’s stock option plans and related information (in thousands, except share and per share amounts):


	Number of Options Outstanding			Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021		6,945,184		$	5.95		7.9	$	77,363
Options granted		2,855,735		$	13.11
Options exercised		(155,834	)	$	3.82			$	1,309
Options cancelled/forfeited		(92,131	)	$	6.99
Outstanding as of September 30, 2022		9,552,954		$	8.12		7.8	$	25,319
Vested and exercisable as of September 30, 2022		4,642,749		$	6.60		6.8	$	17,236

The weighted average grant date fair value of options granted during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $6.99 and $9.52 per share, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic values of exercised stock options during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 were $0.1 million and $1.3 million, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price and the estimated fair value of the Company’s common stock at the date of exercise.

Restricted Stock Units Granted to Employees

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the Company granted RSUs to certain employees pursuant to the 2018 Plan. One-third of each RSU grant will vest annually following the vesting commencement dates, over a vesting period of 3 years. RSUs are awards that entitle the holder to receive freely tradable shares of the Company's common stock upon vesting and are not forfeitable once fully vested. The valuations for these RSUs were based on the closing prices of the Company's common stock on the grant dates and recognized as stock-based compensation expenses over the respective vesting terms.


	Number of RSUs Outstanding			Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Price
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021		—			—
RSUs granted		439,615		$	9.81
RSUs vested		—		$	—
RSUs forfeited		(1,200	)	$	14.55
Outstanding as of September 30, 2022		438,415		$	9.79

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Total stock-based compensation expense recognized by function was as follows (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022		2021		2022		2021
Research and development	$	1,836	$	689	$	4,754	$	2,279
General and administrative		1,951		1,189		5,435		3,464
Total stock-based compensation expense	$	3,787	$	1,878	$	10,189	$	5,743

As of September 30, 2022, the unrecognized stock-based compensation cost related to outstanding unvested stock options and RSUs that are expected to vest was $35.9 million with an estimated weighted average amortization period of 2.6 years.

The fair value of the stock options granted is calculated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following range of assumptions:


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022		2021		2022		2021
Expected term (years)	6.0		5.9		5.3 - 6.0		5.5 - 6.1
Expected volatility	88.1 - 88.5	%	86.2 - 86.5	%	84.3 - 88.5	%	86.2 - 88.1	%
Risk-free interest rate	3.0 - 3.7	%	0.9	%	1.6 - 3.7	%	0.5 - 1.1	%
Expected dividend yield	—		—		—		—

The expected term of options granted represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding and was determined by calculating the midpoint between the date of vesting and the contractual life of each option. The expected term of the ESPP rights is equal to the six-month look-back period. Volatility is based on the average of the historical volatility of the Company's stock price and that of a peer group of public companies over the expected term. The peer group was selected on the basis of operational and economic similarity with the Company’s principal business operations. The risk-free interest rate for the expected term of the options is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve with a maturity equal to the expected term in effect at the time of grant. The Company has not paid, and does not anticipate paying, cash dividends on its shares of common stock; therefore, the expected dividend yield is zero.

10. Income Taxes

No provision for income taxes was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Deferred tax assets generated from the Company’s net operating losses have been fully reserved, as the Company believes it is not more likely than not that the benefit will be realized.

Effective January 1, 2022, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for tax purposes the Company is required to capitalize and subsequently amortize all R&D expenditures over five years for research activities conducted in the U.S. and over fifteen years for research activities conducted outside of the U.S. Given the significant loss and credit carryforwards in the U.S., the Company does not anticipate having a change in valuation allowance assertion.

In December 2015, the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (the “PATH Act”) was signed into law, which created several new research and development (“R&D”) tax credit provisions, including allowing qualified small businesses to utilize the R&D credit against the employer’s portion of payroll tax up to a maximum of $250,000 per year. The Company qualified as a small business under the PATH Act for 2016 through 2020. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, the Company utilized $79,000 and $262,000 of R&D tax credits as a reduction of payroll expenses to offset its payroll tax liabilities, respectively. All R&D tax credits have been fully utilized as of September 30, 2022.

11. Net Loss Per Share

Net Loss Per Share

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per share during the periods presented (in thousands, except share and per share data):


	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022			2021			2022			2021
Numerator:
Net loss	$	(17,847	)	$	(14,462	)	$	(50,058	)	$	(40,418	)
Denominator:
Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding		72,153,952			52,048,563			65,730,202			51,674,063
Net loss per share, basic and diluted	$	(0.25	)	$	(0.28	)	$	(0.76	)	$	(0.78	)

Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants outstanding during the period, without consideration of common share equivalents. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock, pre-funded warrants and common share equivalents outstanding for the period. The pre-funded warrants are included in the computation of basic and diluted net loss per common share as the exercise price is negligible and the pre-funded warrants are fully vested and exercisable. Common share equivalents are only included in the calculation of diluted net loss per common share when their effect is dilutive.

Potential dilutive securities, which include, vested and unvested options to purchase common stock and unvested common stock outstanding that were exercised early have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as the effect is antidilutive. Therefore, the denominator used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per common share is the same in all periods presented.

The following outstanding shares of common stock equivalents were excluded from the computation of the diluted net loss per share for the periods presented because their effect would have been anti-dilutive:


	Three and Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022		2021
Stock options to purchase common stock		9,552,954		6,888,246
Restricted stock units subject to future vesting		438,415		—
Total		9,991,369		6,888,246

12. Subsequent Event

On November 1, 2022, the Company entered into an amendment to the lease agreement for its corporate headquarters in South San Francisco, California, which expands the leased premises to include Suite 400 in the same building as its corporate headquarters, consisting of an additional 24,357 rentable square feet. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this amendment on its financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2022.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

You should read the following management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2021 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on March 17, 2022, or the Annual Report.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biotechnology company, discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in immune-mediated and oncologic disorders. We believe therapies that inhibit multiple drivers of disease by targeting fundamental upstream control processes within the cell have the potential for profound therapeutic benefit in a number of difficult-to-treat diseases. To that end, we are advancing two drug development programs that harness different master regulators of cellular function: the first targets the immunoproteasome which is responsible for protein degradation in cells of the immune system and drives many key aspects of immune cell function, and the second targets the Sec61 translocon, which is located on the endoplasmic reticulum and represents the beginning of the protein secretion pathway. Targeting these fundamental regulators of cellular function offers an attractive approach to treating many diseases.

Our lead product candidate, zetomipzomib (KZR-616), is a first-in-class, selective immunoproteasome inhibitor that has completed Phase 1a testing in healthy volunteers and a Phase 1b trial in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. In June 2022, we reported positive topline results from the Phase 2 portion of our MISSION clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib in patients with lupus nephritis, or LN, and in November 2022, we presented the full data set from the completed MISSION trial, including the safety follow-up period.

We believe that the immunoproteasome is a validated target for the treatment of a wide variety of immune-mediated diseases given its ability to regulate multiple drivers of the inflammatory disease process. Many inflammatory disorders are currently treated one cytokine or cell type at a time, but the immunoproteasome affects a broad spectrum of immune regulators. We have seen encouraging clinical activity and biomarker data in patients with SLE and LN who received zetomipzomib in the MISSION trial to date. The safety and tolerability profiles of zetomipzomib has been favorable and consistent with the needs for a long-term therapy.

Our oncology product candidate, KZR-261, is being studied in an open-label Phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, as well to explore preliminary anti-tumor activity. This study will be conducted in two parts: dose escalation in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid malignancies, and dose expansion in patients with selected tumor types. KZR-261 is the first clinical candidate from our novel research platform targeting the Sec61 translocon and the protein secretion pathway for the discovery and development of small molecule therapeutics for oncology and autoimmune indications. KZR-261 has demonstrated broad anti-tumor activity in preclinical models of both solid and hematologic malignancies by targeting multiple pathways driving tumor growth and survival. We believe this discovery platform has the potential to yield additional small molecule product candidates with the ability to inhibit multiple pathways as a single agent, as well as compounds designed to selectively inhibit a single secreted or transmembrane protein of interest. If successfully developed and approved, these small molecules could serve as alternatives to currently marketed biologic therapeutics to act as cytotoxic anti-cancer agents or to block the secretion of novel targets of interest in immuno-oncology or inflammation.

Since the commencement of our operations, we have devoted substantially all of our resources to performing research and development activities in support of our product development efforts, hiring personnel, raising capital to support and expand such activities and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We do not have any products approved for sale and have not generated any revenue from product sales. We have funded our operations to date primarily from the issuance and sale of convertible preferred stock, public offerings of common stock and pre-funded warrants to purchase common stock and debt. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our current or future product candidates and programs. We have incurred significant operating losses since our inception. Our net losses were $54.6 million and $50.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively, and we expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. As of September 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $230.7 million. We anticipate that a substantial portion of our capital resources and efforts in the foreseeable future will be focused on discovering new potential therapeutics, completing the necessary development, obtaining regulatory approval and preparing for potential commercialization of our product candidates.

We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years. Our net losses may fluctuate significantly from period to period, depending on the timing of our planned clinical trials and expenditures on other research and development activities. We expect our expenses will increase substantially over time as we:

•

continue the ongoing and planned development of zetomipzomib and KZR-261;

•

seek to discover and develop additional product candidates, including preclinical studies and clinical trials for such product candidates;

•

maintain, protect and expand our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents and trade secrets;

•

seek marketing approvals for zetomipzomib and KZR-261, as well as any future product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

•

establish a sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidate for which we may obtain marketing approval;

•

continue to build a portfolio of product candidates through the acquisition or in-license of drugs, product candidates or technologies;

•

implement operational, financial, management and compliance systems; and

•

attract, hire and retain additional administrative, clinical, regulatory and scientific personnel.

Recent Developments

MISSION Phase 2 Trial

In November 2022, we presented the complete data set for the MISSION Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib in active LN at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2022 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

PORTOLA Phase 2 Trial

In October 2022, we announced that the FDA provided clearance of our Investigational New Drug, or IND, application to evaluate zetomipzomib for the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis, or AIH. AIH is a rare, chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the liver and causes inflammation and tissue damage, severely impacting patients’ physical health and quality of life. Lifelong maintenance therapy is required to avoid relapse and burdensome adverse effects. If left untreated, AIH can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. Standard of care treatment for AIH is immunosuppressive treatment with chronic corticosteroids that can lead to additional morbidity and mortality. There is a significant need for treatment regimens that reduce or remove the need for chronic immunosuppression using corticosteroids.

The PORTOLA trial (KZR-616-208) is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of zetomipzomib in patients with AIH who are insufficiently responding to standard of care or have relapsed. The target enrollment will be 24 patients, who will be randomly assigned (2:1) to receive either zetomipzomib or placebo in additional to background corticosteroid therapy for 24 weeks and includes a protocol-mandated steroid taper by Week 14. The primary efficacy endpoint will measure the proportion of patients who achieve a complete response measured as normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels with a successful corticosteroid taper.

PRESIDIO Open-Label Extension

The open-label extension portion of our PRESIDIO Phase 2 clinical trial remains ongoing and a majority of eligible patients remain enrolled, including one patient who has received 96 weeks of zetomipzomib administration, the end of treatment under the extension study. We continue to collect safety data from the open-label extension, which we expect to be completed in the first half of 2023.

Our Pipeline

The following table sets forth the status and initial focus of our product candidates and protein secretion program:

Financial Operations Overview

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for the development of our product candidates, which include:

•

employee-related expenses, which include salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation;

•

fees paid to consultants for services directly related to our product development and regulatory effort;

•

expenses incurred under agreements with third-party contract organizations, investigative clinical trial sites and consultants that conduct research and development activities on our behalf;

•

costs associated with preclinical studies and clinical trials;

•

costs associated with technology and intellectual property licenses;

•

the costs related to production of clinical supplies; and

•

facilities and other allocated expenses, which include expenses for rent and facility related costs and supplies.

We expense all research and development costs in the periods in which they are incurred. Costs for certain development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information and data provided to us by our vendors, collaborators and third-party service providers.

We are eligible under the AusIndustry Research and Tax Development Tax Incentive Program to obtain a cash amount from the Australian Taxation Office. The tax incentive is available to us on the basis of specific criteria with which we must comply related to research and development expenditures in Australia. These research and development tax incentives are recognized as contra research and development expense when the right to receive the tax incentive has been attained and funds are considered to be collectible. The amounts are determined based on a cost-reimbursement basis, and the incentive is related to our research and development expenditures and is due to us regardless of whether any Australian tax is owed. Amounts related to the AusIndustry Research and Development Tax Incentive Program are recognized when there is reasonable assurance that the incentive will be received, the relevant expenditure has been incurred by our Australian subsidiary, Kezar Life Sciences Australia Pty Ltd, a proprietary company limited by shares, and the amount of the consideration can be reliably measured.

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses incurred during the respective periods (in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022		2021		2022		2021
	(unaudited)				(unaudited)
Research and development expenses by program:
Zetomipzomib	$	8.2	$	6.8	$	20.9	$	18.7
KZR-261		3.1		2.1		8.1		5.8
Protein Secretion		2.6		1.6		7.2		4.7
Total research and development expenses	$	13.9	$	10.5	$	36.2	$	29.2

We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as our product candidates advance into later stages of development. The process of conducting the necessary clinical research to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming, and the successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. As a result, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, allocated facilities costs and expenses for outside professional services, including legal, human resource, information technology and audit services. Personnel costs consist of salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation. We will incur additional expenses as we increase the size of our administrative function to support the growth of our business.

Interest Income

Our interest income consists of interest income earned on our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

Interest Expense

Our interest expense consists of interest expense related to our debt facility. A portion of the interest expense is non-cash expense relating to the accretion of the final payment fees and amortization of debt discount and debt issuance costs associated with a loan agreement with Oxford Finance, LLC (“Oxford Finance”) which provides us up to $50.0 million in borrowing capacity across four potential tranches (the “Loan Agreement”).

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021


	Three Months Ended September 30,
(dollars in millions)	2022			2021			$ Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development	$	13.9		$	10.5		$	3.4
General and administrative		5.0			4.0			1.0
Total operating expenses		18.9			14.5			4.4
Loss from operations		(18.9	)		(14.5	)		(4.4	)
Interest income		1.4			—			1.4
Interest expense		(0.3	)		—			(0.3	)
Net loss	$	(17.8	)	$	(14.5	)	$	(3.3	)

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $3.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $1.5 million in personnel and recruiting expenses due to an increase in headcount to support the progression of our programs and drug discovery, an increase of $1.1 million in stock-based compensation, an increase of $0.8 million in research and preclinical activities, an increase of $0.3 million in consulting expenses and an increase of $0.2 million in facility-related expense, offset by a decrease of $0.5 million in manufacturing expenses related to the timing of drug manufacturing runs for zetomipzomib.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $1.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $0.7 million in stock-based compensation and an increase of $0.3 million in personnel and recruiting expenses due to an increase in headcount.

Interest Income

Interest income increased by $1.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was due to higher cash equivalent and marketable securities balances and an increase in interest rates.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased by $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. The interest expense was composed of the contractual coupon interest expense, the amortization of the debt discount and issuance costs and the accretion of the final payment fee associated with the Loan Agreement entered into in November 2021.

Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 and 2021


	Nine Months Ended September 30,
(dollars in millions)	2022			2021			$ Change
Operating expenses:
Research and development	$	36.2		$	29.2		$	7.0
General and administrative		15.0			11.4			3.6
Total operating expenses		51.2			40.6			10.6
Loss from operations		(51.2	)		(40.6	)		(10.6	)
Interest income		1.9			0.2			1.7
Interest expense		(0.8	)		—			(0.8	)
Net loss	$	(50.1	)	$	(40.4	)	$	(9.7	)

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses increased by $7.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $3.8 million in personnel and recruiting expenses due to an increase in headcount to support the progression of our programs and drug discovery, an increase of $2.5 million in stock-based compensation, an increase of $1.1 million in research expenses related to protein secretion, an increase of $1.0 million in consulting expenses, an increase of $0.6 million in facility-related expense due to the higher allocation from the increase in headcount and an increase of $0.2 million in clinical trial expenses for zetomipzomib and KZR-261, offset by a decrease of $2.2 million in manufacturing expenses due to the preparation of clinical supplies for multiple registrational studies completed in 2021 for zetomipzomib and KZR-261.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $3.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $2.0 million in stock-based compensation, an increase of $1.0 million in personnel and recruiting expenses due to an increase in headcount and salaries and an increase of $0.6 million in legal and other professional services.

Interest Income

Interest income increased by $1.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The increase was due to higher cash equivalent and marketable securities balances and an increase in interest rates.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased by $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The interest expense was composed of the contractual coupon interest expense, the amortization of the debt discount and issuance costs and the accretion of the final payment fee associated with the Loan Agreement entered into in November 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

As of September 30, 2022, we had $290.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. As of September 30, 2022, our cash equivalents and marketable securities had an average maturity of approximately four months and the longest maturity was ten months.

We have incurred operating losses and experienced negative operating cash flows since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for at least the foreseeable future. Our net loss was $50.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, and we had an accumulated deficit of $230.7 million as of September 30, 2022.

We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2022 will be sufficient to meet our projected operating requirements through at least the next 12 months from the date these financial statements are issued. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.

At-the-Market Offering Program

In December 2021, we entered into a Sales Agreement, or the ATM Agreement, with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, pursuant to which we can offer and sell, from time to time at our sole discretion, through Cowen, as our sales agent, shares of common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $200.0 million. Any shares of common stock sold will be issued pursuant to our automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR (File No. 333-261774). We will pay Cowen a commission equal to 3.0% of the gross sales proceeds of any shares of common stock sold through Cowen under the ATM Agreement and also have provided Cowen with indemnification and contribution rights. No shares were sold under the ATM Agreement during the three months ended September 30, 2022. During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we sold an aggregate of 11,911,699 shares of our common stock for net proceeds of approximately $126.5 million at a weighted average purchase price of $10.95 per share pursuant to the ATM Agreement.

Debt Facility

In November 2021, we entered into the Loan Agreement with Oxford Finance, which provides up to $50.0 million in borrowing capacity across four potential tranches (each a “Term Loan,” and collectively “Term Loans”). The initial tranche of $10.0 million was funded at the closing of the Loan Agreement, and an additional $10.0 million will be available at our election from July 1, 2022 to December 30, 2022. Subsequent tranches of up to $20.0 million each may become available upon achieving milestones related to our MISSION Phase 2 clinical trial and our KZR-261 Phase 1 clinical trial, up to the aggregate maximum amount of $50.0 million. The Loan Agreement bears interest at a floating per annum rate (based on the actual number of days elapsed divided by a year of 360 days) equal to the sum of (a) the greater of (i) the 30-day U.S. LIBOR rate reported in The Wall Street Journal on the last business day of the month that immediately precedes the month in which the interest will accrue and (ii) 0.08%, plus (b) 7.87%. We are required to make monthly interest-only payments prior to the amortization date of January 1, 2025, subject to a potential one-year extension upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The loan facility is secured by all assets except intellectual property, which is subject to a negative pledge, and will mature on November 1, 2026. There are no warrants or financial covenants associated with the Loan Agreement.

Funding Requirements

We believe that our available cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments are sufficient to fund existing and planned cash requirements for the next 12 months. Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, primarily research and development expenditures. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued expenses and prepaid expenses.

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including the following:

•

the progress, timing, scope, results and costs of our clinical trials and preclinical studies for our product candidates, including the ability to enroll patients in a timely manner for our clinical trials;

•

the costs of obtaining clinical and commercial supplies for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any other product candidates we may identify and develop;

•

the cost, timing and outcomes of regulatory approvals;

•

the extent to which we may acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies;

•

the cost of attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel;

•

our ability to successfully commercialize any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval; and

•

the cost of preparing, filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights.

Further, our operating plan may change, and we may need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements for clinical trials and other research and development expenditures. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated clinical studies.

Our material cash requirements as of September 30, 2022 primarily relate to the maturities of principal obligations under our Term Loan and operating leases for office space and equipment. As of September 30, 2022, we have $1.6 million payable within 12 months. Refer to Notes 6 and 7 to our condensed consolidated financial statements for additional information.

We have no material non-cancellable purchase commitments with service providers, as we have generally contracted on a cancellable, purchase order basis. Our material cash requirements do not include any potential contingent payments upon the achievement by us of clinical, regulatory and commercial events, as applicable, or royalty payments that we may be required to make under license agreements we have entered into or may enter into with various entities pursuant to which we have in-licensed certain intellectual property, including our Onyx License Agreement. Under the Onyx License Agreement, we are obligated to pay Onyx milestone payments of up to $172.5 million in the aggregate upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones. We excluded the contingent payments given that the timing and amount (if any) of any such payments cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

We will require additional financing to fund working capital and pay our obligations. We may pursue financing opportunities through the issuance of debt or equity. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in acquiring additional funding at levels sufficient to fund our operations or on terms favorable to us or at all. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukraine war and deteriorating global economic conditions, including higher inflation rates and changes in interest rates, have already resulted in significant disruption of global financial markets. If further disruption occurs, we could experience an inability to access additional capital, which could in the future negatively affect our operations. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of or suspend one or more of our preclinical studies, clinical trials, research and development programs or commercialization efforts. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and other licensing arrangements. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends.

Cash Flows

The following summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:


	Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2022			2021
(dollars in millions)	(unaudited)
Net cash used in operating activities	$	(43.0	)	$	(31.4	)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	$	(82.7	)	$	54.0
Net cash provided by financing activities	$	127.4		$	13.2

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

During the nine months ended September 30, 2022, cash used in operating activities was $43.0 million, which consisted of a net loss of $50.1 million and a net change of $4.5 million in our net operating assets and liabilities, adjusted by non-cash charges of $11.6 million. The non-cash charges consisted of $10.2 million for stock-based compensation expense, $1.3 million for depreciation and amortization and $0.1 million of non-cash interest expense. The change in our net operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase of $5.2 million in prepaid and other current assets, an increase of $1.6 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities and a decrease of $0.9 million in operating lease liabilities.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $31.4 million, which consisted of a net loss of $40.4 million and a net change of $0.7 million in our net operating assets and liabilities, adjusted by non-cash charges of $8.3 million. The non-cash charges consisted of $5.7 million for stock-based compensation expense, $1.5 million of amortization of premium and discounts on marketable securities and $1.1 million for depreciation and amortization. The change in our net operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase of $1.2 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, a decrease of $0.8 million in operating lease liabilities and a decrease of $0.4 million in prepaid and other current assets.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $82.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, primarily relating to the purchases of marketable securities exceeding maturities of such marketable securities. Payments for the purchases of property and equipment were $1.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Net cash provided by investing activities was $54.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily relating to the maturities of marketable securities exceeding purchases of such marketable securities. Payments for the purchases of property and equipment were $50,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2021.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $127.4 million, primarily relating to the net proceeds received from sales of common stock under the ATM Agreement and $0.8 million from the issuance of common stock pursuant to our employee equity plans.

Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was $13.2 million, primarily relating to the net proceeds received from sales of common stock under the ATM Agreement and $1.5 million from the issuance of common stock pursuant to our employee equity plans.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

There have been no material changes to our critical accounting estimates from those described under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report.

Environmental, Social and Governance

We are committed to policies and practices focused on environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, positively impacting our social community and maintaining and cultivating good corporate governance. By focusing on such ESG policies and practices, we believe we can affect a meaningful and positive change in our community and maintain an open, collaborative and positive corporate culture. We are developing zetomipzomib as a potential therapeutic for autoimmune disorders that disproportionately impact underserved communities and in indications where there is a high unmet medical need.

We are committed to aligning our practices with the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals Industry standards in order to identify, manage and communicate sustainability information that is financially material and likely to impact the Company’s ability to create value over the long term.

Safety of Clinical Trial Participants

Clinical trials play a necessary role in the development of new pharmaceutical products. We take numerous steps to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our clinical trial participants.

We are committed to conducting clinical trials according to current Good Clinical Practices (cGCP) and high ethical standards. We apply those standards to trials that we sponsor and conduct directly as well as those conducted on our behalf by clinical research organizations. We conduct trials in accordance with all applicable laws and the standards of International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH) Guidelines.

We require that a detailed patient informed consent process be implemented in all trials to ensure that participants understand the risks and benefits of the procedures, how personal medical data is collected and used, and that participation in the trial is voluntary, among other information. We retain documentation that all participants in our trials have provided informed consent.

We monitor clinical trials through audits and inspections conducted by us and by third parties. These inspections are meant to verify adherence with our policies, cGCP and applicable laws.

Our focus on safety of clinical trial participants is critical to obtaining regulatory approval and continued product development success. We will continue to hold ourselves to high standards in our oversight and management of clinical trials.

Employee Recruitment, Development and Retention

We seek to recruit, incentivize, integrate and retain our existing and new employees, advisors and consultants. All full-time employees receive stock-based and cash compensation awards through the compensation cycle. Stock-based compensation includes stock options and restricted stock units, or RSUs. The principal purposes of our equity and cash incentive plans are to attract, retain and reward personnel as they strive to increase stockholder value and contribute to the success of our company by motivating such individuals to perform to the best of their abilities and achieve our objectives. We also offer a comprehensive and competitive benefit package to all full-time employees that includes medical, dental and vision benefits, life and disability insurance, paid parental and caregiver leave, a 401(k) with matching contributions and an employee stock purchase plan.

We believe that career development begins with good conversations between employees and their managers that ensure regular feedback, and we have implemented tools and annual processes that allow all employees in conjunction with their managers to explore career growth and development. We encourage our employees to develop both breadth and depth of experience, to build transferable skills, broaden perspective and to build technical skills.

In May 2022, Kezar was recognized by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a 2022 Best Places to Work in the Bay Area for the second year in a row. This award is based on an anonymous survey concerning engagement, leadership, company values and other topics. We believe this recognition reflects our dedication to employee culture and growth.

Employee Health and Safety

We believe that the success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our employees. Accordingly, we are committed to their health, safety and wellness. We provide employees and their families with access to a variety of health and wellness programs.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

To ensure our ongoing success, we are committed to promoting and maintaining an inclusive, high-performing culture where all team members embrace and leverage each other's talents and backgrounds. Our commitment to diversity is articulated in our values and reflected in every part of the organization, including an employee-led Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. The Council is, among other activities, overseeing a training curriculum with ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion education provided to all employees and management. We are proud to actively support mentoring programs and internships for students in underserved communities as well as those interested in pursuing degrees in science and technology.

Environment

Kezar is committed to environmentally responsible operations, which includes using natural resources wisely and considering our overall impact on the environment. We conduct our operations in a single office and laboratory space to minimize waste and use of energy and water. We take steps to reduce waste streams and ensure proper treatment of both hazardous and non-hazardous materials.

Corporate Governance and Business Ethics

We are committed to conducting our business ethically and helping ensure that we comply with all laws and regulations that govern our business and industry. All employees receive training on our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Status as an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

In addition, we intend to rely on the other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, as an “emerging growth company,” we are not required to, among other things, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply until December 31, 2023 or until we no longer meet the requirements of being an emerging growth company, whichever is earlier.

We are also a smaller reporting company as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as (i) our voting and non-voting common stock held by nonaffiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

The primary objectives of our investment activities are to ensure liquidity and to preserve capital. The market risk inherent in our financial instruments and in our financial position reflects the potential losses arising from adverse changes in interest rates and concentration of credit risk. We had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $290.4 million as of September 30, 2022, which consisted of bank deposits, highly liquid U.S. Treasury money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, commercial paper and U.S. agency bonds. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates. As of September 30, 2022, our cash equivalents and marketable securities had an average maturity of approximately four months and the longest maturity was ten months. Due to the short-term duration and the lower risk profile of our cash equivalents and marketable securities, an immediate 100 basis point change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our cash equivalents and marketable securities. We have the ability to hold our cash equivalents and marketable securities until maturity, and we therefore do not expect a change in market interest rates to affect our operating results or cash flows to any significant degree.

Approximately $0.7 million of our cash balance was located in Australia as of September 30, 2022. Our expenses, except those related to our Australian operations, are generally denominated in U.S. dollars. For our operations in Australia, the majority of the expenses are denominated in Australian dollars. To date, we have not had a formal hedging program with respect to foreign currency. A 10% increase or decrease in current exchange rates would not have a material effect on our consolidated financial results.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal

financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2022. Based upon the evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings, and we are not aware of any pending or threatened legal proceeding against us that we believe could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

An investment in shares of our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following information about these risks, together with the other information appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our financial statements and related notes hereto, before deciding to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects or cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements we have made in this report and those we may make from time to time. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed below will not occur. Such risks may be amplified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impact on our business and the global economy.

Summary of Selected Risks Associated with our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those discussed at length in the section titled “Risk Factors.” These risks include, among others, the following:

•

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

•

We have a limited operating history and have never generated revenue from product sales, which may make it difficult to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability.

•

We will require substantial additional capital to finance our operations, which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed may force us to delay, reduce or terminate certain of our product development programs or other operations.

•

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

•

Our future success is substantially dependent on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of zetomipzomib and KZR-261, as well as any future product candidates.

•

We may explore strategic collaborations, which would require us to relinquish important rights to and control over the development and commercialization of our product candidates to any future collaborators.

•

Success in preclinical studies or earlier clinical trials may not be indicative of future clinical trial results, and we cannot assure you that any clinical trials will lead to results sufficient for the necessary regulatory approvals.

•

Clinical trials are very expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement.

•

Enrollment and retention of patients in clinical trials is an expensive and time-consuming process and could be delayed, made more difficult or rendered impossible by multiple factors outside our control.

•

We may encounter substantial delays or difficulties in enrolling and retaining patients in our clinical trials.

•

The manufacture of our product candidates is complex and uncertain, and until we develop a validated manufacturing process, we may encounter difficulties in supplying our planned and future clinical trials. If we encounter such difficulties, or fail to meet quality standards, our ability to meet clinical timelines and expand our development strategy could be impacted.

•

Our product candidates may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences following any potential marketing approval.

•

We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designations or exclusivity for our product candidates, which could limit the potential profitability of our product candidates.

•

Even if our product candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to achieve market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors or others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.

•

We face substantial competition, which may result in others developing or commercializing drugs before or more successfully than us.

•

Our relationships with customers, physicians, and third-party payors may be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, transparency laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, and other healthcare laws and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

•

We rely on third parties to manufacture clinical supplies of our product candidates and to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical trials and preclinical studies. If those third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner, it may harm our business.

•

Licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business and involves complex legal, business and scientific issues. If we breach our exclusive license agreement with Onyx Therapeutics, Inc., we could lose the ability to continue the development and commercialization of zetomipzomib.

•

If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidate, if the scope of patent protection is not sufficiently broad, or if our patents are insufficient to protect our product candidates for an adequate amount of time, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

•

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.

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We are highly dependent on the services of our executive officers, and if we are not able to retain these members of our management team or recruit and retain additional management, clinical and scientific personnel, our business will be harmed.

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports, or publish unfavorable research or reports, about our business or our market, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

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Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and share price.

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Capital Needs

Since inception in February 2015, we have incurred significant operating losses. Our net loss was $54.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and $50.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. As of September 30, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $230.7 million. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future. Since inception, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts to research and preclinical and clinical development of our product candidates, as well as to expanding our management team and infrastructure. It could be several years, if

ever, before we have a commercialized drug. The net losses we incur may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if, and as, we:

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continue the ongoing and planned development of zetomipzomib and KZR-261 and future product candidates from our protein secretion program;

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seek to discover and develop additional product candidates, including preclinical studies and clinical trials for such product candidates;

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maintain, protect and expand our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets and know-how;

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seek marketing approvals for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;

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establish a sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidate for which we may obtain marketing approval;

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continue to build a portfolio of product candidates through the acquisition or in-license of drugs, product candidates or technologies;

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implement operational, financial, management and compliance systems; and

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attract, hire and retain additional administrative, clinical, regulatory and scientific personnel.

In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing pharmaceutical products, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses and when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. Our expenses could increase and profitability could be further delayed if we decide to or are required by regulatory authorities to perform studies or trials in addition to those currently expected or if there are any delays in the initiation, enrollment or completion of any planned or future preclinical studies or clinical trials of our current and future product candidates. Even if we complete the development and regulatory processes necessary to obtain marketing approval, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with launching and commercializing zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates.

Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to become and remain profitable would decrease the value of the Company and could impair our ability to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations.

We are a clinical-stage company founded in February 2015, and our operations to date have been largely focused on raising capital and conducting preclinical and clinical development of zetomipzomib and KZR-261, as well as research and discovery activities of future product candidates under our protein secretion program. As an organization, we have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully complete clinical development, obtain regulatory approvals, manufacture a commercial-scale product or arrange for a third party to do so on our behalf, or conduct sales and marketing activities necessary for successful commercialization of our product candidates. Consequently, any predictions about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating history.

Our ability to generate revenue from product sales and achieve profitability depends on our ability, alone or with any future collaborative partners, to successfully complete the development of and obtain the regulatory approvals necessary to commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates. We do not anticipate generating revenue from product sales for the next several years, if ever. Our ability to generate revenue from product sales depends heavily on our, or any future collaborators’, success in:

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timely and successfully completing preclinical and clinical development of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates;

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obtaining regulatory approvals for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates for which we successfully complete clinical trials;

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launching and commercializing any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval by establishing a sales force, marketing and distribution infrastructure or, alternatively, collaborating with a commercialization partner;

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qualifying for and obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement by government and third-party payors for any product candidates for which we obtain regulatory approval, both in the United States and internationally;

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developing, validating and maintaining commercially viable, sustainable, scalable, reproducible and transferable manufacturing processes for zetomipzomib, a self-administered dual-chamber system for administering zetomipzomib and any future product candidates that are compliant with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMP;

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establishing and maintaining supply and manufacturing relationships with third parties that can provide adequate amount and quality of starting materials, drug substance, drug product and drug delivery devices and services to support clinical development, as well as the market demand for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates, if approved;

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obtaining market acceptance, if and when approved, of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidate as a viable treatment option by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community;

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effectively addressing any competing technological and market developments;

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implementing additional internal systems and infrastructure, as needed;

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negotiating favorable terms in any collaboration, licensing or other arrangements into which we may enter and performing our obligations pursuant to such arrangements;

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maintaining, protecting and expanding our portfolio of intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets and know-how; and

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securing appropriate pricing in the United States and internationally.

We expect our financial condition and operating results to continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. We may need to eventually transition from a company with a research and development focus to a company capable of undertaking commercial activities. We may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays and may not be successful in such a transition.

Our operations have consumed substantial amounts of cash since our inception. We expect our expenses to increase in connection with our ongoing and planned activities, particularly as we continue to develop and potentially commercialize our product candidates, in addition to costs associated with the acquisition or in-licensing of any additional product candidates we may pursue. Our expenses could increase beyond expectations if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities require us to perform clinical and other studies in addition to those that we currently anticipate. In addition, if we obtain marketing approval for our product candidates, we expect to incur significant expenses related to sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution.

As of September 30, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $290.4 million. We also have access to $40.0 million of borrowing capacity across three potential tranches pursuant to a Loan Agreement with Oxford Finance. We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2022 and our available borrowing capacity will fund our current operating plans through at least the next 12 months from the date the financial statements were issued. However, our operating plan may change as a result of many factors currently unknown to us, including as a result of the macroeconomic uncertainties, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through public or private equity or debt financings, third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements, as well as other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements, or any combination of these approaches. If disruption from COVID-19 persists and global economic conditions worsen, including higher inflation rates and changes in interest rates, we could experience an inability to access additional capital or engage in strategic transactions on terms reasonable to us, or at all.

In any event, we will require substantial additional capital to develop a delivery system for zetomipzomib, conduct additional clinical trials, seek regulatory approval and commence commercialization of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates. Even if we believe we have sufficient capital for our current or future operating plans, we may seek additional capital if market conditions are favorable or if we have specific strategic considerations. Any additional capital raising efforts may divert our management from their day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates.

If we do not raise additional capital in sufficient amounts, or on terms acceptable to us, we may be prevented from pursuing discovery, development and commercialization efforts, which will harm our business, operating results and prospects.

Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish proprietary rights.

Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through public or private equity or debt financings, third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements, as well as other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements, or any combination of these approaches. We do not have any committed external source of funds. In December 2021, we filed an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR (Registration No. 333-261774), which includes a prospectus for an at-the-market offering program, or ATM Program, that allows us to sell up to an aggregate of $200 million of our common stock. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest may be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. In addition, we may issue equity or debt securities as consideration for obtaining rights to additional compounds.

Debt and equity financings, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as redeeming our shares, making investments, incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends or placing limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could negatively impact our ability to conduct our business. For example, our obligations under the Loan Agreement are secured by a security interest in all of our assets, other than our intellectual property which is subject to a negative pledge. In addition, the Loan Agreement contains customary covenants that, subject to specific exceptions, restrict our ability to, among other things, declare dividends or redeem or repurchase equity interests, incur additional liens, make loans and investments, incur additional indebtedness, engage in mergers, acquisitions and asset sales, transact with affiliates, undergo a change in control, add or change business locations, or engage in businesses that are not related to its existing business.

In addition, if we raise additional capital through future collaborations, strategic alliances or third-party licensing arrangements, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our intellectual property, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us.

If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, we may be required to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our drug development or future commercialization efforts, or grant rights to develop and market product candidates that we would otherwise develop and market ourselves.

The terms of the Loan Agreement with Oxford Finance place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business.

In November 2021, we entered into the Loan Agreement with Oxford Finance, providing us with up to $50.0 million of borrowing capacity across four potential tranches. The initial tranche of $10.0 million was funded at closing of the Loan Agreement. Our overall leverage and certain obligations and affirmative and negative covenants contained in the related documentation could adversely affect our financial health and business and future operations by limiting our ability to, among other things, satisfy our obligations under the Loan Agreement, refinance our debt on terms acceptable to us or at all, plan for and adjust to changing business, industry and market conditions, use our available cash flow to fund future acquisitions and make dividend payments, and obtain additional financing for working capital, to fund growth or for general corporate purposes, even when necessary to maintain adequate liquidity.

If we default under the Loan Agreement, Oxford Finance may accelerate all of our repayment obligations and exercise all of their rights and remedies under the Loan Agreement and applicable law, potentially requiring us to renegotiate our agreement on terms less favorable to us. Further, if we are liquidated, the lenders’ right to repayment would be senior to the rights of the holders of our common stock to receive any proceeds from the liquidation. Oxford Finance could declare a default upon the occurrence of an event of default, including events that they interpret as a material adverse change as defined in the Loan Agreement, payment defaults or breaches of certain affirmative and negative covenants, thereby requiring us to repay the loan immediately. Any declaration by Oxford Finance of an event of default could significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our common stock to decline. Additionally, if we raise any additional debt financing, the terms of such additional debt could further restrict our operating and financial flexibility.

We may be required to make significant payments in connection with our license agreement with Onyx Therapeutics, Inc., or Onyx, for zetomipzomib.

We acquired rights to zetomipzomib pursuant to an exclusive license agreement with Onyx, or the Onyx License Agreement. Under the Onyx License Agreement, we are subject to significant obligations, including payment obligations triggered upon achievement of specified milestones and royalties on licensed product sales. We are obligated to pay Onyx milestone payments up to an aggregate of $172.5 million upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales milestone events. In addition, we are obligated to pay Onyx tiered royalties based on net sales of zetomipzomib. If these payments become due, we may not have sufficient funds available to meet our obligations and our development efforts may be harmed.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may cause disruptions to our business and may impact our ability to access capital.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to the implementation of public health safety measures and restrictions, as well as adverse impacts on healthcare facilities and hospitals across the United States and in other countries where we conduct our clinical trials. While we are not experiencing any material financial impacts at this time, the overall disruption of global healthcare systems, delays encountered with regulatory authorities and the other risks and uncertainties associated with the pandemic could materially and adversely affect our business operations, operating results and financial condition, the magnitude of which will depend on the length and severity of the restrictions, as well as the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outcome of vaccination measures.

Public health safety measures implemented as a result of COVID-19 may adversely impact our business operations, as well as the contract research organizations, or CROs, that support our clinical trials. In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we and our CROs have taken measures to implement remote and virtual approaches, such as home health services and remote patient monitoring, where appropriate and possible, to maintain patient safety and trial continuity, to reduce travel to healthcare facilities and to preserve the integrity of our clinical trials. The COVID-19 pandemic may also negatively impact our ability to interact with ethics committees and other regulatory authorities due to limitations in employee resources, access to clinical sites or otherwise.

The spread of COVID-19 has caused a broad impact globally and may materially affect us economically. Any new developments that prolong or increase the severity of the pandemic, including the emergence of variants, could result in disruptions to global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. The extent to which it impacts our business, clinical development and regulatory efforts will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the duration of the outbreak, the efficacy of vaccines and the evolution of viral variations and mutations, as well as public health safety measures and restrictions in the United States and other countries. Accordingly, we do not know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical and regulatory activities, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, these impacts could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.

Our ability to use net operating losses and certain other tax attributes to offset future taxable income may be subject to limitation.

Our net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities because of their limited duration or because of restrictions under U.S. tax law. Our NOLs generated in tax years beginning on or prior to December 31, 2017 are permitted to be carried forward for only 20 years under applicable U.S. tax law. Our federal NOLs generated in tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such federal NOLs in tax years beginning after December 31, 2020 is subject to certain limitations. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to federal law with respect to the limitations on the use of NOLs.

In addition, under Section 382 and Section 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and corresponding provisions of state law, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” its ability to use its pre-change NOL carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change income may be limited. A Section 382 “ownership change” generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of our stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points (by value) over their lowest ownership percentage over a rolling three-year period. We may have experienced ownership changes in the past and may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of shifts in our stock ownership (some of which are outside our control). As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change NOLs to offset such taxable income may be subject to limitations. Similar provisions of state tax law may also apply to limit our use of accumulated state tax attributes. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOLs is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.

Consequently, even if we achieve profitability, we may not be able to utilize a material portion of our NOL carryforwards and certain other tax attributes, which could have a material adverse effect on cash flow and results of operations.

Changes in tax laws or regulations could materially adversely affect our company.

New tax laws or regulations could be enacted at any time, and existing tax laws or regulations could be interpreted, modified or applied in a manner that is adverse to us, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition. For example, legislation enacted in 2017, informally titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act, enacted many significant changes to the U.S. tax laws, including changes in corporate tax rates, which collectively may impact the utilization of our NOLs and other deferred tax assets, the deductibility of expenses, and the taxation of foreign earnings. Future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities with respect to the Tax Act may affect us, and certain aspects of the Tax Act could be repealed or modified in future legislation. For example, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, modified certain provisions of the Tax Act. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act, the CARES Act, or any newly enacted federal tax legislation. Most recently, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA, included a number of significant drug pricing reforms, including the establishment of a drug price negotiation program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services that would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to charge a negotiated "maximum fair price" for certain selected drugs pay an excise tax for noncompliance, the establishment of rebate payment requirements on manufacturers under Medicare Parts B and D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and a redesign of the Part D benefit, as part of which manufacturers are required to provide discounts on Part D drugs and Part D beneficiaries' annual out-of-pocket spending will be capped at $2,000 beginning in 2025. The impact of changes under the Tax Act, the CARES Act, the IRA, or future reform legislation could increase our future U.S. tax expense and could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

Risks Related to the Development and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates

Our future success is substantially dependent on the successful clinical development, regulatory approval and commercialization of zetomipzomib and KZR-261, as well as any future product candidates. If we are not able to obtain required regulatory approvals, we will not be able to commercialize our product candidates, and our ability to generate revenue will be adversely affected.

The time required to obtain approval or other marketing authorizations by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations and the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate, and it is possible that neither our current product candidates, nor any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future, will ever obtain regulatory approval. Neither we nor any future collaborator is permitted to market zetomipzomib or KZR-261 in the United States or abroad until we receive regulatory approval from the FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory authority.

Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize our product candidates in the United States or abroad, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence from well controlled clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses. Results from clinical trials and preclinical studies can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe the clinical data for our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities. The FDA may also require us to conduct additional clinical trials or nonclinical studies for our product candidates either prior to or post-approval, or it may object to the design of our clinical trials and other elements of our clinical development programs. In addition, the FDA typically refers applications for novel drugs to an advisory committee comprising outside experts. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of the advisory committee, but it considers such recommendation when making its decision.

Of the large number of product candidates in development, only a small percentage are successfully approved by the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority and are commercialized. The lengthy approval or marketing authorization process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval or marketing authorization to market our product candidates, which would significantly harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We have invested a significant portion of our time and limited financial and management resources in the development of zetomipzomib and KZR-261. Our business is dependent on our ability to successfully complete development of, obtain regulatory approval for, and, if approved, successfully commercialize zetomipzomib and KZR-261 in a timely manner. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on profitable market opportunities for our product candidates.

Even if we eventually complete clinical testing and receive approval of a new drug application, or NDA, or foreign marketing application for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates, the FDA or the comparable foreign regulatory authorities may grant approval or other marketing authorization contingent on the performance of costly additional clinical trials, including post-market clinical trials. The FDA or the comparable foreign regulatory authorities also may approve or authorize for marketing a product candidate for a more limited indication or patient population than we originally request, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may not approve or authorize the labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of a product candidate. Any delay in obtaining, or inability to obtain, applicable regulatory approval or other marketing authorization would delay or prevent commercialization of that product candidate and would materially adversely impact our business and prospects.

In addition, the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change their policies, adopt additional regulations or revise existing regulations or take other actions, which may prevent or delay approval of our future products under development on a timely basis. Such policy or regulatory changes could impose additional requirements upon us that could delay our ability to obtain approvals, increase the costs of compliance or restrict our ability to maintain any marketing authorizations we may have obtained. In addition, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we could also experience delays in the timing of our interactions with regulatory authorities due to absenteeism by governmental employees, inability to conduct planned physical inspections related to regulatory approval, which could delay anticipated approval decisions and otherwise delay or limit our ability to make planned regulatory submissions or obtain new product approvals.

Even if we receive regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, we cannot assure you that any such product candidate will be successfully commercialized, widely accepted in the marketplace or more effective than other commercially available alternatives. Furthermore, even if we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, we will still need to develop a commercial organization, establish a commercially viable pricing structure and obtain approval for adequate reimbursement from third-party and government payors. If we are unable to successfully commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates, we may not be able to generate sufficient revenue to continue our business.

If we are not successful in developing zetomipzomib and KZR-261, or discovering and developing additional product candidates, our ability to expand our pipeline and achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired.

A key element of our strategy is to build a pipeline of product candidates and to progress these product candidates through clinical development for the treatment of immune-mediated and oncologic disorders. We are conducting research and discovery efforts targeting the protein secretion pathway and, in October 2021, we initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of KZR-261, our first clinical candidate for development in oncology. However, our current and future research programs may fail to yield product candidates with acceptable pharmaceutical properties for clinical development. Even if we are successful in continuing to build our pipeline, the potential product candidates that we identify may not be suitable for clinical development, including as a result of safety, efficacy, pharmaceutical properties, competition or other characteristics that indicate that they are unlikely to be drugs that will receive marketing approval, achieve market acceptance or obtain reimbursements from third-party payors. Efforts to discover and develop new product candidates require substantial technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any product candidates are ultimately identified. If we are unsuccessful in building our pipeline beyond our current product candidates, our ability to generate product revenue would be impaired, which could significantly harm our financial position and adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

If the market opportunities for zetomipzomib and KZR-261 are smaller than we believe they are, our business may suffer.

We currently focus our drug development of zetomipzomib on treatments of immune-mediated diseases, including lupus nephritis and autoimmune hepatitis. Our eligible patient population and pricing estimates may differ significantly from the actual market addressable by our product candidates. Our projections of both the number of people who have these disorders, as well as the subset of people with these disorders who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidates, are based on our beliefs and estimates. These estimates have been derived from a variety of sources, including scientific literature, patient foundations or market research, and may prove to be incorrect. Further, new studies may change the estimated incidence or prevalence of these disorders. Our Phase 1 trial of KZR-261 is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and we have not yet selected the tumor types or patient populations for the next stages of clinical development. The number of eligible patients for either product candidate may turn out to be lower than expected. Likewise, the potentially addressable patient population for each of our product candidates may be limited or may not be amenable to treatment with our product candidates. If the market opportunities for our product candidates are smaller than we estimate, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Due to the significant resources required for research and development, we must prioritize development of certain product candidates. We may expend our limited resources to pursue particular drug candidates and fail to capitalize on other product candidates that may be more profitable or for which there may be a greater likelihood of success.

In addition to our clinical trials underway for zetomipzomib and KZR-261, we are conducting research and discovery efforts targeting the protein secretion pathway. The development of these product candidates requires significant capital investment. Due to the significant resources required for the development of zetomipzomib and KZR-261, we must focus our research and development efforts on specific indications and decide which product candidates to pursue and advance. Our decisions concerning the allocation of research, development, management, and financial resources toward particular product candidates may not lead to the development of viable commercial products and may divert resources away from better opportunities. If we do not accurately evaluate the viability, development costs and commercial potential of our product candidates, we may fail to capitalize on profitable market opportunities, forego or delay opportunities to pursue other product candidates or other indications that may later prove to have greater commercial potential than those we choose to pursue, or relinquish valuable rights to product candidates through collaboration, licensing or other royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights to such product candidates.

Over time, our business strategy may include entering into product development collaborations, including strategic collaborations with major biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies. We cannot predict what form such a strategic collaboration might take. We face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic collaborators, and the negotiation process can be complicated and time

consuming. Even if we are successful in our efforts to establish new development collaborations, the terms of such collaborations may not be favorable to us. Entering into future collaborations could subject us to a number of risks, including:

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we may be required to relinquish important rights to and control over the development and commercialization of our product candidates;

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we may be required to undertake the expenditure of substantial operational, financial and management resources;

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we may be required to issue equity securities that would dilute our stockholders’ percentage ownership of our company;

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we may be required to assume substantial actual or contingent liabilities;

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we may not be able to control the amount and timing of resources that our strategic collaborators devote to the development or commercialization of our product candidates;

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strategic collaborators may select indications or design clinical trials in a way that may be less successful or slower than if we were doing so;

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strategic collaborators may delay clinical trials, provide insufficient funding, terminate a clinical trial or abandon a product candidate, repeat or conduct new clinical trials or require a new version of a product candidate for clinical testing;

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strategic collaborators may not pursue further development and commercialization of products resulting from the strategic collaboration arrangement or may elect to discontinue research and development programs;

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strategic collaborators may not commit adequate resources to the marketing and distribution of our product candidates, limiting our potential revenues from these products;

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disputes may arise between us and our strategic collaborators that result in the delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our product candidates or that result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management’s attention and consumes resources;

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strategic collaborators may experience financial difficulties;

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strategic collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our proprietary information in a manner that could jeopardize or invalidate our proprietary information or expose us to potential litigation;

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business combinations or significant changes in a strategic collaborator’s business strategy may adversely affect a strategic collaborator’s willingness or ability to complete its obligations under any arrangement;

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strategic collaborators could decide to move forward with a competing product candidate developed either independently or in collaboration with others, including our competitors; and

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strategic collaborators could terminate the arrangement or allow it to expire, which would delay the development and may increase the cost of developing our product candidates.

Success in preclinical testing and earlier clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate the same results or otherwise provide adequate data to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a product candidate. Preclinical tests and early clinical trials are primarily designed to test safety, to study pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and to understand the side effects of product candidates at various doses and schedules. Success in preclinical studies and earlier clinical trials does not ensure that later trials designed to test efficacy will be successful, nor does it predict final results. Our product candidates may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy in clinical development despite positive results in preclinical studies or having successfully advanced through earlier clinical trials. For example, in May 2022, we reported topline data from our PRESIDIO Phase 2 clinical trial of zetomipzomib in patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis, in which zetomipzomib did not demonstrate significant differentiation from placebo.

In addition, the design of a clinical trial can determine whether its results will support approval of a product, and flaws in the design of a clinical trial may not become apparent until the clinical trial is well advanced. As an organization, we have limited experience designing clinical trials and may be unable to design and execute a clinical trial to support regulatory approval. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in late-stage clinical trials even after achieving promising results in preclinical testing and earlier clinical trials. Data obtained from preclinical and clinical activities are subject to varying interpretations, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. In addition, we may experience regulatory delays or rejections as a result of many factors, including changes in regulatory policy during the period of our product candidate development. Any such delays could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Clinical trials are very expensive, time consuming and difficult to design and implement.

Our product candidates will require clinical testing before we are prepared to submit an NDA for regulatory approval. The clinical trial process is expensive, time consuming, difficult to design and implement, and subject to uncertainty. We estimate that the successful completion of clinical trials of our product candidates will take several years to complete. We cannot predict with any certainty if or when we might submit an NDA for regulatory approval for any of our product candidates or whether any such NDA will be approved by the FDA. Human clinical trials are very expensive and difficult to design and implement, in part because they are subject to rigorous regulatory requirements. For instance, the FDA may not agree with our proposed endpoints for any future clinical trial of our product candidates, which may delay the commencement of our clinical trials. We may design the inclusion and exclusion criteria for trial participation too narrowly, which would make it difficult to find and enroll patients for our clinical trials. In addition, we may not succeed in developing and validating disease-relevant clinical endpoints based on insights regarding biological pathways for the disorders we are studying. Failure can occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause us to suspend, abandon or repeat clinical trials.

Following the completion of the Phase 2 portion of our MISSION clinical trial, we are planning to conduct a global, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of zetomipzomib in lupus nephritis, or the Global LN Trial. As an organization, we have not previously conducted a clinical trial to the scale of the planned Global LN Trial. We have engaged and intend to use a single contract research organization, or CRO, to manage the Global LN Trial, and although we will oversee their performance and maintain certain regulatory responsibilities, the ultimate success of initiating, enrolling and completing this trial, and ensuring regulatory and quality compliance across several countries, will depend significantly on the CROs performance, in addition to several other third-party service providers and clinical trial vendors in the United States and worldwide.

The FDA may not agree with the protocol design or endpoints that we propose for the Global LN Trial, as well as a number of other factors required to successfully execute this trial. If the FDA does not agree with the trial design, we may be required to modify the protocol and other factors, which would delay trial commencement. In addition, we plan to conduct the Global LN Trial in several countries where we have not previously engaged with local regulatory authorities nor performed clinical trials. The process and timelines required to obtain approval from foreign regulatory authorities is unpredictable and may depend upon numerous factors and their substantial discretion. The inability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for the conduct of the Global LN Trial outside the United States may impact the timelines and completion of the Global LN Trial.

Identifying and qualifying patients to participate in our clinical trials is critical to our success. We are developing zetomipzomib to address several autoimmune diseases with high degrees of unmet medical need, including lupus nephritis and autoimmune hepatitis. If the actual number of patients with these disorders is smaller than we anticipate, or if these patients are unwilling to participate in a clinical trial, we may encounter difficulties in enrolling patients in our clinical trials, thereby delaying or preventing development and approval of our product candidates. Even once enrolled, we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our trials. Patient enrollment and retention in clinical trials depends on many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the existing body of safety and efficacy data, the number and nature of competing treatments and ongoing clinical trials of competing therapies for the same indication, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, our ability to provide zetomipzomib for at-home administration, and the eligibility criteria for the trial. Because our focus includes rare disorders, there are limited patient pools from which to draw in order to complete our clinical trials in a timely and cost-effective manner. Furthermore, our efforts to build relationships with patient communities may not succeed, which could result in delays in patient enrollment in our clinical trials. In addition, any negative results we may report in clinical trials of our product candidate may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain patients in other clinical trials of that same product candidate. Delays or failures in planned patient enrollment or retention may result in increased costs, program delays or both, which could have a harmful effect on our ability to develop our product candidates or could render further development impossible. For example, the impact of public health epidemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or geopolitical tensions, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, may delay or prevent patients from enrolling or from receiving treatment in accordance with the protocol and the required timelines, which could delay our clinical trials, or prevent us from completing our clinical trials at all. Any inability to timely and successfully complete clinical development will increase our costs, slow our development plans and impair our ability to generate revenue from our product candidates. In addition, we may be reliant on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials and, while we intend to enter into agreements governing their services, we will be limited in our ability to compel their actual performance.

We may encounter substantial delays or difficulties in our clinical trials.

We may not commercialize, market, promote or sell any product candidate without obtaining marketing approval from the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority, and we may never receive such approvals. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will prove effective or safe in humans and will receive regulatory approval. Before obtaining marketing approval

from regulatory authorities for the sale of our product candidates, we must conduct extensive clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our product candidates in humans. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. For example, in May 2022, we reported topline data from our PRESIDIO Phase 2 clinical trial of zetomipzomib in patients with dermatomyositis and polymyositis, in which zetomipzomib did not demonstrate significant differentiation from placebo. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of their products.

We cannot guarantee that any clinical trials will be conducted as planned or completed on schedule, if at all. Moreover, circumstances may arise that could result in suspending or terminating our ongoing clinical trials. As an example, some patients included in the MISSION Phase 2 clinical trial were located in Ukraine and Russia. The closure of sites, the inability to screen and enroll new patients or any premature discontinuation of treatment by patients already enrolled in our trial could result in the need to enroll additional patients, which would be costly and could delay our anticipated timeline for the completion of the trial. Any inability to timely and successfully complete clinical development will increase our costs, slow our development plans and impair our ability to generate revenue from our product candidates.

We have experienced and may in the future experience numerous unforeseen events that may prevent the timely and successful completion of our clinical trials, or result in the termination of such clinical trials prior to their completion, including:

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failure to recruit suitable patients to participate in a clinical trial, enrollment in these clinical trials may be slower than we anticipate, and participants may drop out during the course of these trials at a higher rate than we anticipate;

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delays in manufacturing, testing, releasing, validating and shipping stable quantities of our product candidates and placebo for our clinical trial sites;

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delays in reaching a consensus with the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities on the design of our clinical trials;

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the number of patients required for clinical trials to produce statistically meaningful data may be larger than we anticipate;

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interruptions in our business as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, such as restrictions on travel and meetings with clinical trial sites and investigators, as well as potential disruptions in our product supply chain;

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the costs of clinical trials of our product candidates may be greater than we anticipate, which may be more likely as a result of increased price inflation worldwide;

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occurrence of serious adverse events associated with the product candidate that are viewed to outweigh its potential benefits;

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imposition of a clinical hold by regulatory authorities as a result of a serious adverse event, concerns with a class of product candidates or after an inspection of our clinical trial operations, trial sites or manufacturing facilities;

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regulators or institutional review boards, or IRBs, may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical trial or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site, or may otherwise suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears we are or our collaborators are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with regulatory requirements;

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delays in identifying and recruiting suitable clinical investigators or reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective clinical trial sites;

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clinical trials of our product candidates may produce negative or inconclusive results, such as the topline data from our PRESIDIO Phase 2 clinical trial, in which zetomipzomib did not demonstrate significant differentiation from placebo;

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failure to perform our clinical trials in accordance with current Good Clinical Practice, or cGCP, or regulations required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities;

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changes in regulatory requirements and guidance or other unforeseen regulatory developments that require amending or submitting new clinical protocols;

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we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical trials or abandon product development programs; or

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business interruptions resulting from geo-political actions, war, terrorism, natural disasters or public health epidemics.

Clinical trial delays could also shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or allow our competitors to bring competing drugs to market before we do, which could impair our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and

prospects. In addition, if we make manufacturing or formulation changes to our product candidates, we may need to conduct additional testing to bridge our modified product candidate to earlier versions.

Additionally, if the results of our clinical trials are inconclusive or if there are safety concerns or serious adverse events associated with our product candidates, we may:

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be delayed in obtaining marketing approval, if at all;

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obtain approval for indications or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;

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obtain approval with labeling that includes significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings;

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be required to perform additional clinical trials to support approval or be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements;

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have regulatory authorities withdraw, or suspend, their approval of the drug or impose restrictions on its distribution in the form of a modified risk evaluation and mitigation strategy, or REMS;

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be subject to the addition of labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications;

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be sued or held liable for harm causes to patients; or

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experience damage to our reputation.

Further, we, the FDA, comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or an IRB may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we or our collaborators are failing to conduct a trial in accordance with regulatory requirements, including cGCP, that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks, or if the FDA finds deficiencies in our INDs, or the conduct of these trials. Therefore, we cannot predict with any certainty the schedule for commencement and completion of clinical trials. If we experience delays in the commencement or completion of our clinical trials, or if we terminate a clinical trial prior to completion, the commercial prospects of our product candidates could be negatively impacted, and our ability to generate revenues from our product candidates may be delayed.

The processes involved in manufacturing the active drug substance and finished drug product of zetomipzomib and KZR-261 are complex, expensive, highly regulated and subject to multiple risks and uncertainties. As product candidates are developed through early to late-stage clinical trials and then to approval and commercialization, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing methods, are modified along the way to optimize the scale, process and results. Any changes to the manufacturing processes carry the risk that they will not achieve these intended objectives, or that the product candidates may not meet the rigorous quality standards necessary for use in our clinical trials.

We plan to manufacture zetomipzomib and placebo in larger quantities in connection with our Global LN Trial and future development strategies. We recently conducted a scale up GMP manufacturing run of zetomipzomib that did not meet the quality standards for use in our clinical trials. We believe our existing supply of zetomipzomib will allow us to initiate our Global LN Trial and PORTOLA trial, and we are planning to continue manufacturing activities to increase our clinical supply of zetomipzomib. However, if future manufacturing of zetomipzomib fails to meet the quality standards for use in our clinical trials, or the active drug substance does not meet our quality specifications, it could impact our timelines or limit our development strategy.

In addition, our contract manufacturing organizations, or CMOs, may be unable to successfully increase the manufacturing scale for our product candidates in a timely or cost-effective manner and may experience delays due to limited manufacturing capacity. In addition, quality issues may arise during manufacturing activities. If our CMOs are unable to successfully manufacture our product candidates in sufficient quantity in a timely manner, our planned clinical trials may be delayed or modified.

Our product candidates have been involved, and may be involved in the future, in investigator-initiated clinical trials, and we have limited or no control over the conduct of such trials.

Zetomipzomib has been involved in an investigator-initiated clinical trial, and our product candidates may be involved in investigator-initiated clinical trials in the future. Investigator-initiated clinical trials pose similar risks as those set forth elsewhere in this “Risk Factor” section relating to our own internal clinical trials. However, while investigator-initiated clinical trials may provide us with clinical data that can inform our development strategy, we are not the sponsors of such trials, and therefore, we do not control the protocols, administration, quality or conduct of these trials, including follow-up with patients and ongoing data collection. Despite this

lack of control, negative results in investigator-initiated clinical trials could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects and the perception of our product candidates.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic could negatively affect our ability to enroll and conduct our clinical trials.

Our clinical trials have been and may continue to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the implementation of public health safety measures and the demands on the global healthcare system relating to COVID-19, we have experienced delays in the clinical development timelines for our product candidates. Clinical site initiation and patient enrollment was delayed due to prioritizing hospital resources for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. In particular, outside of the United States, we experienced delays in receiving approval from local regulatory authorities to initiate our clinical trials in certain countries, and local regulatory authorities have adopted different risk limiting measures that we are required to meet to conduct our clinical trials. In addition, the patients in our clinical trials may not be able to comply with clinical trial protocols if public safety measures impede travel and mobility or interrupt healthcare services. We may also experience the following adverse impacts:

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delays or difficulties enrolling and retaining patients in our clinical trials;

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delays or difficulties in clinical site initiation, including difficulties in recruiting clinical site investigators;

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diversion of healthcare resources away from the conduct of clinical trials, including the diversion of hospitals serving as our clinical trial sites and hospital staff supporting the conduct of our clinical trials;

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interruption of key clinical trial activities, such as clinical trial site monitoring, due to limitations on travel;

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limitations in employee resources that would otherwise be focused on the conduct of our clinical trials, including because of sickness of employees or their families or the desire of employees to avoid contact with large groups of people;

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non-compliance or withdrawal of consent by patients due to limitations on travel to clinical trial sites or other reasons;

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interruptions in clinical drug supply due delays in manufacturing, drug substance or drug product shipments from CMOs to depot centers and from depot centers to clinical trial sites.

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delays in clinical sites receiving the supplies and materials needed to conduct our clinical trials;

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delays in receiving approval from local regulatory authorities to initiate or amend our clinical trials;

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interruption in global shipping that may affect the transport of clinical trial materials, such as investigational drug product and placebo used in our clinical trials; and

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delays in necessary interactions with local regulators, ethics committees and other important agencies and contractors due to limitations in employee resources or forced furlough of government employees.

Interim topline and preliminary data from our clinical trials that we announce or publish from time to time may change as more patient data become available and are subject to audit and verification procedures that could result in material changes in the final data.

From time to time, we may publish interim topline or preliminary data from our clinical trials. Interim data from clinical trials are subject to the risk that one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues and more patient data become available, particularly from our open-label studies. Preliminary or topline data also remain subject to audit and verification procedures that may result in the final data being materially different from the preliminary data we previously published. Preliminary or topline data may include, for example, data regarding a small percentage of the patients enrolled in a clinical trial, and such preliminary data should not be viewed as an indication, belief or guarantee that other patients enrolled in such clinical trial will achieve similar results or that the preliminary results from such patients will be maintained. As a result, interim and preliminary data may not be statistically significant and should be viewed with caution until the final data are available. Differences between preliminary or interim data and final data may cause the trading price of our common stock to fluctuate significantly and could significantly harm our business prospects.

Zetomipzomib is being developed as a lyophilized formulation which could adversely affect market acceptance if patients are required to reconstitute zetomipzomib themselves prior to injection.

We are developing zetomipzomib as a lyophilized product candidate, meaning that it will be freeze-dried and must be reconstituted with water prior to patient administration. While lyophilized products are common in the drug industry, this method for administering zetomipzomib could adversely affect market acceptance and make it more difficult to conduct clinical trials of zetomipzomib. In our current trials, zetomipzomib is reconstituted in the hospital pharmacy prior to patient administration. Beginning with our PRESIDIO open-label extension study, we provided patients with the ability to reconstitute zetomipzomib at home prior to injection.

During the conduct of clinical trials, patients report changes in their health, including illnesses, injuries, discomforts and other adverse events, to their doctor. Often, it is not possible to determine whether or not the product candidate being studied caused these conditions. Regulatory authorities may draw different conclusions or require additional testing to confirm these determinations, if they occur. In addition, it is possible that as we test our product candidates in larger, longer and more extensive clinical trials, or as use of these product candidates becomes more widespread if they receive regulatory approval, illnesses, injuries, discomforts and other adverse events that were observed in earlier trials, as well as conditions that did not occur or went undetected in previous trials, will be reported by subjects or patients. Many times, side effects are only detectable after investigational drugs are tested in large-scale pivotal trials or, in some cases, after they are made available to patients on a commercial scale after approval. If additional clinical experience indicates that zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates has side effects or causes serious or life-threatening side effects, the development of the product candidate may fail or be delayed, or, if the product candidate has received regulatory approval, such approval may be revoked, which would harm our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition.

Moreover, if we elect, or are required, to delay, suspend or terminate any clinical trial of our product candidates, the commercial prospects of our product candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate revenue through their sale may be delayed or eliminated. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly.

Additionally, if any of our product candidates receive marketing approval, the FDA could require us to include a black box warning in our label or adopt a REMS to ensure that the benefits outweigh the risks, which may include, among other things, a Medication Guide outlining the risks of the drug for distribution to patients and a communication plan to healthcare practitioners. Furthermore, if we or others identify undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates during development or after obtaining U.S. regulatory approval, several potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:

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regulatory authorities may not permit us to initiate our studies or could put them on hold;

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regulatory authorities may not approve, or may withdraw, their approval of the product;

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regulatory authorities may require us to recall the product;

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regulatory authorities may add new limitations for distribution and marketing of the product;

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regulatory authorities may require the addition of warnings in the product label or narrowing of the indication in the product label;

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we may be required to create a Medication Guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients;

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we may be required to change the way the product is administered or modify the product in some other way;

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we may be required to implement a REMS program;

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the FDA may require us to conduct additional clinical trials or costly post-marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of the product;

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we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; and

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our reputation may suffer.

Any of the above events resulting from undesirable side effects or other previously unknown problems could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product candidate, if approved. In addition, these events could substantially increase the costs of commercializing our product candidates and could significantly harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to obtain or maintain orphan drug designations or exclusivity for our product candidates, which could limit the potential profitability of our product candidates.

Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, the FDA may designate a drug as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or if it affects more than 200,000, there is no reasonable expectation that sales of the drug in the United States will be sufficient to offset the costs of developing and making the drug available in the United States. If a drug with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for use in the rare disease or condition for which it was designated, then the sponsor is eligible for a seven-year period of marketing during which the FDA may not approve another sponsor’s marketing application for a drug with the same active moiety and intended for the same use or indication as the approved orphan drug, except in limited circumstances, such

as if a subsequent sponsor demonstrates its product is clinically superior. During a sponsor’s orphan drug exclusivity period, however, competitors may receive approval for drugs with different active moieties for the same indication as the approved orphan drug, or for drugs with the same active moiety as the approved orphan drug, but for different indications. Further, if a designated orphan drug receives marketing approval for an indication broader than the rare disease or condition for which it received orphan drug designation, it may not be entitled to exclusivity.

We intend to pursue orphan drug designation for zetomipzomib in the treatment of autoimmune hepatitis and any other rare immune-mediated disease indications we pursue for development. Obtaining orphan drug designation in additional indications and other jurisdictions may be difficult, and we may not be successful in doing so. The exclusivity for our orphan drug designations, and for any other designations that we may obtain in the future, may not effectively protect the drug from the competition of different drugs for the same condition, which could have already been approved or could be approved before or during the exclusivity period. Additionally, after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA could subsequently approve another application for the same drug for the same indication if the FDA concludes that the later drug is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan drug exclusive marketing rights in the United States also may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. The failure to obtain an orphan drug designation for any product candidates we may develop, the inability to maintain that designation for the duration of the applicable period, or the inability to obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity could reduce our ability to make sufficient sales of the applicable product candidate to balance our expenses incurred to develop it, which would have a negative impact on our operational results and financial condition.

Even if we obtain and maintain approval for our product candidates from the FDA, we may never obtain approval for our product candidates outside of the United States, which would limit our market opportunities and could harm our business.

Approval of a product candidate in the United States by the FDA does not ensure approval of such product candidate by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. Sales of zetomipzomib and KZR-261 outside of the United States will be subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing clinical trials and marketing approval. Even if the FDA grants marketing approval for a product candidate, comparable foreign regulatory authorities also must approve the manufacturing and marketing of the product candidate in those countries. Approval procedures vary among jurisdictions and can involve requirements and administrative review periods different from, and more onerous than, those in the United States, including additional preclinical studies or clinical trials. In many countries outside the United States, a product candidate must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that country. In some cases, the price that we intend to charge for any product candidates, if approved, is also subject to approval. Obtaining approval for zetomipzomib and KZR-261 in the European Union from the European Commission following the opinion of the European Medicines Agency, if we choose to submit a marketing authorization application there, would be a lengthy and expensive process. Even if a product candidate is approved, the FDA or the European Commission, as the case may be, may limit the indications for which the drug may be marketed, require extensive warnings on the drug labeling or require expensive and time-consuming additional clinical trials or reporting as conditions of approval. Obtaining foreign regulatory approvals and compliance with foreign regulatory requirements could result in significant delays, difficulties and costs for us and could delay or prevent the introduction of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates in certain countries.

Further, clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Also, regulatory approval for our product candidates may be withdrawn. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements, our target market will be reduced and our ability to realize the full market potential of our product candidates will be harmed and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be harmed. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that we could experience delays in the timing of our interactions with regulatory authorities due to absenteeism by governmental employees, inability to conduct planned physical inspections related to regulatory approval, or the diversion of regulatory authority efforts and attention to approval of other therapeutics or other activities related to COVID-19, which could delay anticipated approval decisions and otherwise delay or limit our ability to make planned regulatory submissions or obtain new product approvals.

Even if we obtain regulatory approval for any of our product candidates, they will remain subject to ongoing regulatory oversight.

Even if we obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates, such approvals will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, advertising, promotion, sampling, record-keeping and submission of safety and other post-market information. For example, the FDA strictly regulates the promotional claims that may be made about drug products. In particular, a product may not be promoted for uses that are not approved by the FDA as reflected in the product’s approved labeling. Additionally, any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may also be subject to a REMS, limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the drug may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 trials, and surveillance to monitor the quality, safety and efficacy of the drug. Such regulatory requirements may differ from country to country depending on where we have received regulatory approval.

In addition, drug manufacturers and their facilities are subject to payment of user fees and continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP requirements and adherence to commitments made in the NDA or foreign marketing application. If we, or a regulatory authority, discover previously unknown problems with a drug, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the drug is manufactured or if a regulatory authority disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of that drug, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions relative to that drug, the manufacturing facility or us, including requesting a recall or requiring withdrawal of the drug from the market or suspension of manufacturing.

If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements following approval of any of our product candidates, a regulatory authority may:

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issue an untitled letter or warning letter asserting that we are in violation of the law;

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seek an injunction or impose administrative, civil or criminal penalties or monetary fines;

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suspend or withdraw regulatory approval;

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suspend any ongoing clinical trials;

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refuse to approve a pending NDA or comparable foreign marketing application or any supplements thereto submitted by us or our partners;

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restrict the marketing or manufacturing of the drug;

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seize or detain the drug or otherwise require the withdrawal of the drug from the market;

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refuse to permit the import or export of product candidates; or

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refuse to allow us to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts.

Any government investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources in response and could generate negative publicity. The occurrence of any event or penalty described above may inhibit our ability to commercialize our product candidates and harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

The FDA’s and comparable foreign regulatory authorities’ policies may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our product candidates. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad.

Even if our product candidates receive marketing approval, they may fail to gain market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community. If they do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenue and may not become profitable. The degree of market acceptance of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:

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the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments and therapies;

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the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts;

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the strength of our relationships with patient communities;

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the cost of treatment in relation to alternative treatments and therapies, including any similar generic treatments;

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our ability to offer such drug for sale at competitive prices;

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the convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments and therapies;

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the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;

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the strength of marketing and distribution support;

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the availability of third-party coverage and adequate reimbursement;

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the prevalence and severity of any side effects; and

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any restrictions on the use of the drug together with other medications.

Our efforts to educate physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community on the benefits of our product candidates may require significant resources and may never be successful. Such efforts may require more resources than are typically required due to the complexity and uniqueness of our product candidates. Because we expect sales of our product candidates, if approved, to generate substantially all of our revenues for the foreseeable future, the failure of our product candidates to find market acceptance would harm our business. In addition, if we enter into a strategic collaboration regarding any of our product candidates, our rights to receive milestone payments and royalties related to such product candidates will depend on our collaborators’ abilities to achieve market acceptance of those product candidates.

We face substantial competition, which may result in others developing or commercializing drugs before or more successfully than us.

The development and commercialization of new drugs is highly competitive. We face competition from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are a number of large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell drugs or are pursuing the development of product candidates for the treatment of the indications that we are pursuing. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization.

More established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their greater size, resources and institutional experience. In particular, these companies have greater experience and expertise in securing reimbursement, government contracts and relationships with key opinion leaders, conducting testing and clinical trials, obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals and distribution relationships to market products and marketing approved drugs. These companies also have significantly greater research and marketing capabilities than we do. If we are not able to compete effectively against existing and potential competitors, our business and financial condition may be harmed.

As a result of these factors, our competitors may obtain regulatory approval of their drugs before we are able to, which may limit our ability to develop or commercialize our product candidates. Our competitors may also develop therapies that are safer, more effective, more widely accepted or less expensive than ours, or may be more successful than we are in manufacturing and marketing their drugs. These advantages could render our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive before we can recover the costs of such product candidates’ development and commercialization.

Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Smaller and early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, medical, management and commercial personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.

If we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties to market and sell our product candidates, we may not be successful in commercializing such product candidates, if and when they are approved.

To successfully commercialize any product candidate that may result from our development programs, we will need to build out our sales and marketing capabilities, either on our own or with others. The establishment and development of our own commercial team or the establishment of a contract sales force to market any product candidate we may develop will be expensive and time-consuming and could delay any drug launch. Moreover, we cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully develop this capability. We may seek to enter into collaborations with other entities to utilize their established marketing and distribution capabilities, but we may be unable to enter into such agreements on favorable terms, if at all. If any current or future collaborators do not commit sufficient resources to commercialize our product candidates, or we are unable to develop the necessary capabilities on our own, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue to sustain our business. We compete with many companies that currently have extensive, experienced and well-funded marketing and sales operations to recruit, hire, train and retain marketing and sales personnel. We will likely also face competition if we seek third parties to assist us with the sales and marketing efforts of our product candidates. Without an internal team or the support of a third party to perform marketing and sales functions, we may be unable to compete successfully against these more established companies.

If we seek to commercialize our product candidates outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with international operations could harm our business.

If we seek to commercialize our product candidates outside of the United States, we expect that we will be subject to additional risks including:

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different regulatory requirements for approval of therapies in foreign countries;

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reduced protection for intellectual property rights;

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unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;

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economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;

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compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;

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foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenues, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;

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foreign reimbursement, pricing and insurance regimes;

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workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;

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production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and

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business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, war, terrorism, natural disasters and public health epidemics.

We have no prior experience in these areas. In addition, there are complex regulatory, tax, labor and other legal requirements imposed by many of the individual countries in and outside of Europe with which we will need to comply. Many biopharmaceutical companies have found the process of marketing their own products in foreign countries to be very challenging.

Coverage and adequate reimbursement may not be available for zetomipzomib or KZR-261, which could make it difficult for us to sell profitably, if approved.

Market acceptance and sales of any product candidates that we commercialize, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and reimbursement for these drugs and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities, managed care organizations and other private health insurers. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any product candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. One third-party payor’s determination to provide coverage for a drug does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage, and adequate reimbursement, for the drug. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a therapy does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Each third-party payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the therapy, and on what tier of its formulary it will be placed. The position on a third-party payor’s list of covered drugs, or formulary, generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their conditions and providers prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our products unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of our products.

Third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Inadequate coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug for which we obtain marketing approval. If coverage and adequate reimbursement are not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates that we develop.

Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and could limit commercialization of any product candidate that we may develop.

We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the testing of our product candidates in clinical trials, both within and outside of the United States, and may face an even greater risk if we commercialize any product candidate that we may develop. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that any such product candidates caused injuries, we could incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

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decreased demand for any product candidate that we may develop;

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loss of revenue;

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substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

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significant time and costs to defend the related litigation;

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withdrawal of clinical trial participants;

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increased insurance costs;

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the inability to commercialize any product candidate that we may develop; and

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injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention.

Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, such insurance may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. We anticipate that we will need to increase our insurance coverage as we advance through clinical development and if we are able to successfully commercialize any product candidate. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.

Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance

Healthcare providers, including physicians and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may subject us to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws and other healthcare laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal civil and criminal false claims laws and the law commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. These laws will impact, among other things, our clinical research, proposed sales, marketing and educational programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy laws by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct or may conduct our business. The laws that will affect our operations include, but are not limited to:

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the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in return for the purchase, recommendation, leasing or furnishing of an item or service reimbursable under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand, and prescribers, purchasers, formulary managers and others, on the other hand. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it to have committed a violation;

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federal civil and criminal false claims laws, including, without limitation, the federal civil False Claims Act, and civil monetary penalty laws which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment or approval from Medicare, Medicaid or other government payors that are false or fraudulent or making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government. Federal Anti-Kickback Statute violations and certain marketing practices, including off-label promotion, implicate the federal civil False Claims Act;

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the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created additional federal civil and criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, a person from knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme or artifice to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or making false or fraudulent statements to defraud any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private);

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HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act and their implementing regulations, which impose certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information on health plans, health care clearinghouses and certain healthcare providers, known as covered entities, and their respective business associates and their subcontractors that perform certain services involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information;

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federal transparency laws, including the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, that require certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, information related to: (i) payments or other “transfers of value” made to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), other healthcare professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners), and teaching hospitals; and (ii) ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and

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state and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, state laws that require manufacturers to report information related to payments and other "transfers of value" to physicians and other healthcare providers, marketing expenditures, or drug pricing, state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government and state and local laws that require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives, or that otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers; as well as state and foreign laws that govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws.

It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participating in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, contractual damages, reputational harm and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

The risk of our being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. The shifting compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance and/or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.

Healthcare legislative reform measures may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.

In the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and continue to be, several legislative and regulatory changes and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities, and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing approval.

Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively the PPACA, was passed, which substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both the government and private insurers, and significantly impacts the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The PPACA, among other things: (i) addressed a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for drugs that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected; (ii) increased the minimum Medicaid rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and extends the rebate program to individuals enrolled in Medicaid managed care organizations; (iii) established annual fees and taxes on manufacturers of certain branded prescription drugs; (iv) expanded the availability of lower pricing under the 340B drug pricing program by adding new entities to the program; and (v) established a new Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, in which manufacturers must now agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable brand drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D.

Since its passage, there have been varied executive, judicial and Congressional challenges to certain provisions of the PPACA. In addition, Congress has considered, and may consider in the future, legislation to repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the PPACA. While Congress has not passed any comprehensive repeal legislation, several bills affecting the implementation of certain taxes under

the PPACA have been signed into law. On June 17, 2021 the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a challenge on procedural grounds that argued the PPACA is unconstitutional in its entirety because the “individual mandate” was repealed by Congress. Further, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, President Biden issued an executive order that initiated a special enrollment period for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the PPACA marketplace. The executive order also instructed certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the PPACA. It is possible that the PPACA will be subject to judicial or Congressional challenges in the future. It is unclear how any such challenges and the healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration will impact the ACA and our business.

Other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the PPACA was enacted. These changes include aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of 2% per fiscal year pursuant to the Budget Control Act of 2011, which began in 2013, and due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, will remain in effect through 2031 unless additional congressional action is taken. COVID-19 relief legislation suspended the 2% Medicare sequester from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022. Under current legislation, the actual reduction in Medicare payments will vary from 1% in 2022 to up to 4% in the final fiscal year of this sequester. On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, which eliminates the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, currently set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. More recently, on August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or the IRA, into law, which included a number of significant drug pricing reforms, including the establishment of a drug price negotiation program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to charge a negotiated “maximum fair price” for certain selected drugs or pay an excise tax for noncompliance, the establishment of rebate payment requirements on manufacturers under Medicare Parts B and D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation, and a redesign of the Part D benefit, as part of which manufacturers are required to provide discounts on Part D drugs and Part D beneficiaries’ annual out-of-pocket spending will be capped at $2,000 beginning in 2025.

Additional changes that may affect our business include the expansion of new programs such as Medicare payment for performance initiatives for physicians under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, which introduced a merit-based incentive bonus program for Medicare physicians, also referred to as the Quality Payment Program. In November 2019, CMS issued a final rule finalizing the changes to the Quality Payment Program. At this time, the full impact of the introduction of the Medicare Quality Payment Program on overall physician reimbursement remains unclear.

Also, there has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which have resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. Additionally, based on a recent executive order, the Biden administration expressed its intent to pursue certain policy initiatives to reduce drug prices. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

We expect that these and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved drug. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private third-party payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products.

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

We will rely on third parties to manufacture clinical and commercial supplies of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates.

We do not own or operate facilities for drug manufacturing, testing, storage or distribution. We are dependent on third parties to manufacture the clinical supplies of our product candidates. Any significant delay in the supply of a product candidate or raw material components for an ongoing clinical trial due to the need to replace a third-party CMO could considerably delay the completion of our clinical trials. In particular, our CMOs may experience business interruptions as a result of shelter-in-place orders or other impacts due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which would potentially impact our product supply chains and clinical trials. We are completely dependent on our CMOs for compliance with cGMP for manufacture of both active drug substances and finished drug products. If our

CMOs cannot successfully manufacture active drug substances and finished drug product that conform to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, we will not be able to secure or maintain regulatory approval for our product candidates. In addition, we have no control over the ability of our CMOs to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. Our ability to audit the facilities of our CMOs and other vendors will be interrupted by COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. If the FDA or a comparable foreign regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of our product candidates or if it withdraws any such approval in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our timelines and ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for or market our product candidates, if approved.

The facilities used by our CMOs to manufacture our product candidates must be approved by the FDA pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit an NDA for any of our product candidates. We also expect to rely on third-party manufacturers to supply us with sufficient quantities of our product candidates to be used, if approved, for commercialization.

Our reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured product candidates ourselves, including:

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inability to meet our product specifications and quality requirements consistently;

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delay or inability to procure or expand sufficient manufacturing capacity;

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issues related to scale-up of manufacturing;

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costs and validation of new equipment and facilities required for scale-up;

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our third-party manufacturers may not be able to execute our manufacturing procedures and other logistical support requirements appropriately;

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our third-party manufacturers may fail to comply with cGMP and other inspections by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities;

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our inability to negotiate manufacturing agreements with third parties under commercially reasonable terms, if at all;

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breach, termination or nonrenewal of manufacturing agreements with third parties in a manner or at a time that is costly or damaging to us;

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reliance on single sources for drug components;

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lack of qualified backup suppliers for those components that are currently purchased from a sole or single source supplier;

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our third-party manufacturers may not devote sufficient resources to our product candidates;

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we may not own, or may have to share, the intellectual property rights to any improvements made by our third-party manufacturers in the manufacturing process for our product candidates;

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operations of our third-party manufacturers or suppliers could be disrupted by conditions unrelated to our business or operations, including the bankruptcy of the manufacturer or supplier; and

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carrier disruptions or increased costs that are beyond our control.

Any of these events could lead to clinical trial delays, failure to obtain regulatory approval or impact our ability to successfully commercialize our current or any future product candidates once approved. Some of these events could be the basis for FDA action, including injunction, request for recall, seizure, or total or partial suspension of production.

We rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical trials and preclinical studies, and if those third parties perform in an unsatisfactory manner, it may harm our business.

We do not currently have the ability to independently conduct clinical trials. We intend to rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials, and we expect to have limited influence over their actual performance. We rely upon CROs to monitor and manage data for our clinical programs. We expect to control only certain aspects of our CROs’ activities. Nevertheless, we will be responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. For example, we have engaged and intend to use a single CRO to manage the Global LN Trial, and although we will oversee their performance and maintain certain regulatory responsibilities, the ultimate success of initiating, enrolling and completing this trial, and ensuring regulatory and quality compliance across several countries, will depend significantly on the CRO’s performance.

We and our CROs are required to comply with the good laboratory practices and good clinical practices, or GCP, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities in the form of International Council for Harmonisation guidelines for any of our product candidates that are in preclinical and clinical development, respectively. The regulatory authorities enforce GCP through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and clinical trial sites. Although we rely on CROs to conduct GCP-compliant clinical trials, we remain responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with its investigational plan and protocol and applicable laws and regulations, and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our regulatory responsibilities. If we or our CROs fail to comply with GCP, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. Accordingly, if our CROs fail to comply with these regulations, we may be required to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

Our reliance on third parties to conduct clinical trials results in less direct control over the management of data developed through clinical trials than would be the case if we were relying entirely upon our own staff. Communicating with CROs and other third parties can be challenging, potentially leading to mistakes as well as difficulties in coordinating activities. Our CROs and other third parties may experience business interruptions as a result of shelter-in-place orders or other impacts due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, such parties may:

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have staffing difficulties;

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fail to comply with contractual obligations;

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not devote sufficient time and resources to our clinical trials;

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experience regulatory compliance issues; or

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undergo changes in priorities or become financially distressed.

These factors may materially adversely affect the timelines of our clinical trials and may subject us to unexpected cost increases that are beyond our control. If our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, fail to comply with regulatory requirements, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for any other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, the product candidate being developed. As a result, our financial results and commercial prospects would be harmed, our costs could increase, and our ability to generate revenue from the product candidate could be delayed. These CROs may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting clinical trials or other drug development activities which could compete with recruitment of our clinical trials.

If our relationship with any of these CROs terminates, we may be delayed in entering into new arrangements with alternative CROs or unable to do so on commercially reasonable terms. Changing CROs during an ongoing clinical trial involves substantial cost, requires management time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays occur, which can negatively impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we intend to carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.

In addition, principal investigators for our clinical trials may serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and receive compensation in connection with such services. Under certain circumstances, we may be required to report some of these relationships to the FDA. The FDA may conclude that a financial relationship between us and a principal investigator has created a conflict of interest or otherwise affected interpretation of the trial. The FDA may therefore question the integrity of the data generated at the applicable clinical trial site and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized. This could result in a delay in approval, or rejection, of our marketing applications by the FDA and may ultimately lead to the denial of marketing approval of our product candidates.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business and involves complex legal, business and scientific issues. If we breach the Onyx License Agreement, we could lose the ability to continue the development and commercialization of zetomipzomib.

The licensing of intellectual property is of critical importance to our business and to our current and future product candidates, and we expect to enter into additional such agreements in the future. In particular, our immunoproteasome program, including zetomipzomib, is dependent on the Onyx License Agreement. Pursuant to the Onyx License Agreement, Onyx granted us an exclusive license under certain patent rights, and a non-exclusive license to certain know-how, in each case controlled by Onyx, to develop, manufacture and

commercialize certain types of compounds, including zetomipzomib, that are selective inhibitors of the immunoproteasome for any and all uses, other than those related to the diagnosis or treatment in humans of cancerous or pre-cancerous diseases or conditions, including those related to hematological diseases or conditions.

The licensed compounds, including zetomipzomib, are selective for the immunoproteasome and therefore are not known or believed, based on scientific literature and the Company’s own research and development activities, to have any application in cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. However, notwithstanding these known characteristics of the licensed compounds, Onyx retains all rights under the licensed intellectual property rights that are not granted to the Company, and therefore Onyx retains rights under such intellectual property rights to develop and commercialize the licensed compounds in connection with the diagnosis or treatment in humans of cancerous or pre-cancerous diseases or conditions, including those related to hematological diseases or conditions, and also has the rights to transfer these rights to a third-party. If Onyx or its licensee develops and commercializes any of the licensed compounds in cancer or pre-cancerous indications that are commercially interchangeable with our product candidates, including zetomipzomib, sales by Onyx or its licensee of such compounds for cancer and pre-cancerous indications could result in the threat of off-label use in our licensed field, potentially diminishing our sales of the applicable licensed compounds in our licensed field.

The Onyx License Agreement may limit or delay our ability to consummate certain transactions, may impact the value of those transactions, or may limit our ability to pursue certain activities. Specifically, under the Onyx License Agreement, Onyx has a right of first negotiation under certain circumstances to obtain a license or a similar transfer of rights, if we are seeking to out-license rights to develop and/or commercialize certain licensed products.

Disputes may arise between us and any of these counterparties regarding intellectual property rights that are subject to such agreements, including, but not limited to:

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the scope of rights granted under the agreement and other interpretation-related issues;

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whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the agreement;

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our right to sublicense patent and other rights to third parties;

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our diligence obligations with respect to the use of the licensed technology in relation to our development and commercialization of our product candidates, and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;

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the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by our licensors and us and our partners;

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our right to transfer or assign our license; and

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the effects of termination.

These or other disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed, or will license or acquire in the future, may prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current arrangements on acceptable terms or may impair the value of the arrangement to us. Any such dispute could have an adverse effect on our business.

If we fail to meet our obligations under these agreements in any material respect, the counterparty may have the right to terminate the respective agreement. Any uncured, material breach under a license could result in our loss of exclusive rights and may lead to a complete termination of our product development and any commercialization efforts for each of our product candidates. While we would expect to exercise all rights and remedies available to us, including seeking to cure any breach by us, and otherwise seek to preserve our rights under the technology licensed to or acquired by us, we may not be able to do so in a timely manner, at an acceptable cost or at all.

Furthermore, certain provisions in our intellectual property agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could affect the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or affect financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we are unable to obtain and maintain patent protection for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates, or if the scope of the patent protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, or if our patents are insufficient to protect our product candidates for an adequate amount of time, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

We rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to our development programs and product candidates. Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection in the United States and other countries with respect to zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates.

We seek to protect our proprietary position by, among other methods, filing patent applications in the United States and abroad related to our current and future research programs and product candidates. The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner.

We file patent applications directed to our product candidates in an effort to establish intellectual property positions directed to their compositions of matter as well as uses of these product candidates in the treatment of diseases. Our intellectual property includes patents and patent applications that we own as well as patents and patent applications that we in-license. For example, we have a field-specific exclusive license under the Onyx License Agreement to certain patents and patent applications relating to zetomipzomib.

We or our licensors have not pursued or maintained, and may not pursue or maintain in the future, patent protection for our product candidates in every country or territory in which we may sell our products, if approved. In addition, we cannot be sure that any of our pending patent applications will issue or that, if issued, they have or will issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, international patent offices or judicial bodies may deny or significantly narrow claims made under our patent applications and our issued patents may be successfully challenged, may be designed around, or may otherwise be of insufficient scope to provide us with protection for our commercial products.

It is possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection. Moreover, patent prosecution is a lengthy process, during which the scope of the claims initially submitted for examination by the USPTO may be significantly narrowed by the time they issue, if issued at all. The claims of our issued patents or patent applications when issued may not cover our current or future product candidates, or even if such patents provide coverage, the coverage obtained may not provide any competitive advantage. The patent applications that we own or in-license may fail to result in issued patents with claims that cover our current or any future product candidates in the United States or in other foreign countries. There is no assurance that all of the potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found, which can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from issuing from a pending patent application. Even if patents do successfully issue and even if such patents cover our current or any future product candidates, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowed, invalidated, or held unenforceable. Any successful opposition to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of any product candidates or companion diagnostic that we may develop. Further, if we encounter delays in clinical trials or regulatory approvals, the period of time during which we could market our product candidates under patent protection would be reduced.

If the patent applications we hold or have in-licensed with respect to our development programs and product candidates fail to issue, if their breadth or strength of protection is threatened, or if they fail to provide meaningful exclusivity for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to develop and commercialize product candidates and future drugs and threaten our ability to commercialize, future drugs. Any such outcome could have a negative effect on our business.

The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies generally is highly uncertain, involves complex legal and factual questions and has in recent years been the subject of much litigation. In addition, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. For example, European patent law restricts the patentability of methods of treatment of the human body more than United States law does. Furthermore, other parties may have developed or may develop technologies that may be related or competitive to our own, and such parties may have filed or may file patent applications, or may have received or may receive patents, claiming inventions that may overlap or conflict with those claimed in our patent applications or issued patents. Publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after the initial filing. Therefore, we cannot know with certainty whether we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our owned or licensed patents or pending patent applications, or that we were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions until such publication dates have passed. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our patent rights are highly uncertain. Our pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or drugs, in whole or in part, or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and drugs. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection.

Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents. On September 16, 2011, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the Leahy-Smith Act, was signed into law. The Leahy-Smith Act includes a number of significant changes to the United States patent law. These include provisions that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and may affect the scope, strength and enforceability of our patent rights or the nature of proceedings that may be brought by or against us related to our patent rights. The Leahy-Smith Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents, all of which could harm our business and financial condition.

Moreover, we may be subject to a third-party pre-issuance submission of prior art to the USPTO or become involved in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review or interference proceedings challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others. An adverse determination in any such submission, proceeding or litigation could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, our patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or drugs and compete directly with us without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize drugs without infringing third-party patent rights. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates.

The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, and our owned and licensed patents may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad. For example, we may be subject to a third-party submission of prior art to the USPTO challenging the priority of an invention claimed within one of our patents, which submissions may also be made prior to a patent’s issuance, precluding the granting of any of our pending patent applications. An adverse determination in any such challenges may result in loss of exclusivity or in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, in whole or in part, which could limit our ability to stop others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and drugs, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and drugs. Moreover, patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from the earliest filing date of a non-provisional patent application. Various extensions may be available; however, the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Upon the expiration of patent protection for zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates, we may be open to competition from generic versions of such drugs. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting our product candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing drugs similar or identical to ours.

Even if they are unchallenged, our patents may not provide us with any meaningful protection or prevent competitors from designing around our patent claims to circumvent our owned or licensed patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. For example, a third-party may develop a competitive drug that is structurally similar to one or more of our product candidates but that has a different composition that falls outside the scope of our patent protection. If the patent protection provided by our patents is not sufficiently broad to impede such competition, or if the breadth, strength or term (including any extensions or adjustments) of protection provided by our patents is successfully challenged, our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates could be negatively affected, which would harm our business.

Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time.

Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates such as zetomipzomib and KZR-261, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. We expect to seek extensions of patent terms in the United States and, if available, in other countries where we are prosecuting patents. In the United States, the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 permits a patent term extension of up to five years beyond the normal expiration of the patent, which is limited to the approved indication, or any additional indications approved during the period of extension. However, the applicable authorities, including the FDA and the USPTO in the United States, and any equivalent regulatory authority in other countries, may not agree with our assessment of whether such extensions are available, and may refuse to grant extensions to our patents, or may grant more limited extensions than we request. If this occurs, our competitors may be able to take advantage of our investment in development and clinical trials by referencing our clinical and preclinical data and launch their drug earlier than might otherwise be the case.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements imposed by government patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition, periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other government fees on patents and applications will have to be paid to the USPTO and various government patent agencies outside of the United States over the lifetime of our owned and licensed patents and applications and any patent rights we may own or license in the future. We rely on our outside counsel or our licensing partners to pay these fees due to non-U.S. patent agencies. The USPTO and various non-U.S. government patent agencies require compliance with several procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply, and we are also dependent on our licensors to take the necessary action to comply with these requirements with respect to our licensed intellectual property. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we or our licensors fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products or technologies, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are

the same as or similar to our product candidates, which would have a material adverse effect on our business. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. There are situations, however, in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, potential competitors might be able to enter the market and this circumstance could harm our business.

In addition, if we fail to apply for applicable patent term extensions or adjustments, we will have a more limited time during which we can enforce our granted patents. In addition, if we are responsible for patent prosecution and maintenance of patent rights in-licensed to us, any of the foregoing could expose us to liability to the applicable patent owner.

Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have a negative impact on the success of our business.

Our commercial success depends, in part, upon our ability and the ability of our future collaborators to develop, manufacture, market and sell zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates and use our proprietary technologies without infringing the proprietary rights and intellectual property of third parties. The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are characterized by extensive and complex litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. We may in the future become party to, or be threatened with, adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates and technology, including interference proceedings, post grant review and inter partes review before the USPTO. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing patents or patents that may be granted in the future, regardless of their merit. There is a risk that third parties may choose to engage in litigation with us to enforce or to otherwise assert their patent rights against us. Even if we believe such claims are without merit, a court of competent jurisdiction could hold that these third-party patents are valid, enforceable and infringed, which could have a negative impact on our ability to commercialize zetomipzomib, KZR-261 or any future product candidates. In order to successfully challenge the validity of any such U.S. patent in federal court, we would need to overcome a presumption of validity. As this burden is a high one requiring us to present clear and convincing evidence as to the invalidity of any such U.S. patent claim, there is no assurance that a court of competent jurisdiction would invalidate the claims of any such U.S. patent. Moreover, given the vast number of patents in our field of technology, we cannot be certain that we do not infringe existing patents or that we will not infringe patents that may be granted in the future. Many companies and research institutions have filed, and continue to file, patent applications related to selective immunoproteasome inhibitors and protein secretion inhibitors. Some of these patent applications have already been allowed or issued, and others may issue in the future. While we may decide to initiate proceedings to challenge the validity of these or other patents in the future, we may be unsuccessful, and courts or patent offices in the United States and abroad could uphold the validity of any such patent. Furthermore, because patent applications can take many years to issue and may be confidential for 18 months or more after filing, and because pending patent claims can be revised before issuance, there may be applications now pending which may later result in issued patents that may be infringed by the manufacture, use or sale of our product candidates. Regardless of when filed, we may fail to identify relevant third party patents or patent applications, or we may incorrectly conclude that a third-party patent is invalid or not infringed by our product candidates or activities. If a patent holder believes our product candidate infringes its patent, the patent holder may sue us even if we have received patent protection for our technology. Moreover, we may face patent infringement claims from non-practicing entities that have no relevant drug revenue and against whom our own patent portfolio may thus have no deterrent effect. If a patent infringement suit were threatened or brought against us, we could be forced to stop or delay research, development, manufacturing or sales of the drug or product candidate that is the subject of the actual or threatened suit.

If we are found to infringe a third party’s valid and enforceable intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third party to continue developing, manufacturing and marketing our product candidate(s) and technology. Under any such license, we would most likely be required to pay various types of fees, milestones, royalties or other amounts. Moreover, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

The licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and more established companies may also pursue strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, capital resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. We also may be unable to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights on terms that would allow us to make an appropriate return on our investment or at all. If we are unable to successfully obtain rights to required third-party intellectual property rights or maintain the existing intellectual property rights we have, we may have to abandon development of the relevant program or product candidate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Furthermore, even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors and other third parties access to the same technologies licensed to us, and it could require us to make substantial licensing and royalty payments. We could be forced, including by court order, to cease developing, manufacturing and commercializing the infringing technology or product candidate. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a patent or other intellectual property right. We may be required to indemnify

collaborators or contractors against such claims. A finding of infringement could prevent us from manufacturing and commercializing our product candidates or force us to cease some or all of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation can be expensive and time consuming and would divert management’s attention from our core business. Claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties could have a similar negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, the patents of our licensors or our other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe or otherwise violate our patents, the patents of our licensors or our other intellectual property rights. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file legal claims, which can be expensive and time consuming and is likely to divert significant resources from our core business, including distracting our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours or our licensors is not valid or is unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents do not cover the technology in question. An adverse result in any litigation or defense proceedings could put one or more of our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and could put our patent applications at risk of not issuing. The initiation of a claim against a third party may also cause the third party to bring counter claims against us such as claims asserting that our patents are invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness, non-enablement or lack of statutory subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant material information from the USPTO, or made a materially misleading statement, during prosecution. Third parties may also raise similar validity claims before the USPTO in post-grant proceedings such as ex parte reexaminations, inter partes review, or post-grant review, or oppositions or similar proceedings outside the United States, in parallel with litigation or even outside the context of litigation. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable. We cannot be certain that there is or will be no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. For the patents and patent applications that we have licensed, we may have limited or no right to participate in the defense of any licensed patents against challenge by a third party. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of any future patent protection on our current or future product candidates. Such a loss of patent protection could harm our business.

We may not be able to prevent, alone or with our licensors, misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the United States. Our business could be harmed if in litigation the prevailing party does not offer us a license, and such a license may not be on commercially reasonable terms. Any litigation or other proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights may fail, and even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources and more mature and developed intellectual property portfolios. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may not be able to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating or from successfully challenging our intellectual property rights. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.

Changes in U.S. patent law or the patent law of other countries or jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our product candidates.

The United States has recently enacted and implemented wide ranging patent reform legislation. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on several patent cases in recent years, either narrowing the scope of patent protection available in certain circumstances or weakening the rights of patent owners in certain situations. In addition to increasing uncertainty with regard to our ability to obtain patents in the future, this combination of events has created uncertainty with respect to the value of patents, once obtained. Depending on actions by the U.S. Congress, the federal courts, and the USPTO, the laws and regulations governing patents could change in unpredictable ways that could weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we might obtain in the future. Similarly, changes in patent law and regulations in other countries or jurisdictions, changes in the governmental bodies that enforce them or changes in how the relevant governmental authority enforces patent laws or regulations may weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we may obtain in the future.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.

In addition to seeking patent protection for our product candidates, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to maintain our competitive position. We seek to protect our trade secrets, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside scientific collaborators, contract manufacturers, consultants, advisors and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. Despite these efforts, any of these parties may breach the agreements and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures of our intellectual property is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be effective. In addition, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any such breaches. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets.

Moreover, our competitors may independently develop knowledge, methods and know-how equivalent to our trade secrets. Competitors could purchase our products and replicate some or all of the competitive advantages we derive from our development efforts for technologies on which we do not have patent protection. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor, we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our competitive position would be harmed.

We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data and other confidential information by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems, agreements or security measures may be breached and detecting the disclosure or misappropriation of confidential information and enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated confidential information is difficult, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. Further, we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our confidential information may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors, in which case we would have no right to prevent them, or those to whom they communicate it, from using that technology or information to compete with us.

Reliance on third parties requires us to share our trade secrets, which increases the possibility that a competitor will discover them or that our trade secrets will be misappropriated or disclosed.

Since we rely on third parties to develop and manufacture zetomipzomib and KZR-261, and if we collaborate with third parties for the development of our research programs or product candidates, we must, at times, share trade secrets with them. We may also conduct collaborative research and development programs that may require us to share trade secrets and proprietary know how. We seek to protect our proprietary information by entering into agreements containing confidentiality obligations and ownership provisions relating to intellectual property prior to disclosing proprietary information or beginning research projects with third party collaborators. These agreements typically limit the rights of the third parties to use or disclose our confidential information, including our trade secrets. Despite the contractual provisions employed when working with third parties, sharing trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known by our competitors, are inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others, or are disclosed or used in violation of these agreements. Given that our proprietary position is based, in part, on our know-how and trade secrets, the unauthorized disclosure or use of our confidential information could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In addition, these agreements typically restrict the ability of our collaborators, advisors, employees, investigators, contractors and consultants to publish data potentially relating to our trade secrets. Despite our efforts to protect our trade secrets, we may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical know-how or other trade secrets by the parties to these agreements. Moreover, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to our confidential information or proprietary technology and processes. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures is difficult, and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary technologies will be effective. If any of the collaborators, advisors, employees, investigators, contractors and consultants who are parties to these agreements breaches or violates the terms of any of these agreements, we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach or violation, and we could lose our trade secrets as a result. Moreover, if confidential information that is licensed or disclosed to us by our partners, collaborators, or others is inadvertently disclosed or subject to a breach or violation, we may be exposed to liability to the owner of that confidential information. Enforcing a claim that a third-party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets, like patent litigation, is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the United States are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world, which could negatively impact our business.

Filing, prosecuting and defending patents covering zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection

to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we may obtain patent protection but where patent enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued or licensed patents and any future patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so competing.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our business.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations and may not adequately protect our business. The following examples are illustrative:

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others may be able to make compounds or formulations that are similar to our product candidates but that are not covered by the claims of any patents, should they issue, that we own or control;

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we or any strategic partners might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the issued patents or pending patent applications that we own or control;

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we might not have been the first to file patent applications covering certain of our inventions;

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others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;

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it is possible that our pending patent applications will not lead to issued patents;

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issued patents that we own or control may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable as a result of legal challenges;

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our competitors might conduct research and development activities in the United States and other countries that provide a safe harbor from patent infringement claims for certain research and development activities, as well as in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive drugs for sale in our major commercial markets;

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we may not develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; and

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the patents of others may prevent us from fully exploiting our product candidates or technologies.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations, Employee Matters and Managing Growth

We are highly dependent on the services of our Chief Executive Officer, John Fowler, our President and Chief Scientific Officer, Christopher Kirk, Ph.D., and our Chief Medical Officer, Noreen Henig, M.D. Each of them may terminate their employment with us at any time. The loss of the services of any of these persons could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives.

Recruiting and retaining other senior executives, qualified scientific and clinical personnel and, if we progress the development of any of our product candidates, commercialization, manufacturing and sales and marketing personnel, will be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Additionally, we do not currently maintain “key person” life insurance on the lives of our executives or any of our employees. Replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize our product candidates. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for similar personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.

We will need to expand our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth, which could disrupt our operations.

As the clinical development of our product candidates progresses, we also expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of research, drug development, medical affairs, regulatory affairs and, if any of our product candidates receives marketing approval, sales, marketing and distribution. To manage our anticipated

future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

We are subject to stringent and changing obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; and other adverse business consequences.

In the ordinary course of business, we collect, receive, store, process, generate, use, transfer, disclose, make accessible, protect, secure, dispose of, transmit and share personal data and other sensitive information, including proprietary and confidential business data, trade secrets, intellectual property, data we collect about trial participants in connection with clinical trials, and sensitive third-party data, Our data processing activities subject us to numerous data privacy and security obligations, such as various laws, regulations, guidance, industry standards, external and internal privacy and security policies, contracts, and other obligations that govern the processing of personal data by us and on our behalf.

In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, and consumer protection laws. For example, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information. If we become subject to new data privacy laws, at the state level, the risk of enforcement action against us could increase because we may become subject to additional obligations, and the number of individuals or entities that can initiate actions against us may increase (including individuals, via a private right of action, and state actors). In addition, data privacy and security laws have been proposed at the federal, state, and local levels in recent years, which could further complicate compliance efforts.

Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations, and industry standards apply to data privacy and security. For example, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR and the United Kingdom’s GDPR, or UK GDPR impose strict requirements for processing the personal data of individuals located, respectively within the European Economic Area, or EEA and the United Kingdom, or UK. For example, under the EU GDPR, government regulators may impose temporary or definitive bans on data processing, as well as fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater. Further, individuals may initiate litigation related to our processing of their personal data. Certain jurisdictions have enacted data localization laws and cross-border personal data transfer laws. For example, absent appropriate safeguards or other circumstances, the EU GDPR generally restricts the transfer of personal data to countries outside of the EEA, such as the United States, which the European Commission does not consider to provide an adequate level of data privacy and security. The European Commission released a set of “Standard Contractual Clauses” that are designed to be a valid mechanism by which entities can transfer personal data out of the EEA to jurisdictions that the European Commission has not found to provide an adequate level of protection. Currently, these Standard Contractual clauses are a valid mechanism to transfer personal data outside of the EEA. The Standard Contractual Clauses, however, require parties that rely upon that legal mechanism to comply with additional obligations, such as conducting transfer impact assessments to determine whether additional security measures are necessary to protect the at-issue personal data. Moreover, due to potential legal challenges, there exists some uncertainty regarding whether the Standard Contractual Clauses will remain a valid mechanism for transfers of personal data out of the EEA. In addition, laws in Switzerland and the UK similarly restrict transfers of personal data outside of those jurisdictions to countries such as the United States of America that do not provide an adequate level of personal data protection. In addition to European restrictions on cross-border transfers of personal data, other jurisdictions have enacted or are considering similar cross-border personal data transfer laws and local personal data residency laws, any of which could increase the cost and complexity of doing business. If we cannot implement a valid compliance mechanism for cross-border privacy and security transfers, we may face increased exposure to regulatory actions, substantial fines, and injunctions against processing or transferring personal data from Europe or elsewhere. The inability to import personal data to the United States could significantly and negatively impact our business operations, including by limiting our ability to conduct clinical trial activities in Europe and elsewhere; limiting our ability to collaborate with parties that are subject to European and other data privacy and security laws; or requiring us to increase our personal data processing capabilities in Europe and/or elsewhere at significant expense.

Our obligations related to data privacy and security are quickly changing in an increasingly stringent fashion. These obligations may be subject to differing applications and interpretations, which may be inconsistent or in conflict among jurisdictions. Preparing for and complying with these obligations requires us to devote significant resources (including, without limitation, financial and time-related resources). These obligations may necessitate changes to our information technologies, systems, and practices and to those of any third parties that process personal data on our behalf. Although we endeavor to comply with all applicable data privacy and security obligations, we may at times fail (or be perceived to have failed) to do so. Moreover, despite our efforts, our personnel or third parties upon whom we rely may fail to comply with such obligations which could impact our compliance posture. If we fail, or

are perceived to have failed, to address or comply with data privacy and security obligations, we could face significant consequences. These consequences may include, but are not limited to, government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and similar); litigation (including class-related claims); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing personal data; orders to destroy or not use personal data; and imprisonment of company officials. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, or financial condition, including but not limited to: loss of customers; interruptions or stoppages in our business operations (including clinical trials); inability to process personal data or to operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or revision or restructuring of our operations.

Significant disruptions of our, or our contractors' or vendors', information technology systems or data security incidents could result in significant financial, legal, regulatory, business and reputational harm to us.

In the ordinary course of our business, we may process proprietary, confidential, and sensitive data, including personal data (such as health-related data), intellectual property, and trade secrets. We may rely upon third parties (such as service providers) for our data processing–related activities. We may share or receive sensitive data with or from third parties. We are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, including mobile technologies, to operate our business. Cyberattacks, malicious internet-based activity, and online and offline fraud are prevalent and continue to increase. These threats are becoming increasingly difficult to detect. These threats come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors. Some actors now engage and are expected to continue to engage in cyber-attacks, including without limitation nation-state actors for geopolitical reasons and in conjunction with military conflicts and defense activities. During times of war and other major conflicts, we and the third parties upon which we rely may be vulnerable to a heightened risk of these attacks, including cyber-attacks that could materially disrupt our systems and operations, supply chain, and ability to produce, sell and distribute our goods and services. We and the third parties upon which we rely may be subject to a variety of evolving threats, including but not limited to social-engineering attacks (including through phishing attacks), malicious code (such as viruses and worms), malware (including as a result of advanced persistent threat intrusions), denial-of-service attacks (such as credential stuffing), personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failures, loss of data or other information technology assets, adware, telecommunications failures, earthquakes, fires, floods, and other similar threats. Ransomware attacks, including those perpetrated by organized criminal threat actors, nation-states, and nation-state-supported actors, are becoming increasingly prevalent and severe and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, loss of data and income, reputational harm, and diversion of funds. Extortion payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments. Similarly, supply-chain attacks have increased in frequency and severity, and we cannot guarantee that third parties and infrastructure in our supply chain or our third-party partners’ supply chains have not been compromised or that they do not contain exploitable defects or bugs that could result in a breach of or disruption to our information technology systems or the third-party information technology systems that support us and our services.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have more employees working remotely, which poses increased risks to our information technology systems and data, as more of our employees work from home, utilizing network connections outside our premises. Future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies.

Any of the previously identified or similar threats could cause a security incident. A security incident could result in unauthorized, unlawful, or accidental acquisition, modification, destruction, loss, alteration, encryption, disclosure of, or access to data. A security incident could disrupt our ability (and that of third parties upon whom we rely) to conduct our business. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. We may expend significant resources or modify our business activities (including our clinical trial activities) in an effort to protect against security incidents. Certain data privacy and security obligations may require us to implement and maintain specific security measures, industry-standard or reasonable security measures to protect our information technology systems and data. While we have implemented security measures designed to protect against security incidents, there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective. Applicable data privacy and security obligations may require us to notify relevant stakeholders of security incidents. Such disclosures are costly, and the disclosures or the failure to comply with such requirements could lead to adverse consequences. If we (or a third party upon whom we rely) experience a security incident or are perceived to have experienced a security incident, we may experience adverse consequences. These consequences may include government enforcement actions (for example, investigations, fines, penalties, audits, and inspections); additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; restrictions on processing data (including personal data); litigation (including class claims); indemnification obligations; negative publicity; reputational harm; monetary fund diversions; interruptions in our operations (including availability of data); financial loss; and other similar harms. Security incidents and attendant consequences may negatively impact our ability to grow and operate our business.

Our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations. Additionally, we cannot be sure that our insurance coverage will be adequate or sufficient to protect us from or to mitigate liabilities arising out of our privacy and security practices, that such coverage will continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that such coverage will pay future claims.

Our employees, principal investigators, consultants and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements and insider trading.

We are exposed to the risk of fraud or other misconduct by our employees, principal investigators, consultants and commercial partners. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional failures to comply with FDA regulations or the regulations applicable in other jurisdictions, provide accurate information to the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities, comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Such misconduct also could involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials or interactions with the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, which could result in regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from government investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. Further, because of the work-from-home policies we implemented due to COVID-19, information that is normally protected, including company confidential information, may be less secure. If actions are instituted against us and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion from participating in government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws, contractual damages, reputational harm and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

If we engage in future acquisitions or strategic collaborations, this may increase our capital requirements, dilute our stockholders, cause us to incur debt or assume contingent liabilities and subject us to other risks.

From time to time, we may evaluate various acquisitions and strategic collaborations, including licensing or acquiring complementary drugs, intellectual property rights, technologies or businesses, as deemed appropriate to carry out our business plan. Any potential acquisition or strategic partnership may entail numerous risks, including:

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increased operating expenses and cash requirements;

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the assumption of additional indebtedness or contingent liabilities;

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assimilation of operations, intellectual property and drugs of an acquired company, including difficulties associated with integrating new personnel;

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the diversion of our management’s attention from our existing drug programs and initiatives in pursuing such a strategic partnership, merger or acquisition;

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retention of key employees, the loss of key personnel, and uncertainties in our ability to maintain key business relationships;

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risks and uncertainties associated with the other party to such a transaction, including the prospects of that party and their existing drugs or product candidates and regulatory approvals; and

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our inability to generate revenue from acquired technology and/or drugs sufficient to meet our objectives in undertaking the acquisition or even to offset the associated acquisition and maintenance costs.

In addition, if we engage in future acquisitions or strategic partnerships, we may issue dilutive securities, assume or incur debt obligations, incur large one-time expenses and acquire intangible assets that could result in significant future amortization expense. Moreover, we may not be able to locate suitable acquisition opportunities, and this inability could impair our ability to grow or obtain access to technology or drugs that may be important to the development of our business.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock and Other General Matters

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile. For example, on May 3, 2022, the closing price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $12.32, and on May 4, 2022, following the announcement of topline data from our PRESIDIO trial, the closing price of our common stock was $6.96. The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies, which has resulted in decreased stock prices for many companies notwithstanding the lack of a fundamental change in their underlying business models or prospects. Broad market and industry factors, including potentially worsening economic conditions, including higher inflation rates and changes in interest rates, and other adverse effects or developments relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the price paid for the shares. In addition to the factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section, the market price for our common stock may be influenced by the following:

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the commencement, enrollment or results of our planned or future clinical trials of zetomipzomib, KZR-261 and any future product candidates;

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the clinical or commercial success of competitive drugs, therapies or technologies;

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regulatory or legal developments in the United States and other countries;

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disputes or other developments relating to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for our technologies;

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negative or inconclusive results from our clinical trials, such as the May 2022 topline data from PRESIDIO;

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failure or discontinuation of any of our clinical development or research programs;

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the recruitment or departure of key personnel;

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the level of expenses related to our product candidates and clinical development or research programs;

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our ability to discover, develop and broaden our pipeline beyond our current product candidates;

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commencement or termination of collaborations for our research and development programs;

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actual or anticipated changes in estimates as to financial results or development timelines;

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changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any, that cover our stock;

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our inability to obtain or delays in manufacturing adequate supply for our clinical trials or the inability to do so at acceptable costs;

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significant lawsuits, including patent or stockholder litigation or products liability claims;

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variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;

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announcement, expectation or completion of additional financing efforts;

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changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;

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market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;

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general economic, political, and market conditions and overall fluctuations in the financial markets in the United States and abroad, including as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian incursion into Ukraine; and

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investors’ general perception of us and our business.

These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from selling their shares at or above the price paid for the shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock.

Some companies that have experienced volatility in the trading price of their shares have been the subject of securities class action litigation. Any lawsuit to which we are a party, with or without merit, may result in an unfavorable judgment. We also may decide to settle lawsuits on unfavorable terms. Any such negative outcome could result in payments of substantial damages or fines, damage to

our reputation or adverse changes to our business practices. Defending against litigation is costly and time-consuming, and could divert our management’s attention and our resources. Furthermore, during the course of litigation, there could be negative public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments, which could have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports, or publish unfavorable research or reports, about our business or our market, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. Equity research analysts may discontinue research coverage of our common stock, and such lack of research coverage may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We do not have any control over the analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our shares could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our shares or issue other unfavorable commentary or research about us. If one or more equity research analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our shares could decrease, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume of our common stock to decline.

Unstable market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and share price.

The global economy, including credit and financial markets, has experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, increases in inflation rates, changes in interest rates and uncertainty about economic stability. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in widespread unemployment, economic slowdown and extreme volatility in the capital markets. Similarly, the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia has created extreme volatility in the global capital markets and is expected to have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global supply chain and energy markets. Any such volatility and disruptions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties on whom we rely. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, including as a result of political unrest or war, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult to obtain in a timely manner or on favorable terms, more costly or more dilutive.

A severe or prolonged global economic downturn could result in a variety of risks to our business. For example, inflation rates, particularly in the United States, have increased recently to levels not seen in years, and increased inflation may result in increases in our operating costs (including our labor costs), reduced liquidity and limits on our ability to access credit or otherwise raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation, which coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks. A weak or declining economy could also strain our suppliers and manufacturers, possibly resulting in supply and clinical trial disruption. Any of the foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all of the ways in which the current economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.

Our common stock is thinly traded and our stockholders may be unable to sell their shares quickly or at market price.

Although we have had periods of high-volume daily trading in our common stock, generally our stock is thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. Our common stock price could, for example, decline significantly as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock on the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a seasoned issuer that could better absorb those sales without adverse impact on its share price, or from the perception that these sales could occur.

Concentration of ownership of our common stock among our existing executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.

Based upon our shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2022, our executive officers, directors and stockholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding common stock do, in the aggregate, beneficially own shares representing approximately 33% of our outstanding common stock. If our executive officers, directors and stockholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding common stock acted together, they may be able to significantly influence all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. The concentration of voting power and transfer restrictions could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire or result in the management of our company in ways with which other stockholders disagree.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

You should not rely on an investment in our common stock to provide dividend income. We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. Furthermore, our ability to pay cash dividends is currently restricted by the terms of the Loan Agreement. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, the terms of any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to such companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” or EGC, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of some of the exemptions from reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including:

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not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting;

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not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements;

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reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation; and

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not being required to hold a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

We currently take advantage of some or all of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an EGC. We will remain an EGC until the earlier of (i) December 31, 2023, (ii) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (iii) the last day of the first fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (iv) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile.

In addition, under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act, EGCs can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not EGCs.

We are also a smaller reporting company as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as (i) our voting and non-voting common stock held by nonaffiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter or (ii) our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.

We will continue to incur increased costs as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an EGC, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costlier. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, we will be required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, while we remain an EGC and smaller reporting company, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To achieve compliance with Section 404 within the prescribed period, we will be engaged in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to conclude within the prescribed timeframe that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. This could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our consolidated financial statements.

Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our corporate charter and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. These provisions also could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Among other things, these provisions:

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establish a classified board of directors such that not all members of the board are elected at one time;

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allow the authorized number of our directors to be changed only by resolution of our board of directors;

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limit the manner in which stockholders can remove directors from the board;

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establish advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals that can be acted on at stockholder meetings and nominations to our board of directors;

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require that stockholder actions must be affected at a duly called stockholder meeting and prohibit actions by our stockholders by written consent;

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limit who may call stockholder meetings;

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authorize our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to institute a stockholder rights plan, or so-called “poison pill,” that would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, effectively preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our board of directors; and

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require the approval of the holders of at least 66 2⁄3% of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast to amend or repeal certain provisions of our charter or bylaws.

Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner. These provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock, including transactions that may be in your best interests. These provisions may also prevent changes in our management or limit the price that investors are willing to pay for our stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law:

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any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf;

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any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty;

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any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents arising under the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws;

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any action or proceeding to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws; and

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any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents that is governed by the internal-affairs doctrine.

This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation further provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. This may require significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions and there can be no assurance that the provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions.

These exclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. If a court were to find either exclusive-forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could seriously harm our business.

Item 6. Exhibits.


Exhibit Number		Description
3.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38542), filed with the SEC on June 26, 2018).
3.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38542), filed with the SEC on June 26, 2018).
4.1		Form of Pre-Funded Warrant (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-38542), filed with the SEC on February 3, 2020).
10.1+		Executive Employment Agreement between the Company and Nick Mordwinkin, Ph.D., dated July 11, 2022.
31.1		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1*		Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS		Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL Document.
101.SCH		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with applicable taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibit 101).

* Furnished herewith and not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act (whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q), irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


	Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (Registrant)

Date: November 10, 2022	By:	/s/ John Fowler
		John Fowler
		Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

Date: November 10, 2022	By:	/s/ Marc Belsky
		Marc Belsky
		Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

EX-10.1

Exhibit 10.1

EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

This EXECUTIVE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of July 11, 2022 (the “Effective Date”), between Nick Mordwinkin, Ph.D. (“Executive”) and KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC. (the “Company”). Certain capitalized terms used in this Agreement are defined in Article 7.

RECITALS

The Company is a biopharmaceutical company.

The Company desires to employ Executive, or to continue Executive’s employment, in the position set forth below, and Executive wishes to be employed, or continue to be employed, by the Company in such position, upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

AGREEMENT

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein, the Company and Executive agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1

PRELIMINARY MATTERS

1.1

Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall be effective on the Effective Date.

ARTICLE 2

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

2.1

Appointment. Executive’s start date will be July 11, 2022 (the “Start Date”). Executive shall serve as Chief Business Officer, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Executive shall perform the duties that are consistent with such position and that may be assigned to Executive by the Company from time to time. During Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive shall (i) devote substantially all of Executive’s business efforts to the Company, and (ii) faithfully and to the best of Executive’s abilities and experience, and in accordance with the standards and ethics of the business in which the Company is engaged, perform all duties that may be required of Executive by this Agreement, the Company’s policies and procedures, and such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned to Executive from time to time, as well as the directives of the Board. During Executive’s employment with the Company, Executive shall not engage in any activity that conflicts with or is detrimental to the Company’s best interests, as determined by the Board or Chief Executive Officer.

2.2

Employment Term. Executive will be employed by the Company on an “at-will” basis. This means that either the Company or Executive may terminate Executive’s employment at any time, for any reason, with or without Cause, and with or without advance notice (provided that Resignation for Good Reason (as defined below) requires certain advanced notice by Executive of Executive’s termination of employment). Subject to the terms herein, it also means that Executive’s job title, duties, responsibilities, reporting level, compensation and benefits, as well as the Company’s personnel policies and procedures, may be changed with or without notice at any time in the Company’s sole discretion. This at-will employment relationship shall not be modified by any conflicting actions or representations of any Company employee or other party before or during the term of Executive’s employment.

2.3

Compensation.

Annual Base Salary. Executive’s annual base salary shall be $350,000 per year (“Annual Base Salary”), payable in equal installments, less applicable deductions and withholdings, in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices. Executive’s Annual Base Salary shall be subject to review by the Company’s Board or compensation committee and may be adjusted, from time to time.

Benefits. Subject to the terms and conditions thereof and all eligibility requirements, Executive may participate in the employee benefits and benefit plans that the Company generally makes available to its full-time employees and for which Executive is eligible in accordance with the Company’s policies as in effect from time to time. Executive will also be eligible for vacation in accordance with the Company’s vacation policy as in effect from time to time. The benefits and benefit plans made available by the Company, and the rules, terms and conditions for participation in such benefit programs, may be changed by the Company at any time without advance notice.

Grant of Stock Option. Executive will be granted a stock option to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, which constitutes an “inducement award,” as contemplated by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), and shall be governed by the terms and conditions of the applicable stock option agreements, grant notices and the Company’s 2022 Inducement Plan, as amended (the “Inducement Plan”). The stock option will vest as to 25% on the one-year anniversary of your Start Date, and the balance will vest in 36 equal monthly installments thereafter. At the discretion of the Board or the Company’s compensation committee, Executive shall be eligible to receive additional options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock.

Bonus. In addition to Annual Base Salary, Executive shall be eligible to earn an annual performance bonus of up to 40% of Executive’s Annual Base Salary, which bonus shall be earned upon Executive’s attainment of objectives to be determined by the Board (or the compensation committee thereof) and continued employment with the Company (the “Target Performance Bonus”). The amount of and Executive’s eligibility for the Target Performance Bonus shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Board (or the compensation committee thereof). If earned, any Target Performance Bonus shall be paid to Executive, less authorized deductions and applicable withholdings, on or before March 15th following the calendar year during which such bonus was earned. Except as provided in Sections 3.2 and 4.2, Executive shall be eligible to earn the Target Performance Bonus only if Executive is actively employed with the Company on both the determination and payment dates for the Target Performance Bonus (and has not given or received notice of termination or resignation). Any bonus for 2022 will be pro-rated from the Start Date.

2.4

Reimbursement of Expenses. Subject to Section 5.10(c), the Company shall reimburse Executive for Executive’s necessary and reasonable business expenses incurred in connection with Executive’s duties in accordance with the Company’s generally applicable policies.

2.5

Indemnification/D&O Insurance. If Executive is made a party, is threatened to be made a party or reasonably anticipates being made a party, to any formal or informal action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “Proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he is or was an officer of the Company, Executive shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company to the fullest extent permitted by the Company’s bylaws against all cost, expense, liability and loss reasonably incurred or suffered by the Executive in connection therewith, as more fully described and subject to the terms and conditions of the indemnification agreement to be entered into between the Company and Executive (the “Indemnification Agreement”). Subject to the terms and conditions of the Indemnification Agreement, so long as Executive shall continue to serve as an officer of the Company (and for any applicable periods after termination with respect to acts performed as an employee of the Company), the Company shall use reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain in full force and effect

directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (the “D&O Insurance”) in reasonable amounts and Executive shall be covered under the D&O Insurance to the same extent as other of the Company’s executives.

ARTICLE 3

COVERED TERMINATION SEVERANCE BENEFITS

3.1

Severance Benefits. Upon a Covered Termination (as defined in Section 7.11), and subject to the limitations and conditions set forth in this Agreement, Executive shall be eligible to receive the benefits set forth in this Article 3. The receipt of any severance payments or benefits pursuant to this Agreement is subject to Executive signing and not revoking a separation agreement and general release of claims (the “Release”), in substantially the form attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A, Exhibit B, or Exhibit C, as appropriate, which Release must become effective and irrevocable no later than the sixtieth (60th) day following Executive’s termination of employment (the “Release Deadline Date”). If the Release does not become effective and irrevocable by the Release Deadline Date, Executive will forfeit any right to severance payments or benefits under this Agreement. In no event will severance payments or benefits be paid or provided until the Release actually becomes effective and irrevocable.

3.2

Salary and Pro-Rata Bonus Payment. In consideration of Executive’s execution and non-revocation of the Release by the Release Deadline Date, in a form provided by the Company and in accordance with Article 5, the Company shall pay Executive a severance payment equal to (i) the sum of Executive’s Monthly Base Salary and Pro-Rata Bonus multiplied by (ii) the number of months in the Covered Termination Severance Period, less applicable withholdings. “Covered Termination Severance Period” means the period of twelve (12) months commencing on the Termination Date. The severance payment shall be payable (except as set forth in Article 5) in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll procedure commencing on the first regularly-scheduled payroll date occurring on or after the Release Deadline Date.

3.3

Health Continuation Payments.

The Company will pay Executive on the first day of each month a fully taxable cash payment equal to the applicable premium for Executive, his spouse and any dependents for the group health plan maintained by the Company for the month in which the Covered Termination occurs, subject to applicable tax withholdings but grossed up for all taxes owed by the Executive on such payment, for the duration of the Covered Termination Benefits Period. “Covered Termination Benefits Period” means the period of twelve (12) months commencing on the Termination Date. Such coverage shall be counted as coverage pursuant to COBRA. The Company shall have no obligation in respect of any premium payments following the effective date of the Executive’s coverage by a health insurance plan of a subsequent employer. Executive shall be required to notify the Company immediately if Executive becomes covered by a health insurance plan of a subsequent employer.

For purposes of this Section 3.3, (i) references to COBRA shall be deemed to include analogous provisions of state law, and (ii) any applicable insurance premiums that are paid by the Company shall not include any amounts payable by Executive under a Code Section 125 health care reimbursement plan, which amounts, if any, are the sole responsibility of Executive.

ARTICLE 4

CHANGE IN CONTROL SEVERANCE BENEFITS

4.1

Severance Benefits. Upon a Change in Control Termination (as defined in Section 7.6), and subject to the limitations and conditions set forth in this Agreement, Executive shall be eligible to receive the benefits set forth in this Article 4. The receipt of any severance payments or benefits pursuant

to this Agreement is subject to Executive signing and not revoking the appropriate Release, which Release must become effective and irrevocable by the Release Deadline Date. If the Release does not become effective and irrevocable by the Release Deadline Date, Executive will forfeit any right to severance payments or benefits under this Agreement. In no event will severance payments or benefits be paid or provided until the Release actually becomes effective and irrevocable.

4.2

Salary Payment. In consideration of Executive’s execution and non-revocation of the Release by the Release Deadline Date, in a form provided by the Company and in accordance with Article 5, the Company shall pay Executive a severance payment equal to (i) the sum of Executive’s Monthly Base Salary and Pro-Rata Bonus multiplied by (ii) the number of months in the Change in Control Severance Period, less applicable withholdings. “Change in Control Severance Period” means the period of twelve (12) months commencing on the Termination Date. The severance payment shall be payable (except as set forth in Article 5) in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll procedure commencing on the first regularly-scheduled payroll date occurring on or after the Release Deadline Date.

4.3

Health Continuation Payments.

The Company will pay Executive on the first day of each month a fully taxable cash payment equal to the applicable premium for Executive, his spouse and any dependents for the group health plan maintained by the Company for the month in which the Change in Control Termination occurs, subject to applicable tax withholdings but grossed up for all taxes owed by the Executive on such payment, for the duration of the Change in Control Benefits Period. “Change in Control Benefits Period” means the period of twelve (12) months commencing on the Termination Date. Such coverage shall be counted as coverage pursuant to COBRA. The Company shall have no obligation in respect of any premium payments following the effective date of the Executive’s coverage by a health insurance plan of a subsequent employer. Executive shall be required to notify the Company immediately if Executive becomes covered by a health insurance plan of a subsequent employer.

For purposes of this Section 4.3, (i) references to COBRA shall be deemed to include analogous provisions of state law, and (ii) any applicable insurance premiums that are paid by the Company shall not include any amounts payable by Executive under a Code Section 125 health care reimbursement plan, which amounts, if any, are the sole responsibility of Executive.

4.4

Stock Awards. Upon a Change in Control Termination, (i) the vesting and exercisability of all outstanding options to purchase the Company’s common stock (or stock appreciation rights with respect to the stock of the Company issued pursuant to any equity incentive plan of the Company) that are held by Executive on the Termination Date shall be accelerated in full, and such options to the extent not exercised shall expire ninety (90) days after the Termination Date and (ii) any reacquisition or repurchase rights held by the Company with respect to common stock of the Company issued or issuable) pursuant to any other stock award granted to Executive or stock purchase agreement executed by Executive shall lapse.

ARTICLE 5

LIMITATIONS AND CONDITIONS ON BENEFITS

5.1

Rights Conditioned on Compliance. Executive’s rights to receive all severance benefits described in Article 3 and Article 4 shall be conditioned upon and subject to Executive’s compliance with the limitations and conditions on benefits as described in this Article 5.

5.2

Continuation of Service until Date of Termination. Executive shall continue to provide service to the Company in good faith until the Termination Date, unless such performance is otherwise excused in writing by the Company.

5.3

Release Prior to Payment of Benefits. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control Termination or a Covered Termination, as applicable, and prior to Executive earning any entitlement to any severance or separation benefits under this Agreement on account of such Change in Control Termination or Covered Termination, as applicable, Executive must execute the appropriate Release, and such Release must become effective in accordance with its terms, but in no event later than the Release Deadline Date. No amount shall be earned or paid prior to such date. Instead, on the first regularly-scheduled payroll date occurring on or after the Release Deadline Date, the Company will pay Executive the severance amount that Executive would otherwise have received on or prior to such date but for the delay in payment related to the effectiveness of the Release, with the balance of the severance amount being paid as originally scheduled. The Company may modify the Release in its discretion to comply with changes in applicable law at any time prior to Executive’s execution of such Release. Such Release shall specifically relate to all of Executive’s rights and claims in existence at the time of such execution and shall confirm Executive’s obligations under the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement and any similar obligations under applicable law. It is understood that, as specified in the applicable Release, Executive has a certain number of calendar days to consider whether to execute such Release. If Executive does not execute and deliver such Release within the applicable period, no benefits shall be provided or payable under this Agreement, and Executive shall have no further rights, title or interests in or to any severance benefits or payments pursuant to this Agreement. It is further understood that if Executive is age 40 or older at the time of a Change in Control Termination or a Covered Termination, as applicable, Executive may revoke the applicable Release within seven (7) calendar days after its execution by Executive. If Executive revokes such Release within such subsequent seven (7) day period, no benefits shall be provided or payable under this Agreement pursuant to such Change in Control Termination or Covered Termination, as applicable.

5.4

Return of Company Property. Not later than the Termination Date, Executive shall return to the Company all documents (and all copies thereof) and other property belonging to the Company that Executive has in his or her possession or control. The documents and property to be returned include, but are not limited to, all files, correspondence, email, memoranda, notes, notebooks, records, plans, forecasts, reports, studies, analyses, compilations of data, proposals, agreements, financial information, research and development information, marketing information, operational and personnel information, databases, computer-recorded information, tangible property and equipment (including, but not limited to, computers, facsimile machines, mobile telephones and servers), credit cards, entry cards, identification badges and keys, and any materials of any kind which contain or embody any proprietary or confidential information of the Company (and all reproductions thereof in whole or in part). Executive agrees to make a diligent search to locate any such documents, property and information. If Executive has used any personally owned computer, server or e-mail system to receive, store, review, prepare or transmit any Company confidential or proprietary data, materials or information, then within ten (10) business days after the Termination Date, Executive shall provide the Company with a computer-useable copy of all such information and then permanently delete and expunge such confidential or proprietary information from those systems. Executive agrees to provide the Company with a certification that the necessary copying and/or deletion is done.

5.5

Cooperation and Continued Compliance with Restrictive Covenants.

From and after the Termination Date, Executive shall cooperate fully, at reasonable times as agreed between Executive and the Company, with the Company in connection with its actual or contemplated defense, prosecution or investigation of any existing or future litigation, arbitrations, mediations, claims, demands, audits, government or regulatory inquiries, or other matters arising from events, acts or failures to act that occurred during the time period in which Executive was employed by the Company (including any period of employment with an entity acquired by the Company). Such cooperation includes, without limitation, being available upon reasonable notice, without subpoena, to provide accurate and complete advice, assistance and information to the Company, including offering and

explaining evidence, providing truthful and accurate sworn statements, and participating in discovery and trial preparation and testimony. Executive also agrees to promptly send the Company copies of all correspondence (for example, but not limited to, subpoenas) received by Executive in connection with any such legal proceedings, unless Executive is expressly prohibited by law from so doing. However, nothing in this Agreement prohibits Executive from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any governmental agency or entity, including but not limited to the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Congress, and any agency Inspector General, or making other disclosures that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of federal law or regulation. Executive does not need the prior authorization of the Company to make any such reports or disclosures, and is not required to notify the Company that Executive has made such reports or disclosures. The Company will reimburse Executive for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with any such cooperation (excluding foregone wages, salary or other compensation) within thirty (30) days of Executive’s timely presentation of appropriate documentation thereof, in accordance with the Company’s standard reimbursement policies and procedures. The Company will reasonably accommodate Executive’s scheduling needs with respect to any such cooperation after the Termination Date.

From and after the Termination Date, Executive shall continue to abide by all of the terms and provisions of the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement (and any other comparable agreement signed by Executive), in accordance with its terms.

Executive acknowledges and agrees that Executive’s obligations under this Section 5.5 are an essential part of the consideration Executive is providing hereunder in exchange for which and in reliance upon which the Company has agreed to provide the payments and benefits under this Agreement. Executive further acknowledges and agrees that Executive’s violation of this Section 5.5 inevitably would involve use or disclosure of the Company’s proprietary and confidential information. Accordingly, Executive agrees that Executive will forfeit, effective as of the date of any breach, any right, entitlement, claim or interest in or to any unpaid portion of the severance payments or benefits provided in Article 3 or Article 4. If it is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction in any state that any restriction in this Section 5.5 is excessive in duration or scope or is unreasonable or unenforceable under the laws of that state, it is the intention of the parties that such restriction may be modified or amended by the court to render it enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by the law of that state.

5.6

Parachute Payments.

Parachute Payment Limitation. If any payment or benefit (including payments and benefits pursuant to this Agreement) Executive would receive in connection with a Change in Control from the Company or otherwise (“Payment”) would (i) constitute a “parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, and (ii) but for this paragraph, be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then the Company shall cause to be determined, before any amounts of the Payment are paid to Executive, which of the following two alternative forms of payment shall be paid to Executive: (A) payment in full of the entire amount of the Payment (a “Full Payment”), or (B) payment of only a part of the Payment so that Executive receives the largest payment possible without the imposition of the Excise Tax (a “Reduced Payment”). A Full Payment shall be made in the event that the amount received by the Executive on a net after-tax basis is greater than what would be received by the Executive on a net after-tax basis if the Reduced Payment were made, otherwise a Reduced Payment shall be made. If a Reduced Payment is made, (i) the Payment shall be paid only to the extent permitted under the Reduced Payment alternative, and Executive shall have no rights to any additional payments and/or benefits constituting the Payment, and (ii) reduction in payments and/or benefits shall occur in the following order: (A) reduction of cash payments; (B) cancellation of accelerated vesting of equity awards other than stock options; (C) cancellation of accelerated vesting of stock options; and (D) reduction of other benefits paid to Executive. In the event that acceleration of

compensation from Executive’s equity awards is to be reduced, such acceleration of vesting shall be canceled in the reverse order of the date of grant.

The independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company for general audit purposes as of the day prior to the effective date of the Change in Control shall make all determinations required to be made under this Section 5.6. If the independent registered public accounting firm so engaged by the Company is serving as accountant or auditor for the individual, entity or group effecting the Change in Control, the Company shall appoint a nationally recognized independent registered public accounting firm to make the determinations required hereunder. The Company shall bear all expenses with respect to the determinations by such independent registered public accounting firm required to be made hereunder.

The independent registered public accounting firm engaged to make the determinations hereunder shall provide its calculations, together with detailed supporting documentation, to the Company and Executive within fifteen (15) calendar days after the date on which Executive’s right to a Payment is triggered (if requested at that time by the Company or Executive) or such other time as requested by the Company or Executive. If the independent registered public accounting firm determines that no Excise Tax is payable with respect to a Payment, either before or after the application of the Reduced Amount, it shall furnish the Company and Executive with an opinion reasonably acceptable to Executive that no Excise Tax will be imposed with respect to such Payment. Any good faith determinations of the accounting firm made hereunder shall be final, binding and conclusive upon the Company and Executive.

5.7

Certain Reductions and Offsets. To the extent that any federal, state or local laws, including, without limitation, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act or any other so-called “plant closing” laws, require the Company to give advance notice or make a payment of any kind to Executive because of Executive’s involuntary termination due to a layoff, reduction in force, plant or facility closing, sale of business, change in control or any other similar event or reason, the benefits payable under this Agreement shall be correspondingly reduced. The benefits provided under this Agreement are intended to satisfy any and all statutory obligations that may arise out of Executive’s involuntary termination of employment for the foregoing reasons, and the parties shall construe and enforce the terms of this Agreement accordingly.

5.8

Mitigation. Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, Executive shall not be required to mitigate damages or the amount of any payment provided under this Agreement by seeking other employment or otherwise, nor shall the amount of any payment provided for under this Agreement be reduced by any compensation earned by Executive as a result of employment by another employer or by any retirement benefits received by Executive after the date of a Change in Control Termination or Covered Termination (except as expressly provided in Sections 3.3 and 4.3 above).

5.9

Indebtedness of Executive. If Executive is indebted to the Company on the effective date of a Change in Control Termination or Covered Termination, the Company reserves the right to offset any severance payments and benefits under this Agreement by the amount of such indebtedness.

5.10

Application of Section 409A.

Separation from Service. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement, no amount deemed deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be payable pursuant to Article 3 or Article 4 unless Executive’s termination of employment constitutes a “separation from service” with the Company within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code and the Department of Treasury Regulations and other guidance promulgated thereunder and, except as provided under Section 5.10(b) hereof, any such amount shall not be paid, or in the case of installments, commence payment, until the first regularly-scheduled payroll date occurring on or after the 60th day following

Executive’s separation from service. Any installment payments that would have been made to Executive during the sixty (60) day period immediately following Executive’s separation from service but for the preceding sentence shall be paid to Executive on the first regularly-scheduled payroll date occurring on or after the 60th day after Executive’s separation from service and the remaining payments shall be made as provided in this Agreement.

Specified Executive. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement, if Executive is deemed at the time of his or her separation from service to be a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, to the extent delayed commencement of any portion of the benefits to which Executive is entitled under this Agreement is required in order to avoid a prohibited distribution under Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Code, such portion of Executive’s benefits shall not be provided to Executive prior to the earlier of (i) the expiration of the six (6)-month period measured from the date of Executive’s “separation from service” with the Company (as such term is defined in the Treasury Regulations issued under Section 409A of the Code) or (ii) the date of Executive’s death. Upon the first business day following the expiration of the applicable Code Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) period, all payments deferred pursuant to this Section 5.10(b) shall be paid in a lump sum to Executive, and any remaining payments due under this Agreement shall be paid as otherwise provided herein.

Expense Reimbursements. To the extent that any reimbursement payable pursuant to this Agreement is subject to the provisions of Section 409A of the Code, any such reimbursement payable to Executive pursuant to this Agreement shall be paid to Executive no later than December 31 of the year following the year in which the expense was incurred; the amount of expenses reimbursed in one year shall not affect the amount eligible for reimbursement in any subsequent year; and Executive’s right to reimbursement under this Agreement will not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.

Installments. For purposes of Section 409A of the Code (including, without limitation, for purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-2(b)(2)(iii)), Executive’s right to receive any installment payments under this Agreement shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate payments and, accordingly, each such installment payment shall at all times be considered a separate and distinct payment.

5.11

Tax Withholding. All payments under this Agreement shall be subject to applicable withholding for federal, state and local income and employment taxes.

5.12

No Duplication of Severance Benefits. The severance and other benefits provided in Article 3 and Article 4 are mutually exclusive of each other, and in no event shall Executive receive any severance or other benefits pursuant to both Article 3 and Article 4.

ARTICLE 6

TERMINATION WITH CAUSE OR BY VOLUNTARY RESIGNATION;

OTHER RIGHTS AND BENEFITS

6.1

Termination for Cause by the Company. If the Company shall terminate the Executive’s employment with the Company for Cause, then upon such termination, the Company shall have no further obligation to Executive hereunder except for the payment or provision, as applicable, of (i) the portion of the Annual Base Salary for the period prior to the effective date of termination earned but unpaid (if any), (ii) all unreimbursed expenses (if any), subject to Sections 2.4 and 5.10(c), (iii) payment for all accrued, unused vacation days and (iv) other payments, entitlements or benefits, if any, in accordance with terms of the applicable plans, programs, arrangements or other agreements of the Company (other than any severance plan or policy) as to which the Executive held rights to such

payments, entitlements or benefits, whether as a participant, beneficiary or otherwise on the date of termination (“Other Benefits”). For the avoidance of doubt, Executive shall have no right to receive (and Other Benefits shall not include) any amounts under any Company severance plan or policy or pursuant to Article 3 or Article 4 upon Executive’s termination for Cause.

6.2

Termination by Voluntary Resignation by the Executive (other than Resignation for Good Reason). Upon any voluntary resignation by Executive that is not a Resignation for Good Reason, the Company shall have no further obligation to the Executive hereunder except for the payment of (i) the portion of the Annual Base Salary for the period prior to the effective date of termination earned but unpaid (if any), (ii) all unreimbursed expenses (if any), subject to Section 2.4 and Section 5.10(c), (iii) payment for all accrued, unused vacation days and (iv) the payment or provision of any Other Benefits. For the avoidance of doubt, Executive shall have no right to receive (and Other Benefits shall not include) any amounts under any Company severance plan or policy or pursuant to Article 3 or Article 4 upon any voluntary resignation by Executive that is not a Resignation for Good Reason.

6.3

Other Rights and Benefits. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent or limit Executive’s continuing or future participation in any benefit, bonus, incentive or other plans, programs, policies or practices provided by the Company and for which Executive may otherwise qualify, nor shall anything herein limit or otherwise affect such rights as Executive may have under other agreements with the Company except as provided in Article 1, Article 5, Section 6.1 and Section 6.2 above. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, amounts that are vested benefits or that Executive is otherwise entitled to receive under any plan, policy, practice or program of the Company at or subsequent to the date of a Change in Control shall be payable in accordance with such plan, policy, practice or program.

ARTICLE 7

DEFINITIONS

Unless otherwise provided, for purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply:

7.1

“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

7.2

“Cause” shall mean a determination by the Company based upon reasonably available information of Executive’s: (i) unauthorized use or disclosure of the Company’s confidential information or trade secrets, which use or disclosure causes harm to the Company; (ii) material breach of any agreement to which the Executive and the Company are a party resulting in harm to the Company; (iii) failure to comply with the Company’s written policies or rules resulting in material harm to the Company; (iv) conviction of, or plea of “guilty” or “no contest” to, a felony under the laws of the United States or any State; (v) negligence or willful misconduct relating to Executive’s performance of his duties on behalf of the Company resulting in material harm to the Company; (vi) continuing failure to perform material and lawful assigned duties after receiving written notification of the failure from the Company’s Chief Executive Officer; or (vii) failure to cooperate in good faith with a governmental or internal investigation of the Company or its directors, officers or employees, if the Company has requested Executive’s cooperation without prejudice or personal liability to Executive. With respect to clause (vi), Executive will be given written notice and a 30-day period in which to cure such breach. Executive agrees that the breach of any confidentiality obligation to the Company or any subsidiary shall not be curable to any extent.

7.3

“Change in Control” means the occurrence, in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions, of any one or more of the following events:

Any natural person, entity or group within the meaning of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act Person”), becomes the owner, directly

or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities other than by virtue of a merger, consolidation or similar transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control shall not be deemed to occur (i) on account of the acquisition of securities of the Company by any institutional investor, any affiliate thereof or any other Exchange Act Person that acquires the Company’s securities in a transaction or series of related transactions that are primarily a private financing transaction for the Company or (ii) solely because the level of ownership held by any Exchange Act Person (the “Subject Person”) exceeds the designated percentage threshold of the outstanding voting securities as a result of a repurchase or other acquisition of voting securities by the Company reducing the number of shares outstanding, provided that if a Change in Control would occur (but for the operation of this sentence) as a result of the acquisition of voting securities by the Company, and after such share acquisition, the Subject Person becomes the owner of any additional voting securities that, assuming the repurchase or other acquisition had not occurred, increases the percentage of the then outstanding voting securities owned by the Subject Person over the designated percentage threshold, then a Change in Control shall be deemed to occur;

There is consummated a merger, consolidation or similar transaction involving, directly or indirectly, the Company if, immediately after the consummation of such merger, consolidation or similar transaction, the stockholders of the Company immediately prior thereto do not own, directly or indirectly, either (i) outstanding voting securities representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the surviving entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction or (ii) more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined outstanding voting power of the parent of the surviving entity in such merger, consolidation or similar transaction; or

There is consummated a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, other than a sale, lease, license or other disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to an entity, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the voting securities of which are owned by stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportion as their ownership of the Company immediately prior to such sale, lease, license or other disposition.

The term Change in Control shall not include a sale of assets, merger or other transaction effected exclusively for the purpose of changing the domicile of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Agreement, the definition of Change in Control (or any analogous term) in an individual written agreement between the Company or any affiliate and the participant shall supersede the foregoing definition with respect to stock awards subject to such agreement (it being understood, however, that if no definition of Change in Control or any analogous term is set forth in such an individual written agreement, the foregoing definition shall apply).

7.4

“Change in Control Benefits Period” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.3.

7.5

“Change in Control Severance Period” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4.2.

7.6

“Change in Control Termination” means an “Involuntary Termination Without Cause” or “Resignation for Good Reason,” either of which occurs on, or within three (3) months prior to, or within twelve (12) months following, the effective date of a Change in Control or Dissolution Event, provided that any such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h). Death and disability shall not be deemed Change in Control Terminations.

7.7

“COBRA” means the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended.

7.8

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

7.9

“Company” means Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. or, following a Change in Control, the surviving entity resulting from such transaction, or any subsequent surviving entity resulting from any subsequent Change in Control.

7.10

“Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement” means Executive’s Employee Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement with the Company, dated June 16, 2022 (or any successor agreement thereto).

7.11

“Covered Termination” means an “Involuntary Termination Without Cause” or “Resignation for Good Reason,” provided that any such termination is a “separation from service” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-1(h). Death and disability, other than a Permanent Disability, shall not be deemed Covered Terminations. If an Involuntary Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason qualifies as a Change in Control Termination, it shall not constitute a Covered Termination.

7.12

“Covered Termination Benefits Period” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.3.

7.13

“Covered Termination Severance Period” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3.2.

7.14

“Dissolution Event” means the stockholders of the Company approve or the Board approves a plan of complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or a complete dissolution or liquidation of the Company shall otherwise occur.

7.15

“Involuntary Termination Without Cause” means Executive’s dismissal or discharge by the Company for reasons other than Cause and other than as a result of death or disability; provided however, that for purposes of a Covered Termination, Involuntary Termination Without Cause shall include Executive’s dismissal or discharge by the Company for reasons of Permanent Disability.

7.16

“Monthly Base Salary” means 1/12th of Executive’s annual base salary (excluding incentive pay, premium pay, commissions, overtime, bonuses and other forms of variable compensation) as in effect on the date of a Covered Termination or a Change in Control Termination, as applicable.

7.17

“Prior Offer Letter” means that certain Offer Letter, dated June 10, 2022, by and between the Company and Executive.

7.18

“Permanent Disability” means total and permanent disability as defined in Code Section 22(e)(3).

7.19

“Pro-Rata Bonus” means 1/12th of the greater of (i) the average Target Performance Bonus paid to Executive for the three (3) years preceding the date of the Covered Termination or the Change in Control Termination, as applicable, (or such lesser number of years during which the Executive has been employed by the Company), or (ii) annual target performance cash bonus, as in effect on the date of a Covered Termination or a Change in Control Termination, as applicable.

7.20

“Resignation for Good Reason” means Executive’s resignation from all employee positions Executive then holds with the Company within ninety (90) days following any of the following events taken without Executive’s consent, provided Executive has given the Company written notice of such event within thirty (30) days after the first occurrence of such event and the Company has not cured such event within thirty (30) days thereafter:

A decrease in Executive’s total target cash compensation (Annual Base Salary and Target Performance Bonus) of more than 10% (i.e., a material reduction in Executive’s base compensation), other than in connection with a decrease in compensation for all comparable executives of the Company and other than as a result of Executive’s lack of attainment of objectives as determined by the Board (or compensation committee of the Board);

Executive’s duties or responsibilities are materially diminished (not simply a change in title); provided, that Executive shall not be deemed to have a “Resignation for Good Reason” if the Company survives as a separate legal entity or business unit following the Change in Control and Executive holds materially the same position, duties and responsibilities in such legal entity or business unit as Executive held before the Change in Control;

A relocation of Executive’s principal place of work outside of a fifty (50) mile radius of its current location; or

The Company’s material breach of this Agreement.

7.21

“Termination Date” means the effective date of the Change in Control Termination, the Covered Termination, Executive’s resignation (whether Resignation for Good Reason or otherwise) or a termination for Cause, as applicable.

ARTICLE 8

GENERAL PROVISIONS

8.1

Employment Status. This Agreement does not constitute a contract of employment or impose upon Executive any obligation to remain as an employee, or impose on the Company any obligation (i) to retain Executive as an employee, (ii) to change the status of Executive as an at-will employee or (iii) to change the Company’s policies regarding termination of employment.

8.2

Notices. Any notices provided hereunder must be in writing, and such notices or any other written communication shall be deemed effective upon the earlier of personal delivery (including personal delivery by facsimile or email transmission (to a facsimile number or email address designated in advance by the receiving party)) or the third day after mailing by first class mail, to the Company at its primary office location and to Executive at Executive’s address as listed in the Company’s payroll records. Any payments made by the Company to Executive under the terms of this Agreement shall be delivered to Executive either in person or at the address as listed in the Company’s payroll records.

8.3

Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement will be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any applicable law or rule in any jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability will not affect any other provision or any other jurisdiction, but this Agreement will be reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein.

8.4

Waiver. If either party should waive any breach of any provisions of this Agreement, he, she or it shall not thereby be deemed to have waived any preceding or succeeding breach of the same or any other provision of this Agreement.

8.5

Complete Agreement. This Agreement, including Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement and the Indemnification Agreement constitute the entire agreement between Executive and the Company and is the complete, final and exclusive embodiment of their agreement with regard to this subject matter, wholly superseding all written and oral agreements with respect to payments and benefits to Executive in the event of

employment termination. It is entered into without reliance on any promise or representation other than those expressly contained herein. On the Effective Date, this Agreement amends, restates, replaces and supersedes the Prior Offer Letter.

8.6

Amendment or Termination of Agreement; Continuation of Agreement. This Agreement may be changed or terminated only upon the mutual written consent of the Company and Executive. The written consent of the Company to a change or termination of this Agreement must be signed by an executive officer of the Company (other than Executive) after such change or termination has been approved by the Board. Unless so terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect for as long as Executive continues to be employed by the Company or by any surviving entity following any Change in Control. In other words, if, following a Change in Control, Executive continues to be employed by the surviving entity without a Change in Control Termination and the surviving entity then undergoes a Change in Control, following which Executive is terminated by the subsequent surviving entity in a Change in Control Termination, then Executive shall receive the benefits described in Article 4 hereof.

8.7

Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts, any one of which need not contain signatures of more than one party, but all of which taken together will constitute one and the same Agreement.

8.8

Headings. The headings of the Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute a part hereof nor to affect the meaning thereof.

8.9

Successors and Assigns. This Agreement is intended to bind and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by Executive, and the Company, and any surviving entity resulting from a Change in Control and upon any other person who is a successor by merger, acquisition, consolidation or otherwise to the business formerly carried on by the Company, and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors and administrators, without regard to whether or not such person actively assumes any rights or duties hereunder; provided, however, that Executive may not assign any duties hereunder and may not assign any rights hereunder without the written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be withheld unreasonably.

8.10

Choice of Law. Because of the Company’s and Executive’s interests in ensuring that disputes regarding this Agreement are resolved on a uniform basis, the parties agree that all questions concerning the construction, validity and interpretation of this Agreement will be governed by the law of the State of California, without regard for any conflict of law principles. Further, the parties consent to the jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the State of California for all purposes in connection with this Agreement. The parties hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which Executive or the Company may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such dispute brought in such court or any defense of inconvenient forum for the maintenance of such dispute.

8.11

Arbitration. To ensure the rapid and economical resolution of any disputes that may arise under or relate to this Agreement or Executive’s employment relationship, Executive and the Company agree that any and all disputes, claims, or causes of action, in law or equity, arising from or relating to the performance, enforcement, execution, or interpretation of this Agreement, Executive’s employment with the Company, or the termination of Executive’s employment (collectively, “Claims”), shall be resolved to the fullest extent permitted by law, by final, binding, and (to the extent permitted by law) confidential arbitration before a single arbitrator in the state where Executive is employed. The arbitration shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. Section 1 et seq., as amended, and shall be administered by the Judicial Arbitration & Mediation Services, Inc. (“JAMS”), in accordance with its then-current Employment Arbitration Rules & Procedures (the “JAMS Rules”). The JAMS Rules are available online at http://www.jamsadr.com/rules-employment-arbitration/. The parties or their

representatives may also call JAMS at 800.352.5267 if they have questions about the arbitration process. If the JAMS Rules are inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall govern. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this provision shall exclude Claims that by law are not subject to arbitration. The arbitrator shall: (a) have the authority to compel adequate discovery for the resolution of all Claims and to award such relief as would otherwise be permitted by law; and (b) issue a written arbitration decision including the arbitrator’s essential findings and conclusions and a statement of the award. The Company shall pay all JAMS fees in excess of the amount of filing and other court-related fees Executive would have been required to pay if the Claims were asserted in a court of law. EXECUTIVE AND THE COMPANY UNDERSTAND AND FULLY AGREE THAT BY ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT, BOTH EXECUTIVE AND THE COMPANY ARE GIVING UP THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO HAVE A TRIAL BY JURY, AND ARE GIVING UP THE NORMAL RIGHTS OF APPEAL FOLLOWING THE RENDERING OF A DECISION, EXCEPT AS THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT AND APPLICABLE FEDERAL LAW ALLOW FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW OF ARBITRATION PROCEEDINGS. Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent either Executive or the Company from obtaining injunctive relief in court to prevent irreparable harm pending the conclusion of any such arbitration. Any awards or final orders in such arbitrations may be entered and enforced as judgments or orders in the federal and state courts of any competent jurisdiction in compliance with Section 8.11 of this Agreement.

8.12

Construction of Agreement. In the event of a conflict between the text of this Agreement and any summary, description or other information regarding this Agreement, the text of this Agreement shall control.

[Remainder of Page Left Blank]

Exhibit 10.1

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Executive Employment Agreement on the Effective Date written above.


KEZAR LIFE SCIENCES, INC.	EXECUTIVE

By: /s/ John F. Fowler	By: /s/ Nick Mordwinkin, Ph.D.
Name: John F. Fowler	Name: Nick Mordwinkin, Ph.D.
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit A: Release (Individual Termination – Age 40 or Older)

Exhibit B: Release (Individual and Group Termination – Under Age 40)

Exhibit C: Release (Group Termination – Age 40 or Older)

EXHIBIT A

RELEASE

(INDIVIDUAL TERMINATION – AGE 40 OR OLDER)

Certain capitalized terms used in this Release are defined in the Executive Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) which I have executed and of which this Release is a part.

I hereby confirm my obligations under the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement (or other comparable agreement that I have signed, if any).

Except as otherwise set forth in this Release, in consideration for the payments and benefits set forth in the Agreement, I hereby release, acquit and forever discharge the Company, its parents and subsidiaries, and their officers, directors, agents, servants, employees, shareholders, successors, assigns and affiliates, of and from any and all claims, liabilities, demands, causes of action, costs, expenses, attorneys’ fees, damages, indemnities and obligations of every kind and nature, in law, equity or otherwise, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed (other than any claim for indemnification I may have as a result of any third party action against me based on my employment with the Company), arising out of or in any way related to agreements, events, acts or conduct at any time prior to the date I execute this Release, including, but not limited to: all such claims and demands directly or indirectly arising out of or in any way connected with my employment with the Company or the termination of that employment, including, but not limited to, claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, any and all tort claims for personal injury, claims or demands related to salary, bonuses, commissions, stock, stock options, or any other ownership interests in the Company, vacation pay, fringe benefits, expense reimbursements, severance pay, or any other form of compensation; and claims pursuant to any federal, state or local law or cause of action including, but not limited to, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended (“ADEA”), the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, as amended, the New York City Human Rights Law, as amended, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Law, as amended, the South Carolina Human Affairs Law, as amended, tort law, contract law, wrongful discharge, discrimination, fraud, defamation, emotional distress, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; provided, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed in any way to (1) release the Company from its obligation to indemnify me pursuant to the Company’s indemnification obligation pursuant to written agreement or applicable law; (2) release any claim by me against the Company relating to the validity or enforceability of this release or the Agreement; (3) release any claim that cannot be waived by private agreement as a matter of law; or (4) prohibit me from exercising any non-waivable right to file a charge with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), or any other federal, state or local government agency (provided, however, that I shall not be entitled to recover any monetary damages or to obtain non-monetary relief if the agency were to pursue any claims relating to my employment with the Company).

I acknowledge that I am knowingly and voluntarily waiving and releasing any rights I may have under the ADEA. I also acknowledge that the consideration given under the Agreement for the waiver and release in the preceding paragraph hereof is in addition to anything of value to which I was already entitled. I further acknowledge that I have been advised by this writing, as required by the ADEA, that: (A) my waiver and release do not apply to any rights or claims that may arise on or after the date I execute this Release; (B) I have the right to consult with an attorney prior to executing this Release; (C) I have twenty-one (21) days to consider this Release (although I may choose to voluntarily execute this

A-1

Release earlier); (D) I have seven (7) days following my execution of this Release to revoke the Release by providing a written notice of revocation to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer; and (E) this Release shall not be effective until the date upon which the revocation period has expired, which shall be the eighth (8th) day after I execute this Release (provided that I do not revoke it).

I hereby represent that I have been paid all compensation owed and for all hours worked, I have received all the leave and leave benefits and protections for which I am eligible, pursuant to the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, the California Family Rights Act, any Company policy or applicable law, and I have not suffered any on-the-job injury or illness for which I have not already filed a workers’ compensation claim.

I agree that I will not make any disparaging statements regarding the Company or its officers, directors, shareholders, members, agents or products jointly or severally. The Company agrees not to authorize any communications that would disparage Executive; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not be violated by truthful statements required by legal process. The foregoing shall not be violated by truthful statements in response to legal process, required governmental testimony or filings, or administrative or arbitral proceedings (including, without limitation, depositions in connection with such proceedings).

EXECUTIVE:

Signature

Printed Name

Date:

A-2

EXHIBIT B

RELEASE

(INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP TERMINATION – UNDER AGE 40)

Certain capitalized terms used in this Release are defined in the Executive Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) which I have executed and of which this Release is a part.

I hereby confirm my obligations under the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement (or other comparable agreement that I have signed, if any).

Except as otherwise set forth in this Release, in consideration for the payments and benefits set forth in the Agreement, I hereby release, acquit and forever discharge the Company, its parents and subsidiaries, and their officers, directors, agents, servants, employees, shareholders, successors, assigns and affiliates, of and from any and all claims, liabilities, demands, causes of action, costs, expenses, attorneys’ fees, damages, indemnities and obligations of every kind and nature, in law, equity or otherwise, known and unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed (other than any claim for indemnification I may have as a result of any third party action against me based on my employment with the Company), arising out of or in any way related to agreements, events, acts or conduct at any time prior to the date I execute this Release, including, but not limited to: all such claims and demands directly or indirectly arising out of or in any way connected with my employment with the Company or the termination of that employment, including, but not limited to, claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, any and all tort claims for personal injury, claims or demands related to salary, bonuses, commissions, stock, stock options, or any other ownership interests in the Company, vacation pay, fringe benefits, expense reimbursements, severance pay, or any other form of compensation; and claims pursuant to any federal, state or local law or cause of action including, but not limited to, the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, as amended, the New York City Human Rights Law, as amended, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Law, as amended, the South Carolina Human Affairs Law, as amended, tort law, contract law, wrongful discharge, discrimination, fraud, defamation, emotional distress, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; provided, however, that nothing in this paragraph shall be construed in any way to (1) release the Company from its obligation to indemnify me pursuant to the Company’s indemnification obligation pursuant to written agreement or applicable law; (2) release any claim by me against the Company relating to the validity or enforceability of this release or the Agreement; (3) release any claim that cannot be waived by private agreement as a matter of law; or (4) prohibit me from exercising any non-waivable right to file a charge with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), or any other federal, state or local government agency (provided, however, that I shall not be entitled to recover any monetary damages or to obtain non-monetary relief if the agency were to pursue any claims relating to my employment with the Company).

I acknowledge that the consideration given under the Agreement for the waiver and release in the preceding paragraph hereof is in addition to anything of value to which I was already entitled. I further acknowledge that I have been advised by this writing that: (A) my waiver and release do not apply to any rights or claims that may arise on or after the date I execute this Release; (B) I have the right to consult with an attorney prior to executing this Release; and (C) I have twenty-one (21) days to consider this Release (although I may choose to voluntarily execute this Release earlier).

B-1

Family and Medical Leave Act, the California Family Rights Act, any Company policy or applicable law, and I have not suffered any on-the-job injury or illness for which I have not already filed a workers’ compensation claim.

EXECUTIVE:

Signature

Printed Name

Date:

B-2

EXHIBIT C

RELEASE

(GROUP TERMINATION – AGE 40 OR OLDER)

Certain capitalized terms used in this Release are defined in the Executive Employment Agreement (the “Agreement”) which I have executed and of which this Release is a part.

I hereby confirm my obligations under the Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement (or other comparable agreement that I have signed, if any).

C-1

execute this Release; (B) I have the right to consult with an attorney prior to executing this Release; (C) I have forty-five (45) days to consider this Release (although I may choose to voluntarily execute this Release earlier); (D) I have seven (7) days following my execution of this Release to revoke the Release by providing a written notice of revocation to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer; (E) this Release shall not be effective until the date upon which the revocation period has expired, which shall be the eighth day (8th) after I execute this Release; and (F) I have received with this Release the required written disclosure for a “group termination” under the ADEA, including a detailed list of the job titles and ages of all employees who were terminated in this group termination and the ages of all employees of the Company in the same job classification or organizational unit who were not terminated.

I agree that I will not engage in any conduct that is injurious to the reputation of the Company or its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates, including but not limited to disparagement of the Company, its officers, Board members, employees and shareholders. The Company agrees not to authorize any communications that would disparage Executive; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not be violated by truthful statements required by legal process. The foregoing shall not be violated by a statement made in a deposition, trial or administrative proceeding in response to legal process; by any statement made to a government agency; or whenever I make any statement to a court, administrative tribunal or government agency as required by law.

EXECUTIVE:

Signature

Printed Name

Date:

C-2

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, John Fowler, certify that:

I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.;

Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

The registrant's other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a)

All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)

Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.


Date: November 10, 2022	By:	/s/ John Fowler
		John Fowler
		Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Marc Belsky, certify that:

I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Kezar Life Sciences, Inc.;

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(a)

(b)

Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.


Date: November 10, 2022	By:	/s/ Marc Belsky
		Marc Belsky
		Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO

18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

Pursuant to the requirement set forth in Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. §1350), John Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. (the “Company”), and Marc Belsky, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, each hereby certifies that, to the best of his knowledge:

(1)

The Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2022, to which this Certification is attached as Exhibit 32.1 (the “Periodic Report”), fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; and

(2)

The information contained in the Periodic Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

Date: November 10, 2022


/s/ John Fowler		/s/ Marc Belsky
John Fowler		Marc Belsky
Chief Executive Officer		Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)		(Principal Financial Officer)