Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

OR

 

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20212023

OR

 

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

For the transition period from                     to                     

OR

 

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

Date of event requiring this shell company report                     

Commission file number 001-38097

ARGENX SE

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter and translation of Registrant’s name into English)

The Netherlands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Willemstraat 5Laarderhoogtweg 25

4811 AH1101EB, BredaAmsterdam, the Netherlands

(Address of principal executive offices)

Tim Van Hauwermeiren
argenx BV
Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7,
Building C
9052 Zwijnaarde (Ghent)
Belgium
+31 (31 (0) 0) 10 70 38 441

TVanHauwermeiren@argenx.com

(Name, telephone, e-mail and/or facsimile number and address of company contact person)

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

Title of each class:

Trading Symbol:

Name of each exchange on which registered:

American Depositary Shares, each representing one ordinary share with a nominal value of €0.10 per share

ARGX

Nasdaq Global Select Market

Ordinary shares with a nominal value of €0.10 per share *share*

Nasdaq Global Select Market*

* Not for trading, but only in connection with the registration of the American Depositary Shares.

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None.

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:

As of December 31, 2021 2023

51,668,31559,194,488 ordinary shares were outstanding, including ordinary shares represented by American Depositary Shares.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes X No

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes No X

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:days.

Yes X 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 X No

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

Large accelerated filer X

Accelerated filer 

Non-accelerated filer 

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, 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.

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. X

† The term “new or revisedIf securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial accounting standard” refersstatements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.

Indicate by check mark whether any update issuedof those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the Financial Accounting Standards Boardregistrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.§240.10D-1(b).

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:

U.S. GAAP

International Financial Reporting Standards as issued
by the International Accounting Standards Board X

Other

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow.

Item 17 Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes No X

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS.)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.

Yes No

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PART I

1

ITEM 1.

IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

1

ITEM 2.

OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

1

ITEM 3.

KEY INFORMATION

1

3.A.

[RESERVED]

1

3.B.

CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

1

3.C.

REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

1

3.D.

RISK FACTORS

1

ITEM 4.

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

4839

4.A.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY

4839

4.B.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

4840

4.C.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

112104

4.D.

PROPERTY, PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT

112105

ITEM 4A.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

113105

ITEM 5.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

113105

5.A.

OPERATING RESULTS

113106

5.B.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

124118

5.C.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PATENTS AND LICENSES

127121

5.D.

TREND INFORMATION

127121

5.E.5.E

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTSCRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

127

5.F.

TABULAR DISCLOSURE OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

127

5.G.

SAFE HARBOR

128122

ITEM 6.

DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

128122

6.A.

DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

128122

6.B.

COMPENSATION

133130

6.C.

BOARD PRACTICES

148152

6.D.

EMPLOYEES

156162

6.E.

SHARE OWNERSHIP

156163

6.F.

DISCLOSURE OF A REGISTRANT’S ACTION TO RECOVER ERRONEOUSLY AWARDED COMPENSATION

163

ITEM 7.

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

156163

7.A.

MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

156163

7.B.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

159166

7.C.

INTERESTS OF EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

161168

ITEM 8.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

161168

8.A.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

161168

8.B.

SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

162169

ITEM 9.

THE OFFER AND LISTING

162169

9.A.

OFFER AND LISTING DETAILS

162169

9.B.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

162169

9.C.

MARKETS

162169

9.D.

SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

162169

9.E.

DILUTION

162169

9.F.

EXPENSES OF THE ISSUE

162170

ITEM 10.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

162170

10.A.

SHARE CAPITAL

162170

10.B.

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

162170

10.C.

MATERIAL CONTRACTS

163173

10.D.

EXCHANGE CONTROLS

163173

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10.E.

TAXATION

163174

10.F.

DIVIDENDS AND PAYING AGENTS

184191

10.G.

STATEMENT BY EXPERTS

184191

10.H.

DOCUMENTS ON DISPLAY

184192

10.I.

SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION

184192

ITEM 11.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

185192

ITEM 12.

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

186194

12.A.

DEBT SECURITIES

186194

12.B.

WARRANTS AND RIGHTS

186194

12.C.

OTHER SECURITIES

186194

12.D.

AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

187194

 

PART II

189196

 

 

ITEM 13.

DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES

189196

ITEM 14.

MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS

189196

ITEM 15.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

189196

ITEM 16.

[RESERVED]

190197

ITEM 16A.

AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

190197

ITEM 16B.

CODE OF ETHICS

190197

ITEM 16C.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

191198

ITEM 16D.

EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

191199

ITEM 16E.

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

192199

ITEM 16F.

CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

192199

ITEM 16G.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

192199

ITEM 16H.

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

193200

ITEM 16I.

DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

193200

ITEM 16J.

INSIDER TRADING POLICIES

200

ITEM 16K.

CYBERSECURITY

200

 

PART III

194202

 

 

ITEM 17.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

194202

ITEM 18.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

194202

ITEM 19.

EXHIBITS

194202

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Introduction

Unless otherwise indicated, “argenx,” “argenx SE”,SE,” “the Company,” “our company,” “we,” “us” and, “our” our “Group” refer to argenx SE and its consolidated subsidiaries.

We own various trademark registrations and applications, and unregistered trademarks, and service marks, including “VYVGART™”VYVGART®, VYVGART HYTRULO™, VYVDURA®, ARGENX™, ABDEG™, NHANCE™, SIMPLE ANTIBODY™, ARGENXMEDHUB™ and our corporate logo. All other trademarks or trade names referred to in this Annual Report are the property of their respective owners. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this annual report on Form 20-F (Annual Report) are the property of their respective holders. Solely for convenience, the trademarks and trade names in this Annual Report may be referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their rights thereto. We do not intend to use or display other companies’ trademarks and trade names to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship, of us, any other companies.

VYVGART® (efgartigimod alfa) (VYVGART) has been approved in the United States (U.S.), Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), Israel, mainland China (Mainland China) and Canada for the intravenous (IV) treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). We have now commercialized VYVGART in the U.S., several countries in the European Union (EU), Japan, Mainland China (through our partner Zai Lab Ltd (Zai Lab)), Israel (through Medison Pharma Ltd., Medison) and Canada (all such countries together including Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, the VYVGART Approved Countries).

VYVGART subcutaneous (SC) (efgartigimod alfa + hyaluronidase qvfc) (VYVGART SC) has been approved in the U.S. as VYVGART HYTRULO™ (VYVGART HYTRULO) and in Japan as VYVDURA® (VYVDURA) for the treatment of gMG. VYVGART SC has also been approved in the EU and the UK for the treatment of gMG. We have now commercialized VYVGART SC in the U.S. (as VYVGART HYTRULO) and in Germany. Pricing and reimbursement discussions for VYVGART SC remain ongoing in multiple other countries, including in the EU and Japan (as VYVDURA).

For both VYVGART and VYVGART SC, we are aiming for further approvals and we are working to expand commercialization in other jurisdictions.

Where not specified, references in this Annual Report to VYVGART should be read as references to VYVGART and/or VYVGART SC, including VYVGART HYTRULO in relation to the U.S. and VYVDURA in relation to Japan, depending on the context.

Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). On January 1, 2021, we adopted a change in our presentation currency from euros to U.S. dollars. Accordingly, our consolidated financial statements are presented in this Annual Report in U.S. dollars. All references in this Annual Report to “$,” “US$,” “U.S.$,” “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” and “USD” mean U.S. dollars and all references to “€,” “EUR,” and “euros” mean euros, unless otherwise noted. Throughout this Annual Report, references to ADSs mean American depositary shares (ADSs) or ordinary shares represented by ADSs, as the case may be.

Cautionary Statement with Respect to Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 20-F, (Annual Report), contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27Astatements. A forward-looking statement is any statement that does not relate to historical facts or events or to facts or events as of the Securities Actdate of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act),this Annual Report or that are based onderived from our management’s beliefs and assumptions andbased on information currently available to our management.All Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the use of forward-looking words, such as “anticipate”, “aspire”, “believe”, “can”, “continue”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “hope”, “intend”, “is designed to”, “look forward to”, “may”, “might”, “objective”, “plan”, “potential”, “project”, “predict”, “seek”, “should”, “target”, “will”, or other than present and historical facts and conditions contained in this Annual Report, includingvariations or the negative of such terms, or by discussion of strategy, although not all forward-looking statements regardingcontain these identifying words. These statements relate to our future results of operations and financial positions, prospects, developments, business strategy,strategies, plans and our objectives for future operations, results of clinical trials and regulatory approvals, and are based on analyses or forecasts of future developments and estimates of amounts not yet determinable.

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These forward-looking statements. When usedstatements represent the view of management only as of the date of this Annual Report, and we disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as may be otherwise required by law. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “is designedinvolve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual future results, performance and achievements to” “may,” “might,” “will,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “objective,” “should,” differ materially from those forecasted or the negative of these and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. suggested herein.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

the initiation, timing, progress, development and results of clinical trials of our product candidates, including new indications, alternative dosing regimens and treatment modalities, including statements regarding when results or interim analysis of the clinical trials will be available or made public;
the expansion of our business, including the further development of our sales and marketing abilities and our Immunology Innovation Program (IIP), and the value of our pipeline;
the potential attributes and benefits of our products and product candidates, including new indications, alternative dosing regimens and treatment modalities, and their competitive position with respect to other alternative treatments;
our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;
our plans related to estimates of the number of patients who suffer from the diseases we are targeting and the number of patients that will enroll in our clinical trials;
the commercialization of our products and product candidates, including new indications, alternative dosing regimens and treatment modalities, if approved;
the anticipated timing of the market authorizations of our products;products, including new indications, alternative dosing regimens and treatment modalities;
the anticipated pricing and reimbursement of our products and product candidates, if approved;
our plans to have various programs to help patients afford our products, including patient assistance and co-pay coupon programs for eligible patients;
the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvalsdecisions for any products and product candidates;candidates, including new indications, alternative dosing regimens and treatment modalities;
our ability to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for any of our products and product candidates that achieve regulatory approval;

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our regulatory strategy and our ability to establish and maintain manufacturing arrangements for our products and product candidates;
the scope and duration of protection, including any exclusivity period, we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our products and product candidates, platform and technology;technology, including our intention to seek patent term extensions where available;
our estimates regarding expenses, future revenues, cash burn, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;
our financial performance, including potential volatility in the price of our ordinary shares and ADSs;

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the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products and product candidates, if approved;
the potential benefits of our current collaborations;collaborations, including the possibility to access partner technology platforms or capabilities;
our plans and ability to enter into collaborations for additional programs or product candidates;
the effect of COVID-19 on our business;plans and ability to enter into new distribution partnerships;
the impact of government laws and regulations on our business.business;
our expectations with respect to the timing and amount of any dividends;
our plans regarding our supply chain, including our reliance on third parties, including contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs); and
the implementation of our diversity, equity and inclusion policy, including our goal to further improve diversity on our board of directors (Board of Directors).

These include changes in general economic and business conditions. You should refer to the sectionItem 3.D. “Risk Factors of this Annual Report titled “Item 3.D.—Risk Factors” for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties may be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, including various variants thereof, and its potential impact on our business and the global economy. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Annual Report will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

You should read this Annual Report and the documents that we reference in this Annual Report and have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Information regarding market and industry statistics contained in this Annual Report is included based on information available to us that we believe is accurate. Forecasts and other forward lookingforward-looking information obtained from this available information is subject to the same qualifications and the additional uncertainties accompanying any estimates of future market size, revenue and market acceptance of products and services.

In addition, statements that include "we believe"“we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

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Summary of Risk Factors

Our ability to implement our business strategy is subject to numerous risks that you should be aware of before making an investment decision. These risks are described more fully below. These risks include, among others:

We have incurred significant losses since our inception and expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future. We may never achieve or maintainsustain profitability.
All but one of our products and product candidates are either in preclinical, early-stage clinicalWe may need to raise substantial additional funding which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or clinical development or market approval has been requested for them, but has not (yet) been granted, and only VYVGART™ for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) has obtained regulatory approval in the U.S. and in Japan. Our trials may fail and even if they succeed we may be unable to commercialize any or all of our products and product candidates due to a lack of, or delay in, regulatory approval or for other reasons.at all.
Our assets, earnings and cash flows and the investment of our cash and cash equivalents may be subject to risks which may cause losses and affect the liquidity of these investments.
We will face significant challenges in successfully commercializing our products.products and additional product candidates after they are launched.
Nearly allThe commercial success of our products and product candidates, including in new indications or methods of administration, will depend on the degree of market acceptance.
We face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts.
Enacted and future legislation could impact demand for our products which could impact our business and future results of operations.
We are subject to government pricing laws, regulation and enforcement. These laws affect the prices we may charge the government for our products and the reimbursement our customers may obtain from the government. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.
We may not obtain or maintain adequate coverage or reimbursement status for our products and product candidates.
If we fail to obtain orphan drug designation or we do not have valid and enforceable patents covering our products and product candidates and fail to obtain and/or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for our products or product candidates, our competitors may be able to sell products to treat the same conditions and our revenue may be reduced.
We are subject to healthcare laws, regulation and enforcement. The failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.
All aspects of our activitiesbusiness ranging from preclinical, clinical trials, marketing and commercialization are highly regulated and any delay by relevant regulatory authorities could jeopardize our development and approval process or result in other suspensions, refusals or withdrawal of approvals.
We are subject to substantial regulation. No assurance canprivacy laws, regulation and potential enforcement. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.
Failure to successfully identify, select and develop VYVGART in other indications, or additional products or product candidates could impair our ability to grow.
VYVGART has obtained regulatory approval in the VYVGART Approved Countries for the treatment of gMG. Our other products and product candidates – including additional indications or methods of use for efgartigimod, empasiprubart and ARGX-119 – are either in preclinical or clinical development or are pending marketing approval.

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Our clinical trials have, and may in the future, fail, and even if they succeed, we may not obtain regulatory approval for our products and product candidates or regulatory approval may be given thatdelayed.
Our products and product candidates may have serious adverse, undesirable or unacceptable side effects or even cause death, and we or others may identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by VYVGART or any of our products or product candidates will fulfill regulatory compliance. Failure to comply with such regulations could result in delays, suspension, refusals and withdrawal of approvals, as well as fines.after they have received marketing approval.
If our target patient population is smaller than expected, we are unable to successfully enroll and retain patients in our clinical trials, or experience significant delays in doing so, we may not realize the full commercial potential of any products or product candidates.
We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties including independent clinical investigators and contract research organizations (CROs), to conduct some of our preclinical studiesresearch activities and clinical trials.trials and for parts of the development and commercialization of our existing and future research programs, products and product candidates. If theseour relationships with such third parties doare not successfully carry out their contractual dutiessuccessful, our business may be adversely affected.
Disruptions caused by our reliance on third parties for our manufacturing process may delay or meet expected deadlines,disrupt our business, product development and commercialization efforts.
Failure to adequately enforce or protect our intellectual property rights in products, product candidates and platform technologies could adversely affect our ability to maximize the value for patients in our marketed products and product candidates.
If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercializebuild name recognition in our products and product candidates and our business could be substantially harmed.markets of interest.
We rely on patentsmay encounter difficulties efficiently managing our growth and other intellectual property rights to protect our products, product candidatesincreasing development, regulatory and platform technologies. Failure to enforce or protect these rights adequatelysales and marketing capabilities, which could harmdisrupt our ability to compete and impair our business.operations.
Our future growthThe price of our ADSs and abilityordinary shares may be volatile and may fluctuate due to compete dependsfactors beyond our control. An active public trading market may not be sustained.
Holders of our ADSs are not treated as holders of our ordinary shares and may be subject to limitations on retainingthe transfer of their ADSs and the withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares.
We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). The rights of our key personnelshareholders may be different from the rights of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.
Claims of U.S. civil liabilities may not be enforceable against us or the members of our management and recruiting additional qualified personnel.our Board of Directors.
As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain rules under U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) than a U.S. company.
We may lose our foreign private issuer status which would then require us to comply with the Exchange Act’s domestic reporting regime and cause us to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses.
If we were to be classified as a passive foreign investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, this could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to certain U.S. holders.

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PART I

ITEM 1.      IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2.      OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3.      KEY INFORMATION

A.       SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

[Reserved][RESERVED]

B.       CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

Not applicable.

C.       REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Not applicable.

D.       RISK FACTORS

Our business faces significant risks.risks, including those described below. You should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this Annual Report and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC,), including the following risk factors which we face and which are faced by our industry. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if any of these risks occurs. These are not the only risks argenx faces. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to argenx or that it currently considers immaterial or not specific may also impair its business, results of operation and financial condition. This report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Statement with Respect to Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors including the risks described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report and our other SEC filings. See “CautionaryCautionary Statement with Respect to Forward-Looking Statements” above.Statements

.”

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

We have incurred significant losses since our inception and expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future. We may never achieve or maintainsustain profitability.

We are a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a limited operating history and we have only very recently commenced our transition from clinical-stage to a commercial-stage company. Only VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa fcab) for the treatment of gMG has obtained regulatory approval in the U.S. on December 17, 2021 and in Japan on January 20, 2022 and we do not currently have any approvals in any other jurisdictions or for any other product candidates. Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses, totaling USD 1,400.2$2,405 million of cumulative losses. To date we have commercialized VYVGART for the treatment of gMG. We do not currently have any marketing approvals for any other product candidates or VYVGART in other indications. Our losses resulted principally from costs incurred in research and development, preclinical testing and clinical development of our product and our product candidates as well as costs incurred for research programs, pre-commercial activities and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant costs associated with our listings in the U.S.commercial roll out and in Europe. In the future, weexpansion. We intend to continue to conduct research and development, preclinical testing, clinical trials and regulatory compliance activities as well as the continued commercialization of VYVGART™VYVGART and other products candidates, for the treatment of gMG in the U.S.current and in Japanfuture indications, and we intend to continue our efforts to establish and maintain aexpand our sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure. These expenses, together with anticipated general and administrative

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expenses, willmay result in incurring further significant losses for at least the next several years.foreseeable future. We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase substantially if and as we execute our strategic objectives and as we experience delays or encounter issues relating thereto, including failed studies,clinical trials, ambiguous clinical trial results, safety issues or other regulatory challenges. If our losses become greater than expected,

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Although we may require additional financing than anticipatedhave generated net product sales of $1.2 billion from global product net sales in fiscal year 2023, we can provide no assurances that we will be able to achieve or sustain profitability based on sales in that indication alone or that we will be able to receive regulatory approval of and such financing may not be available to us on acceptable termscommercialize VYVGART and VYVGART SC in other indications or at all.

in other countries. To become and remain profitable, we must succeed in developing and eventually commercializing products that generate significant revenue. This will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities, including completing preclinical testing and clinical trials of our productproducts and our product candidates, discovering and developing additional products and product candidates, including new indications, obtaining regulatory approval, for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, establishing manufacturing and marketing capabilities, obtaining funding or reimbursement for our products, and ultimately selling any products for whichselling. Those activities are the drivers of our current path to profitability, however, we may obtain regulatory approval. We may nevernot succeed in some or even all of these activities, and even if we do, we may nevernot generate revenue that is significant enough to achieve profitability. For instance, even though we have received approval of and commercialize VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG in the U.S. and in Japan, we can provide no assurances that we will be able to achieve profitability based on sales in that indication alone or that we will be able to receive approval of and commercialize VYVGART™ in other indications or in other countries.

Even if we do generate product royalties or product sales, weWe may never achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to achieve or sustain profitability could impair our abilityneed to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings or continue our operations and as such could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Substantialsubstantial additional funding may be required in order to complete the development and commercialization of our products and product candidates, butwhich may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Notwithstanding ourWe have significant positionpositions of cash and cash equivalents of USD 1,334.7$2,049 million and current financial assets of USD 1,002.0$1,131 million as of December 31, 2021, as disclosed in our consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended December 31, 2021, we expect to require additional funding in the future to sufficiently finance our operations, to advance development of our2023. Developing products and product candidates, including new indications, and to continue our business activities relating to researchconducting clinical trials is time-intensive, expensive and development and the commercialization of our products.risky. Our future capital requirements for VYVGART™ and our current or any future product candidates will depend on many factors, includingincluding: (i) the progress,success, cost and timing and completion of our development activities, preclinical testing and clinical trials for our current or any futureproduct and product candidates, (ii) the number of potential new product candidates we identify and decide to develop, (iii) the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidatesapprovals and any delays we may encounter, including as a resultwe seek regulatory approval in additional jurisdictions or other indications, (iii) commercialization, manufacturing, sales and marketing of evolving regulatory requirements or adverse results with respect to any of ourproducts and product candidates, (iv) sellingsecuring adequate and marketing activities undertaken in connection with the potential commercialization of our current products or product candidates or any future product candidates, if approved, and costs involved in the creation of an effective sales and marketing organization,uninterrupted supply chains, (v) manufacturing activities undertaken ahead of the potential commercialization of our current products or product candidates or any future product candidates, if approved, and costs involved in the creation of an effective supply chain, (vi) the costs involved in growing our organization to the size needed to allow for the research, development and potential commercialization of our current products or product candidates, or any future product candidates, (vii)(vi) the costs involved in filing patent applications and maintaining and enforcing patents or defending against claims or infringements raised by third parties, (viii)(vii) the maintenance of our existing collaboration agreements and entry into new collaboration agreements, (ix)and (viii) the amount of revenues,revenue, if any, we may derive either directly or in the form of royalty payments from future sales of our current products or product candidates, or any future product candidates, if approved, and (x) developments related to COVID-19 and its impact on the costs and timing associated with the conduct of our clinical trials, preclinical programs, manufacturing activities and other related activities.approved.

In preparation of our commercial launch of VYVGART™, our cash burn increased significantly in 2021 to approximately double from 2020 and, based on our current plans to expand our commercial infrastructure and differentiated pipeline of assets, we expect this to continue in 2022. The increased spend will support our transition to an integrated immunology company and is, in particular, expected to be used to build our commercial infrastructure to support the commercialization of VYVGART™ in the U.S. and in Japan for the treatment of gMG

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and, if approved, for a rapidly growing number of indications in the U.S. and Japan and our other key territories (including the EU), to advance the development of efgartigimod to market regulatory approval for the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), pemphigus vulgaris (PV), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), bullous pemphigoid (BP), myositis, COVID-19 mediated postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (COVID-19 mediated POTS), primary Sjögren’s syndrome (primary SjS), membranous nephropathy (MN) and lupus nephritis (LN), to advance clinical development of ARGX-117 in multiple Phase 2 proof of concept trials in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) and delayed graft function in the context of kidney transplant, to advance ARGX-119 and early stage pipeline candidates in our commercial franchises, the neuromuscular, hematology, dermatology and nephrology franchises, to build out a commercial supply chain to support our global launches of any approved products, to expand our pipeline of future product candidates through the IIP, and to fund other current and future research and development activities and technology development and for working capital and other general corporate purposes.

Any failure by us to keep the cash burn under control by applying our funds effectively and managing our cash and investments appropriately could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect toTo finance our operations, we may need to raise additional capital through a combination of public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, which may include collaborations with third parties. For example, we completed a global offering in July 2023 whereby we raised $1.3 billion in gross proceeds from the sale of 1,917,715 ADSs at a price of $490.00 per ADS and the sale of 663,918 ordinary shares at a price of €436.37 per ordinary share. Our ability to raise additional funds on acceptable terms or at all will depend on financial, economic and market conditions and other factors, over which we may have no or limited control. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. The inability for usIf we are unable to raise additional capital asif and when needed, would have a negative impact on our financial condition and our ability to pursueor if the terms are not acceptable, our business strategy could be impacted, and as a result we may be forced to delay, reduce or terminate the development or commercialization of all or part of our research programs or products or product candidates, we may be required to significantly curtail, delay or discontinue one or more of our research or development programs or the commercialization of any of our products or product candidates, including new indications, or be unable to expand our operations or otherwise capitalize on our business opportunities, as desired or we may be unable to take advantage of future business opportunities, all of which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

TheOur assets, earnings and cash flows and the investment of our cash and cash equivalents may be subject to risks which may cause losses and affect the liquidity of these investments.

As of December 31, 2021,2023, we had cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets of USD 2,336.7 million. We historically have invested substantially all$3.2 billion compared to $2.2 billion as at December 31, 2022. All of our available cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets are invested in either current accounts, savings accounts, term accounts or highly liquid money market funds, pending their use in our business.funds. Any future investments may include term deposits, corporate bonds, commercial paper, certificatecertificates of deposit, government securities and money market funds in accordance with our cash managementinvestment policy. These investments may be subject to general credit, liquidity, and market, inflation, foreign currency and interest rate risks. For example,risks and we may realize losses in the fair value of these investments or a complete loss of these investments, which would have a negative effect on our financial condition. In addition, should our investments cease paying or reduce the amount of interest paid to us, our interest income would suffer. The market risks associated with our cash flows and investment portfolio may have an adverse effect onadversely affect our results of operations, liquidity and financial condition.

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Due to the international scope of our operations, our assets, earnings and cash flows are influenced by movements in exchange rates of several currencies, particularly between the U.S. dollar, euro and Japanese Yen. Our revenue from outside of the U.S. will increase as our products, whether commercialized by us or our business partners or our collaborators gain marketing approval in such jurisdictions. If the U.S. dollar weakens against a specific foreign currency, our revenues will increase, having a positive impact on net income, but our overall expenses will increase, having a negative impact. Conversely, if the U.S. dollar strengthens against a specific foreign currency, our revenues will decrease, having a negative impact on net income, but our overall expenses will decrease, having a positive impact. Continued volatility in foreign exchange rates is likely to impact our operating results and financial condition.

Risk Factors Related to Commercialization of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates, Including for New Indications

We will face significant challenges in successfully commercializing our products and additional product candidates after they are launched.

The commercialization of VYVGART in new indications or other approved product candidates, or entrance of any of our products or product candidates into new markets will require us to further expand our sales and marketing organization, enter into collaboration arrangements with third parties, outsource certain functions to third parties, or use some combination of each. We have built, and continue to expand, our sales forces in certain of the VYVGART Approved Countries and plan to further develop our sales and marketing capabilities to promote our products, and product candidates, including new indications, if and when marketing approval has been obtained in other relevant jurisdictions.

Even if we successfully expand our sales and marketing capabilities, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we may fail to launch or market our products effectively. Recruiting and training a specialized sales force is expensive and the costs of expanding an independent sales, marketing and/or promotion organization could be greater than we anticipate. We could further encounter difficulties in our sales or marketing, due to regulatory actions, shut-downs, work stoppages or strikes, approval delays, withdrawals, recalls, penalties, supply disruptions, shortages or stock-outs at our facilities or third-party facilities that we rely on, reputational harm, the impact to our facilities due to pandemics or natural or man-made disasters, including as a result of climate change, product liability, and/or unanticipated costs. In addition, recruiting and training a sales force is time-consuming and could delay any product launch. In the event that any such launch is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.

We have entered into distribution agreements with Medison, Zai Lab, Genpharm Services FZ-LLC (Genpharm) and Handok Inc. (Handok) to perform sales and marketing services in Israel, Central and Eastern Europe, Mainland China, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and South Korea, respectively. Under these agreements, our product revenues or the profitability of these product revenues could be lower than if we were to market and sell the products that we develop ourselves. Such distribution agreements may place the commercialization of our products outside of our control, including over the amount or timing of resources that our distribution partners devote to our products. Furthermore, our distributors’ willingness or ability to comply with and complete their obligations under our arrangements may be adversely affected by business combinations or significant changes in our distributors’ business strategies. In addition, we may not succeed in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our products or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us.

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Risk Factors Related to the Development and Clinical Testing of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates

All but oneThe commercial success of our products and product candidates, including in new indications or methods of administration, will depend on the degree of market acceptance.

Our products and product candidates, including for new indications or methods of administration, if and when approved and available on the market, may never achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, patients, the medical community, or healthcare payors for us to be profitable. This will depend on a number of factors, many of which are either in preclinical, early-stage clinical or clinical development or market approval has been requested for them,beyond our control, including, but has not (yet) been granted, and only VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG has obtained regulatory approval in the U.S. and in Japan. Our trials may fail and even if they succeedlimited to:

the efficacy and safety as demonstrated by clinical trials and subsequent prevalence and severity of any side effects;
approval may be for indications, dosage and methods of administration or patient populations that are not as broad as intended or desired;
changes in the standard of care for the targeted indications for any product and product candidate;
availability of alternative approved therapies;
sales, marketing and distribution support;
labeling may require significant use or distribution restrictions or safety warnings;
potential product liability claims;
acceptance by physicians, patients and healthcare payors of each product as safe, effective and cost-effective, and any subsequent changes thereof;
relative convenience, ease of use, including administration, perceived dosing complexity and other perceived advantages over alternative and/or new products;
patient continued commitment required to receive periodic in-center infusions;
prevalence and severity of adverse events discovered before or after marketing approval has been received;
consumer perceptions or publicity regarding our business or the safety and quality of our product and product candidates, clinical trials for new indications, or any similar products distributed by other companies;
limitations, precautions or warnings listed in the summary of product characteristics, patient information leaflet, wording of package labeling or instructions for use, and any subsequent changes thereof;
the cost of treatment with our products in relation to alternative and/or new treatments;
the extent to which products are approved for inclusion and reimbursed on formularies of hospitals and managed care organizations, and any subsequent changes thereof; and
whether our products are designated in the label, under physician treatment guidelines or under reimbursement guidelines as a first-line, second-line, third-line or last-line therapy, and any subsequent changes thereof.

In addition, because we may be unable to commercialize any or all ofare developing our products and product candidates due tofor the treatment of different indications, negative results in a lack of, or delay in, regulatory approval or for other reasons.

For our clinical trials to succeed and in order to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals to market and sell any of our products and product candidates, we or our collaborators for such candidates must successfully demonstrate through extensive preclinical studies and clinical trials that our products are safe, pure and potent or effective in humans. Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. Failure can occur at any time during the clinical trial processevaluating the efficacy and our future clinical trial results may not be successful. There issafety of a high failure rate for drugs and biologics proceeding through clinical trials. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical development even after achieving promising results in earlier studies, and any such setbacks in our clinical development could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

We may experience delays in our ongoing clinical trials, including as a result of COVID-19, and we do not know whether planned clinical trials will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll patients on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed, suspended, or terminated for a large variety of reasons outside our control, including delays of approval from regulatory authorities, institutional review boards or ethics committees, delays or failure to recruit or retain patients, failures of third parties to comply with regulatory or contractual requirements or issues relating to the quantity, quality or stability of the product or product candidate.

Wecandidate for one indication could encounter delays, for example if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, bynegatively impact the institutional review boards (IRBs)perception of the institutions in whichefficacy and safety of such trials are being conducted or ethics committees, by the Data Review Committee (DRC) or Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for such trial or by the EMA, FDA, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) or other regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the EMA, FDA, PMDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, including those relating to the class to which our products and product candidates belong, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using products or product candidate changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. We could also experience operational challenges as we undertake an increasing number of clinical trials. If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our products or product candidates, the commercial prospects of our products and product candidates will be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these products and product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Significant clinical trial delays could also allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do or shorten any periods during which we have the exclusive right to commercialize our products and product candidates and impair our ability to commercialize our products and product candidates and may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with the EMA, FDA, PMDA and other applicable regulatory authorities’ legal requirements and regulations and are subject to oversight by these governmental agencies and IRBs at the medical institutions where the clinical trials are conducted or ethics committees. In addition, clinical trials must be conducted with supplies of our products and product candidates produced under cGMP requirements and other regulations. Furthermore, we rely on CROs and clinical trial sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical trials and while we have agreements governing their committed activities, we have limited influence over their actual performance. We depend on our collaborators and on medicala

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institutionsdifferent indication, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation, commercialization efforts and CROsfinancial condition.

Moreover, efforts to conduct our clinical trials in compliance with Good Clinical Practices (GCP) requirements. Toeducate the extent our collaborators or the CROs or investigators fail to enroll participants for our clinical trials, fail to conduct the study to GCP standards or are delayed for a significant time in the execution of trials, including achieving full enrollment, we may be affected by increased costs, program delays or both, which may harm our business. In addition, clinical trials that are conducted in countries outside the European Unionmedical community and the U.S. may subject us to further delays and expenses as a result of increased shipment costs, additional regulatory requirements and the engagement of non-European Union and non-U.S. CROs, as well as expose us to risks associated with clinical investigators who are unknown to the EMA, FDA, PMDA or other regulatory authorities, and apply different standards of diagnosis, screening and medical care.

Before we can commence clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing and studies that support our planned IND applications in the U.S. or Japan, or a clinical trial applications (CTAs) in Europe, or a comparable application in other jurisdictions. We cannot be certain of the timely completion or outcome of our preclinical testing and studies and cannot predict if the EMA, FDA, PMDA or other regulatory authorities will accept our proposed clinical programs or if the outcome of our preclinical testing and studies will ultimately support the further development of these product candidates. Thus, we cannot be sure that we will be able to submit INDs or CTAs or comparable applications for our preclinical programsthird-party payors on the timelines we expect, if at all, and we cannot be sure that submission of INDs or CTAs or comparable applications will result in the EMA, FDA, PMDA or other regulatory authorities allowing clinical trials to begin.

Even if clinical trials do begin for these preclinical programs, our development efforts may not be successful, and clinical trials that we conduct or that third parties conduct on our behalf may not demonstrate sufficient safety, purity and potency or efficacy to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals for anybenefits of our products and product candidates or productsmay require significant resources and product candidates employing our technology. Many of our clinical trials are blinded, which may cause us to incur significant expenses without any visibility as to the likelihood of successful results. For instance, we expect to receive topline data for the Phase 3 ADVANCE trial of 10 mg/kg efgartigimod for the treatment of primary ITP in the second quarter of 2022. As such study results are blinded, we will not know whether such trial has been successful until we receive the data and cannot assure you that such data will contain positive results. Even if we obtain positive results from preclinical studies or initial clinical trials, we may not achieve the same success in future trials.

Any of these occurrences may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition significantly. In addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval ofnever be successful. If our product candidates or result in the developmentmethods of our product candidates being stopped early.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA, EMA, PMDA and comparable foreign authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years, if obtained at all, following the commencementuse of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations,existing products or the type and amount of clinical data necessarynew indications fail to gain approval may change during the course of a product candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. Only VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG has obtained regulatory approval in the U.S. and in Japan and we do not currently have any approvals for any other indication, in any other jurisdictions or for any other product candidates and it is possible that none of our other existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the futuremarket acceptance, this will ever obtain regulatory approval in any other jurisdiction or indication. Approval by one regulatory authority does not guarantee approval by another regulatory authority on the basis of the same data or at all. We have limited experience in submitting and supporting the applications necessary to seek regulatory approvals and expect to rely on third-party CROs to assist us in this process. Securing regulatory approval requires the submission of extensive nonclinical and clinical data and supporting information to regulatory authorities for each therapeutic indication to establish the product candidate’s safety and efficacy. Securing regulatory approval also requires the submission of information about the product manufacturing process to, and inspection of manufacturing facilities by, the regulatory authorities.

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If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval of our products and product candidates on a timely basis or at all, our business will be materially impacted. For instance, we have incurred significant time and expense related to preparation for the build-out of our global commercial infrastructure and drug product inventory ahead of the launch of VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG. An MAA for efgartigimod for the treatment of gMG is currently under review with the EMA with an anticipated decision in the second half of 2022 and we expect Zai Lab to be able to file for approval in Greater China by mid-2022 and Medison in Israel in the second quarter of 2022. If VYVGART™ is not approved in one or more jurisdictions other than the U.S. and Japan, or if such approvals are significantly delayed, it could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Business interruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could cause a disruption of the development of our products and product candidates and adversely impact our business.

Public health crises such as pandemics or similar outbreaks could adversely impact our business, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is evolving and has already endured several waves and variants, and, as of the date of this Annual Report, has led to the implementation of various responses, including government-imposed quarantines, travel restrictions and other public health safety measures.

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business and operations and those of our collaborators, including clinical development and regulatory efforts, will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence at this time, such as the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, the effectiveness of vaccines and other treatments against new variants or mutations of the disease, the duration and effect of business disruptions and the short-term effects and ultimate effectiveness of the travel restrictions, quarantines, social distancing requirements and business closures to contain and treat the disease. Accordingly, we do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical and regulatory activities and those of our partners, 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. In addition, to the extent the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and results of operations, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks and uncertainties described herein.

Operational impacts of COVID-19

We conduct our clinical trials globally, including in areas impacted by COVID-19 in North America, Europe and Japan. The continued spread of COVID-19 has and could continue to adversely impact our business and operations, including our or our third-party partners’ discovery activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials. The COVID-19 pandemic, and measures undertaken to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, could impair our or our third-party partners’ ability to initiate clinical trial sites and recruit and retain patients because principal investigators and site staff, as healthcare providers, may have heightened exposure to COVID-19 if an outbreak occurs in their geography or due to prioritization of hospital resources toward the outbreak and restrictions in travel. Furthermore, some patients may be unwilling to enroll in our or our third-party partners’ trials or be unable to comply with clinical trial protocols if quarantines or travel restrictions impede patient movement or interrupt healthcare services. Patients in our and our third-party partners’ trials are at increased risk for COVID-19-related health issues due to a number of factors, including their age, the nature of their disease or stage of their disease. If patients in our or our third-party partners’ trials contract COVID-19, it could adversely impact the outcome of the trial, including by limiting the quality, completeness and interpretability of data that we are able to collect. As a result of these restrictions, enrollment in some of the ongoing trials we or our third-party partners are conducting has been or may be delayed, but the extent of the full impact is not quantifiable as a result of the continued mutation of the virus and uncertainty as to the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments therefor. The pandemic may also lead to delayed and missed dosing or delayed and missed disease evaluations for patients that have already been enrolled in ongoing trials. We and our third-party partners will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on all ongoing clinical trials and will implement changes as necessary.

We and/or our respective partners evaluate the advancement of each clinical program on a continuous basis taking into account the trajectory of COVID-19. If we and/or one of our partners elect not to move forward

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with some or all of these clinical programs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, we would not be entitled to some or all of the future payments which we are eligible to receive under the collaboration agreement with such partner.

We have been informed by our drug substance and drug product manufacturing partners about potential limitations in the availability of critical manufacturing materials due to the demand outweighing the available manufacturing capacity for these materials and prioritizations imposed by the U.S. government on the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Therefore, we may experience limitations in manufacturing capacity which could impact our ability to build adequate inventory as we support the commercial launch of VYVGART™ in gMG, and as we prepare for the commercial launch of efgartigimod in additional indications, if approved. We are working closely with our manufacturing partners to mitigate those risks to the extent possible.

Since March 2020, when foreign and domestic inspections by the FDA of facilities were largely placed on hold, the FDA has been working to resume routine surveillance, bioresearch monitoring and pre-approval inspections on a prioritized basis. Since April 2021, the FDA has conducted limited inspections and employed remote interactive evaluations, using risk management methods, to meet user fee commitments and goal dates. The FDA is continuing to complete mission-critical work, prioritize other higher-tiered inspectional needs (e.g., for-cause inspections), and carry out surveillance inspections using risk-based approaches for evaluating public health. As of the date of this Annual Report, ongoing travel restrictions and other uncertainties continue to impact oversight operations. Should the FDA determine that an inspection is necessary for approval of a marketing application and an inspection cannot be completed during the review cycle due to restrictions on travel, the FDA has stated that it generally intends to issue, depending on the circumstances, a complete response letter or defer action on the application until an inspection can be completed. A complete response letter indicates that the review cycle of the application is complete and the application will not be approved in its present form, and usually describes all of the specific deficiencies in the new drug application identified by the FDA. The applicant may either resubmit the new drug application, addressing all of the deficiencies identified in the letter, withdraw the application, or request a hearing. In 2020 and 2021, a number of companies announced receipt of complete response letters due to the FDA’s inability to complete required inspections for their applications. Regulatory authorities outside the U.S. may adopt similar restrictions or other policy measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and may experience delays in their regulatory activities. Such restrictions and delays could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for and to commercialize our products and product candidates and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Economic impacts of COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19, which has caused a broad impact globally, may materially affect us economically. While the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of, COVID-19 may be difficult to assess or predict, a worsening of the severity or spread of the pandemic could result in significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity. In addition, a recession or market correction resulting from the spread of COVID-19 could materially affect our business and the value of our American Depositary Shares (ADSs) and/or our ordinary shares.

Impacts of COVID-19 on employees or other stakeholders

COVID-19 may also negatively impact our employees and our other stakeholders. Precautionary measures that we have taken, such as temporarily requiring employees to work remotely, suspending all non-essential travel for our employees and discouraging employee attendance at industry events, may not succeed in minimizing the risk of infection to our employees, and such measures, together with the COVID-19 pandemic, could negatively impact the productivity or emotional health and wellbeing of our employees.

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We may face ongoing obligations and additional expenses even when and if our product candidates are approved, and we may face restrictions, market withdrawal and penalties if we fail to comply with regulatory requirements or experience unanticipated problems with our products.

When and if the EMA, FDA, PMDA or a comparable regulatory authority approves any of our product candidates, the manufacturing processes, labelling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for the product will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and GCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval, all of which may result in significant expense and limit our ability to commercialize such products. In addition, any regulatory approvals that we receive for our product candidates may also be subject to limitations on the approved indicated uses for which the product may be marketed or to the conditions of approval, or contain requirements for potentially expensive post-marketing testing, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate.

Our products and product candidates are classified as biologics in the U.S. and, therefore, can only be sold if we obtain a biologics license application (BLA) from the FDA and therefore cannot be sold in the U.S. if we do not obtain a BLA. The holder of a BLA is obligated to monitor and report adverse events and any failure of a product to meet the specifications in the BLA. The holder of a BLA must also submit new or supplemental applications and obtain FDA approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labelling or manufacturing process.

If there are changes in the application of legislation, regulations or regulatory policies, or if problems are discovered with a product or our manufacture of a product, or if we or one of our distributors, licensees or co-marketers fails to comply with regulatory requirements, the regulators could take various actions. These include imposing fines on us, imposing restrictions on the product or its manufacture and requiring us to recall or remove the product from the market. The regulators could also revoke, suspend or withdraw our marketing authorizations, requiring us to conduct additional clinical trials, change our product labeling or submit additional applications for marketing authorization. If any of these events occurs, our ability to sell such product may be impaired, and we may incur substantial additional expense to comply with regulatory requirements, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products and product candidates may have serious adverse, undesirable or unacceptable side effects or even cause death, and we or others may identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by VYVGART™ or any of our product candidates after they receive marketing approval.

Undesirable side effects that may be caused by our product candidates or by the combination of our product candidates with other medical products could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the EMA, FDA, PMDA or other comparable regulatory authorities. While our preclinical and clinical studies for our product candidates to date show that our product candidates have generally been well tolerated from a risk-benefit perspective, we have observed adverse events and treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in our clinical studies to date, and we may see additional adverse events and TEAEs in our ongoing and future trials, which may be more serious than those observed to date, and as a result, our ongoing and future trials may be negatively impacted. The drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, results of operation and financial condition significantly. Further, because all of our product candidates and preclinical programs, which have not yet received approval by at least one regulatory authority other than VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG, are based on our SIMPLE Antibody™ platform, any adverse safety or efficacy findings related to any product candidate or preclinical program may adversely impact the viability of our other product candidates or preclinical programs.

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Additionally, if we or others identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by VYVGART™ or any of our other product candidates after they receive marketing approval, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could arise, including:

regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals or revoke licenses of such products and require us to take such products off the market;
regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, specific warnings, or a contraindication or request the issuance of field alerts to physicians and pharmacies;
regulatory authorities may require a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, or that we implement a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) plan to ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh its risks;
we may be required to change the way the product is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product;
we may be subject to limitations on how we may promote the product;
sales of the product may decrease significantly;
we may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and
our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could prevent us, our collaborators or our potential future partners from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product or could substantially increase commercialization costs and expenses, which in turn could delay or prevent us from generating significant revenue from the sale of our products. For example, we understand that another company developing a neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) antagonist recently initiated a voluntary pause of its ongoing clinical trials after an observed signal of elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in one of its ongoing trials. We have evaluated VYVGART™ in over 600 subjects and patients and to date we have not seen evidence of evaluation in cholesterol markers related to treatment with VYVGART™. However, if we were to observe unexpected adverse events of whatever kind, our trials could be similarly paused and it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to further the advancement of our product candidates. Further, the FDA generate revenues. Even if some products achieve market acceptance, they may not be able to retain market acceptance and/or the PMDA could require a change of label or even revoke the license, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our abilitymarket may prove not to commercialize VYVGART™.be large enough to allow us to generate significant revenues.

We face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts.

The market for pharmaceutical products is highly competitive. Our competitors we facecompetitive and characterized by rapidly growing understanding of disease biology, quickly changing technologies, strong intellectual property barriers to entry, and a multitude of companies involved in the creation, development, and commercialization of novel therapeutics. Many of these companies are highly sophisticated and often strategically collaborate with each other.

Competition in the autoimmune field the field of leukemiais intense and lymphomainvolves multiple monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), other biologics and the monoclonal antibody drug discovery field includesmall molecules either already marketed or in development by many establisheddifferent companies including large pharmaceutical companies biotechnology companies, universitiessuch as AbbVie, Inc. (AbbVie) (Humira/rheumatoid arthritis), Amgen, Inc. (Amgen) (Enbrel/rheumatoid arthritis), Biogen Inc, (Tysabr/multiple sclerosis), GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) (Benlysta/lupus), F. Hoffman-La Roche AG (Roche) (Rituxan/often used off label) and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Remicade/rheumatoid arthritis and Stelara/psoriasis). In addition, these and other research or commercial institutions, many of which have substantially greater financial, research and development resources than we have. Large pharmaceutical companies in particular, have extensive experiencemAbs or other biologics in clinical testing, obtaining regulatory approvals, recruitingdevelopment for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Currently, our commercial revenue is generated by VYVGART, VYVGART HYTRULO and VYVGART SC in gMG. We face and expect to continue to face intense competition from other biopharmaceutical companies, who have launched or are developing products for the treatment of gMG and other autoimmune diseases, including products that are in the same class as VYVGART, as well as products that are similar to some of our product candidates. Competition for other (potential) future indications is also fierce, with significant development in almost all of the indications we are currently developing or planning to develop for our product or product candidates. For example, we are aware of several neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) inhibitors that are in clinical development and one FcRn inhibitor, Rystiggo (rozanolixizumab-noli), which was approved in June 2023. We are also aware that AstraZeneca PLC is selling Soliris and Ultomiris for the treatment of adult patients with gMG who are AchR-AB+ and manufacturing pharmaceuticalthat UCB is selling Rystiggo for the treatment of adult patients with gMG who are AchR-AB+ or MuSK-AB+ and Zilbrysq for the treatment of adult patients with gMG who are AchR-AB+. Roche, Novartis AG, CSL Behring, Grifols, S.A., Curavac, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, RemeGen Co, Immunovant, Inc., Cartesian Therapeutics, Inc., Horizon Therapeutics PLC, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc./Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson), among others, are developing drugs that may have utility for the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG).

Competitive product launches may erode future sales of our products, including our existing products and those currently under development, or result in unanticipated product obsolescence. Such launches continue to occur, and potentially competitive products are in various stages of development. We could also face competition for use of limited international infusion sites, particularly in new markets as competitors launch new products. SmallerWe cannot predict with accuracy the timing or impact of the introduction of competitive products that treat diseases and early stage companies may also prove to be significantconditions like those treated by our products or product candidates. In addition, our competitors particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third partiespotential competitors compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific, clinical research and development and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites, and patient registrationregistering patients for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, the development of our products.

The fields in which we operate are characterized by rapid technological change and innovation. There can be no assurance that our competitors are not currently developing, or will not in the future develop, technologies and products that are equally or more effective, are more economically attractive, and can be administered more easily than any of our current or future technologies or products.

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and products that are equally or more effective or are more economically attractive than any of our current or future technology or product. Competing products or technology platforms may gain faster or greater market acceptance than our products or technology platforms and medical advances or rapid technological development by competitors may result in our products and product candidates or technology platforms becoming non-competitive or obsolete before we are able to recover our research and development and commercialization expenses. If we, our products and product candidates or our technology platforms do not compete effectively, it is likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

Our products and product candidates for which we have obtained or intend to seek approval as biological products, including for new indications, may face biosimilar competition.

In the U.S., the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed reference biological product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full biologics license application (BLA) for the competing product containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of their product.

We believe that any of our product candidates approved as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity, as was the case with VYVGART and VYVGART HYTRULO. The regulatory exclusivity periods for VVVGART and VYVGART HYTRULO is expected to extend until December 2033 in the U.S. Regulatory protection in the EU (both orphan and data/marketing exclusivity) is expected to expire in August 2032 in the European Economic Area (EEA) and March 2033 in the UK. Following those periods of regulatory exclusivity, we must enforce our patent rights against biosimilar products that infringe the patent claims of these products. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our product candidates to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for competition by biosimilar products sooner than anticipated. Moreover, an interchangeable biosimilar product, once approved, may be substituted under existing state law for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products. Any non-interchangeable biosimilar products may also be substituted by a healthcare provider but, under existing law, will not be automatically substituted at the pharmacy. The extent of the impact of such substitution will depend on enrollmenta number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing.

In the EU, biosimilars are evaluated for marketing authorization pursuant to a set of general and product class-specific guidelines. In April 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation. If adopted in the form proposed, a number of changes to the regulatory framework governing medicinal products in the EEA would occur, including a shortened period of data and market exclusivity. In addition, in an effort to spur biosimilar utilization and/or increase potential healthcare savings, some EU Member States have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, biosimilar uptake measures such as physician prescribing quotas or automatic pharmacy substitution of biosimilars for the corresponding reference products. Some EU Member States impose automatic price reductions upon market entry of one or more biosimilar competitors. In September 2022, the European Medicines Authority (EMA) and the EU Heads of Medicines’ Agencies issued a joint statement providing that biosimilar medicines approved in the EU are “interchangeable” with their reference products and other biosimilars of the same reference product. This statement could further contribute to the prescribing of biosimilars and to greater competition in Europe. While the degree of competitive effects of biosimilar competition differs among EU Member States and among products, the overall use of biosimilars and the rate at which product sales of innovative products are being affected by biosimilar competition is increasing.

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Enacted and future legislation could impact demand for our products which could impact our business and future results of operations.

In the U.S., the UK, the EU and other jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare systems that could affect our future results of operations. Governmental regulations that mandate price controls or limitations on patient access to our products or establish prices paid by government entities or programs for our products could impact our business, and our future results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in such regulations or policies. For example, if the European Commission’s recent proposal to revise the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation is adopted in the form proposed, we may be affected by a decrease in data and market exclusivity for our products and product candidates in the EEA.

In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the U.S. federal and state levels that seek to reduce healthcare costs in general and the cost of pharmaceuticals in particular. Healthcare reform initiatives in the U.S. culminated in the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August 2022, which allows, among other things, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to directly negotiate the selling price of a statutorily specified number of drugs and biologics each year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for single-source drugs) can qualify for negotiation, with the negotiated price taking effect two years after the selection year. In August 2023, the U.S. government announced the first 10 drugs to be subject to negotiation, although the Medicare drug price negotiation program is currently subject to legal challenges. Negotiations for Medicare Part D products begin in 2024 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2026, and negotiations for Medicare Part B products begin in 2024 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2028. HHS will announce the negotiated maximum fair price by September 1, 2024, and this price cap, which cannot exceed a statutory ceiling price, will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

The IRA also penalizes drug manufacturers that increase prices of Medicare Part D and Part B drugs at a rate greater than the rate of inflation. The IRA will also cap out-of-pocket spending for Medicare Part D enrollees and make other Part D benefit design changes beginning in 2024. Beginning in 2025, the IRA eliminates the coverage gap under Medicare Part D by significantly lowering the enrollee maximum out-of-pocket cost to $2,000 and by requiring manufacturers to subsidize, through a newly established manufacturer discount program, 10% of Part D enrollees’ prescription costs for brand drugs below the out-of-pocket maximum, and 20% once the out-of-pocket maximum has been reached (plans will also be required to cover 20% in this case). Although these discounts represent a lower percentage of enrollees’ costs than the current discounts required below the out-of-pocket maximum (that is, in the coverage gap phase of Part D coverage), the new manufacturer contribution required above the out-of-pocket maximum could be considerable for very high-cost patients and the total contributions by manufacturers to a Part D enrollee’s drug expenses may exceed those currently provided. These Part D design changes may also incentivize Part D plans to exclude certain drugs from their formularies, which could affect the supply, demand, and pricing of our product and product candidates.

The IRA permits the Secretary of HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. HHS has and will continue to issue and update guidance as these programs are implemented. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the IRA may be subject to various penalties, some significant, including civil monetary penalties. The IRA also extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA (as defined below) marketplaces through plan year 2025. These provisions began taking effect progressively starting in 2023, although they may be subject to legal challenges. For example, the provisions related to the negotiation of selling prices of high-expenditure single-source drugs and biologics have been challenged in multiple lawsuits, Thus, while the full economic impact of IRA is unknown at this time, the law’s passage is likely to affect the pricing of our products and product candidates. In addition, in response to the Biden administration’s October 2022 executive order, on February 14, 2023, HHS released a report outlining three new models for testing by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, which will be evaluated on their ability to lower the cost of drugs, promote accessibility, and improve quality of care. It is unclear whether the models will be utilized in any health reform measures in the future. The adoption of restrictive price controls in new jurisdictions, more restrictive controls in existing jurisdictions, the adoption of these lower prices by commercial payors, or the failure to obtain or maintain timely or adequate pricing could also adversely impact revenue. We expect pricing pressures will continue globally.

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Further, at the U.S. state level, legislatures are increasingly enacting laws and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or reimbursement constraints, discount requirements, marketing cost disclosure and price transparency reporting, and programs designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. States are also enacting laws modeled on federal policies, such as the IRA and the 340B drug discount program. We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare products and services, including pharmaceuticals, which could result in reduced demand for our products and product candidates or additional pricing pressures.

The EU, on the other hand, has reopened the entire legislative framework for medicinal products. On April 26, 2023, the European Commission has published its proposal for a new directive (COM/2023/192 final) and a new regulation (COM/2023/193 final), which would revise and replace the existing general pharmaceutical legislation, including e.g., Directive 2001/83/EC, as well as Regulations (EC) No. 726/2004, No. 141/2000, or No. 1901/2006 (EU Pharmaceutical Legislation). This proposal is currently undergoing the ordinary legislative procedure in the European Parliament and Council of the European Union and is therefore still subject to changes. If at all, the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation is expected to be implemented at the earliest in the next few years. Prevention and mitigation of medicine shortages, simplification of the market entry of generics and biosimilars, the reduction of the regulatory burden (e.g., by increased digitalization) and the implementation of a new regime for data and / or market exclusivity (e.g., by reducing the minimum period while introducing factors that, if met, prolong protections for marketing authorization holders) are among the major objectives pursued by the European Commission. Pending the outcome of the legislative procedure, the impact could be positive with respect to certain regulatory processes. There could, however, also be a negative impact on innovative pharma and biotech companies such as argenx due to shorter baseline regulatory and orphan exclusivities if the proposal is not amended.

We are subject to government pricing laws, regulation and enforcement. These laws affect the prices we may charge the government for our products and the reimbursement our customers may obtain from the government. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.

In the U.S., we are required to participate in various government programs for our products to be reimbursed or purchased by the federal government. We participate in programs such as the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, the 340B drug discount program, Medicare Part B, Medicare Part D and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Supply Schedule pricing program. The requirements vary by program, but among these and any other programs in which we participate, we are, among other things, required to enter into agreements with and calculate and report prices and other information to certain government agencies, charge no more than statutorily mandated ceiling prices and calculate and pay rebates and refunds for certain products.

The calculations are complex and are often subject to interpretation by us, governmental agencies and the courts. If we determine that the prices we reported were in error, we may be required to restate those prices and pay additional rebates or refunds to the extent we understated the rebate or overcharged the government due to the error. Additionally, there are penalties associated with submission of incorrect pricing or other data. We may incur significant civil monetary penalties if we are found to have knowingly submitted false prices or other information to the government, or to have charged 340B covered entities more than the statutorily mandated ceiling price. Certain failures to timely submit required data also could result in a civil monetary penalty for each day the information is late. We could also become subject to allegations under the False Claims Act and other laws and regulations. In addition, misreporting and failure to timely report data to CMS also can be grounds for CMS to terminate our Medicaid rebate agreement, pursuant to which we participate in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. In the event that CMS terminates our rebate agreement, no federal payments would be available under Medicaid or Medicare Part B for our covered outpatient drugs.

Recently enacted legislation in the U.S. has imposed additional rebates under government programs. For example, effective January 1, 2024, under the American Rescue Plan of 2021, rebates that manufacturers pay to state Medicaid programs was eliminated. Elimination of this cap may require pharmaceutical manufacturers to pay more in Medicaid rebates than they receive on the sale of products for products that have undergone substantial price increases. In addition, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, effective January 1, 2023, added a requirement for manufacturers of certain single-source drugs (including biologics and biosimilars) separately paid for under Medicare

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Part B for at least 18 months and marketed in single-dose containers or packages (known as refundable single-dose containers or single-use package drugs) to provide annual refunds for any portions of the dispensed drug that are unused and discarded if those unused or discarded portions exceed an applicable percentage defined by statute or regulation. Manufacturers are subject to periodic audits and those that fail to pay refunds for their refundable single-dose containers or single-use package drugs shall be subject to civil monetary penalties. This requirement applies to VYVGART, and potentially other of our products in the future. As a result, we owe refunds to CMS starting this year. Although we will evaluate options to reduce the amount of refunds owed, pursuing any such actions will be time-consuming and costly. Even if we invest resources to reduce the amount of refunds owed to CMS, it is possible that we will be delayed or unsuccessful in achieving a reduction worthy of our investment.

Maintaining compliance with these government price reporting and discounting obligations is time-consuming and costly, and a failure to comply can result in substantial fines, penalties, all of which could adversely impact our financial results.

We may not obtain or maintain adequate coverage or reimbursement status for our products and product candidates.

Sales of VYVGART for gMG, VYVGART HYTRULO and our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors, including government health programs in the U.S. (such as Medicare Parts B and D and Medicaid) and other countries, commercial health insurers, and managed care organizations, provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such products and product candidates. In the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for products exists among commercial third-party payors. Commercial third-party payors decide which products they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Commercial 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 candidate that we develop through approval will be made on a plan-by-plan basis. One commercial payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other commercial payors will also provide coverage and adequate reimbursement for the product. Additionally, a commercial third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Each plan determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a product, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the product, on what tier of its formulary the product will be placed and whether to require step therapy. The position of a product on a formulary generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the product and can strongly influence the adoption of a product by patients and physicians.

Even under U.S. government healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, coverage and reimbursement policies can vary significantly. Medicare Part D is administered by commercial insurance companies under contract with the CMS. The many Part D plans operated by these companies vary considerably in their coverage and reimbursement policies, much like the commercial plans that these same companies offer, as described above. Medicare Part B and Medicaid coverage and reimbursement rates are more uniform, but even Medicaid programs vary from state to state in their coverage policies and reimbursement rates.

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. Further, from time to time, typically on an annual basis, payment rates are updated and revised by third-party payors. Such updates could impact the demand for our products, to the extent that patients who are prescribed our products, if approved, are not separately reimbursed for the cost of the product.

The process for determining whether a third-party payor will provide coverage for a product may be separate from the process for setting the price of a product or for establishing the reimbursement rate that such a payor will pay for the product. Even if we do obtain adequate levels of reimbursement, third-party payors, such as government or private healthcare insurers, carefully review and increasingly question the coverage of, and challenge the prices charged for, products. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that biopharmaceutical companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for products. We may also be required to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies to justify the coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular

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medications. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be.

Moreover, coverage policies and third-party payor reimbursement rates may change at any time. Therefore, even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more products for which we receive marketing approval in one or more indications, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future. For instance, even though favorable coverage and reimbursement status has been attained for VYVGART for the treatment of gMG in the U.S., access to VYVGART or for any other indication may be reduced or restricted by limited payer coverage due to treatment criteria, which may prevent us from realizing its full commercial potential. In addition, the coverage and reimbursement levels for our products for the treatment in one indication may have an adverse impact on the coverage and reimbursement levels of such products or product candidates in other indications for which marketing approval has previously been or may subsequently be obtained. Inadequate coverage or reimbursement may diminish or prevent altogether any significant demand for our products and/or may prevent us entirely from entering certain markets or indications, which would prevent us from generating significant revenues or becoming profitable, which would adversely affect our business, financials and results of operations.

In many foreign countries, pricing, coverage, and level of reimbursement of prescription drugs are subject to governmental control, and we and our collaborators may be unable to obtain coverage, pricing, and/or reimbursement on terms that are favorable to us or necessary for us or our collaborators to successfully commercialize our marketed products in those countries. In some foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing drug pricing and reimbursement vary widely from country to country, and may take into account the clinical effectiveness, cost, and service impact of existing, new, and emerging drugs and treatments. For example, the EU provides options for its member states to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. A member state may approve a specific price for the medicinal product or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. Our results of operations may suffer if we or our collaborators are unable to market our products in foreign countries or if coverage and reimbursement for our marketed products in foreign countries is limited or delayed.

If we fail to obtain orphan drug designation or we do not have valid and enforceable patents covering our products and product candidates and fail to obtain and/or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for our products or product candidates, our competitors may be able to sell products to treat the same conditions and our revenue may be reduced.

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the U.S., or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the U.S. where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug will be recovered from sales in the U.S. In the EU, after a recommendation from the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products, the EU Commission grants orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition either affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU or when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the EU would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the drug or biological product. In each case there must be no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition, or, if such a method exists, the medicine must be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition.

In the U.S., orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as tax advantages and user fee waivers. In addition, if a product receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application submitted by another applicant to market a same or similar biological product for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances. Whether a biological product is the same as another product is based on whether the two products have the same principal molecular structural features. Orphan designation does not, however, truncate the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.

In the EU, orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and 10 years of market exclusivity following drug or biological product approval. This period may be reduced to

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six years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. If we fail to obtain or if we lose orphan drug status for one or more of our products and product candidates, the aforementioned incentives and market exclusivity may not or no longer be available to us, which is likely to increase the overall cost of development and to decrease the competitive position of such product and product candidate including from biosimilars. Similar considerations apply in the UK.

We may from time to time seek orphan drug designation in the U.S. or the EU for certain indications addressed by our products and product candidates. For example, in September 2017, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod for gMG, and upon approval of VYVGART, the FDA granted seven years of orphan drug exclusivity for VYVGART for the treatment of gMG in adult patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive (AChR-AB+). In July 2022, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for VYVGART HYTRULO, and upon approval of VYVGART HYTRULO, the FDA granted seven years of orphan drug exclusivity for this product for the treatment of gMG in adult patients who are AChR-AB+. In January 2019, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod for the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and for the use of cusatuzumab for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and in August 2021, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod co-formulated with recombinant human hyaluronidase PH20 (rHuPH20) for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). In June 2020, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod for the treatment of gMG and in January 2022, the MHLW granted approval of VYVGART for treatment of gMG. Furthermore, in December 2022, the MHLW granted orphan drug designation for the use of VYVGART for the treatment of ITP. The application for approval of VYVGART for treatment of ITP was filed for the first time, pioneering worldwide, but such approval is expected in the first quarter of 2024. With regard to these designations or future designations we may obtain, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval of these drugs for such indication due to the uncertainties associated with developing therapeutic products, and we may not obtain orphan designation upon approval. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the U.S. may be limited if we seek approval for an indication broader than the orphan-designated indication or may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if we are unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. Further, even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs with different active moieties or different principal molecular structural features can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA, EMA or other foreign regulator can subsequently approve the same drug with the same principal molecular structural features for the same condition if the regulator concludes that the later drug is safer, more effective, or makes a major contribution to patient care.

Risk Factors Related to Other Government Regulations

We are subject to healthcare laws, regulation and enforcement. The failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.

Our current and future operations may be or may become directly, or indirectly through our customers and third-party payors, subject to various U.S. federal and state, EU, Japanese, Chinese, UK, Canadian, Israel and other jurisdictions’ healthcare laws including anti-kickback statutes, anti-bribery, anti-corruption provisions, anti-fraud statutes, false claims acts, including the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), False Claims Act and more. Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs and constrain our business and financial arrangements with third-party payors, healthcare professionals who participate in our clinical research programs, healthcare professionals and others who recommend, purchase, or provide our approved products, and other parties through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval.

In addition, our current and future operations are subject to other healthcare-related statutory and regulatory requirements and enforcement by regulatory authorities in jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. For example, the provision of benefits or advantages to physicians to induce or encourage the prescription, recommendation,

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endorsement, purchase, supply, order or use of medical products is generally not permitted in countries that form part of the EU, or the UK. Some EU Member States have enacted laws explicitly prohibiting the provision of these types of benefits and advantages to induce or reward improper performance generally, and the UK has enacted similar restrictions through the Bribery Act 2010. Infringements of these laws can result in substantial fines and imprisonment, as well as associated reputational harm. We are also subject to EU Directive 2001/83/EC and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. 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 maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance or reporting requirements increases the possibility that we or our collaborative partners may run afoul of one or more of the requirements. We continue to expand, enhance and refine our internal ethics and compliance function and program to ensure compliance with the different healthcare laws and regulations. The expansion and maintenance of an internal compliance program involves substantial costs and, notwithstanding our investment, mechanisms put in place to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and our best efforts, the program may not be fully successful as there can be no assurance that our policies and procedures will be followed at all times or will effectively detect and/or prevent all compliance violations by our employees, consultants, subcontractors, agents and partners.

It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do 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 investigations, penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion of drugs from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid in the U.S., 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, reputational harm and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Managing such investigations and defending against or appealing any such actions or penalties can be costly and time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in managing any such governmental investigations and/or defending against or appealing any such actions or penalties that may be brought against or imposed upon us, our business may be impaired. Further, if any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations also involves substantial costs.

The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Federal and state enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Ensuring business arrangements comply with applicable healthcare laws, as well as responding to possible investigations by government authorities, can be time and resource consuming and can divert a company’s attention from the business.

All aspects of our business ranging from preclinical, clinical trials, marketing and commercialization are highly regulated and any delay by relevant regulatory authorities could jeopardize our development and approval process or result in other suspensions, refusals or withdrawal of approvals.

Before we can commence clinical trials for a product candidate, we must complete extensive preclinical testing and clinical trials that support our investigational new drug (IND) or planned IND applications in the U.S. or Japan, or our clinical trial applications (CTAs) in the UK or in the EU, or a comparable application in other jurisdictions. We cannot be sure that we will be able to submit INDs or CTAs or comparable applications for our preclinical programs on the timelines we expect, if at all. We also cannot guarantee that submission of INDs or CTAs or comparable applications will result in the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the EMA, the FDA, the MHLW (collectively, the Relevant Regulatory Authorities) or other regulatory authorities allowing clinical trials to even begin.

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Clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with Relevant Regulatory Authorities and other applicable regulatory authorities’ legal requirements and regulations and are subject to oversight by these governmental agencies and institutional review boards (IRBs) and ethics committees at the medical institutions where the clinical trials are conducted. In addition, clinical trials must be conducted in compliance with good clinical practices (GCPs) and with supplies of our products and product candidates produced under current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) and other regulations. We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated, by us, by the IRBs or ethics committees of the institutions in which such clinical trials are being conducted, by the data review committee or data safety monitoring board for such clinical trial by the Relevant Regulatory Authorities or other comparable regulatory authorities. Such authorities may impose a suspension or termination due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or clinical trial site by the Relevant Regulatory Authorities or other applicable authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, including those relating to the class to which our products and product candidates belong, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using the product or product candidate, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.

If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our products or product candidates, the costs of our clinical trials may increase, the commercial prospects of our products and product candidates may be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these products and product candidates will be delayed. Significant clinical trial delays could also allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do or shorten any periods during which we have the exclusive right to commercialize our products and product candidates.

Moreover, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals in each jurisdiction where we want to market and approval by one regulatory authority does not ensure approval by any other regulatory authority. As approval procedures can vary among countries and may change over time, this can require additional clinical testing and the time required to obtain approval may differ. We can provide no assurances that such approval will be obtained on the timeline that we expect or at all. In addition, we anticipate to submit applications for approval of VYVGART in new indications, but can provide no assurances that such applications will be accepted or that we will receive approval on our anticipated timeline, or at all.

If VYVGART or any new formulations of VYVGART are not approved in one or more jurisdictions including beyond the VYVGART Approved Countries, or if such approvals are significantly delayed, it could have a material adverse effect on our business. It is possible that none of our other existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval in any other jurisdiction or indication.

Further, the Relevant Regulatory Authoritiesmay impose extensive and ongoing unique regulatory requirements. For example, they:

may withdraw an approval or revoke a license;
may refuse to grant approval, or may require additional data before granting approval, notwithstanding that approval may have been granted by another comparable foreign authority;
may approve a product candidate for fewer or more limited indications or patient sub-segments than requested; or
may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, including Phase 4 clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate; or
may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate.

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The costs of compliance with all Relevant Regulatory Authorities and applicable authorities regulations, requirements or guidelines could be substantial, and failure to comply could result in sanctions, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, denial of applications for marketing authorization of our products, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly increase our and/or our collaborative partners’ costs or delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates. At this time, we cannot guarantee or know the exact nature, precise timing and detailed costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of our research programs and product candidates.

We are subject to privacy laws, regulation and potential enforcement. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results, operations and/or financial conditions.

Privacy laws, regulation and potential enforcement are particularly relevant to our business as we collect, store and process patient data, including sensitive health data as well as human biological samples such as blood or tissue, in the context of our clinical development activities, post-marketing approval monitoring obligations, and associated activities. We also collaborate on a regular basis with third parties where we may seek to use data collected by third parties on our or their behalf, or we may seek to share data collected by us with such third parties to further our research or commercial initiatives.

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) imposes a broad range of strict requirements on companies, including with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data. The GDPR allows the imposition of substantial penalties in the event of non-compliance, including fines of up to €10 million or up to 2% of total worldwide annual turnover of the preceding fiscal year for certain comparatively minor offenses, or up to €20 million or up to 4% of total worldwide annual turnover if the preceding fiscal year for more serious offenses. We face uncertainty as to the exact interpretation of the requirements under the GDPR, and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by data protection authorities or courts in interpretation of the GDPR.

In addition, national laws of EU Member States may partially deviate from the GDPR and impose different obligations from country to country, so that we do not operate in a uniform legal landscape in the EU. Also, in the field of handling genetic data, the GDPR specifically allows EU Member States’ laws to impose additional and more specific requirements or restrictions, and European national laws have historically differed quite substantially in this field, leading to additional uncertainty.

Following its departure from the EU, the UK has maintained in force substantially equivalent provisions to the GDPR (UK GDPR). The UK Government has recently announced reforms to the regime. Similar concerns as those described above apply to our compliance with the UK GDPR and other UK data protection rules.

Privacy laws continue to evolve and expand in Europe. For example, Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 12, 2002 (as amended, the e-Privacy Directive) required the EU Member States to implement laws to meet strict privacy requirements related to electronic communications, cookies and online monitoring, and other digital privacy. Violations of these requirements can result in administrative measures, including fines, or criminal sanctions. The EU is in the process of developing a new e-Privacy Regulation to replace the e-Privacy Directive, and the new e-Privacy Regulation may impose additional obligations and risk for our business.

Beyond the EU and UK, privacy and data protection laws and regulations continue to develop and expand around the world, including in other jurisdictions in which we operate, such as the U.S., Japan, and Canada. Such laws and regulations impose increasing restrictions and obligations on the processing of personal data, including sensitive personal data such as genetic data. For example, in the U.S., the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, imposes specific requirements relating to the privacy, security, and transmission of individually identifiable health information and new state privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and the Washington My Health My Data Act of 2023, impose obligations on covered businesses, including, but not limited to, providing specific disclosures in privacy notices and affording residents certain rights related to their personal data. Additionally, effective as of

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January 1, 2023, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) imposes additional obligations on companies covered by the legislation and will significantly modify the CCPA, including by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information. The CPRA also creates a new state agency that will be vested with authority to implement and enforce the CCPA and the CPRA. Furthermore, in the U.S., similar laws were enacted in certain states and proposed in numerous others. The effects of the CCPA and the CPRA are potentially significant and may require us to modify our data collection or processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply and increase our potential exposure to regulatory enforcement and/or litigation. If we are investigated by a data protection authority, we may face fines and other penalties. Any such investigation or charges by such data protection authorities could have a negative effect on our existing business and on our ability to attract and retain new clients or pharmaceutical partners. We may also experience hesitancy, reluctance, or refusal by clients or pharmaceutical partners to continue to use our products and solutions due to the potential risk exposure as a result of the current (and, in particular, future) data protection obligations imposed on them by certain data protection authorities in interpretation of current law. Such clients or pharmaceutical partners may also view any alternative approaches to compliance as being too costly, too burdensome, too legally uncertain, or otherwise objectionable and therefore decide not to do business with us. Any of the foregoing could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to comply with anti-corruption laws and regulations, anti-money laundering laws and regulations, economic sanctions and/or export control regulations and other laws governing our operations such as in relation to sustainability could have an adverse impact on our business.

We are or may become subject to various laws and regulations regarding anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, economic sanctions, investment restrictions, anti-fraud and export control regulations issued by multiple jurisdictions. These include the UK Bribery Act 2010 and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, which prohibits, among other things, payments, offers, or promises made for the purpose of improperly influencing any act or decision of a foreign official. The nature of our business means that we engage in significant interactions with foreign officials. We are also subject to economic sanctions and export control rules and regulations imposed by, amongst others, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, other agencies of the U.S. government, HM Treasury and other agencies of the UK government, the EU, and the United Nations. Any change in export or import regulations, economic sanctions regulations or related legislation, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could decrease our ability to manufacture, import, export or sell our products internationally. Any limitation on our ability to manufacture, import, export or sell our products could adversely affect our business.

We have mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with such rules and regulations. However, there can be no assurance that our policies and procedures will be followed at all times or will effectively detect and/or prevent violations of applicable compliance regimes by our employees, consultants, sub-contractors, agents and partners. As a result, in the event of non-compliance, we could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including economic sanctions against us, incarceration for responsible employees and managers, the possible loss of export or import privileges, reputational harm, and resulting loss of revenue and profits, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial conditions and operations.

Moreover, a growing number of investors, regulators, self-regulatory organizations and other stakeholders have expressed an interest in setting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals and requiring the provision of new and more robust disclosure of steps taken to implement such goals. The related legislative landscape in the EU has been evolving accordingly. For example, on January 5, 2023, Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 14, 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive 2013/34/EU, as regards corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) came into force. This new directive strengthens the rules on the social and environmental information that companies must report. It expands the scope of companies required to report ESG information and increases the depth of required disclosures. The CSRD also introduces a ‘double materiality’ analysis, which requires companies to report on how sustainability issues might create financial risks for the company and on the company’s own impacts on people and the environment. The CSRD applies to large EU companies, EU parent companies of a “large group” and listed EU small or medium-sized companies. It also applies to non-EU companies that meet certain criteria, including an EU turnover threshold and an EU branch or

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subsidiary. The specific information to be reported is set out in the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Companies subject to the CSRD will have to comply with the reporting requirements on a staggered basis depending on their category. For listed companies that qualify as large EU companies and which are already obliged to publish a non-financial statement, a mandatory sustainability report in accordance with the ESRS will be required for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2024. This means that in 2025, we will have to publish for the first time a sustainability report complying with requirements under the CSRD integrated in our annual report for the financial year 2024. The Dutch government is in the process of implementing the CSRD into Dutch legislation.

This means that in 2025, we will have to publish our first CSRD report covering the prescribed ESG information for the financial year 2024. The Dutch government is in the process of implementing the CSRD into Dutch legislation. In July 2023, a Dutch draft bill to implement certain elements of the CSRD (including the requirements for assurance of CSRD reports and applicability to listed companies) was published and submitted for public consultation, which consultation period ended in September 2023. Additionally, in November 2023, a Dutch draft decree implementing certain elements of the CSRD (including the CSRD disclosure obligations for in-scope companies, assurance rules and implementation timelines) was published and submitted for public consultation, which consultation period ended in December 2023. The Dutch government will need to progress the parliamentary debate and adoption of the aforementioned draft bill and decree in the near future given that the ultimate date for implementation of the CSRD within EU member states at a local level is July 6, 2024.

Similarly, the SEC adopted on March 6, 2024 final rules aimed at enhancing and standardizing climate-related disclosures relating to climate-related risks, Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial metrics (SEC Climate Rules). As a foreign private issuer and large accelerated filer, we will need to begin complying with the disclosure requirements of the SEC Climate Rules in our Form 20-F for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, which will include quantitative and qualitative climate-related disclosures.

In response to new ESG initiatives and regulations we may voluntarily elect, or be required, to adopt strategies, policies, or procedures related to ESG matters. Reporting on ESG goals and objectives, including pursuant to the SEC Climate Rules, may cause us to expend significant capital and human resources, and could divert management’s attention from central operational matters. Reports could also lead to the disclosure of information that which may have a negative impact on our operations and reputation which may lead to additional exposure. Failure to accurately comply with any ESG reporting obligations may result in enforcement actions, sanctions, reputational harm or private litigation.

We may become exposed to liability and substantial expenses in connection with environmental compliance or remediation activities.

Our operations, including our research, development, testing and third-party manufacturing activities, are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and for which we may become liable.

If we or one of our CMOs or third-party distributors, manufacturers, licensees or co-marketers fail to comply with such laws and regulations, such failure could result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions which could also bring significant reputational loss to our business.

We face a risk of environmental liability inherent in our current and historical activities, including liability relating to releases of our exposure to hazardous or biological materials. Furthermore, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. Both us and our CMOs may be required to incur substantial expenses in connection with future environmental compliance or remediation activities, in which case, our production and development efforts may be interrupted or delayed, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected

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Risk Factors Related to the Development and Clinical Testing of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates

Failure to successfully identify, select and develop VYVGART in other indications, or additional products or product candidates could impair our ability to grow.

Our long-term growth strategy entails developing and marketing additional products and product candidates, including VYVGART in new indications, which requires substantial resources, whether or not any product candidates or new indications are ultimately identified. The success of this strategy depends partly upon our ability to identify, select, develop, and ultimately, commercialize promising product candidates. We are heavily dependent on precise, accurate and reliable scientific data to identify, select and develop promising product candidates and products. Our business decisions may therefore be adversely influenced by inaccurate, improper or fraudulent scientific data, including data sourced from third parties. Any irregularities in the scientific data used by us to determine our focus in research and development of product and product candidates, could impair our ability to grow. Even with accurate scientific data, our technology platforms may fail to discover and to generate additional products and products candidates, that are suitable for further development.

Even if we identify additional product candidates, they may not be suitable for clinical development as a result of harmful side effects, limited efficacy or other characteristics that indicate that it is unlikely to be a product that will receive approval by the Relevant Regulatory Authorities and other comparable regulatory authorities or achieve market acceptance. For example, in November 2023, we announced that our ADVANCE-SC clinical trial evaluating VYVGART HYTRULO in adults with ITP did not meet the primary endpoint of a sustained platelet count response in chronic ITP patients. Secondary endpoints were also not met. In December 2023, we announced that topline data from the Phase 3 ADDRESS clinical trial evaluating SC efgartigimod in adults with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) showed that the proportion of PV patients achieving the primary endpoint of complete remission on complete remission on minimal dose of steroids (CRmin) was not significantly different between SC efgartigimod and placebo. We consequently decided not to pursue additional development in pemphigus and plan to prioritize clinical development of efgartigimod in its ongoing severe autoimmune indications. If we do not successfully identify, develop and commercialize product candidates and VYVGART in new indications based upon our technological approach, we may not be able to obtain product or collaboration revenues in future periods.

VYVGART has obtained regulatory approval in the VYVGART Approved Countries for the treatment of gMG. Our other products and product candidates – including additional indications or methods of use for efgartigimod, empasiprubart and ARGX-119 – are either in preclinical or clinical development or are pending marketing approval.

To obtain the requisite regulatory approvals to market and sell any of our products and product candidates, we or our collaborators for such candidates must successfully demonstrate that our products are safe and effective in humans. Clinical trials are expensive and can take many years to complete, and their outcome is inherently uncertain. Further, success in early clinical trials or in one indication does not guarantee success in later clinical trials or in other indications.

The time required to obtain approval by the RelevantRegulatoryAuthorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years, if obtained at all, following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion or interpretation of the regulatory authorities. This lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, including for new indications. We may experience delays in our ongoing or planned clinical trials, for a large variety of reasons outside our control in complying with regulatory approvals which can adversely affect the timing of trials, including as described in Item 3.D. “Risk FactorsRisk Factors Related to Other Government RegulationsAll aspects of our business ranging from preclinical, clinical trials, marketing and commercialization are highly regulated and any delay by relevant regulatory authorities could jeopardize our development and approval process or result in other suspensions, refusals or withdrawal of approvals.”

If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval of our products and product candidates on a timely basis or at all, our business may be impacted.

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Our clinical trials have, and may in the future, fail, and even if they succeed, we may not obtain regulatory approval for our products and product candidates or regulatory approval may be delayed.

Even if clinical trials are initiated, our development efforts may not be successful. Many of our clinical trials are blinded, which may cause us to incur significant expenses without any visibility as to the likelihood of successful results. Even if we obtain positive results from preclinical trials or initial clinical trials, we may not achieve the same success in future clinical trials.

Regulatory approval of our products or product candidates may be delayed or refused for many reasons, including:

the Relevant Regulatory Authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials;
we may be unable to demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, that our product candidates are safe, pure, potent and effective for any of their proposed indications;
we may be unable to demonstrate our product candidates’ clinical and other benefits outweigh their safety risks;
the FDA may determine that clinical trial results are not generalizable to the U.S. population and/or U.S. medical practice based on the proportion and results of subjects outside of the U.S. where differences in patient management might affect the treatment response. Comparable foreign regulatory authorities may take a similar approach;
the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;
the chemistry, manufacturing and controls information submitted in a marketing application is insufficient; and
the facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for the manufacture of our product candidates are not adequate to support approval of our product candidates.

Any of these occurrences may harm our business, results of operations and financial condition significantly.

We could also experience operational challenges as we undertake an increasing number of clinical trials, including those conducted in countries outside the EU, UK and the U.S. that may subject us to further delays and expenses as a result of increased shipment costs, additional regulatory requirements and the engagement of non-EU, non-UK and non-U.S. contract research organizations (CROs), as well as expose us to risks associated with clinical investigators who are unknown to the Relevant Regulatory Authorities, and apply different standards of diagnosis, screening and medical care.

If we experience delays in the completion of, or termination of, any clinical trial of our products or product candidates, our commercial prospects may be harmed. Any delays in completing our clinical trials may increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates or result in the development of our product candidates being stopped early. Significant clinical trial delays could also allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do or shorten any periods during which we have the exclusive right to commercialize our products and product candidates.

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If we decide to pursue accelerated approval for any of our product candidates, it may not lead to a faster development or regulatory review or approval process and does not increase the likelihood that our product candidates will receive marketing approval. If we are unable to obtain approval under an accelerated pathway, we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials beyond those that we contemplate, which could increase the expense of obtaining, reduce the likelihood of obtaining, and/or delay the timing of obtaining, necessary marketing approvals.

In the future, we may decide to pursue accelerated approval for one or more of our product candidates. For example, under the FDA’s accelerated approval program, the FDA may approve a drug or biological product for a serious or life-threatening disease or condition that provides a meaningful advantage over available therapies based upon a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. For products granted accelerated approval, post-marketing confirmatory clinical trials are required to verify and describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. These confirmatory clinical trials must be completed with due diligence, and the FDA may require that the clinical trial be designed, initiated, and/or fully enrolled prior to approval. If we were to pursue accelerated approval for a product candidate for a disease or condition, we would do so on the basis that there is no available therapy for that disease or condition. If standard of care were to evolve or if any of our competitors were to receive full approval on the basis of a confirmatory clinical trial for a drug or biological product for a disease or condition for which we are seeking accelerated approval before we receive accelerated approval, the disease or condition may no longer qualify as one for which there is no available therapy, and accelerated approval of our product candidate may not occur.

Moreover, the FDA may withdraw approval of any product candidate approved under the accelerated approval pathway if, for example:

the clinical trial or clinical trials required to verify the predicted clinical benefit of our product candidate fail to verify such benefit or do not demonstrate sufficient clinical benefit to justify the risks associated with such product;
other evidence demonstrates that our product candidate is not shown to be safe or effective under the conditions of use;
we fail to conduct any required post-approval trial of our product candidate with due diligence; or
we disseminate false or misleading promotional materials relating to the relevant product candidate.

Recently, the accelerated approval pathway has come under scrutiny within the FDA and by Congress. The FDA has put increased focus on ensuring that confirmatory studies are conducted with diligence and, ultimately, that such studies confirm the benefit. The recently enacted Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act (FDORA) includes provisions related to the accelerated approval pathway. Pursuant to FDORA, the FDA is authorized to require a post-approval clinical trial to be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period following approval. FDORA also requires the FDA to specify conditions of any required post-approval clinical trial and requires sponsors to submit progress reports for required post-approval studies. In addition, FDORA enables the FDA to initiate enforcement action for the failure to conduct with due diligence a required post-approval clinical trial, including a failure to meet any required conditions specified by the FDA or to submit timely reports.

Failure to obtain accelerated approval for our product candidates could result in a longer time period to commercialization of such product candidate, if any, and could increase the cost of development of such product candidate and harm our competitive position in the marketplace.

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Our products and product candidates may have serious adverse, undesirable or unacceptable side effects or even cause death, and we or others may identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by VYVGART or any of our products or product candidates after they have received marketing approval.

Undesirable side effects that may be caused by our product candidates, or by the combination of our product candidates with other medical products, could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in more restrictive labeling or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the Relevant Regulatory Authorities. While our preclinical trials and clinical trials for our product candidates to date show that our product candidates have generally been well tolerated from a risk-benefit perspective, we have observed adverse events and treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in our clinical trials to date, and we may see additional adverse events and TEAEs in our ongoing and future clinical trials. Such side effects may be more serious than those observed to date, and as a result, our ongoing and future clinical trials may be negatively impacted. Moreover, as we seek to develop product candidates, including products in new indications, patients may experience new or more serious effects. Drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment, the ability of enrolled patients to complete the clinical trial, result in potential product liability claims, damage sales of our existing products, result in significant reputational damage for us and our product development, and other issues including the delay of other programs.

Additionally, if we or others identify undesirable or unacceptable side effects caused by VYVGART or any of our other product candidates after they receive marketing approval, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could arise, including:

regulatory authorities may withdraw approvals or revoke licenses of such products and require us to take such products off the market;
regulatory authorities may require the addition of labeling statements, specific warnings, or a contraindication or request the issuance of field alerts to physicians and pharmacies;
regulatory authorities may require a medication guide outlining the risks of such side effects for distribution to patients, or a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) plan to ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh its risks;
we may be required to change the way the product is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product;
we may be subject to limitations on how we may promote the product;
sales of the product may decrease significantly;
we may be subject to litigation, product liability claims, or criminal prosecution; and
our reputation may suffer.

Any of these events could negatively impact us, our collaborators or our potential future partners. Further, the Relevant Regulatory Authorities could require a change of label or even revoke the license, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize VYVGART.

If our target patient population is smaller than expected, we are unable to successfully enroll and retain patients in our clinical trials, for ouror experience significant delays in doing so, we may not realize the full commercial potential of any products or product candidates.

Identifying and qualifyingCurrently, we mainly develop products or product candidates for the treatment of rare diseases for which the target patient population can be small. If the actual number of patients to participatewith these disorders is smaller than we expected, we may encounter difficulties in enrolling sufficient patients in our clinical trials, is criticalthereby delaying or preventing

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development and approval of our products or product candidates. Physicians, who are an important source of referral of patients for clinical trials, may also be less familiar with these rare diseases and may therefore fail to identify these conditions in their patients and therefore may not refer them to our success. clinical trials.

Patient enrollment, a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, depends on many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, eligibility criteria for the clinical trial, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, competition for patient recruitment from competing clinical trials, the design of the clinical protocol, the availability of competingeligibility criteria for the clinical trials, the availability of new drugsalternate approved therapies for the indication the clinical trial is investigating, and clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the drug being studied in relation to other available therapies. Since someWe compete with other companies to enroll target patient populations, as set forth in Item 3.D. “Risk FactorsRisk Factors Related to Commercialization of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates, Including for New IndicationsWe face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts.” Even if product candidates obtain significant market share for their approved indications, because certain potential target populations are focused on addressing rare diseases and conditions, there are limited patient pools available to complete our clinical trials in a timely and cost-effective manner. For example, the number of patients suffering from each of MG, ITP, PV, PF, CIDP, T-cell lymphoma (TCL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is small, and has not been established with precision. If the actual number of patients with these disorders is smaller than we anticipate, we may encounter difficultiesnever recoup our investment in enrolling patients in our clinical trials, thereby delaying or preventing development andsuch product candidate without obtaining regulatory approval of our drugfor additional indications for such product candidates.

Even once enrolled, we may be unable to retain a sufficient number of patients to complete any of our trials. In addition, a limited number of patients enrolled in our clinical trials are located in Russia or Ukraine. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, see “Global economic uncertainty and weakening product demand caused by political instability, changes in trade agreements and conflicts, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, could adversely affect our business and financial performance.” may prevent their continued participation in such trials and may prevent us from enrolling new patients from such countries which, in turn, may cause delays in certain ongoing clinical trials. For example, a relevant minority of the patients in the ADDRESS trial of SC efgartigimod for PF and PV are participating in studies conducted in Ukraine or Russia. Accordingly, we expect that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will delay our ADDRESS trials, with the timing of topline data for the ADDRESS trial of SC efgartigimod for PF and PV currently under review.

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 drug candidatecandidates may make it difficult or impossible to recruit and retain patients in other clinical trials of that same drug candidate. Delays in the completion of any clinical trial of our product candidates will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and delay or potentially jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenue. In addition, some of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.

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TableIn addition, certain of Contents

Regional political instability, changespatients enrolled in trade agreements and conflicts, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could cause a disruption of the development of our products and product candidates, by impairing regulatory approval processes, and could thereby adversely impact our business.

We are conducting certain clinical trials are located in a large number of jurisdictions, including in Russia and Ukraine. Global conflicts, including theareas subject to conflict, between Russia and Ukraine, as well as economic sanctions implemented by the U.S., the European Union and other countries against Russia in response thereto, may cause disruption of regulatory activities relating to clinical development activities performed in affected regions, including the ability of regulatory authorities to conduct inspections at our clinical trial sites. For example, study data collected at Russianhostilities or Ukrainian sites may not be fit for submission as part of a regulatory approval process due to incompleteness or due to the fact that auditing of the data was not (fully) possible. This could delay data read-out points for our studies although we are currently insufficiently certain if and by how much such delays would occur. While at the date of this Annual Report we have no indication that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the corresponding sanctions imposed on Russia will hinder regulatory activities relevant for our pending or expected approval requests, we cannot predict the effect the conflict may have on regulatory activities in affected areas in the near future, and we cannot predict the range of areas that will be ultimately affected, and the direct or indirect negative impact this may have on our business. For example, as of the date of this Annual Report, ongoing travel restrictions, the COVID-19 pandemic and other uncertainties continue to impact FDA’s oversight operations including routine surveillance, bioresearch monitoring and pre-approval inspections. In addition, we perform development activities in a number of countries neighboring Russia and Ukraine. If the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would escalate further, neighboring and other countries may be impacted which could also have an impact on our development activities in those countries.

We may become exposed to costly and damaging liability claims.

We are exposed to potential product liability and professional indemnity risks that are inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and use of pharmaceutical products. Currently, we have only VYVGART™ has been approved in the U.S. and in Japan for commercial sale for the treatment of gMG; however, the current and future use of product candidates by us and our collaborators in clinical trials, and the sale of any approved products, may expose us to liability claims. These claims might be made by patients who use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, our collaborators or others selling such products. Any claims against us, regardless of their merit, could be difficult and costly to defend and could materially adversely affect the market for our products and product candidates or any prospects for commercialization of our products and product candidates. Although the clinical trial process is designed to identify and assess potential side effects, it is always possible that a drug, even after regulatory approval, may exhibit unforeseen side effects. If any of our product candidates were to cause adverse side effects during clinical trials or after approval of the product candidate, we may be exposed to substantial liabilities. Physicians and patients may not comply with any warnings that identify known potential adverse effects and patients who should not use our product candidates. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:

decreased demand for our products due to negative public perception;
damage to our reputation;
withdrawal of clinical trial participants or difficulties in recruiting new trial participants;
initiation of investigations by regulators;
costs to defend or settle the related litigation;
a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients;

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product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;
loss of revenues from product sales; and
the inability to commercialize any of our product candidates, if approved.

Although we maintain product liability insurance for our product candidates, the coverage of which we have extended to include the sale of VYVGART™, and we expect to expand our insurance coverage further if we obtain marketing approval for any of our other product candidates, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or to obtain insurance coverage that will be adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, our assets may not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business operations could be impaired.

Should any of the events described above occur, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risk Factors Related to Commercialization of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates

We will face significant challenges in successfully commercializing our products.

We are in the process of continuing to setup our sales and marketing infrastructure, have limited experience in the sale or marketing of pharmaceutical products and may not or not timely have the appropriate infrastructure in place (including, such as information technology, enterprise resource planning and forecasting). To achieve commercial success for any approved product, we must develop or acquire a sales and marketing organization, outsource these functions to third parties or enter into collaboration arrangements with third parties. While we have established our own sales force in the U.S. and in Japan for VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG, we plan to expand our own sales and marketing capabilities and promote our products and product candidates if and when regulatory approval has been obtained in the relevant jurisdictions and/or for other product candidateswar, or other indications. There are risks involved should we decide to expand our own sales and marketing capabilities or enter into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. Even if we have established or expanded our own sales and marketing capabilities, we may fail to launch our products effectively or to market our products effectively. Recruiting and training a sales force is expensive and costs of creating an independent sales and marketing organization and of marketing and promotion could be above those anticipated by us. In addition, recruiting and training a sales force is time consuming and could delay any product launch. In the event that any such launch is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.

If we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales and marketing services, e.g. such as our agreement with Medison in connection with the commercialization of VYVGART™ for gMG in Israel, our product revenues or the profitability of these product revenues to us could be lower than if we were to market and sell any products that we develop ourselves. Such collaborative arrangements may place the commercialization of our productsdisruptive events outside of our control and would make us subject to a number of risks. This includes the risk that we may not be able to control the amount or timing of resources that our collaborative partner devotes to our products or that our collaborator’s willingness or ability to comply with and complete its obligations under our arrangements may be adversely affected by business combinations or significant changes in our collaborator’s business strategy. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our products or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. Acceptable third parties may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively.

If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we may not be successful in commercializing our products, which in turn would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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control. See Table of ContentsItem 3.D. “Risk Factors

The future commercial success of our products and product candidates will depend on the degree of market acceptance.

When available on the market, our products may not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians, patients and the medical community, and we may not become profitable. For instance, our products and product candidates may not achieve an adequate level of acceptance by physicians because of dosing complexity or from patients because of infusion fatigue. In addition, efforts to educate the medical community and third-party payers on the benefits of our products may require significant resources and may never be successful which would prevent us from generating significant revenues or becoming profitable. Market acceptance of our future products by physicians, patients and healthcare payers will depend on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

the wording of the product label;
changes in the standard of care for the targeted indications for any product and product candidate;
sales, marketing and distribution support;
potential product liability claims;
acceptance by physicians, patients and healthcare payers of each product as safe, effective and cost-effective;
relative convenience, ease of use, ease of administration and other perceived advantages over alternative products;
prevalence and severity of adverse events or publicity;
limitations, precautions or warnings listed in the summary of product characteristics, patient information leaflet, package labeling or instructions for use;
the cost of treatment with our products in relation to alternative treatments;
the extent to which products are approved for inclusion and reimbursed on formularies of hospitals and managed care organizations; and
whether our products are designated in the label, under physician treatment guidelines or under reimbursement guidelines as a first-line, second-line, or third-line or last-line therapy.

If our products and product candidates fail to gain market acceptance, this will have a material adverse impact on our ability to generate revenues. Even if some products achieve market acceptance, the market may prove not to be large enough to allow us to generate significant revenues.

Our products and product candidates for which we have obtained or intend to seek approval as biological products may face competition sooner than anticipated.

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-licensed reference biological product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until twelve years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this twelve-year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing

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the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of their product. The law is complex and is still being interpreted and implemented by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation and meaning are subject to uncertainty.

We believe that any of our product candidates approved as a biological product under a BLA should qualify for the twelve-year period of exclusivity, as was the case with VYVGART™. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our product candidates to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for generic competition sooner than anticipated. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of recent litigation. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar product, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing.

Enacted and future legislation may increase the difficulty and cost for us to obtain marketing approval of and commercialize our products and product candidates and may affect the prices we may set.

In the U.S., the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system that could affect our future results of operations. In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the U.S. federal and state levels that seek to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of healthcare. If such legislative and/or regulatory initiatives and changes would lead to increased restrictions on marketing our products, or lead to limiting the funds available for healthcare in jurisdictions relevant to us which may reduce reimbursement levels and is likely to affect the prices we may set, we would be negatively impacted in our ability to successfully and profitably market our products andproduct candidates. See section titled “Information on Company, Business Section, Coverage, Pricing, and Reimbursement.”

We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad. If we or our collaborators are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we or our collaborators are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our products andproduct candidates may lose any regulatory approval that may have been obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business. See section titled “Information on Company – Business Section – Coverage, Pricing, and Reimbursement.”

We may not obtain or maintain adequate coverage or reimbursement status for our products and product candidates.

Our ability to successfully commercialize VYVGART™ or any other products and product candidate approved for commercialization will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors, including government health programs in the United States (such as Medicare and Medicaid) and other countries, commercial health insurers, and managed care organizations, provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such products and product candidates. Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the European Union, the U.S., China and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for VYVGART™ or any other of our products and product candidates approved for commercialization. Limitations on reimbursement and reimbursement levels may diminish or prevent altogether any significant demand for VYVGART™ or our other product candidates once approved and/or may prevent us entirely from entering certain markets, which would prevent us from generating significant revenues or becoming profitable, which would adversely affect our business, financials and results of operations.

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We may be subject to healthcare laws, regulation and enforcement. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results of operations and financial conditions.

Our current and future operations may be directly, or indirectly through our customers and third-party payors, subject to various U.S. federal and state, European, Japanese and Chinese healthcare laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Healthcare providers, physicians and others play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of any products for which we obtain marketing approval. These laws may impact, among other things, our proposed sales, marketing and education programs and constrain our business and financial arrangements and relationships with third-party payors, healthcare professionals who participate in our clinical research program, healthcare professionals and others who recommend, purchase, or provide our approved products, and other parties through which we market, sell and distribute our products for which we obtain marketing approval. In addition, we may be subject to patient data privacy and security regulation by both the U.S. federal government and the other states and countries in which we conduct our business. Finally, our current and future operations are subject to additional healthcare-related statutory and regulatory requirements and enforcement by regulatory authorities in jurisdictions in which we conduct our business. For example, the provision of benefits or advantages to physicians to induce or encourage the prescription, recommendation, endorsement, purchase, supply, order or use of medicinal products is generally not permitted in the countries that form part of the European Union. Some EU member states have enacted laws explicitly prohibiting the provision of these types of benefits and advantages to induce or reward improper performance generally, and the United Kingdom has enacted such laws through the Bribery Act 2010. Infringements of these laws can result in substantial fines and imprisonment. EU Directive 2001/83/EC, which is the EU directive governing medicinal products for human use, further provides that, where medicinal products are being promoted to persons qualified to prescribe or supply them, no gifts, pecuniary advantages or benefits in kind may be supplied, offered or promised to such persons unless they are inexpensive and relevant to the practice of medicine or pharmacy. This provision has been transposed into the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and remains applicable in the United Kingdom. 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. See section titled “Information on Company – Business Section – Healthcare Law and Regulation.”

The shifting compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements. We have limited experience in the sale or marketing of pharmaceutical products and we are building and, in light of any future approval and commercialization, will need to continue building an internal program to ensure compliance with the different health care laws and regulations. The establishment, expansion and maintenance of an internal compliance program will involve substantial costs and the program may not be successful in complying with the different reporting requirements.

It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do 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 of drugs from 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, reputational harm and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Defending against any such actions can be costly and time-consuming and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. Further, if any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found to be not in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs.

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The scope and enforcement of each of these laws is uncertain and subject to rapid change in the current environment of healthcare reform. Federal and state enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Ensuring business arrangements comply with applicable healthcare laws, as well as responding to possible investigations by government authorities, can be time and resource consuming and can divert a company’s attention from the business. See section titled “Information on Company – Business Section – Healthcare Reform.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs.

In addition, in the United States, the European Union and other foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system that could affect our future results of operations. In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the U.S. federal and state levels that seek to reduce healthcare costs, including the cost of prescription drugs, and improve the quality of healthcare. If such legislative and/or regulatory initiatives and changes would lead to increased restrictions on the marketing of VYVGART™ or any of our products and product candidates approved for commercialization, or lead to limiting the funds available for healthcare in jurisdictions relevant to us which may reduce reimbursement levels and is likely to affect the prices we may set, we would be negatively impacted in our ability to successfully and profitably market VYVGART™ or any of our products and product candidates approved for commercialization.

We are subject to privacy laws, regulation and potential enforcement. Our failure to comply with these laws could harm our results of operations and financial conditions.

In Europe, Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 12, 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (as amended, the e-Privacy-Directive) required the EU member states to implement data protection laws to meet strict privacy requirements. Violations of these requirements can result in administrative measures, including fines, or criminal sanctions. The e-Privacy Directive will likely be replaced in time by a new e-Privacy Regulation which may impose additional obligations and risk for our business.

Since May 25, 2018, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (the GDPR) imposes a broad range of strict requirements on companies, including requirements relating to having legal bases for processing personal information relating to identifiable individuals and transferring such information outside the European Economic Area (EEA) including to the U.S. or China, providing details to those individuals regarding the processing of their personal information, keeping personal information secure, having data processing agreements with third parties who process personal information, responding to individuals’ requests to exercise their rights in respect of their personal information, reporting security breaches involving personal data to the competent national data protection authority and affected individuals, appointing data protection officers, conducting data protection impact assessments, and record-keeping. The GDPR substantially increases the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance, including fines of up to 10,000,000 Euros or up to 2% of our total worldwide annual turnover for certain comparatively minor offenses, or up to 20,000,000 Euros or up to 4% of our total worldwide annual turnover for more serious offenses. We face uncertainty as to the exact interpretation of the requirements under the GDPR, and we may be unsuccessful in implementing all measures required by data protection authorities or courts in interpretation of the GDPR.

In particular, national laws of Member States of the EU have been adapted to the requirements under the GDPR, thereby implementing national laws which may partially deviate from the GDPR and impose different obligations from country to country, so that we do not expect to operate in a uniform legal landscape in the EU. Also, in the field of handling genetic data, the GDPR specifically allows EU Member States laws to impose additional and more specific requirements or restrictions, and European laws have historically differed quite substantially in this field, leading to additional uncertainty.

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We must also ensure that we maintain adequate safeguards to enable the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA, in particular to the U.S. and China, in compliance with EU data protection laws, including the GDPR. We expect that we will continue to face uncertainty as to whether our efforts to comply with our obligations under European privacy laws will be sufficient. If we are investigated by any EU data protection authority, we may face fines and other penalties. Any such investigation or charges by EU data protection authorities could have a negative effect on our existing business and on our ability to attract and retain new clients or pharmaceutical partners. We may also experience hesitancy, reluctance, or refusal by EU or multi-national clients or pharmaceutical partners to continue to use our products and solutions due to the potential risk exposure as a result of the current (and, in particular, future) data protection obligations imposed on them by certain data protection authorities in interpretation of current law, including the GDPR. Such clients or pharmaceutical partners may also view any alternative approaches to compliance as being too costly, too burdensome, too legally uncertain, or otherwise objectionable and therefore decide not to do business with us. Any of the foregoing could materially harm our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to obtain orphan drug designation or obtain or maintain orphan drug exclusivity for our products, our competitors may sell products to treat the same conditions and our revenue will be reduced.

Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the U.S., or a patient population greater than 200,000 in the U.S. where there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing the drug will be recovered from sales in the U.S. In the European Union, after a recommendation from the EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) the European Commission grants orphan drug designation to promote the development of products that are intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition either affecting not more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union or when, without incentives, it is unlikely that sales of the drug in the European Union would be sufficient to justify the necessary investment in developing the drug or biological product. In each case there must be no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of such condition, or, if such a method exists, the medicine must be of significant benefit to those affected by the condition.

In the U.S., orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as opportunities for grant funding towards clinical trial costs, tax advantages and user-fee waivers. In addition, if a product receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which it has orphan designation, the product is entitled to orphan drug exclusivity, which means the FDA may not approve any other application to market the same drug for the same indication for a period of seven years, except in limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority over the product with orphan exclusivity or where the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient product quantity. In the European Union, orphan drug designation entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers and ten years of market exclusivity following drug or biological product approval. This period may be reduced to six years if the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity. If we fail to obtain or if we lose orphan drug status for one or more of our products and product candidates, the aforementioned incentives and market exclusivity may not or no longer be available to us, which is likely to increase the overall cost of development and to decrease the competitive position of such product and product candidate.

We may from time to time seek orphan drug designation in the U.S. or Europe for certain indications addressed by our products and product candidates. For example, in September 2017, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of VYVGART™ for gMG, in January 2019, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod for the treatment of ITP and for the use of cusatuzumab for the treatment of AML and in August 2021, the FDA granted orphan drug designation for the use of efgartigimod co-formulated with rHuPH20 for the treatment of CIDP. Even if we are able to obtain orphan designation, we may not be the first to obtain marketing approval for such indication due to the uncertainties associated with developing pharmaceutical products. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the U.S. may be limited if we seek approval for an indication broader than the orphan-designated indication or 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 quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition. Further, even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for

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a product, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product from competition because different drugs with different active moieties can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA or the EMA can subsequently approve the same drug with the same active moiety for the same condition if the FDA or the EMA concludes that the later drug is safer, more effective, or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan drug designation neither shortens the development time or regulatory review time of a drug nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process.

We may not obtain or maintain adequate coverage or reimbursement status for our products and product candidates.

Even when and if our products and product candidates are approved for marketing, sales of such products and product candidates will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors, including government health programs in the U.S. (such as Medicare and Medicaid) and other countries, commercial health insurers, and managed care organizations, provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such products and product candidates. Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the European Union, the U.S., China and abroad to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our products and product candidates. For instance, access to VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG may be restricted by limited payer coverage due to treatment criteria, which may prevent us from realizing its full commercial potential.

Limitations on reimbursement and reimbursement levels may diminish or prevent altogether any significant demand for our products and/or may prevent us entirely from entering certain markets, which would prevent us from generating significant revenues or becoming profitable, which would adversely affect our business, financials and results of operations.

We may not be able to successfully achieve support among healthcare providers and third-party payors for our products and product candidates, and our relationships with such parties are subject to regulations.

Our current and future arrangements with providers, researchers, consultants, third-party payors and customers are subject to broadly applicable national, federal and state fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims, transparency and patient privacy laws and regulations and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain our business and/or financial arrangements.

We will be required to spend substantial time and money to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations. Recent healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these federal and state healthcare laws. Violations of these laws can subject us to criminal, civil and administrative sanctions including monetary penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment and exclusion from participation 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, reputational harm, and the required curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Moreover, we expect that there will continue to be federal and state laws and regulations, proposed and implemented, that could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s BusinessOrganization and Industry

Nearly all aspects of our activities are subject to substantial regulation. No assurance can be given that any of our productsOperations—‘Global geo- and product candidates will fulfill regulatory compliance. Failure to comply with such regulations could result in delays, suspension, refusalssocio-political threats and withdrawal of approvals, as well as fines.

The international biopharmaceutical and medical technology industries are subject to a high level of regulation by the FDA, the EMA, the PMDAmacro-economic uncertainty and other comparable regulatory authorities and by other national or supra-national regulatory authorities. Applicable regulations impose substantial requirements covering nearly all

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aspects of our activities and the activities of our partners and licensees, notably on research and development, manufacturing, preclinical tests, clinical trials, labeling, marketing, sales, storage, record keeping, promotion and pricing of our products and product candidates.

Failure to (timely) comply with regulatory requirements could have far reaching consequences for us, including significant delay in our product development as a result of regulatory authorities recommending non-approval or restrictions on, or withdrawal of, approval of a product candidate. Any failure or delay of any of our product candidates in clinical studies or to receive or maintain regulatory approval could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. If any of our product candidates fails to obtain approval on the basis of any applicable condensed regulatory approval process, this will prevent such product candidate from obtaining approval in a shortened time frame, or at all, resulting in increased expenses which would materially harm our business.

Regulations differ substantially per jurisdiction and are subject to constant change. In order to market our future products in regions such as the EEA, the U.S., Asia Pacific and many other foreign jurisdictions, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals. The approval procedures vary among countries and can require additional clinical testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain approval. Moreover, clinical studies conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Approval by the EMA, the FDA or the PMDA does not ensure approval by the comparable authorities in other countries, and approval by one or more foreign regulatory authorities does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the EMA, FDA or PMDA.

There can be no assurance that our product candidates will fulfil the criteria required to obtain necessary regulatory approval to access the market. Also, at this time, we cannot guarantee or know the exact nature, precise timing and detailed costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the remainder of the development of our research programs and product candidates. Each of the FDA, EMA, PMDA and other comparable regulatory authorities may impose its own requirements, may discontinue an approval or revoke a license, may refuse to grant approval, or may require additional data before granting approval, notwithstanding that approval may have been granted by the FDA, EMA, PMDA or one or more other comparable foreign authority. The FDA, EMA, PMDA or other comparable regulatory authorities may also approve a product candidate for fewer or more limited indications or patient sub-segments than requested or may grant approval subject to the performance of post-marketing studies. The EMA’s, the FDA’s, the PMDA’s or other regulatory authority’s approval may be delayed, limited or denied for a number of reasons, most of which are beyond our control. Such reasons could include, among others, the production process or site not meeting the applicable requirements for the manufacture of regulated products, or the products not meeting applicable requirements for safety, purity or potency, or efficacy, during the clinical development stage or after marketing.

The FDA, EMA, PMDA and other comparable regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and determining when or whether regulatory approval will be obtained for any of our product candidates. Any of the FDA, EMA, PMDA and other comparable regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data submitted for their review. Even if we believe the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA, EMA, PMDA or any other regulatory authority. For instance, we have submitted a request for approval of VYVGART™ in gMG to the EMA and anticipate receipt of such approval in the first quarter of 2022 and the second half of 2022, respectively, but can provide no assurances that such approval will be obtained on the timeline that we expect or at all. In addition, we anticipate to file requests for approval of VYVGART™ in new indications, but can provide no assurances that such requests will be accepted or that approval will be obtained on the timeline that we expect or at all. Furthermore, the FDA has resumed inspections of certain domestic clinical trial operations and trial sites. We cannot be sure to be ready for such an inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities in view of the substantial time and attention devoted by our personnel to the commercial launch of VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG.

We and our collaborative partners are, or may become subject to, numerous ongoing other regulatory obligations, such as data protection, environmental, health and safety laws and restrictions on the experimental use

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of animals. The costs of compliance with such applicable regulations, requirements or guidelines could be substantial, and failure to comply could result in sanctions, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, denial of applications for marketing authorization of our products, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, license revocation, seizures or recalls of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly increase our or our collaborative partners’ costs or delay the development and commercialization of our product candidates.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA, EMA, PMDA and comparable regulatory authorities is unpredictable but typically takes many years, if obtained at all, following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. This lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates, including VYVGART™ for the treatment of gMG in jurisdictions outside the U.S. and Japan or for other indications, which would significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

In addition, even when and if we obtain approval, regulatory authorities may approve any of our products andproduct candidates for fewer or more limited indications than we request, may not approve the price we intend to charge for our products, may grant approval contingent on the performance of costly post-marketing clinical trials, or may approve a product candidate with a label that does not include the labeling claims necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of that product candidate. Any of the foregoing scenarios could materially harm the commercial prospects for our product candidates.

We may become exposed to liability and substantial expenses in connection with environmental compliance or remediation activities.

Our operations, including our research, development, testing and manufacturing activities, are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, the controlled use, handling, release and disposal of and the maintenance of a registry for, hazardous materials and biological materials, such as chemical solvents, human cells, carcinogenic compounds, mutagenic compounds and compounds that have a toxic effect on reproduction, laboratory procedures and exposure to blood-borne pathogens. If we fail to comply with such laws and regulations, we could be subject to fines or other sanctions.

We face a risk of environmental liability inherent in our current and historical activities, including liability relating to releases of or exposure to hazardous or biological materials. Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. We may be required to incur substantial expenses in connection with future environmental compliance or remediation activities, in which case, our production and development efforts may be interrupted or delayed, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our employees and relevant third parties may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are exposed to the risk that our employees, independent contractors, principal investigators, CROs, consultants, vendors and collaboration partners may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activities. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and negligent conduct, data manipulation (scientific fraud) or unauthorized activities that violate: (i) the regulations of the FDA, EMA, PMDA and other comparable regulatory authorities, including those laws that require the reporting of true, complete and accurate information to such authorities; (ii) manufacturing standards; (iii) federal and state data privacy, security, fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations in the U.S. and in other countries; or (iv) laws that require the reporting of true, complete and accurate financial information and data. Specifically, 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 may restrict or prohibit

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a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Activities subject to these laws could also involve the improper use or misrepresentation of information obtained in the course of clinical trials or creating fraudulent data in our preclinical studies or clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, 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 governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws or regulations. Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, disgorgements, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other U.S. or international healthcare programs, individual imprisonment, 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, other sanctions, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations. These risks may be particularly heightened given our lack of experience with commercialization and the rapid growth of our sales and marketing function. Furthermore, due to the highly regulated environment in which we operate and our heavy reliance on approval of our products by governmental entities and healthcare providers, reputational risks related to the misconduct or other improper behavior as described above are likely to have a bigger impact on us than on most companies operating in other industries.

Our high dependency on public perception of our products may negatively influence the success of these products.

When and if any of our product candidates are approved for commercial sale, we will be highly dependent upon consumer perceptions of the safety and quality of our products. We could be adversely affected if we were subject to negative publicity or if any of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies prove to be, or are asserted to be, harmful to patients. Because of our dependence upon consumer perception, any adverse publicity associated with illness or other adverse effects resulting from patients’ use or misuse of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Future adverse events in research into the cancer, inflammation and severe autoimmune diseases that we focus our research efforts on, or the biopharmaceutical industry more generally, could also result in greater governmental regulation, stricter labeling requirements and potential regulatory delays in the testing or approvals of our products. Any increased scrutiny could delay or increase the costs of obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidates.

We face the risk of computer system failures, data leaks and cybercrimes.

Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our third-party service providers are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failure. Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks have been threatened by state actors and private citizens as a method of potential international sabotage in furtherance of national orunforeseen political goals. Cyber-attacks could include the deployment of harmful malware, ransom-ware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Cyber-attacks also could include phishing attempts or e-mail fraud to cause payments or information to be transmitted to an unintended recipient.

Any system failure, accident or security breach that causes interruptions in our own or in third-party service vendors’ operations could result in a material disruption of our product development programs. For

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example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or future clinical trials could result in delays in our or our partners’ regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs in order to recover or reproduce the lost data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we may incur liability, our product development programs and competitive position may be adversely affected and the further development of our product candidates may be delayed. If the integrity of our cyber-security systems is breached, we may incur significant effects such as remediation expenses, lost revenues, litigation costs and increased insurance premiums and may also experience reputational damage and the erosion of shareholder value. Furthermore, we may incur additional costs to remedy the damage caused by these disruptions or security breaches. Like other companies, we have on occasion experienced, and will continue to experience, threats to our data and systems, including malicious codes and viruses, phishing, business email compromise attacks, or other cyber-attacks. Whereas none of these instances had a material impact so far, the number and complexity of these threats continue to increase over time. If a material breach of our information technology systems or those of our third party service providers occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed and our reputation and credibility could be damaged.

We could be required to expend significant amounts of money and other resources to respond to these threats or breaches and to repair or replace information systems or networks, and could suffer financial loss or the loss of valuable confidential information. In addition, we could be subject to regulatory actions and/or claims made by individuals and groups in private litigation involving privacy issues related to data collection and use practices and other data privacy laws and regulations, including claims for misuse or inappropriate disclosure of data, as well as unfair or deceptive practices. Although we develop and maintain systems and controls designed to prevent these events from occurring, and we have a process to identify and mitigate threats, the development and maintenance of these systems, controls and processes is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. This risk is further increased by the growing amount of data transferred by us between Europe, China and the U.S. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely and there can be no assurance that any measures we take will prevent cyber-attacks or security breaches that could adversely affect our business.

In order to successfully commercialize and market our products in the future we may need to implement additional enterprise resource management systems which is a complex process that may cause us to face delays. We may also need to implement computer systems such as additional global enterprise research systems (ERP systems) in which we have limited experience and which may prove a complex process that could cause delays in our commercialization process.

We may face service, manufacturing or supply chain failures or other failures, business interruptions or other disasters.

Our products andproduct candidates are biologics and require processing steps that are more difficult than those required for most chemical pharmaceuticals. Accordingly, multiple steps are needed to control the manufacturing processes. Problems with these manufacturing processes, such as capacity issues, or even minor deviations from the normal process or from the materials used in the manufacturing process, which may not be detectable by us in a timely manner, could lead to manufacturing failures or product defects, resulting in lot failures, product recalls, product liability claims and insufficient inventory. Furthermore, our supply chain failures would create a risk of non-compliance toward partners due to shortages, for example, if we are not able to deliver our product to our partner in China.

Also, certain raw materials or other products necessary for the manufacture and formulation of our products andproduct candidates, some of which are difficult to source, are provided by single-source unaffiliated third-party suppliers. In addition, we rely on certain third parties to perform filling, finishing, distribution, laboratory testing and other services related to the manufacture of our products andproduct candidates, and to supply various raw materials and other products. We would be unable to obtain these raw materials, other products, or services for an indeterminate period of time if any of these third parties were to cease or interrupt production or otherwise fail to supply these materials, products, or services to us for any reason, including due to regulatory

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requirements or actions (including recalls), adverse financial developments at or affecting the supplier, failure by the supplier to comply with cGMPs, contamination, business interruptions, or labor shortages or disputes. Interruptions in the supply of these materials, products or services may result from international conflict, trade disputes or economic sanctions enacted by, or imposed on, the U.S., the European Union or any other country. In any such circumstances, we may not be able to engage a backup or alternative supplier or service provider in a timely manner or at all. This, in turn, could materially and adversely affect our ability to supply products andproduct candidates, whichcrises could materially and adversely affect our business and financial conditionperformance.’ and results of operations.

Certain of the raw materials required in the manufactureWe face risks related to natural disasters and the formulation of our products and product candidates may be derived from biological sources, including mammalian tissues, bovine serum and human serum albumin. There are certain European regulatory restrictions on using these biological source materials. If there are any changes in the regulation requirements, our clinical development or commercial activities may be delayed or interrupted.

Failure to successfully identify, develop and commercialize additional products or product candidatespublic health issues, that could impair our ability to grow.

Although a substantial amount of our efforts will focus on the continued preclinical and clinical testing and potential approval of our product candidates in our current pipeline, a key element of our long-term growth strategy is to develop and market additional products and product candidates. Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, research programs to identify product candidates will require substantial additional technical, financial and human resources, whether or not any product candidates are ultimately identified. The success of this strategy depends partly upon our ability to identify, select and develop promising product candidates and products. Our technology platforms may fail to discover and to generate additional product candidates that are suitable for further development. All product candidates are prone to risks of failure typical of pharmaceutical product development, including the possibility that a product candidate may not be suitable for clinical development as a result of its harmful side effects, limited efficacy or other characteristics that indicate that it is unlikely to be a product that will receive approval by the FDA, EMA, PMDA and other comparable regulatory authorities and achieve market acceptance. If we do not successfully develop and commercialize product candidates based upon our technological approach, we may not be able to obtain product or collaboration revenues in future periods, which would adverselynegatively affect our business prospects,and financial condition and results of operations.condition.”

Our long-term growth strategy to develop and market additional products and product candidates is heavily dependent on precise, accurate and reliable scientific data to identify, select and develop promising pharmaceutical product candidates and products. Our business decisions may therefore be adversely influenced by improper or fraudulent scientific data sourced from third parties. Any irregularities in the scientific data used by us to determine our focus in research and development of product candidates and products could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s Dependence on Third Parties

We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties including independent clinical investigators and CROs, to conduct some of our preclinical studiesresearch activities and clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approvaltrials and for or commercializeparts of the development and commercialization of our existing and future research programs, products and product candidates andcandidates. If our relationships with such third parties are not successful, our business couldmay be substantially harmed.adversely affected.

We have relied upon and plan to continue to rely upon third parties, including licensees, independent clinical investigators, CROs, CMOs and other third-party CROs,service providers, to assist us in the conduct of certain of our preclinical studiesresearch activities and clinical trials and to monitor and manage data for our ongoing preclinical trials and clinical programs.trials. We relyalso depend on these parties for execution of our preclinical studiescollaborators and on medical institutions and CROs to conduct our research activities and clinical trials in compliance with regulatory and control only certain aspects of their activities.legal requirements, including GCPs or GMPs, our standard operating procedures and our applicable protocols. Nevertheless, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our studiespreclinical trials and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol, legal and regulatory requirements and scientific standards, and our reliance on these third parties does not relieve

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us of our regulatory responsibilities. We andTo the extent our partners, third-party contractors andcollaborators or the CROs are required to comply with GCP requirements, which are regulations and guidelines enforced by the FDA, EMA, PMDA and comparable regulatory authorities for all of our products in clinical development. Regulatory authorities enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principalor investigators and trial sites. If we, our investigators or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated inenroll participants for our clinical trials, may be deemed unreliable and the FDA, EMA, PMDA or comparable regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. Upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority may determine that our clinical trials do not fully comply with GCP regulations. In addition, our clinical trials must be conducted with product produced under cGMP regulations. Our failure to comply with these regulations may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.

Further, these investigators and CROs are not our employees and we will not be able to control, other than by contract, the amount of resources, including time, which they devote to our product candidates and clinical trials. If independent investigators or CROs fail to devote sufficient resources to the development of our product candidates, or if their performance is substandard, it may delay or compromise the prospects for approval and commercialization of any product candidates that we develop. In addition, the use of third-party service providers requires us to disclose our proprietary information to these parties, which could increase the risk that this information will be misappropriated.

Our CROs have the right to terminate their agreements with us in the event of an uncured material breach. In addition, some of our CROs have an ability to terminate their respective agreements with us if it can be reasonably demonstrated that the safety of the subjects participating in our clinical trials warrants such termination, if we make a general assignment for the benefit of our creditors or if we are liquidated.

There is a limited number of third-party service providers that specialize or have the expertise required to achieve our business objectives. If any of our relationships with these third-party CROs or clinical investigators terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or investigators or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. If CROs or clinical investigators do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, if they need to be replaced or if the quality or accuracy ofconduct the clinical data they obtain is compromised duetrial to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols,GCP standards or in full compliance with legal and regulatory requirements or are delayed for other reasons, oura significant time in the execution of clinical trials, including achieving full enrollment, we may be extended, delayedaffected by increased costs, program delays or terminated and weboth, which may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or successfully commercializeharm our products andproduct candidates. As a result, our results of operations and the commercial prospects for our products andproduct candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase and our ability to generate revenues could be delayed.business.

Switching or adding additional CROs (or investigators) involves additional cost and 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 materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter similar challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely and will continue to rely on collaborative partners regarding the development of our research programs and product candidates. If we fail to enter into new strategic relationships our business, financial condition, commercialization prospects and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We are, and expect to continue to be, dependent on partnerships with partners and licensees relating to the development and commercialization of our existing and future research programs, products and product candidates. We currently have collaborative research relationships with various pharmaceutical companies such as

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AbbVie, S.Á.R.L. (AbbVie), Shire AG (Shire, now knows as Shire International GmbH), Zai Lab, LimitedGenmab A/S (Zai LabGenmab) and with various academic and research institutions worldwide for the development of product candidates resulting from such collaborations. We also have distribution agreements with Medison, Genpharm and Handok for the distribution of VYVGART. We had, have and will continue to have discussions on potential partnering opportunities with various pharmaceutical companies. If we fail to enter into or maintain collaborations on reasonable terms or at all, our ability to develop our existing or future research programs and product candidates and to commercialize our existing or future products could be delayed, the

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commercial potential of our products could change and our costs of development and commercialization could increase.

While we have agreements governing our relationships with these third parties, we have limited influence over their actual performance and control only certain aspects of their activities. If independent investigators, third-party service providers or CROs fail to devote sufficient resources to the development of our product candidates, or if their performance is substandard, it may delay or compromise the prospects for approval and commercialization of any product candidates that we develop. In addition, regulatory authorities enforce these GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and trial sites. If we, our investigators or any of our CROs fail to comply with applicable GCPs, the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable and the Relevant Regulatory Authoritiesor comparable regulatory authorities may require us to perform additional clinical trials before approving our marketing applications. Upon inspection by a given regulatory authority, such regulatory authority may determine that our clinical trials do not fully comply with GCP regulations, which may require us to repeat clinical trials and delay the regulatory approval process. Our dependence on collaborative partners subjects us to a number of risks, including, butmay not limited to the termination of theadhere or terminate collaboration agreements with all itsassociated consequences disagreementor disagree on the interpretation of contractual terms or no adherence or uncertainties as part of the ongoing collaboration. In addition, weterms. We may not be able to control our collaborative partners’ compliance with all applicable requirements for the commercialization of our products, which could adversely affect such commercializingcommercialization and the profitability of such products. Failures by our collaborative partners to meet their contractual, regulatory, or other obligations to us or any disruption in the relationships between us and our collaborative partners, could have a material adverse effect on our product pipeline and business.

We face significant competition in seekingestablishing successful relationships with third-party service providers and appropriate collaborative partners. These third-party service providers may have contractual relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors, which may draw their time and resources away from our programs. In addition, some of our third-party service providers or CROs have the ability to terminate their respective agreements with us, and if such agreements terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative CROs or investigators or to do so on commercially reasonable terms. In addition, we may not be able to find appropriate collaboration partners. Our ability to reach a definitive agreement for a partnership will depend, among other things, upon an assessment of the collaborator’s resources and expertise, the terms and conditions of the proposed partnership and the proposed collaborator’s evaluation of a number of factors. These factors may include the design or results of clinical trials, the likelihood of regulatory approval, the potential market for the subject product candidate, the costs and complexities of manufacturing and delivering such product candidate to patients, the potential of competing products, the existence of uncertainty with respect to our ownership of technology, which can exist if there is a challenge to such ownership regardless of the merits of the challenge and industry and market conditions generally. The collaborator may also consider alternative product candidates or technologies for similar indications that may be available to collaborate on and whether such a partnership could be more attractive than the one with us.

We relyDisruptions caused by our reliance on third parties for our manufacturing process may delay or disrupt our business, product development and commercialization efforts.

We do not have the ability to supply and manufactureinternally source the raw materials necessary to produce our products andor product candidates, and we expect to continue to rely on third parties to manufacture our products, if approved. The development of such products and product candidates and the commercialization of any products, when and if approved, could be stopped, delayed or made less profitable if any such third party fails to provide us with sufficient quantities of product candidates or products or fails to do so at acceptable quality levels or prices or fails to maintain or achieve satisfactory regulatory compliance.

We do not currently have, nor do we plan to acquire, the infrastructure or capability internally to manufacture our products or product candidates and depend on a worldwide supply chain and third parties for use in the conductboth. Disruptions caused by our reliance on such third-party suppliers, service providers and manufacturers may delay or disrupt our business, product development and commercialization efforts.

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Reliance on Third-Party Suppliers and Service Providers

For some of our clinical studies or for commercial supply, when and if our products are approved. Instead,raw materials, we rely on a single source of supply and expect to continue to rely on contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs). Wethere are forced to rely on limited and single sources of manufacturing. We currently rely mainly on Lonza for the manufacturingsupplies of the drug substance of all our products. Furthermore, we use Vetter Pharma International GmbH’s fill and finish services for our products. Reliance on third-party providers may expose us to more risk than if we were to manufacture our products andproduct candidates ourselves. We do not control the manufacturing processes of the CMOs we contract with and are dependent on those third parties for the production of our products andproduct candidates in accordance with relevant regulations (such as cGMP), which includes, among other things, quality control, quality assurance and the maintenance of records and documentation.

raw materials. If we were to experience an unexpected loss of supply of or if any supplier was unable to meet our demand for any of our products andproduct candidates, including for example if VYVGART is approved for additional indications, we could experience delays in our research or planned clinical studiestrials or commercialization. Werisk shortages in commercial supply which could materially impact our revenue potential. These issues could be unablemade worse during a pandemic or due to find alternative suppliersgeopolitical events, including trade disputes or economic sanctions enacted as a result of acceptable quality,international conflict.

Additionally, certain of the raw materials required in the appropriate volumesmanufacture and at an acceptable cost. Moreover,the formulation of our suppliersproducts and product candidates may be derived from biological sources, including mammalian tissues, bovine serum and human serum albumin. There are often subject to strict manufacturing requirements andcertain European regulatory restrictions on using these biological source materials including rigorous testing requirements, which could limit or delay production. The long transition periods necessaryIf there are changes in the regulation requirements that our suppliers are unable to switch manufacturers and suppliers, if necessary, would significantly delaymeet, our clinical studiesdevelopment or commercial activities may be delayed or interrupted.

We may not be able to engage a back-up or alternative supplier or service provider in a timely manner or at all if any of these third parties were to cease or interrupt production or otherwise fail to supply these materials, products, or services to us for any reasons, including due to regulatory requirements or actions (including recalls), adverse financial developments at or affecting the supplier, failure by the supplier to comply with cGMPs, contamination, business interruptions, or labor shortages or disputes. Interruptions in the supply of these materials, products or services may also result from international conflict, trade disputes or economic sanctions enacted by, or imposed on, the U.S., the UK, the EU or any other country or region.

Reliance on Third-Party Manufacturing

We rely on and expect to continue to rely on CMOs.We also rely on certain third parties to perform filling, finishing, distribution, laboratory testing and other services related to the commercializationmanufacture of our products if approved, which would materially adversely affectand product candidates.

Although we do not control the manufacturing process at our business, financial conditionCMOs and resultsare completely dependent on them for the production of operation.

Weour products and product candidates in accordance with relevant regulations (such as cGMPs), we are responsible for ensuring that our third-party suppliers may also be subjectproducts comply with regulatory requirements. If our CMOs cannot successfully manufacture material that conforms to audits byour specifications and the FDA, EMA, PMDA strict regulatory requirements of the Relevant Regulatory Authoritiesor other comparable regulatory authorities. If anyauthorities, our business could be adversely affected in a number of ways, including an inability to initiate or continue clinical trials of product candidates under development, delay in submitting regulatory applications, or receiving regulatory approvals for product candidates, including new indications, subjecting third-party manufacturing facilities to additional inspections by regulatory authorities, requirements to cease distribution or to recall batches of our third-party suppliers failsproducts or product candidates and an inability to complymeet commercial demands for our marketed products.

We contract with cGMPLonza Sales AG (Lonza) based in Slough, UK, Portsmouth, U.S, Singapore and Visp, Switzerland and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies Denmark ApS (Fujifilm) based in Denmark for activities relating to the development of cell banks, development of our manufacturing processes and the manufacturing of drug substance, and use additional contract manufacturers to fill, test, label, package, store and distribute our (investigational) drug products. Our products and product candidates are biologics and require multiple processing steps that are more difficult than those required for most small molecule chemical pharmaceuticals. Problems with these manufacturing processes, such as capacity issues, or other applicableeven minor deviations from the normal process or from the materials used in the manufacturing regulations, our abilityprocess, which may not be detectable by us in a timely manner, could lead to developmanufacturing failures or product defects, resulting in lot failures, product recalls, product liability claims and commercialize the products could suffer significant interruptions. insufficient inventory.

We face risks inherent in relying on a single CMO,limited CMOs, as any failure in their ability to successfully manufacture our products or product candidates as described above or any disruption, such as a fire, pandemic, natural hazards or vandalism at the CMO could significantly interrupt our manufacturing capability. Alternative production plans in place or disaster-recovery facilities available to us may not be sufficient. In case of a disruption, we may have to establish

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disruption, we may have to establish additional alternative manufacturing sources. This would require substantial investment on our part, which we may not be able to obtain on commercially acceptable terms or at all. Additionally, we may experience significant manufacturing delays as we build or locate replacement facilities and seek and obtain necessary regulatory approvals. If this occurs, we will be unable to satisfy manufacturing needs on a timely basis, if at all. Also, operating any new facilities may be more expensive than operating at our current facilities. Further, business interruption insurance may not adequately compensate us for any losses that may occur, and we would have to bear the additional cost of any disruption. For these reasons, a significant disruptive event of the manufacturing facility could have drastic consequences, including placing our financial stability at risk.

The manufacturing of all of our products andproduct candidates requires using cells which are stored in a cell bank. We have one master cell bank for each product manufactured in accordance with cGMP. Half of each master cell bank is stored at a separate site so that in case of a catastrophic event at one site we believe sufficient vials of the master cell banks are left at the alternative storage site to continue manufacturing. We believe sufficient working cell banks could be produced from the vials of the master cell bank stored at a given site to assure product supply for the future. However, it is possible that we could lose multiple cell banks and have our manufacturing significantly impacted by the need to replace these cell banks, which could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Accuracy and timing of our financial reporting is partially dependent on information received from third partythird-party partners, which we do not control.

We have collaborated, and plan to continue to collaborate, with third parties, including distributor and licensing partners, on certain product candidates that we believe have promising utility in disease areas or patient populations that are better served by resources of larger biopharmaceutical companies.candidates. As part of some of these collaborations, our collaboration partners are responsible for providing us with financial information regarding specific projects, including funds spent, liabilities incurred and expected future costs, on which we rely for our own financial reporting. If our collaboration partners fail to provide us with the necessary financial information within the agreed upon timeframes, or if such financial information proves partially inaccurate, this is likely toit would adversely impact the timing and accuracy of our own financial reporting. Our reliance on financial information received from our collaboration partners may impact our own internal and external financial reporting and any delay in the provision of such financial information to us or any failure by us to identify mistakes in the financial information provided to us may cause our own financial statements to be partially inaccurate. Any inaccuracy in our financial reporting could cause investors to lose confidence in our financial reporting. This in turn may lead to reputational damage and/or affect our ability to obtain, and the terms on which we may, obtainof, any future (equity) financing, which may harm our business.

We and our third-party manufacturers and suppliers may become exposed to liability, fines, penalties or other sanctions and substantial expenses in connection with environmental compliance or remediation activities.

Our third-party manufacturers and suppliers operations, including research, development, testing and manufacturing activities, are subject to numerous environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations govern, among other things, the controlled use, handling, release and disposal of and the maintenance of a registry for, hazardous materials and biological materials, laboratory procedures and exposure to pathogens. We do not have control over our manufacturers’ or suppliers’ compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. If we, or they fail to comply with such laws and regulations, we could be subject to liability, fines, penalties or other sanctions and incur substantial expenses to comply or remediate the activities.

We face a risk of environmental liability inherent in our current and historical activities, including liability relating to releases of or exposure to hazardous or biological materials. Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations are becoming more stringent. We may be required to incur substantial expenses in connection with future environmental compliance or remediation activities, in which case, our production and development efforts may be interrupted or delayed, and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s Business and Industry

Our employees may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including noncompliance with regulatory standards and requirements, or insider trading violations, which could significantly harm our business.

We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other misconduct. Misconduct by employees could include intentional failures to comply with governmental regulations, comply with healthcare fraud and abuse and anti-kickback laws and regulations in the U.S. and other markets, or failure to 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 may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of material information, including improper trading based upon, information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. We maintain a global compliance program and remain focused on its evolution and enhancement. Our program includes efforts such as risk assessment and monitoring, fostering a culture encouraging employees and third parties to raise good

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faith questions or concerns, and defined processes and systems for reviewing and remediating allegations and identified potential concerns. It is not always possible, however, 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 governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business and results of operations, including the imposition of significant fines or other sanctions.

We may become exposed to costly and damaging liability claims.

We are exposed to potential product liability and professional indemnity risks that are inherent in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and use of pharmaceutical products and marketing of human therapeutic products. The current and future use of products and product candidates by us and our collaborators in clinical trials and the sale of any approved products may further expose us to liability claims. If any of our products or product candidates were to cause adverse side effects during clinical trials or after approval of the product candidate, we may be exposed to substantial liabilities. These claims might be made by patients who use the product, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, physicians, payors, caregivers, investors, employees, government agencies, or our collaborators or others selling such products. Physicians and patients may not comply with any warnings that identify known potential adverse effects and patients who should not use our product candidates. Any claims against us, regardless of their merit, could be difficult and costly to defend and could materially adversely affect the market for our products and product candidates or any prospects for commercialization of our products and product candidates. Any such claims, regardless of their merit, could also adversely affect our reputation and the trust that physician and patients place in our products. Product liability risk in the EU is likely to increase in the future if plaintiff-friendly reforms to the current EU legislation, which are currently at an advanced stage of the EU legislative process, are formally adopted.

Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome litigation or liability claims may result in:

decreased demand for our products due to negative public perception;
damage to our reputation;
withdrawal of clinical trial participants or difficulties in recruiting new clinical trial participants;
initiation of investigations by regulators;
costs to defend or settle the related litigation;
a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
substantial monetary awards to clinical trial participants or patients;
product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions;
loss of revenues from product sales; and
the inability to successfully commercialize VYVGART and any of our other product candidates, if approved.

Although we maintain product liability insurance, we may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or to obtain adequate insurance coverage to satisfy any liability that may arise. Product liability claims could delay or prevent completion of our clinical development programs. In addition, claims made by patients, healthcare professionals or others might not be fully covered by product liability insurance and could result in investigations of the safety of our products or product candidates or may result in recalls. If a successful product liability claim or series of claims is brought against us for uninsured liabilities or in excess of insured liabilities, our assets may

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not be sufficient to cover such claims and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

We may engage in strategic transactions, including acquisitions, collaborations, licenses or investments in other companies or technologies, and we may not realize the benefits of such transactions.

We may enter into strategic transactions, including acquisitions, collaborations, licenses or investments for or in other companies or technologies that complement or augment our existing business and facilitate our access to new products, research projects or geographical areas. However, we may not be able to identify appropriate targets or enter into such transactions under satisfactory conditions. In addition, we may need additional funding to finance these transactions including through issuances of public or private equity or convertible debt securities, which could be dilutive to our shareholders and ADS holders.

Integrating any newly acquired companies, business, technologies or products could be expensive, time-consuming, and may never be successful. Integration efforts often take a significant amount of time, place a significant strain on managerial, operational and financial resources, result in loss of key personnel and could prove to be more difficult or expensive than we predict. The diversion of our management’s attention and any delay or difficulties encountered in connection with any future transactions we may consummate could result in the disruption of our ongoing business or inconsistencies in standards and controls that could negatively affect our ability to maintain third-party relationships. We cannot assure that we will achieve the expected synergies to justify any such transaction, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects and our investors’ ability to realize on their investment.

Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures or unauthorized or inappropriate use of or access to our systems.

We are increasingly dependent on our information technology systems and infrastructure for our business. We collect, store and transmit sensitive information including intellectual property, proprietary business information, including highly sensitive clinical trial data, and personal data in connection with business operations. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Some of this information could be an attractive target of criminal attack or unauthorized access and use by third parties with a wide range of motives and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” patient groups, disgruntled current or former employees and others. Cyber-attacks are of ever-increasing levels of sophistication, and despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to such attacks or may be breached, including due to employee error or malfeasance.

The pervasiveness of cybersecurity incidents in general and the risks of cyber-crime are complex and continue to evolve. Although we are making significant efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our information systems and are exploring various measures to manage the risk of a security breach or disruption, there can be no assurance that our security efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted security breaches or disruptions would not be successful or damaging. Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage or interruption from computer viruses, unauthorized or inappropriate access or use, natural disasters, pandemics, terrorism, war (including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip), and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such events could cause interruption of our operations. For example, the loss of pre-clinical trial data or data from completed or ongoing clinical trials for our product candidates could result in delays in our regulatory filings and development efforts, as well as delays in the commercialization of our products, and significantly increase our costs. To the extent that any disruption, security breach or unauthorized or inappropriate use or access to our systems were to result in a loss of or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, including but not limited to patient, employee or vendor information, we could incur notification obligations to affected individuals and government agencies, liability, including potential lawsuits from patients, collaborators, employees, stockholders or other third parties and liability under foreign, federal and state laws that protect the privacy and security of personal data, and the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

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We are highly dependent on public perception of our products.

We are highly dependent upon consumer perceptions of the safety and quality of our products. We could be adversely affected if we, or any of our collaborators, are subject to negative publicity or if any of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies prove to be, or are asserted to be, harmful to patients, or for example, be deemed cruel to animals. Because of our dependence upon consumer perception, any adverse publicity associated with illness or other adverse effects resulting from patients’ use or misuse of our products or any similar products distributed by other companies could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s Intellectual Property

We rely on patents and otherFailure to adequately enforce or protect our intellectual property rights to protect ourin products, and product candidates and platform technologies. Failure to enforce or protect these rights adequatelytechnologies could harmadversely affect our ability to competemaximize the value for patients in our marketed products and impair our business.product candidates.

Our commercial success depends in part on obtaining and maintaining patents and other forms of intellectual property rights for our products, and product candidates methods used to manufacture those products and the methods for treating patients using those products, or on licensing in such rights. Specifically, we are materially dependent on patent and other proprietary protection related to our core platform technologies and our products andproduct candidates.technologies. Failure to protect or to obtain, maintain or extend adequate patent and other intellectual property rights, which may be challenging and costly, could materially adversely affect our ability to develop and market our products and product candidates. The enforcement, defensecandidates and maintenance of such patents and other intellectual property rightserode or negate any competitive advantage we may be challenging and costly.have.

We cannot be certain that patents will be issued or granted with respect to applications that are currently pending. As a biopharmaceutical company our patent position is uncertain because it involves complex legal and factual considerations. The standards applied by the European Patent Office, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and foreign patent offices in granting patents are not always applied uniformly or predictably. For

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example, there is no uniform worldwide policy regarding patentable subject matter or the scope of claims allowable in biopharmaceutical patents. Consequently, patents may not issue from our pending patent applications. As such, we do not know the degree of future protection that we will have on our proprietary products and technology. The scope of patent protection that the European Patent Office and the U.S. Patent and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will grant with respect to the antibodies in our antibodies product pipeline is uncertain.uncertain and may vary by jurisdiction. It is possible that the European Patent Office and the USPTO will not allow broad antibody claims that cover antibodies closely related to our products andproduct candidates as well as the specific antibody. As a result, upon receipt of EMA or FDA approval, competitors may be free to market antibodiesmolecules almost identical to ours including biosimilar antibodies, therebyif those competitors elected to engage and invest in a full clinical development program to establish the safety and efficacy of their molecule and secure that approval. If that would happen, then there is a risk of decreasing our market potential. However, a competitor cannot submit to the FDA an application for a biosimilar product based on one of our products until four years following the date of approval of our “reference product,” and the FDA may not approve such a biosimilar product until twelve years from the date on which the reference product was approved.

The patent prosecution process is expensive and time-consuming, and weWe and our current or future licensors, licensees or collaboration partners may not be able to prepare, file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we or our licensors, licensees or collaboration partners will fail to identify patentable aspects of inventions made in the course of development and commercialization activities before it is too late to obtain patent protection on them. Further, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of our and our current or future licensors’, licensees’ or collaboration partners’ patent rights are highly uncertain. Our and our licensors’ pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued that protect our technology or products, in whole or in part, or that effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Moreover, in some circumstances, we may not have the right to control the preparation, filing and prosecution of patent applications, or to maintain the patents, or we may need to enter into new license or royalty agreements, covering technology that we license from or license to third parties or have developed in collaboration with our collaboration partners and are reliantrely on patent procurement activities of our licensors, licensees or collaboration partners. Therefore, these patents and applicationspartners or obtain additional costly licenses. Such parties may not be prosecuted and enforced in a manner consistentfully comply with the best interests of our business. If our current or future licensors, licensees or collaboration partners fail to establish, maintain or protect such patents and other intellectual property rights, such rights may be reduced or eliminated. If our licensors, licensees or collaboration partners are not fully cooperativeapplicable patent rules or disagree with us as to the prosecution, maintenance or enforcement of any patent rights, such patent rights could be compromised. The patent examination process may require us or our licensors, licensees or collaboration partners to narrow the scope of the claims of our or our licensors’, licensees’ or collaboration partners’ pending and future patent applications, which may limit the scope of patent protection that may be obtained. We cannot be assured that all of the potentially relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications has been found. If such prior art exists, it can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from issuing a pending patent application.rights. Even if patents do issue and even if such patents cover our products andproduct candidates, third parties may initiate an opposition, interference, re-examination, post-grant review, inter panes review, nullification or derivation action in court or before patent offices, or similar proceedings challenging the validity, enforceability or scope of such patents, which may result in the patent claims being narrowed or invalidated. Our and our licensors’, licensees’ or collaboration partners’ patent applications cannot be enforced against third parties practicing the technology claimed in such applications unless and until a patent issueissues from such applications, and then only to the extent the issued claims cover the technology.

BecauseFurthermore, because patent applications are confidential for a period of time after filing, and some remain so until issued, we cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to file any patent application related to a product orand product candidate. Furthermore, as to the U.S., if third parties have filed such patent applications on or before March 15, 2013, an interference proceeding can be initiated by such third parties to determine who was the first to invent any of the subject matter covered by the patent claims of our applications. If third parties have filed such applications after March 15, 2013, a derivation proceeding can be initiated by such third parties to determine whether our invention was derived from theirs. Even where we have a valid and enforceable patent, we may not be able to exclude others from practicing our invention where the other party can show that they used the invention in commerce before our filing date, or if the other party is able to obtain a compulsory license. In addition, after expiry of our regulatory exclusivities, we may not have a patent position to enforce if a biosimilar presents a ‘skinny label’ and introduces a product into commerce for unpatented uses, doses, and other important patient innovations described in our product labels. Any of the aforementioned situations could cause harm to our ability to protect our intellectual property, which in turn would allow competitors to market comparable products which could materially adversely affect our competitive position and as such our business, financial condition and results of operation.

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We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents and may face difficulties in certain jurisdictions. We often file our first patent application (i.e., priority filing) at the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office or the USPTO. International applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty are usually filed within 12 months after the priority filing. We have so far not filed for patent protection in all national and regional jurisdictions where such protection may be available. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any such country or major market, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date. In addition, the grant proceeding of each national/regional patent may lead to situations in which applications might in some jurisdictions be refused by the relevant patent offices, while granted by others. Furthermore, competitors may use our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ 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 and our licensors or collaboration partners have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S., UK and the EU. Finally, some countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties, and other countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patent.

Issued patents could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged in the applicable patent office or court.

Once granted, patents may remain open to invalidity challenges after allowance or grant, where third parties can raise objections against such granted patent. In the course of such proceedings, the patent owner may be compelled to limit the scope of the allowed or granted claims thus challenged or may lose the allowed or granted claims altogether.

To protect our competitive position, we may from time to time need to resort to litigationadversarial proceedings in order to enforce or defend any patents or other intellectual property rights owned by or licensed to us, or to determine or challenge the scope or validity of patents or other intellectual property rights of third parties. Enforcement of intellectual property rights is difficult, unpredictable and expensive, and many of our or our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ adversaries in these proceedings may have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to prosecuting these legal actions than we or our licensors or collaboration partners can. Accordingly, despite our or our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ efforts, we or our licensors or collaboration partners may not prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating intellectual property rights we own or control, particularly in countries where the laws may not protect those rights as fully as in the European Union and the U.S. We may fail in enforcing our rights, in which case our competitors may be permitted to use our technology without being required to pay us any license fees. In addition, however, litigationadversarial proceedings involving our patents carries the risk that one or more of our patents will be held invalid (in whole or in part, on a claim-by-claim basis) or held unenforceable. Such an adverse court ruling could allow third parties to commercialize our products immediately after the expiration of our regulatory protection or use our SIMPLE Antibody™, NHance® and ABDEG™ platform technologies, and then compete directly with us, without payment to us.

If we wereWe may be subject to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering oneclaims challenging the inventorship or ownership of our products, the defendant could counterclaim that our patent is invalid or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S. or in Europe, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. A claim for a validity challenge may be based on failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, for example, lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. A claim for unenforceability could involve an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the European Patent Office or the USPTO or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability during patent litigation is unpredictable. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that there is no invalidating prior art, of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on one or more of our products or certain aspects of our SIMPLE Antibody™, NHance® and ABDEG™ platform technologies. Such a loss of patent protection could have a material adverse impact on our business. Further, litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, regardless of the outcome, and this could harm our business and financial results. Patents and other intellectual property rights also will not protect our technology if competitors design around our protected technology without infringing our patents or other intellectual property rights.

Intellectual property rights of third parties could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products and product candidates and may harm our competitive position.

Our competitive position may suffer if patents issued to third parties or other third-party intellectual property rights cover our products or elements thereof, our manufacture or uses relevant to our development plans, the targets of our products andproduct candidates, or other attributes of our products andproduct candidates or our technology. In such cases, we may not be in a position to develop or commercialize products or product candidates unless we successfully pursue litigation to nullify or invalidate the third-party intellectual property right concerned, or enter into a license agreement with the intellectual property right holder, if available on commercially reasonable terms. We are aware of certain U.S. issued patents held by third parties that some may argue cover certain aspects of our product candidates, including cusatuzumab. One such third party patent family of potential relevance to cusatuzumab is scheduled to expire in 2028. In the event that a patent has not expired at the time of approval of such product candidate and the patent owner were to bring an infringement action against us, we may have to argue that our product, its manufacture or use does not infringe a valid claim of the patent in question. Alternatively, if we were to challenge the validity of any issued U.S. patent in court, we would need to overcome a statutory presumption of validity that attaches to every U.S. patent. This means that in order to prevail, we would need to present clear and convincing evidence as to the invalidity of the patent’s claims. There is no assurance that a court would find in our favor on questions of infringement or validity. In the event that a patent is successfully asserted against us such that the patent is found to be valid and enforceable and infringed by our product, unless we obtain a

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license to such a patent, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we could be prevented from continuing to develop or commercialize our product. Similarly, the targets for certain of our products andproduct candidates have also been the subject of research by other companies, which have filed patent applications or have patents on aspects of the targets or their uses. There can be no assurance any such patents will not be asserted against us or that we will not need to seek licenses from such third parties. We may not be able to secure such licenses on acceptable terms, if at all, and any such litigation would be costly and time-consuming.

It is also possible that we are unaware to relevant patents or applications. For example, certain U.S. applications filed after November 29, 2000 that will not be filed outside the U.S. may remain confidential until patents issue. In general, patent applications in the U.S. and elsewhere are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing from which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Therefore, patent applications covering our products, product candidates and/or platform technology could have been filed by others without our knowledge. Furthermore, we operate in a highly competitive field, and given our limited resources, it is unreasonable to monitor all patent applications purporting to gain broad coverage in the areas in which we are active. Additionally, pending patent applications which have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our platform technologies, our products or the use of our products.

Third-party intellectual property right holders, including our competitors, may actively bring infringement claims against us. The granting of orphan drug status in respect of any of our product candidates does not guarantee our freedom to operate and is separate from our risk of possible infringement of third parties’ intellectual property rights. We may not be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we are unable to successfully settle future claims on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to engage or continue costly, unpredictable and time-consuming litigation and may be prevented from or experience substantial delays in marketing our products.

If we fail in any such dispute, in additionmake additional payments to being forced to pay damages, we or our licensees may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from commercializing any of our products andproduct candidates that are held to be infringing. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign products andproduct candidates so that we no longer infringe the third-partysecure intellectual property rights. We may be required to seek a license to any such technology that we are found to infringe, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we or our licensors or collaboration partners obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive (for example, the POTELLIGENT® platform) , thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us or our licensors or collaboration partners. 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. Any of these events, even if we were to ultimately prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.

In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our or our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future products andproduct candidates. 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.

Our ability to compete may be adversely affected if we are unsuccessful in defending against any claims by competitors or others that we are infringing upon their intellectual property rights.

The various markets in which we operate or plan to operate are subject to frequent and extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. In addition, companies producing therapeutics to treat and potentially cure cancer have employed intellectual property litigation as a means to gain an advantage over their competitors. As a result, we may be required to defend against claims of intellectual property infringement that may be asserted against us and, if the outcome of any such litigation is adverse to us, it may affect our ability to compete effectively.

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Our involvement in litigation, and in, e.g., any interference, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, opposition or post-grant proceedings or other intellectual property proceedings inside and outside of the European Union or the U.S. may divert management time from focusing on business operations, could cause us to spend significant amounts of money and may have no guarantee of success. Potential intellectual property litigation could also, amongst other things, force us to stop selling, incorporating, manufacturing or using certain of our products, to obtain a license to sell or use certain technology from a third party asserting its intellectual property rights, to redesign certain products or processes that use any allegedly infringing or misappropriated technology or pay damages, including the possibility of treble damages in a patent case if a court finds us to have willfully infringed certain intellectual property rights, which may result in significant cost and/or delay to us. Moreover, certain licenses may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all, or may be non-exclusive thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us and redesigning certain products or processes could be technically infeasible.

Intellectual property litigation could cause us to spend substantial resources and distract our personnel from their normal responsibilities.

Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, this may negatively impact us. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. 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 substantially greater financial resources. 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.collaborators.

Many of our consultants and employees, including our senior management, were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Some of these consultants and employees executed proprietary rights, non-disclosure and non-competition agreements in connection with such previous employment. Although we try to ensure that our consultants and employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these consultants and employees have used or disclosed confidential information or intellectual property including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such consultant’s or employee’s former employer or have breached their non-competition agreement. LitigationAdditionally, many of our collaborators do not commit to assigning all intellectual property arising out of the collaboration to us and, instead, grant us options to acquire intellectual property or commit to making such intellectual property available to us at a fair price. As such, we or our licensors may have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of employees, consultants or others who are involved in developing our products and product candidates.

In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be necessaryinvolved in the development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with such party. Our and their assignment agreements may not be self-executing or may be breached and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties or defend claims they may bring against these claims.us to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property.

There is no guarantee we will be successful in defending such claims, which would result in us paying monetary damages, or lose valuable personnel or intellectual property rights.

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Third-party intellectual property rights could adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products and product candidates.

Our competitive position may suffer if third-party intellectual property rights cover our products or product candidates or our manufacture or uses relevant to our development plans. In such cases, we may not be in a position to develop or commercialize products or product candidates unless we secure a license, design around, or successfully pursue costly and time-consuming proceedings to nullify or invalidate the third-party intellectual property right concerned or enter into a license agreement with the intellectual property right holder. If we were to challenge the validity of any issued U.S. patent in court, we would need to overcome a statutory presumption of validity that attaches to every U.S. patent. In the event that a patent is successfully asserted against us such that the patent is found to be valid and enforceable and infringed by our product, unless we obtain a license to such a patent, we could be prevented from continuing to develop or commercialize our product. Similarly, other companies have filed patent applications or have patents on the targets for certain of our products or their uses. There can be no assurance any such patents will not be asserted against us or that we will not need to seek licenses from such third parties.

It is also possible that we are unaware of relevant patents or applications or of relevant scientific discoveries. In general, patent applications in the U.S. and elsewhere are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing from which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Additionally, publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries. Therefore, patent applications covering our products, product candidates or platform technology could have been filed by others and relevant discoveries may have been made without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications which have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our products or platform technologies.

Third-party intellectual property right holders, including our competitors, may actively bring infringement claims against us that we may not be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve.

If we fail in prosecuting or defending any such claims, in additiondispute, we or our licensees may be prohibited from commercializing any of our products and product candidates that are held to paying monetary damages,be infringing for the remaining term of any valid and enforceable patents. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign products and product candidates so that we may lose valuableno longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights or personnel or sustain damages. Such intellectual property rights could be awarded to a third party, and we couldrights. We may be required to obtainseek a license fromto any such third partytechnology that we are found to commercialize our technology or products. Such ainfringe, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we successfully prosecute or defend against such claims,our licensors or collaboration partners obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us or our licensors or collaboration partners. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our or our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patents and patent applications is threatened, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current products and product candidates. 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 result in substantial costs and distract management.be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation.

We may not be successful in obtaining or maintaining necessary rights to our products and product candidates through acquisitions and in-licenses.

Because our programs may require the use of proprietary rights held by third parties, the growth of our business will likely depend in part on our ability to acquire, in-license, maintain or use these proprietary rights. We may be unable to acquire or in-license any compositions, methods of use, processes, or other third-party intellectual property rights from third parties that we identify as an appropriate strategic fit for our Company and necessary for our product candidates. The licensingcandidates and acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and atechnology. A number of more established companies with greater resources may pursue strategies to license or acquire third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, cash resources and greater clinical development and commercialization capabilities.

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For example, weWe sometimes collaborate with U.S. and non-U.S. academic institutions to accelerate our preclinical research or development under written agreements with these institutions.development. Typically, these institutions provide us with an option to negotiate a license to any of the institution’s rights in technology resulting from the collaboration. Regardless of such option, we may be unable to negotiate a license within the specified timeframe or under terms that are acceptable to us. If we are unable to do so,us, in which case the institution may offer the intellectual property rights to other parties, potentially blocking our ability to pursue our applicable product candidate or program.

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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. If we are unable to successfully obtain a license to third-party intellectual property rights necessary for the development of a product candidate or program,investment, in which case we may have to abandon development of that product candidate or program and our business and financial condition could suffer.program.

If we fail to comply with our obligations under the agreements pursuant to which we license intellectual property rights from third parties, or otherwise experience disruptions to our business relationships with our licensors, we could lose the rights to intellectual property that are important to our business.

We are a party to license agreements under which we are granted rights to intellectual property that are important to our business and we expect that we may need to enter into additional license agreements in the future. Existing license agreements impose and we expect that future license agreements will impose, various development, obligations, payment of royalties and fees based on achieving certain milestones, as well as other obligations. If we fail to comply with our obligations under these agreements, the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. The termination of any license, agreements or failurewhich could result in us being unable to adequately preserve such license agreements could prevent us from commercializingdevelop, manufacture, market and sell products andproduct candidatesthat are covered by the licensed intellectual property.technology. Moreover, we could incur significant costs and/or disruption to our business and distraction of our management defending against any breach alleged by the licensor. Several of our existing license agreements are sub-licenses from third parties whichwho are not the original licensorlicensors of the intellectual property at issue. Under these agreements, we must rely on our licensor to comply with its obligations under the primary license agreements under which such third party obtained rights in the applicable intellectual property, where we may have no relationship with the original licensor of such rights. If the licensors fail to comply with their obligations under these upstream license agreements, the original third-party licensor may have the right to terminate the original license, which may terminate the sublicense. If this weresublicense, causing us to occur, we would no longer havelose our rights to the applicable intellectual property and, in the case of a sublicense, if we were not ableare unable to secure our own direct license with the owner of the relevant rights which it may not be able to do at a reasonable cost or on reasonable terms, it may adversely affect our ability to continue to develop and commercialize the products andproduct candidates incorporating the relevant intellectual property.terms.

Disputes may arise regarding intellectual property subject to a licensing agreement, including:

the scope of rights granted under the license agreement and other interpretation-related issues;
the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of the licensor that is not subject to the licensing agreement;
the sublicensing of patent and other rights under any collaboration relationships we might enter into in the future;
our diligence obligations under the license agreement and what activities satisfy those diligence obligations;
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; and
the priority of invention of patented technology.

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IfFurther, if disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed or our associated obligations prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms, we may be unable to successfully develop and commercialize the affected products andproduct candidates.

If our trademarks and trade names are not adequately protected, then we may not be able to build name recognition in our markets of interest and our business may be adversely affected.interest.

Our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names may be challenged, infringed, circumvented or declared generic or determined to be infringing on other marks. WeThird parties may oppose or attempt to cancel our trademark applications or trademarks or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we may not be able to protectuse these trademarks to market our products in those countries and could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. If we attempt to enforce our trademarks and assert trademark infringement claims, a court may determine that the marks we have asserted are invalid or unenforceable or that the party against whom we have asserted trademark infringement has superior rights to these trademarks and trade names, which we need to build name recognition by potential partners or customersthe marks in our markets of interest.question. Over the long term, if we are unable to establish name recognition, based on our trademarks and trade names, then we may not be able to compete effectively and our business may be adversely affected.effectively. If other entities use trademarks similar to ours in different jurisdictions, or have senior rights to ours, it could interfere with our use of our current trademarks throughout the world.

If we doWe may not be able to obtain protection under the Hatch-Waxman AmendmentsU.S. Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (Hatch-Waxman Act) and similar non-U.S. legislation for extending the term of patents covering each of our products and product candidates, our business may be materially harmed.

Patents have a limited duration. In the U.S., if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our products andproduct candidates, their manufacture, or use are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive medications, including biosimilar medications. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such 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 products similar or identical to ours.candidates.

Depending upon the timing, duration and conditions of FDA marketing approval of our product candidates, one or more of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (the Hatch-Waxman Act) and similar legislation in the European Union.EU and the Asia Pacific region. The Hatch-Waxman Act permits a patent term extension of up to five years for a patent covering an approved product as compensation for effective patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review process. The patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval, and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended. However, we may not receive an extension if we fail to apply within applicable deadlines fail to applyor prior to expiration of relevant patents or otherwise fail to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the length of the extension could be less than we request. If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or the term of any such extension is less than we request, the period during which we can enforce our patent rights for that product will be shortened and our competitors may obtain approval to market competing products sooner than we expect. As a result, our revenue from applicable products could be reduced, possibly materially.

We enjoy only limited geographical protection with respect to certain patents and may face difficulties in certain jurisdictions, which may diminish the value of intellectual property rights in those jurisdictions.

We often file our first patent application (i.e., priority filing) at the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office or the USPTO. International applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) are usually filed within twelve months after the priority filing. Based on the PCT filing, national and regional patent applications may be filed in additional jurisdictions where we believe our products and product candidates may be marketed. We have so far not filed for patent protection in all national and regional jurisdictions where such protection may be available. In addition, we may decide to abandon national and regional patent applications before grant. Finally, the grant proceeding of each national/regional patent is an independent proceeding which may lead to situations in which applications might in some jurisdictions be refused by the relevant patent offices,

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while granted by others. It is also quite common that depending on the country, the scope of patent protection may vary for the same products orproduct candidate or technology.

Competitors may use our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ 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 and our licensors or collaboration partners have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the U.S. and the European Union. These products may compete with our products andproduct candidates, and our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

The laws of some jurisdictions do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws in the U.S. and the European Union, and companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in such jurisdictions. If we or our licensors encounter difficulties in protecting, or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting, the intellectual property rights important for our business in such jurisdictions, the value of these rights may be diminished and we may face additional competition from others in those jurisdictions.

Some countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties. In addition, some countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of such patent. If we or any of our licensors is forced to grant a license to third parties with respect to any patents relevant to our business, our competitive position may be impaired and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Proceedings to enforce our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our and our licensors’ or collaboration partners’ patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us or our licensors or collaboration partners. We or our licensors or collaboration partners may not prevail in any lawsuits that we or our licensors or collaboration partners initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage and changesChanges in patent laws or patent jurisprudence could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.

The America Invents Act (AIA) has been enactedChanges in patent law and regulations in the U.S., resultingvarious countries or jurisdictions or changes in significantthe governmental bodies that enforce them or changes in how the relevant governmental authority enforces them may weaken our ability to obtain new patents or to enforce patents that we have licensed or that we may obtain in the future. We cannot predict future changes in the interpretation of patent laws or changes to thepatent laws that might be enacted into law by U.S. patent system. An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the U.S. transitioned to a “first-to-file” system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties claiming the same invention. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO after that date but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we had made the invention before it was made by the third party. This will require us to be cognizant going forward of the time from invention to filing of a patent application, but circumstances could prevent us from promptly filing patent applications on our inventions.

Among some of the other changes introduced by the AIA are changes that limit where a patentee may file a patent infringement suit and providing opportunities for third parties to challenge any issued patent in the USPTO. This applies to all of our U.S. patents, even those issued before March 16, 2013. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in U.S. federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a

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defendant in a district court action. The AIA 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.

Additionally,foreign legislative bodies. For example, 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 toRelatedly, U.S. congressional representatives have introduced multiple draft bills this year that, if passed, may have a significant impact on U.S. patent laws. Such changes by the U.S. Congress, U.S. courts, USPTO, and the relevant law-making bodies in other countries may materially affect our patents or patent applications and 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 decisions 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 our existing patents and patents that we might obtainadditional patent protection in the future.

Any inability of usWe may be unable to protect our competitive advantage with regard to anythe confidentiality of our products andproduct candidates may prevent us from successfully monetizing such products and product candidate and this could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

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

Periodic maintenance and annuity fees on any issued patent are due to be paid to the USPTO, the European Patent Office and foreign patent agencies in several stages over the lifetime of the patent. The USPTO, the European Patent Office 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. While an inadvertent lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules, there are situations in which noncompliance 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. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application include 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 or collaboration partners fail to maintain the patents and patent applications covering our products andproduct candidates, our competitors might be able to enter the market, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

Our trade secrets may be misappropriated or disclosed, and confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, advisors and potential collaborators may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and protect other proprietary information.know-how.

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on trade secret protection for our proprietary information, that is not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection, including, for example, certain aspects of our llama immunization and antibody affinity maturation approaches. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect, and we have limited control over the protection of trade secrets used by our numerous licensors, collaborators and suppliers.

To protect this type of information against disclosure or appropriation by competitors, our usual practice is toWe require our employees, consultants, advisors and potential collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements. Moreover, we put in place appropriate procedures to identify confidential material and restrict access to documentation. However, current or former employees, consultants, advisersadvisors and potential collaborators may unintentionally or willfully disclose our confidential information to competitors. We have entered into, and maycompetitors despite these procedures or in the future enter into additional, collaborations withviolation of our competitors, and confidentiality agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information.agreements. In addition, the need to share trade secrets and other confidential information increases the risk that such trade secrets become known to our competitors areor inadvertently incorporated into the technology of others,others. Any disclosure, either intentional or are disclosedunintentional, or used in violationmisappropriation by third parties (such as through a cybersecurity breach) of these agreements.our trade secrets or proprietary information could enable competitors to duplicate or surpass our technological achievements.

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Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained illegally and is using trade secrets is expensive, time consumingtime-consuming and the outcome is unpredictable, and the enforceability of confidentiality agreements may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Moreover, if any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us.

Risk Factors Related to argenx’s Organization and Operations

Our future growth and ability to compete depends on retaining our key personnel and recruiting additional qualified personnel.

OurAs a global organization in a highly competitive and specialized industry, our success depends upon the continued contributions of our key management, scientific, medical and technical personnel, many of whom have been instrumental for us and have substantial experience with our therapiesproduct and related technologies. These key management individuals include the members of our Board of Directors and senior management.

Themanagement team. Difficulties in recruiting or the loss of key managers, and senior scientistsscientific, medical or technical personnel could delay our research and development activities. In addition, our ability to compete in the highly competitive biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries depends upon our abilityit may be difficult to attract and retain highly qualified management, scientific and medical personnel. personnel, particularly if we expand into fields that will require additional skills.

As a Dutch company listed on Euronext Brussels in addition to the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Nasdaq), our remuneration practices and policies may be limited by local governance rules or shareholder guidance for EU companies. Such limitations may make it more difficult to successfully compete for key talent in a number of markets that have differing remuneration practices and policies as we are bound by more restrictive remuneration practices than

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our competitors. For example, the Dutch Corporate Governance Code 2022 (DCGC) places certain limitations on the ability to grant equity incentives to non-executive directors, while Belgian law requires non-executive directors to receive part of their remuneration in the forms of shares, but not stock options. The DCGC also places limitations on amount of severance payment permitted in the event of dismissal. In addition, the U.S. has proposed legislation that imposes restrictions on our ability to prevent departing employees from competing with us following their departure. If finalized, such legislation could also adversely affect our ability to retain employees who may go to competitors with more resources than us and who are not bound by similar remuneration policies.

Many other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions that we compete against for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and a longer history in the industry than we do. Additionally, an inflationary environment, combined with the tight labor market for the recruitment and retention of skilled workers, could make it more costly for us to attract or retain employees. In order to meet the compensation expectations of our prospective and current employees due to inflationary factors, we may be required to increase our operating costs. Therefore, we might not be able to attract or retain these key persons on conditions that are economically acceptable.

Furthermore,Global geo- and socio-political threats and macro-economic uncertainty and other unforeseen political crises could materially and adversely affect our business and financial performance.

Many geo- and socio-political threats and macro-economic uncertainties are outside of our control, including general economic and market conditions, consumer and commercial credit availability, inflation, interest rates, unemployment, consumer debt levels, political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability, economic sanctions, outbound investment restrictions and other challenges affecting the global economy, including the Russia-Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflicts, disruptions in supply chains, and changes in trade agreements which could adversely affect consumer confidence and disposable income levels, increase difficulty in forecasting our financial results and have other impacts on our business and financial performance. Such geo- and socio-political threats could also result in volatility in stock markets in general, causing our stock to have extreme price and volume fluctuations unrelated to our business and financial performance. For example, in 2023, we received approval for VYVGART in Israel through our partner Medison. It is not yet possible to predict or determine the ultimate consequence of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on our business and financial performance.

Due to our international operations and the fact that we run clinical trials in a large number of jurisdictions, the eruption of global conflicts, such as the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, may negatively impact our ability to conduct or complete clinical trials in the affected regions, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance. On January 17, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued General License 6C to replace General License 6B. General License 6C authorizes “clinical trials and other medical research activities” that would otherwise be prohibited by U.S. sanctions targeting Russia, and General License 6C does not have an expiration date. Following a risk assessment relating to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we increased target enrollment, which delayed expected topline data of SC efgartigimod for PV and PF to the second half of 2023. Additionally, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the sanctions imposed upon Russia by the U.S., the UK, and the EU, among others could disrupt:

the recruitment and enrollment of eligible patients who may not be able to travel safely to clinical trial sites or may be forced to withdraw for a number of reasons;
the closure or destruction of clinical sites or treatment facilities;
the ability to compensate patients or staff living in sanctioned countries;
the manufacturing process for our products or supply chain, which could increase the costs of raw material and production costs;

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the ability to transport, deliver, supply and collect necessary materials, products or services to clinical trial sites or deliver them to third-party central laboratories’ for analysis;
the ability to collect data from clinical trial sites and ensure the integrity of any data collected;
the destruction or disruption of our data centers or our critical business or information technology systems; or
the ability to submit data collected at Russian or Ukrainian sites due to the incompleteness or the fact that auditing by regulatory authorities was not fully possible.

To date, other than as described above and elsewhere in this Annual Report, we have no indication that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the corresponding sanctions imposed on Russia will significantly hinder our clinical development activities performed in the affected regions or regulatory activities relevant for our pending or expected approval requests. Moreover, we do not generate revenues in Russia, and we gather more regular feedback from and to stakeholders and team members in Russia and Ukraine. However, we also perform development activities in a number of countries neighboring Russia and Ukraine and if the conflict were to escalate further and impact neighboring countries, it could impact our development activities in those countries.

Changes in U.S.-Mainland China relations, including tariffs, export controls, sanctions, and other regulations may adversely impact our collaboration with Zai Lab in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau (together, Greater China). The U.S. government has taken steps and continues to take steps with regard to U.S.- Mainland China relations that will impact companies with connections to the U.S. or Mainland China, including by imposing tariffs affecting certain products manufactured in mainland China, imposing certain sanctions on individuals and entities in the Mainland China, and issuing statements indicating enhanced review of companies with significant Mainland China-based operations. The scope of the impact of any such actions on the pharmaceutical industry or argenx remains unknown. Through argenx’s collaboration with Zai Lab, we have an interest in business operations in Greater China. Any unfavorable government policies on international trade, including tariffs, export controls, and/or increased scrutiny on companies with significant Mainland China-based operations, may impact the development and commercialization of products that contain argenx-licensed material.

Any new legislation, executive orders, tariffs, export controls, and/or other regulations that may be implemented, the renegotiation of existing trade agreements, and any retaliatory actions taken by the U.S. or Chinese governments due to the U.S.- Mainland China tensions could have an adverse effect on our business, including the development and commercialization of products containing argenx-licensed material.

We face risks related to natural disasters and public health issues, that could negatively affect our business and financial condition.

Our business could be adversely impacted by the effects of catastrophic global events including natural disasters such as an earthquake, fire, hurricane, tornado, flood or significant power outage and pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, the manufacturing of all of our products and product candidates requires using cells which are stored in a cell bank. We have one master cell bank for each product manufactured in accordance with cGMPs. However, it is possible that we could lose multiple cell banks and have our manufacturing significantly impacted by the need to recruit new managersreplace these cell banks, which could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and qualified scientific, commercial, regulatoryresults of operations.

Public health issues could also negatively affect our business and financial personnelcondition. We operate and conduct our clinical trials globally. We cannot presently predict the scope and severity of any potential future business shutdowns or disruptions as a result of public health issues. If we or any of the third parties with whom we engage, including the suppliers, contract manufacturers, clinical trial sites, regulators and other third parties, were to developexperience shutdowns, quarantines, or other business disruptions due to natural disasters or global public health issues, it may impair our business if we expand into fields that will require additional skills. Our inabilityor our third-party partners’ ability to attractinitiate clinical trials and recruit and retain these key personspatients, particularly if quarantine or travel

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restrictions impede healthcare provider or patient movement, impact the usability of the data due to treatment interruptions and require protocol amendments. In addition, regulatory authorities may restrict their operations or be delayed in their operations during a pandemic, the outbreak of new variants or other public health issues, including further to travel restrictions which could prevent us from achievingadversely affect our objectivesability to obtain regulatory approval for and implementingto commercialize our business strategy, which couldproducts and product candidates and have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.financial results.

We expect to expandmay encounter difficulties efficiently managing our growth and our increasing development, regulatory and sales and marketing capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

We have grown significantly in the number of employees and scope of operations over the recent years and expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations also in the near future, particularly in the areas of drug research, drug development, regulatory affairs and sales and marketing. 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. In particular, we must efficiently leverage our own sales and marketing capabilities in order to launch or market our products candidates effectively.

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. For example, we are currently outsourcing certain development areas which we cannot cover ourselves due to limited personnel capacities, for example to Zai Lab in relation to proof-of-concept trials in two kidney indications, LN and MN or to IQVIA in relation to proof-of-concept trials in primary SjS and COVID-19-mediated POTS. As a result of ourOur limited financial, manufacturing and management recourses, we mayresources, could cause us to forgo or delay the pursuit of opportunities with potential product candidates that later prove to have greater market potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us topotential, fail to capitalize on viable commercial products or profitable market opportunities. Further, we mayopportunities or relinquish rights to such product candidates through collaborations, licensing or royalty arrangements in circumstances where it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization rights.

The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources and may dilute our corporate culture, which in turn may make it more difficult to attract and retain employees. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our strategic objectives or disrupt our operations, which in turn could materially harm our business and prospects.

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Public health issues or other catastrophic events could disrupt the supply, delivery or demand of products, which could negatively affect our operations and performance.

Public health crises such as pandemics or similar outbreaks could adversely impact our business. To date, the outbreak of COVID-19 has already resulted in extended shutdowns of certain businesses in many countries all over the world. The spread of COVID-19 has impacted the global economy and may impact our operations, including the potential interruption of our clinical trial activities and our supply chain, and the operations of our key business partners. Global health concerns, such as the recent developments around COVID-19, could also result in social, economic, and labor instability in the countries in which we or the third parties with whom we engage operate. We have also taken temporary precautionarybenefitted from certain research and severely restrictive measures intended to help minimize the risk of COVID-19 to our employees, including temporarily requiring our employees to work remotely, suspending non-essential travel worldwide for our employees and discouraging employee attendance at industry events and in-person work-related meetings.development incentives. These measures could negatively affect our business. COVID-19 has also caused volatility in the global financial markets and threatened a slowdown in the global economy, which may negatively affect our ability to raise additional capital on attractive terms or at all. We cannot presently predict the scope and severity of any potential business shutdowns or disruptions, but if we or any of the third parties with whom we engage, including the suppliers, contract manufacturers, clinical trial sites, regulators and other third parties with whom we conduct business, were to experience shutdowns or other business disruptions, our ability to conduct our business in the manner and on the timelines presently planned could be materially and negatively impacted. It is also possible that global health concerns such as this one could disproportionately impact the clinical sitesimpacted by changes in which we conduct anylaw (or interpretation), changes of our clinical trials, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operation and financial condition.

In addition, a catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of our data centers or our critical business or information technology systems would severely affect our ability to conduct normal business operations and,fact (such as a result, our operating results would be adversely affected.change in ownership), or challenge by tax authorities.

Global economic uncertaintyAs a company active in research and weakening product demand caused by political instability, changes in trade agreements and conflicts, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

Economic uncertainty in various global markets caused by political instability may result in weakened demand for our products and difficulty in forecasting our financial results. Global conflicts, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, as well as economic sanctions implemented by the U.S., the European Union and other countries against Russia in response thereto, may negatively impact markets, increase energy and transportation costs and cause weaker macro-economic conditions. Political developments impacting government spending and international trade may also negatively impact markets and cause weaker macro-economic conditions. While at the date of this Annual Report the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the corresponding sanctions imposed on Russia, did not directly impact our operations,development, we cannot predict the effect the conflict may have on the European and global economic and thereby, indirectly or directly affect our operations.

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The conflict between Russia and Ukraine increased recruitment costs for our ADDRESS trial of SC efgartigimod for PF and PV and is expected to cause delays in our ADDRESS trial. In addition, the sanctions imposed by many countries, ongoing developments in and uncertainty related to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could adversely affect us in other ways. For example, it could lead to increasing manufacturing costs for our products by causing disruptions in the supply chain, including as a result of transportation restrictions, increased costs of raw materials, production costs as well as having an adverse effect on the availability of materials. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine may also result in declines in the global equity and debt capital markets, limiting our ability to access such markets to obtain financing to conduct our operations and growth.

We have obtained significant funding from agencies of the government of the Flemish region of Belgium and have benefited from certain research and development tax incentives which may be re-evaluated if our shareholder base changes significantly.including tax credits and a payroll withholding tax exemption. We also expect to benefit from the Belgian innovation income deduction. The relevant tax authorities may challenge our eligibility for, or our calculation of, such incentives.

Pursuant to the general terms of each grant, certain Flemish agencies are entitled to re-evaluate the subsidies granted to us in case of a fundamental change in our shareholding base, which is not defined in the general terms, but we believe would involve a change of control of us. Any such reevaluation could negatively impact the funding that we receive or have received from the Flemish agencies.

The research and developmenttax incentives from which we have benefited as a company active in research and development in Belgium can be offset against Belgian corporate income tax due. The excess portion may be refunded at the end of a five-year fiscal period for the Belgian research and development incentive. The research and development incentives are both calculated based on the amount of eligible research and development expenditure. The Belgian tax authorities may audit each research and development program in respect of which a tax credit has been claimed and assess whether it qualifies for the tax credit regime. The tax authorities may challenge our eligibility for, or our calculation of, certain tax reductions or deductions in respect of our research and development activities and, should such a claim of the Belgian tax administrationchallenge be successful, we may be liable for additional corporate income tax,taxes, and penalties and interest related thereto, which could have a significantan impact on our results of operations and future cash flows. In case of a change of control, we could be exposed to the risk of losing any unused tax credit and innovation income deduction. Furthermore, if the Belgian government decideany legislator decides to eliminate, or change the conditions for claiming such tax incentives, or reduce the scope or the rate of the research and development incentive benefit, eithersuch incentives, any of which it could decide to do at any time, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Exchange rate fluctuations or abandonment of the euro currency may materially affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Due to the international scope of our operations and the significant position of cash we need to have available to continue our business activities, our assets, earnings and cash flows are influenced by movements in exchange rates of several currencies. Our net sales and costs will be affected by fluctuations in the rate of exchange particularly between the U.S. dollar, our new functional currency as per January 1, 2021, and the euro, Swiss francs, Japanese Yen and British pounds, which are our main financing and potential revenue currencies beyond the U.S. dollar. The majority of our operating expenses are paid in USD, but we also receive payments and we regularly acquire services, consumables and materials in euros, Swiss francs and British pounds. As a result, our business may be affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and other currencies, which may also have a significant impact on our reported results of operations and cash flows from period to period. Currently, we do not have any exchange rate hedging arrangements in place.

Changing expectations for inflation and deflation and corresponding fluctuations in interest rates could decrease demand for our products and negatively affect our performance, as well as increase certain operating costs, such as employee compensation.

Demand for our products and our operating costs may be negatively impacted by adverse conditions in the U.S., the European Union and global economies. A number of factors may contribute to a decline in economic conditions, including, but not limited to, rising government debt levels, fiscal and central bank policy shifts, the withdrawal of government interventions into the financial markets, changing consumer spending patterns, and

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changing expectations for inflation and deflation which may impact interest rates. For example, at its January 2022 the Federal Open Market Committee Meeting, the United States Federal Reserve Bank indicated it expects to raise benchmark interest rates in 2022, partially in response to increasing inflation and a strong labor market. Increased interest rates may decrease demand for our products, even as inflation places pressure on consumer spending, borrowing and saving habits as consumers evaluate their prospects for future income growth and employment opportunities in the current economic environment, and as borrowers face uncertainty about the impact of rising prices on their ability to repay a loan. A change in demand for our products and any steps we may take to mitigate such change could impact our overall growth. Furthermore, inflationary and other economic pressure could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and future prospects.

Additionally, an inflationary environment, combined with the tight labor market, could make it more costly for us to attract or retain employees. In order to meet the compensation expectations of our prospective and current employees due to inflationary factors, we may be required to increase our operating costs or risk losing skilled workers to competitors.

We are exposed globally to unanticipated changes in tax laws and regulations, adjustments to our tax provisions, exposure to additional tax liabilities, or forfeiture of our tax assets.

The determination of our provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities requires significant judgment, including the adoption of certain accounting policies and our determination of whether our deferred tax assets are, and will remain, tax effective.fully available in future periods. We cannot guarantee that our interpretation of applicable tax laws or our structure will not be questioned by the relevant tax authorities, or that the relevant tax laws and regulations, or the interpretation thereof, including through tax rulings, by the relevant tax authorities, will not be subject to change. Any adverse outcome of such a review or change in law may lead to adjustments in the amounts recorded in our financial statements and could have a materially adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We are subject to laws and regulations on tax levies and other charges or contributions in different countries, including transfer pricing and tax regulations for the compensation of personnel and third parties. Dealings between current and former group companies as well as additional companies that may form part of our group in the future are subject to transfer pricing regulations, which may be subject to change and could affect us.have a material impact. Compliance with these laws and regulations will be more challenging as we expand

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our international operations, including in connection with potential approvals of our products andproduct candidates in Europe, Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere.

Our effective tax rates could be adversely affected, now or in the future, by changes in tax laws, treaties and regulations both internationally and domestically, or the interpretation thereof by the relevant tax authorities in countries where we have material operations, including changes to the patentBelgian innovation income deduction, possible changes to the corporate income tax base, wage withholding tax incentive for qualified research and development personnel in Belgium andor to other tax incentives and the implementation of new tax incentives. A successful challenge to our qualifications for and application of these tax incentives such as the innovation deduction. For example, whetherby the tax authorities in Belgium will agree with argenx BV’s qualifications and proposed application of patent box tax advantages willor other country where we have material operations would have a significant taxation impact on argenx BV.our effective tax rate and on our tax assets. An increase of the effective tax rates could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In recent years, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has worked on a project aimed at reforming the international tax system by, among other matters ensuring large multinational enterprises pay a minimum level of tax in each of the jurisdictions in which they operate (Pillar Two). In December 2021, the OECD released model rules in respect of Pillar Two (GloBE Rules). On December 14, 2022, the Council of the EU adopted Directive (EU) 2022/2523 implementing the GloBE Rules for multinational enterprise groups and large-scale domestic groups in the Union (Pillar Two Directive). The Pillar Two Directive was required to be implemented in the EU Member States’ national law by December 31, 2023. In addition, certain other jurisdictions in which the Group operates have either already enacted the GloBE Rules in their domestic law (such as Japan) or announced an intention to implement the GloBE Rules in their domestic law.

Based on current information, management expects that the Group could become subject to the Pillar Two Directive and domestic laws as early as 2025. Management does not expect the Pillar Two Directive and implementing domestic laws to have an impact on the Group in 2024. The Group is currently in the process of determining the impact, if any, for 2025 and onwards.

In addition, we may not be able to use, or changes in tax regulations may affect the use of, certain unrecognized tax assets or credits that we have built over the years. For instance, as of December 31, 2021, we had $815.3 million of consolidatedhave considerable material tax loss carry forwards. In general,assets in Belgium and some of these tax losses carry forwardsassets may be forfeited in whole, or in part, as a result of various transactions, including corporate reorganizations or transactions relating to our shareholding structure, or their utilization may be restricted by statutory law or interpretation in the relevant jurisdiction. Any corporate reorganization by us or any transaction relating to our shareholding structure may result in partial or complete forfeiture of tax loss carry forwards. For instance, under Belgian law, argenx BV may lose its tax loss carry forwards and other tax incentives in case of a change of control, through an acquisition or otherwise, not meeting legitimate financial or economic needs as well as in case of a tax neutral reorganization, such as a merger or a demerger, involving argenx BV. The tax burden would increase if profits, if any, could not be offset against tax loss carry forwards.

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Risks Related to the ADSs

The price of theour ADSs and ordinary shares may be volatile and may fluctuate due to factors beyond our control. An active public trading market may not be sustained.

The tradingstock markets in general, and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. During 2023, the closing sales price of theour ADSs and therepresenting our ordinary shares hason Nasdaq fluctuated and is likelygreatly, ranging from $334.23 to continue to fluctuate, substantially.$548.43. The trading price of those securities depends on a number of factors, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, many of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance. In addition, although the ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and our ordinary shares are listed on Euronext Brussels, we cannot assure you that a trading market for those securities will be maintained.

The market price of the ADSs may fluctuate significantly due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

positive or negative results of testing and clinical trials by us, strategic partners or competitors;

the outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;

delays in entering into strategic relationships with respect to development or commercialization of our product candidates or entry into strategic relationships on terms that are not deemed to be favorable to us;

technological innovations or commercial product introductions by us or competitors;

changes in government regulations;

developments concerning proprietary rights, including patents and litigation matters;

public concern relating to the commercial value or safety of any of our product candidates;

financing or other corporate transactions;

publication of research reports or comments by securities or industry analysts;

general market conditions in the pharmaceutical industry or in the economy as a whole;

price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of the ADSs and/or ordinary shares; or

other events and factors, many of which are beyond our control.

These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for the ADSs and ordinary shares to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ADSs or ordinary shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of theour ADSs and ordinary shares. In addition, the stock markets in general, and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies.

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We will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a U.S.-listed public company, and our board of directors will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, and particularly now that we no longer qualify as an "emerging growth company" as defined in the U.S. Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, we will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a public company listed on Euronext Brussels. We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Nasdaq), and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on non-U.S. reporting public companies, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our board of directors and other personnel are and will continue to be required to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.

However, these rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.

Future sales, or the possibility of future sales, of a substantial number of our securities could adversely affect the price of ADSs and ordinary shares and dilute shareholders.

Sales of a substantial number of ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of ADSs and ordinary shares and could impair the market price of our securities or our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are also unable to predict the effect that such sales

In addition, an active public trading market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares may have on the prevailing market price of ADSs and ordinary shares.

Fluctuationsnot be sustained. Further, fluctuations in exchange rates may increasealso impact the riskprice of holding our ADSs and ordinary shares.

Due to the international scope of our operations, our assets, earnings and cash flows are influenced by movements in exchange rates of several currencies, particularly the euro, USD, British pound and Swiss franc. Our functional currency is the USD, and the majority of our operating expenses are paid in USD, and we also receive payments from our main business partners Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen), AbbVie and Shire in USDs and we regularly acquire services, consumables and materials in euro, Japanese Yen, Swiss francs and British pounds. Further, potential future revenue may be derived from abroad, particularly from the United States. As a result, our business and the price of the ADSs and ordinary shares may be affected by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the euro and these other currencies, which may also have a significant impact on our reported results of operations and cash flows from period to period. Currently, we do not have any exchange rate hedging arrangements in place.

Moreover, because our ordinary shares currently trade on Euronext Brussels in euros, and the ADSs trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in USDs, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the USD and the euro may result in temporary differences between the value of the ADSs and the value of our ordinary shares which may result in heavy trading by investors seeking to exploit such differences. In order to finance the growth of our activities in the United States, we have invested in USD denominated cash deposit accounts and in current financial assets with a significant portion ofdifferences, or impact the proceeds from our initial U.S. public offering completed in May 2017 and our follow-on U.S. public offerings completed in December 2017, September 2018 and June 2020. Depending on the exchange rate fluctuations of the USD, this may result in unrealized exchange rate losses which may impact negatively the reporting of our cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets at reporting dates when translating to euros these U.S. denominated cash deposits accounts and current financial assets. In addition, as aholders receive.

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If we fail to maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to comply with applicable regulations could be impaired, and the trading price of our ADSs may be negatively impacted.

We are required to comply with various corporate governance and financial requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Nasdaq listing rules and requirements (Nasdaq Listing Rules), and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we are required to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation. Moreover, any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting or any material weaknesses or significant deficiency thereover, could result in a loss of fluctuationsinvestors’ in the exchange rate betweenaccuracy, completeness and reliability of our financial statements, subject us to sanctions or investigations, or negatively impact the USD and the euro, the USD equivalenttrading price of the proceeds that a holderour ADSs.

Holders of the ADSs would receive upon the sale on Euronext Brussels of any ordinary shares withdrawn from the depositary and the USD equivalent of any cash dividends paid in euros on our shares represented by the ADSs could also decline.

Holders of ADSs are not treated as holders of our ordinary shares and may be subject to limitations on the transfer of their ADSs and the withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares.

HoldersADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, holders of ADSs are not treated as holders of our ordinary shares, unless they withdraw the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs in accordance with the deposit agreement and applicable laws and regulations. The depositary is the holder of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Holders of ADSs therefore do not have any rights as holders of our ordinary shares, other than the rights that they have pursuant to the deposit agreement. See “Item 12.D. —American Depositary Shares.”

Holders of ADSs may be subject to limitations on the transfer of their ADSs and the withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares.

ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary think it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law, government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason, subject to the right of ADS holders to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares.reason. Temporary delays in the cancellation of your ADSs and withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares may arise because the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books, the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders’ meeting or we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares. In addition, ADS holders may not be able to cancel their ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares when they owe money for fees, taxes and similar charges and when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities.

You willHolders of our ADSs do not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise yourtheir right to vote.

Except as described in this Annual Report and theor any deposit agreement, holders of the ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. Under the terms of the deposit agreement, holders of the ADSs may instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs. Otherwise,agreements, holders of ADSs willare not be able to exercise their right to votetreated as our shareholders unless they withdraw the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs toADSs. The depositary, or its nominee, is the holder of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Holders may vote them in person or by proxy in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and our Articles of Association. Even so, ADS holders may not know about a meeting far enough in advance to withdraw those ordinary shares. If we ask for the instructions of holders of the ADSs, the depositary, upon timely notice from us, will notify ADS holders of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to them. Upon our request, the depositary will mail to holders a shareholder meeting notice that contains, among other things, a statement as to the manner in which voting instructions may be given. We cannot guarantee that ADS holders of ADSs will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs. A shareholder isOur shareholders are only entitled to participate in, and vote at, thea general meeting of our shareholders (General Meeting), provided that itstheir shares are recorded in its nametheir names at midnight (Central(central European Time)time) at the end of the twenty eighth28th day preceding the date of the meeting of shareholders.such General Meeting. In addition, the depositary’s liability to ADS holders of ADSs for failing to execute voting instructions or for the manner of executing voting instructions is limited by the deposit agreement.agreements. As a result, holders of our ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to give voting instructions or to vote in person or by proxy and they may not have any recourse against the depositary or us if their ordinary shares are not voted as they have requested or if their shares cannot be voted.

If securities or industry analysts cease coverage of us, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ADSs or ordinary shares and our trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs and ordinary shares depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If no or too few securities or industry analysts cover us, the trading price of our ADSs and ordinary shares would likely be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us

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downgrade our ADSs or ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ADSs or ordinary shares would likely decline.

Risks Related to being a Foreign Private Issuer or a Dutch Company

The risks in this subsection that relate to our status as a foreign private issuer will change if we lose our status as a foreign private issuer under U.S. law.

We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). The rights of our shareholders may be different from the rights of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.

We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability. The rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of our Board of Directors may be different from the rights and obligations of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.

As a result of these differences between Dutch corporate law and our Articles of Association, on the one hand, and the U.S. federal and state laws, on the other hand, in certain instances, our shareholders and holders of our ADSs could receive less protection than they would as shareholders or ADS holders of a listed U.S. company.

Provisions of our Articles of Association might deter acquisition bids for us that might be considered favorable and prevent or frustrate any attempt to replace or remove the then Board of Directors.

Provisions of our Articles of Association may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us or effect a change in our Board of Directors. We have adopted several provisions that may have the effect of making a takeover of our Company more difficult or less attractive. These provisions could discourage potential takeover attempts that other shareholders may consider to be in their best interest and could adversely affect the market price of our securities.

Holders of our ordinary shares outside the Netherlands, and ADS holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise pre- emptivepre-emptive rights or preferential subscription rights, respectively.

In the event of an increase in our share capital, holders of our ordinary shares are generally entitled under Dutch law to full pre-emptive rights, unless these rights are excluded either by a resolution of the shareholders at thea General Meeting, or by a resolution of the boardBoard of directorsDirectors (if the boardBoard of directorsDirectors has been designated by the shareholders at thea General Meeting for this purpose).

However, making pre-emptive rights available to holders of ordinary shares or ADSs representing ordinary shares also requires compliance with applicable securities laws in the jurisdictions where holders of those securities are located, which we may be unable or unwilling to do. In particular, holders of ordinary shares or ADSs located in the United StatesU.S. would not be able to participate in a pre-emptive rights offering unless we registered the securities to which the rights relate under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act) or an exemption from the registration requirements of that Act is available.requirements. In addition, ADS holders would not be able to participate in a pre-emptive rights offering unless we made arrangements with the depositary to extend that offering to ADS holders of ADSs, which we are not required to do.

We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). The rights of our shareholders may be different from the rights of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions.

We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Association and by the laws governing companies incorporated in the Netherlands. The rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of our board of directors may be different from the rights and obligations of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of

U.S. jurisdictions. In the performance of its duties, our board of directors is required by Dutch law to consider the interests of our company, our shareholders, our employees and other stakeholders, in all cases with due observation of the principles of reasonableness and fairness. It is possible that some of these parties will have interests that are different from, or in addition to, your interests as a shareholder.

Because we are a U.S.-listed public company, our board of directors will be required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a U.S.-listed public company, we expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a public company listed on Euronext Brussels. We are a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas Europaea or SE). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq, and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on non-U.S. reporting public companies, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our board of directors and other personnel are and will continue to be required to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. 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, which in turn could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.

However, these rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Section 404), we are required to furnish a report by our board of directors on our internal control over financial reporting. We are also required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public

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accounting firm. To maintain compliance with these requirements, we must document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is challenging and involves substantial accounting expenses. In this regard, we will need to dedicate internal resources, including significant management time, 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 we will not be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. If we identify one or more material weaknesses, it could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

Certain significant shareholders own a substantial number of our securities and as a result, may be able to exercise control over us, including the outcome of shareholder votes. These shareholders may have different interests from us or your interests.

We have a number of significant shareholders. For an overview of our current significant shareholders, please see “Item 7A.—Major Shareholders.” As of the date of this Annual Report, these significant shareholders and their affiliates, in the aggregate, own approximately 68.22% of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Currently, we are not aware that any of our existing shareholders have entered or will enter into a shareholders’ agreement with respect to the exercise of their voting rights. Nevertheless, depending on the level of attendance at our general meetings of shareholders, or the General Meeting, these significant shareholders could, alone or together, have the ability to determine the outcome of decisions taken at any such General Meeting. Any such voting by these shareholders may not be in accordance with our interests or those of our shareholders. Among other consequences, this concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and might therefore negatively affect the market price of the ADSs.

Provisions of our Articles of Association might deter acquisition bids for us that might be considered favorable and prevent or frustrate any attempt to replace or remove the then board of directors.

Provisions of our Articles of Association may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us or effect a change in our board of directors. We have adopted several provisions that may have the effect of making a takeover of our company more difficult or less attractive. These provisions include a requirement that certain matters, including an amendment of our Articles of Association, may only be brought to our shareholders for a vote upon a proposal by our board of directors. These provisions could discourage potential takeover attempts that other shareholders may consider to be in their best interest and could adversely affect the market price of our securities. These provisions may also have the effect of depriving ADS holders of the opportunity to sell their ADSs at a premium.

We do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

We have not paid any cash dividends since our incorporation. Even if future operations lead to significant levels of distributable profits, we currently intend that any earnings will be reinvested in our business and that cash dividends will not be paid until we have an established revenue stream to support continuing cash dividends. In addition, payment of any future dividends to shareholders would be subject to shareholder approval at our General Meeting, upon proposal of the board of directors, which proposal would be subject to the approval of the majority of the non-executive directors after taking into account various factors including our business prospects, cash requirements, financial performance and new product development. In addition, payment of future cash dividends may be made only if our shareholders’ equity exceeds the sum of our paid-in and called-up share capital plus the reserves required to be maintained by Dutch law or by our Articles of Association. Accordingly, investors cannot rely on cash dividend income from ADSs and any returns on an investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future appreciation in the price of the ADSs.

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We are not obligated to, and do not comply with, all the best practice provisions of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code,DCGC, which may affect your rights as a shareholder.

shareholders’ rights.

As a Dutch European public company with limited liability, (Societas Europaea or SE), we are subject to the Dutch Corporate Governance Code (the DCGC). The DCGC contains both principles and best practice provisions for board of directors, management boards, supervisory boards, shareholders and general meetings of shareholders, financial reporting, auditors, disclosure, compliance and enforcement standards. The DCGC applies to all Dutch companies listed on a regulated market, including Euronext Brussels. The principles and best practice provisions apply to our board of directors (in relation to role and composition, conflicts of interest and independency requirements, board committees and remuneration), shareholders and the General Meeting (for example, regarding anti-takeover protection and our obligations to provide information to our shareholders) and financial reporting (such as external auditor and internal audit requirements).DCGC. We do not comply with all the best practice provisions of the DCGC. As a Dutch company, we are required to disclose in our Annual Report,annual report, filed in the Netherlands, whether we comply with the provisions of the DCGC. If we do not comply with the provisions of the DCGC (for example, because of a conflicting Nasdaq requirementListing Rule or otherwise), we must list the reasons for any deviation from the DCGC in our Annual Report. See “Item 16.G.—Corporate Governance.”annual report filed in the Netherlands.

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Claims of U.S. civil liabilities may not be enforceable against us.us or the members of our management and our Board of Directors.

We are incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States.U.S. The majority of the members of our board ofsenior management team and our directors reside outsideare not U.S. residents and we do not have significant assets in the United States.U.S. As a result, it may not be possible, or may be very difficult, for investors to effect service of process within the United StatesU.S. upon such persons or to enforce against them or us in U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws.

The United States currently does not have a treaty There are no treaties between the U.S. with either the Netherlands or Belgium providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment for payment given by a court in the United States,U.S. based on civil liability, whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized or enforceable in the Netherlands or be enforceable in Belgium.Belgium unless the underlying claim was re-litigated before a Dutch or Belgian court of competent jurisdiction. This will depend on the applicable Dutch or Belgian national rules.

In order to obtain a judgment which is enforceable in the Netherlands, the party in whose favor a final and conclusive judgment of the U.S. court has been rendered will be required to file its claim with a court of competent jurisdiction in the Netherlands. Such party may submit to the Dutch court the final judgment rendered by the U.S. court. If and to the extent that the Dutch court finds that the jurisdiction of the U.S. court has been based on grounds which are internationally acceptable and that proper legal procedures have been observed, the court of the Netherlands will, in principle, give binding effect to the judgment of the U.S. court, unless such judgment contravenes principles of public policy of the Netherlands. Dutch courts may deny the recognition and enforcement of punitive damages or other awards. Moreover, a Dutch court may reduce the amount of damages granted by a U.S. court and recognize damages only to the extent that they are necessary to compensate actual losses or damages. Enforcement and recognition of judgments of U.S. courts in the Netherlands are solely governed by the provisions of the Dutch Code of Civil Procedure (Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering).

In order to obtain the enforceability in Belgium of a U.S. final and conclusive judgment, a declaration of enforceability by a Belgian judge will have to be obtained via a specific court procedure. A U.S. judgment will not be declared enforceable in Belgium if it infringes upon one or more of the grounds for refusal listed in the 2004 Belgian Code of Private International Law (the PIL Code). Based on the same grounds for refusal, the recognition and enforcement of a U.S. judgment may be challenged before the Belgian judge. Notably, enforcement and recognition need to be refused if (a) due process has not been observed, (b) the Belgian courts have exclusive jurisdiction to determine the matter or (c) the effect of recognizing this judgment or declaring it enforceable would be manifestly incompatible with Belgium's (international) public policy principles. Punitive damages awards for example may be denied recognition and enforcement under the latter refusal ground. In the review of the request for enforcement or the challenge of the recognition of a U.S. judgment, the Belgian judge will not, however, review

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the merits of the case, nor does any reciprocity requirement apply. Enforcement and recognition of judgments of U.S. courts in Belgium are solely governed by the provisions of the PIL Code.

Under the PIL Code, in addition to the possibility of being recognized and enforced, before a Belgian court, a U.S. judgment may also serve as evidence of the factual determination of the U.S. judge provided that (i) it meets the conditions required for the authenticity of judgments according to relevant U.S. laws and (ii) the consequences thereof would not be manifestly contrary to Belgium’s (international) public policy principles.

U.S. judgments ordering to pay a certain amount that are declared enforceable in Belgium are subject to the applicable registration tax in the same way as Belgian judgments. As such, a registration tax at the rate of 3% of the amount awarded is payable by the debtor(s), if the sum of money exceeds €12,500. If multiple debtors were held jointly liable to pay, the debtors are also jointly liable to pay the registration tax.

A stamp duty is payable as of the second certified copy, with a maximum of €1,450.

In light of the above, U.S. investors may not be able to enforce against us or members of our board of directors or certain experts named herein who are residents of the Netherlands or Belgium or countries other than the United States any judgments obtained in U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters, including judgments under the U.S. federal securities laws.laws, against us, members of our management or our Board of Directors or certain experts named herein who are residents of the Netherlands, Belgium or countries other than the U.S. In addition, there is doubt as to whether a Dutch or Belgian court would impose civil liability on us or the members of our management or of our Board of Directors in an original action predicated solely upon the U.S. federal securities laws brought in a court of competent jurisdiction against us, our management or directors.

We areAs a foreign private issuer, and, as a result, we are not subjectexempt from certain rules under U.S. securities laws and are permitted to file less information with the SEC than a U.S. proxycompany.

As a “foreign private issuer” defined in the SEC’s rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public company.

We report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act,regulations, we are exempt from certain provisions of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act) that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their Annual Report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their Annual Report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from the Regulation Fair Disclosure, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of the above, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers. However, wecompanies.

We are subject to Dutch laws and regulations with regard to such matters and intend tomatters. While we furnish quarterly unaudited financial information to the SEC on Form 6-K.6-K, the information we furnish to the SEC is less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers.

As a foreign private issuer, and aswe are permitted by the listing requirements of Nasdaq, we rely onto adopt certain home country governance practices rather than the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with corporate governance listing standards.

We qualify asAs a foreign private issuer. As a result, in accordance with theissuer listed on Nasdaq, we are subject to corporate governance listing requirements of Nasdaq,standards. However, we are permitted to rely on home country governance requirements and certain exemptions thereunder rather than relying on the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq. In accordance with Dutch law and generally accepted business practices, our Articles of Association do not provide quorum requirements generally applicable to General Meetings. To this extent, our practice varies from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(c), which requires an issuer to provide in its bylaws for a generally applicable quorum, and that such quorum may not be less than one-third of the outstanding voting stock. Although we must provide shareholders with an agenda and other relevant documents for the General Meeting, Dutch law does not have a regulatory regime for the solicitation of proxies and the solicitation of proxies is not a generally accepted business practice in the Netherlands, thus our practice will vary from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(b). In addition, we have opted out of certain

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Dutch shareholder approval requirements for the issuance of securities in connection with certain events such as the acquisition of stock or assets of another company, the establishment of or amendments to equity-based compensation plans for employees, a change of control of us and certain private placements. To this extent, our practice varies from the requirements of Nasdaq Rule 5635, which generally requires an issuer to obtain shareholder approval for the issuance of securities in connection with such events. For an overviewthereunder. Certain of our corporate governance principles, see “Item 16G.—Corporate Governance.” Accordingly, youpractices may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these Nasdaq requirements.differ significantly from other corporate governance listing standards.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status which would then require us to comply with the Exchange Act’s domestic reporting regime and cause us to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses.

We are a foreign private issuer, and therefore we are not required to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. We may no longer be a foreign private issuer as of June 30, 2022 (the end of our second fiscal quarter), which would require us to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers as of January 1, 2023 and would also trigger a 10-K filing for the year ended December 31, 2022. In order to maintain our current status as a foreign private issuer, either (a) a majority of our ordinary shares must be either directly or indirectly owned of record by non-residents of the United StatesU.S. or (b)(i) a majority of our executive officers or directors may not be U.S. citizens or residents, (ii) more than 50% of our assets cannot be located in the United StatesU.S. and (iii) our business must be administered principally outside the United States.U.S. As of March 16, 2022,February 1, 2024, we believe at least 50% of our outstanding ordinary shares were held by U.S. residents (assuming that all our ordinary shares represented by ADSs were held by residents of the United States)U.S.). If we lose this status, we would be required to comply with the Exchange Act reporting and other requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, which are more detailed and extensive than the requirements for foreign private issuers. We may also be required to make changes in our corporate governance practices in accordance with various SEC and Nasdaq rules.

The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws if we are required to comply with the reporting requirements applicable toas a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher than the costthose we would incur as a foreign private issuer. As a result, we expect that a loss of foreign private issuer status would increase our legal and financial compliance costs and would make some activities highly time consuming and costly. We also expect that if we were required to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, it would make it more difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain

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coverage. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our boardBoard of directors.Directors.

If we failwere to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, shareholders could lose confidence in our financial and other public reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of the ADSs.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404, or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of the ADSs.

Our management is required to assess the effectiveness of our internal controls and procedures annually and is required to issue an Annual Report on internal control over financial reporting, and our independent registered public accounting firm is required to undertake an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, which could detect problems that our management's assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the

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expense of remediation. The rules governing the standards that must be met for our management to assess our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are complex and require significant documentation, testing and possible remediation. These stringent standards require that our audit and compliance committee be advised and regularly updated on management’s review of internal control over financial reporting in connection with issuing our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 applicable to us in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of the ADSs or ordinary shares could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources. Furthermore, investor perceptions of our company may suffer if deficiencies are found, and this could cause a decline in the market price of the ADSs or ordinary shares. Irrespective of compliance with Section 404, any failure of our internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our stated operating results and harm our reputation. If we are unable to implement these requirements effectively or efficiently, it could harm our operations, financial reporting, or financial results and could result in an adverse opinion on our internal control over financial reporting from our independent registered public accounting firm.

If securities or industry analysts cease coverage of us, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of the ADSs or ordinary shares and our trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs and ordinary shares depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If no or too few securities or industry analysts cover us, the trading price for the ADSs and ordinary shares would likely be negatively affected. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade the ADSs or ordinary shares or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of the ADSs or ordinary shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for the ADSs or ordinary shares could decrease, which might cause the price of the ADSs or ordinary shares and trading volume to decline.

We believe that we were not classified as a passive foreign investment company or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, this could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to certain U.S. holders.

If our Company is classified as a passive foreign investment company (PFIC)for the 2021any taxable year, and do not anticipate beingU.S. investors may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences described below under “Taxation –U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations – Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.” Our Company will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the 2022any taxable year but this conclusion isin which, taking into account a factual determination that is made annuallypro rata portion of the income and thus is subject to change. If we were to be classified as a PFIC, this could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to certain U.S. holders.

Generally, if, for any taxable year,assets of 25% or more owned subsidiaries, either (i) at least 75% of ourits gross income is passive income,consists of “passive income” or (ii) at least 50% of the average quarterly value of ourits assets is attributable to assets that produce, passive income or are held for the production of, passive income, including cash, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company (PFIC), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of these tests, passive income includes dividends, interest,income.

Based on our historic and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. Our status as a PFIC depends onanticipated operations, the composition of our income and the projected composition and valueestimated fair market values of our assets, (for which purpose the total value of our assets may be determined in part by the market value of our ordinary shares and the ADSs, which are subject to change) from time to time. If we are characterized as a PFIC, U.S. holders of ADSs may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of ADSs treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gain, the loss of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received on ADSs by individuals who are U.S. holders, and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and the proceeds of sales of ADSs. See “Item 10.E—Taxation—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

We do not believe that we were a PFIC for our most recent taxable year and do not expect to be classified as a PFIC for the 2021current taxable year and, based uponor for the expected value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the expected composition of our income and assets, we do not anticipate being classified as a PFIC with respect to the 2022 taxable year.foreseeable future. However, our status as a PFIC is

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a fact-intensivefactual determination made on an annual basis, and we cannot provide any assurances regarding our PFIC status for the current prior or future taxable years.

ITEM 4.      INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A.HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMPANY

Our legal and commercial name is argenx SE. We were incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands on April 25, 2008, as a private company with limited liability (besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid). From incorporation until August 28, 2009, our research and development activities were initially performed in the Netherlands, then Belgium, by argenx N.V. and its legal predecessors. Since August 28, 2009, all our research and development activities have been performed by our wholly ownedwholly-owned subsidiary, argenx BV, under a license provided by argenx N.V. Throughout this time, argenx BV assigned all resulting intellectual property to argenx N.V. On May 28, 2014, we converted to a Dutch public company with limited liability (naamloze vennootschap). On April 26, 2017, we converted to a Dutch European public company with limited liability (Societas(Societas Europaea or SE)SE). On May 5, 2017, we transferred the legal ownership of all intellectual property rights of argenx SE to argenx BV, effective retroactively as of January 1, 2017. As a result, since January 1, 2017, (i) argenx BV holds all legal and economic ownership of our intellectual property rights, and (ii) the research and development agreement between argenx SE and argenx BV has been terminated.

Our official seat is in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and our registered office is at Willemstraat 5, 4811 AH, Breda,Laarderhoogtweg 25, 1101 EB Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We are registered with the trade register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under number 24435214. Our European legal entity identifier number is 7245009C5FZE6G9ODQ71. Our telephone number is +31 (0) 10 70 38 441. Our website address is www.argenx.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, ourThis website is not a part of, and shall not be included elsewhere into,incorporated by reference in this Annual Report. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov. The registered agent for service of process in the United StatesU.S. is CT Corporation System, with an address at 111 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10011.

Our actualFor information on our capital expendituresexpenditure for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, 2020please see “Note 4Property, plant and 2019 amountedequipment and Note 5Intangible assets in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to $121.4 million, $5.1 million and $46.7 million respectively. These capital expenditures primarily consisted of Priority Review Voucher (“PRV”) whichour annual report on Form 20-F for the Company can use to obtain the priority review by the FDA for one of its future regulatory submissions or may sell or transfer to a third party, acquired In-Process R&D, office and laboratory equipment and information technology equipment. We expect our capital expenditures to increase in absolute terms in the near term as we continue to advance our research and development programs and grow our operations, including in connection with the commercialization of VYVGART™.period ended December 31, 2023. We anticipate our capital expenditure in 20222024 to be financed from the cash flows from operating activities and cash reserves. For more information on our capital expenditures and requirements, see the section of this Annual Report titled “ItemItem 5.B.Liquidity and Capital Resources—ResourcesCash Flows—FlowsOperating and Capital Expenditure Requirements.”

No takeover bid has been instigated by third parties in respect of our equity during the current or previous fiscal years.

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B.             BUSINESS OVERVIEW

B.

BUSINESS OVERVIEW

We are a commercial-stage, global, fully-integrated biotechnologybiopharma company developing a deep pipeline of differentiated therapies for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. By combining our suite of antibody engineering technologies with the disease biology expertise of our research collaborators, we aim to translate immunology breakthroughs into a pipeline of novel antibody-based medicines through our discovery engine, the Immunology Innovation ProgramIIP. We developed and are commercializing the first approved FcRn blocker in the U.S., Japan, Israel, the EU, Mainland China and Canada. We are evaluating efgartigimod in multiple serious autoimmune diseases and advancing several earlier stage experimental medicines.

For additional information regarding our Company’s principal markets and revenue breakdown, see Item 5.A. “Operating Results and Note 15—Product net sales in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

2023 In Brief

Operational Highlights

At the start of 2023, we shared our key drivers for the year to continue our trajectory of value creation. First, we aimed to reach more patients globally with VYVGART, our first-in-class FcRn blocker. VYVGART and VYVGART SCare now approved in more than 30 countries or regions and by the end of 2023, we had treated over 6,000 gMG patients globally with our innovations.

gMG is just the beginning of our mission to transform autoimmunity. Our second key driver was to pioneer the FcRn class of medicines, including broadening the scope of indications we are evaluating with efgartigimod. As of the end of 2023, efgartigimod is approved or under regulatory review in three indications, including gMG, CIDPand ITP, and is being evaluated in more than 10 additional serious autoimmune indications. We are well on our way to achieve our ‘argenx 2025’ vision of efgartigimod being commercially available or in clinical development in 15 indications by 2025.

Third, we worked to advance our pipeline of differentiated immunology assets. Beyond efgartigimod, our wholly-owned clinical pipeline consists of empasiprubart (ARGX-117) targeting complement component 2 (IIPC2) and ARGX-119 targeting muscle-specific kinase (MuSK). We believe both have potential as a particular focus on neuromuscular, hematology, dermatologynovel treatment modality in multiple serious indications.

The fourth key driver was to build out our innovation ecosystem, serving our core mission to sustainably deliver immunology innovations to the patients who need them. We continue to invest in our IIPfrom which we drive pipeline expansion by collaborating with leading disease biologists who are researching first-in-class disease targets or pathways. Our IIP has a track record of success and nephrology indicationsnine programs have been tested in humans since our inception.

Reach More Patients Globally with VYVGART

VYVGART is now approved in the U.S., Japan, Europe, the UK, Israel, Mainland China and Canada for the treatment of gMG. VYVGART SC is now approved in the U.S., Europe, the UK and Japan for the treatment of gMG. This makes VYVGART the only gMG treatment available as both an IV and a simple SC injection, providing choice to patients in how and where they are treated. In 2023, we generated product net sales of $1.2 billion
Pricing and reimbursement discussions for VYVGART and VYVGART SC remain ongoing in multiple jurisdictions, including in several countries in the EU
We filed for approval of VYVGART for ITP in Japan and a decision is expected in the first quarter of 2024

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A supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for SC efgartigimod for CIDP has been accepted for priority review by the FDA, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target date of June 21, 2024
We have filed for approval of VYVGART SC in Mainland China and we expect a decision on approval by the end of 2024 through our partnership with Zai Lab
We entered into a VYVGART commercial and distribution agreement with Handok in South Korea (the Handok Agreement)
We filed for approval of VYVGART for gMG in several jurisdictions and we are expecting multiple decisions by the end of 2024

Advance Extensive Pipeline

We continue to demonstrate breadth and depth within our growing commercial franchises. Throughimmunology pipeline and have advanced multiple pipeline-in-a-product candidates. With efgartigimod, we are furthering our leadership in FcRn and we expect to be approved or in development in 15 autoimmune indications by 2025. Beyond efgartigimod, we are advancing earlier stage pipeline programs, including empasiprubart (C2 inhibitor) with Phase 2 proof-of-concept (POC) clinical trials ongoing in multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), delayed graft function (DGF) and dermatomyositis (DM). In addition, we expect to initiate Phase 1b/2a clinical trials of ARGX-119, a MuSK agonist, in congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2024.

Pioneer the buildingFcRn Pathway with Efgartigimod

Neurology indications:
ADHERE: following the positive topline results from the ADHERE clinical trial in CIDP, an sBLA for SC efgartigimod was submitted on December 21, 2023 and is under review by the FDA with a PDUFA date of June 21, 2024
oClinical trial met primary endpoint (p=0.000039); SC efgartigimod demonstrated 61% reduction (HR: 0.39 95% CI: 0.25; 0.61) in risk of relapse versus placebo
ALKIVIA: operationally seamless Phase 2/3 clinical trial is ongoing with SC efgartigimod for three subtypes of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (Myositis), including immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS) and DM; analysis planned for first 30 patients of each subtype
Registrational clinical trial in thyroid eye disease (TED) expected to start in first quarter of 2024
Hematology/rheumatology indications:
ADVANCE-IV: positive clinical trial results formed basis of filing in Japan for ITP; topline results published in The Lancet in September 2023
ADVANCE-SC: topline data from SC efgartigimod in ITP announced on November 28, 2023
oPrimary endpoint was not met (p=0.5081); 13.7% (17/124) of treated patients demonstrated sustained platelet count response compared to 16.2% (11/68) of placebo patients. Secondary endpoints were also not met
RHO: Phase 2 POC clinical trial in primary Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is ongoing through our partnership with IQVIA Ltd (IQVIA)

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ALPHA: Phase 2 POC clinical trial in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome post-COVID-19 (PC-POTS) ongoing through our partnership with IQVIA
Dermatology indications:
ADDRESS: announced topline data of SC efgartigimod in PV and PF on December 20, 2023
oPrimary endpoint was not met; proportion of PV patients achieving primary endpoint of CRmin was not significantly different between SC efgartigimod and placebo
oTreatment with SC efgartigimod led to CRmin in 35.5% of patients compared to 30.3% with placebo (p=0.5956). Secondary endpoints were also not met
BALLAD: in light of ADDRESS results and the comparable biology between PV and bullous pemphigoid (BP), we decided to stop enrollment of BALLAD. We will integrate key learnings from ADDRESS and data from already enrolled patients in BALLAD and we plan to communicate on a revised development plan before end of 2024
Nephrology indications:
MembranousNephrology (MN): Phase 2 POC clinical trial ongoing through our partnership with Zai Lab
Lupus Nephritis (LN): Phase 2 POC clinical trial ongoing through our partnership with Zai Lab
Antibody-mediatedrejection (AMR): IND submission planned for the second quarter of 2024

Broaden Immunology Pipeline with Empasiprubart and useARGX-119

Empasiprubart (C2 inhibitor):
ARDA: Phase 2 POC clinical trial ongoing of empasiprubart in MMN
oIn January 2024, we reported positive clinical data from the first cohort of the Phase 2 POC ARDA clinical trial establishing POC in MMN. Empasiprubart demonstrated a 91% reduction in the need for IV immunoglobulin (Ig,in IV formulation,IVIg) rescue compared to placebo [HR: 0.09 95% CI (0.02; 0.044)]. Safety profile was consistent with Phase 1 data
Phase 2 POC clinical trials ongoing in DGF and DM
ARGX-119 (MuSK agonist):
Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial in healthy volunteers ongoing; Phase 1b/2a clinical trials expected to start in 2024 to assess early signal detection in patients with CMS and ALS, respectively

Build out Innovation Ecosystem

In January 2024, we announced the nomination of four new pipeline candidates, including: ARGX-213 targeting FcRn and furthering argenx’s leadership in this new class of medicine; ARGX-121 and ARGX-220, which are first-in-class targets broadening argenx’s focus across the immune system; and ARGX-109, targeting IL-6, which plays an important role in inflammation. Preclinical work is ongoing in each candidate.

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Table of commercial franchises, we plan to leverage capabilities and an organizational footprint for subsequent potential launches across our broad immunology pipeline. On December 17, 2021, the FDA approved efgartigimod, which is being marketed as VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa-fcab), for the treatment of gMG in adult patients who are acetylcholine receptor (AChRContents) antibody positive. On January 20, 2022, the Japan PMDA approved VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa) for the treatment of adult patients with gMG who do not have sufficient response to steroids or

We entered into a collaboration with Genmab to jointly discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutic antibodies with applications in immunology, as well as in oncology therapeutic areas.

48Corporate Achievements

Mr. Steve Krognes joined our Board of Directors in February 2023 as a non-executive director and chairperson of the audit and compliance committee
Mr. J. Donald deBethizy, who has served as a director since May 2015, was appointed to serve as vice-chairman of the Board of Directors as of February 2023
Karen Massey joined argenx as chief operating officer (COO) in March 2023 succeeding Keith Woods. Mr. Woods transitioned to serve as strategic advisor to the commercialization committee of the Board of Directors
Expansion to 1,148 full-time employees (as of December 31, 2023) to support further growth of our business, including fully staffed commercial teams in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada

2023 Financial Highlights

Product net sales of $1.2 billion
Cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets of $3.2 billion enabling execution of our ambitious strategy objective
Operating loss $425 million
Loss $295 million
$1.3 billion raised in gross proceeds in global offering of 2,581,633 ordinary shares (including ordinary shares represented by ADSs, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase 336,734 additional ADSs

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non-steroidal immunosuppressive therapies (ISTs2024 Outlook). With these regulatory milestones, VYVGART™

Graphic

The table above is subject to risks and uncertainties that may materially impact the first-and-onlyachievement of our 2024 outlook. For more information, please refer to Item 3.D. “Risk Factors of this Annual Report for a discussion of such risks and uncertainties.

Our Medicines

VYVGART is a first-in-class antibody fragment targeting FcRn and is now approved neonatal FcRn blockerfor gMG in more than 30 countries globally for the treatment of gMG.

VYVGART SC is now approved in the U.SU.S., the EU, the UK, and Japan.in Japan for the treatment of gMG. This makes VYVGART the only gMG treatment available as both an IV and simple SC injection.

Immunology Innovation ProgramOur Pipeline

Efgartigimod is a human IgG1 antibody region interacting with cell surface Fc receptors (Fc) fragment that is designed to target the FcRn and reduce immunoglobulin G (IgG). It is approved or under regulatory review in 3 indications, including gMG, CIDP and ITP, and is being evaluated in more than 10 additional serious autoimmune indications
Empasiprubart (C2 inhibitor): empasiprubart is a novel complement inhibitor targeting C2, blocking the function of both the classical and lectin pathways while leaving the alternative pathway intact. We believe empasiprubart has the potential to be a pipeline-in-a-product candidate and is being evaluated in 3 serious autoimmune diseases
ARGX-119 (MusK agonist): ARGX-119 is an agonist SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ to the MuSK receptor with potential in multiple neuromuscular indications. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 dose escalation clinical trial in healthy volunteers
Preclinical Candidates: Preclinical work is ongoing for each of the following candidates:
oARGX-213, targets FcRn, furthering argenx’s leadership in this new class of medicine

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oARGX-121 and ARGX-220 are first-in-class targets broadening argenx’s focus across the immune system
oARGX-109, targets IL-6, which plays an important role in inflammation
In addition to our wholly-owned pipeline, we have candidates that emerged from our IIP that we out-licensed to a partner for further development and for which we have milestone, royalty or profit-share agreements. These candidates include, amongst others: cusatuzumab (anti-CD70 antibody – Oncoverity), ARGX-112 (LP-0145 – anti-IL-22R antibody – LEO Pharma), ARGX-114 (AGMAB-101 – agonistic anti-MET antibody – Agomab) and ARGX-115 (ABBV-151 – anti-GARP antibody – AbbVie).

IIP

Our IIP is acentral to our core business strategy of co-creation and innovation. The IIP also serves as our discovery engine to identify novel targets and together, in collaboration with our scientific and academic partners, to build potential new pipeline candidates. Every current pipeline candidate from both our wholly-owned and partnered pipeline emerged from an IIP collaboration. As partThe IIP enables us to build our broad pipeline of products and product candidates and advance our long-term strategy we have committed to continued investment in the IIP. As at the date of this Annual Report, we have executed on our commitment and aim to continue to bring forth at least one new asset per year from the IIP.be a sustainable, integrated immunology company.

Examples of key collaborations with scientific and academic partners:our IIP programs include:

Efgartigimod emerged from a collaboration with Professor Sally Ward and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern that) and later became one of the blueprints for our IIP.IIP collaborations. Professor Ward’s research identified the crucial role that FcRn plays in maintaining and distributing IgGs throughout the body, in 2013.body. Efgartigimod is a human IgG1 Fc fragment that is equipped with ABDEGTMABDEG™ mutations, which we in-licensed from UT Southwestern. These proprietary mutations modified efgartigimod to increase its affinity for FcRn while retaining the pH-dependent binding that is characteristic of FcRn interactions with its natural ligand, endogenous IgG.
ARGX-117Empasiprubart was built in collaboration with Broteio Pharma B.V. (Broteio) which. Broteio was launched in 2017 with support from Professor Erik Hack and the University of Utrecht, to conduct research to demonstratedemonstrating preclinical proof-of-conceptPOC of the mechanism of ARGX-117.action of empasiprubart. Professor Hack has doneis a renowned researchresearcher in the role of inflammation in disease, specifically in the complement system, and has contributed research and expertise to the approval of two2 complement inhibitors. His understanding of the mild phenotype associated with a natural C2 deficiency and C2’s unique positioning at the junction of the classical and lectin pathways led to our interest in engineering ARGX-117, which is equippedempasiprubart, with our proprietary NHANCE™ mutations and LALA mutations.
ARGX-119 was built in collaboration with the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and New York University (NYU) with support from teams led by Professor Verschuuren and Professor Steve Burden, respectively. Both groups have world-class expertise in unraveling the biological mechanism of neuromuscular disease and translating these insights from the lab to the patient.

Our Suite of Technologies

Through our IIP, we collaborate with scientific and academic partners to identify immunology breakthroughs and build potential pipeline candidates. This is done through co-creation where we bring to the collaboration our unique suite of antibody engineering technologies and experience in clinical development and our partners bring a wealth of disease and target biology expertise.

Through our IIP, we collaborate with scientific and academic partners to identify immunology breakthroughs and build potential pipeline candidates. This is done through co-creation. We bring to the collaboration our unique suite of antibody engineering technologies and experience in clinical development to complement our partners’ expertise in disease and target biology.
SIMPLE AntibodyANTIBODY™ TM platform:platform technology: Our proprietary SIMPLE AntibodyTMANTIBODY™ platform technology, based on the powerful llama immune system, allows us to exploit novel and complex disease biology targets. The platform sources antibody variable regions (V-regions) from the immune system of outbred llamas, each of which has a different genetic background. The llama produces highly diverse panels of antibodies with a high

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human homology, or similarity, in their V-regions when immunized with targets of human disease. Our SIMPLE AntibodyTMANTIBODY™ platform technology allows us to access and explore a broad target universe while potentially minimizing the long timelines associated with generating antibody candidates using traditional methods.
NHance®NHANCE™, ABDEGTMABDEG™, POTELLIGENT®, and dehydrated hereditary stomatocytosis(DHS) mutations focus on engineering the Fc region of antibodies in order to augment their intrinsic therapeutic properties. In addition, we obtained a non-exclusive research license and option from Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Chugai) for the SMART-Ig®SMART-Ig® (‘Recycling Antibody’ and part of ‘Sweeping Antibody’) and ACT-Ig®ACT-Ig® (Antibody half-life extending) technologies. These technologies are designed to enable us to expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates, which is the ratio between toxic and therapeutic dose, by potentially modifying their half-life, tissue penetration, rate of disease target clearance and potency. In 2020, we also entered into a non-exclusive research agreement with the Clayton Foundation under which we may access the Clayton Foundation’s proprietary DHS mutations to extend the serum half-life of therapeutic antibodies.
Halozyme Inc.’s (Halozyme’sHalozymeENHANZE) ENHANZE® ®SC drug delivery technology: we have exclusive access to ENHANZE®ENHANZE® for the FcRn, and C2 targets and four additional targets.target nominations. The global collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (Halozyme)was announced in February 2019 and extendedexpanded in October 2020.

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The ENHANZE® ENHANZE®technology has the potential to shorten drug administration time, reduce healthcare practitioner time and offer additional flexibility and convenience for patients.

Recent Developments

On February 21, 2022, Russia announced that it proposed to recognise the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic as independent republics and on February 24, 2022, Russia further announced the commencement of what it described as a “special military operation” in Ukraine. Since such announcement, Russian forces have entered Ukraine and, as at the date of this Annual Report, there is an ongoing military conflict in Ukraine. In connection with these events, new sanctions have been imposed by the U.S. and European Union, as well as many other countries around the world, on certain Russian companies and Russian individuals, with the nature and extent of these sanctions evolving on an ongoing basis.

This ongoing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine has a direct, limited impact on our operations, given that we are conducting clinical trials in a large number of jurisdictions, including Russia and Ukraine. Due to the conflict, we are in some cases unable to ship samples from research sites to our third party central laboratory for analysis, recruited patients may no longer be able to participate in our clinical trials, and difficulties with recruiting patients in Russia and Ukraine might have an indirect limited impact on our business actives as we seek alternative recruitment options. Study data collected at Russian or Ukrainian sites may not be fit for submission due to incompleteness or due to practical limitations on auditability of the data. At this time we do not expect a material negative impact on our operations as a result of the crisis, but we do expect timing of topline data for the ADDRESS trial of SC efgartigimod for PF and PV may be delayed, although we currently cannot assess if this is the case and how significant such delay could be. We continue to assess the developments on a daily basis.

We do not generate revenues in Russia or the Ukraine and we do not expect the conflict as known to us at the date of this Annual Report to have a material impact on our future sales. Our supply chains have been directly affected in some cases, where we are unable to ship study drug to clinical sites, but as we are not supplying from Russia or the Ukraine but only to these countries for ongoing development activities, we expect the impact will be limited to ongoing clinical studies in these countries. In addition, we expect an overall increase in prices caused by the conflict and global inflation.

Our economic performance is, at the date of this Annual Report, not directly impacted by the conflict. We currently expect the additional costs for any delays and the opening of additional trial sites to be relatively limited and not material to our overall financial performance.

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In April 2021, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Elektrofi, Inc. (Elektrofi) to explore Elektrofi’s high concentration technology for efgartigimod, and up to one additional target (Elektrofi Agreement).

Our Products and Product Candidates

The following table summarizes key information on our portfolio of lead product and product candidates as of the date of this Annual Report.

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Our Programs

Chart

Description automatically generated with medium confidenceVYVGART

Approval in gMG

Our programs

VYVGART™

Approval

On December 17, 2021, the FDAtwo approved VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa-fcab)medicines for gMG are VYVGART and VYVGART SC. VYVGART is a FcRn blocker approved for the treatment of adults with gMG in adult patients who are AChR antibody positive. These patients represent approximately 85% ofAChR-AB+ in the total gMG population (Behin et al. New PathwaysU.S., the EU, Israel, the UK, Mainland China and Therapeutics Targets in Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis. J Neuromusc Dis 5. 2018. 265-277). On January 20, 2022, Japan’s PMDA approved VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa)Canada and for the treatment of adult patientsadults with gMG who do not have sufficient response to steroids or non-steroidal ISTs. With these regulatory milestones, VYVGART™immunosuppressive therapies (ISTs), including seronegative patients, in Japan. Our second product, VYVGART SC, is a subcutaneous combination of efgartigimod alfa and rHuPH20, Halozyme’s ENHANZE® SC drug delivery technology. It has been approved for the first-and-only approved neonatal FcRn blockertreatment of adults with gMG who are AChR-AB+ as VYVGART HYTRULO in the U.S. and Japan.VYVGART SC in the EU and the UK. It has also been approved as VYVDURA in Japan for the treatment of adults with gMG who do not have sufficient response to steroids or non-steroidal ISTs, including seronegative patients.

gMG is a rare and chronic neuromuscularautoimmune disease, characterized byoften causing debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle weakness. VYVGART™A key driver of gMG is the action of AChR autoantibodies at the neuromuscular junction. VYVGART, a human IgG1 antibody fragment that binds to FcRn, resulting in the reduction ofacts by reducing circulating IgG antibodies. The action of AChR autoantibodies at the neuromuscular junction is a key driver of gMG (Howard JF Jr, Utsugisawa K, Benatar M, et al. Safety and efficacy of efficacy of eculizumab in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive refractory generalised myasthenia gravis (REGAIN): a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study. Lancet Neurol. 2017; 16: 976-86).

The approval of VYVGART™VYVGART is based on results from the global Phase 3 ADAPT clinical trial, which were published in the July 2021 issue of The Lancet Neurology.

Input from the gMG community was integrated into the ADAPT trial design. Through listening toNeurology (source: Howard JF Jr et al., Safety, efficacy, and learning from the gMG patient community, we understood that every gMG patient experiences the course of

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disease differently. As a result, we designed a trial to reflect the individualized nature of gMG with a dosing approach that would be adapted to each patient’s individual response.

The Phase 3 ADAPT trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, global trial evaluating the safety and efficacytolerability of efgartigimod in patients with gMG. A total of 167 adult patients with gMG in North America, Europe and Japan enrolled in the trial and were treated. Patients were eligible to enroll in ADAPT regardless of antibody status, including patients with AChR antibodies (AChR-Ab+) and patients where AChR antibodies were not detected. Patients were randomized ingeneralised myasthenia gravis (ADAPT): a 1:1 ratio to receive efgartigimod or placebo for a total of 26 weeks. ADAPT was designed to enable an individualized treatment approach with an initial treatment cycle followed by a variable number of subsequent treatment cycles.multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled, Phase 3 trial. Lancet Neurology. 2021; 20: 526-36).

The ADAPT clinical trial met its primary endpoint, demonstrating thatdemonstrated significantly more anti-AChR antibody positiveAChR-AB+ gMG patients were responders on the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL scale) score following treatment with VYVGART™efgartigimod compared with placebo (68%(67.7% vs. 30%29.7%; p<0.0001). Responders were defined as having at least a two-point reduction on the MG-ADL scaleimprovement sustained for four or more consecutive weeks during the first treatment cycle.

Additionally, there were significantly more responders on the quantitative myasthenia gravis (QMG) scale following treatment with VYVGART™ compared with placebo (63% vs. 14%; p<0.0001). Responders were defined as having at least a three-point reduction on the QMG scale sustained for four or more consecutive weeks during the first treatment cycle.

As shown in figure 1, minimal symptom expression (MSE) is an increasingly important data point for physicians and patients because it is a measure of symptom-free status. In ADAPT,MG-ADL score. Additionally, 40% of patients achieved MSE – or an MG-ADL score of 0 or 1 - at any time during cycle one. The right side shows depth of response. Over half of patients treated with efgartigimod experienced anachieved minimal symptom expression defined as MG-ADL scores of zero (symptom free) or one, compared to 11.1% of patients who received placebo. Among AChR-AB+ responders, 84.1% showed clinically meaningful improvement of five points or more on the MG-ADL scale by week four.

Graphic

Figure 1: Percentage of patients with MG-ADL and QMG total score change four weeks after initial infusion ofwithin the first cycletwo weeks of treatment. The safety profile of efgartigimod was comparable to placebo.

The approvals of VYVGART SC are based on positive results from the global Phase 3 ADAPT-SC bridging clinical trial.

The ADAPT-SC clinical trial established the efficacy of VYVGART SC by demonstrating a reduction in AChR-Ab positive population.anti-AChR antibody levels comparable to VYVGART IV in adult gMG patients. The primary endpoint of noninferiority was met (p< 0.0001) and VYVGART SC demonstrated mean total IgG reduction of 66.4% from baseline at day 29, compared to 62.2% with VYVGART. Additional key secondary endpoints were met, which were consistent with efficacy measures from the ADAPT clinical trial identifying the correlation between total IgG reduction and clinical benefit in gMG. VYVGART SC has a demonstrated safety profile, consistent with the ADAPT IV clinical trial. As commonly observed with biologics administered subcutaneously, VYVGART SC showed injection site reactions. Such injection site reactions (ISRs) were mild to moderate and did not lead to treatment discontinuation.

Commercialization and Regulatory Plans

VYVGART has been approved in the U.S., Japan, Europe, Mainland China, Canada, the UK and Israel for the treatment of gMG. VYVGART launched in the U.S., Japan, Mainland China, Canada and some countries in Europe.

In Mainland China, VYVGART was added to the National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) in January 2024.

VYVGART SC has been approved in the U.S., in Europe, the UK and in Japan. VYVGART SC launched in the U.S. and in Germany.

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Graphic

Figure 2: Mean changeLaunches of both VYVGART and VYVGART SC in total MG-ADL from cycle 1 baseline over time in AChR-Ab positive population.

VYVGART™ had a demonstrated safety profile in the ADAPT clinical trial. The most common adverse events in ADAPT were respiratory tract infection (33% vs 29% placebo), headache (32% vs 29% placebo),multiple jurisdictions and urinary tract infection (10% vs. 5% placebo).

There is a pre-approval access program (PAA) for gMG patients that remains open in the EU, the United Kingdom, Hong Kongcountries are planned following pricing and Canada for eligible patients.reimbursement negotiations.

Commercialization and Regulatory Plans

The U.S. commercial launch for VYVGART™ is ongoing following the December 17, 2021 FDA approval. The Japan commercial launch of VYVGART™ is intended to start after the National Health Insurance (NHI) drug price listing, expected approximately 90 days after the approval on January 20, 2022. We have established our own sales force in the U.S., Japan, Europe, Canada and Japanthe UK for VYVGART™VYVGART for the treatment of gMG. We plan to expand our own sales and marketing capabilities and promote our products and product candidates in other regions if and whenwe decide there is a business case to do so after regulatory approval has been obtained in the relevant jurisdictions. An MAA for efgartigimod for the treatment of gMG is currently under review with the EMA with an anticipated decision in the second half of 2022. argenx Canada was established in first quarter of 2022 in preparation for a potential Health Canada approval request and if granted commercial launch in Canada.obtained.

Development and commercialization may also be done through collaborations with third parties. In January 2021, we entered into an exclusive licenseout-license agreement with Zai Lab (Zai Lab Agreement), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, for the development and commercialization of efgartigimod in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. We expectGreater China. Zai Lab to be able to fileannounced approval of VYVGART in Mainland China in June 2023 for approval in Greater China by mid-2022.the treatment of adult gMG patients. Under the terms of the strategic agreement with Zai Lab Agreement, we received a

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$75 million upfront payment in the form of 568,182 newly issued Zai Lab shares calculated at a price of $132 per share and a $75 million guaranteed development cost sharing payment and are entitledcontinue to a $25 million milestone payment in connection with FDA approval of VYVGART™. We will also be eligible for tieredcertain milestone payments and royalties based on annual net sales of efgartigimod in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Greater China.

In October 2021, we announced an exclusive distribution agreement with Medison to commercialize efgartigimod for gMG in Israel. Israel (Medison will also be responsibleAgreement). Medison filed for seeking requisite regulatory approvals, and we expect Medison to be able to fileobtained approval for approvalVYVGART in Israel in April 2023. On June 6, 2022 we announced an exclusive multi-regional agreement with Medison to commercialize efgartigimod in 14 countries, including Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, and Cyprus, for the second quartertreatment of 2022. adult patients with gMG (Medison Multi-Regional Agreement).

In January 2022, we entered into a partnership agreement with Genpharm, under which Genpharm shall purchase VYVGART from us for the resale in the GCC on an exclusive basis for Genpharm’s own account and own name (Genpharm Agreement).

In 2023, we entered into the Handok Agreement with Handok for the distribution of VYVGART in South Korea.

We intend to sign additional distribution partnerships for other territories.

For a discussion of total revenues by geographic market, please see Note 18—Segment reporting in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to this Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

Pre-Approval Access Program

We are committed to improving the lives of people suffering from rare diseases. We are driven to discover new treatment approaches in autoimmunity and fueled by the resilience of patients to urgently deliver them. We aim to do this in partnership; we listen to patients, supporters and advocacy communities, and we hear their stories. Their insights guide us as we develop our investigational therapies and motivate us to advance the understanding of rare diseases.

We implemented a pre-approval access program (PAA) on February 21, 2021 through which investigational therapies are made available in certain circumstances to treat gMG patients who are unable to participate in an ongoing clinical trial. In 2023, we approved access to the PAA for over 330 gMG patients in 14 countries. The PAA program remains open in countries where VYVGART is not yet launched or reimbursed.

Efgartigimod (formerly ARGX-113) Development

Mechanism of Action

As shown in figure 2,Figure 1, efgartigimod is a human IgG1 Fc fragment equipped with our ABDEG™ mutations that is designed to target the FcRn and reduce IgG. FcRn is foundational to the immune system and functions to recycle IgG,

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extending its serum half-life over other immunoglobulinsIgs that are not recycled by FcRn. IgGs that bind to FcRn are rescued from lysosomal.lysosomal degradation. By binding to FcRn, efgartigimod can reduce IgG recycling and increase IgG degradation.

Compared to alternative immunosuppressive approaches, such as B-lymphocyte (B-cell), depleting agents, efgartigimod acts in a highly selective manner. At the dateFor efgartigimod, we now have an estimated 4,000 patients years of this Annual Report,safety follow-up between clinical trials and real world experience. Efgartigimod has been evaluated in over 600 subjects and has been observed to significantly reduce concentrations of all IgG subtypes without decreasing levels of other immunoglobulinsIgs or human serum albumin, which is also recycled by FcRn.FcRn, discussed in more detail in Item 4.B. “Business OverviewFormulations below.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled first-in-human study of 62 healthy volunteers, efgartigimod treatment resulted in rapid and specific clearance of serum IgG levels. Single administration of efgartigimod reduced IgG levels up to 50% while multiple dosing further lowered IgGs on average by 75% from baseline. Approximately eight weeks following the last administration, IgG levels returned to baseline. Efgartigimod did not alter homeostatis of albumin or immunoglobulins other than IgG and no serious adverse events related to efgartigimod infusion were observed.Graphic

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Graphic

Figure 2:1: Efgartigimod’s mechanism of action blocks the recycling of IgG antibodies and removes them from circulationcirculation.

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Based on its mechanism of action in targeting FcRn to selectively reducing IgGs, efgartigimod has the potential to address a multitude of severe autoimmune diseases where pathogenic IgGs are believed to be mediators of disease.

AtAs of the dateend of this Annual Report,2023, we are evaluating efgartigimod in sixmore than 10 serious autoimmune indications. We plan to expand efgartigimod into new indications where significant unmet need exists despite the availability of commonly used therapies. These include gMG, CIDP and myositis within our neuromuscular franchise; ITP within our hematology franchise; and PV and PF and BP within our dermatology franchise. In 2022, we announced that we will expand into four additional autoimmuneplan to be in 15 indications including LN and MN within our nephrology franchise and primary SjS and post-COVID-19 mediated POTS.by 2025.

Indication Selection Strategy

In selecting our indications for efgartigimod, weWe utilize the following strategy:strategy to select indications for efgartigimod:

We first start with a strong, unifying biological rational.rationale. The indications in our pipeline are unified in that there exists a wide range of supportive evidence that demonstrates that each is IgG-mediated. This ranges from published literature, clinical trials with currently used therapies such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg,), PLEX, or Rituximab, and other experiments, such as passive transfer models.
We also look at indications where a significant clinical or commercial opportunity exists. These are disease areas where there is a significant unmet need for innovation as patients are often not well-managed by current therapies and their respective side effects. For example, steroids and ISTs are often used to treat a multitude of autoimmune diseases, but for the indications in our pipeline thus far, these have been observed to be lacking in both safety and tolerability.

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Furthermore, for each indication, there is a defined path forward with established precedent for how to run proof-of-conceptPOC and registrational clinical trials with generally accepted clinical and regulatory endpoints.
Finally, as we work towards achieving our ‘argenx 2025’ vision, we select indications where there is a reasonable fit within our growing neuromuscular, hematology, dermatology, and nephrology franchises.commercial activities.

Formulations

Overview

We are developing two formulations of efgartigimod to address the needs of patients, physicians, and payors across indications and geographies, including IV efgartigimod (VYVGART) and the ENHANZE® (licensed from Halozyme) SC formulation.efgartigimod (VYVGART SC).

IV (VYVGART)

We conducted a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamicspharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD), and immunogenicity of single and multiple doses of efgartigimod. In the first part of the clinical trial, 30 subjects were randomized to receive a single dose of efgartigimod or placebo ranging from 0.2 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg. In the second part of the clinical trial, 32 subjects were randomized to receive multiple ascending doses (MADs) of efgartigimod or placebo up to a maximum of 25 mg/kg.

In the multiple ascending doseMAD part of the Phase 1 clinical trial, repeat administration of both 10 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg of efgartigimod every seven days, four doses in total, and 10 mg/kg every four days, six doses in total, was associated with a gradual reduction in levels of all four classes of IgG antibodies by 60% to 85%, with 10 mg/kg dose results shown in figure 3.Figure 2. For all doses in the multiple ascending doseMAD part of the Phase 1 clinical trial, we observed the reduction in circulating IgG antibody levels to persist for more than four weeks after the last dose with levels below 50% at approximately three weeks and did not return to baseline levels for more than one month. PharmacokineticPK analysis of serum baseline levels of efgartigimod indicates that it has a half-life of approximately three to four days with no drug accumulation following subsequent weekly dosing. The prolonged activity on the levels of IgG antibodies is consistent with the mechanism of action of efgartigimod and the effect of our proprietary ABDEG™ technology (detailed in section 1.8.2 “Platform Technologies”Item 4.B. “Business OverviewIntellectual PropertyPlatform Technologies) on increasing the intracellular recycling of efgartigimod. In both the single and multiple ascending dose portions, no significant reductions in IgM, IgA or serum albumin were observed.

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Graphical user interface

Description automatically generated with low confidenceboth the single and MAD portions, no significant reductions in immunoglobulin M (IgM), immunoglobulin A (IgA) or serum albumin were observed.

Graphic

Figure 3:2: Reduction in the levels of four IgG antibody classes and total IgG levels in the multiple ascending doseMAD part of our Phase 1 clinical trial of efgartigimod in healthy volunteers at a dose of 10 mg/kg every seven days.

SC (VYVGART SC) - Partnership with Halozyme

In 2020, we and Halozyme expanded the existing global collaboration and license agreement that was signed in February 2019. Under the expansion, we gained the ability to access Halozyme’s ENHANZE® drug delivery technology for three additional exclusive targets upon nomination bringing the total to six potential targets under the collaboration. To date, two targets have been nominated including the human neonatal Fc receptor FcRn and complement component C2.

In July 2019, we evaluated a first generation of SC formulation of efgartigimod that incorporates Halozyme’s ENHANZE®ENHANZE® SC drug delivery technology in a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers, which demonstrated retained pharmacodynamic (PD) profile of IV-formulatedIV efgartigimod.

ENHANZE®ENHANZE® has demonstrated across multiple FDA-approved products the ability to remove traditional limitations on the volume of biologics that can be delivered subcutaneously, potentially shortening drug administration time, reducing healthcare practitioner time, and offering additional flexibility and convenience for patients.

In 2020, we expanded the existing global collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme. Under the expansion, we gained the ability to access Halozyme’s ENHANZE® SC drug delivery technology for three additional exclusive targets upon nomination bringing the total to six potential targets under the collaboration. To date, two targets have been nominated including FcRn and C2.

In March 2022, we announced our Phase 3 ADAPT-SC clinical trial evaluating SC efgartigimod achieved the primary endpoint of total IgG reduction from baseline at day 29, demonstrating statistical non-inferiority to VYVGART IV formulation in gMG patients. Based on these results, we received approval of VYVGART SC for the treatment of adult patients with gMG in the U.S., the EU, the UK and Japan.

Currently, we are developing a pre-filled syringe presentation for the same SC formulation using the Halozyme technology, to allow for a convenient delivery and the potential for self-administration, reducing the healthcare practitioner time and further increasing flexibility and convenience for patients. As a next step in patient convenience, we have also started the development of a high-volume auto-injector.

SC – Partnership with Elektrofi

In April 2021, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Elektrofi to explore new SC formulations utilizing Elektrofi’s small volume injectiona high concentration technology for efgartigimod and up to one additional target. See section “OurPlease refer to Item 4.B. “Business Overview—License Agreements—Our Exclusive License with Elektrofi for efgartigimod”efgartigimod for more information.

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Efgartigimod (formerly ARGX-113) Indications

Generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG)gMG

Overview

gMG is a rare and chronic autoimmune disease where IgG autoantibodies disrupt communication between nerves and muscles, causing debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle weakness.

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In myasthenia gravis (MG,), IgG autoantibodies either bind and occupy or cross-link and internalize the receptor on the muscle cells, thereby preventing the binding of acetylcholine, the signal sent by the nerve cell. In addition, these autoantibodies can cause destruction of the neuromuscular junction by recruiting complement, a potent cell-destroying mechanism of the human immune system. The muscle weakness associated with MG usually presents initially in ocular muscles and can then spread into a generalized form affecting multiple muscles, known as gMG. Approximately 85% of people with MG progress to gMG within 24 months (source: Behin et al. New Pathways and Therapeutics Targets in Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis. J Neuromusc Dis 5. 2018. 265-277). MG in the ocular form initially causes droopy eyelids and blurred or double vision due to partial paralysis of eye movements. As MG becomes generalized it affects muscles in the neck and jaw, causing problems in speaking, chewing and swallowing. MG can also cause weakness in skeletal muscles leading to problems in limb function. In the most severe cases, respiratory function can be weakened to the point where it becomes life-threatening. These respiratory crises occur at least once in the lives of approximately 15% to 20% of MG patients. The U.S. prevalence of MG is estimated at approximately 20 cases per 100,000 (source: Philips et al, Ann NY Acad Sci. 2003;2003).

Patients with confirmed AChRAchR antibodies account for approximately 85% of the total gMG population (Behin et al. New Pathways and Therapeutics Targets in Autoimmune Myasthenia Gravis. J Neuromusc Dis 5. 2018. 265-277).

In May 2020, we announced positive topline results from the pivotal ADAPT clinical trial of efgartigimod for the treatment of gMG. The topline results from the ADAPT clinical trial showed that efgartigimod was well-tolerated, demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in strength and quality of life measures, and provided the option of an individualized dosing schedule for gMG patients. The full Phase 3 ADAPT results were published in The Lancet Neurology in July 2021. The data from the ADAPT clinical trial and the subsequent open-label extension (OLE) (ADAPT+) formed the basis for the regulatory approvals of VYVGART in the U.S., Japan, the EU, Mainland China, Israel, the UK and Canada.

On March 22, 2022, we announced positive topline results from the Phase 3 ADAPT-SC Trial Design

In January 2021, we initiated ADAPT-SC,s clinical trial, a registrational non-inferiority bridging studyclinical trial of SC efgartigimod for the treatment of gMG. The designSC efgartigimod achieved the primary endpoint of the bridging study is based on the demonstrated association between total IgG reduction and clinical benefitfrom baseline at day 29, demonstrating statistical noninferiority to VYVGART IV formulation in gMG and incorporates feedback from the FDA. The study is comparing the pharmacodynamic effect of 1000 mg SC efgartigimod with 10 mg/kg IV efgartigimod. The primary endpoint is the percent change from baseline of total IgG levels measured at day 29.

We expect to announce toplinepatients. Based on these results, for the ADAPT-SC trialwe received regulatory approval in the first quarter of 2022.U.S. in June 2023, in the EU in September 2023, in Japan in January 2024 and in the UK in February 2024.

Other clinical trials

In addition, weWe are currently evaluating alternative dosing regimens of IV efgartigimod in IV formulation, in clinical trials exploring variations on dosingadult gMG patients in the ADAPT NXT clinical trial. In addition, a clinical trial of IV efgartigimod in pediatric gMG in children with gMG, as well as inpatients is ongoing. In 2022, a healthy volunteerPhase 1 clinical trial evaluating the effect of efgartigimod or placebo on immune response after vaccinationto the polyvalent pneumococcal vaccine (PNEUMOVAX 23) while receiving efgartigimod.

Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP)

Overview

Primary ITP is an acquired autoimmune bleeding disorder, characterized by a low platelet count (<100×109/L)was completed. In 2024, we plan to initiate registrational clinical trials to expand VYVGART label into broader MG populations, including in the absence of other causes associated with thrombocytopenia. In most patients, IgG autoantibodies directed against platelet receptors can be detected. They accelerate platelet clearance and destruction, inhibit platelet production, and impair platelet function, resulting in increased risk of bleeding and impaired quality of life. Primary ITP is differentiated from secondary immune thrombocytopenia, which is associated with other illnesses, such as infections or autoimmune diseases, or which occurs after transfusion or taking other drugs, such as cancer drugs. Platelet deficiency, or thrombocytopenia, can cause bleeding in tissues, bruising and slow blood clotting after injury. Patients may suffer from depression and fatigue as well as side effects of existing therapies, impairing their quality of life. Current therapeutic approaches include non-specific immunosuppression (e.g. steroids and rituximab), inhibition of platelet clearance (e.g. splenectomy, IVIg, anti-D globulin, and Syk inhibitor fostamatinib13) or stimulation of platelet production (e.g. thrombopoietin receptor agonist TPO-RA). Splenectomy remains the only treatment that provides sustained remission off therapy for one year or longer for a high proportion ofseronegative patients. ITP affects approximately 72,000 patients in the United States (sources: Current Medical Research and Opinion, 25:12, 2961-2969; Am J Hematol. 2012 Sep; 87(9): 848–852; Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2012 Feb; 58(2): 216–220).

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Phase 3 ADVANCE TrialsCIDP

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the first of two registrational trials, the ADVANCE Phase 3 trial, was initiated to evaluate 10 mg/kg IV efgartigimod for the treatment of primary ITP. The second registrational ADVANCE-SC trial of 1000mg SC efgartigimod for the treatment of primary ITP was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2020. We expect to enroll approximately 156 patients in each trial. Topline data are expected for the ADVANCE trial in the second quarter of 2022 and for the ADVANCE-SC trial in the first quarter of 2023, respectively. The primary endpoint of both trials is the proportion of chronic ITP patients with a sustained platelet count response, defined as achieving platelet counts of at least 50×109/L for at least four of the six visits between weeks 19 and 24 of the trial.

Phase 2 Trial

We completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of efgartigimod in 38 adult primary ITP patients, who had platelet counts lower than 30 x 109/L while being on a stable dose of standard-of-care treatments consisting of corticosteroids, permitted immunosuppressants or thrombopoietin receptor agonists, or after having undergone a splenectomy or while being monitored under a ‘watch & wait’ approach. We conducted the clinical trial at 19 clinical centers across eight countries in the European Union. Patients were randomly assigned to three arms of twelve or 13 patients for the placebo or efgartigimod arms, respectively. All patients in this clinical trial on a drug standard-of-care treatment were to continue to receive their stable dose of standard-of-care treatment as per the protocol. One treatment arm received 5 mg/kg efgartigimod, the second arm received 10 mg/kg efgartigimod and the third arm received placebo. Dosing took place in a three-week period, which included four weekly doses of efgartigimod or placebo. Patient follow-up continued for 21 weeks after treatment. Patients from all three cohorts were eligible to enroll in a one-year open-label extension study at the 10mg/kg dose of efgartigimod, subject to meeting enrollment criteria, including platelet counts lower than 30 x 109/L.

Full results from the Phase 2 trial were published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Hematology. Efgartigimod was well-tolerated and showed a correlation of reduced IgG levels, increased platelet counts and reduced bleeding in ITP patients.

The primary endpoint analysis demonstrated efgartigimod to be well-tolerated in all patients, with most treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE) observed characterized as mild (CTCAE Grading 1 and 2). There were no dose-related safety observations and the safety profile was consistent with previous observations in healthy volunteers and myasthenia gravis patients. No increased risk of infection was apparent in the efgartigimod-treated groups compared to the placebo group.

Targeting FcRn with efgartigimod resulted in rapid and selective IgG reduction, and a greater numerical reduction was observed in the efgartigimod 10 mg/kg group, without impacting the levels of other immunoglobulin isotypes. Efgartigimod administration did not result in a reduction of albumin levels, suggesting that the Fc fragment efgartigimod is not interfering with albumin binding or influencing the fate of FcRn.

Reduction in platelet-associated autoantibodies were observed in the majority of patients with clinically meaningful platelet increase.

Efgartigimod-treated groups achieved a higher maximum mean platelet count change from baseline compared to the placebo group. Post hoc analyses requiring greater frequency or duration of platelet count ≥50×109/L, or increased platelet count to ≥100×109/L, demonstrated the efficacy of efgartigimod. Six patients (46%) treated in both efgartigimod groups showed an increase in platelet count >50×109/L on at least two occasions. Additionally, substantially more active-treated patients achieved a platelet count ≥50×109/L for more than 10 cumulative days compared to the placebo group (10 [38%] vs. 0 [0%], respectively).

Adverse event reporting showed no severe bleeding events in any patient, mild bleeding events only were reported in the 10 mg/kg arm and mild and moderate in the 5 mg/kg and placebo arm. Incidence of bleeding events

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was reduced by efgartigimod treatment as assessed by the World Health Organization bleeding scale, with separation from placebo as early as the third dose in the 10 mg/kg arm. Incidence of bleeding events in the skin was reduced by efgartigimod treatment as assessed by the ITP-BAT bleeding scale, with no clear signal of bleeding events in the mucosa or organs in either treatment arm.

Low titer of anti-drug antibodies was detected in 16.7% of placebo patients and 30.8% of treated patients in the 10 mg/kg arm with no apparent effect on pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics.

Phase 3 - IV and SC Trials

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the first potential registrational Phase 3 trial of IV efgartigimod in ITP, the ADVANCE trial, was initiated to evaluate a dose of 10 mg/kg IV efgartigimod. We expect to enroll 156 patients in this Phase 3 trial. The second potential registrational Phase 3 trial of SC efgartigimod in ITP, the ADVANCE SC trial was initiated in the fourth quarter of 2020 to evaluate a dose of 1000 mg SC efgartigimod. We expect to enroll 156 patients in this trial as well. We expect to announce topline results for the ADVANCE and ADVANCE-SC trials in the second quarter of 2022 and first quarter of 2023, respectively.

Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV)

Overview

PV is an autoimmune disorder associated with mucosal and skin blisters that lead to pain, difficulty swallowing and skin infection. This chronic, potentially life-threatening disease is triggered by IgG autoantibodies targeting desmoglein-1 and -3, which are present on the surface of keratinocytes and important for cell-to-cell adhesion in the epithelium. Autoantibodies targeting desmogleins result in loss of cell adhesion, the primary cause of blister formation in Pemphigus. Similar to MG and ITP, disease severity of Pemphigus correlates to the amount of pathogenic IgGs targeting desmogleins. Currently, there are an estimated 17,400 pemphigus patients in the United States, of which an estimated 13,100 patients are suffering from PV. Several disease activity measurements exist for the clinical evaluation of PV patients, including the pemphigus disease area index (PDAI), autoimmune bullous skin disorder intensity score (ABSIS), and the PV activity score (PVAS). The PDAI is reported to have the highest validity and is recommended for use in clinical trials of PV.

Phase 3 ADDRESS Trial

In the fourth quarter of 2020, the registrational ADDRESS trial was initiated of SC efgartigimod for the treatment of PV and PF. This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, where the objective is to assess efficacy, safety and tolerability in up to 150 newly diagnosed or relapsing patients with moderate to severe pemphigus. Patients are randomized to receive either SC efgartigimod or placebo for 30 weeks. Patients start on concomitant steroids based on what we determine to be the optimized dosing regimen from the Phase 2 study. The primary endpoint will assess the proportion of patients who achieve complete remission on a minimal steroid dose at 30 weeks. The ADDRESS trial will evaluate efficacy and safety, including the potential to drive fast onset of disease control and complete remission and the ability to taper corticosteroids. A relevant minority portion of the patients in the ADDRESS trial are participating in studies conducted in Ukraine or Russia. Due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we may be unable to fully benefit from the study data collected to date and we may need to recruit additional patients which could delay data read-out points for our studies, although we are currently unable to assess if and by how much such delays would occur. Accordingly, timing of topline data for the ADDRESS trial of SC efgartigimod for PF and PV may be impacted but we are currently unable to assess the full impact due to the rapidly developing situation.

Phase 2 Trial

We completed an open-label Phase 2 adaptive trial in which, through sequential cohorts, 34 patients were dosed at 10 or 25mg/kg IV efgartigimod with various dosing frequencies, as monotherapy or add-on therapy to low

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dose oral prednisone. The primary endpoint of the trial was safety and tolerability. The full Phase 2 trial results were published in The British Journal of Dermatology.

In this trial, we observed:

a favorable tolerability profile, consistent with data from previous efgartigimod studies and those adverse events were mostly mild.
a major decrease in serum total IgG and anti-desmoglein (DSG) autoantibodies and correlated with improved PDAI scores.
that 90% (28/31) of patients demonstrated early disease control; median time to disease control for monotherapy and combination therapy was 17 days.
complete clinical remission in 64% (14/22) of patients receiving optimized prolonged treatment with efgartigimod in combination with a median dose of 0.26mg/kg/day prednisone within 2-41 weeks.
a favorable tolerability profile, consistent with data from previous efgartigimod studies.

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)

Overview of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

CIDP is a chronic autoimmune disorder of peripheral nerves and nerve roots caused by an autoimmune-mediated destruction of the myelin sheath, or myelin producing cells, insulating the axon of the nerves and enabling speed of signal transduction. The cause of CIDP is unknown, but abnormalities in both cellular and humoral immunity have been shown. CIDP is a chronic and progressive disease: onset and progression occur over at least eight weeks in contrast with the more acute Guillain-Barré-syndrome. Demyelination and axonal damage in CIDP lead to loss of sensory and/or motor neuron function, which can lead to weakness, sensory loss, imbalance and/or pain. CIDP affects approximately 16,00024,000 patients in the United States.U.S.

Most CIDP patients require treatment, and IVIg which is the preferred first-line therapy.majority currently with IVIg. Glucocorticoids and plasma exchange are used to a lesser extent as they are either limited by side effects upon chronic use, in the case of glucocorticoids, or invasiveness of the procedure and access, which is restricted to specialized centers in case of plasma exchange. Alternative immunosuppressant agents are typically reserved for patients ineligible for or refractory to IVIg, glucocorticoids or plasma exchange. While IVIg therapy can usually control CIDP,

In July 2023, we announced positive topline results from the ADHERE clinical trial evaluating VYVGART SC (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase-qvfc) in adults with CIDP. The clinical trial met its primary endpoint (p=0.000039), demonstrating a significantly lower risk of relapse with VYVGART SC compared to placebo (HR: 0.39 95% CI: 0.25; 0.61). 67% of patients in open-label Stage A demonstrated evidence of clinical improvement (ECI), indicating that IgG autoantibodies play a significant role in the underlying biology of CIDP.

VYVGART SC was well-tolerated with a safety profile that is consistent with prior clinical trials and the known profile of VYVGART. The most frequent treatment-related adverse event was ISRs, which occurred in a lower percentage of patients require repeated treatments every twothan previous VYVGART SC trials (20% in Stage A; 10% in Stage B). All ISRs were mild to six weeks for many years. This is duemoderate and resolved over time. 99% (226/249) of eligible patients continued to the fact that IVIg monotherapy does not usually leadADHERE-Plus OLE clinical trial. Detailed data from ADHERE is expected to long-term remission.be presented at an upcoming medical meeting.

ADHERE Trial

AtIn December 2023, we submitted an sBLA to the end of 2019, we initiated the registrational ADHERE trial evaluatingFDA for SC efgartigimod for CIDP with a priority review voucher. The FDA accepted the treatmentsBLA for priority review, with a PDUFA target date of CIDP. The ADHERE trialJune 21, 2024.

Primary ITP

Overview

Primary ITP is a randomized, withdrawal study evaluating 1000mg weekly SC efgartigimod expected to enroll approximately 130 patients. The trial consists of an open-label Stage A followedacquired autoimmune bleeding disorder, characterized by a randomized, placebo-controlled Stage Blow platelet count (<100×109/L) in the absence of other causes associated with thrombocytopenia. In most patients, IgG autoantibodies directed against platelet receptors can be detected. They accelerate platelet clearance and destruction, inhibit platelet production, and impair platelet function, resulting in increased risk of bleeding and impaired quality of life. Primary ITP is differentiated from secondary ITP, which is associated with other illnesses, such as infections or autoimmune diseases, or which occurs after transfusion or taking other drugs, such as cancer drugs. Platelet deficiency, or thrombocytopenia, can cause bleeding in tissues, bruising and slow blood clotting after injury. Patients may suffer from depression and fatigue as well as side effects of existing therapies, impairing their quality of life. Current therapeutic approaches include non-specific immunosuppression (e.g., steroids and rituximab), inhibition of platelet clearance (e.g., splenectomy, IVIg, anti-D globulin, and spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor fostamatinib13) or stimulation of platelet production (e.g., thrombopoietin receptor agonist TPO-RA). Splenectomy remains the only treatment that provides sustained remission off therapy for one year or longer for a planned interim responder analysis afterhigh proportion of patients. ITP affects approximately 72,000 patients in the first 30 patients enroll in Stage A. In order to enter Stage AU.S. (sources: Current Medical Research and receive efgartigimod, both patients who are treatment-naïve or on therapy must first receive a confirmed diagnosis of CIDP by an independent panel of experts and demonstrate active disease. To show active disease, patients who are on current CIDP therapy have to demonstrate a minimal clinically meaningful worsening after treatment withdrawal based on at least one CIDP clinical assessment tool, including Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment (INCAT) Disability Score, Inflammatory Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (I-RODS) or mean grip strength. To advance to Stage B, patients need to demonstrate a minimal clinically meaningful response to efgartigimod equivalent with the loss observed on the same efficacy scale on which worsening is observed during the withdrawal period. In Stage B, patients are randomized to eitherOpinion, 25:12, 2961-2969; Am J Hematol. 2012 Sep; 87(9): 848–852; Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2012 Feb; 58(2): 216–220).

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SC efgartigimod or placebo for up to 48 weeks. The primary endpoint is event-driven and based on the adjusted INCAT efficacy score in Stage B.

Interim Analysis from ADHERE TrialPhase 3 ADVANCE Clinical Trials

In February 2021, we announced a “go” decision2019, the first of two registrational clinical trials, the ADVANCE clinical trial, was initiated to transition into the second, placebo controlled stage of this trial based on a planned efficacy and safety assessment following the enrollment of 30 patients into the initial part of the ADHERE trial. The ADHERE trial is expected to enroll approximately 130 patients in total to support potential registration of SCevaluate IV efgartigimod (VYVGART) for the treatment of CIDP.primary ITP. The interim analysis achieved the pre-defined threshold for continuation, which was based on response rates seen in precedentsecond registrational ADVANCE-SC clinical trials of current standard of care in CIDP. The decision to continue enrollment was confirmed by an independent data monitoring committee. In addition, the safety and tolerability data observed to date is consistent with that of efgartigimod in other clinical trials.

We expect to announce the topline data of the ADHERE trial in the first quarter of 2023.

Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (Myositis)

Overview of Myositis

Myositis are a rare group of autoimmune diseases that can be muscle specific or affect multiple organs including the skin, joints, lung, gastrointestinal tract and heart. Myositis can be very severe and disabling and have a material impact on quality of life. Initially these myopathies were classified as either dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis, but as the underlying pathophysiology of myositis has become better understood, including through the identification of characteristic autoantibodies, new polymyositis subgroups have emerged. Two of these subtypes are immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS). Proximal muscle weakness is a unifying feature of each myositis subset.

IMNM is characterized by skeletal muscle weakness due to muscle cell necrosis. The muscle weakness is typically symmetrical – on both sides of the body – and affects proximal muscles including hips, thighs, upper arms, shoulder and neck. The muscle weakness can be severe and lead to difficulty in completing daily tasks. Characteristic autoantibodies of IMNM, include anti-signal recognition particle (anti-SRP) and anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (anti-HMGCR) autoantibodies.
ASyS is characterized by muscle inflammation, inflammatory arthritis, interstitial lung disease, thickening and cracking of the hands (mechanic’s hands) and Raynaud phenomenon. Autoantibodies associated with ASyS attack tRNA synthetase enzymes and include anti-Jo-1 and anti-PL1 and PL-12 most commonly.
DM is characterized by muscle inflammation and degeneration and skin abnormalities, including heliotrope rash, Gottron papules, erythematous, calcinosis and edema. DM is associated with myositis-specific autoantibodies, including anti-Mi-2, anti-MDA-5, anti-TIF-1γ and others.

There are no current FDA-approved therapies for IMNM or ASyS. IVIg (Octagam 10%) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of dermatomyositis in July 2021. Myositis patients are most often treated with high-dose steroids.

ALKIVIA Trial

We intend to initiate the registrational ALKIVIA trial of SC efgartigimod for the treatment of myositisprimary ITP was initiated in 2020.

In May 2022, we announced positive Phase 3 data from the ADVANCE clinical trial. Primary endpoint was met, demonstrating that a significantly higher proportion of patients with chronic ITP receiving VYVGART (17/78; 21.8%) compared to placebo (2/40; 5%) achieved a sustained platelet response (p=0.0316), defined as having platelet counts greater than or equal to 50x109/L on at least four of the last six scheduled visits between weeks 19 and 24 of treatment. There was also a statistically significant separation from placebo in key platelet-derived secondary endpoints. Additional secondary endpoint data from the ADVANCE clinical trial are consistent with primary and secondary platelet-derived endpoints and provide additional context on metrics that often drive treatment decisions, including on International Working Group (IWG) responder status.

VYVGART was well-tolerated in this 24-week clinical trial and the observed safety and tolerability profile was consistent with previous clinical trials. Results from ADVANCE-IV clinical trial were published in The Lancet in September 2023. We filed for approval of VYVGART for ITP in Japan and an approval decision is expected in the secondfirst quarter of 2022. We will enroll 1802024.

In November 2023, results of the second registrational clinical trial as part of the ongoing ITP development program for VYVGART in adult patients dosed with 1000mgchronic and persistent ITP were announced. Patients were heavily pre-treated and 75% of patients had received three or more prior ITP therapies. The clinical trial did not meet the primary endpoint of a sustained platelet count response in chronic ITP patients. Secondary endpoints were also not met, including additional endpoints on IWG responder status and mean platelet count change from baseline.

VYVGART SC was well-tolerated in ADVANCE-SC; the observed safety and tolerability profile was consistent with ADVANCE-IV and the confirmed safety profile of VYVGART and VYVGART SC.

Pemphigus

Overview

PV is an autoimmune disorder associated with mucosal and skin blisters that lead to pain, difficulty swallowing and skin infection. This chronic, potentially life-threatening disease is triggered by IgG autoantibodies targeting desmoglein-1 and -3, which are present on the surface of keratinocytes and important for cell-to-cell adhesion in the epithelium. Autoantibodies targeting desmogleins result in loss of cell adhesion, the primary cause of blister formation in PV. Similar to MG and ITP, disease severity of pemphigus correlates to the amount of pathogenic IgGs targeting desmogleins. Currently, there are an estimated 19,000 pemphigus patients in the U.S., of which an estimated 13,100 patients are suffering from PV. Several disease activity measurements exist for the clinical evaluation of PV patients, including the pemphigus disease area index (PDAI), autoimmune bullous skin disorder intensity score, and the PV activity score (PVAS). The PDAI is reported to have the highest validity and is recommended for use in clinical trials of PV.

Phase 3 ADDRESS Clinical Trial

In 2020, the registrational ADDRESS clinical trial was initiated of SC efgartigimod for the treatment of PV and PF. This was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, where the objective was to assess efficacy, safety and tolerability in three myositis subtype cohorts, IMNM, ASysnewly diagnosed or relapsing patients with moderate to severe pemphigus (total of 222 enrolled). Patients were randomized to receive either SC efgartigimod or placebo for 30 weeks. Patients started on concomitant steroids based on what we determined to be the optimized dosing regimen from the Phase 2 POC clinical trial. The primary endpoint assessed the proportion of patients who achieve sustained complete remission on a minimal steroid dose within 30 weeks. The ADDRESS clinical trial evaluated efficacy and DM. An interim analysis is planned aftersafety, including the first 30 patientspotential to drive fast onset of each myositis subtype.disease control and complete remission and the ability to taper corticosteroids.

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TheTopline data from the Phase 3 ADDRESS clinical trial were announced in December 2023, in which the results show the proportion of PV patients achieving the primary endpoint of complete remission on CRmin was not significantly different between SC efgartigimod and placebo. We will be based on the mean total improvement scorenot pursue additional development in pemphigus and additional key secondary endpointswe will include time to response, durabilityprioritize clinical development of benefits, the quality of life and the individual components of the total improvement score.efgartigimod in its ongoing severe autoimmune indications.

Bullous Pemphigoid (BP)BP

Overview

BP is the most common autoimmune blistering disease and is driven by autoantibodies affecting the skin. The disease typically affects elderly people and early key symptoms are itch and rash and patients develop fluid-filled blisters during disease progression. The prevalence of bullous pemphigoidBP is twelve12 per 100,000 adults and the incidence increases with age. BP is associated with a high disease burden and can have a significant impact on the quality of life of patients. The mortality of BP in the U.S. is 2.4% or higher than the mortality in the general population of the same age. There are currently no approved therapies available for BP. First line treatment consists of topical or systemic corticosteroids, which result in substantial morbidity and increased mortality, conventional immunosuppressants as corticosteroid-sparing agents, rituximab and IVIg.

BP is a well characterized autoimmune disease in which the binding of autoantibodies to hemidesmosomal proteins, BP180 and BP230, initiates a cascade of inflammatory events resulting in blister formation. BP180 and BP230 are involved in the stable attachment of keratinocyte to the underlying matrix. The autoantibody actions include mechanical disruption of keratinocyte adhesion and cytokine release. Immune complex formation initiates complement activation leading to the recruitment mast cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and other immune cells and to the release of proteases and inflammatory mediators. All these effects, which start with the binding of the autoantibodies, induce the blistering observed in BP.

BALLAD Clinical Trial

We initiated the Phase 2/3 BALLAD registrational clinical trial evaluating SC efgartigimod in BP in the second half of 2021, in which we will enroll 160 patients.2022.

The studyclinical trial population will beare newly diagnosed and relapsing patients within one year from diagnosis. Patients will beare randomized 1-to-1 to receive efgartigimod or placebo for a total duration of 36 weeks. Standard of care concomitant medication will consist of prednisone at a starting dose of 0.5 milligram per kilogram per day, and the dose will be adjusted if the patient achieves sustained control of disease activity. The primary endpoint is the proportion of participants in complete remission while on minimal steroids (≤0.1mg/kg/day)off oral corticosteroids for at least eight weeks at week 26.36. Secondary endpoints relate to cumulative steroid doses, IGA BP score, complete remission off steroids, average itch,time to achieving control of disease activity, change from baseline in average itch, and quality of life measures. An interim analysis of the BALLAD trial is expected after the first 40 patients.

New Efgartigimod Indications

In January 2022,light of ADDRESS results and the comparable biology between PV and BP, we announceddecided to stop enrollment of BALLAD. We will integrate key learnings from ADDRESS and data from already enrolled patients in BALLAD and we plan to communicate on a revised development plan before end 2024.

Myositis

Overview

Myositis are a rare group of autoimmune diseases that we willcan be initiating proof-of-concept trials in fourmuscle specific or affect multiple organs including the skin, joints, lung, gastrointestinal tract and heart. Myositis can be very severe and disabling and have a material impact on quality of life. Initially these Myositis were classified as either DM or polymyositis, but as the underlying pathophysiology of Myositis has become better understood, including through the identification of characteristic autoantibodies, new autoimmune indications through our partnership agreements with Zai Labpolymyositis subgroups have emerged. Two of these subtypes are IMNM and IQVIA:ASyS. Proximal muscle weakness is a unifying feature of each Myositis subset.

Membranous Nephropathy (MN) is an autoimmune, glomerular disease and the most frequent cause of nephrotic syndrome. MNIMNM is characterized by thickeningskeletal muscle weakness due to muscle cell necrosis. The muscle weakness is typically symmetrical – on both sides of the glomerular capillary walls caused by immune complex deposition. 70% of MN patients have IgG autoantibodies against PLA2R. In patients without PLA2R autoantibodies, therebody – and affects proximal muscles including hips, thighs, upper arms, shoulder and neck. The muscle weakness can be detectable anti-THSd7A or anti-NELL1 antibodies. 20-30% of patients progress to end-stage renal disease. There are no current approved therapies for MN.
Lupus Nephritis (LN) is a glomerulonephritis and one of the most severe and common organ manifestations of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LN is a substantial cause of morbidity and death among patients with SLE. Autoantibodies associated with LN includelead to difficulty in completing daily tasks.

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anti-dsDNACharacteristic autoantibodies of IMNM, include anti-signal recognition particle and anti-nuclear antibodies. 5-20% of LN patients progress to end-stage renal disease. Oral corticosteroids and broad immunosuppressants are current standard of care but are not uniformly effective.anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase autoantibodies.
Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (primary SjS)ASyS is a systemic autoimmunecharacterized by muscle inflammation, inflammatory arthritis, interstitial lung disease, thickening and cracking of the exocrine glands that can affect salivaryhands (“mechanic’s hands”) and lacrimal glands, mostly, and result in severe dryness of mucosal surfaces, primarily in the eyes and mouth. In addition to sicca symptoms, patients can experience significant fatigue, chronic pain, major organ involvement, neuropathies and lymphomas.Raynaud phenomenon. Autoantibodies are present in the majority of patientsassociated with ASyS attack tRNA synthetase enzymes and include antinuclear antibodiesanti-Jo-1 and antibodies against SjS-related antigen Aanti-PL1 and B (anti-SSA Ro and SSB La). There are no current FDA-approved therapies and patients arePL-12 most often treated with IVIg, in severe cases, or eyes drops and corticosteroids in more mild to moderate patients.commonly.
COVID-19 mediated postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (COVID-19 mediated POTS) has been emerging after resolution of COVID-19 infection in previously healthy patients. POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system thatDM is characterized by a rise in heart rate when moving to a standing positionmuscle inflammation and additional symptoms of shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, poor concentration, weaknessdegeneration and anxiety. The large majority of patients are women between 15skin abnormalities, including heliotrope rash, Gottron papules, erythematous, calcinosis and 50 years of age. Thereedema. DM is a strong association of POTS to activatingassociated with Myositis-specific autoantibodies, to autonomic G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR), including the β1anti-Mi-2, anti-MDA-5, anti-TIF-1γ and β2-adrenergic receptors and M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors. There are no current FDA-approved therapies and symptomatic treatments focus on blood volume, kidney sodium levels, heart rate reduction and vessel constriction.others.

There are no current FDA-approved therapies for IMNM or ASyS. IVIg (Octagam 10%) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of DM in July 2021. Myositis patients are most often treated with high-dose steroids.

ALKIVIA Clinical Trial

We initiated the registrational ALKIVIA clinical trial of SC efgartigimod for the treatment of Myositis in 2022. The clinical trial plans to enroll approximately 240 patients in three Myositis subtypes, IMNM, ASyS and DM. The clinical trial will be conducted in two Phases, with an analysis of the Phase 2 portion of the clinical trial, including 30 patients of each subtype, followed by conduct of the Phase 3 portion of the clinical trial only if a signal is observed in the Phase 2 portion of the clinical trial.

The primary endpoint is the total improvement score (TIS) at the end of the treatment period. Key secondary endpoints include response rates at the end of treatment, time to response, and duration of response in TIS, as well as change from baseline in individual TIS components. Other secondary endpoints include quality of life and other functional scores.

An interim analysis of the first 30 patients in each subset is expected in the second half of 2024.

TED

TED is an autoimmune orbital disease associated with Graves’ disease and other autoimmune thyroid pathologies such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. TED is characterized by extraocular muscle enlargement, orbital adipose tissue expansion, and orbital inflammation, which can lead to proptosis, diplopia, or vision loss in severe cases. Persistent orbital symptoms often impair patient QoL long-term.

Substantial nonclinical and clinical evidence supports thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) autoantibodies as causative in the pathology of TED. Clinical evidence supports the removal of autoantibodies as a mechanism for the treatment of TED. By reducing immunoglobulin γ (IgGs), including TED-associated pathogenic IgG autoantibodies, efgartigimod is expected to ease disease manifestations. Additionally, IgG reduction could address the underlying hyperthyroidism. Side effects and tolerability issues with current therapies, including steroids and teprotumumab (only FDA-approved biologic), are treatment limiting for many patients based on comorbidities and a significant unmet need remains for safe and convenient therapies.

A registrational clinical trial evaluating efgartigimod in TED is expected to start in 2024.

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SjD

Overview

SjD is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disease, characterized by lymphocytic infiltration and progressive destruction of exocrine glands. B-cells play a pivotal role in the development of the disease and this results amongst others in production of IgG autoantibodies, especially those which target SSA/Ro, SSB/La ribonuclear complexes. In addition to symptoms of dry eyes, dry mouth, chronic pain and fatigue, a substantial subset of patients suffer from extraglandular systemic disease. There are no FDA-approved treatments currently registered for the treatment of SjD.

Phase 2 RHO Clinical Trial (in partnership with IQVIA)

In 2023, we initiated a Phase 2 POC clinical trial evaluating IV efgartigimod for the treatment of SjD. The RHO clinical trial is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial evaluating IV efgartigimod. The clinical trial enrolled approximately 30 patients with at least moderate systemic disease (ESSDAI ≥5). Patients have to be on stable background treatment and positive for anti-SSA/Ro. At the end of the 24-week treatment period, participants who complete the clinical trial may roll over into an OLE. The primary endpoint is the proportion of responders to the Composite of Relevant Endpoints for SjD (CRESS; response on ≥3 out of 5 items) at week 24. Key secondary endpoints include change from baseline in the clinESSDAI (Clinical ESSDAI), ESSDAI (Eular Sjögrens Syndrome Disease Activity Index), and ESSPRI (Eular Sjögrens Patient Reported Index) scores.

RHO clinical trial results are expected in first half of 2024.

PC-POTS

Overview

PC-POTS has been emerging following SARS-Cov-2 infection in previously healthy patients. PC-POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that is characterized by a rise in heart rate when moving to a standing position and additional symptoms of shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, poor concentration, weakness and anxiety. The large majority of patients are women between 15 and 50 years of age. There is a strong association of PC-POTS to activating autoantibodies to autonomic G-protein coupled receptors, including the β1 and β2-adrenergic receptors and M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors. There are no current FDA-approved therapies and symptomatic treatments focus on blood volume, kidney sodium levels, heart rate reduction and vessel constriction.

Phase 2 POC ALPHA Clinical Trial (in partnership with IQVIA)

In 2022, we initiated the placebo-controlled Phase 2 POC ALPHA clinical trial of weekly IV efgartigimod for the treatment of de novo POTS triggered by COVID-19. The co-primary endpoints are COMPASS-31 and the Malmö POTS Symptom score at the end of the 24-week treatment period. Key secondary endpoints include change from baseline in PROMIS fatigue & cognitive function, as well as the Patient Global Impression of change and severity. Other secondary endpoints include quantitative autonomic testing and other functional scores.

Phase 2 POC ALPHA clinical trial results are expected in the first half of 2024.

LN

Overview

LN is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the kidney and one of the most severe and common organ manifestations of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In patients with SLE, approximately 25% to 50% have signs or symptoms of kidney disease at SLE onset. Approximately 40% to 60% of patients with SLE will develop renal involvement during the course of disease, with substantial morbidity or mortality. Pathogenic autoantibodies and complement deposits are critically involved in SLE pathogenesis and particularly LN, where renal

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deposition of immune complexes is a hallmark of the disease. Autoantibodies associated with LN include anti-dsDNA, anti-C1q, anti-cardiolipin, anti-Smith and anti-nuclear antibodies. 10-30% of LN patients progress to end-stage renal disease. Oral corticosteroids and broad immunosuppressants are current standards of care but are not uniformly effective. Belimumab (Benlysta) and voclosporin (Lupkynis) are approved by the FDA for the treatment of LN.

Phase 2 POC Clinical Trial (in partnership with Zai Lab)

In 2023, we initiated a POC clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IV efgartigimod in Chinese patients with active LN. The clinical trial plans to enroll approximately 60 patients with LN class III or IV (with or without class V).

The primary endpoint is the change in urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) from baseline to end of the treatment period. Key secondary endpoints include proportion of patients achieving complete and partial renal response (CRR and PRR, respectively) at the end of treatment period and time to CRR and PRR. Other secondary endpoints include additional efficacy measurements, PK, PD, immunogenicity, biomarkers, safety, and quality of life assessments.

MN

Overview

MN is an autoimmune, glomerular disease and one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults. MN is characterized by thickening of the glomerular basement membrane caused by immune complex deposition. As many as 75% of MN patients have IgG autoantibodies against PLA2R. Data are highly suggestive of a causal relationship between anti-PLA2R Ab and MN pathogenesis. Other target antigens identified to date include thrombospondin type 1 domain-containing 7A (THSd7A), neural epidermal growth factor-like-1 (NELL-1), and semaphorin-3B (Sema3B). 20-30% of MN patients progress to end-stage renal disease. All MN patients receive optimal supportive care and patients at high risk for disease progression are additionally treated with broad immunosuppressants. There are no current approved therapies for MN.

Phase 2 POC Clinical Trial (in partnership with Zai Lab)

In 2023, we initiated a POC clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IV efgartigimod in Chinese patients with primary MN (pMN). The clinical trial plans to enroll a maximum of 72 patients with pMN. The clinical trial will include two phases: a double-blinded period (DB) for the main clinical trial followed by an optional OLE period. The primary endpoint is the change in UPCR from baseline to end of the treatment period in the anti-PLA2R Ab seropositive population. Key secondary endpoints include change in UPCR from baseline to end of the treatment period in the overall population, proportion of participants achieving complete remission and partial remission at the end of the treatment period in the overall population and in the anti-PLA2R Ab seropositive population and time to complete remission and partial remission in the overall population and in the anti-PLA2R Ab seropositive population. Other secondary endpoints include additional efficacy measurements, PK, PD, immunogenicity, biomarkers, safety, and quality of life assessments.

Other Efgartigimod Indications

AMR

AMR is an autoimmune disease that affects transplanted organs and can contribute to allograft loss. AMR in kidney allografts is driven by donor specific antibodies (DSA), which often target human leukocyte antigens expressed by endothelial allograft cells. Through different mechanisms DSA can induce microvascular inflammation, a histopathological hallmark of AMR. Microvascular inflammation leads to loss in organ function which, if continued, can result in allograft loss. The unmet need for an efficacious treatment is very high, as evidenced by AMR being the leading cause of kidney transplant failure. There are currently no approved therapies for treating AMR.

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AAV – in partnership with IQVIA

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by the inflammation and damaging of small blood vessels in the body. There a three different AAV subtypes; granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA). Polyangiitis or microscopic polyangiitis are often associated with the presence of PR3- or MPO-autoantibodies, respectively. These autoantibodies play a pivotal role in the disease, in which their binding to neutrophils initiates a series of inflammatory processes. Symptoms like fatigue, muscle pain, fever, abdominal pain, and blood in the urine are often observed, but many patients develop organ- or life-threatening disease where kidneys, lungs or the cardiovascular system are severely damaged. Multiple treatments are FDA-approved, with rituximab, on top of glucocorticoids, considered as main treatment for both induction and maintenance in AAV.

Partnerships for efgartigimod indications

Zai Lab Limited

Pursuant to the Zai Lab Agreement, Zai Lab obtained the exclusive right to develop and commercialize efgartigimod in Greater China. Zai Lab will also contribute patients to our global Phase 3 clinical trials of efgartigimod. Our Zai Lab strategic collaboration which was announced in January 2021, allows us to accelerate development of efgartigimod into new autoimmune indications with Zai Lab taking operational leadership of the Phase 2 proof-of-conceptPOC clinical trials.

In 2022 Zai Lab will initiateinitiated the Phase 2 proof-of-conceptPOC clinical trials in 2022 in MN and LN, which both fall within ourthe emerging nephrology franchise.indications. This was done after having completed a Phase 1 PK/PD clinical trial to support the approval of efgartigimod for gMG in Mainland China, as well as obtaining regulatory approvals to enroll Chinese patient into our global Phase 3 clinical trials. In our collaboration with Zai Lab, we continue to evaluate additional POC clinical trials to initiate in the Greater China under the Zai Lab Agreement to accelerate the development of efgartigimod globally.

IQVIA

On December 2, 2021 we entered into a strategic asset development agreement (the (Asset Development Agreement) with IQVIA. Pursuant to the Asset Development Agreement, IQVIA shall perform asset and indication development services for efgartigimod through an advanced outsourcing model. Such services include, but are not limited to, overall product indication development strategy, design of clinical trial protocol, set-up, execution and oversight of clinical development plans for an indication for efgartigimod selected by us.

To enable and encourage fast and innovative delivery of the services by IQVIA, the Asset Development Agreement contains an innovative earn-back and bonus plan based upon the performance of IQVIA.

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SjD, PC-POTS and COVID-mediated POTSAAV are the first indications we identified by argenx to be further developed under the Asset Development Agreement.

Clinical Trial

Stage

Indication

Patients

Primary Endpoint

Status

ADAPT

Registrational

gMG

The proportion of responders based on the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score

Marketed

ADAPT-SC

Registrational

gMG

The proportion of responders based on the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living (MG-ADL) score

Marketed

ADHERE

Registrational

CIDP

322

The hazard ratio for the time to first adjusted INCAT deterioration

sBLA accepted by FDA

ADVANCE-IV

Registrational

ITP

The proportion of patients that achieved sustained platelet response

positive Topline Data

ADVANCE-SC

Registrational

ITP

131

The proportion of patients that achieved sustained platelet response

Did not meet primary endpoint, analysis ongoing

ADDRESS

Registrational

PV and PF

222

The proportion of patients who achieve complete remission on a minimal steroid dose at 30 weeks

Did not meet primary enpoint, evaluation of efgart in PV and PF stopped.

BALLAD

Registrational

BP

The proportion of participants in complete remission while off oral corticosteroids for at least eight weks at week 36

Analysis ongoing for path forward

ALKIVIA

Registrational

Myositis

Appr.240

The TIS at the end of the treatment period

Ongoing Interium analysis expected second half 2024

RHO

PoC

Primary
Sjogren’s
Disease

Appr.30

The proportion of responders to the Composite of Relevant Endpoints for Sjogren’s Syndrome (CRESS; response on 23 out of 5 items) at week 24.

Ongoing study results expected first half 2024

ALPHA

PoC

PC-POST

53

The co-primary endpoints are 1) COMPASS-31 and 2) the Malmo POTS Symptom score at the end of the 24-week treatment period

Ongoing study results expected first half 2024

In partnership with Zai Lab

PoC

LN

Appr.60

The change in UPCR from baseline to end of the treatment period

Ongoing study results expected first half 2025

In partnership with Zai Lab

PoC

MN

Appr.70

The change in UPCR from baseline to end of the treatment period in the anti-PLAZR Ab seropositive population

Ongoing study results expected first half 2025

Clinical trial to start in 2024

Registrational

TED

Other Clinical Trails

PoC
PoC

AMR
AAV*

IND submission planned for 2Q 2024
*

*

AAV program under review; phase 2 study paused at the time of publication of this Annual Report

ARGX-117 Development

ARGX-117Empasiprubart (ARGX-117) Development

Mechanism of Action

Empasiprubart is a highly differentiated therapeutic monoclonal antibodymAb targeting complement component C2 equipped with our proprietary NHANCE™ mutations. By addressing a novel target at the intersection of the complement and lectin pathways of the complement cascade, we believe ARGX-117empasiprubart represents a broad pipeline opportunity across several severe autoimmune indications. Activation of the classical and lectin pathway of complement may contribute to tissue damage and organ dysfunction in a number of autoimmune inflammatory

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diseases and ischemia-reperfusion conditions. Targeting C2 also leaves the alternative pathway of the complement system intact, which is an important component of the innate defense systemsystem.

ARGX-117Empasiprubart exhibits both pH- and calcium dependent binding. These unique characteristics enable ARGX-117empasiprubart to capture free C2 in circulation and release it in the endosome to be sorted for degradation in the lysosome. ARGX-117Empasiprubart is equipped with NHANCENHANCE™ mutations increasing its affinity for FcRn and allowing it to recycle back into circulation to capture more C2.

We obtained the rights to ARGX-117empasiprubart as part of our Immunology Innovation Program.IIP. argenx and Broteio Pharma launched a collaboration in 2017 to conduct research, with support from the University of Utrecht, to demonstrate preclinical proof-of-conceptPOC of the mechanism of ARGX-117.

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empasiprubart. Based on promising preclinical data generated under this collaboration agreement, we exercised the exclusive option to license the program and assumed responsibility for further development and commercialization.

In addition to an intravenousIV formulation, we have exclusive access to Halozyme’s ENHANZE®ENHANZE® SC drug delivery technology for the C2 target.

Graphic

Graphic

Graphic

Figure 4

3: LEFT: Empasiprubart exhibits both pH- and calcium dependent target binding. RIGHT: Empasiprubart is equipped with NHANCE™ mutations increasing its affinity for FcRn at acidic pH and allowing it to recycle back into circulation.Phase 1 Data

We conducted a Phase 1 healthy volunteer trial of IV and SC ARGX-117. This first-in-human clinical study was a double-blind placebo-controlled study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and PD of a broad dose range of ARGX-117 in 102 healthy subjects. In the single ascending dose (SAD) part, we evaluated 70 subjects and tested up to 80 mg/kg administered IV and up to 60mg/kg administered SC. In the multiple ascending dose (MAD) part of the study, we evaluated 32 subjects to understand the safety and tolerability of repeated administrations and in particular to generate a data-set to optimally inform a PK/PD model.Empasiprubart Indications

The majority of the observed TEAEs were categorized as grade 1 (or mild). Few grade 2 (or moderate) TEAE were observed and, in the MAD part of the study, no grade 2 or higher TEAEs were observed. Overall, we concluded that single and multiple administrations of ARGX-117 or placebo have a favorable safety and tolerability profile supporting the investigation of study drug in patient studies.MMN

We observed a dose-dependent reduction of free C2 levels. After one dose of 30mg/kg ARGX-117, free C2 levels were reduced by 95% for more than 100 days. In the MAD part of the study, we could reach full complement blockade with more than 99% reduction of free C2 levels.Overview

Following analysis of Phase 1 data, and the observed favorable safety and tolerability profile and consistent PK/PD profile, we launched a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial in multifocal motor neuropathy in the fourth quarter of 2021 within our neuromuscular franchise.

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Overview of Multifocal Motor Neuropathy and Current Treatment

Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN) is a debilitating neuromuscular autoimmune disorder that is characterized by slowly progressive muscle weakness due to motor neuron degeneration. It mainly affects hands and forearms, mainly in males, and the median age of diagnosis is around 40 years. Diagnosis takes about 1.5 yearsa year and a half and is usuallyoften misdiagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There are estimated to be around 13,000 patients with MMN in the U.S. and this number is increasing.

Specific pathophysiologic characteristics of MMN include the presence of immunoglobulin M (IgM) autoantibodies against the ganglioside GM1 and conduction block, i.e., impaired propagation of action potentials along the axon. GM1 is widely expressed in the nervous system by neurons, particularly around the nodes of Ranvier, and Schwann cells.

IVIg is the only approved treatment for MMN and needs to be dosed regularlyfrequently to address the disease’s progressive nature.

Phase 1 Data

We conducted a Phase 1 healthy volunteer clinical trial of IV and SC empasiprubart. This first-in-human clinical trial was a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability, PK and PD of a broad dose range of empasiprubart in 102 healthy subjects. In the single ascending dose part, we evaluated 70 subjects and tested up to 80 mg/kg administered IV and up to 60mg/kg administered SC. In the MAD part of the clinical trial, we evaluated 32 subjects to understand the safety and tolerability of repeated administrations and in particular to generate a data-set to optimally inform a PK/PD model.

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Delayed graft function and/Table of Contents

Both single and multiple administrations of empasiprubart or allograft failureplacebo had a favorable safety and tolerability profile supporting the investigation of clinical trial drug in patient clinical trials.

AWe observed a dose-dependent reduction of free C2 levels. After one dose of 30mg/kg empasiprubart, free C2 levels were reduced by 95% for more than 100 days. In the MAD part of the clinical trial, we could reach full complement blockade with more than 99% reduction of free C2 levels.

Following analysis of Phase 1 data, and the observed favorable safety and tolerability profile and consistent PK/PD profile, we launched a Phase 2 POC clinical trial in MMN in 2021.

Interim Results Phase 2 POC ARDA clinical trial

In June 2023, argenx announced its plan to advance to a second proof-of-conceptcohort with the Phase 2 ARDA clinical trial will be initiatedof empasiprubart in MMN. This decision followed a planned interim analysis of the first dose cohort by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC) meeting.

The IDMC reviewed interim safety data from all patients (n=22) enrolled in the first cohort of the ARDA clinical trial, including nine patients who completed the full 16-week treatment period. The IDMC confirmed a favorable safety and tolerability profile of empasiprubart consistent with results from the Phase 1 clinical trial and recommended advancing to the second halfcohort. Combined with the early efficacy signals observed, supporting POC of 2022 evaluating ARGX-117empasiprubart in MMN, argenx started the second cohort of the ARDA clinical trial.

In January 2024, argenx announced positive data from the first cohort (n=22) of the Phase 2 POC ARDA clinical trial establishing POC in MMN. Empasiprubart demonstrated a 91% reduction in the need for IVIg rescue compared to placebo [HR: 0.09 95% CI (0.02; 0.044)].

In total, the preventionARDA clinical trial is expected to enroll 48 patients across two cohorts. The clinical trial’s objective, in addition to assessing safety and efficacy of delayed graft function (n) and/empasiprubart, is to populate a PK/PD model to inform the Phase 3 clinical trial dose selection.

Phase 2 ARDA Clinical Trial Design

The Phase 2 POC ARDA clinical trial is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability, efficacy, PK, PD, and immunogenicity of two dose regimens of empasiprubart in adults with MMN. The clinical trial consists of an IVIg dependency and monitoring period and two 16-week treatment cohorts of 24 MMN patients receiving empasiprubart or allograft failureplacebo in a 2x1 randomization. The dosing for Cohort 2 was established after a planned interim analysis of the first nine patients to complete the 16-week treatment period from Cohort 1. The primary endpoint is safety and tolerability. Additional endpoints include time to IVIg retreatment, biomarker analyses of C2 levels, and changes in measurements on key functional scores (modified medical research council (mMRC)-10 sum score, grip strength, MMN-RODS) as well as several patient-reported quality of life outcome measures (fatigue severity score (FSS), chronic acquired polyneuropathy patient-reported index (CAP-PRI), and values of the patient global impression change (PGIC) scale).

DGF

Overview

DGF, a complication after kidney transplantation. Thistransplantation, is defined as the need for dialysis in the first week after transplant. DGF occurs in up to 40% of kidney transplant recipients,patients receiving a deceased donor graft, and is associated with worse long-term transplant outcomes. DGF is often a resultthe clinical representation of ischemia reperfusion injury.

There is compelling evidence from kidney biopsies of mannose-binding lectin and C4d co-staining indicating involvement of bothinjury, in which the classical and lectin complement pathways making C2play an ideal target.important role, as shown by compelling evidence from both (in-house) in vitro and in vivo preclinical, and clinical trials. There are currently no approved therapies to reduce DGF risk. Furthermore, there is a well-established process to measure kidney function and DGF, and to establish proof-of-conceptPOC and achieve registration. On

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this basis, combined with the significant unmet medical need, we have chosen delayed graft function (n) and allograft failureDGF after kidney transplantation as second indication for ARGX-117.empasiprubart.

StrategyPhase 2 POC VARVARA Clinical Trial

The Phase 2 POC VARVARA clinical trial was initiated in 2023 and objectivesis a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of empasiprubart in improving allograft function in recipients at risk for DGF. The clinical trial will include approximately 102 recipients of an at-risk deceased donor kidney. After a short screening period of < 24 hours, patients are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive two doses of empasiprubart IV or placebo, of which one dose is administered during transplantation and one a week later. Participants receive standardized background induction and maintenance immunosuppression. They are evaluated for 52 weeks, with one additional safety follow-up visit in week 64. The primary endpoint is the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at six months. Key secondary endpoints include DGF risk, safety, and PK, PD and immunogenicity.

Company’s StrategiesDM

Our goalOverview

DM is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized by muscle inflammation that causes progressive muscle weakness and is associated with various characteristic skin manifestations. Histopathological findings suggest that DM is a complement-mediated disease. The most common therapy for DM is the administration of steroids. IVIg is the only approved treatment for DM.

Phase 2 POC EMPACIFIC Clinical Trial

The EMPACIFIC clinical trial is a Phase 2 POC, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of multiple dose regimens of IV empasiprubart in adults with dermatomyositis. A total of 56 adult participants with a clinical diagnosis of DM and active muscle disease will be randomized (1:1:1:1) to one of four treatment arms (three empasiprubart dose regimens and one placebo arm). Participants will receive loading doses on Days 1 and 8, followed by maintenance doses every four weeks until the end of the 52-week treatment phase. The primary objective is to deliver therapiesevaluate safety and tolerability. The secondary objective is to evaluate clinical efficacy, using the mean TIS at weeks 13, 25, and 52 as endpoint.

ARGX-119 Development

ARGX-119 is a humanized agonist mAb that are either first-in-class or best-in-classspecifically targets and activates MuSK to patients suffering frompromote maturation and stabilization of the neuromuscular hematology, dermatology and nephrology indications for which a significant unmet medical need exists.junction (NMJ). We focus on attaining this goalplan to develop ARGX-119 in a mannerrange of neuromuscular diseases including CMS, a rare hereditary subtype of MG, and ALS, both severe neuromuscular indications.

NMJs are specialized synapses formed between motor neurons and muscle cells, which are essential for the ability to move and breathe. At the NMJ, motor neurons release acetylcholine, which binds to AChRs on the muscle to initiate muscle contraction. Deficits in the NMJ can cause neuromuscular disorders, which can range in severity from mild to life-threatening skeletal muscle weakness. MuSK is an essential component for the formation and function of NMJs.

ARGX-119 is the first and highly specific agonist mAb targeting human MuSK being developed for patients with neuromuscular disease, such as CMS and ALS. This mAb is derived from llamas and discovered using the argenx SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ platform technology. We developed ARGX-119 through our IIP program in collaboration with the world leading key opinion leaders on MuSK and the neuromuscular junction, including Professor Steve Burden from NYU and Professor Verschuuren from LUMC. In collaboration with Professor Burden, it was shown that is disciplined for a company of our size. We plan to:

Execute our global launch. With the approval of VYVGART™ as the first-and-only approved neonatal FcRn blocker in the U.S and Japan, we have already taken the first steps in executing our plans for a global launch for VYVGART for the treatment of gMG. We expect the EMA’s decision on approval in the second half of 2022 and aim for further approvals in other jurisdictions in the course of the year. We have already built our commercial infrastructure to support the launch of VYVGART in the U.S. and in Japan as well as build out additional commercialization infrastructure to support a rapidly growing number of indications in the U.S., Japan, Europe and our other key territories, including Canada.
Expand applications for our lead product efgartigimod. Our goal is to maximize the commercial potential of our existing product candidates by exploring additional indications, as well as formulations that may expand the target patient populations within existing indications. We are further developing our lead product, efgartigimod, to market regulatory approval for the treatment of gMG, ITP, PV, CIDP, BP, myositis, COVID-19 mediated POTS, SjS, MN and LN. By the end of 2024, we aim to be ready for four additional commercial launches of gMG (with SC efgartigimod), ITP, PV and CIDP. We expand the use of our products and product candidates in existing indications by developing new formulations, such as a subcutaneous version of efgartigimod, that may reach

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more patient groups by capturing different patient preferences and providing additional optionality with regards to dosing.
Advance our pipeline of assets. In addition to new indications for efgartigimod, we plan to advance our other product candidates. In particular, we plan to advance the clinical development of ARGX-117 in multiple Phase 2 proof of concept trials in MMN and delayed graft function in the context of kidney transplant; to advance ARGX-119 and early stage pipeline candidates in our strategic franchise indications, the neuromuscular, hematology, dermatology and nephrology franchises; and to expand our pipeline of future product candidates through the IIP.
Leverage our suite of technologies to seek strategic collaborations and maximize the value of our pipeline. Our suite of technologies and productive discovery capabilities have yielded several potential product candidates for which we seek to capture value, while maintaining our focus and discipline. We plan to collaborate on product candidates that we believe have promising utility in disease areas or patient populations but fall outside our commercial franchises or are better served by the resources of larger biopharmaceutical companies. In addition to collaborating on our products and product candidates, we may also elect to enter into collaborations for access to partner technology platforms or capabilities from which we can develop differentiated potential pipeline assets.
Implement our “argenx 2025” vision. We hope to make efgartigimod globally available to patients across our expanding commercial franchises. We aspire to make efgartigimod either commercially available or in clinical development in fifteen active indications. We plan to make progress across our broader immunology pipeline with ARGX-117 in multiple late-stage trials and demonstrate proof-of-concept with ARGX-119. Finally, we will invest in the continued expansion of our differentiated pipeline through the IIP and aim to continue to generate one new asset into the pipeline each year.
Continue to build innovation into every step of our development, highlighted by our collaborative IIP translating immunology breakthroughs into medicines. The IIP is our core business strategy connecting the specialized insight into disease and target biology of our external scientific and academic collaborators with our unparalleled experience as antibody engineers. Co-creation has led to a deep pipeline of highly differentiated product candidates. Through the IIP, we hope to together transcend breakthrough research and publications to our ultimate and unifying mission of creating new potential treatment options for patients.

Competitive position

We participateARGX-119 holds promising preclinical POC data in Dok7 congenital myasthenic syndrome, observed in a highly innovative industry characterizedmouse model bearing the most common patient mutation and in ALS using ALS patient derived NMJ on-a-chip models. Based on these data, clinical development for ARGX-119 was initiated as activation of MuSK by a rapidly growing understanding of disease biology, quickly changing technologies, strong intellectual property barriers to entry,ARGX-119 may stabilize, mature, and a multitude of companies involved in the creation, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics. These companies are highly sophisticated and often strategically collaborate with each other.

We compete with a wide range of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, academic institutions and other research organizations for novel therapeutic antibody targets, new technologies for optimizing antibodies, talent, financial resources, intellectual property rights and collaboration opportunities. Many of our competitors and potential competitors have substantially greater scientific, research and product development capabilities as well as greater financial, manufacturing, marketing and sales and human resources than we do. In addition, there is intense competition for establishing clinical trial sites and registering patients for clinical trials. Many specialized biotechnology firms have formed collaborations with large, established companies to support the research, development and commercialization of products that may be competitive with ours. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than we may be in developing, commercializing and achieving widespread market acceptance.

Competition in the autoimmune field is intense and involves multiple monoclonal antibodies, other biologics and small molecules either already marketed or in development by many different companies including

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large pharmaceutical companies such as AbbVie Inc. (Humira/rheumatoid arthritis); Amgen Inc. (Enbrel/rheumatoid arthritis); Biogen, Inc. (Tysabri/multiple sclerosis); GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) (Benlysta/lupus); F. Hoffman-La Roche AG (Roche) (Rituxan/often used off label); and Janssen (Remicade/rheumatoid arthritis and Stelera/psoriasis). In addition, these and other pharmaceutical companies have monoclonal antibodies or other biologicsimprove the function of the NMJ in clinical development for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

In addition to the current standard of care, we are aware that AstraZeneca PLC is selling Soliris for the treatment of adult patients with gMG whoCMS or ALS, significantly reducing weakness and fatigability and improving quality of life.

A Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical trial in healthy volunteers started in 2023 and is ongoing. A Phase 1b and 2a clinical trial in CMS and ALS respectively are AChR antibody positiveplanned to start in 2024 to assess early signal detection in patients.

ARGX-109, ARGX-220, ARGX-121 and that GSK, Roche, Novartis AG, CSL Behring, Grifols, S.A., BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Curavac, UCB S.A./RA Pharma, DAS Therapeutics, Takeda, RemeGen, Immunovant, Cartesian Therapeutics, Horizon Therapeutics, AstraZeneca PLC, Chugai Pharma/Genentech, Regeneron/Alnylam and Johnson & Johnson Innovation Inc., among others, are developing drugs that may have utility for the treatment of MG. Competition for other (potential) future indications is also fierce, with significant development activities in almost all of the indications where we are currently developing or planning to develop our product or product candidates.

Our Competitive StrengthsARGX-213 Development

We believe that the combination of our technologies, expertise and focus will enable uscontinue to overcome many of the challenges associated with antibody drug development and positions us to be a leaderinvest in delivering therapies to patients suffering from severe autoimmune, neuromuscular, hematology, dermatology and nephrology diseases for which the current treatment paradigm is inadequate.

Productive discovery capabilities through our IIP fuel a deep pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates. We are advancing a deep pipeline of both clinical- and preclinical-stage product candidates for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases. Leveraging our technology suite and clinical expertise, we have advanced several candidates and believe this level of productivity affords us a breadth of options with regard to independently advancing or partnering our pipeline assets.

In November 2020, we announced the agreement to acquire an FDA Priority Review Voucher (PRV) from Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $98 million. A PRV entitles the holder to FDA priority review of a single new drug application or biologic license application (BLA), which reduces the target review time and may potentially lead to an expedited approval. We expect to redeem the PRV for a future marketing application for efgartigimod for another indication.

Immunology Innovation Program

Overview

Our IIP is a core business strategy of co-creation and innovation. The IIP also serves as our discovery engine, the IIP,to identify novel targets and together, in collaboration with our scientific and academic partners, to build potentialdrive long-term sustainable pipeline growth. Through the IIP, four new pipeline candidates. The IIP has been foundationalcandidates were nominated in building our pipeline,2023, including: ARGX-213 targeting FcRn and every current pipelinefurthering argenx’ leadership in this new class of medicine; ARGX-121 and ARGX-220, which are first-in-class targets broadening argenx’ focus across the immune system; and ARGX-109, targeting IL-6, which plays an important role in inflammation. Preclinical work is ongoing for each candidate from both our wholly-owned and partnered pipeline emerged from an IIP collaboration. As part of our long-term strategy, we have committed to continued investment in the IIP. As at the date of this Annual Report, we have executed on our commitment and aim to continue to bring forth at least one new asset per year from the IIP.

Our Suite of Technologies

Through our IIP, we collaborate with scientific and academic partners to identify immunology breakthroughs and build potential pipeline candidates. This is done through co-creation where we bring to the collaboration our unique suite of antibody engineering technologies and experience in clinical development and our partners bring a wealth of disease and target biology expertise.

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Together with our antibody discovery and development expertise, this suite of technologies has enabled us to build our broad pipeline of product candidates, across all stages of development and we believe will ensure continuous developmentexpect to file four IND applications by the end of innovative and relevant programs. Our key technologies are outlined below:2025.

Antibody Engineering and Other Technology Capabilities

Our Proprietary SIMPLE Antibody™ANTIBODY™ Platform

Our proprietary SIMPLE Antibody™ANTIBODY™ platform technology sources V-regions from conventional antibodies existing in the immune system of outbred llamas. Outbred llamas are those that have been bred from genetically diverse parents, and each has a different genetic background. The llama produces highly diverse panels of antibodies with a high human homology in their V-regions when immunized with human disease targets. We then combine these llama V-regions with Fc regions of fully human antibodies, resulting in antibodies that we then produce in industry-validated production cell lines. The resulting antibodies are diverse and, due to their similarity to human antibodies, we believe they are well suited to human therapeutic use. With this breadth of antibodies, we are able to test many different epitopes. Being able to test many different epitopes with our antibodies enables us to search for an optimized combination of safety, potency and species cross-reactivity with the potential for maximum therapeutic effect on disease. These antibodies are often cross-reactive with the rodent version of chosen disease targets. This rodent cross-reactivity enables more efficient preclinical development of our product candidates because most animal efficacy models are rodent-based. By contrast, most other antibody discovery platforms start with antibodies generated in inbred mice or synthetic antibody libraries, approaches that we believe are limited by insufficient antibody repertoires and limited diversity, respectively. Our SIMPLE Antibody™ANTIBODY™ platform technology allows us to access and explore a broad target universe, including novel and complex targets, while minimizing the long timelines associated with generating antibody candidates using traditional methods.

Our proprietary FcAntibody Engineering Technologies

OurThrough licensing we have obtained access to a broad range of antibody engineering technologies – NHance®technologies. NHANCE™, ABDEG™, POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT® and the DHS mutations focus on engineering the Fc region of antibodies, in orderwhile SMART-Ig® and ACT-Ig® technologies allow to make sweeping antibodies.

Fc engineering can augment theirantibodies interactions with components of the immune system, thereby potentially expanding the therapeutic index of our product candidates by modifying their half-life, tissue penetration, rate of disease target clearance and potency. In addition, we obtained a non-exclusive research license and option for the SMART-Ig® and ACT-Ig® technologies. For example, our NHance®NHANCE™ and ABDEG™ engineering technologies enable us to modulate the interaction of the Fc region with FcRn, which is responsible for regulating half-life, tissue distribution and pharmacodynamicPD properties of IgG antibodies. Similarly, our POTELLIGENT®the POTELLIGENT engineering technology modulates the interaction of the antibody Fc region with receptors located on specialized immune cells known as natural killer (NK) cells. These NK cells can destroy the target cell, resulting in enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). NHance®

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NHANCE™and ABDEG™: Modulation of Fc Interaction with FcRn.

An illustration of the FcRn-mediated antibody recycling mechanism is shown in figure 5.Figure 4. [1] Serum proteins, including IgG antibodies, are routinely removed from the circulation by cell uptake. [2] Antibodies can bind to FcRn, which serves as a dedicated recycling receptor in the endosomes, which have an acidic environment, and then [3A] return to the circulation by binding with their Fc region to FcRn. [3B] Unbound antibodies end up in the lysosomes and are degraded by enzymes. Because this Fc/FcRn interaction is highly pH-dependent, antibodies tightly bind to FcRn at acidic pH (pH 6.0) in the endosomes but release again at neutral pH (pH 7. 4) in the circulation.

Graphic

Figure 4: The FcRn-mediated recycling mechanism

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GraphicNHANCE™

Figure 5: The FcRn-mediated recycling mechanism

NHANCE®

NHance® NHANCE™refers to two mutations that we introduce into the Fc region of an IgG antibody. NHance®NHANCE™ is designed to extend antibody serum half-life and increase tissue penetration. In certain cases, it is advantageous to engineer antibodies that remain in the circulation longer, allowing them to potentially exert a greater therapeutic effect or be dosed less frequently. As shown in figure 6,Figure 5, [1] NHance®NHANCE™ antibodies bind to FcRn with higher affinity, specifically under acidic pH conditions. [2] Due to these tighter bonds, NHance®NHANCE™ FcRn-mediated antibody recycling is strongly favored over lysosomal degradation, although some degradation does occur. [3] NHance®NHANCE™ allows a greater proportion of antibodies to return to the circulation potentially resulting in increased bioavailability and reduced dosing frequency. ARGX-111, ARGX-109, ARGX-117empasiprubart and a number of our discovery-stage programs utilize NHance®NHANCE™.

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GraphicGraphic

Figure 65: NHANCE mutations favor the FcRn-mediated recycling of IgG antibodies.

ABDEG™

ABDEG™ refers to five mutations that we introduce in the Fc region that increase its affinity for FcRn at both neutral and acidic pH. In contrast to NHance®NHANCE™, ABDEG™-modified Fc regions remain bound to FcRn if the pH changes, occupying FcRn with such high affinity that they deprive endogenous IgG antibodies of their recycling mechanism, leading to enhanced clearance of such antibodies by the lysosomes. Some diseases mediated by IgG antibodies are directed against self-antigens. These self-directed antibodies are referred to as autoantibodies. We use our ABDEG™ technology to reduce the level of these pathogenic autoantibodies in the circulation by increasing the rate at which they are cleared by the lysosomes. ABDEG™ is a component in a number of our products and product candidates, including efgartigimod.

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As shown in figure 7,Figure 6, our ABDEG™ technology can also be used with our pH-dependent SIMPLE AntibodiesANTIBODY™ generated antibodies in a mechanism referred to as sweeping. Certain antibodies generated through the SIMPLE AntibodiesANTIBODY™ platform bind to their target in a pH-dependent manner. These antibodies [1] bind tightly to a target at neutral pH while in circulation, and [2] release the target at acidic pH in the endosome. [3] The unbound target is degraded in the lysosome. [4] However, when equipped with our ABDEG™ technology, the therapeutic antibodies remain tightly bound to FcRn at all pH levels and are not degraded themselves. Instead, they are returned to the circulation where they can bind new targets. We believe this is especially useful in situations where high levels of the target are circulating or where the target needs to be cleared very quickly from the system.

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GraphicGraphic

Figure 7:6: SIMPLE AntibodyTMANTIBODY™ and ABDEGTMABDEG™ platform technologies work in concert to sweep diseases targets.

POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT®

POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT® modulates the interaction of the Fc region with the Fc gamma receptor IIIa located on specialized immune cells, known as NK cells. These NK cells can destroy the target cell, resulting in enhanced ADCC. POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT® changes the Fc structure by excluding a particular sugar unit such that it enables a tighter fit with the Fc gamma receptor IIIa. The strength of this interaction is a key factor in determining the killing potential of NK cells. An independent publication reported that the exclusion of this sugar unit of the Fc region increases the ADCC-mediated cell-killing potential of antibodies by 10- to 1000-fold. Cusatuzumab and ARGX-111 utilize POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT® (source: Expert Opin Biol Ther 2006; 6:1161-1173; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1517/14712598.6.11.1161%20).

Chugai SMART-Ig®, ACT-Ig®and ClaytonDHS

In 2020, we entered into a research license and option agreement with Chugai under which we may access Chugai’s SMART-Ig® (“Recycling Antibody”SMART-Ig® and part of “Sweeping Antibody” technology) and ACT-Ig® (Antibody half-life extending technology)ACT-Ig®. In 2020, we also entered into a non-exclusive research agreement with the Clayton Foundation under which we may access the Clayton Foundation’s proprietary DHS mutations to extend the serum half-life of therapeutic antibodies.

SubcutaneousGenmab collaboration

In 2023, we entered into a collaboration with Genmab to jointly discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutic antibodies with applications in immunology, as well as in oncology therapeutic areas. The multiyear collaboration is expected to leverage the antibody engineering expertise and knowledge of disease biology of both companies to accelerate the identification and development of novel antibody therapeutic candidates with a goal to address unmet patient needs in immunology and cancer. Under the terms of the collaboration, argenx and Genmab each

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have access to the suites of proprietary antibody technologies of both companies to advance the identification of lead antibody candidates against differentiated disease targets.

SC drug delivery technologies

We have exclusive access to Halozyme’s ENHANZE®ENHANZE® SC drug delivery technology for the FcRn and C2 targets and four additional targets. The global collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme was announced in February 2019 and extended in October 2020. The ENHANZE® technologyENHANZE® has the potential to shorten drug administration time, reduce healthcare practitioner time, and offer additional flexibility and convenience for patients.

In addition, in April 2021, we entered into a collaboration and license agreementthe Elektrofi Agreement with Elektrofi to explore new SC formulations utilizing Elektrofi’s small volume injectionhigh concentration technology for efgartigimod, and up to one additional target.

For more information on our collaborations, see section please refer to Item 4.B. “Business Overview—Collaboration Agreements”.Agreements

Other wholly-owned IIP Programs

Cusatuzumab (formerly ARGX-110)

In June 2021, we announced that we regained worldwide rights to our anti-CD70 antibody cusatuzumab from Cilag GmbH International (Cilag).

Following termination of our collaboration, we have elected that Cilag continues to operationally support the treatment and follow-up of patients enrolled in ongoing cusatuzumab clinical trials. Cusatuzumab is being

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developed for the rare and aggressive hematological cancer AML, as well as high risk MDS. The CULMINATE trial and ELEVATE trial, described below, remain ongoing.

In January 2021, we announced interim data from the Phase 2 CULMINATE trial, evaluating cusatuzumab in combination with azacitidine in newly diagnosed, elderly AML patients who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy. The 20 mg/kg dose has been selected for ongoing and future trials. Cusatuzumab was observed to be well tolerated and the safety data were consistent with prior studies. Final results from the CULMINATE trial will be presented in a peer reviewed forum.

A set of interim data from the ELEVATE trial, which is evaluating cusatuzumab in combination with venetoclax and azacitidine in newly diagnosed, elderly patients with AML who are ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, has been presented at American Society of Hematology in December 2021. Final results from the ELEVATE trial will be presented in a peer reviewed forum.

ARGX-119

In January 2022, we announced that ARGX-119 is an antibody that targets muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MUSK), a protein located at the neuromuscular junction, in an agonistic or activating manner. We intend to develop ARGX-119 in a range of neuromuscular diseases, potentially including congenial MG, a rare hereditary subtype of myasthenia gravis, MUSK MG, a rare autoimmune subtype of myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and ALS, both rare, severe neuromuscular indications.  

ARGX-118

We have exercised our option to exclusively acquire rights to ARGX-118, a highly differentiated antibody against Galectin-10, the protein of Charcot-Leyden crystals, which are implicated as a major contributor to severe asthma and to the persistence of mucus plugs. ARGX-118 has the following differentiated features:

it acts on a novel target intended to address mucus plugging, a large unmet need in airway inflammation;
it has a unique mechanism of action with observed crystal-dissolving properties; and
its broad potential in severe airway inflammation diseases where mucus plugging plays a key role, including lung attack or asthma exacerbation, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

ARGX-118 was developed under a collaboration with VIB. Lead optimization work on ARGX-118 for airway inflammation will continue in 2022.Item 4.B. “Business Overview—License Agreements.

ARGX-120

In addition, we are developing ARGX-120, an antibody against an undisclosed target with application in autoimmune diseases.

Other Partnered Programs

See sections “Collaboration Agreements” and “License Agreements” forFor a description of collaboration and license agreements that we have entered into to further leverage our IIP, please refer to Item 4.B. “Business Overview—Collaboration Agreements” and to Item 4.B. “Business Overview—License Agreements.

Strategy and objectives

Our goal is to deliver immunology innovations that are both first-in-class and best-in-class to transform the lives of people with serious autoimmune diseases. We do this by combining our leading antibody engineering capabilities with disease biology insights from our collaborators. Within this business model we plan to:
Continue to execute our global launch in gMG. One of our goals of 2023 was to expand our global launch of VYVGART as the first approved neonatal FcRn blocker for the treatment of gMG beyond initial commercial regions of the U.S., Japan and EU. In 2023, we received approval for VYVGART in Israel (through our partner Medison), the UK, Mainland China (through our partner Zai Lab) and Canada and we aim for further approvals in additional jurisdictions. We have built our commercial infrastructure to support the commercialization of VYVGART in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada and will be prepared to expand this infrastructure to support the launch of VYVGART into new indications in some of these territories if and when we receive approval.
Expand applications for our lead product efgartigimod beyond gMG. Our goal is to maximize the commercial potential of our existing products and product candidates by exploring additional indications, as well as formulations that may expand the target patient populations within existing indications. We are further developing our lead product, efgartigimod, for the treatment of more than 10 serious autoimmune indications. We expand the use of our products and product candidates in existing indications by developing new formulations and product generations, that may reach more patient groups by capturing different patient preferences and providing additional optionality with regards to dosing.
Advance our pipeline of assets. In addition to new indications for efgartigimod, we plan to advance additional product candidates. In particular, we are advancing the clinical development of empasiprubart in MMN, DGF in the context of kidney transplants and DM. We are also advancing ARGX-119 into Phase 1b/2a clinical trials in CMS and ALS and beyond and plan to advance early-stage pipeline candidates towards IND filing by the end of 2025, as well as expand our pipeline of future product candidates through the IIP.
Leverage our suite of technologies to seek strategic collaborations and maximize the value of our pipeline.Our suite of technologies and productive discovery capabilities have yielded several potential product candidates for which we seek to capture value, while maintaining our focus and discipline. We plan to collaborate on product candidates that we believe have promising utility in disease areas or patient populations but fall outside our

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commercial franchises or are better served with the focus of a dedicated team in a spin-off company. In addition to collaborating on our products and product candidates, we may also elect to enter into collaborations for access to partner technology platforms or capabilities from which we can develop differentiated potential pipeline assets.
Continue to build innovation into every step of our development, highlighted by our collaborative IIP translating immunology breakthroughs into medicines.Our IIP is our core business strategy connecting the specialized insight into disease- and target biology of our external scientific and academic collaborators with our unparalleled experience as antibody engineers. Co-creation has led to a deep pipeline of highly differentiated product candidates. Through our IIP, we hope to together transcend breakthrough research and publications to our ultimate and unifying mission of creating new potential treatment options for patients.

Competitive position

We participate in a highly innovative industry characterized by a rapidly growing understanding of disease biology, quickly changing technologies, strong intellectual property barriers to entry, and a multitude of companies involved in the creation, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics. Many of these companies are highly sophisticated and often strategically collaborate with each other.

Competition in the autoimmune field is intense and involves multiple mAbs, other biologics and small molecules either already marketed or in development by many different companies, including large pharmaceutical companies. We compete with a wide range of biopharmaceutical companies, who are developing products for the treatment of gMG and other autoimmune diseases, including products that are in the same class as VYVGART, as well as products that are similar to some of our product candidates. We are aware of several FcRn inhibitors that are in clinical development or marketed. Competitive product launches may erode future sales of our products, including our existing products and those currently under development, or result in unanticipated product obsolescence. Such launches continue to occur, and potentially competitive products are in various stages of development. We could also face competition for use of limited international infusion sites, particularly in new markets as competitors launch new products. We cannot predict with accuracy the timing or impact of the introduction of competitive products that treat diseases and conditions like those treated by our products or product candidates. In addition, our competitors compete with us to recruit and retain qualified scientific and management personnel, establish clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, the development of our products. Please refer to Item 3.D. “Risk FactorsRisk Factors Related to Commercialization of argenx’s Products and Product Candidates, Including for New IndicationsWe face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts. for further details on the competition we face.

Manufacturing and Supply

We utilize third-party contract manufacturers who act in accordance with the FDA’s good laboratory practices (GLP) and current good manufacturing practices (cGMP)cGMPs for the manufacture of drug substance and drug product. AtWe continue to build our global network of contract manufacturers to support the datedevelopment and commercialization of this Annual Report, we contractour products. We work with Lonza teams based in Slough, the United Kingdom,UK, Portsmouth, U.S., Singapore and SingaporeVisp, Switzerland for all activities relating to the development of our cell banks, development of our manufacturing processes and the manufacturing of all drug substance, thereby using validated and scalable systems broadly accepted in our industry. In 2022, we started our collaboration with Fujifilm based in Hillerød, Denmark, for activities relating to the large-scale manufacturing of efgartigimod drug substance. We use additional contract manufacturers to fill, label, package, store and distribute investigational(investigational) drug products.

Efgartigimod, cusatuzumab, ARGX-111, ARGX-117, ARGX-119 and LP0145 are each manufactured using the System, which includes an industry-standard mammalian cell culture of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line

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that expresses the product, followed by multiple purification and filtration steps typically used in producing monoclonal antibodies. See section “Our non-exclusive license with Lonza for Multi-product GS Xceed-License”.

All of our antibodies are manufactured by starting with cells, which are stored in a cell bank. We have one master cell bank for each product manufactured in accordance with cGMP. Half of each master cell bank is stored at a separate site to ensure that, in case of a catastrophic event at one site, sufficient vials of the master cell bank would remain at the alternative storage site to continue manufacturing.

Intellectual Property

Introduction

We strive to protect and maintain exclusivity for the proprietary technologies that we believe are important to our business, includingpatients and shareholders. We are focused on pursuing and maintaining patent protection intended to cover thecore platform technologies incorporated into, or used to produce, our product candidates theand commercial products. We

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will seek protection for our innovations in key global jurisdictions. We continue to focus our exclusivity strategies on all aspects of our assets, including our compositions of matter, of our product candidates and their methods of use as well asfor our approved products, and other inventions that are important to our business. business (e.g., the patient innovations described in our product labels/product inserts and our core manufacturing technologies).

Our intellectual property portfolio continues to grow and keep pace with the innovations arising from our discovery, development, and commercial efforts. We expect the total volume of patent positions under our management to increase with each year as our pipeline evolves. We currently oversee more than 500 pending applications and granted patents. More importantly, as we continue to innovate for patients, we will work to protect our patient innovations with new intellectual property filings to enable future reinvestment for patients.

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on trademarks and trade secrets to protect aspects of our business that are not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection, including certain aspects of our llama immunization and antibody affinity maturation approaches.

Our commercial success depends in part upon our ability to obtain and maintain exclusivity, including regulatory exclusivities, patent, and other proprietary protection for commercially important technologies, inventions and know-how related to our business,business. We will defend and enforce our intellectual property rights, particularly our patent rights, and preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets and operatewhile operating without infringing valid and enforceable intellectual property rights of others. Specifically, we are materially dependent on regulatory, patent and other proprietary protection related to our core platform technologies, described in “Platform Technologies”Item 4.B. “Business OverviewIntellectual PropertyPlatform Technologies, and our product candidates, as described in “Product Candidates: Item 4.B. “Business OverviewIntellectual PropertyOur Wholly-Owned Programs”Internal Programs, and “Product Candidates: Item 4.B. “Business OverviewIntellectual PropertyOur Partnered Programs.Programs.

The patent positions for biotechnology companies like us are generally uncertain and can involve complex legal, scientific and factual issues. In addition, the coverage claimed in a patent application can be significantly reduced before a patent is issued, and its scope can be reinterpreted and even challenged after issuance. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any of our platform technologies and product candidates will be protectable or remain protected by enforceable patents. We cannot predict whether the patent applications we are currently pursuing will issue as patents in any particular jurisdiction or whether the claims of any issued patents will provide sufficient proprietary protection from competitors. Any patents that we hold may be challenged, circumvented or invalidated by third parties.

As of January 1, 2022, our patent portfolio (which includes both proprietary and in-licensed patent families) comprises approximately 300 granted patents and approximately 308 pending patent applications, including approximately 35 issued U.S. patents, approximately 15 granted European patents and approximately 250 issued patents in other jurisdictions.

Platform Technologies

With regard to our platform technologies, we own or have intellectual property rights directed to our SIMPLE Antibody™ discovery platform, the ABDEG™ and NHance® platforms and the POTELLIGENT® platform.

With regard to our SIMPLE Antibody™ discovery platform, we own a patent family containing six issued U.S. patents with composition of matter claims directed to chimeric antibodies containing variable domains comprising CDRs obtained from conventional heterotetrameric llama antibodies fused to one or more domains of a human antibody, polynucleotides encoding such chimeric antibodies, libraries of expression vectors comprising cDNA sequences encoding camelid antibodies, method claims directed to the preparation of such chimeric antibodies, and methods of modulating the binding of a human target antigen to its ligand or receptor by

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administering such a chimeric antibody. The U.S. patents are expected to expire in 2029 to 2033. In addition, the patent family contains patents that have been granted in Australia, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, Israel, India and Japan, and pending applications in China and Japan (divisional). In addition, we have a second patent family containing patents granted in the United States (two), Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, Israel, India and Japan, and one patent application pending in Canada, with composition of matter claims directed to a chimeric antibody containing variable regions with CDRs derived from a llama antibody and certain amino acid substitutions corresponding to amino acids present in a human germline variable region. The granted patents have a basic patent expiry date in 2031.

With regard to the ABDEG™ platform, we co-own with, and exclusively license from, the University of Texas, a patent family containing a granted U.S. patent with composition of matter claims directed to an isolated FcRn-antagonist comprising a variant immunoglobulin Fc region having an increased affinity for an Fc gamma receptor relative to a wild-type IgG1 Fc region, and method of use claims directed to a method of using such an FcRn-antagonist to treat certain antibody mediated disorders. The U.S. parent patent expires in 2036 (including patent term adjustment). In addition, in this patent family, we also have granted patents in Australia, China, Eurasia, Europe, Japan, Macao, Mexico, New Zealand and Singapore, and we have 13 patent applications pending in U.S. (divisional) and various other countries and regions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and South Africa. The granted patents have a basic expiry date in 2034. In addition, we own a second patent family containing pending patent applications in the United States and 15 other jurisdictions with claims directed to methods of reducing the serum levels of an Fc-containing agent in a subject by administering to the subject an FcRn-antagonist containing a variant immunoglobulin Fc region containing certain amino acid substitutions. A U.S. patent, if issued from the U.S. patent application, is expected to expire in 2036.

With regard to the NHance® platform, we have exclusively licensed from the University of Texas two U.S. patents with composition of matter claims directed to an IgG molecule comprising a variant human Fc domain, and method of use claims directed to a method of blocking FcRn function in a subject by providing to the subject such an IgG molecule. The U.S. patents are expected to expire earliest in 2027 to 2028. The patent family also includes a granted European patent.

With regard to the POTELLIGENT® platform, which is currently used in the production of our cusatuzumab product candidate, we have non-exclusively licensed from BioWa certain intellectual property rights that relate to different aspects of the POTELLIGENT® platform.

Product Candidates: Our Wholly-Owned Programs

Efgartigimod

With regard to efgartigimod, efgartigimod incorporates the ABDEG™ platform technology.

Our ARGX-117 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-117 product candidate, we own or have rights in three patent families (including one in-licensed patent family from Broteio) with several granted patents and pending patent applications in multiple jurisdictions in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, directed to composition of matter claims and method of treatment claims. The in-licensed patent family from Broteio has granted patents in Australia, China, Europe, Hong Kong, Mexico and U.S. (two issued patents in U.S.), which have a basic expiry date in 2034. The other two patent families have basic expiry dates in 2039 and 2040.

Our ARGX-119 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-119 product candidate, we in-licensed two patent families from/with NYU Langone Health, a U.S. medical center based in New York, and three patent families from/with the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), a Dutch University Hospital based in Leiden, with one U.S. granted patent and several pending applications in multiple jurisdictions.

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Our ARGX-118 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-118 product candidate, we co-own one patent family with VIB vzw (VIB), an inflammation research center in Ghent, Brussels, and Universiteit Gent, with one U.S. granted patent and pending patent applications in multiple jurisdictions in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2039.

Our Cusatuzumab Product Candidate

With regard to the cusatuzumab product candidate, we have four issued U.S. patents, and one allowed U.S. patent application, including, one U.S. granted patent with composition of matter claims directed to the cusatuzumab antibody, one U.S. granted patent with claims directed to the epitope cusatuzumab binds to, one U.S. granted patent with claims directed to a polynucleotide that encodes antibodies that bind to the epitope cusatuzumab binds to, and, one U.S. granted patent and one U.S. allowed patent application with method of use claims directed to the treatment of cancer and immunological disorders with the cusatuzumab antibody. The issued U.S. patents expire in 2032 and 2033, without taking a potential patent term extension into account. In addition, we have patents that have been granted in Australia, China, Europe, Indonesia, Israel, India, Japan and Russia and patent applications pending in Brazil and Canada. Cusatuzumab incorporates or employs the SIMPLE Antibody™ and POTELLIGENT® platform technologies.

Product Candidates: Our Partnered Programs

Our ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) product candidate, we co-own with, and exclusively license from, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Université Catholique de Louvain, a granted U.S. patent with composition of matter claims directed to an antibody that binds GARP the presence of TGF-β and method of use claims directed to the use of such an antibody in the treatment of cancer. The U.S. patent has a basic expiry date in 2034, without taking a potential patent term extension into account. In addition, the patent family contains at least 18 patent applications pending in U.S. (continuation-in-part) and various other countries and regions in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Further, we co-own with, and exclusively license from, the Université Catholique de Louvain two more patent families with composition of matter claims directed to an antibody that binds an epitope of a complex formed by human GARP and TGF-β as well as method of use claims directed to the use of such an antibody in the treatment of cancer. These two patent families have basic expiry dates in 2036 and 2038. Furthermore, ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) incorporates or employs the SIMPLE Antibody™ platform technology.

Our ARGX-109 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-109 product candidate, we have one patent family with composition of matter claims directed to ARGX-109. This patent family has granted patents in Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, U.S. and South Africa, and pending patent applications in Brazil, India and U.S. (divisional application). The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2033. Furthermore, ARGX-109 incorporates or employs the SIMPLE Antibody™ platform technology and the NHance® platform technology.

Our ARGX-112 (LP-0145) Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-112 (LP-0145) product candidate, we have one patent family with composition of matter claims directed to an antibody that binds human IL-22R. The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2037. Furthermore, ARGX-112 (LP-0145) incorporates the SIMPLE Antibody™ platform technology.

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The term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the earliest date of filing a non-provisional patent application.

In the U.S., the term of a patent covering an FDA-approved drug may be eligible for a limited patent term extension under the Hatch-Waxman Act as compensation for the loss of patent term during the FDA regulatory review process. The periodprocess as described in Item 4.B. “Business OverviewRegulationLicensure and Regulation of extension may be up to five years beyondBiologics in the expiration of the patent but cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the date of product approval. Only one patent among those eligible for an extension may be extended.U.S. Similar provisions are available in Europethe EU and in certain other jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved drug. It is possible that issued U.S. patents covering each of our product candidates may be entitled to patent term extensions. If our product candidates receive FDA approval, we intend to apply for patent term extensions, if available, to extend the term of patents that cover the approved product candidates. We also intend to seek patent term extensions in any jurisdictions where they are available, however, there is no guarantee that the applicable authorities, including the FDA, will agree with our assessment of whether such extensions should be granted, and if granted, the length of such extensions.

Trade Secret ProtectionPlatform Technologies

In additionWith regard to our platform technologies, we own or have intellectual property rights directed to our SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ discovery platform, the ABDEG™ and NHANCE™ technologies.

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With regard to our SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ discovery platform, we have a broad patent protection,portfolio providing exclusivity on the SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ platform. We expect to enjoy exclusivity under this patent portfolio until between 2029 and 2033.

With regard to the ABDEG™ platform, we co-own the technology with UT Southwestern and enjoy certain exclusive license rights. We have a broad patent portfolio covering the composition of matter and uses of certain FcRn antagonists to achieve certain biological effects. The composition of matter and other relevant patents in the U.S. expire in 2036 whereas in many other countries the base expiry date is 2034.

With regard to the NHANCE™ platform, we exclusively licensed two U.S. patents from UT Southwestern with composition of matter claims directed to an IgG molecule comprising a variant human Fc domain, and method of use claims directed to a method of blocking FcRn function in a subject by providing to the subject such an IgG molecule. The U.S. patents are expected to expire earliest in 2027 to 2028. The patent family also rely on trade secret protectionincludes a granted European patent.

Our Internal Programs

Efgartigimod

Efgartigimod incorporates the ABDEG™ platform technology. We anticipate several more patient innovations to evolve during development for which we will seek additional patent protection.

Our ARGX-109 Product Candidate

With regard to our proprietary informationwholly-owned ARGX-109 product candidate, we have one patent family with composition of matter claims directed to ARGX-109. The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2033. We anticipate several more patient innovations to evolve during development for which we will seek additional patent protection. Furthermore, ARGX-109 incorporates or employs the SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ platform technology and the NHANCE™ platform technology.

Empasiprubart Product Candidate

With regard to the empasiprubart product candidate, we own or have rights to multiple patent families (including one in-licensed patent family from Broteio) with several granted patents and pending patent applications in multiple jurisdictions in North America, South America, the EU and Asia, directed to composition of matter claims and method of treatment claims. The in-licensed patent family from Broteio has granted patents in several countries/regions and has a basic expiry date in 2034. Additional patent families have granted patents with basic expiry dates in 2039 and 2040. We anticipate several more patient innovations to evolve during development for which we will seek additional patent protection. Empasiprubart product candidate incorporates or employs the NHANCE™ platform technology.

Our ARGX-119 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-119 product candidate, we in-licensed patent families from/with NYU Langone Health, a U.S. medical center based in New York, and additional patent families from/with the LUMC, with a U.S. granted patent and several pending applications in multiple jurisdictions. We anticipate several more patient innovations to evolve during development for which we will seek additional patent protection.

Our ARGX-118 Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-118 product candidate, we co-own a patent portfolio with VIB vzw (VIB), an inflammation research center in Ghent, Brussels, and Ghent University, with one U.S. granted patent and pending patent applications in multiple jurisdictions in North America, South America, the EU and Asia. The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2039.

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Our Partnered Programs

Our Cusatuzumab (ARGX-110) Product Candidate

With regard to the cusatuzumab product candidate, we have a broad patent portfolio that is not amenableinclude claims to the composition of matter, uses of the molecule, and other important inventions. The issued U.S. patents expire in 2032 and 2033, without taking a potential patent term extension into account. Cusatuzumab incorporates or employs the SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ and POTELLIGENT® platform technologies.

Our ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) product candidate that we do not consider appropriateco-own with, and exclusively license from, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and UCL, we have a patent protection, including, for example, certain aspectsportfolio that includes a U.S. patent with a basic expiry date in 2034, without taking a potential patent term extension into account. There is a second family with meaningful patent coverage to the composition of our llama immunizationmatter and epitope claims that are expected to expire in 2036 and 2038. Furthermore, ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) incorporates or employs the SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ platform technology.

Our ARGX-112 (LP-0145) Product Candidate

With regard to the ARGX-112 (LP-0145) product candidate, we have one patent family with composition of matter claims directed to an antibody affinity maturation approaches. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information, including restricting access to our premisesthat binds human IL-22R. The patent family has a basic expiry date in 2037. Furthermore, ARGX-112 (LP-0145) incorporates the SIMPLE ANTIBODYTM platform technology.

Collaboration and our confidential information, as well as entering into agreements with our employees, consultants, advisors and potential collaborators, third parties may independently develop the same or similar proprietary information or may otherwise gain access to our proprietary information. As a result, we may be unable to meaningfully protect our trade secrets and proprietary information.

Collaboration AgreementsLicenses

We follow a disciplined strategy to maximize the value of our pipeline by planningpipeline. We plan to retain all development and commercialization rights to those products and product candidates that we believe we can ultimately commercialize successfully, if approved.

We have partnered, and plan to continue to partner, to develop products and product candidates that we believe have promising utility in disease areas or have patient populations that may benefit from resources of other biopharmaceutical companies. We expect to continue to collaborate selectively with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to leverage our platform technology and accelerate product candidate development.

We are also party to several license agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property to third parties. We have also entered into several license agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property from third parties. License agreements can relate to research and development and/or commercialization of the relevant product candidates (and technologies) or products. The licensed intellectual property covers some of our product candidates and some of the antibody engineering technologies that we use. Some of these licenses impose various diligence and financial payment obligations on us. We expect to continue to enter into these types of license agreements in the future.

We have entered into multiple collaboration agreements with pharmaceutical partners which areand license agreements, as described below.

Our Strategic PartnershipCollaboration with AbbVie for ARGX-115 (ABBV-151)Shire

In April 2016,February 2012, we entered into a collaboration agreement with AbbVie S.Á.R.L.Shire AG (AbbVieShire), now known as Shire International GmbH) to discover, develop and commercialize ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) as a cancer immunotherapynovel human therapeutic antibodies against the novel target GARP (the up to three targets to address diverse, rare and unmet diseases (AbbVieShire Collaboration Agreement). ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) employs our SIMPLE Antibody™ technology and works by stimulating a patient’s immune system after a tumor has suppressedPursuant to the immune system by co-opting immunosuppressive cells such as Tregs. Under the terms of the AbbVieShire Collaboration Agreement, we are responsible for conducting and funding all ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) research and development activities up to completion of IND-enabling studies.

Wethrough a specified period, we have granted AbbVieShire an exclusive option, foragainst payment of a one-time option fee, to obtain all right, title and interest in any antibodies discovered under the collaboration. If Shire does not exercise its option with respect to any discovered antibody within a specified period, following completion of IND-enabling studies,we are free to obtain a worldwide, exclusive license to the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) program to develop and commercialize products. Following the exercise of the option, AbbVie will be subject to diligence obligations in respect of continuation of development and commercialization of the licensed product(s), and AbbVie will be solely responsible for all research, development and regulatory costs relating to the products.

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In August 2018, AbbVie exercised its option to develop and commercialize ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) and has now assumed development obligations, including the sole responsibility for all research, development and regulatory costs relating to ARGX-115 (ABBV-151)-based products. Subjectantibodies in relation to the continuing progressapplicable clinical trial target, subject to negotiation of ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) by AbbVie,a license from Shire.

OncoVerity for cusatuzumab

In 2022, we, are eligible to receivethe University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the University of Colorado Health (UCHealth) created an asset-centric spin-off, OncoVerity, Inc (OncoVerity), focused on optimizing and advancing the development regulatory and commercial milestone paymentsof cusatuzumab, a novel anti-CD70 antibody, in aggregate amountsAML. OncoVerity is an entity of up to $110.0 million, $190.0 million and $325.0 million, respectively, as well as tiered royalties on product sales at percentages rangingco-creation, combining the extensive translational biology insights from Dr. Clayton Smith, M.D. from the mid-single digits to the lower teens, subject to customary reductions.

Pursuant to the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement, we have the right, on a product-by-product basis, to co-promote ARGX-115 (ABBV-151)-based products in the EEA and Switzerland and to combine the productUniversity of Colorado with our own future oncology programs (if any). The co-promotion effort would be governed by a co-promotion agreement negotiated in good faith by the parties.

Unless earlier terminated upon mutual agreement, for material breach or as otherwise specified in the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement, the term of the option and license agreement ends, with respect to the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) program, upon the earliest of (i) a technical failure of the IND-enabling studies which is outside of our control, (ii) AbbVie's election to not exercise its option, or (iii) following AbbVie's exercise of the option, fulfilment of all payment obligations under the agreement.

AbbVie may terminate the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement for any reason upon prior written notice to us. AbbVie's royalty payment obligations expire, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis,experience on the date that is the later of (i) such time as there are no valid claims covering such product, (ii) expiration of regulatory or market exclusivity in respect of such product or (iii) ten years after the first commercial sale of such product sold in that country under the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement.

Our Strategic Partnership with Zai Lab for efgartigimodCD70/CD27 pathway.

In January 2021,2023, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Zai Lab, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, relating to an exclusive out-license for the development and commercialization of efgartigimod in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau (the Zai Lab Agreement). Pursuant to the Zai Lab Agreement, Zai Lab obtains the exclusive right to develop and commercialize efgartigimod in Greater China. Zai Lab will also contribute Chinese patients to our global Phase 3 trials of efgartigimod. Additionally, the Zai Lab Agreement is expected to accelerate efgartigimod global development by initiating multiple Phase 2 proof-of-concept trials in new autoimmune indications under our supervision. In particular, Zai Lab will launch proof-of-concept trials in two new kidney conditions in 2022: LN and MN.

Pursuant to the Zai Lab Agreement, we have received $150.0 million in collaboration payments, comprised of a $75.0 million upfront payment in the form of 568,182 newly issued shares in Zai Lab at a price of $132.00 per share, and a $75.0 million as a guaranteed non-creditable, non-refundable development cost-sharing payment, and we triggered an additional $25.0 million milestone payment following the approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. We are also eligible to receive tiered royalties (mid-teen to low-twenties on a percentage basis) based on annual net sales of efgartigimod in Greater China.

Our Collaboration with Genor Biopharma for ARGX 109

In October 2012, we entered intogranted an exclusive license agreementfor cusatuzumab to OncoVerity and provided, together with Bird Rock Bio,a joint venture of UCHealth and University License Equity Holdings, Inc. (Bird Rock Bio, formerly known as RuiYi Inc. and Anaphore, Inc.), to develop and commercialize ARGX-109, which employs our SIMPLE Antibody™ and NHance® technologies and blocks interleukin 6 (IL 6), a cell signaling protein that is an important driveron the University of inflammatory response implicatedColorado Anschutz Medical Campus, $26.0 million in the transition from acute to chronic inflammation. In 2018, we and Bird Rock Bio mutually agreed to terminate this exclusive license agreement. Following the terminationfunding for ongoing clinical development of our agreement with Bird Rock Bio, we agreed a direct licensing agreement with Genor Biopharma Co. Ltd (Genor Biopharma) and Genor Biopharma continues to develop ARGX-109 for the Chinese market.cusatuzumab.

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Our Strategic Partnership with LEO Pharma for LP0145ARGX-112 (LP0145)

In May 2015, we entered into a collaboration agreement with LEO Pharma A/S (LEO Pharma) to develop and commercialize LP0145ARGX-112 (LP0145) for the treatment of dermatologic indications involving inflammation (the (LEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement). LP0145ARGX-112 (LP0145) employs our SIMPLE Antibody™ANTIBODY™ technology and blocks the interleukin-22 receptor (IL-22R)IL-22R in order to neutralize the signaling of cytokines implicated in autoimmune diseases of the skin. Pursuant to the LEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement, LEO Pharma funded more than half of all product development costs up to CTA approval of a first product in a Phase 1 clinical trial, with our share of such costs capped, which was achieved in April 2018. Since then, LEO Pharma has been solely responsible for funding the clinical development of the program. In May 2021, CTA approval of a Phase 2a clinical trial for LP0145 was received.

Up through specified periods,In September 2022, LEO Pharma, may, against payment of an option fee to us, exercise anexercised its option to obtain, and was granted an exclusive, worldwide license to further develop and commercialize ARGX-112 against payment of a product, following which€5.0 million option fee to us. LEO Pharma will assumeassumed full responsibility for the continued development, manufacture and commercialization of such product and beis subject to diligence obligations in respect of continuation of development and commercialization of such product. We are eligible to receive additional development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments in aggregate amount of up to €120.0 million, as well as tiered royalties on product sales at percentages ranging from the low single digits to the low teens, subject to customary reductions.

If the option is not exercised, if LEO Pharma does not meet agreed development diligence obligations within a specified time, or if the LEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement is terminated other than for reasons of our breach or insolvency, we have the right to develop and commercialize LP0145 alone, subject to our obligation to pay LEO Pharma low-single digit percentage royalties on net sales of any product covered by any LEO Pharma patents, know-how or rights in research results generated under the collaboration.

Unless earlier terminated, the term of the LEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement ends upon the later of (i) the expiration of the option period, (ii) the expiration of the last license granted under the agreement, and (iii)(ii) the fulfilment of all payment obligations under the agreement. LEO Pharma may terminate the LEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement for any reason upon prior written notice to us. LEO Pharma'sPharma’s royalty payment obligations expire, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, upon the later of (i) a time when no valid claims covering such product, and (ii) (a) in major market countries with no composition of matter patent covering such product, the expiration of the data exclusivity period or (b) in countries that are not major market countries, a double-digit number of years after the first commercial sale of such product sold in that country.

In 2021, we signed two amendmentsOur Strategic Partnership with Zai Lab for efgartigimod

Pursuant to the LEO Pharma CollaborationZai Lab Agreement, to extend LEO Pharma’s option period with six months, to allow LEO Pharma to undertake chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) development work in advance ofZai Lab obtained the exercise by LEO Pharma of its option, and updating the provisions regarding the management of patents.

Our Research Collaboration with Staten for STT-5058

In January 2015, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Staten Biotechnology B.V. (Staten)exclusive right to develop and commercialize productsefgartigimod in Greater China. Zai Lab will also contribute patients to our global Phase 3 clinical trials of efgartigimod. Additionally, the areacollaboration with Zai Lab is expected to accelerate efgartigimod global development by initiating multiple Phase 2 POC clinical trials in new autoimmune indications under our supervision; first indications for such POC clinical trials are kidney conditions LN and MN.

Pursuant to the Zai Lab Agreement, we have received value worth $175.0 million from the Zai Lab Payments. We are also eligible to receive tiered royalties (mid-teen to low-twenties on a percentage basis) based on annual net sales of dyslipidemia therapy (the Staten Collaboration Agreement). The parties sought to discover and characterize antibodies against a human target with therapeutic relevanceefgartigimod in the field of dyslipidemia and / or cardiovascular disease and commence further research programs for targets with therapeutic relevance in these areas. The first research program under the Staten Collaboration Agreement identified STT-5058 for the treatment of dyslipidemia as the initial product candidate. STT-5058 employs our SIMPLE Antibody™ technology and blocks APOC3, a metabolic target involved in triglyceride metabolism. Staten initiated dosing in first-in-human clinical trial of STT-5058. Staten exercised its exclusive option to license STT-5058 in March 2017.Greater China.

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Pursuant to the Staten Collaboration Agreement, the parties were and are jointly responsible for conducting research under a mutually agreed research plan, with Staten reimbursing us for all costs of carrying out our research responsibilities under each research program. Staten is responsible for additional clinical development.

On a research program-by-research program basis, we have granted Staten an option to obtain an exclusive, worldwide, permanent license to research, develop and commercialize products identified in that program within a specified period of time. If Staten exercises this option for a product (as it has for STT-5058), it will be obligated to pay us a percentage of any payments payable to or on behalf of Staten’s shareholders in certain events, including the change of control, any licensing, sale, disposition or similar transaction of such product, or otherwise from the research, development or commercialization of that product, in each case, depending on the stage of development and ranging up to the low-twenties, subject to downward proportional adjustment in the event a portion of the proceeds from the applicable transaction does not include payment for such product candidate. Staten is under the diligence obligation to continue to develop and commercialize at least one product during the term of the Staten Collaboration Agreement.

The Staten Collaboration Agreement ended automatically in 2021. In addition, we terminated the research program in connection with the Staten Collaboration Agreement since no targets have been selected within 24 months of the effective date of the relevant research program agreement, other than the target selected for the STT-5058 research program.

Our Strategic CollaborationPartnership with ShireAbbVie for ARGX-115 (ABBV-151)

In February 2012,April 2016, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Shire AG (Shire, now known as Shire International GmbH)AbbVie to discover, develop and commercialize ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) as a cancer immunotherapy against the novel human therapeutic antibodies against up to three targets to address diverse, rare and unmet diseasestarget glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) (the ShireAbbVie Collaboration Agreement). Pursuant toARGX-115 (ABBV-151) employs our SIMPLE ANTIBODY™ technology and works by stimulating a patient’s immune system after a tumor has suppressed the Shireimmune system by co-opting immunosuppressive cells such as regulatory T cells. Under the terms of the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement, we were responsible for any target selected for study under the collaboration, the parties worked together to conductconducting and funding all ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) research and development through discoveryactivities up to completion of antibodies with certain specificity forIND enabling clinical trials.

AbbVie has exercised its option and functional activity against those targets.

Up throughobtained a specified period, we have granted Shire anworldwide, exclusive option, against payment of a one-time option fee,license to obtain all right, title and interest in any antibodies discovered under a study andthe ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) program to obtain an exclusive, worldwide license under our intellectual property which is necessary to further develop and commercialize products incorporating such antibodies. Following such exercise, Shireand has assumed development obligations, including the diligence obligationsole responsibility for all research, development and regulatory costs relating to continueARGX-115 (ABBV-151)-based products. Subject to develop and commercialize at least one licensed product.

Shire may exercise exclusive optionsthe continuing progress of ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) by AbbVie, we are eligible to develop and commercialize programs arising under our expanded agreement against an option fee. In July 2018, Shire exercised such an exclusive option to in-license an antibody discovered and developed using our licensed technologies, triggering a milestone payment by Shire to us.

In addition to option fees, Shire is obligated to pay us on a per-product basis upon achievement of specifiedreceive development, regulatory and commercial milestones and a percentage of net sales as a royalty. Accordingly, we are eligible to receivemilestone payments in aggregate amounts of up to $3.8$110 million, $4.5$190 million and $22.5$325 million, upon achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, respectively, for aas well as tiered royalties on product generated against one ofsales at percentages ranging from the three initial targets named inmid-single digits to the Shire Collaboration Agreement. For products generated against additional targets, development and regulatory milestone payments remain the same, and we are eligible to receive payments in aggregate amounts of up to $60.0 million for achievement of commercial milestones. The royalties payable to us are tiered, single digit and arelower teens, subject to customary reductions.

If Shire does not exercise its option with respect to any discovered antibody within a specified period, we are free to research, develop and commercialize antibodies in relationPursuant to the applicable study target, subject to negotiation of a license from Shire for the use of any antibodies that were discovered during the applicable study, or any Shire confidential information, Shire intellectual property or Shire’s interest in any joint intellectual property. If (a) Shire (i) does not exercise its option, or (ii) exercises its option but later abandons development of such antibody or (iii) the ShireAbbVie Collaboration Agreement, iswe have the right, on a product-by-product basis, to co-promote ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) based products in the EEA and Switzerland and to combine the product with our own future oncology programs (if any). The co-promotion effort would be governed by a co-promotion agreement negotiated in good faith by the parties.

Unless earlier terminated other thanupon mutual agreement, for ourmaterial breach or insolvency, and

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(b) Shire is no longer pursuing a development programthe license agreement ends, with respect to the applicable study target, we may elect to continue the developmentARGX-115 (ABBV-151) program, upon fulfilment of such antibody at our sole cost and expense, subject to negotiation of a license from Shire under which Shire will receive either specified royalties, if we commercialize the program ourselves, or a percentage of sublicensing revenues, if the program is subsequently sublicensed to a third party.

Unless earlier terminated, the collaboration term ends with the expiry of the last royalty termall payment obligations under the Shireagreement.

AbbVie may terminate the AbbVie Collaboration Agreement. EachAgreement for any reason upon prior written notice to us. AbbVie’s royalty term expires,payment obligations expire, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, on the date that is the later of (i) such time as there are no valid claims covering such product, (ii) expiration of regulatory or (ii) tenmarket exclusivity in respect of such product or (iii) 10 years after the first commercial sale of such product sold in that country under the ShireAbbVie Collaboration Agreement. Shire may terminate the agreement for any reason upon prior written notice to us.

Our Strategic Partnership with Janssen for cusatuzumab

In December 2018, we entered into a collaboration agreement with Cilag, an affiliate of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Janssen), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, to jointly develop and commercialize cusatuzumab (the Janssen Collaboration Agreement).

We were notified of Janssen’s decision to discontinue the collaboration agreement during a regularly scheduled steering committee meeting on June 4, 2021. Following termination of our collaboration, we have elected that Cilag continue to operationally support the treatment and follow-up of patients enrolled in ongoing cusatuzumab clinical trials. See “Immunology Innovation Program”.

License Agreements

We are party to several license agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property to third parties. We have also entered into several license agreements under which we license patents, patent applications and other intellectual property from third parties. License agreements can relate to research and development and/or commercialization of the relevant product candidates (and technologies) or products. The licensed intellectual property covers some of our product candidates and some of the Fc engineering technologies that we use. Some of these licenses impose various diligence and financial payment obligations on us. We expect to continue to enter into these types of license agreements in the future.

Our Exclusive License with Elektrofi for efgartigimod

In April 2021, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement the Elektrofi Agreementwith Elektrofi to explore new SC formulations utilizing Elektrofi’s high concentration technology for therapeutic products directed at the human FcRn, including efgartigimod, and up to one additional target (the Elektrofi Agreement).target. The Elektrofi-enabled formulations are aimed to promote additional optionality for patients through at-home and self-administration capabilities.

Under the terms of the Elektrofi Agreement, we will makemade an upfront payment and future milestones payments across both targets pending achievement of pre-defined development, regulatory, and commercial milestones. Elektrofi will also receive a mid-single digit royalty on sales of commercialized products.

Our collaboration with Genmab

In 2023, we entered into a collaboration with Genmab to jointly discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutic antibodies with applications in immunology, as well as in oncology therapeutic areas. The multiyear collaboration is expected to leverage the antibody engineering expertise and knowledge of disease biology of both companies to accelerate the identification and development of novel antibody therapeutic candidates with a goal to address unmet patient needs in immunology and cancer. Under the terms of the collaboration, we and Genmab each have access to the suites of proprietary antibody technologies of both companies to advance the identification of lead antibody candidates against differentiated disease targets.

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Our Non-Exclusive Research License and Option Agreement with Chugai for SMART-lgSMART-Ig® and ACT-lgACT-Ig®

In September 2020, we entered into a non-exclusive research license and option agreement with Chugai, Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Chugai) allowing us to access Chugai’s SMART-lgSMART-Ig® and ACT-lgACT-Ig® Fc engineering technologies for conducting feasibility studies.clinical trials. These technologies are designed to enable us to make sweeping antibodies and expand the therapeutic index of our product candidates, which is the ratio between toxic and therapeutic dose, by potentially modifying their half‑life,half-life, tissue penetration, rate of disease target clearance and potency.

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Our Non-exclusive License with the Clayton Foundation for DHS mutations

In October 2020, we entered into a non-exclusive research agreement with the Clayton Foundation relating to the non-exclusive in-license for the Clayton Foundation’s proprietary DHS mutations to extend the serum half-life of therapeutic candidates.

Our Exclusive License with Halozyme for ENHANZE®

In February 2019, we entered into an in-license agreement with Halozyme Inc. (Halozyme) for the use of certain patents, materials and know-how owned by Halozyme and relating to its ENHANZE® technology (ENHANZE®), for application in the field of prevention and treatment of human diseases (the ENHANZE®License Agreement). Pursuant to the ENHANZE® License Agreement, we were granted exclusive rights to apply ENHANZE® to biologic products against pre-specified targets, in order to research, develop and commercialize SC formulations of our therapeutic antibody-based product candidates.

Our first therapeutic target for which we have received an exclusive license from Halozyme iswas FcRn, which allows us to apply ENHANZE® to efgartigimod and any other product candidates selective and specific for FcRn. Moreover, the breadth of our exclusive license to FcRn precludes either Halozyme itself or any of its current or future partners from utilizing ENHANZE® in the context of an FcRn-targeted product. Our second therapeutic target for which we received an exclusive license from Halozyme iswas human C2 associated with the product candidate ARGX-117,empasiprubart, which is being developed to treat severe autoimmune diseases. Pursuant to the ENHANZE® License Agreement, we also have the right to nominate future targets for an exclusive ENHANZE® license if the target in question has not already been licensed by Halozyme or is not already being pursued by Halozyme.

In October 2020, we expanded our collaboration with Halozyme for ENHANZE® drug delivery technology to include three additional exclusive targets upon nomination bringing the total to six potential targets. From the effective date of the ENHANZE® License Agreement, we have a four-yearseven-year period in which to conduct research and preclinical studiestrials on other target-specific molecules in combination with ENHANZE® and may nominate a maximum of oneup to four additional targettargets we have not yet nominated for an exclusive commercial license duringlicense.

Pursuant to the four-year term.ENHANZE® License Agreement, we have the right to grant sublicenses to our subsidiaries and to third parties both for research/preclinical work (for example, to subcontractors) and for development and commercialization. Halozyme provides dedicated specialist support to us which it has accrued over 10 years of licensing ENHANZE® to its collaborators.

In return for achieving the first patient dosed for efgartigimod -113 Ph3 for ITP we made a $15 million milestone payment in February 2021. Upon nomination of any future target for an exclusive commercialization license and confirmation by Halozyme that such a license is available, we will pay $10$12.5 million to Halozyme per target. We will be obligated to pay clinical development, regulatory and commercial milestones totaling $160$160.0 million for the first product that uses ENHANZE® and is specific for a given target. Throughout the term of the ENHANZE® License Agreement, we must provide Halozyme on an annual basis a guidance forecast setting out all projected milestone payments for products for the following four calendar quarters. We are also obligated to pay Halozyme a percentage of net sales as a royalty of any licensed product that uses ENHANZE®. This royalty varies with net sales volume, ranging from the low to mid-single digits, and it isdigits. The royalty obligations may be reduced by up to 50% under different circumstances including the requirement of a maximumcompulsory license from a government, the need to secure third-party licenses to enable sales of 50% if following ten years fromour products using the first commercial saleENHANZE® technology, and/or the lack of the productpatent coverage in a country, the last valid claim within the licensed ENHANZE® patent(s) expires.particular country. We have diligence obligations with respect to the continuation of development and commercialization of product candidates, but we are not obligated to utilize ENHANZE® for every product candidate directed to a given exclusive target(s).

In October 2020, we have expanded our collaboration with Halozyme for ENHANZE® drug delivery technology to include three additional exclusive targets upon nomination bringing the total to six potential targets.75

Pursuant to the ENHANZE® License Agreement, we have the right to grant sublicenses to our subsidiaries and to third parties both for research/preclinical work (for example, to subcontractors) and for development and commercialization. Halozyme has no rights to anyTable of our current or future product candidates which use ENHANZE®. Halozyme provides dedicated specialist support to us which it has accrued over ten years of licensing ENHANZE® to its collaborators.Contents

We may terminate the ENHANZE® License Agreement at any time, either in its entirety or on a target-by-target basis, by sending Halozyme prior written notice. Absent early termination, the ENHANZE® License Agreement will automatically expire upon the expiry of our royalty payment obligations under the agreement. In

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the event the ENHANZE® License Agreement is terminated for any reason, the license granted to us would terminate but Halozyme would grant our sublicensees a direct license following such termination. In the event the ENHANZE® License Agreement is terminated other than for our breach, we would retain the right to sell licensed products then on hand for a certain period of time post-termination.

Our non-executive director James M. Daly is also a non-executive member of the board of directors of Halozyme. Despite this, our entering into the ENHANZE® License Agreement with Halozyme was not a related party transaction in accordance with IAS 24 - Related Party Disclosures, since Mr. Daly, in his role as non-executive director, does not control or have significant influence over argenx or Halozyme. Mr. Daly did not participate in any discussions and decision making relating to the ENHANZE® License Agreement. Consequently, no further disclosures regarding Halozyme have been added in “Related Party Transactions”.

Our Exclusive License with AgomAbAgomab Therapeutics NV (Agomab) for ARGX-114 (AGMB-101)

In March 2019, we entered into an exclusive out-license with AgomAb Therapeutics NV (AgomAb)Agomab for the use of certain patentspatent rights relating to our proprietary suite of technologies for the development and commercialization of a series of agonistic anti-METanti-mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) SIMPLE Antibodies,ANTIBODYTM generated antibodies, including ARGX-114 (AGMB-101), an HFG-mimetic SIMPLE Antibody™a halofuginone-mimetic antibody directed against the MET receptor. AgomAbAgomab is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize at least one licensed product. In connection with our entry into this agreement, we received a profit-sharing certificate which entitles us to 20% of all distributions to AgomAb’sAgomab’s shareholders (which shall be reduced to 10% following the filing of an investigational new drug (IND) and is subject to further adjustment upon the occurrence of certain financings). Upon the occurrence of a qualified initial public offeroffering of AgomAb,Agomab, the profit-sharing certificate will automatically be converted into the equivalent number of ordinary shares in AgomAb.Agomab. This agreement is subject to mutual termination for material breach or insolvency and automatically expires upon the expiration of the last to expire of our licensed patent rights.

Our Exclusive License with Broteio for ARGX-117empasiprubart

In March 2017, we entered into a collaboration with Broteio in connection with our immunology innovation program,IIP, to develop an antibody against a novel target in the complement cascade, ARGX-117 (the empasiprubart (Broteio Agreement). Under the terms of the Broteio Agreement, we and Broteioare jointly developeddeveloping the complement-targeted antibody to seek to establish preclinical proof-of-conceptPOC using our proprietary suite of technologies. Upon successful completion of these studies,clinical trials, we exercised an exclusive option to in-license the program in March 2018 and assumed responsibility for further development and commercialization. Pursuant to the Broteio Agreement, we are obligated to make milestone payments upon the occurrence of certain development milestones (up to an aggregate of €4.0 million), commercialization milestones (up to an aggregate of €10.0 million) and pay tiered royalties on net sales in the low single digits. We may terminate the Broteio Agreement for convenience upon 90 days prior written notice. The Broteio Agreement is also subject to mutual termination for material breach or insolvency and automatically expires upon the expiration of our financial obligations thereunder.

Our Exclusive License with VIB for ARGX-118

In November 2016, we entered into a collaboration under our immunology innovation programIIP with VIB vzw (VIB) to develop antibodies against Galectin-10, the protein of Charcot-Ley-den Crystals, which play a major role in severe asthma and the persistence of mucus plugs, including ARGX-118 (the (VIB Agreement). Pursuant to the VIB Agreement, we and VIBare jointly developeddeveloping antibodies against Galectin-10 using our proprietary suite of technologies. Upon successful completion of this initial research, we exercised an exclusive option to in-license the program and assumed responsibility for further development and commercialization. Under the VIB Agreement, including as amended in November 2018, we are obligated to make milestone payments upon the occurrence of certain development milestones (up to an aggregate of €4.0 million), commercialization milestones (up to an aggregate of €11.0 million) and pay tiered royalties on net sales in the low single digits. We may terminate the VIB Agreement for convenience upon 90 days prior written notice. The VIB Agreement is also subject to mutual termination for material breach, insolvency or certain patent challenges and automatically expires upon the expiration of VIB'sVIB’s licensed patent rights.

Our Exclusive License with the University of Texas for NHANCE™ and ABDEG™

In February 2012, we entered into an exclusive in-license with the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (UT BoR) for the use of certain patent rights relating to the NHANCE™ platform for any use worldwide (the

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Our Exclusive License with the University of Texas for NHance® and ABDEG™

In February 2012, we entered into an exclusive in-license with The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System (UoT) for use of certain patents rights relating to the NHance® platform for any use worldwide (the UoTUT Agreement). The UoTUT Agreement was amended on December 23, 2014 to also include certain additional patent rights relating to the ABDEG™ platform. Upon commercialization of any of our products that use the in-licensed patent rights, we will be obligated to pay UoT UT BoRa percentage of net sales as a royalty until the expiration of any patents covering the product. This royalty varies with net sales volume and is subject to an adjustment for royalties we receive from a sublicensee of our rights under the UoTUT Agreement, but in any event does not exceed 1%. In addition, we must make annual license maintenance payments to UoTUT BoR until termination of the UoTUT Agreement and we have assumed certain development and commercial milestone payment and reimbursement obligationsobligations. We also have diligence requirements with respect to development and commercialization of products which use the in-licensed patent rights.

Pursuant to the UoTUT Agreement, we may grant sublicenses to third parties. If we receive any non-royalty income in connection with such sublicenses, we must pay UoTUT BoR a percentage of such income varying from low-middle single digits to middle-upper single digits depending on the nature of the sublicense. Such fees are waived if a sublicensee agrees to pay the milestone payments as set forth in the UoTUT Agreement.

We may unilaterally terminate the UoTUT Agreement for convenience upon prior written notice. Absent early termination, the UoTUT Agreement will automatically expire upon the expiration of all issued patents and filed patent applications within the patent rights covered by the UoTUT Agreement. Our royalty payment obligations expire, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, at such time as there are no valid claims covering such product.

Our Non-Exclusive License with BioWa and Non-Exclusive Commercial Licenses with BioWa and Lonza for POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT®

In October 2010, we entered into a non-exclusive in-licenselicense agreement with BioWa, Inc. (BioWa) for the use of certain patents and know-how owned by BioWa and relating to its POTELLIGENT® platform technology, for use in the field of prevention and treatment of human diseases (the POTELLIGENT® LicenseBioWa Agreement). Pursuant to the POTELLIGENT® LicenseBioWa Agreement, we are granted a non-exclusive right to use POTELLIGENT® to research develop and commercializedevelop antibodies and products containing such antibodies using POTELLIGENT®.

In 2013 and 2014, we entered into non-exclusive license agreements for POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV with BioWa retains a right of first negotiationand Lonza for the exclusive right to developfurther development, manufacturing and commercialize, in certain countries only, any product we develop using POTELLIGENT®. We successfully applied POTELLIGENT® to cusatuzumab, an anti-CD70 mAb,commercialization of ARGX-110 and ARGX-111, an anti-c-Met mAb, under the respectively (the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement.Agreements).

Upon commercialization of our products developed using POTELLIGENT®POTELLIGENT®, we will be obligated to pay BioWa and Lonza a percentage of net sales of a licensed product as a royalty. This royalty varies with net sales volume, ranging in the low single digits, and it is reduced by half if during the following ten10 years from the first commercial sale of the product in a country the last valid claim within the licensed patent(s) that covers the product expires or ends. In addition, we must make annual research license maintenance payments which cease with commencement of our royalty payments to BioWa. We have diligence requirements with respect to the continuation of development and commercialization of products. We have also assumed certain development, regulatory and commercial milestone payment obligations and must report on our progress toward achieving these milestones on an annual basis. Milestones to BioWa are to be paid on a commercial target-by-commercial target basis, and we are obligated to make milestone payments in aggregate amounts of up to $36.0 million per commercial target should we achieve annual global sales of over $1.0 billion.

Pursuant to the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement,Agreements, we have the right to grant sublicenses to third parties. BioWa retains a right of first negotiation for the exclusive right to develop and commercialize, in certain countries only, any product we develop using POTELLIGENT®.

We may terminate the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement Agreementsat any time by sending BioWa and Lonza prior written notice. Absent early termination, the POTELLIGENT® License AgreementAgreements will automatically expire upon the

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expiry of our royalty obligations under the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement.Agreements. In the event thea POTELLIGENT® License Agreement is terminated for any reason, the license granted to us would terminate but BioWa would grant our

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sublicensees a direct license following such termination. In the event the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement is terminated other than for our breach or insolvency, we would retain the right to sell licensed products then on hand for a certain period of time post-termination.

Our Non-Exclusive Licenses with BioWa and Lonza for POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV

To scale up production of our product candidates cusatuzumab and ARGX-111 for clinical trial and commercial supply, we required a license to a GMP cell line in which POTELLIGENT® antibodies could be expressed. This cell line, POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV, was jointly developed by BioWa and Lonza. In December 2013 and August 2014, respectively, we entered into non-exclusive commercial in-license agreements for cusatuzumab and ARGX-111 with BioWa and Lonza Sales AG (Lonza) for the use of certain patents and know-how relating to the POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV technology, which is a combination of Lonza’s GS system and BioWa’s POTELLIGENT® platform technology, for use in the field of prevention and treatment of human diseases. Under the terms of each commercial license, we received a non-exclusive right to research, develop and commercialize products containing an antibody generated specifically against a specific target using POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV, namely the target CD70 in the case of cusatuzumab and c-Met in the case of ARGX-111. Both targets are designated as reserved targets under the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement, which continues to govern our research, development and commercialization of products utilizing POTELLIGENT®. Under the terms of each commercial license, BioWa retains a right of first negotiation for the exclusive right to develop and commercialize, in certain countries only, any product we develop using POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV. This right of first negotiation is not applicable in cases where we intend to grant a global license to a third party to develop and commercialize a product. BioWa retains a right of first negotiation for the exclusive right to develop and commercialize our anti-c-Met antibody ARGX-111, in certain countries only.

Upon commercialization of our products developed using POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV, we will be obligated to pay both BioWa and Lonza a percentage of net sales as a royalty. We are required to pay a royalty to BioWa on net sales for any specific licensed product under only one license – either the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement or the agreement in relation to POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV, but not both. The BioWa royalty is tiered, ranging in the low single digits and is reduced by half if during the following ten years from the first commercial sale of the product in a country the last valid claim within the licensed BioWa patent(s) that covers the product expires or ends. The Lonza royalty varies based on whether the product is manufactured by Lonza, us or a third party, but in any event is in the low single digits and is reduced by half if during the following ten years from the first commercial sale of the product in a country the last valid claim within the licensed Lonza patent(s) that covers the product expires or ends. In addition, we must make annual commercial license maintenance payments to BioWa on a per product basis which cease with commencement of payment of the BioWa royalty for the respective product, and annual payments to Lonza in the event that any product is manufactured by a party other than Lonza, us or one of our affiliates or strategic partners named in the agreement.

We have assumed certain development, regulatory and commercial milestone payment obligations to both BioWa and Lonza and must report on our progress toward achieving these milestones on an annual basis. We are required to pay such milestones to BioWa under only one license – either the POTELLIGENT® License Agreement or the agreement in relation to POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV, but not both. Payments related to the development and commercialization of cusatuzumab and ARGX-111 are foreseen under their respective POTELLIGENT® CHOK1SV agreements. Milestones are to be paid on a product-by-product basis, and we are obligated to make development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments to BioWa in aggregate amounts of up to $36.0 million per product should we achieve global annual sales of $1.0 billion. We are obligated to make development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments to Lonza per product, also depending on such product being manufactured by Lonza, us or one of our affiliates or strategic partners or otherwise.

Under the terms of both cusatuzumab and ARGX-111 commercial licenses, we have the right to grant sublicenses to certain pre-approved third parties, but otherwise must obtain BioWa and Lonza’s prior written consent.

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We may terminate any of the non-exclusive commercial license agreements at any time by sending BioWa and/or Lonza prior written notice. Absent early termination, the agreements will automatically expire upon the expiry of our royalty obligations under the respective agreement. In the event an agreement is terminated for any reason, the license granted to us would terminate but BioWa and Lonza would grant our respective sublicensees a direct license following such termination. In the event an agreement is terminated other than for our failure to make milestone or royalty payments, we would retain the right to sell the respective products then on hand for a certain period of time post-termination. Our royalty payment obligations expire, on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis, on the date that is the later of (i) ten years after the first commercial sale of such product sold in that country under the agreement or (ii) such time as there are no valid claims covering such product.

Our non-exclusive license with Lonza for Multi-product GS Xceed-License

On February 4, 2015, we entered into a non-exclusive multi-product in-license agreement with Lonza (the Multi-Product AgreementLicense) for use of Lonza'sLonza’s proprietary glutamine synthetase gene expression system known as GS Xceed™ consisting of Chinese hamster ovary cell line and the vectors for the manufacturing of drug substance (the System). The System is used for the manufacturing of, amongst others, efgartigimod, cusatuzumab ARGX-117, ARGX-119empasiprubart and LP0145.ARGX-119.

Pursuant to the Multi-Product Agreement,License, we have the right to grant sublicenses to certain pre-approved third parties without prior written consent of Lonza, but otherwise we must obtain Lonza’s prior written consent.

We have assumed certain development, regulatory and commercial milestone payment obligations to Lonza. We are required to pay such milestones only in respect of the first product manufactured using the System. We are obligated to make development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments to Lonza in aggregate amounts of up to £575.000 for the first product manufactured by Lonza, us or one of our affiliates or strategic partners. Through December 31, 2021, we have paid Lonza an aggregate amount of £0.4 million, which includes milestone payments made under the Multi-Product Agreement. Upon commercialization of our products developed using the System, we will be obligated to pay Lonza a percentage of net sales as a royalty for each product manufactured. The Lonza royalty is tiered, ranging in the low single digits and is reduced by half if the product in a country is not protected by a valid claim.Lonza.

We may terminate the Multi-Product AgreementLicense on a product-by-product basis by giving Lonza prior written notice. Lonza may terminate the Multi-Product AgreementLicense solely in case of breach or insolvency events. Absent early termination, the Multi-Product AgreementLicense will automatically expire upon the expiry of the last valid claim for such product. We or our strategic partners would retain the right to sell the respective products then on hand post-termination.

Our Collaboration with UCLUniversité Catholique de Louvain (UCL) and Sopartec S.A. (Sopartec) for GARP

In January 2013, we entered into a collaboration and exclusive product license agreement with Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) and its technology transfer company Sopartec S.A. (Sopartec) to discover and develop novel human therapeutic antibodies against GARP (the (GARP Agreement). Pursuant to the GARP Agreement, each party wasis responsible for all of its own costs and in connection with the activities assigned to it under a mutually agreed research plan.

In January 2015, we exercised the option we had beenwere granted under the GARP Agreement to enter into an exclusive, worldwide commercial in-license for use of certain GARP-related intellectual property rights owned by UCL and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research to further develop and commercialize licensed products, including the GARP-neutralizing antibody ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) which was discovered under the original collaboration (the (GARP License). Upon the expiration of the GARP Agreement, the GARP License wouldwill become a fully paid up,paid-up, perpetual worldwide exclusive license under the GARP intellectual property for any purpose, subject to UCL’s retention of non-commercial research rights.

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Pursuant to the GARP License, we may grant sublicenses to third parties and affiliates of such third parties. In 2016, we entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with AbbVie regarding ARGX-115. From any income we receive in connection with these sublicenses, such as in connection with AbbVie Collaboration Agreement, we must pay Sopartec a percentage of that income in the lower teen digit range. Royalty payment obligations expire on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis when there are no valid claims covering the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) product. We also have diligence obligations with respect to the continued development and commercialization of ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) products.

Our Exclusive License with NYU Langone Health and LUMC for ARGX-119

In 2019 and 2020, we entered into collaboration and exclusive license agreements with NYU Langone Health (NYU) and LUMC under our immunology innovation programIIP to develop antibodies targeting the MuSK, for the treatment neuromuscular diseases, which play a major role at the neuromuscular junction (the (NYU and LUMC Agreements). Pursuant to the NYU and LUMC Agreements, we, NYU and LUMC jointly developed antibodies against MUSKMuSK using our proprietary suite of technologies. Under the NYU and LUMC Agreements, as amended, we are obligated to make milestone payments upon

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the occurrence of certain development milestones, commercialization milestones and pay tiered royalties on net sales in the low single digits.

Distribution Agreements

Our Exclusive DistributionWe are parties to the Medison Agreement, withthe Medison for efgartigimodMulti-Regional Agreement, Genpharm Agreement, and the Handok Agreement.

Trade Secret Protection

In October 2021,addition to patent protection, we announced an exclusive distribution agreementalso rely on trade secret protection to ensure exclusivity for our proprietary information that is not amenable to, or that we do not consider appropriate for, patent protection, including, for example, certain aspects of our llama immunization and antibody affinity maturation approaches. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. Although we take steps to protect our proprietary information, including restricting access to our premises and our confidential information, as well as entering into agreements with Medison Pharma Ltd. (Medison)our employees, consultants, advisors and potential collaborators, third parties may independently develop the same or similar proprietary information or may otherwise gain access to commercialize efgartigimod for gMG in Israel; under the agreement, Medison will alsoour proprietary information. As a result, we may be responsible for seeking requisite regulatory approvals.

Our Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Genpharm for efgartigimod

On January 18, 2022, we entered into a partnership agreement with Genpharm Services FZ-LLC (Genpharm), under which Genpharm shall purchase VYVGART™ from us for resale in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on an exclusive basis for Genpharm’s own accountunable to meaningfully protect our trade secrets and own name (the Genpharm Agreement).proprietary information.

Regulatory FrameworkRegulation

Government authorities in the U.S., at the federal, state and local level, and in the European UnionEU and other countries and jurisdictions, extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, packaging, storage, recordkeeping, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution, marketing, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and import and export of pharmaceutical products, including biological products. In addition, some jurisdictions regulate the pricing of pharmaceutical products. The processes for obtaining marketing approvals in the U.S. and in other countries and jurisdictions, along with subsequent compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and other regulatory authorities, require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources.

Licensure and Regulation of Biologics in the U.S.

In the U.S., our product candidates and products are regulated as biological products used for the prevention, treatment, or biologics,cure of a disease or condition in a human being are subject to regulation under the FDCA and its implementing regulations, with the exception that the section of the FDCA that governs the approval of drugs via new drug applications (NDAs) does not apply to the approval of biologics. Biologics are approved for marketing under provisions of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), via biologics license applications (BLAs). However, the application process and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and their implementing regulations.requirements for approval of BLAs are very similar to those for NDAs. The failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, including nonclinicalpreclinical testing and clinical testing, the approval process or post-approval process may subject an applicant to delays in the conduct of a study,clinical trial, regulatory review and approval, and/or administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions may include, but are not limited to, the FDA’s refusal to allow an applicant to proceed with clinical testing, refusal to approve pending applications, license suspension or revocation, warning or untitled letters, adverse publicity, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines and civil or criminal investigations and penalties brought by the FDA or the Department of Justice or other governmental entities.

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An applicant seeking approval to market and distribute a new biologic in the U.S. generally must satisfactorily complete each of the following steps:

nonclinicalpreclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies all performed in accordance with applicable regulations, including the GLP regulations;GLPs;
submission to the FDA of an IND application for human clinical testing, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;

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approval by an IRB representing each clinical site before each clinical trial may be initiated;
performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish the safety, potency and purity of the product candidate for each proposed indication, in accordance with GCP;GCPs;
preparation and submission to the FDA of a BLA for a biological product requesting marketing for one or more proposed indications, including submission of detailed information on the manufacture and composition of the product in clinical development and proposed labeling;
review of the product by an FDA advisory committee, if applicable;
one or more FDA inspections of the manufacturing facility or facilities, including those of third parties, at which the product, or components thereof, are produced to assess compliance with cGMP requirements and to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the product'sproduct’s identity, strength, quality and purity;
FDA audits of the clinical studytrial sites to assure compliance with GCPs, and the integrity of clinical data in support of the BLA;
payment of user fees and securing FDA approval of the BLA and licensure of the new biological product; and
compliance with any post-approval requirements, including the potential requirement to implement a REMS and any post-approval studies required by the FDA.FDA; and preclinical trials and INDs.

Nonclinical Studies and Investigational New Drug Application

Before testing any biological product candidate in humans, the product candidate must undergo nonclinicalpreclinical testing. NonclinicalPreclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as animal studies to evaluate the potential for activity and toxicity. The conduct of the nonclinicalpreclinical tests and formulation of the compounds for testing must comply with federal regulations and requirements. The results of the nonclinicalpreclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND application. The IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions about the product candidate or conduct of the proposed clinical trial, including concerns that human research subjects will be exposed to unreasonable health risks.risks, and places the proposed clinical trial on clinical hold. In that case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding FDA concerns before the clinical trial can begin.

As a result, submission of the IND may result in the FDA not allowing the clinical trial to commence or on the terms originally specified by the sponsor in the IND. If the FDA raises concerns or questions either during this initial 30-day period, or at any time during the IND process, it may choose to imposeimposes a partial or complete clinical hold. This order issued by the FDAhold, this action would delay either a proposed clinical studytrial or cause suspension of an ongoing study,clinical trial, or in the case of a partial clinical hold place limitations on the conduct of the studyclinical trial such as duration of treatment, until all outstanding concerns have been adequately addressed and the FDA has notified the company that investigation may proceed and then only under terms authorized by the FDA. This could cause significant

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delays or difficulties in completing planned clinical trials in a timely manner. The FDA may impose clinical holds on a biological product candidate at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance.

Human Clinical Trials in Support of a BLA

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational product candidate to healthy volunteers or patients with the disease to be treated under the supervision of a qualified principal investigator in accordance with GCP requirements.GCPs. Clinical trials are conducted under studyclinical trial protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study,clinical trial, inclusion and exclusion criteria, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND.

A sponsor who wishes to conduct a clinical trial outside the U.S. may, but needis not required to, obtain FDA authorizationclearance to conduct the clinical trial under an effective IND. If a foreign clinical trial is not conducted under an IND,

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the sponsor may submit data from the clinical trial to the FDA in support of the BLA so long as the clinical trial is well-designed and well-conducted in accordance with GCP,GCPs, including review and approval by an independent ethics committee, and the FDA is able to validate the studyclinical trial data through an onsite inspection, if necessary.

Further, each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by the IRB or, if applicable, the Ethics Committee, either centrally or individually at each institution at which the clinical trial will be conducted. The IRB or the Ethics Committee will consider, among other things, clinical trial design, patient informed consent, ethical factors and the safety of human subjects. An IRB must operate in compliance with FDA regulations. The FDA, IRB, the Ethics Committee or the clinical trial sponsor may suspend or discontinue a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a finding that the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with FDA requirements or the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Clinical testing also must satisfy extensive GCP rulesGCPs and the requirements for informed consent. Additionally, some clinical trials are overseen by an independent group of qualified experts organized by the clinical trial sponsor, known as a data safety monitoring board or committee. This group may recommend continuation of the studyclinical trial as planned, changes in studyclinical trial conduct, or cessation of the studyclinical trial at designated check points based on access to certain data from the study. Information about certain clinical studies must be submitted within specific timeframes to the National Institutes of Health for public dissemination at www.clinicaltrials.gov.trial.

Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap or be combined. Additional studiesclinical trials may be required after approval.

Phase 1 clinical trials are initially conducted in a limited population to test the product candidate for safety, including adverse effects, dose tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution, excretion and pharmacodynamicsPD in healthy humans or, on occasion, in patients, such as cancer patients.
Phase 2 POC clinical trials are generally conducted in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, evaluate the efficacy of the product candidate for specific targeted indications and determine dose tolerance and optimal dosage. Multiple Phase 2 clinical trials POC may be conducted by the sponsor to obtain information prior to beginning larger Phase 3 clinical trials.
Phase 3 clinical trials proceed if the Phase 2 POC clinical trials demonstrate that a dose range of the product candidate is potentially effective and has an acceptable safety profile. Phase 3 clinical trials are undertaken within an expanded patient population to gather additional information about safety and effectiveness necessary to evaluate the overall benefit-risk relationship of the drug and to provide an adequate basis for physician labeling.

In some cases, the FDA may approve a BLA for a product candidate but require the sponsor to conduct additional clinical trials to further assess the product candidate'scandidate’s safety and effectiveness after approval. Such post-approval clinical trials are typically referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials. These studiesclinical trials are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication and to document a clinical benefit

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in the case of biologics approved under accelerated approval regulations. If the FDA approves a product while a company has ongoing clinical trials that were not necessary for approval, a company may be able to use the data from these clinical trials to meet all or part of any Phase 4 clinical trial requirement or to request a change in the product labeling. Failure to exhibit due diligence with regard to conducting required Phase 4 clinical trials could result in withdrawal of approval for products.

Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials, among other information, must be submitted at least annually to the FDA, and written IND safety reports must be submitted to the FDA and the investigators fifteen15 days after the clinical trial sponsor determines the information qualifies for reporting for serious and unexpected suspected adverse events, findings from other studiesclinical trials or animal or in vitro testing that suggest a significant risk for human subjects and any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. The sponsor must also notify the FDA of any unexpected fatal or life-threatening suspected adverse reaction as soon as possible but in no case later than seven calendar days after the sponsor'ssponsor’s initial receipt of the information.

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A drug being studied in clinical trials may be made available to individual patients in certain circumstances. Pursuant to the 21st Century Cures Act, as amended, the manufacturer of an investigational drug for a serious disease or condition is required to make available, such as by posting on its website, its policy on evaluating and responding to requests for individual patient access to such investigational drug. This requirement applies on the earlier of the first initiation of a Phase 2 POC or Phase 3 clinical trial of the investigational drug, or as applicable, 15 days after the drug receives a designation as a breakthrough therapy, fast track product, or regenerative advanced therapy.

Compliance with cGMP Requirements

Before approving a BLA, the FDA typically will inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will not approve an application unless it determines that the manufacturing processes and facilities are in full compliance with cGMP requirements and adequate to assure consistent production of the product within required specifications. The PHSA emphasizes the importance of manufacturing control for products like biologics whose attributes cannot be precisely defined. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the sponsor must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality, potency, and purity of the final biological product. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the biological product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.

Manufacturers and others involved in the manufacture and distribution of products must also register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies. Both domestic and foreign manufacturing establishments must register and provide additional information to the FDA upon their initial participation in the manufacturing process. Any product manufactured by or imported from a facility that has not registered, whether foreign or domestic, is deemed misbranded under the FDCA. Establishments may be subject to periodic unannounced inspections by government authorities to ensure compliance with the FDCA, cGMPs and other laws.requirements. Manufacturers may have to provide, on request, electronic or physical records regarding their establishments. Delaying, denying, limiting, or refusing inspection by

Disclosure of Clinical Trial Information

Sponsors of clinical trials of FDA-regulated products, including biological products, are required to register and disclose certain clinical trial information on the FDAwebsite www.clinicaltrials.gov. Information related to the product, patient population, phase of investigation, clinical trial sites and investigators, and other aspects of a clinical trial are then made public as part of the registration. Sponsors are also obligated to disclose the results of their clinical trials after completion. Disclosure of the results of clinical trials can be delayed in certain circumstances for up to two years after the date of completion of the clinical trial. Competitors may leaduse this publicly available information to a product being deemed to be adulterated.gain knowledge regarding the progress of clinical development programs as well as clinical trial design.

Review and Approval of a BLA

The results of product candidate development, nonclinicalpreclinical testing and clinical trials, including negative or ambiguous results as well as positive findings, are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting a license to market the product. The BLA must contain extensive manufacturing information and detailed information on the composition of the product and proposed labeling as well as payment of a user fee.

The FDA has 60 days after submission of the application to conduct an initial review to determine whether the BLA is sufficient to accept for filingfile based on the agency'sagency’s threshold determination that it is sufficiently complete to permit substantive review. If the FDA determines the BLA is not sufficiently complete, it

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will refuse to file the BLA. Once the submission has been accepted for filing,filed, the FDA begins an in-depth review of the application. Under the goals and policies agreed to by the FDA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA,) the FDA has ten10 months from the filing date in which to complete its initial review of a standard application and respond to the applicant, and six months from the filing date for a priority review of an application.application, if the BLA is not filed under the program. If the BLA is submitted under the program, additional two months are added to the review clock, whether standard or priority review for a total review time of 12 or 8 months, respectively. The FDA does not always meet its PDUFA goal dates for standard and priority reviews. The review process may be significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The review process and the PDUFA goal date may also be extended by three months if the FDA so requests or if the applicant otherwise provides additional

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information or clarification regarding information already provided in the submission withinwhich may be deemed as substantial information.

After the last three months before the PDUFA goal date.

On the basis of the FDA'sFDA’s evaluation of the application and accompanying information, including the results of the inspectionany potential inspections of the manufacturing facilities and any FDA audits of clinical trial sites to assure compliance with GCPs, the FDA maywill issue an approval letter, or a complete response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. Under the PHSA, the FDA may approve a BLA if it determines that the product is safe, pure and potent and the facility where the product will be manufactured meets standards designed to ensure that it continues to be safe, pure and potent. If the application is not approved, the FDA maywill issue a complete response letter, which will containidentify the deficiencies in the application and the conditions that must be met in order to secure final approval of the application, and when possible, will outline recommended actions the sponsor might take to obtain approval of the application. Sponsors that receive a complete response letter may submit to the FDA information that represents a complete response to the issues identified by the FDA, or withdraw the application or request a hearing. The FDA will not approve an application until issues identified in the complete response letter have been addressed.

The FDA may also refer the application to an advisory committee for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved. In particular, the FDA may refer applications for novel biological products or biological products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy to an advisory committee. Typically, an advisory committee is a panel of independent experts, including clinicians and other scientific experts, that reviews, evaluates and provides a recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers such recommendations carefully when making decisions.

If the FDA approves a new product, it may limit the approved indications for use of the product. It may also require that contraindications, warnings or precautions be included in the product labeling. In addition, the FDA may call for post-approval studies, including Phase 4 clinical trials, to further assess the product'sproduct’s safety after approval. The agency may also require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the product after commercialization, or impose other conditions, including distribution restrictions or other risk management mechanisms, including REMS, to help ensure that the benefits of the product outweigh the potential risks. REMS can include medication guides, communication plans for healthcare professionals and elements to assure safe use (ETASU). ETASU can include, but are not limited to, special training or certification for prescribing or dispensing, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring and the use of patent registries. The FDA may prevent or limit further marketing of a product based on the results of post-market studies or surveillance programs.

After approval, many types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further testing requirements and FDA review and approval. Such regulatory reviews can result in denial or modification of the planned changes, or requirements to conduct additional tests or evaluations that can substantially delay or increase the cost of the planned changes.

Such regulatory reviews can result in denial or modification of the planned changes, or requirements to conduct additional tests or evaluations that can substantially delay or increase the cost of the planned changes.

Fast Track, Breakthrough Therapy and Priority Review Designations

The FDA is authorized to designate certain products for expedited review if they are intended to address an unmet medical need in the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition. These programs are referred to as fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation and priority review designation.

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The FDA may designate a product for fast track review if it is intended, whether alone or in combination with one or more other products, for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening disease or condition, and it demonstrates the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. For fast track products, sponsors may have greater interactions with the FDA and the FDA may initiate review of sections of a fast track product'sproduct’s application before the application is complete. This rolling review may be available if the FDA determines, after preliminary evaluation of clinical data submitted by the sponsor, that a fast track product may be effective. The sponsor must also provide, and the FDA must approve, a schedule for the submission of the remaining information and the sponsor must

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pay applicable user fees. However, the FDA’s time period goal for reviewing a fast track applicationrolling review does not begin until the last section of the application is submitted. Fast track designation may be withdrawn by the FDA if the FDA believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical trial process.

A product may be designated as a breakthrough therapy if it is intended, either alone or in combination with one or more other products, to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The FDA may take certain actions with respect to breakthrough therapies, including holding meetings with the sponsor throughout the development process; providing timely advice to the product sponsor regarding development and approval; involving more senior staff in the review process; assigning a cross-disciplinary project lead for the review team; and taking other steps to design the clinical trials in an efficient manner.

The FDA may designate a product for priority review if it is a product that treats a serious condition and, if approved, would provide a significant improvement in safety or effectiveness. The FDA determines, on a case-by-case basis, whether the proposed product represents a significant improvement when compared with other available therapies. Significant improvement may be illustrated by evidence of increased effectiveness in the treatment of a condition, elimination or substantial reduction of a treatment-limiting product reaction, documented enhancement of patient compliance that may lead to improvement in serious outcomes and evidence of safety and effectiveness in a new subpopulation. A priority designation is intended to direct overall attention and resources to the evaluation of such applications, and to shorten the FDA’s goal for taking action on a marketing application from ten10 months to six6 months.

Accelerated Approval Pathway

The FDA may grant accelerated approval to a product for a serious or life-threatening condition that provides meaningful therapeutic advantage to patients over existing treatments based upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality (IMM) and that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on IMM or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. Products granted accelerated approval must meet the same statutory standards for safety and effectiveness as those granted traditional approval.

For the purposes of accelerated approval, a surrogate endpoint is a marker, such as a laboratory measurement, radio-graphic image, physical sign, or other measure that is thought to predict clinical benefit but is not itself a measure of clinical benefit. Surrogate endpoints can often be measured more easily or more rapidly than clinical endpoints. An intermediate clinical endpoint is a measurement of a therapeutic effect that is considered reasonably likely to predict the clinical benefit of a product, such as an effect on IMM. The FDA has limited experience with accelerated approvals based on intermediate clinical endpoints, but has indicated that such endpoints generally may support accelerated approval where the therapeutic effect measured by the endpoint is not itself a clinical benefit and basis for traditional approval, if there is a basis for concluding that the therapeutic effect is reasonably likely to predict the ultimate clinical benefit of a product.

The accelerated approval pathway is most often used in settings in which the course of a disease is long and an extended period of time is required to measure the intended clinical benefit of a product, even if the effect on the surrogate or intermediate clinical endpoint occurs rapidly. Thus, accelerated approval has been used

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extensively in the development and approval of products for treatment of a variety of cancers in which the goal of therapy is generally to improve survival or decrease morbidity and the duration of the typical disease course requires lengthy and sometimes large clinical trials to demonstrate a clinical or survival benefit.

The accelerated approval pathway is usually contingent on a sponsor'ssponsor’s agreement to conduct, in a diligent manner, additionala post-approval confirmatory clinical trial or studies to verify and describe the product'sproduct’s clinical benefit. As a result, a product candidate approved on this basis is subject to rigorous post-marketing compliance requirements, including the completion of Phase 4 or post-approval clinical trials to confirm the effect on the clinical endpoint. These confirmatory clinical trials must be completed with due diligence, and the FDA may require that the confirmatory

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clinical trial be designed, initiated, and/or fully enrolled prior to approval. Failure to conduct required post-approval studies, or confirm a clinical benefit during post-marketing studies, would allow the FDA to withdraw the product from the market on an expedited basis. Unless otherwise informed by the FDA, all promotional materials for product candidates approved under accelerated regulations are subject to prior review by the agency. FDORA, enacted in December 2022, included provisions related to the accelerated approval pathway. Pursuant to FDORA, the FDA is authorized to require a post-approval clinical trial to be underway prior to approval or within a specified time period following approval. FDORA also requires the FDA to specify the conditions of any required post-approval clinical trial not later than 180 days following approval and not less frequently than every 180 days thereafter until completion or termination of such clinical trial. Such conditions may include imposing milestones such as a target date of clinical trial completion or requiring sponsors to submit progress reports. FDORA also enables the FDA to initiate enforcement actions or criminal prosecutions for the failure to conduct with due diligence a required post-approval clinical trial, including a failure to meet any required conditions specified by the FDA or to submit timely reports.

Orphan Drug Designation

Orphan drug designation in the U.S. is designed to encourage sponsors to develop products intended for rare diseases or conditions. In the U.S., a rare disease or condition is statutorily defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available the product for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the U.S.

Orphan drug designation qualifies a company for tax credits and market exclusivity for seven years following the date of the product’s marketing approval if granted by the FDA and if it is the first FDA approval for that product for the disease for which it has such designation. An application for designation as an orphan product can be made any time prior to the filing of an application for approval to market the product. If the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the product and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The product must then go through the review and approval process like any other product in order to be marketed.

A sponsor may request orphan drug designation of a previously unapproved product or new orphan indication for an already marketed product. In addition, a sponsor of a product that is otherwise the same product as an already approved orphan drug may seek and obtain orphan drug designation for the subsequent product for the same rare disease or condition if it can present a plausible hypothesis that its product may be clinically superior to the first drug. Whether a large molecule product (i.e., a biological product) is the same as another product is based on whether the two products have the same principal molecular structural features. More than one sponsor may receive orphan drug designation for the same product for the same rare disease or condition, but each sponsor seeking orphan drug designation must file a complete request for designation.

If orphan drug exclusivity is granted by the FDA, the period of exclusivity begins on the date that the marketing application is approved by the FDA and applies only to the indication for which the product has been designated. The FDA may approve a second application for the same product for a different use or a second application for a clinically superior version of the product for the same use. The FDA cannot, however, approve the same product made by another sponsor for the same indication during the market exclusivity period unless it has the consent of the sponsor or the sponsor is unable to provide sufficient quantities of the product.

Post-Approval Regulation

If regulatory approval for marketing of a product or new indication for an existing product is obtained, the sponsor will be required to comply with all post-approval regulatory requirements as well as any post-approval requirements that the FDA has imposed as part of the approval process. The sponsor will be required to report certain adverse reactions and production problems to the FDA, provide updated safety and efficacy information and comply with requirements concerning advertising and promotional labeling. Manufacturers and other parties involved in the drug supply chain for prescription drug and biological products must also comply with product tracking and tracing requirements and for notifying the FDA of counterfeit, diverted, stolen and intentionally adulterated products or products that are otherwise unfit for distribution in the U.S. Manufacturers and certain of their subcontractors are required to

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register their establishments with the FDA and certain state agencies, and are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMP regulations,cGMPs, which impose certain procedural and documentation requirements upon manufacturers. Accordingly, the sponsor and its third-party manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the areas of production and quality control to maintain compliance with cGMP regulationscGMPs and other regulatory requirements.

A biological product may also be subject to official lot release, meaning that the manufacturer is required to perform certain tests on each lot of the product before it is released for distribution. If the product is subject to official lot release, the manufacturer must submit samples of each lot, together with a release protocol showing a summary of the history of manufacture of the lot and the results of all of the manufacturer’s tests performed on the lot, to the FDA. The FDA may in addition perform certain confirmatory tests on lots of some products before releasing the lots for distribution. Finally, the FDA will conduct laboratory research related to the safety, purity, potency and effectiveness of pharmaceutical products. Any distribution of prescription biological products and pharmaceutical samples must comply with the U.S. PDMAPrescription Drug Marketing Act and the PHSA.

Once an approval is granted, the FDA may revoke or suspend the approval of the BLA if compliance with regulatory requirements and standards is not maintained or if problems occur after the product reaches the market. Later discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or with manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may result in revisions to the approved labeling to add new safety information; imposition of post-market studies or clinical trials to assess new safety risks; or imposition of distribution or other restrictions under a REMS program. FDA also has authority to require post-market studies, in certain circumstances, on reduced effectiveness of a product and may require labeling changes related to new reduced effectiveness information. Other potential consequences for a failure to maintain regulatory compliance include, among other things:

-restrictions on the marketing or manufacturing of the product, complete withdrawal of the product from the market or product recalls;
-fines, untitled letters or warning letters or holds on post-approval clinical trials;

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-refusal of the FDA to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications, or suspension or revocation of product license approvals;
-product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products; or
-injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

The FDA strictly regulates marketing, labeling, advertising and promotion of products that are placed on the market. Pharmaceutical products may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved label.labeling. Although physicians may prescribe legally available products for unapproved uses or in patient populations that are not described in the product’s approved labeling (known as “off-label use”), company’scompanies with approved products may not market or promote such off-label uses. The FDA does not regulate the behavior of physicians in their choice of treatments, but the FDA regulations do impose stringent restrictions on manufacturers’ communications regarding off-label uses. The FDA and other agencies actively enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted off-label uses may be subject to significant liability, including investigation by federal and state authorities. Prescription biological product promotional materials must be submitted to the FDA in conjunction with their first use or first publication.

Orphan Drug Designation

Orphan drug designation in the U.S. is designed to encourage sponsors to develop products intended for rare diseases or conditions. In the U.S., a rare disease or condition is statutorily defined as a condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. or that affects more than 200,000 individuals in the U.S. and for which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available the product for the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product in the U.S.

Orphan drug designation qualifies a company for tax credits and market exclusivity for seven years following the date of the product's marketing approval if granted by the FDA and if it is the first FDA approval for that product for the disease for which it has such designation. An application for designation as an orphan product can be made any time prior to the filing of an application for approval to market the product. A product becomes an orphan when it receives orphan drug designation from the Office of Orphan Products Development (OOPD) at the FDA based on an acceptable confidential request made under the regulatory provisions. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the generic identity of the product and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. The product must then go through the review and approval process like any other product in order to be marketed.

A sponsor may request orphan drug designation of a previously unapproved product or new orphan indication for an already marketed product. In addition, a sponsor of a product that is otherwise the same product as an already approved orphan drug may seek and obtain orphan drug designation for the subsequent product for the same rare disease or condition if it can present a plausible hypothesis that its product may be clinically superior to the first drug. More than one sponsor may receive orphan drug designation for the same product for the same rare disease or condition, but each sponsor seeking orphan drug designation must file a complete request for designation.

The period of exclusivity begins on the date that the marketing application is approved by the FDA and applies only to the indication for which the product has been designated. The FDA may approve a second application for the same product for a different use or a second application for a clinically superior version of the product for the same use. The FDA cannot, however, approve the same product made by another sponsor for the same indication during the market exclusivity period unless it has the consent of the sponsor or the sponsor is unable to provide sufficient quantities of the product.

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Pediatric Studies and Exclusivity

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003 (as amended, PREA), a BLA or supplement thereto must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric sub-populations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which

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the product is safe and effective. Sponsors must also submit pediatric studyclinical trial plans prior to the assessment data. Those plans must contain an outline of the proposed pediatric studyclinical trial or studies the applicant plans to conduct, including studyclinical trial objectives and design, any deferral or waiver requests and other information required by regulation. The applicant, the FDA, and the FDA’s internal review committee must then review the information submitted, consult with each other and agree upon a final plan. The FDA or the applicant may request an amendment to the plan at any time.

The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA does not apply to a biologic for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted, except that PREA will apply to an original BLA for a new active ingredient that is orphan-designated if the biologic is a molecularly targeted cancer product intended for the treatment of an adult cancer and is directed at a molecular target that FDA determines to be substantially relevant to the growth or progression of a pediatric cancer.

Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non-patent marketing exclusivity in the U.S. and, if granted, provides for the attachment of an additional six months of marketing protection to the term of any existing regulatory exclusivity, including the non-patent and orphan exclusivity. This six-month exclusivity may be granted if a BLA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to a written request from the FDA for such data. The data do not need to show the product to be effective in the pediatric population studied; rather, if the clinical trial is deemed to fairly respond to the FDA’s request, the additional protection is granted. If reports of requested pediatric studies are submitted to and accepted by the FDA within the statutory time limits, whatever statutory or regulatory periods of exclusivity or patent protection cover the product are extended by six months. This is not a patent term extension, but it effectively extends the regulatory period during which the FDA cannot approve another application.

Biosimilars and Exclusivity

The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) established a regulatory scheme authorizing the FDA to approve biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars.

Under the BPCIA, an applicant may submit an application for licensure of a biologic product that is "biosimilar to"“biosimilar to” or "interchangeable with"“interchangeable with” a previously approved biological product or "reference“reference product." For the FDA to approve a biosimilar product, it must find that there are no clinically meaningful differences between the reference product and proposed biosimilar product in terms of safety, purity and potency. For the FDA to approve a biosimilar product as interchangeable with a reference product, the agency must find that the biosimilar product can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product, and (for products administered multiple times) that the biologic and the reference biologic may be switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic.

Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date of approval of the reference product. The FDA may not approve a biosimilar product until twelve12 years from the date on which the reference product was approved. Even if a product is considered to be a reference product eligible for exclusivity, another company could market a competing version of that product if the FDA approves a full BLA for such product containing the sponsor'ssponsor’s own nonclinicalpreclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of their product. However, to rely on such exclusivities for establishing or protecting our market position is not without risk, as such laws are subject to changes by the legislature. The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as

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interchangeable products. At this juncture, it is unclear whether productsProducts deemed "interchangeable"interchangeable by the FDA will, in fact,may be readily substituted by pharmacies which are governedas dictated by individual state pharmacy law.

U.S. Patent Term Restoration

Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA approval of our product candidates, some of our U.S. patents may be eligible for limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term RestorationHatch-Waxman Act of 1984 (the Hatch-Waxman Amendments). The Hatch-Waxman Amendments permitthat permits restoration of the patent term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. Patent-term restoration, however, cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years from the product’s approval date and only those claims covering such approved product, a method for using it or a method for

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manufacturing it may be extended. The patent-term restoration period is generally one-half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of a BLA plus the time between the submission date of a BLA and the approval of that application, except that the review period is reduced by any time during which the applicant failed to exercise due diligence. Only one patent applicable to an approved biologic is eligible for the extension and the application for the extension must be submitted within sixty (60) days of approval from FDA and prior to the expiration of the patent. The USPTO, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration. In the future, we may apply for restoration of patent term for our currently owned or licensed patents to add patent life beyond its current expiration date, depending on the expected length of the clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of the relevant BLA.

Regulation and Procedures Governing Approval of Medicinal Products in the European UnionEU and the United KingdomUK

In order to market any medicinal product outside of the U.S., a company also must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries and jurisdictions regarding quality, safety and efficacy and governing, among other things, clinical trials, marketing authorization, commercial sales and distribution of products. Whether or not it obtains FDA approval for a product, an applicant will need to obtain the necessary approvals by the comparable regulatory authorities before it can initiate clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries or jurisdictions. Specifically, with respect to the EU, no medicinal product may be placed on the market of an EU Member State unless a marketing authorization has been issued by the competent authorities of that member state in accordance with Directive 2001/83/EC or a centralized marketing authorization has been granted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 726/2004, read in conjunction with Regulation (EC) No 1901/2006 and Regulation (EC) No 1394/2007. Similar requirements apply in Great Britain. The process governing approval of medicinal products in the European UnionEU and the United KingdomGreat Britain generally follows the same lines as in the U.S. It entails satisfactory completion of pharmaceutical development, nonclinical studiespre-clinical trials and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the medicinal product for each proposed indication. ItThe EU also requires the submission to relevant competent authorities for clinical trials authorization and to the EMA or to competent authorities in European UnionEU Member States for an of a marketing authorization application (MAA) and granting of a marketing authorizationsuch MAA by these authorities before the product can be marketed and sold in the European Union.EU. Following the United Kingdom’sUK’s departure from the European Union,EU, a separate marketing authorization will beMAA is required in order to place medicinal products on the market in the United KingdomGreat Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) (under the Northern Ireland Protocol, the European UnionEU regulatory framework will continue to apply in Northern Ireland and centralized European Unionin this regard). Centralized EU marketing authorizations will continue to be recognized).recognized, with new International Recognition Procedures anticipated.

Clinical Trial Approval

In April 2014, the European Union adoptedOn January 31, 2022, the new Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No 536/2014 which(CTR) entered into application, and replaced the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC effective as of January 31, 2022. EC. The transitorytransitional provisions of the new Regulation offerCTR offered sponsors the possibility to choose between the requirements of the previous Directive and the new RegulationCTR if the request for authorization of a clinical trial iswas submitted in the year after the new Regulation became applicable.by January 30, 2023. If the sponsor chooseschose to submit under the previous Directive, the clinical trial continues to be governed by the Directive until three years after the new RegulationCTR became applicable.applicable (i.e., January 30, 2025). If a clinical trial continues for more than three years after the Regulation became applicable, the new RegulationCTR will at that time begin to apply to the clinical trial. trial (i.e., from January 31, 2025). The new Regulation, (EU), which is directly applicable in all European UnionEU Member States, aims at simplifyingto simplify and streamliningstreamline the approval of clinical trials in the European Union.EU. The main characteristics of the new RegulationCTR include: a streamlined application procedure via a single-entry point through the Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS);System; a single set of documents to be prepared and submitted for the

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application as well as simplified reporting procedures for clinical trial sponsors; and a harmonized procedure for the assessment of applications for clinical trials, which is divided in two parts (Part I contains scientific and medicinal product documentation and Part II contains the national and patient-level documentation). Part I is assessed by a coordinated review by the competent authorities of all European UnionEU Member States in which an application for authorization of a clinical trial has been submitted (Concerned Member States) of a draft report prepared by a Reference Member State.reference member state. Part II is assessed separately by each Concerned Member State. Strict deadlines have also been established for the assessment of clinical trial applications.CTAs.

The United Kingdom hasPrior to its exit from the EU, the UK implemented Directive 2001/20/EC into national law through the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 (as amended).The extent. However, implementation of the new EU

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CTR took place after the UK’s departure from the EU, and so the new CTR described in the preceding paragraph does not apply to Great Britain. The MHRA, the UK medicines regulator, ran a consultation on reforms to the UK clinical trials legislation, which closed in March 2022. The outcome of that consultation was published in March 2023 and includes proposals to reform the regulation ofclinical trials legislative framework, although content and timeline for reform are not yet determined. The future regulatory framework for clinical trials in the United Kingdom will mirror the new European Union Clinical Trials Regulation that has come into effect is not yet known, however the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the United Kingdom medicines regulator, has opened a consultation on a set of proposals designed to improve and strengthen the United Kingdom clinical trials legislation. Such consultation is open until 14 March 2022.UK therefore remains uncertain.

Orphan Designation and Exclusivity

Regulation (EC) No. 141/2000 and Regulation (EC) No. 847/2000 provide that a product can be designated as an orphan drug by the EuropeanEU Commission if its sponsor can establish: (1) that the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition;condition, (2) either (i) the prevalence of the condition is not more than five in ten thousand persons in the European UnionEU when the application is made, or (ii) without incentives it is unlikely that the marketing of the product in the European UnionEU would generate sufficient return to justify the necessary investment in its development;development and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of the condition in question that has been authorized in the European UnionEU or, if such method exists, the product has to be of a significant benefit compared to products available for the condition.

An orphan designation provides a number of benefits, including fee reductions and, regulatory assistance. If a marketing authorization is granted for an orphan medicinal product, this results in a ten-year period of market exclusivity. During this market exclusivity period, neither the EMA, nor the European Commission ornor the EU Member States can accept an application or grant a marketing authorization for a "similar“similar medicinal product." A "similar“similar medicinal product"product” is defined as a medicinal product containing a similar active substance or substances as contained in an authorized orphan medicinal product, and which is intended for the same therapeutic indication. The market exclusivity period for the authorized therapeutic indication may, however, be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, it is established that the product no longer meets the criteria for orphan designation because, for example, the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify market exclusivity. Market exclusivity may also be revoked in very select cases, such as if (i) it is established that a similar medicinal product is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior; (ii) the marketing authorization holder for the authorized orphan product consents to the second orphan application; or (iii) the marketing authorization holder for the authorized orphan product cannot supply enough orphan medicinal product.products. Orphan designation must be requested before submitting an application for marketing approval. Orphan designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.

Since January 1, 2021, a separate process for orphan designation has applied in Great Britain. There is now no pre-marketing authorization orphan designation (as there is in the European Union)EU) and the application for orphan designation will be reviewed by the MHRA, at the time of an MAA for a United KingdomUK or Great Britain marketing authorization. The criteria are the same as in the European Union,EU, save that they apply to Great Britain only (e.g., there must be no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition concerned in Great Britain, as opposed to the European Union,EU, and the prevalence of the condition must be no more than 5five in 10,000 persons in Great Britain).

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Marketing Authorization

To obtain a marketing authorization for a product under the European UnionEU regulatory system, an applicant must submit an MAA, either to the EMA using the centralized procedure or to competent authorities in the EU using the other procedures (decentralized procedure, national procedure, or mutual recognition procedure). A marketing authorization may be granted only to an applicant established in the EU. Regulation (EC) No. 1901/2006 provides that prior to obtaining a marketing authorization in the EU, an applicant must demonstrate compliance with all measures included in an EMA-approved pediatric investigation plan (PIP), covering all subsets of the pediatric population, unless the EMA has granted a product-specific waiver, class waiver, or a deferral for one or more of the measures included in the PIP.

The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization by the EuropeanEU Commission that is valid for the EU and the additionalall EEA Member States of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) (EEA).States. Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No. 726/2004, the centralized procedure is compulsory for specific products, including for medicines produced by certain biotechnological processes, products designated as orphan medicinal products, advanced therapy medicinal products (gene therapy, somatic cell therapy or

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tissue engineered products) and products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, including products for the treatment of cancer and auto-immune diseases and other immune dysfunctions and neurodegenerative disorders. The centralized procedure is optional for products that contain a new active substance for any other indications, which are a significant therapeutic, scientific or technical innovation and whose authorization would be in the interest of public health in the European Union.EU.

Under the centralized procedure, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), established at the EMA is responsible for conducting the assessment of a product to define its risk/benefit profile. The CHMP recommendation is then sent to the EuropeanEU Commission, which adopts a decision binding in all EEA member states.Member States. Under the centralized procedure, the maximum timeframe for the evaluation of an MAA is 210 days, excluding clock stops when additional information or written or oral explanation is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the CHMP. Clock stops may extend the timeframe of evaluation of an MAA considerably beyond 210 days. Accelerated evaluation may be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, when a medicinal product is of major interest from the point of view of public health and, in particular, from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation. If the CHMP accepts such a request, the time limit of 210 days will be reduced to 150 days (excluding clock stops), but it is possible that the CHMP may revert to the standard time limit for the centralized procedure if it determines that it is no longer appropriate to conduct an accelerated assessment. Now that

Following the United Kingdom has leftdeparture of the European Union,UK from the EU, Great Britain willis no longer be covered by centralized marketing authorizations (under the Northern Ireland Protocol, centralized European UnionEU authorizations will continue to be recognized in Northern Ireland). All medicinal products with a current centralized authorization were automatically converted to United KingdomUK marketing authorizations on January 1, January 2021. For2021, and there is a further period of two years from 1 January 2021,to December 31, 2023, during which the MHRA may rely on a decision taken by the EuropeanEU Commission on the approval of a new marketing authorization in the centralized procedure, in order to more quickly grant a new Great Britain marketing authorization.authorization European Commission Decision Reliance Procedure (ECDRP). A separate application will,is, however, still be required. The December 31, 2023 date by which the ECDRP was due to draw to a close is currently subject to a public consultation. From January 1, 2024, a new International Recognition Procedure will become available, which is a new licensing route for medicines allowing the UK to recognize approvals from specified Reference Regulators, including the FDA and the EMA and EU member state competent authorities.

European Data and Market Exclusivity

In the European Union,EU, innovative medicinal products, approved on the basis of a complete independent data package, qualify for eight years of data exclusivity upon marketing authorization and an additional two years of market exclusivity. The data exclusivity, if granted, prevents generic or biosimilar applicants from referencing the innovator’s preclinical and clinical trial data contained in the dossier of the reference product when applying for a generic or biosimilar marketing authorization in the European Union,EU, for a period of eight years from the date on which the reference product was first authorized in the European Union.EU. During the additional two-year period of market exclusivity, a generic or biosimilar MAA can be submitted, and the innovator’s data may be referenced, but no generic or biosimilar product can be marketed in the European UnionEU until the expiration of the market exclusivity period. The overall ten yearten-year period will be extended to a maximum of eleven11 years if, during the first eight8 years of those ten10 years, the marketing authorization holder obtains a marketing authorization for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorization, are determined to

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bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with currently approved therapies. There is no guarantee that a product will be considered by the EMA to be an innovative medicinal product, and products may not qualify for data exclusivity. Even if a product is considered to be an innovative medicinal product so that the innovator gains the prescribed period of data exclusivity, another company nevertheless could also market another version of the product if such company obtained a marketing authorization based on an MAA with a complete independent data package of pharmaceutical tests, preclinical tests and clinical trials. Similar arrangements apply in the UK.

Periods of Authorization and Renewals

A marketing authorization is valid for five years, in principle, and it may be renewed after five years on the basis of a reevaluation of the risk benefit balance by the EMA for a centrally authorized product, or by the competent

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authority of the authorizing member state for a nationally authorized product. Once renewed, the marketing authorization is valid for an unlimited period, unless the EuropeanEU Commission or the competent authority decides, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five-year renewal period. Any marketing authorization that is not followed by the placement of the drug on the European UnionEU market (in the case of the centralized procedure) or on the market of the authorizing Member Statemember state (for a nationally authorized product) within three years after authorization, or if the drug is removed from the market for three consecutive years, ceases to be valid. In Great Britain, centrally authorized products converted from EU to UK marketing authorizations will have the same renewal date.

Regulatory Requirements after Marketing Authorization

Following approval, the holder of the marketing authorization is required to comply with a range of requirements applicable to the manufacturing, marketing, promotion and sale of the medicinal product. These include compliance with the European Union'sEU’s stringent pharmacovigilance or safety reporting rules, pursuant to which post-authorization studies and additional monitoring obligations can be imposed. In addition, the manufacturing of authorized products, for which a separate manufacturer'smanufacturer’s license is mandatory, must also be conducted in strict compliance with the EMA’s GMP requirements and comparable requirements of other regulatory bodies in the European Union,EU, which mandate the methods, facilities and controls used in manufacturing, processing and packing of products to assure their safety and identity. Finally, the marketing and promotion of authorized products, including industry-sponsored continuing medical education and advertising directed toward the prescribers of products and/or the general public, are strictly regulated in the European UnionEU under Directive 2001/83EC,83/EC, as amended.

The aforementioned European UnionEU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.EEA, and similar arrangements apply in the UK.

Proposal for new EU Pharmaceutical Legislation

On April 26, 2023, the European Commission has published a proposal for a new directive (COM/2023/192 final) and a new regulation (COM/2023/193 final), which would revise and replace the existing general pharmaceutical legislation, including e.g., Directive 2001/83/EC, as well as Regulations (EC) No. 726/2004, No. 141/2000, or No. 1901/2006 (EU Pharmaceutical Legislation). This proposal is currently undergoing the ordinary legislative procedure in the European Parliament and Council of the European Union and is therefore still subject to changes. If at all, the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation is expected to be implemented at the earliest in the next few years. Prevention and mitigation of medicine shortages, simplification of the market entry of generics and biosimilars, the reduction of the regulatory burden (e.g. by increased digitalization) and the implementation of a new regime for data and / or market exclusivity (e.g. by reducing the minimum period while introducing factors that, if met, prolong protections for marketing authorization holders) are among the major objectives pursued by the European Commission.

Brexit and the Regulatory Framework in the United KingdomUK

In June 2016,On January 31, 2020, the electorate in the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the European Union (commonly referred to as “Brexit”), and the United KingdomUK officially withdrew from the European Union on January 31, 2020. Pursuant to the formal withdrawal arrangements agreed between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the United Kingdom was subject to a transition period until December 31, 2020, or Transition Period, during which European Union rules continued to apply. However, the European Union and the United Kingdom have concluded a trade and cooperation agreement, or TCA, which was provisionally applicableEU (Brexit). Provisionally since January 1, 2021 and has been formally applicable since May 1, 2021. The 2021, the EU and UK’s trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) includes specific provisions concerning pharmaceuticals, which include the mutual recognition of GMP, inspections of manufacturing facilities for medicinal products and GMP documents issued, but does not foresee wholesale mutual recognition of United KingdomUK and European UnionEU pharmaceutical regulations. At present, Great BritainThe UK has implemented European UnionEU legislation on the marketing, promotion and sale of medicinal products through the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (as amended). and has not yet enacted significant legislative change in this area following its exit from the EU. The regulatory regime in Great Britain therefore largely aligns with current European Union regulations, however it is possible thatEU regulations. However, these regimes willmay diverge in futureincreasingly as time passes, now that Great Britain’s regulatory system is independent from the European UnionEU, and the TCA does not provide for mutual recognition of United KingdomUK and European UnionEU pharmaceutical legislation. For example, as already explained, the new Clinical Trials Regulation which became effective in the European UnionEU on January 31, 2022 has not been implemented into United KingdomUK law, and a separate application will need to be submitted for clinical trial authorization in the United Kingdom.UK. Furthermore, the position in Northern Ireland differs in certain respects from that of the rest of the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) as some EU rules continue to be applicable to Northern Ireland following the UK’s departure from the EU.

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Regulation and Procedures Governing Approval of Medicinal Products in Japan

In order to market any medical products in Japan, a company must comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements in Japan regarding quality, safety and efficacy in the context, among other things, of clinical trials, marketing approval, commercial sales and distribution of products. A person who manufactures or markets medical products in Japan is subject to the supervision of the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (the Minister),MHLW, primarily under the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (Pharmaceutical and Medical DeviceDevices Act). This entails the satisfactory completion of pharmaceutical development, nonclinicalpreclinical studies and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and efficacy of the medical product for each proposed indication. It also requires the filing of a notification of clinical trials with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (Japan) (PMDA) and the obtaining of marketing approval from the relevant authorities before the product can be marketed and sold in the Japanese market.

Business License

Under the PMDA,Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act, a person is required to obtain from the MinisterMHLW a marketing license in order to conduct the business of marketing, leasing or providing medical products that are manufactured (or outsourced to a third party for manufacturing) or imported by such person.

Also, in order to conduct the business of manufacturing medical products which will be marketed in Japan, a person is required to obtain from the MinisterMHLW a manufacturing license for each manufacturing site.

Marketing Approval

Under the PMDA,Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act, it is generally required to obtain marketing approval from the MinisterMHLW for the marketing of each medical product. An application for marketing approval must be made through the PMDA, which implements a marketing approval review.

Clinical Trial

Under the PMDA,Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act, it is required to file notification of clinical trials with the PMDA. Also, the data of clinical trials and other pertinent data, which must be attached for an application for marketing approval, must be obtained in compliance with the standards established by the Minister,MHLW, such as GLPGLPs and GCPGCPs stipulated by the ministerial ordinances of the Minister.MHLW.

Regulatory Requirements after Marketing Approval

A marketing license-holder that has obtained marketing approval for a new medical productpharmaceutical must have that medical productpharmaceutical re-examined by the Minister or by the PMDA for a specified period after receiving marketing approval. Such re-examination period for VYVGART is stated to be 10 years after the marketing approval in January 2022. The purpose of this re-examination process is to ensure the safety and efficacy of a newly approved medical productpharmaceutical by imposing on the marketing license-holder the obligation to gather clinical data for a certain period after the marketing approval was granted so that the MinisterPMDA has the opportunity to re-examine the product. Results of usage and other pertinent data must be attached for an application for a re-examination. A marketing license holder that has obtained a marketing approval is also required to investigate, among other things, the results of usage and to periodically report to the MinisterPMDA pursuant to the PMDA.Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Act.

Price Regulation

In Japan, public medical insurance systems cover virtually the entire Japanese population. The public medical insurance system, however, does not cover any medical product which is not listed on the National Health Insurance (NHI) price list published by the Minister.Minister of the MHLW. Accordingly, a marketing license-holder of medical products

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must first have a new medical product listed on the NHI price list in order to obtain its coverage under the public medical insurance system. The NHI price list listed VYVGART in April 2022.

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The NHI price of a medical product is determined either by price comparison of comparable medical products with necessary adjustments for innovativeness, usefulness or size of the market; or, in the absence of comparable medical products, by the cost calculation method, determined after considering of the opinion of the manufacturer. Prices on the NHI price list will be subject to revision, generally once every year, on the basis of the actual prices at which the medical products are purchased by medical institutions.

Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval. Even if our product candidates are approved for marketing, sales of such product candidates will depend, in part, on the extent to which third-party payors, including government health programs in the U.S. (such as Medicare and Medicaid), commercial health insurers, and managed care organizations, provide coverage and establish adequate reimbursement levels for such product candidates. Moreover, increasing efforts by governmental and third-party payors in the European Union,EU, the U.S. and other markets to cap or reduce healthcare costs may cause such organizations to limit both coverage and the level of reimbursement for newly approved products and, as a result, they may not cover or provide adequate payment for our product candidates. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any of our product candidates due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative changes. The downward pressure on healthcare costs in general, particularly prescription drugs and surgical procedures and other treatments, has become very intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products.

In the U.S. and markets in other countries, patients generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their treatment. Adequate coverage and reimbursement from governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and commercial payors is critical to new product acceptance. Patients are unlikely to use any product candidates we may develop unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a significant portion of the cost of such product candidates.

Factors payors consider in determining reimbursement are based on whether the product is (i) a covered benefit under its health plan; (ii) safe, effective and medically necessary; (iii) appropriate for the specific patient; (iv) cost-effective; and (v) neither experimental nor investigational.

The Medicare and Medicaid programs increasingly are used as models for how private payors and other governmental payors develop their coverage and reimbursement policies for drugs and biologics. Some third-party payors may require pre-approval of coverage for new or innovative devices or drug therapies before they will reimburse health carehealthcare providers who use such therapies. It is difficult to predict at this time what third-party payors will decide with respect to the coverage and reimbursement for our product candidates. TheNo uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for drug products exists among third-party payors in the U.S. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for determiningthe use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Each plan determines whether a payoror not it will provide coverage for a product, may be separate fromwhat amount it will pay the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that the payor will paymanufacturer for the product, onceon what tier of its formulary the product will be placed and whether to require step therapy. The position of a product on a formulary generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the product and can strongly influence the adoption of a product by patients and physicians. Third-party payors may limit coverage isto specific products on a formulary, which might not include all of the approved products for a particular indication. Additionally, a payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. For example, the payor may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Further, one payor’s determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage and reimbursement for the product, and the level of coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor.

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Third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of medical products and services and imposing controls to manage costs, especially drugs when an equivalent generic drug or a less expensive therapy is available. It is possible that a third-party payor may consider our product candidate and other therapies as substitutable and only offer to reimburse patients for the less expensive product. Even if we show improved efficacy or improved convenience of administration with our product candidate, pricing of existing drugs may limit the amount we will be able to charge for our product candidate. These payors may deny or revoke the reimbursement status of a given drug product or establish prices for new or existing marketed products at levels that are too low to enable us to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. If reimbursement is not available or is available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates and may not be able to obtain a satisfactory financial return on products that we may develop. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific products on an approved list, also known as a formulary, which might not include all of the approved products for a particular indication.

In Mainland China, the newly created National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) an agency responsible for administering Mainland China’s social security system, organized a price negotiation with drug companies for certain

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new drugs that had not been included in the National Reimbursable Drug List (NRDL) at the time of the negotiation in November 2019, which resulted in an average price reduction by over 60% for 70 of the 119 drugs that passed the negotiation. NHSA, together with other government authorities, review the inclusion or removal of drugs from China'sMainland China’s National Drug Catalog for Basic Medical Insurance, Work-related Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance, or provincial or local medical insurance catalogues for the national medical insurance program regularly, and the tier under which a drug or device will be classified, both of which affect the amounts reimbursable to program participants for their purchases of those drugs. These determinations are made based on a number of factors, including price and efficacy. We may also be invited to attend the price negotiation with NHSA upon receiving regulatory approval in Mainland China, but we will likely need to significantly reduce our prices, and to negotiate with each of the provincial healthcare security administrations on reimbursement ratios. On the other hand, if the NHSA or any of its local counterpart includes our drugs and devices in the NRDLnational RDL or provincial RDL, which may increase the demand for our drug candidates and devices, our potential revenue from the sales of our drug candidates and devices may still decrease as a result of lower prices. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement in Mainland China does not imply that any drug or device will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including licensing fees, research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution.

Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases at short notice, and we believe that changes in these rules and regulations are likely. Outside the U.S., we will face challenges in ensuring obtaining adequate coverage and payment for any product candidates we may develop. Pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control in many countries. In order to secure coverage and reimbursement for any product that might be approved for sale, we have needed and may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost-effectiveness of the product, and the cost of these studies would be in addition to the costs required to obtain FDA or other comparable marketing approvals. Conducting such studies could be expensive, involve additional risk and result in delays in our commercialization efforts. Even after pharmacogenomic studies are conducted, product candidates may not be considered medically necessary or cost-effective. A decision by a third-party payor not to cover any product candidates we may develop could reduce physician utilization of such product candidates once approved and have a material adverse effect on our sales, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, a payor’s decision to provide coverage for a product does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. For example, the payor may require co-payments that patients find unacceptably high. Further, one payor's determination to provide coverage for a product does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage and reimbursement for the product, and the level of coverage and reimbursement can differ significantly from payor to payor. Third-party reimbursement and coverage may not be adequate to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development. The insurance coverage and reimbursement status of newly approved products for orphan diseases is particularly uncertain, and failure to obtain or maintain adequate coverage and reimbursement for any such product candidates could limit our ability to generate revenue. Further, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of individuals have lost/will be losinglose employer-based insurance coverage, which may adversely affect our ability to commercialize our products,products. As noted above, in the U.S., we plan to have various programs to help patients afford our products, including patient assistance programs and co-pay coupon programs for eligible patients. More specifically, patients can enroll into MY VYVGART PATH™, a patient support program that provides personalized support from a nurse case manager and committed support team. In addition to providing support on questions on the treatment and on navigating the insurance process, the program provides a VYVGART Co-pay Program to eligible patients, aids in referring patients to charitable foundations that may be able to help with out-of-pocket costs and informs patients of financial assistance programs that may be available.

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The containment of healthcare costs also has become a priority of U.S. federal, state and international governments and the prices of pharmaceuticals have been a focus in this effort. Governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Net prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of drugs from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States.U.S. Increasingly, third-party payors are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are challenging the prices charged for medical products. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any future product candidate that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, the level of reimbursement. In addition, many pharmaceutical manufacturers must calculate and report certain price reporting metrics to the government, such as average sales price (ASP) and best price. Penalties may apply in some cases when such metrics are not submitted accurately and timely. Further, these prices for drugs may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our potential revenue from the sale of any products for which we may obtain approval. Coverage policies and third-party reimbursement rates may change at any time. Even if favorable coverage and reimbursement status is attained for one or more of our products for which we or

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our collaborators receive marketing approval, less favorable coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the future. Obtaining and maintaining reimbursement status is time-consuming and costly.

No uniform policy for coverage and reimbursement for drug products exists among third-party payors in the U.S. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Furthermore, rules and regulations regarding reimbursement change frequently, in some cases at short notice, and we believe that changes in these rules and regulations are likely. Outside the U.S., we will face challenges in ensuring obtaining adequate coverage and payment for any product candidates we may develop. Pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control in many countries. Pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can extend well beyond the receipt of regulatory marketing approval for a product and may require us to conduct a clinical trial that compares the effectiveness of any product candidates we may develop to other available therapies to support cost-effectiveness. The conduct of such a clinical trial could be expensive, involve additional risk and result in delays in our commercialization efforts.

In the European Union,EU, pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country. Some countries provide that products may be marketed only after a reimbursement price has been agreed. Some countries may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost-effectiveness of a particular product candidate to currently available therapies (so called health technology assessments) in order to obtain reimbursement or pricing approval. For example, the European UnionEU provides options for its Member States to restrict the range of products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. European UnionEU Member States may approve a specific price for a product or may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the product on the market. Other Member States allow companies to fix their own prices for products but monitor and control prescription volumes and issue guidance to physicians to limit prescriptions. Recently, many countries in the European UnionEU have increased the amount of discounts required on pharmaceuticals and these efforts could continue as countries attempt to manage healthcare expenditures, especially in light of the severe fiscal and debt crises experienced by many countries in the European Union.EU. The downward pressure on health carehealthcare costs in general, particularly prescription products, has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. Political, economic and regulatory developments may further complicate pricing negotiations, and pricing negotiations may continue after reimbursement has been obtained. Reference pricing used by various European UnionEU Member States and parallel trade (arbitrage between low-priced and high-priced Member States) can further reduce prices. Special pricing and reimbursement rules may apply to orphan drugs. Inclusion of orphan drugs in reimbursement systems tend to focus on the medical usefulness, need, quality and economic benefits to patients and the healthcare system as for any drug. Acceptance of any medicinal product for reimbursement may come with cost, use and often volume restrictions, which again can vary by country. In addition, results-based rules of reimbursement may apply. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products, if approved in those countries. Historically, products launched in the European UnionEU do not follow price structures of the U.S. and generally prices tend to be significantly lower.

Outside the U.S., international operations are generally subject to extensive governmental price controls and other market regulations, and we believe the increasing emphasis on cost-containment initiatives in Europe, Canada and other countries has and will continue to put pressure on the pricing and usage of our product candidates. In many countries, the prices of medical products are subject to varying price control mechanisms as part of national health systems. Other countries allow companies to fix their own prices for medical products but monitor and control company profits. Additional foreign price controls or other changes in pricing regulation could restrict the amount that we are able to charge for our product candidates. Accordingly, in markets outside the U.S., the reimbursement for our products may be reduced compared with the U.S. and may be insufficient to generate commercially reasonable revenue and profits.

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The delivery of healthcare in the European Union,EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter for national, rather than European Union,EU, law and policy.

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National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of healthcare and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. In general, however, the healthcare budgetary constraints in most European UnionEU Member States have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing European UnionEU and national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to commercialize any products for which we obtain marketing approval.

Government Pricing and Reimbursement Programs for Marketed Drugs in the U.S.

Medicaid, the 340B Drug Pricing Program, and Medicare

Federal law requires that a pharmaceutical manufacturer, as a condition of having its drug and biological products receive federal reimbursement under Medicaid and Medicare Part B, must pay rebates to state Medicaid programs for all units of its covered outpatient drugs dispensed to Medicaid beneficiaries and paid for by a state Medicaid program under either a fee-for-service arrangement or through a managed care organization. This federal requirement is effectuated through a Medicaid drug rebate agreement between the manufacturer and the Secretary of HHS. CMS administers the Medicaid drug rebate agreements, which provide, among other things, that the drug manufacturer will pay rebates to each state Medicaid agency on a quarterly basis and report certain price information on a monthly and quarterly basis. The rebates are based on prices reported to CMS by manufacturers for their covered outpatient drugs. For non-innovator products, generally generic drugs marketed under abbreviated NDAs, the rebate amount is 13% of the average manufacturer price (AMP) for the quarter. The AMP is the weighted average of prices paid to the manufacturer (1) directly by retail community pharmacies and (2) by wholesalers for drugs distributed to retail community pharmacies. For innovator products (i.e., drugs that are marketed under NDAs or BLAs), the rebate amount is the greater of 23.1% of the AMP for the quarter or the difference between such AMP and the best price for that same quarter. The best price is essentially the lowest price available to non-governmental entities after accounting for discounts and rebates. Innovator products may also be subject to an additional rebate that is based on the amount, if any, by which the product’s AMP for a given quarter exceeds the inflation-adjusted baseline AMP, which for most drugs is the AMP for the first full quarter after launch. Since 2017, non-innovator products are also subject to an additional rebate. To date, the rebate amount for a drug has been capped at 100% of the AMP; however, effective January 1, 2024, this cap will be eliminated, which means that a manufacturer could pay a total rebate amount on a unit of the drug that is greater than the average price the manufacturer receives for the drug.

The terms of participation in the Medicaid drug rebate program impose an obligation to correct the prices reported in previous quarters, as may be necessary. Any such corrections could result in additional or lesser rebate liability, depending on the direction of the correction. In addition to retroactive rebates, if a manufacturer were found to have knowingly submitted false information to the government, federal law provides for civil monetary penalties for failing to provide required information, late submission of required information, and false information.

A manufacturer must also participate in a federal program known as the 340B drug pricing program in order for federal funds to be available to pay for the manufacturer’s drug and biological products under Medicaid and Medicare Part B. Under this program, the participating manufacturer agrees to charge certain safety net healthcare providers no more than an established discounted price for its covered outpatient drugs. The formula for determining the discounted price is defined by statute and is based on the AMP and the unit rebate amount as calculated under the Medicaid drug rebate program, discussed above. Manufacturers are required to report pricing information to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on a quarterly basis. HRSA has also issued regulations relating to the calculation of the ceiling price as well as imposition of civil monetary penalties for each instance of knowingly and intentionally overcharging a 340B covered entity.

Federal law also requires that manufacturers report data on a quarterly basis to CMS regarding the pricing of drugs that are separately reimbursable under Medicare Part B. These are generally drugs and biologics, such as injectable products, that are administered incident to a physician service and are not generally self-administered. The pricing information submitted by manufacturers is the basis for reimbursement to physicians and suppliers for drugs covered under Medicare Part B. Under the IRA, manufacturers are also required to provide quarterly rebates for certain single-source drugs and biologics (including biosimilars) covered under Medicare Part B with prices that increase faster than

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the rate of inflation. This requirement started on January 1, 2023 for drugs approved on or before December 1, 2020 and begins six quarters after a drug is first marketed for all other drugs. As with the Medicaid drug rebate program, federal law provides for civil monetary penalties for failing to provide required information, late submission of required information, and false information.

Recently, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act added a requirement, effective January 1, 2023, for manufacturers of certain single-source drugs (including biologics and biosimilars) separately paid for under Medicare Part B for at least 18 months and marketed in single-dose containers or packages (known as refundable single-dose containers or single-use package drugs) to provide annual refunds for any portions of the dispensed drug that are unused and discarded if those unused or discarded portions exceed an applicable percentage defined by statute or regulation. Manufacturers will be subject to periodic audits and those that fail to pay refunds for their refundable single-dose containers or single-use package drugs shall be subject to civil monetary penalties.

Medicare Part D provides prescription drug benefits for seniors and people with disabilities. Medicare Part D enrollees once had a gap in their coverage (between the initial coverage limit and the point at which catastrophic coverage begins) where Medicare did not cover their prescription drug costs, known as the coverage gap. However, beginning in 2019, Medicare Part D enrollees paid 25% of brand drug costs after they reached the initial coverage limit - the same percentage they were responsible for before they reached that limit - thereby closing the coverage gap from the enrollee’s point of view. Most of the cost of closing the coverage gap is being borne by innovator companies and the government through subsidies. Each manufacturer of drugs approved under NDAs or BLAs is required to enter into a Medicare Part D coverage gap discount agreement and provide a 70% discount on those drugs dispensed to Medicare Part D enrollees in the coverage gap, in order for its drugs to be reimbursed by Medicare Part D. Beginning in 2025, the IRA eliminates the coverage gap under Medicare Part D by significantly lowering the enrollee maximum out-of-pocket cost and requiring manufacturers to subsidize, through a newly established manufacturer discount program, 10% of Part D enrollees’ prescription costs for brand drugs above a deductible and below the out-of-pocket maximum, and 20% once the out-of-pocket maximum has been reached. Although these discounts represent a lower percentage of enrollees’ costs than the current discounts required below the out-of-pocket maximum (that is, in the coverage gap phase of Part D coverage), the new manufacturer contribution required above the out-of-pocket maximum could be considerable for very high-cost patients and the total contributions by manufacturers to a Part D enrollee’s drug expenses may exceed those currently provided. The IRA also requires manufacturers to provide annual Medicare Part D rebates for single-source drugs and biological products with prices that increase faster than the rate of inflation.

The IRA also allows HHS to directly negotiate the selling price of a statutorily specified number of drugs and biologics each year that CMS reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for single-source drugs) can qualify for negotiation, with the negotiated price taking effect two years after the selection year. Negotiations for Medicare Part D products begin in 2024 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2026, and negotiations for Medicare Part B products begin in 2026 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2028. In August 2023, HHS announced the 10 Medicare Part D drugs and biologics that it selected for negotiations, and by October 1, 2023, each manufacturer of the selected drugs signed a manufacturer agreement to participate in the negotiations. HHS will announce the negotiated maximum fair price by September 1, 2024, and this price cap, which cannot exceed a statutory ceiling price will come into effect on January 1, 2026.

U.S. Federal Contracting and Pricing Requirements

Manufacturers are also required to make their covered drugs, which are generally drugs approved under NDAs or BLAs, available to authorized users of the Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) of the General Services Administration. The law also requires manufacturers to offer deeply discounted FSS contract pricing for purchases of their covered drugs by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard, and the Public Health Service (including the Indian Health Service) in order for federal funding to be available for reimbursement or purchase of the manufacturer’s drugs under certain federal programs. FSS pricing to those four federal agencies for covered drugs must be no more than the Federal Ceiling Price (FCP), which is at least 24% below the Non-Federal Average Manufacturer Price (Non-FAMP) for the prior year. The Non-FAMP is the average price for covered drugs sold to wholesalers or other middlemen, net of any price reductions.

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The accuracy of a manufacturer’s reported Non-FAMPs, FCPs, or FSS contract prices may be audited by the government. Among the remedies available to the government for inaccuracies is recoupment of any overcharges to the four specified federal agencies based on those inaccuracies. If a manufacturer were found to have knowingly reported false prices, in addition to other penalties available to the government, the law provides for significant civil monetary penalties per incorrect item. Finally, manufacturers are required to disclose in FSS contract proposals all commercial pricing that is equal to or less than the proposed FSS pricing, and subsequent to award of an FSS contract, manufacturers are required to monitor certain commercial price reductions and extend commensurate price reductions to the government, under the terms of the FSS contract Price Reductions Clause. Among the remedies available to the government for any failure to properly disclose commercial pricing and/or to extend FSS contract price reductions is recoupment of any FSS overcharges that may result from such omissions.

Healthcare Law and Regulation

Healthcare providers and third-party payors play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of pharmaceutical products that are granted marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with providers, researchers, consultants, third-party payors and customers are subject to broadly applicable federal and state fraud and abuse, anti-kickback, false claims, transparency and patient privacy laws and regulations and other healthcare laws and regulations that may constrain our business and/or financial arrangements. Restrictions under applicable federal and state healthcare laws and regulations include, without limitation, the following:

the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) which prohibits, among other things, persons and entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering, or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under a federal healthcare program such as Medicare and Medicaid. This statute has been interpreted to apply to arrangements between pharmaceutical manufacturers on the one hand and prescribers, purchasers and formulary managers on the other. A person or entity can be found guilty of violating the AKS without actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the AKS constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal False Claims Act or federal civil money penalties statute. Violations of the AKS carry potentially significant civil and criminal penalties, including imprisonment, fines, administrative civil monetary penalties, and exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs. On December 2, 2020, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published further modifications to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.AKS. Under the final rules, OIG added safe harbor protections under the Anti-Kickback StatuteAKS for certain coordinated care and value-based arrangements among clinicians, providers, and others. This rule (with exceptions) became effective January 19, 2021. We continue to evaluate what effect, if any, the rule will have on our business;
the U.S. federal false claims and civil monetary penalties laws, including the civil False Claims Act and federal civil monetary penalty laws, which, among other things, impose criminal and civil penalties, including through civil whistleblower or qui tam actions, against individuals or entities for knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, to the U.S. federal government, claims for payment or approval that are false or fraudulent, knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim or obligation to pay or transmit money to the federal government, or from knowingly making a false statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the U.S. federal government. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback StatuteAKS constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act. Manufacturers can be held liable under the False Claims Act even when they do not submit claims directly to government payors if they are deemed to "cause"“cause” the submission of false or fraudulent claims. The False Claims Act also permits a private individual acting as a "whistleblower"“whistleblower” to bring qui tam actions on behalf of the federal government alleging violations of the False Claims Act and to share in any monetary recovery. When an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose civil fines and penalties for each false claim, plus treble damages,

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and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs;

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the U.S. federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) which imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or obtaining by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the pay (e.g., public or private) or knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement, in connection with the delivery of, or payment for, healthcare benefits, items or services relating to healthcare matters; similar to the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute,AKS, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation;
HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) and its implementing regulations, and as amended again by the Omnibus Rule in 2013, which imposes certain obligations, including mandatory contractual terms, with respect to safeguarding the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information without appropriate authorization by covered entities subject to the Final HIPAA Omnibus Rule, i.e., certain covered health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and healthcare providers, as well as their business associates, those independent contractors or agents of covered entities that perform certain services for or on their behalf involving the use or disclosure of individually identifiable health information. HITECH also created new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business associates and possibly other persons, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys'attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions;
the federal transparency requirements known as the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the ACA), which requires certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, information related to payments and other transfers of value made by that entity to physicians (currently defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain non-physician providers such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. Failure to submit required information may result in civil monetary penalties for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests that are not timely, accurately, and completely reported in an annual submission. Effective January 1, 2022, these reporting obligations were extended to include transfers of value made to certain non-physician providers such as physician assistants and nurse practitioners;submission;
federal government price reporting laws, which require us to calculate and report complex pricing metrics in an accurate and timely manner to government programs;
federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that potentially harm consumers;
analogous state laws and regulations, including: state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to our business practices, including, but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third party payor, including commercial insurers; state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry'sindustry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the U.S. federal government, or otherwise restrict payments that

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may be made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources; state and local laws that require the licensure of sales representatives; state laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures and pricing information; state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same effect; and state laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving private insurers; and

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EuropeanEU, UK and other foreign law equivalents, of each of the laws, including reporting requirements detailing interactions with and payments to healthcare providers and data privacy and security laws and regulations that may be more stringent than those in the U.S.

Some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the April 2003 Office of Inspector General Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and/or the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals, in addition to requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other health carehealthcare providers or marketing expenditures. Several states also impose other marketing restrictions or require pharmaceutical companies to make marketing or price disclosures to the state and require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representativesrepresentatives. State and foreign laws, including for example the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, which became effective May 2018,GDPR, also 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. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements and if we fail to comply with an applicable state law requirement, we could be subject to penalties.

We have and will be requiredcontinue to spend substantial time and money to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations. Recent healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these federal and state healthcare laws. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws.

Other laws that may affect our ability to operate include:

the anti-inducement law prohibits, among other things, the offering or giving of remuneration, which includes, without limitation, any transfer of items or services for free or for less than fair market value (with limited exceptions), to a Medicare or Medicaid beneficiary that the person know or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary'sbeneficiary’s selection of a particular supplier of items or services reimbursable by a federal or state governmental program; and
European and other foreign law equivalents of each of the laws, including reporting requirements detailing interactions with and payments to healthcare providers.

In the U.S., to help patients afford our approved product, we may utilize programs to assist them, including patient assistance programs and co-pay coupon programs for eligible patients. Government enforcement agencies have shown increased interest in pharmaceutical companies'companies’ product and patient assistance programs, including reimbursement support services, and a number of investigations into these programs have resulted in significant civil and criminal settlements. In addition, at least one insurer has directed its network pharmacies to no longer accept co-pay coupons for certain specialty drugs the insurer identified. Our co-pay coupon programs could become the target of similar insurer actions. In addition, in November 2013, the CMS issued guidance to the issuers of qualified health plans sold through the ACA'sACA’s marketplaces encouraging such plans to reject patient cost-sharing support from third parties and indicating that the CMS intends to monitor the provision of such support and may take regulatory action to limit it in the future. The CMS subsequently issued a rule requiring individual market qualified health plans to accept third-party premium and cost-sharing payments from certain government-related entities. In September 2014, the OIG of the HHS issued a Special Advisory Bulletin warning manufacturers that

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they may be subject to sanctions under the federal anti-kickback statuteAKS and/or civil monetary penalty laws if they do not take appropriate steps to exclude Part D beneficiaries from using co-pay coupons. Accordingly, companies exclude these Part D beneficiaries from using co-pay coupons. It is possible that changes in insurer policies regarding co-pay coupons and/or the introduction and enactment of new legislation or regulatory action could restrict or otherwise negatively affect these patient support programs, which could result in fewer patients using affected products, and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our sales, business, and financial condition.

Third partyThird-party patient assistance programs that receive financial support from companies have become the subject of enhanced government and regulatory scrutiny. The OIG has established guidelines that suggest that it is lawful for pharmaceutical manufacturers to make donations to charitable organizations who provide co-pay assistance to Medicare

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patients, provided that such organizations, among other things, are bona fide charities, are entirely independent of and not controlled by the manufacturer, provide aid to applicants on a first-come basis according to consistent financial criteria and do not link aid to use of a donor'sdonor’s product. However, donations to patient assistance programs have received some negative publicity and have been the subject of multiple government enforcement actions, related to allegations regarding their use to promote branded pharmaceutical products over other less costly alternatives. Specifically, in recent years, there have been multiple settlements resulting out of government claims challenging the legality of their patient assistance programs under a variety of federal and state laws. It is possible that we may make grants to independent charitable foundations that help financially needy patients with their premium, co-pay, and co-insurance obligations. If we choose to do so, and if we or our vendors or donation recipients are deemed to fail to comply with relevant laws, regulations or evolving government guidance in the operation of these programs, we could be subject to damages, fines, penalties, or other criminal, civil, or administrative sanctions or enforcement actions. We cannot ensure that our compliance controls, policies, and procedures will be sufficient to protect against acts of our employees, business partners, or vendors that may violate the laws or regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Regardless of whether we have complied with the law, a government investigation could impact our business practices, harm our reputation, divert the attention of management, increase our expenses, and reduce the availability of foundation support for our patients who need assistance.

On December 2,November 30, 2020, the HHS published a regulation removing safe harbor protection for price reductions from pharmaceutical manufacturers to plan sponsors under Part D, either directly or through pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)(PBMs), unless the price reduction is required by law. The rule also creates a new safe harbor for price reductions reflected at the point-of-sale, as well as a safe harbor for certain fixed fee arrangements between PBMs and manufacturers. ImplementationThe IRA delayed implementation of this change and new safe harbors for point-of-sale reductions in price for prescription pharmaceutical products and PBM service fees are currently under review by the current U.S. presidential administration and may be amended or repealed.until January 1, 2032. Further, on December 31, 2020, CMS published a new rule, effective January 1, 2023, requiring manufacturers to ensure the full value of co-pay assistance is passed on to the patient or these dollars will count toward the Average Manufacturer PriceAMP and Best Price calculation of the drug. On May 21, 2021, PhRMA sued the HHS in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to stop the implementation of the rule claiming that the rule contradicts federal law surrounding Medicaid rebates. It is unclear howrebates, and on May 17, 2022, the outcome of this litigation will affectcourt vacated the rule. We cannot predict how the implementation of and any further changes to this rule will affect our business. Although a number of these and other proposed measures may require authorization through additional legislation to become effective, and the current U.S. presidential administration may reverse or otherwise change these measures, both the current U.S. presidential administration and Congress have indicated that they will continue to seek new legislative measures to control drug costs.

Violations of these laws or any future enacted laws can subject us to criminal, civil and administrative sanctions including monetary penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, individual imprisonment and exclusion from participation 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, reputational harm, and we may be required to curtail or restructure our operations. Moreover, we expect that there will continue to be federal and state laws and regulations, proposed and implemented, that could impact our future operations and business.

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Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Ensuring that our internal operations and future business arrangements with third parties comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations, agency guidance 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 the laws described above or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant penalties, including administrative, civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, the exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, individual imprisonment, reputational harm, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, as well as additional reporting obligations and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or other agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws. Further, defending against any such actions can be costly and time consuming,time-consuming, and may require significant financial and personnel resources. Therefore, even if we are successful in defending against any such actions that may be brought against us, our business may be impaired. If any of the physicians or other providers or entities with whom we expect to do business are found to not be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from government funded healthcare programs and imprisonment. If any of the above occur, our ability to operate our business and our results of operations could be adversely affected.

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Healthcare Reform

In the U.S., the European UnionEU and other foreign jurisdictions, there have been a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare systemsystems that could affect our future results of operations. In particular, there have been and continue to be a number of initiatives at the U.S. federal and state levels that seek to reduce healthcare costs and improve the quality of healthcare. For example, inthe ACA, effective since March 2010, the ACA entered into force. The ACA is a sweeping law intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms.

AmongHealthcare reforms that have been adopted, and that may be adopted in the provisionsfuture, could result in further reductions in coverage and levels of reimbursement for pharmaceutical products, increases in rebates payable under U.S. government rebate programs and additional downward pressure on pharmaceutical product prices. On September 9, 2021, the ACABiden administration published a wide-ranging list of importancepolicy proposals, most of which would need to our potential product candidates are the following:

an annual, nondeductible fee on any entity that manufacturers or imports specified branded prescription drugs and biologic products, apportioned among these entities according to their market share in certain government healthcare programs, although this fee would not apply to sales of certain products approved exclusively for orphan indications;
expansion of eligibility criteria for Medicaid programs by, among other things, allowing states to offer Medicaid coverage to certain individuals with income at or below 133% of the federal poverty level, thereby potentially increasing a manufacturer's Medicaid rebate liability;
expansion of manufacturers' rebate liability under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program by increasing the minimum rebate for both branded and generic drugs and revising the definition of "average manufacturer price," or AMP, for calculating and reporting Medicaid drug rebates on outpatientbe carried out by Congress, to reduce drug prices and drug payment. The HHS plan includes, among other reform measures, proposals to lower prescription drug prices, and extending rebate liability to prescriptions for individuals enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans;
a new methodology by which rebates owed by manufacturers under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program are calculated for products that are inhaled, infused, instilled, implanted or injected;
expanding the types of entities eligible for the 340B drug discount program;
establishing the Medicare Part D coverage gap discount program, which requires manufacturers to provide a 50% (increased to 70% effective January 1, 2019 pursuant to subsequent legislation) point-

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of-sale-discount off the negotiated price of applicable products to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period as a condition for the manufacturers' outpatient products to be covered under Medicare Part D;
a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to oversee, identify priorities in and conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, along with funding for such research; and
establishment of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) within CMS, to test innovative payment and service delivery models to lower Medicare and Medicaid spending, potentially including prescription product spending.

Since its enactment, some of the provisions of the ACA have yet to be fully implemented, while certain provisions have been subject to judicial, congressional, and executive challenges. As a result, there have been delays in the implementation of, and action taken to repeal or replace, certain aspects of the ACA.

Since its enactment, there have been judicial, Congressional and executive challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the ACA brought by several states without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA. Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, President Biden issued an executive order to initiate a special enrollment period from February 15, 2021 through August 15, 2021 for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA 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 ACA. It is unclear how other healthcare reform measures of the Biden administration or other efforts, if any, to challenge, repeal or replace the ACA will impact our business.

Prior to the Biden administration, on October 13, 2017, former President Trump signed an executive order terminating the cost-sharing subsidies, or CSRs, that reimburse insurers under the ACA. Several state Attorneys General filed suit to stop the administration from terminating the subsidies, but their request for a restraining order was denied by a federal judge in California on October 25, 2017. On August 14, 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court ruling that the federal government is liable to insurers selling marketplace health plans for the loss of cost-sharing reduction reimbursements mandated under the ACA. It is unclear what impact this will have on our business. Further, on June 14, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the federal government was not required to pay more than $12 billion in ACA risk corridor payments to third-party payors who argued were owed to them. On April 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Federal Circuit decision and remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, concluding the government has an obligation to pay these risk corridor payments under the relevant formula. It is unclear what effect this will have on our business.

In addition, CMS published a final rule that would give states greater flexibility as of 2020 in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces.

On December 20, 2019, former President Trump signed into law the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1865), which repeals the Cadillac tax, the health insurance provider tax, and the medical device excise tax. It is impossible to determine whether similar taxes could be instated in the future.

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the ACA was enacted. These new laws may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding. For example, on August 2, 2011, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, included aggregate reductions of Medicare payments to providers of 2% per financial year. These reductions went into effect on April 1, 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments to the statute, including without limitation the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, will remain in effect through 2030, with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022

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due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the suspension, a 1% payment reduction will occur beginning April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022, and the 2% payment reduction will resume on July 1, 2022. Proposed legislation, if passed, would extend this suspension until the end of the pandemic. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several types of providers, including hospitals, imaging centers and cancer treatment centers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. These new laws may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other health care funding, which could have a material adverse effect on our customers and accordingly, our financial operations.

On May 23, 2019, CMS issued a final rule to allow Medicare Advantage Plans the option of using step therapy for Part B drugs beginning January 1, 2020. This final rule codified CMS’s policy change that was effective January 1, 2019. However, it is unclear whether the Biden administration will challenge, reverse, revoke or otherwise modify these executive and administrative actions after January 20, 2021.

Recently there has been other types of heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which manufacturers set prices for their marketed products. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed bills designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs.

At a federal level, President Biden signed an Executive Order on July 9, 2021 affirming the administration’s policy to (i) support legislative reforms that would lower the prices of prescription drug and biologics, including by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices by imposing inflation caps, and by supporting the developmentdisincentivize price increases, and to support market entry of lower-costchanges that strengthen supply chains, promote biosimilars and generic drugs, and biosimilars; and (ii) supportincrease price transparency. As discussed above, these initiatives culminated in the enactment of a public health insurance option. Amongthe IRA in August 2022, which allows, among other things, the Executive Order also directs HHS to provide a report on actions to combat excessive pricingdirectly negotiate the selling price of prescription drugs, enhance the domestic drug supply chain, reduce the price that the Federal government pays forstatutorily specified number of drugs and addressbiologics each year that CMS reimburses under Medicare Part B and Part D. Only high-expenditure single-source biologics that have been approved for at least 11 years (7 years for single-source drugs) can qualify for negotiation, with the negotiated price gougingtaking effect two years after the selection year. The negotiated prices, which will first become effective in 2026, will be capped at a statutory ceiling price. Negotiations for Medicare Part D products begin in 2024 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2026, and negotiations for Medicare Part B products begin in 2026 with the negotiated price taking effect in 2028. In August 2023, HHS announced the 10 Medicare Part D drugs and biologics that it selected for negotiations, and by October 1, 2023, each manufacturer of the selected drugs signed a manufacturer agreement to participate in the industry;negotiations. HHS will announce the negotiated maximum fair price by September 1, 2024, and directs the FDA to work with states and Indian Tribes that propose to develop section 804 Importation Programs in accordance with the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, and the FDA’s implementing regulations. FDA released such implementing regulations on September 24, 2020,this price cap, which wentcannot exceed a statutory ceiling price will come into effect on November 30, 2020, providing guidance for states to build and submit importation plans for drugs from Canada. On September 25, 2020, CMS stated drugs imported by states under this rule will not be eligible for federal rebates under Section 1927January 1, 2026. The IRA also penalizes drug manufacturers that increase prices of the Social Security Act and manufacturers would not report these drugs for “best price” or Average Manufacturer Price purposes. Since these drugs are not considered covered outpatient drugs, CMS further stated it will not publish a National Average Drug Acquisition Cost for these drugs. If implemented, importation of drugs from Canada may materially and adversely affect the price we receive for any of our product candidates. Further, on November 20, 2020 CMS issued an Interim Final Rule implementing the Most Favored Nation (MFN) Model under which Medicare Part B reimbursement rates wouldand Part D drugs at a rate greater than the rate of inflation. The IRA permits the Secretary of HHS to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years. Manufacturers that fail to comply with the IRA may be subject to various penalties, including civil monetary penalties. The IRA also extends enhanced subsidies for individuals purchasing health insurance coverage in ACA marketplaces through plan year 2025. These provisions will take began taking progressively starting in 2023, although they may be subject to legal challenges. For example, the provisions related to the negotiation of selling prices of high-expenditure single-source drugs and biologics have been calculated for certain drugs and biologicals basedchallenged in multiple lawsuits. Thus, while it is unclear how the IRA will be implemented, it will likely have a significant impact on the lowest price drug manufacturers receive in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries with a similar gross domestic product per capita. However, on December 29, 2021 CMS rescinded the MFN rule. Additionally, on November 30, 2020, HHS published a regulation removing safe harbor protection for price reductions from pharmaceutical manufacturers to plan sponsors under Part D, either directly or through pharmacy benefit managers, unless the price reduction is required by law. The rule also creates a new safe harbor for price reductions reflected at the point-of-sale, as well as a safe harbor for certain fixed fee arrangements between pharmacy benefit managers and manufacturers. Pursuant to court order, the removal and addition of the aforementioned safe harbors were delayed and recent legislation imposed a moratorium on implementation of the rule until January 1, 2026. Although a number of these and other proposed measures may require authorization through additional legislation to become effective, and the Biden administration may reverse or otherwise change these measures, both the Biden administration and Congress have indicated that they will continue to seek new legislative measures to control drug costs.industry.

We expect that additional U.S. federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that the U.S. federal government will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our product candidates or additional pricing pressures.

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Further, legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether FDA regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing approvals, if any, of our product candidates, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing approval, as well as subject us to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing conditions and other requirements.

Individual states in the U.S. have also become increasingly aggressive in passing legislation and implementing 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. Legally mandated price controls on payment amounts by third-party payors or other restrictions could harm our business, results of operations,

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financial condition and prospects. In addition, regional healthcare authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other healthcare programs. This could reduce the ultimate demand for our products or put pressure on our product pricing, which could negatively affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

In the European Union,EU, similar political, economic and regulatory developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our current or any future products. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the European UnionEU (such as the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation) or Member Statemember state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs. The delivery of healthcare in the European Union,EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter for national, rather than European Union,EU, law and policy. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of health care and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. In general, however, the healthcare budgetary constraints in most European UnionEU Member States have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing European UnionEU and national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay marketing approval of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to commercialize any products for which we obtain marketing approval. In international markets, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies.

We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad. If we or our collaborators are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we or our collaborators are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our product candidates may lose any regulatory approval that may have been obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business.

Environmental issues which may influence the use of our material fixed assets

Our primary research and development activities take place in our facilities in Zwijnaarde, Belgium. For these activities we require, and have obtained, the necessary environmental and biohazard permits from the responsible governments, required by us for the manner in which we use said facilities.

New shares created during 2023

As a result of the exercise of stock options and vesting of restricted stock units (RSUs) under our Equity Incentive Plan (as defined herein), 1,216,999 new shares were created in 2023. Equity Incentive Plan means the equity incentive plan as adopted by our Board of Directors on December 18, 2014, which was approved by a General Meeting on May 13, 2015, and subsequently amended at General Meetings on April 28, 2016 and November 25, 2019, respectively, and by the Board of Directors on December 18, 2019, November 5, 2020, December 15, 2021 and February 27, 2023.

On July 24, 2023, we closed an offering of 2,581,633 of our ordinary shares through a global offering. The global offering was comprised of an offering of ordinary shares represented by ADSs in the U.S. and certain other countries outside of the EEA and a simultaneous private placement of ordinary shares in the EEA and the UK. As a result, we received $1.3 billion of gross proceeds from this offering, decreased by $65.9 million of underwriter discounts and commissions, and offering expenses, of which $0.8 million has been deducted from equity. The total net cash proceeds from the offering amounted to $1.2 billion.

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The following table shows the developments in our share capital for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 and on February 20, 2024:

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2021

51,668,315

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2022

55,395,856

Exercise of stock options in 2023

1,137,439

Vesting of RSUs

79,560

Global public offering in Euronext and Nasdaq on July 17, 2023

2,244,899

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on July 19, 2023

336,734

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2023

59,194,488

Exercise of stock options in January 2024

106,617

Exercise of stock options in February 2024

2,277

Number of shares outstanding on February 20, 2024

59,302,232

C.

C.       ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

As of December 31, 2021, we had seven2023, argenx SE, has two subsidiaries, argenx BV and argenx Benelux BV, based in Belgium and argenx BV has ten subsidiaries. The following table sets out for each of our principal subsidiaries, the country of incorporation, and percentage ownership and voting interest held by us (directly or indirectly through subsidiaries).

Percentage ownership

As per December 31, 2023

CompanyName

    

Country of incorporation

    

and voting interestParticipation

argenx SE

Main activity

The Netherlands

100.00

argenx BV

 

Belgium

 

100.00

%  

Biotechnical research on drugs and pharma processes

argenx IIPBenelux BV

Belgium

100.00

%  

Biotechnical research on drugs and pharma processes

argenx US, Inc.

 

USA

 

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Switzerland, SA

Switzerland

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Japan KK

Japan

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx France SAS

France

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Germany GmbH

Germany

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalersargenx Canada Inc.

Canada

100.00

%  

argenx UK Ltd.

United Kingdom

100.00

%  

argenx Netherlands Services B.V.

The Netherlands

100.00

%  

argenx Italy S.r.l.

Italy

100.00

%  

argenx Spain S.L.

Spain

100.00

%  

The following chart provides an overview of the Group as of the date of this Annual Report. Percentages refer to both the share of capital and voting rights.

Graphic

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D.PROPERTY, PLANTS AND EQUIPMENT

We lease our operational offices and laboratory space, which consists of approximately 4,086 square meters, located in Zwijnaarde, Belgium. The lease for this facility expires in 2025. We also lease office space in Breda, the Netherlands, Boston, Massachusetts, Tokyo, Japan, Genevna, Switzerland, Munich Germany and Issy Les Moulineaux, France.

In January 2021, we entered into a binding lease agreement in relationrelated to the envisioned relocation of our Zwijnaarde facility to a newly built office in Zwijnaarde, with an annual base rent of $1.9$1.8 million, which wouldwill be operational in the secondthird quarter of 2025,2028, and with an initial term of 10.5 years. IncludedThe total future cash flows related to this lease are represented below in Note 22—Leases in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the bindingperiod ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

We also lease commitment isoffice space in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Boston (U.S.), Tokyo (Japan), Geneva (Switzerland), Munich (Germany), Issy Les Moulineaux (France), Vaughan Ontario (Canada), Gerrards Cross (UK) and Milan (Italy). In addition, our lease liabilities include a rent freelease plan for company cars with maturity dates up to four years.

For a discussion of contractual obligations, please see Note 29—Commitments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period of 6 months following the completion of the building.ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

We have an annual lease in Breda, the Netherlands in relation to office space, with an initial term of 1 year. In January 2021, we have entered into an annually renewing lease agreement in relation to officeour principal executive, operational offices and laboratory space located in Geneva, Switzerland for an initial term of 1 year including 2 office spaces. In September 2021, we have entered into a lease agreement in relation to office space located in Munich, Germany for an initial term of 1 year including 2 office spaces. In May 2021, we have entered into a lease agreement in relation to office space located in Issy Les Moulineaux, France for an initial term of 1 year including 1 office space.

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We haveZwijnaarde, Belgium. The following table sets forth our material leased facilities worldwide owned or leased as of December 31, 2021, as set forth in the following table:

2023:

Facility location

    

Use

Approx. size (m2)

     

Lease expiry

Zwijnaarde, Belgium (leased)

Operations and Laboratory Space

4,086

4,678

 

March 31st, 2025September 30, 2028

Boston, Massachusetts (leased)

Office Space

813

914

 

August 31,st, 2025 2030

Tokyo, Japan (leased)

Office Space

546

 

January 17,th, 2024

2027

Environment, Health and Safety

Our primary research and development activities take place in our facilities in Zwijnaarde, Belgium. For these activities we require, and have obtained, the necessary environmental and biohazard permits from the responsible governments.governments, required by us for the manner in which we use said facilities. See “ItemItem 3.D.Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Industry.Factors.

ITEM 4A.    UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 5.      OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

The following “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” should be read together with the information in our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The following discussion is based on our financial information prepared in accordance with the IFRS, as issued by the IASB, which may differ in material respects from generally accepted accounting principles in other jurisdictions, including U.S. GAAP. The following discussion includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including but not limited to those described in Item 3.D. “Risk Factors”and elsewhere in this Annual Report. Please also seeCautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in this Annual Report.

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A.      OPERATING RESULTS

The review of the financial condition and results of operations of certain items from fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and year-to-year comparisons between fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, that are not included in this Annual Report can be found in Item 5 “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects of our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

Overview

Since our inception in 2008, we have focused most of our financial resources and efforts towards developing our SIMPLE AntibodyTM Platform and antibody engineering technologies, identifying potential product candidates, establishing process, development and manufacturing capabilities for our product candidates and advancing multiple discovery programs into the clinic. We areIn 2022, we executed on our global launch of VYVGART our first-in-class neonatal FcRn blocker for IV use, which is now approved in the U.S, Japan, Europe, Israel, Canada and China for gMG. In 2023, we executed on our global launch of VYVGART SC, the first-and-only neonatal FcRn blocker administered by subcutaneous injection, which is now approved in the U.S. and Europe. In 2023, the successful commercialization of VYVGART and VYVGART SC generated a global product net sales of $1.2 billion.

On our research and development, we continue towards advancing a deep pipeline of both clinical- and preclinical-stage product candidates for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases, hematological disorders and cancer.diseases. Leveraging our technology suite and clinical expertise, we have advanced several candidates into late-stage clinical development and we currently have multiple programs in the discovery stage. Through December 31, 2021, we have raised an aggregate gross proceeds of $3,514.4 million, including:

(i)an aggregate of $65.3 million (€46.0 million) from the private placement of equity securities in 2008, 2009 and 2011,
(ii)$56.9 million (€41.8 million) from our initial public offering on the Euronext Brussels in 2014,
(iii)$50.9 million (€46.0 million) from the private placement of equity securities, primarily to U.S. based institutional investors, in 2016,
(iv)$114.7 million from our initial U.S. public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in May 2017,
(v)$265.5 million from our second U.S public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in December 2017,
(vi)$300.6 million from our third U.S public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in September 2018,
(vii)$200.9 million (€176.7 million) from the private placement of equity securities as part of the closing of the global collaboration and license agreement with Janssen in January 2019,
(viii)$556.3 million (€502.2 million) from a global offering in November 2019,
(ix)$590.5 million from our U.S. public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and $222.8 million (€200.4 million) from a concurrent private placement in May 2020, and
(x)$1,090.1 million from from our U.S. public offering on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in January 2021.

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In addition, as of December 31, 2021, we have received upfront payments, milestone payments and research and development service fees from our collaborators totaling $578.9 million. As of December 31, 2021,2023 and December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets of $2,336.7 million.$3,180 million and $2,193 million, respectively.

Our balance sheetstatement of financial position shows our total assets accumulate to $2,850.3of $4,542 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to $2,279.4$3,134 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $1,610.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.2022. The main reason for the material change in balance sheet total are the various equity financing rounds, completed over the periodperiods covered by the financial statements.

Since our inception, we have incurred significant operating losses. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred total comprehensive losses of $295 million and $730 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had accumulated losses of $2,405 million.

Although we have generated revenue of $1.2 billion from global product net sales of VYVGART and VYVGART SC for gMG in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, we can provide no assurances that we will be able to achieve or sustain profitability based on product net sales in that indication alone or that we will be able to receive regulatory approval of and commercialize VYVGART or VYVGART SC in other indications or in other countries.

On December 17, 2021, the FDA approved efgartigimod, which is marketed as VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa-fcab),VYVGART, for the intravenous treatment of gMG in adult patients who are AChR antibody positive.AChR-AB+, followed by Japanese PMDA approval (including seronegative patients) and approval the EU Commission in 2022 and China’s NMPA approval on July 30, 2023. On JanuaryJune 20, 2022,2023, the Japan PMDAFDA approved VYVGART™ (efgartigimod alfa)VYVGART SC for the subcutaneous treatment of gMG in adult patients with gMG who do not have sufficient response to steroids or non-steroidal ISTs.are AChR-AB+, followed by approval of the EU Commission on November 16, 2023. These are the only approved products we currently have and we have not generated any revenue from product sales until the end of the financial year ended December 31, 2021.have.

Our ability to generate revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend significantly upon the successful commercialization of the approved product and development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred total comprehensive losses of $450.6 million and $446.2 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had accumulated losses of $1,400.2 million.

We expect our expenses to continue to increase substantially in connection withas we expand our transition to an integrated immunology company, including the build-out of global commercial infrastructure and drug product inventory for the commercial launch launch of VYVGART™VYVGART and VYVGART SC for the treatment of gMG, the commercial launch of VYVGART SC for the treatment of CIDP if and when approval obtained, the advancement of our clinical-stage pipeline, including

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ongoing registrational clinical trials across fourfive indications of efgartigimod, and continued investment in our IIP. In addition, we expect to continue to incur significant costs associated with operating as a public company in the U.S. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:

Research and Developmentdevelopment activities:

executeExecute the Phase 3phase 2 clinical trials of efgartigimod in ITP, CIDP, PFSjD, PC-POTS and in PV;AMR 
executeExecute the Phasephase 2 clinical trials with our partner Zai Lab in MN and LN  
Execute the seamless phase 2/3 clinical trials of efgartigimod in Myositis and BP  and myositis and launch Phase 2/3 clinical trials in other indications;
Execute the phase 3 clinical trials of efgartigimod in MG seronegatives and Pediatric and TED  
Launch phase 2 and/or phase 3 in other indications with efgartigimod  
Execute the phase 2 clinical trials of empasiprubart in MMN, DGF and DM  
Execute the phase 1 clinical trial of ARGX-119 in healthy volunteers and the phase 1b / phase 2a clinical trials in CMS and ALS, respectively
continue the research and development of our other clinical- and preclinical-stage product candidates and discovery stage programs; and
seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates, including new indications, that successfully complete clinical trials.

Pre-commercial and commercial activitiesactivities:

further build-outbuild our sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure and scale-up of manufacturing capabilities to commercialize VYVGART™ for which we obtained the regulatory approval from FDAcommercialization expansion of VYVGART and the PMDAVYVGART SC and any product candidate, including new indications, for which we may obtain approval; and
expand our global reach enabling us to commercialize any product candidates, including new indications, for which we may obtain regulatory approval.

Other activitiesactivities:

seek to enhance our technology platform and discover and develop additional product candidates;
maintain, expand and protect our intellectual property portfolio, including litigation costs associated with defending against alleged patent infringement claims;

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add clinical, scientific, operational, financial and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our product development and potential future commercialization efforts; and
experience any delays or encounter any issues, including failed studies, ambiguous clinical trial results, safety issues or other regulatory challenges.

We expect that the costs of development and commercialization might also significantly increase due to current and future collaborations with research and development partners as well as commercial partners.

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Information pertaining to the yearyears ended December 31, 20192022 and December 31, 2021 was included in our Annual Reportannual reports on Form 20-F for the yearyears ended December 31, 20202022 and December 31, 2021, respecively, under Item 5 “OperatingOperating and Financial Review and Prospects,” which waswere filed with the SEC on March 30, 2021.16, 2023 and March 21, 2022, respectively.

Basis of Presentation

Foreign Currency Transactions

1.Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the consolidated financial statements of each of our entities are valued using the currency of their economic environment in which the entity operates. As of January 1, 2021, and for all periods thereafter, theThe consolidated financial statements are presented in USD ($), which is the Company’s presentation currency.

2.Change in functional and presentation currency as of January 1, 2021

AsRevenue from sale of January 1, 2021,product

Revenue from the sale of goods is recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company changed its functional and presentation currency from EURexpects to USD. The changebe entitled to receive in functional currency was madeexchange for transferring goods to reflect that USD has becomea customer, at the predominant currency fortime when the Company, representing a significant partcustomer obtains control of the Company’s cash flowsgoods rendered, i.e., when the customer has the ability to direct the use of the asset. The consideration that is committed in a contract with a customer can include fixed amounts, variable amounts, or both. The amount of the consideration may vary due to discounts, rebates, returns, chargebacks or other similar items. Contingent consideration is included in the transaction price when it is highly probable that the amount of revenue recognized is not subject to future significant reversals.

Our product net sales mainly consist of sales of VYVGART in the U.S., Japan, Europe and financing. The change has been implementedChina and VYVGART SC in the U.S. and Europe. Product net sales are recognized once we satisfy the performance obligation at a point in time under the revenue recognition criteria in accordance with prospective effect.IFRS 15 “Revenue from contracts with customers”.

The changeRevenue arising from the commercial sale of VYVGART and VYVGART SC is presented in presentation currency, effective January 1, 2021, from EUR to USD is retroactively applied to comparative figures according to IAS 8 and IAS 21, as if USD had always been the presentation currency of the consolidated financial statements. The change was madestatements under Note 15—Product net sales in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to better reflectsour Annual Report for the economic footprintperiod ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with IFRS 15 “Revenue from contracts with customers”, such revenue is recognized when the product is physically transferred, in accordance with the delivery and acceptance terms agreed with the customer. Payment of the Company’s business going forward. The Company believes thattransaction price is payable at the presentation currency change will give investors and other stakeholders a clearer understanding ofpoint the Company’s performance over time.customer obtains the legal title to the goods.

Revenue from Collaborations and License Agreements

Revenues to date have consisted principally of milestones, license fees, non-refundable upfront fees and research and development service fees in connection with collaboration and license agreements.

The Company recognizesWe recognize revenue when the customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expectswe expect to receive in exchange for those goods and services. In order to determine revenue recognition for agreements that the Company determineswe determine to be in the scope of IFRS 15, we followed the following five steps are performed:

1. Identify the contracts

In its currentIFRS 15 5-step model. The Company has currently two active collaboration and license agreements the Company is mainly licensing its intellectual property and/or providing research and development products/services, which might include a cost sharing mechanism and/or in the future, selling its products to collaborative partner entities. Revenue is generated through these arrangements via upfront payments, milestone payments based on clinical and regulatory criteria, research and development service fees and future sales-based milestones and sales-based royalties. In some cases, the

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collaboration and license agreements also include an equity subscription component. If this is the case, the Company analyses if the criteria to combine contracts, as set out by IFRS 15, are met.15:

2. Identify performance obligations

Depending on the type of the agreement, there can be one or more distinct performance obligations under IFRS 15. This is based on an assessment of whether the promises in an agreement are capable of being distinct and are distinct from the other promises to transfer goods and/or services in the context of the contract.Zai Lab

For our material ongoingthe collaboration and license agreement (i.e. thewith Zai Lab Agreement), the Company has assessed that there is more than one distinct performance obligation, being the transfer of a license and supply of clinical and commercial product.

This is because the The Company considers theconcluded that these performance obligations isare distinct in the context of the contractcontract.

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Therefore, the Company allocates the transaction price to all performance obligations identified. The transaction price of the agreement is composed of (i) a fixed part, that being an upfront payment in the form of newly issued Zai Lab shares, and a guaranteed, non-creditable, non-refundable payment and (ii) a milestone payment for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. and the consideration received in return for the supply of clinical and commercial product.

The fixed part of the transaction price, as well as the milestone for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. has been allocated to the transfer of a license performance obligation. The Company concluded that the license as of the effective date of the contract, being January 2021, has stand-alone value withoutstandalone value. As such, the Company being further involvedconcluded that the promise in the research and development collaboration and that there is no interdependence betweengranting the license to Zai Lab is to provide a right to use the entity’s intellectual property as it exists at the point in time at which the license is granted and therefore, revenue was recognized at a point in time.

Under the collaboration agreement, the Company provides clinical and commercial supply to be provided.Zai Lab. Company concludes to recognize such sales as revenue given that the Company acts as principal in the transaction as the risk related to inventory is born by the Company until the inventory is transferred to Zai Lab. The revenue related to clinical supply is recorded under line item “Collaboration revenue”. The revenue related to commercial supply is recorded under line item “product net sales” in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss). The income related to royalties is recorded under line item item “Collaboration revenue”.

AbbVie

For other materialthe collaboration and license agreements,agreement with AbbVie the Company has assesseddetermined that there is one single performance obligation in our collaboration and license agreements, being the transfer of a license combined with the performance of research and development services.activities represent one single performance obligation. The Company concluded that the license is not distinct in the context of the contract.

3. Determine theThe transaction price

Our material ongoing collaboration is composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront license fee, and license agreements include non-refundable upfront payments or license fees;a variable part, being milestone payments the receiptand cost reimbursements of which is dependent upon the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory or commercial milestones; royalties on sales and research and development service fees.

3.1 Non-refundable upfront payments or license fees

If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable upfront fees allocated to this license at the point in time the license is transferred to the customer and the customer has the right to use the license.

For all our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements, the Company considers the performance obligations related to the transfer of the license as distinct from the other promises to transfer goods and/or services; the Company utilizes judgement to assess the nature of the performance obligation to determine whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time. If over time, revenue is then recognized based on a pattern that best reflects the transfer of control of the service to the customer.

3.2activities delivered. Milestone payments other than sales based milestones

A milestone payment, being a variable consideration, isare only included in the transaction price to the extent it is highly probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognition will not occur when the uncertainty associatedassociate with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The CompanyManagement estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price upon achievement of the milestone event. Sales-based milestones and sales-based royalties are a part of the Company’s arrangements but are not yet included in its revenues.

The transaction price is thenhas been allocated to eachthe single performance obligation and revenues has been recognized over the estimated service period based on a stand-alone selling price basis, for whichan input model, being the Company recognizes revenuepercentage of completion method. The upfront license fee has been fully recognized since 2021 as or when the performance obligations under the contract are satisfied. At the end of each reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such milestones and any related constraint, and, if necessary, adjusts the estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect revenue and earnings in the period of adjustment.

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3.3 Research and development service fees

Our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements may include reimbursement or cost sharing for research and development services. R&D services are performed and satisfied over time given that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by us. Such costs reimbursements received are recognized in revenues when costs are incurred and agreed by the parties.

3.4 Sales based milestone payments and royalties

Our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements include sales based royalties, including commercial milestone payments based on the level of sales, and the licenseobligation has been deemed to befulfilled at that time. Milestone payments that become highly probable after the predominant item to which the royalties and commercial milestone payments relate. Related revenue is recognized as the subsequent underlying sales occur.

4. Allocate the transaction price

In principle, an entity shall allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation identified in the contract on a relative stand-alone selling price basis. As our ongoing collaboration and license agreement (i.e. the Zai Lab agreement) contains more than one performance obligation, the Company assesses to allocate the transaction price to all performance obligations identified.

5. Recognize revenue

Revenue ishas been fulfilled are therefore recognized when the customer obtains control of the goods and/or services as provided in the collaboration and license agreements. The control can be transferred over time or at a point in time – which results in the recognition of revenue over time or at athat point in time.

As our ongoing collaboration and license agreement (i.e. the Zai Lab agreement) contains more than one performance obligation, the Company recognized revenue at the point in time of the transfer of license and the Company recognizes revenue over time for supply of clinical and commercial products as the customer simultaneously receive the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, satisfied over time.

Other ongoing collaboration and license agreements only contain one single performance obligation which is, as the customer simultaneously receive the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, satisfied over time, the Company recognizes revenue over time.

The recognition of revenue over time is based on a pattern that best reflects the satisfaction of the related performance obligation, applying the input method. The input method estimates the satisfaction of the performance obligation as the percentage of total collaboration costs that are completed each period compared to the total estimated collaboration costs.

Research and development service fees are recognized as revenue when costs are incurred and agreed by the parties as the Company is acting as a principal in the scope of its stake of the research and development activities of its ongoing collaboration and license agreements.

Other Operating Income

As a company that carries extensive research and development activities, we benefit from various grants, research and development incentives and payroll tax rebates from certain governmental agencies. These grants and research and development incentives generally aim to partly reimburse approved expenditures incurred in our

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research and development efforts. The primary grants, research and development incentives and payroll tax rebates are as follows:

Government Grants

We have received several grants from agencies of the Flemish government to support various research programs focused on technological innovation in Flanders. These grants require us to maintain a presence in the Flemish region for a number of years and invest according to pre agreed budgets.

Research and Development Incentives

Companies in Belgium can benefit from tax savings on amounts spent on research and development by applying a one time or periodic tax deduction on research and development expenditures for the acquisition or development of patents. This tax credit is a reduction of the corporate income taxes for Belgian statutory purposes and is transferrable to the next four accounting periods. These tax credits are paid to us in cash after five years to the extent they have not been offset against corporate taxes due.

Payroll Tax Rebates

We also benefit from certain rebates on payroll withholding taxes for scientific personnel. The government grants and research and development incentives generally aim to partly reimburse approved expenditures incurred in our research and development efforts and are credited to the income statement, under other operating income, when the relevant expenditure has been incurred and there is reasonable assurance that the grant or research and development incentive is receivable.

Changes in fair value on non-current financial assets

In March 2019, the Company entered into a license agreement with AgomAb Therapeutics NV for the use of HGF-mimetic SIMPLE Antibodies™, developed under the Company’s Immunology Innovative Program. In exchange for granting this license, the Company received a profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV.

In March 2021, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured $74.0 million in Series B financing by issuing 286,705 Preferred B Shares. argenx used the post-money valuation of Series B financing round and the number of outstanding shares in determining the fair value of the profit-sharing instrument, which results in a change in fair value of non-current financial assets of $11.2 million recorded through profit or loss. The fair value of non-current financial assets is updated at the end of each reporting period.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist principally of:

personnel expense related to compensation of research and development staff and related expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based compensation expenses;
externalExternal research and development expenses related to (i) chemistry, manufacturing and control costs for our product candidates, both for preclinical and clinical testing, all of which is conducted by specialized contract manufacturers, (ii) fees and other costs paid to contract research organizationsCROs in connection with preclinical testing and the performance of clinical trials for our product candidates, and (iii) costs associated with regulatory submissions and approvals, quality assurance (QA) and pharmacovigilance;pharmacovigilance and (iv) costs associated with post-approval clincial trails.
personnel expense related to compensation of research and development staff and related expenses, including salaries, benefits and share-based payment expenses;
materials and consumables expenses;

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depreciation and amortization of tangible and intangible fixed assets used to develop our product candidates; and
IT expenses;
other expenses consisting of (i)including, but not limited to costs associated with obtaining and maintaining patents and other intellectual property and (ii) other costs such as travel expenses related to research and development activities.property.

We incur various external expenses under our collaboration and license agreements for material and services consumed in the discovery and development of our partnered product candidates. Under our agreement with AbbVie, our own research and development expenses were not reimbursed. Under our agreement with Janssen, we assumed certain development obligations, and were jointly responsible with Janssen for all research, development and regulatory costs relating to the product. Under our agreement with Zai, we are responsible for certain costs relating to future clinical trials involving efgartigimod conducted partially by Zai.

Our researchResearch and development expenses may vary substantially from period to period based on the timing of our research and development activities, including the timing of the initiation of clinical trials, production of product batches and enrolment of patients in clinical trials. Research and development expenses are expected to increase as we advance the clinical development of efgartigimod and ARGX-117empasiprubart and further advance the research and development of our other early stageearly-stage pipeline candidates. The successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of, or the period, if any, in which material net cash inflows may commence from any of our product candidates. This is due to numerous risks and uncertainties associated with developing drugs, as fully described in “ItemItem 3.D.Risk Factors, and including the uncertainty of:

the scope, rate of progress and expense of our research and development activities;
the successful enrollment in, and completion of clinical trials;
the ability to market, commercialize and achieve market acceptance for efgartigimod or any other product candidate that we may develop in the future, if approved;
establishing and maintaining a continued acceptable safety profile for our product candidates;
the terms, timing and receipt of regulatory approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;
the successful completion of preclinical studies necessary to support IND applications in the United StatesU.S. or similar applications in other countries;
the expense of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights;rights and
our current and future collaborators continuing their collaborations with us.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of:

personnel expenses relating to salaries and related costs for personnel, including share-based compensation, of our employees in executive, finance, business development, marketing, commercial and support functions;
professional fees for business development, marketing, IT, audit, commercial, legal services and investor relations costs;
Board of Directors expenses consisting of directors’ fees, travel expenses and share-based compensation for non-executive board members;
costs associated with commercial launch of VYVGART and VYVGART SC for the treatment of gMG and marketing and promotional activities, pre-launch activities of VYVGART and VYVGART SC in other

110

Table of (i) personnel expenses relating to salaries and related costs for personnel, including share-based compensation, of our employees in executive, finance, business development, marketing, commercial and support functions, (ii) professional fees for business development, marketing, IT, audit, commercial, legal services and investor relations costs, (iii) board expenses consisting of directors’ fees, travel expenses and share-based compensation for non-executive board members, (iv) costs associated with preparation of commercial launch of VYVGARTTM for the treatment of gMG in the U.S. and promotional activities (v) costs associated with the preparation of the commercial launch in Japan and EMEA and continued investment in supply chain, (vi) allocated facilities costs and (vii) other selling, general and administrative expenses, including leasing costs, office expenses, travel costs.Contents

indications and continued investment in supply chain and costs associated with pre-launch activities in other indications;
allocated facilities costs; and
other Selling, general and administrative expenses, including leasing costs, office expenses, travel costs.

We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase as we continue to support our growth and operate as a public company in the U.S.growth. Such costs include increases in our finance and legal personnel, additional external legal and audit fees,IT-related expenses, and expenses and costs associated with compliance with the regulations governing public companies. We expect our sellingSelling and marketing expenses to increase significantly due to marketing and promotional activities with respect to the ongoing commercial launch of VYVGART,TM in the U.S. VYVGART SC and Japan.

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Tablepreparation of Contentscommercial launch of our other product candidates.

Financial Income (Expense)

Financial income mainly reflects interest earned on our cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets and net gains on our cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss. Financial expense corresponds mainly to net losses on cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and other financial expenses.loss.

Exchange Gains (Losses)

Our exchange gains (losses) relate to (i) our transactions denominated in foreign currencies, mainly in Euro, Swiss francs, British poundseuro, and Japanese yens which generate exchange gains or losses and (ii) the translation at the reporting date of assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies into USD, which is our functional and presentation currency since January 1, 2021 and therefore the presentation currency throughout this Annual Report.currency. For more information on currency exchange fluctuations on our business, please see “Item 11—QuantitativeNote 26—Financial risk managementForeign exchange risk in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk—Foreign Exchange Risk.”which are incorporated herein by reference. We have no derivative financial instruments to hedge interest rate and foreign currency risk.

Income Tax Expense

We have a history of losses.losses in certain jurisdictions, including Belgium and the Netherlands. We expectmay continue to continue incurringincur losses as we continue to invest in our clinical and pre-clinical development programs and our discovery platform, and as we incur costs for thevarious commercial launch of VYVGARTTM, following the recentlaunches and regulatory approval by the FDA and the PMDA.approvals. Consequently, we do not haverecognize any deferred tax asset regarding unusedcertain tax lossesattributes on our consolidated statements of financial position.

We are incurringincur current income tax expense on the profit generatedand recognize deferred tax assets in various subsidiaries in view of the transfer price agreementspricing policy set up between argenx BV and these subsidiaries.

For more information on income tax and deferred tax, please see Note 24—Income taxes in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

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Capitalization and Indebtedness

The table below sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2023 on an actual basis:

 

    

As of December 31, 

(in thousands of $)

     

2023 (audited) 

Total current debt (including current portion of non-current debt)

  

$

Guaranteed

 

 

Secured 

 

 

Unguaranteed/unsecured

 

 

Total non-current debt (excluding current portion of non-current debt)

 

 

Guaranteed

 

 

Secured

 

 

Unguaranteed/unsecured

 

 

Shareholder equity

 

 

4,097,507

Share capital

 

 

7,058

Share premium

 

 

5,651,497

Legal reserve(s) (1)

 

 

131,543

Retained earnings

 

 

(2,404,844)

Other reserves

 

 

712,253

Total 

 

$

4,097,507

(1)Legal reserves are the amount of translation differences

The table below sets forth our indebtedness as of December 31, 2023 on an actual basis: 

(in thousands of $)

    

As of December 31,
2023 (audited)

A. Cash

$

20,744

B. Cash equivalents (1)

2,028,100

C. Other current financial assets (2)

1,131,000

D. Liquidity (A + B + C)

3,179,844

E. Current financial debt (including debt instruments, but excluding current portion of non-current financial debt)

F. Current portion of non-current financial debt (3)

4,646

G. Current financial indebtedness (E + F)

4,646

H. Net current financial indebtedness (G - D)

(3,175,198)

I. Non-current financial debt (excluding current portion and debt instruments) (3)

15,354

J. Debt instruments

K. Non-current trade and other payables

L. Non-current financial indebtedness (I + J + K)

15,354

M. Total financial indebtedness (H + L)

(3,159,844)

(1)See “Note 11—Cash and cash equivalents” in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.
(2)See “Note 10—Financial assets – current” in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.
(3)Please note that financial debt balances as presented in the table above do not include any indirect or contingent indebtedness. For more information on the Company’s indirect and contingent indebtedness, please see “Note 29—Commitments” in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

As of December 31, 2023, current financial debt (as disclosed in item F in the table above) included current liabilities related to short-term leases in the amount of $4.6 million and non-current financial debt (as disclosed in item I in the table above) including non-current liabilities related to long-term leaes in the amount of $15.4 million.

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More information is included in our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

Critical Accounting PoliciesEstimates and Significant Judgments and Estimates

In the application of the Company’s accounting policies, which are described above, the Company is required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Critical estimates in applying accounting policies

Gross to net adjustments

The following areasproduct gross sales are areas where key assumptions concerning the future,subject to various deductions, which are primarily composed of rebates to government agencies, distributors, health insurance companies and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the endmanaged healthcare organizations. These deductions represent estimates of the related obligations, requiring the use of judgment when estimating the effect of these sales deductions on product gross sales for a reporting period, have aperiod. These adjustments are deducted from product gross sales to arrive at product net sales. The significant riskcomponents of causing a material adjustment tovariable consideration under revenue recognition policy summarizes the carrying amountsnature of assetsthese deductions and liabilities withinhow the next financial year.

Research and development cost accruals

deduction is estimated, see “Note 2.17 —Product net sales

The Company recognizes costs of $163.7 million, as specified in note 15 to theour consolidated financial statements incurredwhich are appended to our Annual Report for clinical trial activities and manufacturing of drug products, as research and development expenses based on an evaluation of its vendors’ progress toward completion of specific tasks. Timing of payment may differ significantly from the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference. After recording these, product net sales represent the Company’s best estimate of the cash that we expect to ultimately collect. If in whichfuture periods the costs are recognized as expense, resulting in clinical trial accruals recognized within “Trade and other payables”actuals vary from prior period best estimates, this would affect revenue in the consolidated statementsperiod of financial position.

Quantification of the research progress and the translation of the progress to these accruals requires estimates, because the progress is not directly observable. In estimating the vendors’ progress toward completion ofadjustment.

120113

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specific tasks, the Company therefore uses non-financial data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activations and vendor information of actual costs incurred. This data is obtained through reports from or discussions with Company personnel and outside service providers as to the progress or state of completion of trials, or the completion of services. Costs are expensed over the service period the services are provided. Costs for services provided that have not yet been paid are recognized as accrued expenses.

Results of Operation

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 20212023 and 20202022

Year ended

Year ended

December 31,

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Revenue

 

$

497,277

$

41,243

1,106

%

(In thousands)

Product net sales

 

$

1,190,783

$

400,720

197

%

Collaboration revenue

 

 

35,533

 

10,026

254

%

Other operating income

 

 

42,141

 

23,668

78

%

42,278

34,520

22

%

Total operating income

 

 

539,418

 

64,911

731

%

 

 

1,268,594

 

445,267

185

%

Cost of sales

(117,835)

(29,431)

300

%

Research and development expenses

 

 

(580,520)

 

(370,885)

57

%

(859,492)

(663,366)

30

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

(307,644)

 

(171,643)

79

%

 

 

(711,905)

 

(472,132)

51

%

Loss from investment in joint venture

 

 

(4,411)

 

(677)

552

%

Total operating expenses

(888,164)

(542,528)

64

%

(1,693,643)

(1,165,607)

45

%

Operating loss

 

 

(348,746)

 

(477,617)

(27)

%

 

 

(425,049)

 

(720,340)

(41)

%

Financial income/(expenses)

 

 

(944)

 

(1,501)

(37)

%

Exchange gains (losses)

 

 

(50,053)

 

(126,234)

(60)

%

Loss before taxes

 

$

(399,743)

$

(605,352)

(34)

%

Income tax expense

(8,522)

(3,103)

175

%

Loss for the period and total comprehensive loss

$

(408,265)

$

(608,455)

(33)

%

Financial income

 

 

107,386

 

27,665

288

%

Financial expense

 

 

(906)

 

(3,906)

(77)

%

Exchange gains/(loss)

14,073

 

(32,732)

(143)

%

Loss for the year before taxes

 

$

(304,496)

$

(729,314)

(58)

%

Income tax benefit

9,443

19,720

(52)

%

Loss for the year

$

(295,053)

$

(709,593)

(58)

%

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

51,075,827

45,410,442

57,169,253

54,381,371

Basic and diluted loss per share (in $)

(7.99)

(13.40)

Basic and diluted (loss) per share (in $)

(5.16)

(13.05)

RevenueProduct net sales

Year ended

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Zai Lab

 

$

151,903

 

$

100

%

Janssen

 

292,279

 

33,759

766

%

AbbVie

 

121

 

565

(79)

%

Agomab

 

 

%

Other

38

(100)

%

Upfront payments

444,303

34,362

1,193

%

Zai Lab

25,634

100

%

Janssen

22,865

2,641

766

%

AbbVie

102

762

(87)

%

Other

1,214

19

6,289

%

Milestone payments

49,815

3,422

1,356

%

Janssen

2,028

3,175

(36)

%

Other

298

284

5

%

Research and development service fees

2,326

3,459

(33)

%

Zai Lab

833

100

%

Other revenues

833

100

%

Total revenue

$

497,277

$

41,243

1,106

%

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

United States

$

1,046,592

$

377,659

Japan

56,432

15,764

EMEA

72,852

7,297

China

14,907

Total product net sales

 

$

1,190,783

 

$

400,720

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the product net sales were mainly related to sales of VYVGART in the U.S., Japan, EU and China and VYVGART SC in the U.S and Europe.

Year Ended

(in thousands of $)

December 31,

2023

2022

    

2021

Product gross sales

$

1,342,148

446,923

-

Gross to net adjustment

(151,365)

(46,203)

-

Product net sales

1,190,783

400,720

-

121114

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Collaboration revenue

Year ended

December 31,

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

AbbVie

30,000

n.a.

%

Other

5,365

(100)

%

Milestone payments

30,000

5,365

459

%

Other

424

(100)

%

Research and development service fees

424

(100)

%

Zai Lab

5,533

4,238

31

%

Other collaboration revenues

5,533

4,238

31

%

Total collaboration revenue

$

35,533

$

10,026

254

%

Our collaboration revenue increased by $456.1$26 million to $497.3$36 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to $41.2$10 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, a2022. The collaboration revenue recognized in the year ended December 31, 2023 was mainly the result of athe recognition of a $30 million development milestone related to the transaction priceAbbVie collaboration agreement. The revenue recognized during the year ended December 31, 2022, from Janssen as a consequence ofmilestone payments primarily relates to €5 million triggered by the termination ofoption exercised by LEO Pharma to enter into the collaboration agreement and the closing of the strategic collaborationLEO Pharma Collaboration Agreement for efgartigimod with Zai Lab.

ARGX-112. The increase in revenue recognition from upfront payments is“Other collaboration revenues” of $1 million was primarily driven by the recognitionroyalties on net sales of the upfront payment received fromVYVGART in Greater China through Zai Lab upon strategic collaboration for efgartigimod and the recognition of the upfront payment received under the collaboration agreement with Janssen upon termination of the agreement.

The increase in revenue recognition from milestone payments is mainly due to recognition of $25.0 million from Zai Lab upon regulatory approval of efgartigimod by FDA in the U.S. and recognition of $22.9 million as a result of the termination of the collaboration agreement with Janssen.

The decrease in revenue recognition from research and development service fees of $1.1 million is primarily driven by the decrease due to the termination of the collaboration agreement with Janssen.Lab.

Other Operating Incomeoperating income

Year ended

Year ended

December 31,

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

(In thousands)

Grants

 

$

4,398

$

1,365

222

%

 

$

2,538

$

2,186

16

%

Research and development incentives

 

 

13,970

 

10,257

36

%

 

 

27,815

 

19,502

43

%

Payroll tax rebates

 

 

12,621

 

9,095

39

%

 

 

11,925

 

8,576

39

%

Change in fair value on non-current financial assets

11,152

2,951

278

%

4,256

(100)

%

Total

 

$

42,141

$

23,668

78

%

 

$

42,278

$

34,520

22

%

Other operating income increased by $18.4$8 million to $42.1$42 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to $23.7$35 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2022. The $8 million increase iswas primarily driven by:

the increase in research and development incentives due to a Belgian research and development tax incentive scheme, as a result of the overall increased research and development costs incurred;incurred.
the increase in payroll tax rebates for the year ended December 31, 2023, as a direct result of the increase in the employment of highly qualifiedhigher research and development personnel expenses eligible for specific payroll tax rebates for the year ended December 31, 2023; and
a decrease of $4 million due to the increasefact that there was no change in fair value on our profit share in AgomAB Therapeutics NV.AgomAb for the year ended December 31, 2023;

For more information regarding governmental policies that could affect our operations, see “ItemItem 4.B.Business Overview—Government Regulation.”

ResearchOverviewHealthcare Law and Development Expenses

Regulation.

Year ended

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Personnel expense

 

$

160,464

$

86,036

87

%

External research and development expenses

 

 

382,902

 

259,943

47

%

Materials and consumables

 

 

2,735

 

3,562

(23)

%

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

3,742

 

2,835

32

%

Other expenses

 

 

30,677

 

18,509

66

%

Total

 

$

580,520

$

370,885

57

%

Our research and development expenses totaled $580.5 million and $370.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase of $209.6 million compared to 2020 primarily results

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Table of Contents

from anResearch and development expenses

Year ended

December 31,

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Personnel expense

 

$

226,344

$

162,010

40

%

External research and development expenses

 

 

483,192

 

366,955

32

%

Materials and consumables

 

 

4,057

 

2,396

69

%

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

105,546

 

102,132

3

%

IT expenses

19,935

12,678

57

%

Other expenses

 

 

20,418

 

17,194

19

%

Total

 

$

859,492

$

663,366

30

%

Our Research and development expenses totaled $859 million and $663 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase of $196 million in externalfiscal year 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 is primarily driven by Personnel expense and External research and development expensesexpenses.

Personnel expense primarily relates to internal and personnel expenses, primarily related to the efgartigimod program in various indications and other clinical and preclinical programs. Furthermore, the personnel expenses increased due to a planned increase in headcount.

external personnel. The increase of $74.4 million in personnel expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 corresponded primarily to (i) an increase of $49.2 million foralso includes share-based compensation expenses related to the grant of stock options and RSUs to our research and development employees, and (ii) increased costs associated with additional research and development personnel.employees. We employed on average 349.7 full time607 full-time equivalents in our research and development functions in the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to 213.0475 in the year ended December 31, 2020.2022.

Our externalExternal research and development expenses for the year ended December 31, 20212023 totaled $382.9to $483 million, compared to $259.9$367 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2022. The increaseexpense reflects higher clinical trial costs and manufacturing expenses related to the development of our product candidate portfolio. The table below provides additional detail on our externalExternal research and development expenses by program:

Year ended

Year ended

December 31,

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

(In thousands)

efgartigimod

 

$

311,038

$

182,511

70

%

 

$

361,676

$

280,572

29

%

cusatuzumab

 

 

24,630

 

48,796

(50)

%

 

 

14,298

 

13,554

5

%

Other programs

 

 

47,234

 

28,636

65

%

empasiprubart

47,636

32,384

47

%

Other programs (*)

 

 

59,582

 

40,445

47

%

Total

 

$

382,902

$

259,943

47

%

 

$

483,192

$

366,955

32

%

(*) Other programs include general expenses not allocated to specific program of $27 million in 2023 and $23 million in 2022.

External research and development expenses for our lead product candidate efgartigimod totaled $311.0$362 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to $182.5$281 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2022. This increase of $128.5 million corresponds primarily to increased manufacturing and clinical development activities in relation to:

the execution of two Phase 3 clinical trials in MG ;Ph3b and Pediatric
the execution of the bridging study for ENHANZE® efgartigimod in MG;
the execution of two Phase 2 clinical trials and initiation of the Phase 3 clinical trial in CIDP;
the execution of two Phase 3 clinical trials in ITP;CIDP;
the execution of the Phase 2 clinical trial and initiation of thetwo Phase 3 clinical trial in PV and PF;
the execution of Phase 2 and 3 clinical trialtrials in BP;BP, Myositis, LN, MN, AMR, PC-POTS SjD, TED and AAV;
the execution of multiple Phase 12 clinical trials in empasiprubart in MMN, DGF and DM
the execution of one HV clinical trial in Myositis.ARGX-119

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the execution of pre-clinical activities

External research and development expenses for cusatuzumabempasiprubart totaled $24.6 million for the year ended on December 31, 2021 compared to $48.8$48 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2023 compared to $32 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This decreaseincrease of $24.2$15 million iswas due to the resultramp up of the termination of the collaboration agreement with Janssen.Ph2 clinical trials in MMN, DGF and DM and futher investments in Discovery activities.

External research and development expenses on other programs increased by $18.6$19 million to $47.2$60 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to $28.6$40 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase is primarily due to increased2022. Of the total External research and development expense, $27 million relates to general allocation of expenses.

Selling, general and administrative expenses in relation to the advancement of our ARGX-117 program, a complement-targeting antibody against C2.\

123

Year ended

December 31,

    

2023

    

2022

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Personnel expenses

 

$

303,033

$

234,740

29

%

Marketing services

 

 

202,146

 

115,950

74

%

Professional fees

108,820

62,620

74

%

Supervisory board

 

 

8,362

 

6,912

21

%

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

2,366

 

2,211

7

%

IT expenses

20,408

17,431

17

%

Other expenses

66,770

32,268

107

%

Total Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

$

711,905

$

472,132

51

%

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Year ended

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

% Change

(In thousands)

Personnel expense

 

$

164,646

$

108,507

52

%

Professional fees

 

 

102,674

 

48,681

111

%

Supervisory board

 

 

12,958

 

4,838

168

%

Other expenses

 

 

27,366

 

9,617

185

%

Total

 

$

307,644

$

171,643

79

%

Our selling,Selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $307.6$712 million and $171.6$472 million for the years ended December 31, 20212023 and 2020,2022, respectively. The increase in our selling,Selling, general and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 20212023 was principally due to an increase of personnel expense and professional fees, resulting from:

increased professional and marketing fees, including promotional and marketing costs primarily due to the commercial launch of VYVGART and VYVGART SC;
increased costs of the share-based payment compensation plans related to the grant of stock optionssalary and wages and benefits to our selling, general and administrative employees;employees due to planned increase in the headcount;
increased costs associated with additional employees recruited to strengthen our selling, general and administrative activities, in preparation offor the commercial launch of VYVGARTTM in the U.S;
increased professional fees, primarily in preparation of the commercial launch of and VYVGARTTM in the U.S; SC; and
Promotional and marketing cost associated with the commercial launch of VYVGARTTM, following the approval by FDAcontinued investment in the U.S.our IT infrastructure.

We employed on average 264.4 full time681 full-time equivalents in our selling, general and administrative functions in the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to 119.5442 in the year ended December 31, 2020.2022.

Financial Income (Expense)income and (expense)

For the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, financial expenseincome amounted to $0.9$107 million compared to $1.5$28 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2022. The decreaseincrease of $0.6$80 million in 20212023 related primarily to higher interest.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, financial expenses incurred in 2020 as a result of a decrease in net asset value on current financial assets following the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the financial markets, partly offset by the interest received on our cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets.

Exchange Gains (Losses)

Exchange losses totaled $50.1expense amounted to $1 million compared to $4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to exchange losses2022.

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Exchange gains (losses)

Exchange gains totaled $14 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2023, compared to exchange losses of $33 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was mainly attributable to unrealized exchange rate lossesgains on the cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets position in Euroeuro during the year ended December 31, 20212023 as compared to unrealized exchange rate losses on the cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets position in USD during the year ended December 31, 2020.2022.

B.       LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Sources of Funds

Since our inception in 2008, we have invested most of our resources in developing our product candidates, building our intellectual property portfolio, developing our supply chain, conducting business planning, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We currently have only one2 products approved by the FDA and as of the year ended December 31, 2022, net product but have not generated any significant revenue from product sales.sales also started to contribute to the funding of our operations. To date, we have funded our operations through public and private placements of equity securities, upfront, milestone and expense

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reimbursement payments received from our collaborators, funding from governmental bodies and interest income from the investment of our cash, cash equivalents and financial assets. Through December 31, 2021,2023, we have raised gross proceeds of $3,514.4 million$5.6 billion from private and public offerings of equity securities and, received $578.9 million in revenue from our collaborators.securities. We have made product net sales of $1.2 billion during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.

Our cash flows may fluctuate, and are difficult to forecast and will depend on many factors. On December 31, 2021,2023, we had cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets of $2,336.7$3,180 million, compared to $1,996.5$2,193 million on December 31, 2020.2022.

We have no ongoing material financing commitments, such as lines of credit or guarantees, that are expected to affect our liquidity over the next five years, other than a line of credit totalling to $7.2 million, leases and our commitments to Halozyme, Lonza and Fujifilm which are detailed in “NoteNote 29—Commitments”Commitments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 20212023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

For more information as to the risks associated with our future funding needs, see the section of this Annual Report titled “ItemItem 3.D.Risk Factors—RisksFactorsRisk Factors Related to Ourargenx’s Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital.Capital.

For more information as to our financial instruments, please see “NoteNote 26—Financial management”risk management in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 20212023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

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Cash Flows

Comparison for the Years Ended December 31, 20212023 and 20202022

The table below summarizes our cash flows for the years ended December 31, 20212023 and 2020.2022.

Year ended

Year ended

December 31,

December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

Variance

    

2023

    

2022

    

Variance

(In thousands)

(In thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

$

1,216,803

$

372,162

$

844,641

$

800,740

$

1,334,676

$

(533,936)

Net cash flows (used in) / from operating activities

 

 

(606,812)

 

(398,463)

 

(208,349)

 

 

(420,327)

 

(862,807)

 

442,480

Net cash flows (used in) / from investing activities

 

 

(347,070)

 

344,692

 

(691,762)

Net cash flows (used in) / from financing activities

 

 

1,121,342

 

833,003

 

288,339

Effect of exchange rate differences on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(49,587)

 

65,409

 

(114,996)

Net cash flows from / (used in) investing activities

 

 

308,210

 

(461,184)

 

769,394

Net cash flows from / (used in) financing activities

 

 

1,336,727

 

843,757

 

492,970

Exchange gains/(losses) on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

23,494

 

(53,702)

 

77,196

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

$

1,334,676

$

1,216,803

$

117,873

$

2,048,844

$

800,740

$

1,248,104

Net Cash Usedcash used in Operating Activitiesoperating activities

Net cash outflow fromused in our operating activities increaseddecreased by $208.3$442 million to a net outflow of $606.8$420 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to a net outflow of $398.5$863 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. 2022.

The decrease in net cash outflow fromused in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 resultedresults primarily from (i) the researchan increase in net product sales related to VYVGART and development expenses incurred in relation to the manufacturing and clinical development activities of efgartigimod and the advancement of other clinical, preclinical and discovery-stage product candidate, (ii) the personnel expenses and consulting expenses incurred in preparation of the commercial launch of efgartigimod in the U.S. and Japan, and (iii) the manufacturing of inventory ahead of the commercial launch of efgartigimod in the U.S. The netVYVGART SC, partly offset by:

(i)the increase in Research and development expenses incurred in relation to the manufacturing and clinical development activities of efgartigimod and the advancement of other clinical, preclinical and discovery-stage product candidate;
(ii)the increase in personnel expenses, marketing expenses and consulting expenses incurred for the commercial expansion of VYVGART and VYVGART SC; and
(iii)the further increase in working capital as a result of our inventory levels, including prepaid inventory.

Net cash outflow of $398.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 was primarily influenced by (i) the research and development expenses incurred in relation to the manufacturing and clinical development activities of efgartigimod, cusatuzumab and the advancement of other preclinical and discovery-stage product candidate, (ii) the personnel expenses and consulting expenses incurred in preparation of the potential commercial launch of efgartigimod in the U.S., and (iii) the manufacturing of pre-launch inventory ahead of the potential commercial launch of efgartigimod in the U.S..

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Net Cash Usedused in / from Investing Activitiesinvesting activities

Investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021, consists2023, consist primarily of the divestmentnet desinvestment of $272 million in current financial assets, and the purchaseinterests received, partly offset by payments related to regulatory and sales based milestones to Halozyme and investement in OncoVerity, resulting in a cash inflow of intangible assets. Cash flow from investing$308 million.

Investing activities represented a net outflow of $347.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to a net inflow2022, consists primarily of $344.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The net outflows for the year ended December 31, 2021 related primarily to (i) the net investment of $228.2$369 million in current financial assets, including money market funds and term deposit accounts, compared topurchase of a net divestment of $341.9priority review voucher for $102 million, for the year ended December 31, 2020 and (ii) thepartly offset by interests received, resulting in a cash outflow of $98.0 million during 2021 in relation to the purchase of a U.S. FDA Priority Review Voucher from Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals.$461 million.

Net Cash Providedcash provided by Financing Activitiesfinancing activities

Financing activities primarily consist of net proceeds from our private placements and public offerings of our securities and exercise of stock options. The net cash inflow from financing activities was $1121.3$1,337 million for the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, compared to a net cash inflow of $833.0$844 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.2022. The net cash inflows were attributed to (i) $1,091.7 million$1.2 billion net cash proceeds from our global offering in July 2023, compared to $0.8 billion net cash proceeds from our global offering in February 2021, compared to $812.6 million net cash proceeds from our global offering and concurrent private placement in May 20202022 and (ii) $33.4$158 million proceeds received from the exercise of stock options in 2021,2023, compared to $22.9$93 million for the year ended 2020.2022.

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Operating and Capital Expenditure Requirements

We have never achieved profitability and, as of December 31, 2021,2023, we had accumulated losses of $1,400.2$2,405 million. Our losses resulted principally from costs incurred in research and development, preclinical testing and clinical development of our research programs, and from general and administrative costs associated with commercial roll out and expansion. We expectanticipate that our operating expenses will increase as we intend to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue ourconduct research and development and continue our efforts incur higher coststo expand our sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure. Although we have generated net product sales of $1.2 billion from global product net sales of VYVGART and VYVGART SC for commercializationthe treatment of efgartigimodgMG in the U.S. and Japan, and seekfiscal year 2023, which supports our current path to obtainprofitability, we can provide no assurances that we will be able to achieve or sustain profitability based on this indication alone or that we will be able to receive regulatory approval of and commercialization of our product candidatescommercialize VYVGART and VYVGART SC in Europe.other indications or in other countries.

On the basis of current assumptions, we expect that our existing cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements through at least the next 12twelve months. Our future equity capital will depend on multiple factors. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of efgartigimod and our other product candidates and discovery stage programs and because the extent to which we may enter into collaborations with third parties for the development of these product candidates is unknown, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenses associated with completing the research and development of our product candidates. Our future capital requirements for efgartigimod and our other product candidates and discovery stage programs will depend on many factors, including:

the progress, timing and completion of preclinical testing and clinical trials for our current or any future product candidates;
the number of potential new product candidates we identify and decide to develop;
the time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidates and any delays we may encounter as a result of evolving regulatory requirements or adverse results with respect to any of our product candidates;
selling and marketing activities undertaken in connection with the commercialization of VYVGART™VYVGART, VYVGART SC or potential commercialization of any of our current or any future product candidates, if approved, and costs involved in the creation of an effective sales and marketing organization;
manufacturing activities undertaken ahead of the commercialization of VYVGART™ orfor VYVGART, VYVGART SC and potential commercialization of any of our current or any future product candidates, if approved, and costs involved in the creation of an effective supply chain.chain;
the costs involved in growing our organization to the size needed to allow for the research, development and potential commercialization of our current or any future product candidates;
the costs involved in filing patent applications and maintaining and enforcing patents or defending against claims or infringements raised by third parties;

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the maintenance of our existing collaboration agreements and entry into new collaboration agreements;
the amount of revenues, if any, we may derive either directly or in the form of royalty payments from future sales of our product candidates, if approved; and
developments related to COVID-19the global economic uncertainties and its impact on the costs and timing associated with the conduct of our clinical trials, preclinical programs, manufacturing activities and other related activities.political instability.

For more information as to the risks associated with our future funding needs, see the section of this Annual Report titled “ItemItem 3.D.Risk Factors—RisksFactorsRisk Factors Related to Ourargenx’s Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital.Capital.

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C.       RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PATENTS AND LICENSESTreasury and Liquidity Policy

The Company has adopted a policy whereby cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets are invested with several highly reputable banks and financial institutions. The Company holds its cash and cash equivalents mainly with different banks which are independently rated with a minimum rating of ‘A-’. The Company also holds short-term investment funds in the form of money market funds with a recommended investment horizon of six months or shorter but with a low historical volatility. These money market funds are highly liquid investments, can be readily convertible into a known amount of cash. The Company has adopted a policy whereby money market funds must have an average rating of “BBB” or higher.

For a discussion ofmore information as to our researchtreasury policy and development activities,liquidity, please see the sections ofNote 26—Financial risk management in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to this Annual Report titled “Item 4.B.—Business Overview” and “Item 5.A.—Operating Results.”

D.       TREND INFORMATION

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this Annual Report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the period from January 1, 2021 toended December 31, 2021 that2023 and which are reasonably likely to have a material effect onincorporated herein by reference.

Working capital statement

In accordance with item 3.1 of Annex 11 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980 we make the following statement:

In our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity oropinion, the working capital resources, or that causedof the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial conditions. For a discussion of trends, see the sections of this Annual Report titled “Item 4.B.—Business Overview,” “Item 5.A.—Operating Results”, and “Item 5.B.—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

Following the approval of VYVGART™Company is sufficient for the treatmentCompany’s present requirements, at least for a period of gMG in the U.S. by the FDA on December 17, 2021, we transitioned12 months from a clinical-stage to a commercial-stage biotechnology company and are working on the ongoing launch of the commercialization of VYVGART™.

There has been no significant change in the financial performance or the financial position of the Group since the balance sheet date of December 31, 2021 up to the date of this Annual Report.

E.       OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTSOff-Balance Sheet Arangements

We did not have during the periods presented, and we do not currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in the applicable rules and regulations, of the SEC, such as relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, which are often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, established for the purpose of facilitating financing transactions that are not required to be reflected on our balance sheets.

F.       TABULAR DISCLOSURE OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONSC.       RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, PATENTS AND LICENSES

Below an overview is givenFor a discussion of our research and development policies, see Item 4 “Information on the Companyand Item 5 “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.

D.       TREND INFORMATION

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this Annual Report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the current financial period that are reasonably likely to have a material contractual obligations ateffect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity, capital resources or prospects, or that caused the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial conditions.

Following the approval of VYVGART and VYVGART SC for the treatment of gMG in the U.S. by the FDA in 2021 and 2023 respectively, we transitioned from a clinical-stage to a commercial-stage biotechnology company. We have now commercialized VYVGART in U.S., the EU, Japan, China (through our partner Zai Lab), Israel (through our partner Medison) and Canada, and VYVGART SC in U.S and Germany. We are working to expand commercialization in other jurisdictions, and to launch new products and product candidates, including into new indications.

There has been no significant change in the financial performance or the financial position of the Group since the balance sheet date of December 31, 20212023.

For more information, please refer to Lease obligationsItem 4.B. “

Payments due by period

    

    

Less than

    

    

    

More than

Total

1 year

1–3 years

3–5 years

5 years

(In thousands)

Lease liabilities

$

12,004

$

3,509

$

6,331

$

2,164

$

Lease commitments not commenced

$

19,155

$

 

$

$

1,437

$

17,718

Business Overview, Item 5.A. “Operating Results, Item 5.B. “Liquidity and Capital Resources and to Note 29—Commitments” in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to this Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

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We signed lease agreements for laboratory and office space in Zwijnaarde, Belgium, offices in Breda, Netherlands, Boston, USA, and Tokyo, Japan, as disclosed in “Item 4.D.—Property, Plants and Equipment.”

In January 2021, we entered into a binding lease agreement related to the envisioned relocation of our Zwijnaarde facility to a newly built office in Zwijnaarde, with an annual base rent of $1.9 million, which would be operational in the second quarter of 2025, and with an initial term of 10.5 years. Included in the binding lease commitment is a rent free period of 6 months following the completion of the building. The total future cash outflows related to this lease are represented above as “Lease commitments not commenced.”

In addition, our lease liabilities include a lease plan for company cars with maturity dates up to four years.

For a discussion of contractual obligations, please see “Note 29—Commitments” in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2021 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

G.       SAFE HARBORE.       CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Cautionary Statement with Respect to Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of this Annual Report.Item 5.A. “Operating ResultsCritical Accounting Estimates”.

ITEM 6.      DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

A.       DIRECTORS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Our Board of Directors

WeAs at December 31, 2023, we have a one-tier board structure consisting of one executive director and eight non-executive directors, and a senior management team (consisting of our CEO and senior personnel reporting directly to the CEO) responsible for the day-to-day operations. We have opted for this structure to allow for a division of responsibilities between our Board of Directors and our senior management team, keeping our Board of Directors at a manageable size whilst being able to involve some or all members of our senior management team in discussions ofwith the Board of Directors if and when necessary.

In practice, all members of our senior management team are regularly involved in the discussions of our Board of Directors and its committees, in order to provide information and context to the various issues the boardBoard of Directors needs to decide on. In addition to being present at meetings from time to time, our senior management and other senior leaders in the organization keep regular contact (face to face or via electronic means) is kept between thewith members of the Board of Directors and its committees.

Our Board of Directors had five formal meetings in the course of 2023. The meetings were held in the months February, May, July, October and December. The committees of the Board of Directors also convened regularly and theat least once per quarter (please refer to Item 6.C. “Board PracticesReport Audit and Compliance Committee”, Item 6.C. “Board PracticesReport Audit and Compliance Committee”, Item 6.C. “Board PracticesReport Audit and Compliance Committee”, andItem 6.C. “Board PracticesReport Audit and Compliance Committee”).

All Board of Director meetings and all formal committee meetings were also attended by Mr. Van Hauwermeiren, as executive director. In addition, several members of the senior management team were invited to discuss specific items included on the Board of Directors and committee meetings’ agendas (please refer to Item 6.A “Directors and Senior ManagementAttendance Record Board of Director Meetings).

Set out below is a summary of certain provisions of Dutch corporate law as of the date of this Annual Report, as well as other senior leadersa summary of relevant information concerning our Board of Directors and certain provisions of our articles of association (Articles of Association) and the Board By-Laws.

This summary does not purport to give a complete overview and should be read in conjunction with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the relevant provisions of Dutch law as in force on the date of this Annual Report, the Articles of Association and Board By-Laws. The Articles of Association are available in the organization.

Our board of directors is currently comprised of one executive directorgoverning Dutch language and seven non-executive directors, each of whom we refer to individually as a director. Less than a majority ofan unofficial English translation thereof, and the directors ofBoard By-laws are available in English, on our board of directors are citizens or residents of the United States.website.

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The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the current members of our boardBoard of directors,Directors, including their ages as of December 31, 2021:2023:

Name

    

Age

    

Position

    

Nationality

    

Date of last (re)-
appointment

    

Term
expiration

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

49

Executive Director (Chief Executive Officer)

BE

May 8, 2018

2022

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

63

Non-Executive Director (chairperson)

BE

May 8, 2018

2022

Werner Lanthaler

53

Non-Executive Director (vice chairperson)

AT

May 8, 2018

2022

J. Donald deBethizy

71

Non-Executive Director

US

May 7, 2019

2023

Pamela Klein

60

Non-Executive Director

US

May 12, 2020

2024

A.A. Rosenberg

68

Non-Executive Director

UK

May 11, 2021

2025

James M. Daly

60

Non-Executive Director

US

May 8, 2018

2022

Yvonne Greenstreet

58

Non-Executive Director

UK

May 11, 2021

2025

The address for our directors is our registered office, Willemstraat 5, 4811 AH, Breda, the Netherlands.

Tim Van Hauwermeiren, Peter K.M. Verhaeghe, Werner Lanthaler and James M. Daly are expected to be nominated for re-appointment at the General Meeting to be held in 2022.

Our board of directors has determined that all of the non-executive members of the board of directors are independent under Nasdaq’s listing requirements and that all of the non-executive members of the board of directors are independent under the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, or DCGC.

The following is the biographical information of the members of our board of directors:

Tim Van Hauwermeirenco-founded our company in 2008 and has served as our Chief Executive Officer since July 2008. He has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2014. Mr. Van Hauwermeiren has more than 20 years of general management and business development experience across the life sciences and consumer goods sectors. Mr. Van Hauwermeiren holds a B. Sc. and M. Sc. in bioengineering from Ghent University (Belgium) and an executive MBA from The Vlerick School of Management. Tim Van Hauwermeiren serves on the board of directors of iTeos Pharmaceuticals and Aelin Therapeutics where he is chairman. Mr. Van Hauwermeiren currently holds the positions set out in the table “Our Senior Management” below.

Name

    

Age

    

Position

    

Nationality

    

Date of Initial
Appointment

    

Date of last
(re-) appointment

   

Term
expiration

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

51

CEO and executive director

Belgium

July 15, 2008

May 10, 2022

2026

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe

65

Non-executive director (chairperson)

Belgium

October 15, 2008

May 10, 2022

2026

Werner Lanthaler(1)

55

Non-executive director (vice-chairperson)

Austria

July 9, 2014

May 10, 2022

2024

Steve Krognes(1)

55

Non-executive director

U.S. and Norway

February 27, 2023

February 27, 2023

2027

J. Donald deBethizy

73

Non-executive director

U.S.

May 13, 2015

May 2, 2023

2025

Pamela Klein

62

Non-executive Director

U.S.

April 28, 2016

May 12, 2020

2024

Anthony A. Rosenberg

70

Non-executive director

UK

April 26, 2017

May 11, 2021

2025

James M. Daly

62

Non-executive director

U.S.

May 8, 2018

May 10, 2022

2026

Camilla Sylvest

51

Non-executive director

Denmark

September 8, 2022

September 8, 2022

2026

Ana Cespedes

50

Non-executive director

Spain

December 12, 2022

December 12, 2022

2026

(1)

Werner Lanthaler resigned effective February 27, 2023 and was succeeded by Steve Krognes effective February 27, 2023.

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe

Peter Verhaeghe has served as a member and chairperson of the board of arGEN-X B.V. since October 2008 and as non-executive director on our Board of Directors since July 2014.

Mr. Verhaeghe is the managing partner of VVGB Advocaten-Avocats, a corporate finance law and tax law firm, a position he has held since July 1999. He is currently lead counsel to a number of Belgian, Dutch, French, U.S. and Swiss life sciences companies. Mr. Verhaeghe has served as the president of the board of directors of Merisant France SAS, as a member of the management board of Merisant Company 2 sàrl and as a member of the board of directors of CzechPak Manufacturing s.r.o. He previously also served as director of Innogenetics (Belgium), Tibotec-Virco NV, Biocartis SA, and as the chairman of the board of directors of PharmaNeuroBoost NV and as liquidator in charge of KBC Private Equity Fund Biotech NV from April 2009 to December 2012. Mr. Verhaeghe serves on the boardboards of directors of Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV) NV since May 2018 and miDiagnostics NV since April 2020. He has also served as chairman of the board of Haretis SA (Luxembourg) since March 2011 and as member of the board of directors of miDiagnostics since April 2020. Mr. Verhaeghe also serves as the chairman of the LP & advisory committee of Bioqube Factory Fund I NV since September 2020. Mr. Verhaeghe previously served as a member of the board of directors of CzechPak Manufacturing s.r.o., Innogenetics NV (now Fujirebio Europe N.V.), Tibotec-Virco NV, and Biocartis SA. He was also the president of the board of directors of Merisant France SAS, a member of the management board of Merisant Company 2 sàrl., and chairman of the board of directors of PharmaNeuroBoost NV.

Mr. Verhaeghe holds a degree in law (J.D.) from the University of Leuven and an LLMLL.M. degree from Harvard Law School.

Dr. Werner Lanthaler has (until February 27, 2023)

Dr. Werner Lanthaler served as a member of our Board of Directors sincefrom July 2014. 2014 until February 27, 2023.

Dr. Lanthaler isserved as the chief executive officerCEO of Evotec SE until January 2024, a global drug discovery and development organization, a position he has

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held since March 2009. He also serves on the supervisory Boardboard of AC Immune SA (Switzerland). Dr. Lanthaler previously served on the supervisory boards of Bioxell SpA and Pantec Biosolutions AG.

Dr. Lanthaler holds a degree in psychology, a Ph. D. in business administration from Vienna University of Economics and Business, and a Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.

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Mr. Steve Krognes (effective February 27, 2023)

Mr. Krognes has served as a member of our Board of Directors and as a chairperson of our audit and compliance committee since February 27, 2023.

Mr. Krognes also serves on the boards of directors of Guardant Health, Inc., Denali Therapeutics, Inc., and Gritstone bio, Inc. In September 2023, he also was appointed to the board of directors of ClayvstBio. He previously served on the boards of directors of RLS Global AB and Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Krognes was the founding chief financial officer (CFO) of Denali Therapeutics, Inc. (Denali Therapeutics), from 2015 until retiring from that position in April 2022. In that role, he built and led the finance team as well as supervising the IT and facilities functions. He then joined the board of directors of Denali Therapeutics. Mr. Krognes led successful financings for Denali Therapeutics, including its initial public offering in 2017, and contributed significantly to the company’s strategy, growth and strong financial position. His extensive leadership experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries includes 12 years in total at Roche and Genentech, Inc., during which Mr. Krognes served as CFO of Genentech, Inc. for six years and global head of Roche’s mergers & acquisition team for six years. He also chaired the Genentech Access to Care Foundation and represented Genentech on the board and executive committee of the California Life Science Association. Before that, Mr. Krognes worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, and as a venture capitalist in Scandinavia.

Mr. Krognes holds a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor’s of Science in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. J. Donald deBethizy

Dr. J. Donald deBethizy has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2015.

Dr. deBethizy has 30 years of experience in research and development, andas well as financial, business and operating management, and board work in the biotechnology and consumer products industry. industries.

He is the president of White City Consulting ApS, a consulting company that specializes in advising technology-focused companies. Dr. deBethizy currently serves on the boards of directors of Lophora ApS and Innovent LLC,Proterris, Inc. and as a board and CEO coaching consultancies. advisor for Cereno Scientific AB.

Previously, Dr. deBethizy served as president and chief executive officerCEO of Santaris Pharma A/S until October 2014, when the company was sold to Roche. From August 2000March 1997 to June 2012, Dr. deBethizy was co-founder and chief executive officerCEO of Targacept Inc. (Targacept), a U.S. biotechnology company listed on Nasdaq. He currently serves onFrom June 2012 to May 2013, he was special advisor to the supervisory boardschairman of Albumedix A/S, Lophora ApS Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA, Noxxon Pharma NV and AG, Rigontec GmbH and Proterris, Inc.Targacept’s board of directors. From May 2013 to November 2014, heDr. deBethizy served as executive chairman of Contera Pharma ApS ,until it was sold to Bukwang Pharma, and from July 2015 to November 2017, he served as chairman of Rigotec GmbH.Rigontec GmbH until it was sold to Merck Inc. He previously served onas chairman of the boards of directors of Albumedix Ltd (sold to Sartorius AG in September 2022), Saniona AB, and TME Pharma NV and AG. Dr. deBethizy was also a member of the boards of directors of Asceneuron SA, Serendex Pharmaceuticals A/S, Enbiotix Inc., TargaceptLigocyte Pharmaceuticals until it was sold to Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Biosource Inc., LigoCyte Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Biosource Inc.NOXXON Pharma N.V. Dr. deBethizy has held adjunct appointments at Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and Duke University.

Dr. deBethizy holds a B. Sc.Bachelor’s of Science in biology from the University of Maryland, and an M. Sc.College Park and a Ph. D.Master’s of Science and a Ph.D. in toxicology from Utah State University. He has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

Dr. Pamela Klein

Dr. Pamela Klein has served as a member of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors since April 2016.

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Since 2008, Dr. Klein ishas been a principal and founder of PMK BioResearch, which offersa company offering strategic consulting in oncology drug development to corporate boards, management teams and the investment community,community. She has also been a position she has heldventure partner in Ysios Capital Partners, SGIEC, S.A.U. since 2008.2023. She currently serves as a member of severalthe board of director’sdirectors of several companies including F-Star Therapeutics, Jiya Acquisition Corps, I-Mab and Patry’s;Patrys Ltd; as well as various scientific advisor boards. In 2023, Dr. Klein also joined the boards of directors of Frontier Medicines Corp, Ona Therapeutics SL, and Sardona Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, Dr. Klein served on the board of directors of FStar Therapeutics, Inc. until March 2023, Jiya Acquisition Corp, and Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Inc. until its merger with F-Star Therapeutics in July 2020. Dr. Klein previously spent seven years at the National Cancer Institute as Research Directorresearch director of the NCI-Navy Breast Center, after which she joined Genentech and was VP, Developmentas vice president of development until 2001. She also served as Chief Medical Officerchief medical officer for Intellikine, Inc., which was acquired by Takeda. She was previously Vice President, Development for Genentech. Takeda American Holdings.

Dr. Klein holds a Bachelor’s degree in biology from California State University and an M.D. from Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago and is trained in internal medicine and medical oncology.

Msc. A.A.Anthony A. Rosenberg

Anthony A. Rosenberg has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2017.

He currently serves as CEO of TR Advisory Services GmbH, his own consultancy firm advising on business development, licensing, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Rosenberg also currently serves as chairman of the boards of directors of Oculis SA and Cullinan Oncology. Previously Mr. Rosenberg held the positions of Managing Director at MPM Capital, a venture capital firm (2015 until 2020). Head; head of M&A and Licensing of Novartis International (2013 to 2015); and Headhead of Business Developmentbusiness development and Licensinglicensing at Novartis Pharma (2005 to 2012). Mr. Rosenberg currently servesalso previously served on the boards of directors of SiO2 Material Science Oculis SA (chairman) and Cullinan Oncology (chairman)(until March 2023), and previously served on the boards of directors at Radius Health Inc., TriNetX, Inc., iOmx Therapeutics AG, and Clinical Ink.Ink, Msc. A.A.

Mr. Rosenberg has a B.Sc. (Hons)Bachelor of Science with honors from the University of Leicester and a M.Sc. PhysiologyMaster’s of Science in physiology from the University of London.

James M. Daly

James M. Daly has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2018. Mr. Daly currently also serves as a director of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He was formerly a member of the board of Chimerix, Inc. and Halozyme.

In 1985, he joined GlaxoSmithKline in 1985 where he held various positions, including Sr. Vice President – Respiratory Divisionsenior vice president of the respiratory division with full responsibility for sales, marketing and medical affairs. HeMr. Daly moved to Amgen in 2002 where he was Sr. Vice Presidentsenior vice president for the North America Commercial Operationscommercial operations until 2011. In 2012, he joined Incyte Corp, a publicly tradedpublicly-traded company focused on oncology and inflammation, where he was chief commercial officer until June 2015. Mr. Daly currently serves as a director of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc., Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, all Nasdaq-listed companies.

Mr. Daly holds a Bachelor inBachelor’s of Science and a Master in Business Administrationan MBA from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Dr. Yvonne Greenstreet Camilla Sylvest

Camilla Sylvest has served as a member of our Board of Directors since May 2021. She was appointed Chief Executive OfficerSeptember 2022. Ms. Sylvest currently serves as the executive vice president of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals effective January 1, 2022commercial strategy and before was serving as is President and Chief Operating Officer at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Greenstreetcorporate affairs of Novo Nordisk A/S.

Ms. Sylvest has more than 2527 years of working experience within Novo Nordisk A/S and was based in Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, and Mainland China. Over the years, Ms. Sylvest has headed up Novo Nordisk A/S affiliates of growing size and complexity in Europe. She was also corporate vice president of the business area Oceania and Southeast Asia and senior vice president and general manager of the Novo Nordisk A/S region of Mainland China. Ms. Sylvest also serves as the vice chair of Danish Crown A/S.

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experienceMs. Sylvest holds a Master’s of Science in economics from the Biopharmaceutical industry, driving strategyUniversity of Southern Denmark and innovation, bringing transformative medicines to patients and building successful businesses inan executive MBA from the U.S., Europe and globally. Dr. Greenstreet serves on the board of directors of Pacira Pharmaceuticals, American Funds, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is a member of the Discovery Council of Harvard Medical School. Between 2011 and 2013, Dr. Greenstreet was Senior Vice President and Head of Medicines Development at Pfizer serving on the executive team leading a rapidly growing $16 billion division. Prior to Pfizer, she was at GlaxoSmithKline plc for 18 years, where she was Senior Vice President and Chief of Strategy for Research and Development. Dr. Greenstreet had previously been in various positions of increasing responsibility at GSK, including Senior Vice President for Medicines Development and Chief Medical Officer for Europe. Dr. Greenstreet is trainedScandinavian Management Institute.

Ana Cespedes

Ana Cespedes has served as a physician and earned her medical degree from Leeds University in the United Kingdom and her MBA degree from INSEAD, France. On March 3, 2022, Dr. Greenstreet stepped down from her position as member of our Board of Directors duesince December 2022. Ms. Cespedes is the COO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), a global organization dedicated to time constraints following herdeveloping accessible vaccines and antibodies for infectious diseases.

Prior to joining IAVI, Ms. Cespedes held several roles at Merck KGaA, most recently serving as global head of strategy and engagement, government, and public affairs. She founded and led the global market access and pricing function for the company and worked with stakeholders to communicate the clinical, economic, and societal value of innovative medicines. Prior to that, Ms. Cespedes led the first integrated corporate affairs group at Serono Iberia and Merck Spain, was managing director of the Spanish branch of the company’s nonprofit organization, and worked as a senior consultant at Arthur Andersen. Ms. Cespedes is a founding member of the National Congress of Corporate Affairs in Spain, the London School of Economics Market Access Academy, and the Cooperation for Oncology Data. She is also the founder of Living Mindfulness S.L. Ms. Cespedes is also a member of the steering committee of ProPatiens Institute.

Ms. Cespedes holds a Bachelor’s of Pharmacy and a PhD from the Complutense University of Madrid, a Master in General Management (PDG) from IESE Business School and an Executive Certificate on Strategy and Innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Attendance Record Board of Director Meetings

In 2023, five Board of Directors meetings were held. The meeting attendance rate for our directors is set out in the table below.

(or

Name

    

Number of meetings attended in
2023 (or since appointment and up

to resignation, as applicable)

    

Attendance %

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe (chairperson)

5

100 %

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

5

100 %

Werner Lanthaler(1)

1

100 %

Steve Krognes(1)

4

100 %

J. Donald deBethizy

5

100 %

Pamela Klein

5

100 %

Anthony A. Rosenberg

5

100 %

James M. Daly

5

100 %

Camilla Sylvest

5

100 %

Ana Cespedes

5

100 %

(1)

Werner Lanthaler resigned effective February 27, 2023 and was succeeded by Steve Krognes effective February 27, 2023.

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In 2023, all of the five Board of Directors meetings with solely the non-executive directors being present were held as closed sessions at the beginning or the end of other meetings. These meetings were attended by all non-executive directors appointed at such time.

(or

Name

    

Number of meetings attended in
2023 since appointment

    

Attendance %

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe (chairperson)

5

100 %

Werner Lanthaler(1)

1

100 %

Steve Krognes(10

4

100 %

J. Donald deBethizy

5

100 %

Pamela Klein

5

100 %

Anthony A. Rosenberg

5

100 %

James M. Daly

5

100 %

Camilla Sylvest

5

100 %

Ana Cespedes

5

100 %

(1)

Werner Lanthaler resigned effective February 27, 2023 and was succeeded by Steve Krognes effective February 27, 2023.

Activities

The agenda for the Board of Directors centers around the key business objectives for long-term value creation and the key risks involved, as well as the manner in which the senior management team implements our strategy including our research and development pipeline and the commercialization of our products, our culture to ensure proper monitoring by the non-executive directors, our financial position and finance readiness as well as the results of our subsidiaries, significant investment proposals, yearly budgets, the internal risk management and control system, diversity, equity and inclusion, succession planning and remuneration and appointment matters.

In 2023, specific attention was given to the statutory and governance topics including the long-term succession and contingency planning of the Board of Directors and senior management, leading to the appointment of Mr. Steve Krognes as non-executive director and chair of the audit and compliance committee and the renewal of the appointment of Mr. J. Donald deBethizy as non-executive director and his appointment as Chief Executive Officer at Alnylam.vice-chair of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors furthermore discussed the long-term succession planning of the senior management team leading to the appointment of Ms. Karen Massey as our chief operating officer. The Board of Directors discussed the review and approval of forecasts, the Company’s product portfolios, business and corporate development, cybersecurity landscape, review and approval of consolidated financial statements, update research and developments, committee reports, financing of the Company and the approval of the proposed agendas and other meeting documents for our General Meeting, among other things.

Our Senior Management

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the current members of our senior management, including their ages, as of December 31, 2021:2022:

Name

   

Age

   

Position

   

Nationality

   

Date of Initial
appointmentAppointment

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

4951

Chief Executive OfficerCEO and Executive Director

Belgium

July 15, 2008

Karl GubitzKeith Woods(1)

5256

Chief Financial OfficerCOO

GermanyU.S.

June 1, 2021April 5, 2018

Keith WoodsKaren Massey(1)

45

COO

Australia

March 13, 2023

Karl Gubitz

54

Chief Operating OfficerCFO

USSouth Africa

April 5, 2018June 1, 2021

Hans de HaardPeter Ulrichts

6244

Chief Scientific Officer

The Netherlands

July 1, 2008

Wim Parys

62

Chief Medical Officer

Belgium

JulyJanuary 1, 2019

Arjen Lemmen

37

Vice President Corporate Development & Strategy

The Netherlands

May 1, 2016

Dirk Beeusaert

57

General Counsel

Belgium

April 1, 20172023

Malini Moorthy

5254

General Counsel

Canada

February 14, 2022

Arjen Lemmen

39

Vice-President Corporate Development & Strategy

The Netherlands

May 1, 2016

Andria Wilk

4951

Global Head of Quality

UK

January 13, 2020

Luc Truyen

59

Chief Medical Officer

Belgium

April 1, 2022

(1)Keith Woods retired as COO effective March 13, 2023 and was succeeded by Karen Massey effective March 13, 2023.

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The address forTim Van Hauwermeiren

Tim Van Hauwermeiren co-founded our senior management is Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7, Building C, 9052 Zwijnaarde (Ghent), Belgium.

The following is a brief summary of the biographical information of those members of our senior management who do not also serve on our board of directors:

Karl GubitzCompany in 2008 and has served as Chief Financial Officerour CEO since July 2008. He has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2014.

Mr. Van Hauwermeiren has more than 20 years of general management and business development experience across the life sciences and consumer goods sectors. He also serves on the boards of directors of iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. and RayzeBio, Inc.

Mr. Van Hauwermeiren holds a Bachelor’s of Science and Master’s of Science in bioengineering from Ghent University and an executive MBA from the Vlerick School of Management.

Keith Woods

Keith Woods served as our COO from April 2018 to March 2023, at which time he was succeeded by Karen Massey.

Mr. Woods transitioned to serve as an advisor to our Board of Directors. He has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Mr. Woods most recently served as senior vice president of North American operations for Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alexion). Within Alexion, he previously served as vice president and managing director of Alexion UK, overseeing all aspects of Alexion’s UK business, and as vice president of U.S. operations and executive director of sales. Prior to joining Alexion, Mr. Woods held various positions of increasing responsibility within Roche, Amgen, and Eisai Co., Ltd. over a span of 20 years. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in marketing from Florida State University.

Karen Massey (effective March 13, 2023)

Karen Massey has served as our COO since March 2023.

Ms. Massey has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including in commercial, product development, corporate strategy, and innovation roles. Prior to joining argenx, Ms. Massey was with Genentech (Roche Group) for over nine years, where she most recently served as senior vice president of product development and global clinical operations and previously held various commercial leadership roles across marketing and business operations, including as the vice president of the multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica business. Ms. Massey started her biopharmaceutical career in marketing at Pfizer Inc., and returned there, after two years as a management consultant at Bain & Company, to take on leadership positions in corporate strategy and sales and as a commercial lead in Latin America.

Ms. Massey holds a Bachelor’s of Economics from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Karl Gubitz

Karl Gubitz has served as our CFO since June 2021.

Mr. Gubitz previously worked at Pfizer Inc. for nearly 20 years, most recently as vice president of finance within the global oncology business. During his tenure atWithin Pfizer he successfully negotiated the commercialization model for tanezumab with Eli Lilly in all non-U.S. markets as well as the Myovant co-commercialization agreement for Orgovyx™. Within Pfizer,Inc., Mr. Gubitz held country, regional, and global positions, and consistently delivered top-line growth. He managed teams of over 250 colleagues in financial leadership roles within the global internal medicine and global innovative products businesses. Prior to joining Pfizer Inc. in 2003, Mr. Gubitz held various management roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers. HePricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Mr. Gubitz holds an M.B.A.MBA from Henley Management College, in the United Kingdom,a Bachelor’s degree in computing from the University of South Africa, and BachelorBachelor’s of commerceCommerce from the University of Pretoria.

Keith Woods has served as our Chief Operating Officer since April 2018. Mr. Woods has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He most recently served as senior vice president of North American operations for Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he managed a team of several hundred people in the U.S. and Canada and was responsible for more than $1 billion in annual sales. Within Alexion, he previously served as vice president and managing director of Alexion UK, overseeing all aspects of Alexion’s UK business, vice president of U.S. operations and executive director of sales, leading the launch of Soliris in atypical hemolytic uremic

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syndrome. Prior to joining Alexion, he held various positions of increasing responsibility within Roche, Amgen and Eisai over a span of 20 years. Keith Woods holds a B.S. in marketing from Florida State University.Dr. Peter Ulrichts

Prof. Hans de Haard is a co-founder of argenx andPeter Ulrichts has served as our Chief Scientific Officerchief scientific officer since July 2008. Prof. de Haard has been activeJanuary 2023. In this role, he oversees the development of all clinical and pre-clinical compounds within our pipeline.

Dr. Ulrichts previously served in various roles at the Company since he joined us in 2010, including, most recently, as our head of clinical science. As a research scientist, Dr. Ulrichts was involved in the antibody engineering field since 1989.development of various therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. In 2013, he headed the development of our FcRn antagonist efgartigimod until the first-in-human clinical trial. He also serves assubsequently transitioned to become the lead scientist of our efgartigimod program.

Dr. Ulrichts holds a ProfessorBachelor’s of immunology at University of Franche Comté (France). Prof. de Haard holds an M. Sc. in biochemistry from the Higher Professional Education for Laboratory Technicians (Oss, the Netherlands) and a M. Sc.Science in chemistry from the Institute of Technology (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) and a Ph. D. in molecular immunology from Maastricht University.

Wim Parys joined argenx as Chief Medical Officer in 2019. He has over 25 years of experience leading successful clinical programs in biopharma, including the development and regulatory submission of seven now-approved drugs. Prior to argenx, Mr. Parys was the R&D head of the newly established Global Public Health group at Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) responsible for a portfolio including programs in HIV (developing first long-acting therapy), TB, dengue fever and malaria. Before this, Mr. Parys was the head of development of the infectious disease therapeutic area of Janssen and Tibotec where he developed and launched innovative drugs for HIV (Prezista™, Intelence™ and Edurant™), Hepatitis C (Incivo™, Olysio™/Sovriad™), and TB (Sirturo™). Mr. Parys started his career within the Johnson & Johnson organization at the Janssen Research Foundation in Belgium where he led the R&D team developing galantamine (Reminyl™/Razadyne™) for Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Parys obtained his medical degree from the Katholieke Universiteit in Leuven, Belgium and worked in private practice for nine years prior to joining industry. Mr. Parys will retire with effect from March 31, 2022 and will be succeeded by Luc Truyen as of April 1, 2022.

Luc Truyen joined argenx at the end of September 2021. Prior to this, Dr. Truyen was with Johnson & Johnson for over 20 years holding various leadership positions, primarily within neuroscience. In his most recent position prior to joining argenx, Dr. Truyen was global head of development and external affairs – neuroscience for neuroscience managing strategy and delivery of the early and late portfolio of assets for mood disorders and schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders. Besides Dr. Truyen’s strong track record in clinical development resulting in several global innovative drug approvals, his broad-based experience also includes leading global clinical development operations for the whole Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical group as well as serving as head of R&Da Master’s degree in Biotechnology and chief medical officer of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy, an internal spin-out from Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Truyen holds an M.D. anda Ph.D. in NeurologyBiomedical Sciences, both from the University of Antwerp. Luc Truyen will succeed Wim Parys with effect as of April 1, 2022 as a member of our senior management team.

Arjen Lemmen joined argenx in 2016 and serves as Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at argenx since 2019. He has successfully executed several transactions including a number of programs within the Immunology Innovation Program and the strategic collaboration with Janssen for cusatuzumab. Prior to joining argenx, Mr. Lemmen served as a corporate finance specialist at Kempen & Co focusing on M&A, equity capital markets and strategic advisory transactions in the European life sciences industry. He holds a B.Sc. in Life Science & Technology from the University of Groningen and a Master of Engineering Management from DukeGhent University.

Dirk Beeusaert Malini Moorthy

Malini Moorthy has served as General Counsel of argenx since 2017. He has 20 years of experience in corporate governance and asour general counsel of a listed company. Mr. Beeusaert worked in various roles fromsince February 1996 to July 2016 for Gimv NV, a European private equity company listed on Euronext Brussels, including chief legal officer from January 2001 to 2006, and general counsel from 2006 to July 2016, where he was co-responsible for operations and corporate governance. Mr. Beeusaert currently serves on the boards of Cubigo NV and The Fourth Law NV. Dirk holds a Bachelor of Law, Master of Law from Ghent University and a Master in tax legislation and accountancy from Vlerick Leuven-Gent Management School. Mr. Beeusaert has retired per December 31, 2021 and has since been succeeded by Malini Moorthy as from February 14, 2022.

Malini Moorthy joined argenx as General Counsel in 2022. She has over 25 years of extensive global legal experience with extensiveand compliance experience in the biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors, including asindustries. She was most recently senior vice president &and chief deputy general counsel of legal, compliance, &and government affairs at Medtronic vice president & associate general counsel,plc, where she played a pivotal role in shaping and driving enterprise and functional strategies. Before joining Medtronic plc, Ms. Moorthy spent four years at Bayer Corporation as the head of global litigation &and investigations and 10 years at Bayer Corporation, vice president & assistant general counsel, head ofPfizer Inc., where she progressed to lead civil litigation at Pfizer Inc. Maliniglobally. Ms. Moorthy began her career as a law firm associate, first with McCarthy Tétrault LLP and Genest Murray Desbrisay Lamek LLP in Toronto, Canada and then Salans LLP (now Dentons)Dentons US LLP) in New York City.

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She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science and economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Laws from the Faculty of Law at Queen’s University in Canada.

Luc Truyen

Luc Truyen has served as our chief medical officer since April 2022 and previously served as our head of research and development operations management from September 2021 to April 2022.

Prior to this, Dr. Truyen was with Johnson & Johnson (and its subsidiary companies) for over 20 years holding various leadership positions, primarily within neuroscience. In his most recent position prior to joining argenx, Dr. Truyen was global head of development and external affairs for neuroscience, managing the strategy and delivery of the early and late portfolio of assets for mood disorders, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disorders. Besides Dr. Truyen’s strong track record in clinical development resulting in several globally innovative drug approvals, his broad-based experience also includes leading global clinical development operations for the whole Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical group as well as serving as the head of research and development and chief medical officer of Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research & Development LLC, an internal spin-out from Johnson & Johnson.

Dr. Truyen holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in Neurology from the University of Antwerp.

Arjen Lemmen

Arjen Lemmen joined argenx in 2016 and has served as our vice president of corporate development & strategy since 2019. He has successfully executed several transactions including a number of programs within the IIP.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Lemmen served as a corporate finance specialist at Kempen & Co NV focusing on mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets and strategic advisory transactions in the European life

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sciences industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in life science & technology from the University of Groningen and a Master of engineering management from Duke University.

Andria Wilk

Andria Wilk joined argenx as Global Headglobal head of Qualityquality in 2020. Ms. Wilk has more than 20 years of experience in quality assurance (QA) within the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Ms. Wilk served as senior director, head of medical, regulatory & clinical QA (MRC QA) at H Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck), where she managed the global MRC QA group based in the EU, U.S.US, and Asia. In this role, she was responsible for the global audit programs and QA support for all clinical trial and post-marketing activities and related computerized systems.

Prior to Lundbeck, she held various QA positions of increasing responsibility within AstraZeneca PLC, Takeda Global Research, and Development (TGRD)Centre Europe, and Astellas Pharmaceuticals. Pharma Inc.

Ms. Wilk holds a joint B.Sc.Bachelor’s of Science in Pharmacologypharmacology and Biochemistry andbiochemistry, is a member of the Research Quality Association (MRQA).and observing board member of The European Forum for Good Clinical Practices.

General Information About Our Directors and Senior Management

As of the date of this Annual Report (or in any period before), none of the members of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors and senior management has or has had a family relationship with any other member of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors or senior management.

Asmanagement and there are no arrangement or understanding with major shareholders, customers, suppliers or others, pursuant to which any person referred to above was selected as a director or member of the datesenior management. For further information regarding any arrangements by which our Board of this Annual Report and except as set out below, none of the members of our board of directors andDirectors or senior management for at least the previous five years:

has been convicted of any fraudulent offenses;
has been a senior manager or a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of any company at the time of or preceding any bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation or of such company being put into administration;
has been subject to any official public incrimination and/or sanction by any statutory or regulatory authority (including any designated professional body); or
has ever been disqualified by a court from acting as a member of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of any company or from acting in the management or conduct of affairs of any company.

B.       COMPENSATION

Compensation of Our Senior Management and Board of Directors

Our shareholders have adopted a policy governing the remuneration of our board of directors, which is aimed to attract, reward and retain highly qualified executive and non-executive directors and to provide and motivate the members of our board of directors with a balanced and competitive remuneration that is focused on sustainable results and is aligned with the long-term strategy of the company as set out in its business plan.

At the General Meeting on April 28, 2016, the shareholders approved an amended remuneration policy, or the Remuneration Policy, which allows for the granting of compensation packages to our directors in line with a benchmarking analysis performed by an independent consulting firm engaged by our remuneration and nomination committee and an assessment of the duties of the directors, and includes competitive severance arrangements intended to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. At the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting of our shareholders held on May 11, 2021, the shareholders approved an amendment to the Remuneration Policy, discussed in more detail below. For a discussion of our employment arrangements with our senior management,were appointed, see the section of this Annual Report titled “ItemItem 7.B.Related Party Transactions—TransactionsAgreements with Our Senior Management.Management.

B.       COMPENSATION

Remuneration Report and Compensation Statement

SAY-ON-PAY AND PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE REMUNERATION POLICY

ExceptIntroduction

In response to dissent expressed by shareholders on the 'say-on-pay’vote at the Company’s 2022 and 2023 annual General Meetings, we have engaged extensively with stakeholders, shareholders and proxy advisors. This group of stakeholders represented over 60% of the Company’s issued share capital. This has led to a proposal for a revised remuneration policy, which is expected to be published in draft form on or around March 21, 2024 (Draft 2024 Remuneration Policy), which requires approval at the arrangements describedCompany’s annual General Meeting that will take place on May 7, 2024 (2024 General Meeting). Readers of this report are encouraged to read the Draft 2024 Remuneration Policy and corresponding explanatory notes, both of which will be made available on the Company’s website at https://www.argenx.com/investors/shareholder-meetings.

Although the following is not an exhaustive summary of the proposed changes to the Company’s current 2021 remuneration policy (the 2021 Remuneration Policy), which you are encouraged to read in full including the accompanying explanatory notes, the Company deems it relevant to bring to your attention the following key changes that will be proposed in the sectionDraft 2024 Remuneration Policy.

3.4.1.1Non-executive pay

Stock options will no longer be granted to non-executive directors
Non-executive pay will take the form of cash remuneration and equity remuneration in the form of RSUs

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Table of this Annual Report titled “Related-Party Transactions—Agreements with Our Senior Management” there are no arrangements or understanding between usContents

Non-executive RSU grants will have a vesting period of one year and a holding period of three years after vest and as such underlying shares cannot be sold until after four years from the grant date
Non-executive RSUs will be awarded based on a benchmarked target cash value, awarded in shares subject to the aforementioned holding requirements
Minimum holding requirements extending at least two years beyond term of service will continue to apply

Executive equity incentives

Performance share units (PSUs) will be introduced in the executive compensation plan, attaching financial and non-financial performance conditions to the vesting of the PSUs
At least 50% of target executive equity pay-out will be performance based
PSU performance conditions will link for at least 50% of their target value to financial targets
Non-financial targets will relate to measurable sustainable long term value creating outcomes linked to the Company’s key value drivers: ‘innovation and pipeline development’ and ‘people and culture’
PSUs will not vest prior to the third anniversary of the grant date and only to the extent applicable performance conditions are met
The target equity pay opportunities for the CEO, chief financial officer (CFO) and COO (together, NEOs)will continue to be set between the 50th percentile and 75th percentile of the reference group and will in any case not exceed 15x base cash compensation
All equity grants will be subject to multi-year (at least three years) vesting periods and/or holding requirements
Minimum holding requirements extending at least two years beyond term of service will continue to apply

Executive short-term cash incentive

Short-term cash incentives will be linked to multiple strategically relevant targets, which, in turn, will be linked to clearly measurable outcomes
At least 50% of short-term variable pay will be linked to financial targets
The target cash pay opportunity (target and maximum), measurement and evaluation and pay-out will be disclosed
Considering the rapid growth and development of the Company and the environment in which it operates, discretionary adjustment of the total variable pay within the set limits by the Board of Directors will be possible, but in the event this happens, a clear and detailed explanation of the use of such discretion will be included in the Company’s remuneration report

The principles above will be applicable for remuneration granted and anytargets set after the approval of the executive directors providing for benefits upon terminationDraft 2024 Remuneration Policy, which requires a majority vote of their employment, othermore than as required by applicable law.75% at the 2024 General Meeting. If such majority is not achieved, the Company will, in accordance with Dutch law, be obliged to continue to apply the 2021 Remuneration Policy until a new policy gets approved at the 2024 General Meeting. You are encouraged to read this 2023 remuneration report in conjunction with the Draft 2024 Remuneration Policy and the accompanying explanatory notes.

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CompensationIt is noted that this 2023 remuneration report describes the application of Our Senior Managementthe Company’s 2021 Remuneration Policy for the fiscal year 2023.

2023 Remuneration

The 2021 Remuneration Policy rewards contributions to achieving Company objectives and generating stakeholder value. The aim is to provide competitive remuneration packages that align with market practices in the key markets where the Company competes for talent. The Company conducts regular reviews (at least once every three years) of ourdirector and senior management (including our executive director, Mr. Tim Van Hauwermeiren)members’ total remuneration (both in quantum and in program design) and makes comparisons against the Company’s reference companies. The 2021 Remuneration Policy and total compensation aligns or slightly exceeds the market median for fixed compensation, benefits, and short-term variable compensation. The long-term incentive component consists of equity grants, the size of which is positioned between the 50th and the 75th percentile of the global reference group. The 2021 Remuneration Policy was adopted at the 2021 General Meeting with a 76% majority vote and is available on the Company’s website at https://www.argenx.com/investors/governance/remuneration-policy.

Reference group - general

For the 2023 remuneration which was set following fixeda benchmark exercise conducted in the August – September 2022 timeframe, the Company worked with an independent third party compensation advisor, AON Radford. The Company continued to benchmark against both US and variable components:European peer groups to account for being a global company competing for talent against European based and US based companies. The aim is to deliver globally competitive compensation supporting the execution of Company’s business strategy and aligning with long-term sustainable value creation for its stakeholders.

The following criteria were used to select the reference group for the 2023 remuneration as part of the Company’s benchmark performed in the third quarter of 2022, ahead of setting the long term incentive schemes for 2023 in December 2023 and the annual cash compensation for 2023 in first quarter of 2023:

fixed base compensation;Sector: Biotech and Pharmaceuticals
short-term variable compensation;Stage of development: Market
long-term variable compensation, in the formMarket Capitalization: primary ~1/3x – 3x argenx’s 30‐day average market value as of stock options and restricted stock units;5/20/22, secondary $5‐50 billion
severance arrangements;Headcount: primary ~1/3x – 3x the midpoint of argenx’s projected financial years ended 31 December, 2022 and 2023 headcounts, secondary 300‐2500 employees
pension and fringe benefits.Revenue: less than $1 billion revenues
Years public: less than 10 years since IPO

Fixed base compensation. With the goal of arriving at a sufficiently sized U.S. and EU peer group of companies disclosing detailed compensation information, a number of companies were added to the European peer group following a qualitative review by AON Radford to identify companies with relevant similarities in business model and therapeutic focus. This leads to the following selection of peer groups used by us in the 2022 benchmark for the 2023 compensation plans:

Note: for completeness’ sake, this is not the peer group the Company used in 2023 for its 2024 remuneration. The base compensation of our senior management is determined2023 benchmark takes into account ongoing discussions and insight on the basisdevelopment of a benchmarking analysis completed by an independent consulting firm. The fixed cash compensation levels are set atthe 2021 Remuneration Policy and plans, as well as stakeholder feedback received. On or around the 50th percentiledate of U.S. companies in our referencethis report, the peer group for U.S. based executives, and at or around the 75th percentile of EU companies in our reference group for EU based executives. The final determination of an executive director's fixed pay is made considering this benchmark, the individual’s skills, experience and performance, the remuneration practices and conditions across the wider organization and our interactions with key stakeholders to secure broad public support for our remuneration practices.

Short-term variable compensation. The objective of our short-term annual incentive compensation is to ensure that our senior management team is incentivized to achieve performance targets in the shorter term. Variable cash incentives are granted for achieving predetermined specific performance targets. At the start of each financial year, the Board of Directors will determine our key priorities and will set specific, challenging performance targets in line with these priorities. The Board of Directors will determine the relative weight of each target and the metrics used for measuring their achievement. Our senior management team is eligible for an annual short-term variable incentive of their annual base compensation. The target percentage for this purpose was set to 55% of the annual base compensation of a member of the senior management team except for our executive director. The target variable cash incentive for our executive director shall be 60% of the fixed cash compensation if 100% of targets are achieved. In case of significant overachievement, the Board of Directors may decide to award higher variable pay to fairly reflect the individual's value contribution to argenx, but the variable pay will not exceed 120% of the fixed cash compensation.

Financial performance targets relate to building the business and typically make up 60% of the overall variable cash incentive targets and are aimed at significantly progressing our product candidates towards market approval and ultimately to the generation of sales and revenues to further enhance shareholder value and enable and support our further research and development activities.

Non-financial targets relate to building the organization and typically make up 40% of overall targets and are aimed at building and developing our organization into a sustainable, commercial stage, fully integrated global biopharmaceutical company in line with our identity and our core values.

Long-term incentive awards. Our Board of Directors intends to incentivize our senior management team by issuing stock options and/or restricted stock units from time to time to be able to attract and retain well-qualified senior management in connection with the Equity Incentive Plan, as set out below. Typically, stock options and restricted stock units are granted annually in accordance with our equity incentive grant allocation scheme which is regularly reviewed by our Board of Directors and particularly our remuneration and nomination committee.

Severance arrangements. We have entered into management contracts and employment agreements with our senior management team, each of which provides for certain minimum notice periods if their service or employment with us is terminated in certain circumstances as described below in “Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Senior Management”.

Pension and fringe benefits. Our senior management team participates in a defined contribution pension scheme operated by a third-party pension insurance organization. Our senior management team is entitled to customary fringe benefits, such as a company car and a hospitalization plan.

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The2024 remuneration will be reported on the Company’s website at https://www.argenx.com/investors/governance/remuneration-policy.

Company Name

Company Ticker

Country of Trade

Abcam Plc

ABC

GBR

Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.

ACHC

USA

ALK‐Abelló A/S

ALK.B

DNK

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

ALNY

USA

Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.

FOLD

USA

Ascendis Pharma A/S

ASND

USA

BeiGene, Ltd.

6160

USA

Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

BHVN

USA

BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

BMRN

USA

BioNTech SE

BNTX

USA

Blueprint Medicines Corp

BPMC

USA

CRISPR Therapeutics AG

CRSP

USA

Denali Therapeutics Inc

DNLI

USA

Evotec SE

EVT

DEU

Galapagos NV

GLPG

NLD

Genmab A/S

GMAB

DNK

Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc

HIK

GBR

Horizon Therapeutics Public Limited Company

HZNP

USA

Idorsia Ltd

IDIA

CHE

Incyte Corporation

INCY

USA

Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.

NTLA

USA

Intra‐Cellular Therapies, Inc.

ITCI

USA

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

IONS

USA

Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.

MRTX

USA

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.

NBIX

USA

Recordati SpA

REC

ITA

Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.

SRPT

USA

Seagen Inc.

SGEN

USA

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB

SOBI

SWE

UCB SA

UCB

BEL

uniQure N.V.

QURE

USA

Vifor Pharma AG

VIFN

CHE

Award levels

Our Board of Directors sets award levels based on the outcome of our benchmarking exercise. Our remuneration policy, contains the following table sets forth information regarding compensation paid by us for Tim Van Hauwermeiren during the year ended December 31, 2021:

Tim Van Hauwermeirenframework in this respect:

 

CompensationNon-executive directors

Senior management team
(including the CEO)

($)

Base salary

651,986

Option awards (1)

3,895,370

Restricted Stock UnitsCash-based compensation

2,084,509

Employer social security contribution stock options (2)50th percentile of the companies in the global reference group

50th percentile of U.S. companies in the reference group for U.S.-based executives, and at or around the 75th percentile of EU companies in the reference group for EU-based executives

Non‑equity incentive planEquity-based compensation

586,787

Pension contributions

26,894

Social security costs

3,456

Other (3)

50th percentile of the U.S. companies in the reference group

14,827

TOTAL

7,263,82850th to 75th percentile of the U.S. companies in the reference group

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NEO remuneration

This chapter contains a detailed overview of the remuneration paid for the year 2023 to the following NEOs: the CEO, the CFO and the COO. Of these NEOs, only the CEO is a statutory director of argenx. The remuneration of the NEOs in 2023 consisted of base salary, variable cash remuneration, company equity and benefits.

Executive Remuneration Policy

The majority of executive compensation is provided in the form of variable remuneration, which is a combination of performance dependent (short-term cash incentives, stock options) and service dependent (RSUs) compensation. Variable (short-term) compensation allows the Board of Directors to set challenging annual objectives aligning the priorities of the NEOs with the short-term strategic objectives of the Company. Company equity in the form of stock options provides an incentive to the NEOs to contribute to Company (stock price) value increase over the long-term (three years) vesting period of the stock options. Company equity in the form of RSUs also provides an incentive for value creation over the long-term (four years) vesting period of the RSUs. The combination of variable pay, stock options and RSUs ensures a balanced incentive for short term focus on and performance of near term strategic targets, while contributing to sustainable long-term value creation and ensuring long-term commitment (retention) of the executive. In addition, the Company provides market standard severance arrangements and pension and fringe benefits, including a corporate bonus of maximally €3,948 ($4,266) in accordance with Belgian practice. Moreover, in accordance with the DCGC, when determining the remuneration package of the executives, scenario analyses are performed annually and taken into account in setting the total remuneration levels and target and maximum awards under the short- and long-term incentive plans.

Total executive remuneration

The following table sets forth the total value of the remuneration paid to the NEOs for the last three years:

(in USD)

Base salary (1)

Base salary in % change vs the prior year (1)

Sign on bonus

Corporate bonus

Variable short-term incentive

Variable cash
as % of maximum opportunity

Compensation in the form of stock options (2)

Compensation in the form of RSUs

Other benefits (3)

% fixed (of total) (4)

Total

CEO - Tim Van Hauwermeiren

2023

655,787

0%

590,215

60%

8,084,605

(5)

2,575,174

39,054

6%

11,944,835

2022

638,901

10%

766,682

60%

4,174,684

2,159,689

38,342

9%

7,778,298

2021

651,986

5%

1,186

586,787

60%

3,895,370

2,084,509

45,177

10%

7,265,014

CFO - Karl Gubitz

2023

516,043

6%

3,556

260,866

40%

2,626,062

1,287,587

62,798

12%

4,756,913

2022

487,600

79%

3,745

243,800

40%

2,623,633

1,356,048

91,203

12%

4,806,030

2021

271,646

n.a.

(6)

2,235

108,659

40%

3,181,721

1,629,272

31,809

6%

5,225,342

COO - Karen Massey (7)

2023

481,471

n.a.

338,000

(8)

2,921

467,662

50%

3,939,093

2,296,517

127,393

8%

7,653,057

COO - Keith Woods (9)

2023

305,022

(48)%

46,034

100%

351,056

2022

583,774

5%

3,745

583,774

50%

2,601,982

1,364,014

205,032

15%

5,342,321

2021

555,975

5%

4,095

347,484

50%

2,430,402

1,316,532

116,041

14%

4,770,529

(1)AmountThe base salary of the CEO is paid in EUR (for 2023 base salary the exchange rate 1.0815 EUR/$ used in this table), the base salary of the COO is paid in CHF (for 2023 base salary exchange rate of 1.1135 EUR/CHF used in this table). The percentage presenting the change in salary is calculated using the currency of payment.
(2)Amounts shown representsrepresent the expenses with respect to the option awards granted in 2021 to Mr. Van Hauwermeirenstock options measured using the Black Scholes formula. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see Note 1413—Share-based payments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. These amounts do not reflectReport for the actual economic value realizedperiod ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by Mr. Van Hauwermeiren.
(2)argenx incurs employer social security costs with respect to the option awards granted to the members of our senior management. The amount of employer social security costs depends on the actual economic value realized and therefore varies based on the price of our ordinary shares. At each reporting date, argenx makes a calculation of the exposure.reference.
(3)ConsistsOther benefits consists of $14,626 attributable to the lease of a company car, and $201 in employer-paid medical insurance premiums.

The following table sets forth information regarding aggregate compensation paid by us for the members of our senior management (excluding Tim Van Hauwermeiren) during the year ended December 31, 2021:

Compensation

($)

Base salary

2,812,668

Option awards (1)

11,165,679

Restricted Stock Units

5,940,183

Employerpremiums, pension contributions, social security contribution stock options (2)

4,171,822

Non‑equity incentive plan compensation

1,433,378

Termination benefits

381,522

Pension contributions

123,002

Social security costs

785,489

Other (3)

258,950

TOTAL

27,072,693

(1)Amount shown represents the expenses with respect to the option awards granted in 2021 to Mr. Karl Gubitz, Mr. Keith Woods, Prof. Hans de Haard, Mr. Arjen Lemmen and Miss. Andria Wilk measured using the Black Scholes formula. For a description of the assumptions used in the valuing these awards, see Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements incorporated elsewhere in this Annual Report. These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by these members of our senior management.other allowances.
(2)(4)The Company incurs employer social security costs with respect to the option awards granted to the members of our senior management. The amount of employer social security costs depends on the actual economic value realizedFixed compensation is considered as Base salary and therefore varies based on the price of our ordinary shares. At each reporting date, the Company makes a calculation of the exposure.Other benefits.
(3)

(5)

Target pay level set in number of options and RSUs as part of benchmark performed in September of the prior year (target value $6,986,986, grant occurred on the first business day of July 2023. Share price increase between setting the grant using argenx’s 30-day average stock price of

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$366.58 as of July 22, 2022 and the share price of $389.73 at the date of grant) explains variation between target compensation level and the final calculation displayed in the table above. These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by the beneficiary. Amounts shown represent the expenses with respect to the Stock Options awards granted in 2023 measured using the Black Scholes formula with unobservable assumptions. The assumptions used in the fair valuation differ between Belgian beneficiary versus non-Belgian beneficiary. The fair value of equity granted to Belgian beneficiaries was higher than that of non-Belgian beneficiaries resulting in Mr. Van Hauwermeiren’s stock based compensation expense to be higher than other beneficiaries. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see Note 13—Share-based payments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

(5)Consists of $78,181 attributableKarl Gubitz joined as CFO in June 2021, and consequently no comparison for base salary 2021 to the leases of company cars, $136,893 in car, housing and other allowances and $43,876 in employer-paid medical insurance premiums.2020 is possible, as well as comparison for base salary 2022 to 2021 being distorted.
(6)Karen Massey joined as COO in March 2023, and consequently no comparisons to 2022 and before were possible, and Ms. Massey’s remuneration shows the remuneration paid for the period March 13, 2023 through December 31, 2023. Her variable pay pay-out has been pro-rated to reflect this as well.
(7)In 2023, the Company paid a sign-on bonus to Karen Massey to allow the Company to make an overall competitive offer of employment and in recognition of lost corporate benefits as a result of early departure at Ms. Massey’s previous employer. Ensuring a competitive offer in this way and securing Ms. Massey as the Company’s new COO was deemed by the Board of Directors to be in the best interest of the Company and its stakeholders.
(8)Keith Woods resigned as COO March 2023 and his employment relationship ended on June 30, 2023 and consequently the remuneration numbers show his remuneration for the period January 1, 2023 through June 30, 2023. No equity award or variable pay was paid to Mr. Woods in the year ended December 31, 2023.

Base salary

In 2023, compared to 2022, the base salary of the NEOs was increased in line with the total argenx employee population merit increase guidelines (CEO +0%, CFO +6%, COO joined in 2023). These increases followed a review of the individual’s performance over the preceding year(s), in light of comprehensive analysis of benchmark data showing the relative positioning of base salaries compared to the relevant external and internal peers. This process ensures that the Company’s compensation packages are a fair reflection of individual performance while also remaining competitive and aligned with the market. The merit principles and base pay increase framework applied are identical to those applicable to all employees in the organization and are based on the individuals’ performance and contributions over the preceding period. From 2022 to 2023, our CEO declined to receive a base pay increase.

With respect to the CFO, the Board of Directors recognized outstanding performance in 2022, including the achievement and overachievement of short-term targets, and established that the CFO’s pay was below the midpoint of peer reviewed base pay for CFOs in the reference group. Consequently, and in line with pay practice applied consistently across all employees, the CFO’s base pay was increased with a merit increase and an additional increase to move the CFO closed to the benchmarked midpoint, totalling a 6% base pay increase in 2023 versus 2022.

Variable cash

The NEOs were eligible for a variable cash payment for the performance of pre-defined short term performance targets in 2023, with the target variable cash compensation set as a percentage of their base salary (60% for CEO, 50% for COO, 40% for CFO). The Board of Directors has set a cap of 200% pay-out per target, and a 200% overall pay-out cap. The Board of Directors evaluated the pay-out of each target, with ‘at target’, ‘maximum per target’ and ‘actual pay-out’ explained in detail in the table below. In addition, the Board of Directors has discretion to adjust the pay-out if the total outcome would not fairly represent pay-for-performance. If such discretion is used, it will be explained in detail in the remuneration report.

CEO

When considering the variable pay pay-out of the CEO, the Board of Directors primarily reviewed whether the key objectives of the Company’s business plan for 2023 were achieved. These key objectives were:

(i)delivering on the revenue targets for VYVGART by achieving the Company’s ambitious commercial business plan;
(ii)growing and developing the pipeline for identified products, product candidates and indications as well as new innovations, building sustainable long term value creation potential for the Company:

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The following table sets forth information regarding option awards granted to our senior management during the year ended December 31, 2021:

Name

Stock options

Expiration date

Exercise price

Tim Van Hauwermeiren (1)

    

25,000

    

24/12/2031

    

$

350.20

Karl Gubitz

24,000

01/07/2031

$

288.93

Hans de Haard (1)

 

16,000

 

24/12/2031

$

350.20

Keith Woods

 

16,000

 

24/12/2031

$

350.20

Dirk Beeusaert

$

Wim Parys

$

Arjen Lemmen (1)

 

16,000

 

24/12/2031

$

350.20

Andria Wilk (1)

4,446

24/12/2031

$

350.20

a.obtaining timely VYVGART subcutaneous approval
b.subject to positive trial outcome, submitting high quality CIDP BLA in minimal time; and
c.adding at least 3 new highly innovative programs to the pipeline, stretch target of 5 overachieved); and
(1)(iii)On December 24, 2021,successful succession, hiring and onboarding of business-critical functions (including several new members of the Company has granted options for whichBoard of Directors and COO succession, plus a record number of new company hires across teams), delivering on the beneficiary hashighly ambitious hiring plan and protecting and enhancing the Company’s culture through a 60 day period to choose between a contractual term of five or ten years.explosive growth; and
(iv)considering a number of expected clinical ‘moments of truth’ in relation to planned clinical trial readouts (CIDP, ITP, PV, MMN) and another critical year for commercial execution, the CEO needed to invest heavily in transparent and balanced communication, proactively and continuously ensuring data-based expectations and organizational resilience whilst retaining trust in the Company’s ability to execute. This needed to be achieved both externally (communications with investors) and internally as head of the Company’s senior management.

The U.S. peer group used to determine (equity) incentive grant levels in 2020 consisted of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Acceleron Pharma, Agios Pharmaceuticals, Aimmune Therapeutics, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Amicus Therapeutics, bluebird bio, Blueprint Medicines, CRISPR Therapeutics, Esperion Therapeutics, FibroGen, Global Blood Therapeutics, Moderna, MyoKardia, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Reata Pharmaceuticals, Sage Therapeutics, Sarepta Therapeutics, Spark Therapeutics, Xencor and Zogenix.

Following our annual remuneration and benchmarking exerciseWhereas the base amount of equity for the CEO was adjusted downward (from the approved remuneration policy 2021) to 32,000 stock options and 7,200 restricted stock units. The Remuneration and Nomination Committee discussed a recommendation of 130% of this base amount based on performance (being 41,600 stock options and 9.360 restricted stock units). However, following consultationtotal target achievement of the CEO in line with best practice principle 3.2.2.leads to a 125% of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code, at the request of the CEO,target pay-out (details provided below), the Board of Directors agreedused its discretion to grant only 25,000 stock optionsaward an additional $98,368 (25% of target incentive) in recognition for the successful delivery of the Company’s business plan including the key objectives outlined above, and 5,700 restricted stock unitsgiving special recognition to the continued success of the commercial launches which well exceeded internal and external expectations. The Board of Directors deemed it in the interest of the Company and its stakeholders to reward the CEO for this high quality execution and its impact on the Company’s sustainable long term value creation trajectory.

The achievement of the targets as set out below, plus the discretionary upward adjustment have led to an overall payout of $590,215 of variable pay to the CEO, representing a pay-out of 150% of target pay-out and to recommend placing the difference (being 16,600 stock options and 3,660 restricted stock units) at the dispositionrepresenting 75% of the CEO for distribution to key individuals in the April 1, 2022 equity grant.

The table below shows the stock options held at the start of the year ended December 31, 2021 and the stock options granted to our senior management which have vested during the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as the stock options scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2022, December 31, 2023 andmaximum opportunity.

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December 31, 2024 (inPersonal targets set for the CEO, in addition to his overall responsibility for delivering the business plan, were the following:

Target

Measurement(how the Board of Directors evaluated the target)

%

Target pay-out

Max pay-out (USD)

Achievement

Actual pay-out (% of target)

Actual pay-out (USD)

Line up the next wave of immunology breakthroughs: at least 5 new highly innovative programs entered the pipeline 

Baseline: at least 3 new programs, 

Stretch: 5 or more  

25 

98,368 

196,736 

Overachieved

Number of programs added significantly exceeded stretch target, warranting maximum pay-out of target. 

200% 

196,736 

Proactively manage argenx’s clinical moments of truth 

Build organizational resilience ahead of key clinical trial readouts 
Ensure data based expectations internally and externally ahead of key clinical trial read-outs 
Protect and enhance investors’ trust in argenx’s ability to execute 

External and internal trust in argenx’s ability to execute maintained, even in the context of some setbacks 

Support of key long term shareholders maintained 

Ability to attract and retain top talent preserved and/or enhanced 

25 

98,368 

196,736 

Achieved

Continued support of key shareholders maintained, key talent retained and further key talent hired and onboarded, throughout significant wins (CIDP) and setbacks (ITP, PV)  

100% 

98,368 

Future-proof company leadership, strengthen board effectiveness. Support successful board succession, maximally leverage the board as a resource 

Successful selection, hiring and onboarding of new COO 

Continued access to talent, knowledge and expertise of departing  COO, CMO and (founder) CSO, if feasible 

Ensured excellent onboarding of new board talent, positioned new board members for maximum impact 

25 

98,368 

196,736 

Achieved

Successful hiring and onboarding of top quality COO  

Retiring COO, CMO and founder CSO positioned for continued impact through long term Board of Directors’ committee advisory roles 

Successful onboarding of 3 new key Board of Directors positions  

100% 

98,368 

Execute the 2023 hiring plan, delivering on successful onboarding of a record number of new hires (including 2022 hires, integrate what argenx scaled) in support of the company’s execution ambitions. Safeguard and enhance the corporate culture and align the entire employee base behind the strategic priorities 

Company wide understanding of and support for the business plan and alignment around top priorities 

2023 hiring plan delivered 

Record number of new hires throughout 2022 and 2023 successfully onboarded and embraced the argenx cultural values 

Corporate culture protected, no critical talent departures, voluntary turnover remained stable 

25 

98,368 

196,736 

Achieved

Company business plan delivered through exceptional cross functional and cross regional collaboration and commitment of all employees 

Voluntary turnover rates remained relatively stable (less than 1% deviation from 2022 number) and on the low end of market averages (4,27% (2022) to 5% (2023)) 

Broad participation (295 argonauts across regions and functions) participated in newly launched dedicated forum designed to protect and enhance argenx’s company cultural pillars 

100% 

98,368 

CFO

When considering the variable pay pay-out of the CFO, the Board of Directors primarily reviewed whether the following key objectives of the Company’s business plan for which the CFO had key responsibilities for 2023, were achieved. These key objectives were:

(i)delivering on the revenue targets for VYVGART (stretch target ‘revenue as per annual operating planning’ target significantly exceeded);

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(ii)considering VYVGART’s recent launch and continued challenges in a highly competitive environment, proactively and continuously ensure data-based external expectations around financial performance, while retaining trust in the Company’s ability to execute; and
(iii)successful transitioning and onboarding of new Chairman of the Audit & Compliance Committee and continued strong audit performance (internal and external).

The personal targets set for the CFO were the following:

Target

Measurement (how the Board of Directors evaluated the target)

%

Target pay-out

Max pay-out (USD)

Achievement

Actual pay-out (% of target)

Actual pay-out (USD)

Raise at least $ 500 million of capital on favorable terms to finance the company’s increased ambition level and corresponding business plan 

Achievement: at least $ 500 million raised on favourable terms 

Stretch: $ 750 million raised on favourable terms 

25 

51,173 

104,346 

Overachieved 

$1 billion+ raised on competitive terms, biggest biotech follow-on financing in the history of Nasdaq (at that time), revised business plan fully financed 

200% 

104,346 

Ensure alignment of external and internal expectations around efgartigimod launch 

Financial performance largely aligned or slightly above street expectations 

Continued support and retention of key shareholders and key talent by continuing to build on the company’s reputation for transparency and reliability 

25 

51,173 

104,346 

Achieved  

Four quarterly ‘beat and raise’ events without significant gaps between internal and external expectations 

100% 

52,173 

Streamline and improve financial planning processes throughout the company, simplify where possible, significantly reduce time spent by non-financial staff on financial planning processes 

Significant simplifications delivered across the company for financial planning and management processes 

Fewer distractions and increased focus on innovation 

25 

52,173 

104,346 

Achieved 

Broader company leadership recognized argenx financial planning process as best in class, delivering a simplified financial planning process with excellent outcomes, allowing the teams to focus on their core responsibilities while benefiting from high quality financial planning 

100% 

52,173 

Protect and preserve company and critical assets, further build out working relationship with audit & compliance committee and ensure successful onboarding of new audit and compliance committee chairperson, support high quality internal and external audit processes ensuring excellence in transparency 

Ensured excellent onboarding of new chairman of the audit and compliance committee, committee positioned for maximum impact 

25 

52,173 

104,346 

Achieved 

Successful onboarding of new audit and compliance committee chairperson, excellent working relationship with internal and external auditors facilitated, high quality processes and high levels of transparency led to clean audit outcomes 

100% 

52,173 

COO

When considering the variable pay pay-out of the COO, the Board of Directors primarily reviewed whether the key commercial and operational objectives of the Company’s business plan for 2023 were achieved. These key objectives were:

(i)the new COO onboarding rapidly and successfully, positioning herself for high impact and designing her multi-year strategic plan;
(ii)delivering on the revenue targets for VYVGART; and
(iii)executing the succession, hiring and onboarding of business critical (commercial) functions including in new regions, delivering on a highly ambitious hiring plan while protecting and enhancing the Company’s culture through a period of explosive growth.

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Table of Contents

The personal targets set for the COO, in addition to her overall responsibility for delivering commercial performance, were the following:

Target 

Measurement (how the Board of Directors evaluated the target)

Target pay-out

Max pay-out (USD)

Achievement

Actual pay-out (% of target)

Actual pay-out (USD)

Achieve annual operating plan targets for commercial revenue 

At target: not disclosed 

Stretch: exceeding target by at least 10% 

35 

109,121 

218,242 

Overachieved  

$1.2 billion revenues achieved, significantly above internal and external expectations 

over $ 1 billion revenues in the US alone 

4 quarterly beat & raise events 

200% 

218,242 

Responsibly build out argenx’s global expansion plan across key non-US regions, fill key positions  

Key aspects of business plan for non-U.S. regions delivered 

15 

46,766 

93,532 

Overachieved 

Stretch goals in business plan relating to non-us commercial expansion delivered, including successful Canada entry and first sales, successful execution of key distribution partnerships, robust business cases built for new regions, remarkable wins in Germany, Italy, Spain, successful launch in China 

200% 

93,532 

Implement commercial operating model for consistent launch excellence, reflecting argenx’s culture and values 

High impact operating model for commercial launches designed 

Put in place organizational design which sets us up for long term commercial success 

 

25 

77,944 

155,887 

Achieved  

Successful internal restructuring of the commercial operating model which built cross-functional indication and field teams fully in line with the company’s cultural pillars and while significantly overachieving revenue targets 

Exceeded expectations right after joining, rapidly building real trust and support throughout the global organization and earning the full trust and support of the commercial (and field based) teams, setting the COO up for long term success and organizational impact 

100% 

77,944 

Develop and gain Board of Directors approval of argenx 2030 commercial strategy, identifying key strategic options and investment scenario 

Compelling 2030 vision designed with broad buy in from management team and endorsed by the Board of Directors 

25 

77,944 

155,887 

Achieved 

Built out high quality multi-year commercial strategy for future value creation, aligned the management team and the Board of Directors behind this strategic plan mission 2030, plan reviewed, vetted and approved by the Board of Directors 

100% 

77,944 

Corporate bonus

All employees are eligible to annually earn a corporate bonus with a maximum of €3,948 ($4,266) per year, based on Company-wide goals. In 2023, the targets focused on (i) simplifying high-impact cross-functional processes, (ii) saving more on an undisclosed dollar amount in negotiated spend to advance financial responsibility and (iii) increased cybersecurity awareness. In 2023, the corporate bonus was achieved by 83.34% and a corresponding pay-out of €3,291/ $3,556 was made to all employees.

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Equity

In 2023, the Company granted a mix of stock options and RSUs to the NEOs. The number of instruments to be granted in the course of 2023 were determined pursuant to the benchmark exercise performed with the help of AON Radford in September of 2022, where the equity compensation levels of CEO, CFO and COO roles within the Company’s reference group were reviewed. The target values for long term incentives were then converted into a number of stock options and restricteda number of RSUs to be granted, using a Black Scholes valuation of $151,03 per stock units),option and a value of $366,58 per RSU, based on a 30-day average stock price used for the August 2022 benchmark. This number of equity instruments was then embedded into the equity allocation scheme for 2023. It is noted that as a result of the method of fixing the number of instruments based on the benchmark value and the respective exercisetime in between the benchmark and the grant, the value of the grant as ultimately reported will differ from the target value if the stock price has changed (positively or negatively) between the date of suchfixing the allocation scheme and the date of the grant. More specifically, if the stock options:price increases between date of setting the allocation scheme and the grant date, the Black Scholes value of the stock options will increase, assuming all other parameters stay stable. The Company is taking concrete steps to close the time gap between the benchmark and the grant date, as will be further explained in the Draft 2024 Remuneration Policy and accompanying explanatory notes.

   

Total

   

   

   

   

Total

   

   

   

   

Options

   

Options

   

Options

options

Options

Options

Options

options

Options

Options

to

to

to

held on

granted

forfeited

exercised

held on

vested

vested

vest

vest

vest

January 1,

in

in

in

December 31,

Exercise

through

in

in

in

in

Name

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

price

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

 

290,000

 

25,000

 

 

315,000

 

$

23.98

 

80,000

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

97.77

 

53,333

 

26,667

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

153.75

 

26,667

 

26,666

 

26,667

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

280.43

16,667

16,666

16667

$

350.20

8,333

8334

8,333

Total

290,000

25,000

315,000

160,000

70,000

51,666

25,001

8,333

Eric Castaldi (1)

 

171,400

 

 

(46,400)

 

125,000

 

$

23.98

 

25,000

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

97.77

50,000

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

153.75

50,000

Total

171,400

(46,400)

125,000

125,000

Keith Woods

 

155,000

 

16,000

 

(30,000)

 

141,000

 

$

97.77

8,333

16,667

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

153.75

16,667

16,666

16,667

$

280.43

16,667

16,666

16,667

350.20

5,333

5,334

5,333

Total

155,000

16,000

(30,000)

141,000

25,000

50,000

38,666

22,001

5,333

Hans De Haard

 

545,975

 

16,000

 

 

561,975

 

$

2.76

144,822

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

8.12

109,000

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

10.72

28,200

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

12.99

28,200

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

16.01

28,200

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

20.85

14,353

$

23.98

43,200

$

97.77

33,333

16,667

$

153.75

16,666

16,668

16,666

$

280.43

16,667

16,666

16,667

350.20

5,333

5,334

5,333

Total

545,975

16,000

561,975

445,974

50,002

38,665

22,001

5,333

Wim Parys

225,000

 

 

 

225,000

 

$

97.77

 

83,333

41,667

$

153.75

16,667

16,666

16,667

��

$

280.43

16,667

16,666

16,667

Total

225,000

225,000

100,000

75,000

33,333

16,667

Arjen Lemmen

136,211

 

16,000

 

(6,430)

 

145,781

 

$

20.85

 

4,306

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

23.98

6,328

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

91.54

2,361

834

  

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

97.77

8,452

7,500

  

$

153.75

24,963

12,519

12,518

$

280.43

16,667

16,666

16,667

$

350.20

5333

5334

5333

Total

136,211

16,000

(6,430)

145,781

46,410

37,520

34,517

22,001

5,333

Dirk Beeusaert (2)

 

204,682

 

 

(54,682)

 

150,000

 

$

91.54

 

23,500

4,700

$

97.77

14,533

7,267

$

128.53

30,757

19,243

$

222.16

12,756

37,244

Total

204,682

(54,682)

150,000

81,546

68,454

Andria Wilk

 

19,300

 

4,446

 

 

23,746

 

$

153.75

4,693

2,353

2,354

$

280.43

4,575

2,663

2,662

$

350.20

1,482

1,482

1,482

Total

19,300

4,446

23,746

4,693

6,928

6,499

4,144

1,482

Karl Gubitz

24,000

 

24,000

$

288.93

11,333

8,000

4667

Total

24,000

24,000

11,333

8,000

4,667

Specifically for the COO, the Board of Directors decided to grant equity in excess of the base numbers for the COO role, as a means to attract the new COO in a highly competitive talent market. The Board of Directors deemed enabling Ms. Massey to join the Company of crucial importance for the Company’s long term succession planning.

The following table sets out the number, value and key terms of equity instruments granted to the NEOs in 2023:

RSUs granted in 2023

Stock options granted in 2023

Name

# RSUs

Key terms

Value at grant

Benchmark value

# Stock options

Exercise 

price

in €

Exercise 

price in $

Key terms

Value at grant(5)

Benchmark value(5)

Total

Tim Van Hauwermeiren - CEO

    

6,700

(1)

$

2,575,174

$

2,456,086

30,000

    

355.40

$

387.35

(3)

$

8,084,605 (6)

$

4,530,900

$

10,659,779

Karl Gubitz - CFO

3,350

(1)

1,287,587

1,228,043

15,000

355.40

387.35

(4)

2,626,062

2,265,450

3,913,649

Karen Massey - COO

5,025

(1)

1,931,380

1,842,065

22,500

355.40

387.35

(4)

3,939,093

3,398,175

5,870,474

Sign-on grant

950

(2)

365,137

348,251

365,137

Keith Woods – COO

(1)Eric Castaldi resigned from his position as chief financial officer on our senior managementRSUs vest and are settled in June 2021 and was succeeded by Karl Gubitz.4 equal instalments of 25% over a 4-year period.
(2)Dirk Beeusaert retired effective December 31, 2021 and was succeeded by Malini Moorthy effective February 14, 2022.RSUs vested on the date of the grant.
(3)1/3 stock options vests after year 1. 2/3 stock options vest in monthly instalments in year 2 and 3. Stock options are not exercisable until the 4th calendar year after the grant year.
(4)1/3 stock options vests after year 1. 2/3 stock options vest in monthly instalments in year 2 and 3.
(5)Target pay level set in number of stock options and RSUs as part of benchmark performed in September of the prior year (target value $6,986,986, grant occurred on the first business day of July 2023), share price increase between setting the grant using argenx’s 30-day average stock price of $366.58 as of July 22, 2022 and the share price of $389.73 at the date of grant explains variation between target compensation level and the final calculation displayed in the table above. These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by the beneficiary. Amounts shown represent the expenses with respect to the stock options awards granted in 2023 measured using the Black Scholes formula with unobservable assumptions. The assumptions used in the fair valuation differ between Belgian beneficiaries versus non-Belgian beneficiaries. The fair value of equity granted to Belgian beneficiaries was higher than that of non-Belgian beneficiaries resulting in Mr. Van Hauwermeiren’s stock based compensation expense to be higher than other beneficiaries. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see Note 13 “Share-based payments” in our consolidated financial statements.
(6)The reason that this amount is more than 2x the amount of the CFO, even though the number of equity instruments is exactly 2x that of the CFO, is due to different assumptions used in valuation applicable for Belgian based employees than for U.S. based employees. Please see footnote (1) for further details.

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The table below shows (i) the restricted stock unitsoptions held atas of January 1, 2023, (ii) the start of the year ended December 31, 2021 and the restricted stock unitsoptions granted to our senior managementthe NEOs which have vested during the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as2023, (iii) the restrictednumber of stock unitsoptions scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2022,2024, December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2026 and (iv) the respective exercise price of such stock options. Each stock option was granted pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan:

Information regarding the reported financial year

Opening

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

balance

  

During the Year

  

Closing balance

Name of
Directors,
Position

Performance Period

Award
Date

Vesting
date

End of
retention
period

Exercise Period

Exercise
price of
stock option (€)

Stock options
held at the
beginning of
the period

Stock
options
awarded

Stock
options
exercised

Stock
options
forfeited

Stock
options
vested

Stock options
subjected to a
service period

Stock options
awarded
and unvested

Stock options
held at the
end of the year

Stock options
subjected to a
retention period

Tim Van Hauwermeiren, CEO

14/12/2017 - 01/12/2020

12/14/2017

(1)

12/31/2020

01/01/2021 - 14/12/2027

21.17

72,500

72,500

21/12/2018 - 01/12/2021

12/21/2018

(1)

12/31/2021

01/01/2022 - 21/12/2028

86.32

80,000

80,000

20/12/2019 - 01/12/2022

12/20/2019

(1)

12/31/2022

01/01/2023 - 20/12/2029

135.75

80,000

80,000

21/12/2020 - 01/12/2023

12/21/2020

(1)

12/31/2023

01/01/2024 - 21/12/2030

247.60

50,000

16,667

50,000

24/12/2021 - 01/12/2024

12/24/2021

(1)

12/31/2024

01/01/2025 - 24/12/2031

309.20

25,000

8,334

8,333

8,333

25,000

25,000

23/12/2022 - 01/12/2025

12/23/2022

(1)

12/31/2025

01/01/2026 - 23/12/2032

359.60

25,000

8,333

16,667

16,667

25,000

25,000

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

12/31/2026

01/01/2027 - 03/07/2033

355.40

30,000

30,000

30,000

30,000

30,000

Total

332,500

30,000

72,500

33,334

55,000

55,000

290,000

80,000

Karl Gubitz, CFO

01/07/2021 - 01/07/2024

7/1/2021

(1)

n.a.

01/07/2022 - 01/07/2031

255.10

24,000

8,000

4,667

4,667

24,000

01/07/2022 - 01/07/2025

7/1/2022

(1)

n.a.

01/07/2023 - 01/07/2032

357.50

16,000

7,556

8,444

8,444

16,000

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

Total

40,000

15,000

15,556

28,111

28,111

55,000

Karen Massey, COO

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

22,500

22,500

22,500

Total

22,500

22,500

22,500

Keith Woods, former COO

20/12/2019 - 01/12/2022

12/20/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

35,000

35,000

21/12/2020 - 30/6/2023

12/21/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

50,000

16,667

50,000

24/12/2021 - 30/6/2023

12/24/2021

(1)

n.a.

24/12/2022 - 31/03/2025

309.20

16,000

10,667

16,000

23/12/2022 - 30/6/2023

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

23/12/2023 - 31/03/2026

359.60

16,000

10,667

5,333

5,333

Total

117,000

35,000

10,667

32,667

71,333

(1)

1/3rd of the stock options vests on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the remaining 2/3rd vest in equal instalments (24 in total) over the next two years, each time upon the 1st day of each next month.

The table below shows (i) the RSUs held as of January 1, 2023, (ii) the RSUs granted to the NEOs which vested during the year ended December 31, 2023 and (iii) the number of RSUs scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2024, December 31, 2025, December 31, 2026 and December 31, 2025:2027. Each RSU was granted pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan:

    

Total

    

    

    

Total

    

    

RSUs

    

RSUs

    

RSUs

RSUs

Information regarding the reported financial year

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

to

to

to

to

Opening

held on

granted

forfeited

exercised

held on

vested

vest

vest

vest

vest

The main conditions of RSU plan

balance

During the Year

Closing balance

January 1,

in

in

in

December 31,

through

in

in

in

in

RSUs held

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

Name

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

 

 

5,700

 

 

5,700

 

 

1,425

 

1,425

1,425

1,425

Name of

End of

at the

subject to

awarded

held at

subject to

Directors,

Vesting

retention

beginning

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

a service

and

the closing

a retention

Position

Performance period

Award Date

date

period

of the year

awarded

Forfeited

vested

condition

unvested

of the year

period

Tim van Hauwermeiren, CEO

Tim van Hauwermeiren, CEO

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

4,275

1,425

2,850

2,850

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

5,700

1,425

4,275

4,275

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

6,700

6,700

6,700

Total

5,700

5,700

1,425

1,425

1,425

1,425

9,975

6,700

2,850

13,825

13,825

Karl Gubitz, CFO

Karl Gubitz, CFO

01/07/2021 - 01/07/2025

01/07/2021

(1)

n.a.

4,050

1,350

2,700

2,700

Keith Woods

 

 

3,600

 

 

3,600

 

900

900

900

900

01/07/2022 - 01/07/2026

01/07/2022

(1)

n.a.

3,600

900

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

3,350

3,350

3,350

Total

3,600

3,600

900

900

900

900

7,650

3,350

2,250

8,750

8,750

Karen Massey, COO

Karen Massey, COO

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

5,025

5,025

5,025

Hans De Haard

 

 

3,600

 

 

3,600

 

900

900

900

900

N/A

03/07/2023

(2)

n.a.

950

950

950

Total

3,600

3,600

900

900

900

900

5,975

5,975

5,975

Keith Woods, former COO

Keith Woods, former COO

24/12/2021 - 30/06/2023

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

2,700

2,700

Arjen Lemmen

 

3,600

 

 

3,600

 

900

900

900

900

24/12/2021 - 30/06/2023

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

3,600

2,700

900

Total

3,600

3,600

900

900

900

900

6,300

2,700

3,600

Andria Wilk

 

 

988

 

 

988

 

247

247

247

247

Total

988

988

247

247

247

247

Karl Gubitz

5,400

 

5,400

1,350

1,350

1,350

1,350

Total

5,400

5,400

1,350

1,350

1,350

1,350

(1) RSUs vest over a period of four years with 1/4th of the total grant vesting at each anniversary of the date of grant.

(1) RSUs vest over a period of four years with 1/4th of the total grant vesting at each anniversary of the date of grant.

(2) RSUs vest at date of grant.

(2) RSUs vest at date of grant.

Equity holding requirements for executives

In 2023, the Company implemented the following holding requirements for its executive team:

CEO: 3x base salary
Other NEOs: 1x base salary

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The minimum equity stake has to be built up over a maximum of five years and continues to apply for the duration of employment and for two years thereafter.

Pension and fringe benefits

The benefits paid to the NEOs are jurisdiction dependent. For the CEO, these included benefits customary in the Belgian market, and which are standard components of Belgian based employees’ packages: pension contributions, a hospitalization insurance, a representation allowance and a company car. For the CFO, these included benefits customary in the U.S. market, and which are standard components of our U.S. based employees’ packages: a company administered health and 401k plan, with a 4% company match. For the COO, these included benefits customary in the Swiss market, and which are standard components of Switzerland based employees’ packages: car allowance, lunch allowance, health insurance allowance, representation allowance and pension contributions.

Severance arrangements

In accordance with our 2021 Remuneration Policy, the CEO has an 18 months’ notice period for termination (or alternatively, 12 months’ severance in lieu of notice). For our other NEOs, no contractual arrangements have been made for severance.

In fiscal year 2023, no severance payments were granted to the NEOs.

Treatment of leaver equity

With respect to Keith Woods, the Board of Directors determined his long-term equity incentives vested in full on June 30, 2023, consistent with the terms of his employment contract and a separate agreement made between him and the Company in which Mr. Woods’ agreed to stay on with the Company as long as necessary to identify, recruit and onboard a suitable replacement and to continue to contribute to long term value creation for the Company as a member of the commercialization committee (all as set out in a service agreement entered into between us and Mr. Woods, and for which no remuneration shall be paid):

all unvested stock options and RSUs granted prior to 2022 to and held by Mr. Woods vested on June 30, 2023, whereby Mr. Woods shall not be allowed to exercise stock options of which the vesting was accelerated pursuant to this resolution, or sell shares received pursuant to the settlement of RSUs of which the vesting was accelerated pursuant to this resolution, earlier than on the date on which such equity would normally have vested in accordance with the rules of the applicable argenx equity plan (assuming normal continuation of vesting in the situation where Mr. Woods would not have retired from the company). The sole exception to the aforementioned exercise/sell restriction shall be the sale of equity to the extent solely needed to cover tax liabilities directly following from the aforementioned accelerated vesting and/or settlement of equity; and
equity granted to Mr. Woods in 2022 vested only through the first anniversary of the grant date and the remainder was forfeited as of December 31, 2023.

Claw back policy

In the event that any variable remuneration (cash or equity) is paid to members of senior management, including the NEOs, based on financial information which later proves to be incorrect and leads to an accounting restatement (i) due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under applicable securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements of the Company that is material to the previously issued financial statements of the Company, or (ii) that corrects an error that is not material to previously issued financial statements of the company, but would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period, then the difference between the paid compensation and the compensation which would have been payable without such accounting restatement, shall be claimed back from the executive, all as further set out in the Executive Compensation Clawback Policy, as adopted by the Board of Directors on July 25, 2023.

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In fiscal year 2023, no variable remuneration was clawed back and no variable remuneration was adjusted (retroactively).

Remuneration of other senior management members

For the purposes of the equity reporting by the Company under European legislation, all senior level employees reporting directly to the CEO qualify as the Company’s ‘senior management members’, and for the purposes of U.S. governance reporting requirements, as the Company’s ‘executives’. For that reason and in compliance with U.S. disclosure requirements, the remuneration disclosures in relation to this more extensive group of senior personnel (excluding the NEOs) in this remuneration report is presented on an aggregated basis, with the exception of equity remuneration, which is presented on an individual basis.

Aggregate compensation for other senior management members

The following table sets forth information regarding aggregate compensation paid to members of the senior management (other than the NEOs) during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

    

Compensation

($)

Base salary

$

2,202,303

Corporate bonus

17,790

Variable short-term incentive

1,134,786

Compensation in the form of stock options

 

13,333,334

Compensation in the form of RSUs

5,534,702

Other benefits

 

882,154

TOTAL

 

23,105,069

(1)Other benefits consists of the lease of a company car, employer-paid medical insurance premiums, pension contributions, social security costs and allowances.

Equity for other senior management members granted in 2023

The following table sets forth information regarding stock option and RSU awards granted to members of the senior management during fiscal year ended December 31, 2023:

RSUs granted in 2023

Stock options granted in 2023

Name

# RSUs

Key terms

Value at grant

# Stock options

Exercise price
in €

Exercise 

price in $

Key terms

Value at grant (3)

Total

Peter Ulrichts

    

3,350

(1)

$

1,287,587

15,000

355.40

$

387.35

(2)

$

3,420,785

$

4,708,372

Malini Moorthy

3,350

(1)

1,287,587

15,000

355.40

387.35

(2)

2,626,062

3,913,649

Luc Truyen

3,350

(1)

1,287,587

15,000

355.40

387.35

(2)

3,420,785

4,708,372

Arjen Lemmen

3,350

(1)

1,287,587

15,000

355.40

387.35

(2)

2,626,062

3,913,649

Andria Wilk

 

1,000

(1)

384,354

4,600

355.40

387.35

(2)

1,239,639

1,623,994

(1)RSUs vest and are settled in four equal instalments of 25% over a four-year period.
(2)1/3 of the RSUs vests after year 1. 2/3 vest in monthly instalments in year 2 and 3.
(3)These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by the beneficiary. Amounts shown represent the expenses with respect to the Stock options awards granted in 2023 measured using the Black Scholes formula with unobservable assumptions. The assumptions used in the fair valuation differ between Belgian beneficiaries versus non-Belgian beneficiaries. The fair value of equity granted to Belgian beneficiaries was higher than that of non-Belgian beneficiaries resulting in stock based compensation expense to be higher for Belgian beneficiaries than other beneficiaries. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see Note 13—Share-based payments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

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The table below shows the remaining term of(i) the stock options and restrictedheld as of January 1, 2023, (ii) the stock units held by ouroptions granted to members of senior management (other than the NEOs) which vested during the year ended December 31, 2021.2023, (iii) the number of stock options scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2024, December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2026 and (iv) the respective exercise price of such stock options. Each stock option was granted pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan:

    

Remaining term on

Number of

Information regarding the reported financial year

Number of

December 31, 2021

restricted stock

Opening balance

During the Year

Closing balance

Name

stock options

(rounded up)

units (4)

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

 

80,000

6 years

5,700

 

80,000

7 years

 

80,000

8 years

 

50,000

9 years

25,000

5 years / 10 years (1)

Eric Castaldi (2)

 

17,360

2 years

 

18,120

3 years

 

25,000

6 years

 

32,640

7 years

 

31,880

8 years

Keith Woods

 

25,000

7 years

3,600

 

50,000

8 years

 

50,000

9 years

16,000

10 years

Hans De Haard

 

108,996

0,5 years

3,600

Name of
Directors,
Position

Performance
period

Award date

Vesting
date

End of
retention
period

Exercise
period

Exercise
price of
stock
option (€)

Stock options
held at the
beginning
of the year

Stock
options
awarded

Stock
options
exercised

Stock options
vested during
the year

Stock options
subject to a
service
condition

Stock options
awarded
and
unvested

Stock options
held at the
end of
the year

Stock options
subject to
a retention
period

Peter Ulrichts, CSO

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

35,826

3 years

28/06/2018 - 01/06/2021

6/28/2018

(1)

12/31/2021

01/01/2022 - 28/06/2023

80.82

750

750

 

109,000

3 years

21/12/2018 - 01/12/2021

12/21/2018

(1)

12/31/2021

01/01/2022 - 21/12/2023

86.32

5,250

5,250

 

28,200

4 years

20/12/2019 - 01/12/2022

12/20/2019

(1)

12/31/2022

01/01/2023 - 20/12/2029

135.75

12,870

7,870

5,000

 

28,200

4,5 years

21/12/2020 - 01/12/2023

12/21/2020

(1)

12/31/2023

01/01/2024 - 21/12/2030

247.60

9,900

2,550

9,900

 

28,200

5 years

24/12/2021 - 01/12/2024

12/24/2021

(1)

12/31/2024

01/01/2025 - 24/12/2026

309.20

3,420

1,140

1,140

1,140

3,420

3,420

14,353

5,5 years

23/12/2022 - 01/12/2025

12/23/2022

(1)

12/31/2025

01/01/2026 - 23/12/2027

359.60

16,000

8,377

7,623

7,623

16,000

16,000

43,200

6 years

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

12/31/2026

01/01/2027 - 03/07/2028

355.40

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

Total

48,190

15,000

13,870

12,067

23,763

23,763

49,320

34,420

Malini Morthy, Legal Counsil

Malini Morthy, Legal Counsil

01/04/2022 - 01/04/2025

4/1/2022

(1)

n.a.

01/04/2023 - 01/04/2032

282.50

24,000

7,500

13,333

10,667

10,667

16,500

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

15,000

0

15,000

15,000

15,000

Total

24,000

15,000

7,500

13,333

25,667

25,667

31,500

0

Luc Truyen, CMO

Luc Truyen, CMO

50,000

7 years

01/10/2021 - 01/10/2024

10/1/2021

(1)

12/31/2024

01/01/2025 - 01/10/2026

259.5

24,000

8,000

6,667

6,667

24,000

24,000

50,000

8 years

23/12/2022 - 01/12/2025

12/23/2022

(1)

12/31/2025

01/01/2026 - 23/12/2027

359.6

16,000

5,333

10,667

10,667

16,000

16,000

50,000

9 years

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

12/31/2026

01/01/2027 - 03/07/2028

355.4

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

16,000

5 years / 10 years (1)

Wim Parys

 

125,000

2 years

 

50,000

4 years

50,000

8 years

Arjen Lemmen

 

2,500

1,5 years

3,600

Total

40,000

15,000

13,333

32,334

32,334

55,000

55,000

Arjen Lemmen, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy

Arjen Lemmen, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy

 

50,000

3 years

28/06/2018 - 01/06/2021

6/28/2018

(1)

12/31/2021

01/01/2022 - 28/06/2028

80.82

695

695

 

4,306

5,5 years

21/12/2018 - 01/12/2021

12/21/2018

(1)

12/31/2021

01/01/2022 - 21/12/2028

86.32

15,952

15,952

 

6,328

6 years

20/12/2019 - 01/12/2022

12/20/2019

(1)

12/31/2022

01/01/2023 - 20/12/2029

135.75

50,000

12,445

37,555

 

695

6,5 years

21/12/2020 - 01/12/2023

12/21/2020

(1)

12/31/2023

01/01/2024 - 21/12/2030

247.60

50,000

16,667

50,000

15,952

7 years

24/12/2021 - 01/12/2024

12/24/2021

(1)

12/31/2024

01/01/2025 - 24/12/2031

309.20

16,000

5,334

5,333

5,333

16,000

16,000

50,000

9 years

23/12/2022 - 01/12/2025

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

16,000

5,333

10,667

10,667

16,000

16,000

16,000

5 years / 10 years (1)

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

15,000

0

15,000

15,000

15,000

15,000

Dirk Beeusaert (3)

28,200

1,5 years

Total

148,647

15,000

12,445

27,334

31,000

31,000

151,202

47,000

Andria Wilk, Global Head of Quality

Andria Wilk, Global Head of Quality

 

21,800

2 years

20/12/2019 - 01/12/2022

12/20/2019

(1)

12/31/2022

01/01/2023 - 20/12/2024

135.75

9,400

9,400

50,000

2,5 years

21/12/2020 - 01/12/2023

12/21/2020

(1)

12/31/2023

01/01/2024 - 21/12/2025

247.60

9,900

2,662

9,900

50,000

3,5 years

24/12/2021 - 01/12/2024

12/24/2021

(1)

12/31/2024

01/01/2025 - 24/12/2031

309.20

4,446

757

756

756

4,446

4,446

Andria Wilk

9,400

3 years

988

9,900

4 years

23/12/2022 - 01/12/2025

12/23/2022

(1)

12/31/2025

01/01/2026 - 23/12/2027

359.60

4,600

2,347

2,253

2,253

4,600

4,600

4,446

5 years / 10 years (1)

03/07/2023 - 01/07/2026

7/3/2023

(1)

12/31/2026

01/01/2027 - 03/07/2033

355.40

4,600

770

3,830

4,600

4,600

3,830

Karl Gubitz

24,000

10 years

5,400

Total

28,346

4,600

9,400

6,536

6,839

7,609

23,546

12,876

(1)On December 24, 2021,1/3rd of the Company has grantedstock options for whichvests on the beneficiary has a 60first anniversary of the date of grant and the remaining 2/3rd vest in equal instalments (24 in total) over the next two years, each time upon the 1st day period to choose between a contractual term of five or ten years.each next month.

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(2)Eric Castaldi resigned from his position as chief financial officer on our senior management in June 2021 and was succeeded by Karl Gubitz.
(3)Dirk Beeusaert retired effective December 31, 2021 and was succeeded by Malini Moorthy effective February 14, 2022.
(4)In accordance with the equity plan, RSUs, once vested, will be settled against the issuance of ordinary shares in argenx SE. Such shares have no expiry date and may be held by the participant without limitation.

The table below shows (i) the stock options exercised by ourRSUs held as of January 1, 2023, (ii) the RSUs granted to members of senior management (other than the NEOs) which vested during the year ended December 31, 20212023 and (iii) the exercise pricenumber of those stock options. Per exercised option, one shareRSUs scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2024, December 31, 2025, December 31, 2026 and December 31, 2027. Each RSU was issued.granted pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan:

    

Number of

    

Exercise

Name

    

stock options

    

price

Eric Castaldi (1)

28,200

$

16.01

Eric Castaldi (1)

18,200

$

23.98

Keith Woods

5,000

$

23.98

Keith Woods

25,000

$

97.77

Arjen Lemmen

3,215

$

12.99

Arjen Lemmen

3,215

$

16.01

Dirk Beeusaert (2)

39,682

$

20.85

Dirk Beeusaert (2)

15,000

$

23.98

Total

 

137,512

 

  

Information regarding the reported financial year

Opening balance

During the Year

Closing balance

Name of
Directors,
Position

Performance period

Award
date

Vesting
date

End of
retention
period

RSU’s held at
the beginning
of the year

RSUs
awarded

RSUs
vested

RSUs
subject to a
service
condition

RSUs
awarded
and
unvested

RSUs held
at the
closing of
the year

RSUs
subject to a
retention
period

Peter Ulrichts, CSO

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

12/24/2021

(1)

n.a.

570

190

380

380

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

3,600

900

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

3,350

3,350

3,350

Total

4,170

3,350

1,090

6,430

6,430

Malini Morthy, Legal Counsil

01/04/2022 - 01/04/2026

4/1/2022

(1)

n.a.

5,400

1,350

4,050

4,050

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

3,350

3,350

3,350

Total

5,400

3,350

1,350

7,400

7,400

Luc Truyen, CMO

01/10/2021 - 01/10/2025

10/1/2021

(1)

n.a.

4,050

1,350

2,700

2,700

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

3,600

900

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

3,350

3,350

3,350

Total

7,650

3,350

2,250

8,750

8,750

Arjen Lemmen, Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

12/24/2021

(1)

n.a.

2,700

900

1,800

1,800

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

3,600

900

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

3,350

3,350

3,350

Total

6,300

3,350

1,800

7,850

7,850

Andria Wilk, Global Head of Quality

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

12/24/2021

(1)

n.a.

741

247

494

494

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

12/23/2022

(1)

n.a.

1,000

250

750

750

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

7/3/2023

(1)

n.a.

1,000

1,000

1,000

Total

1,741

1,000

497

2,244

2,244

(1)Eric Castaldi resigned from his position as chief financial officer on our senior management in June 2021 and was succeeded by Karl Gubitz.RSUs vest over a period of four years with 1/4th of the total grant vesting at each anniversary of the date of grant.
(2)Dirk Beeusaert retired effective December 31,

Non-Executive Remuneration

In accordance with the 2021 and was succeeded by Malini Moorthy effective February 14, 2022.

Compensation of Our Non-Executive Directors

The remuneration of the individual members of the Board of Directors is determined by the Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the remuneration and nomination committee, within the limits of the remuneration policy adopted by the shareholders at the General Meeting. The description below reflects the remuneration policy approved by our General Meeting held on May 11, 2021.

Pursuant to the Remuneration Policy, the remuneration of the non-executive directors consists of (i) a fixed fee calculated on the basis of their membership or chairmanship of the Board of Directors and/or its committees and (ii) a long-term equity incentive in the form of stock options and RSUs. It is noted that as part of the changes proposed for the 2021 Remuneration Policy, subject to its approval at the 2024 General Meeting, the Company will no longer compensate non-executive directors with stock options, but only in the form of cash and RSUs, please refer to Item 6.B. “CompensationRemunerationSay-On-Pay and Proposed Amendments to the Remuneration Policy.

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Total non-executive remuneration

The following fixed and variable components:table sets forth the information regarding the compensation earned by the non-executive directors during fiscal year ended December 31, 2023:

a fixed fee;
if applicable, a fee for chairing the audit and compliance committee, the research and development committee, the remuneration and nomination committee or the commercial committee;
a fixed fee for board committee membership; and
a long-term variable incentive, in the form of stock options and restricted stock units.

    

Fees earned

    

    

or paid in

Stock option

RSU

cash

awards

awards

Total

Name

    

($)

    

($)

    

($)

    

($)

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

 

94,629

 

431,179

 

134,524

660,332

Werner Lanthaler

 

11,716

 

 

11,716

Steve Krognes

64,438

377,772

193,440

635,649

Pamela Klein

 

56,777

 

280,113

 

134,524

471,414

J. Donald deBethizy

 

67,592

 

280,113

 

134,524

482,229

Anthony A. Rosenberg

62,185

280,113

134,524

476,822

James M. Daly

 

67,592

 

280,113

 

134,524

482,229

Camilla Sylvest

 

54,073

 

210,085

 

101,085

365,244

Ana Cespedes

54,073

140,057

67,262

261,392

Fixed fee.

Annual cash compensation

The Board of Directors has set the annual base remuneration, the annual remuneration for members of the audit and compliance committee, the research and development committee, the remuneration and nomination committee and the commercial committee and, in each case, the additional remuneration for the respective chairperson as follows:

Name

    

Position

    

Fees in USD

 

Fees in EUR

in USD

Relevant body

Position

Fees in EUR

Fees in USD

Peter
Verhaeghe

Werner
Lanthaler(1)

Steve
Krognes(1)

Pamela
Klein

J. Donald
deBethizy

Anthony A.
Rosenberg

James M.
Daly

Camilla
Sylvest

Ana
Cespedes

Board of Directors

Chairperson

76,878

65,000

  

Chairperson

  

75,000

  

$

81,110

  

$

81,110

  

$

  

$

  

$

  

$

  

$

  

$

  

$

  

$

Member

41,396

35,000

Member

45,000

48,666

8,111

44,611

48,666

48,666

48,666

48,666

48,666

48,666

Audit & Complance committee/R&D committee

Chairperson

17,741

15,000

Audit & Compliance committee

Chairperson

15,000

16,222

2,704

14,870

Member

8,871

7,500

Member

7,500

8,111

8,111

8,111

8,111

Remuneration & Nomination committee/Commercial committee

Chairperson

11,827

10,000

Remuneration & Nomination committee

Chairperson

10,000

10,815

10,815

Member

5,913

5,000

Member

5,000

5,407

5,407

901

4,957

5,407

Commercial committee

Chairperson

10,000

10,815

10,815

Member

5,000

5,407

5,407

5,407

Research & Development committee

Chairperson

15,000

16,222

Member

7,500

8,111

8,111

8,111

Total

94,628

11,716

64,438

56,777

67,592

62,184

67,592

54,073

54,073

(1)Mr. Lanthaler resigned from our Board of Directors following the board meeting of February 28, 2023 upon appointment and onboarding of Mr. Krognes.

Compared to 2022, no changes were in 2023 made to the levels of cash compensation for the non-executive directors.

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Table of Contents

Long-term incentive plan. The Board of Directors intends to incentivizeEquity compensation

In 2023, in accordance with the 2021 Remuneration Policy, the non-executive directors by issuingreceived grants of stock options and/or restricted stock units from time to time to be able to attract and retain well-qualified non-executive directors in connection with the Equity Incentive Plan. The Board of Directors grants stock options and restricted stock units to the non-executive directors on the recommendation of the remuneration and nomination committee. Such stock option and restricted stock unit grants are based on an equity incentive grant allocation scheme established by the Board of Directors pursuant to the Option Plan. The conditions of our Equity Incentive Plan apply to our non-executive directors,RSUs, as set forth below in “Equity Incentive Plan.”follows:

Success payment. In exceptional circumstances, the Board of Directors may decide to reward a non-executive director with a success payment relating to the occurrence of specific events achieved through the exceptional efforts of that person (such as a platform licensing or product licensing deal brokered by that non-executive director). To date, no such success payments have been made or promised by us to our non-executive directors.

Pursuant to the Remuneration Policy, in case of a dismissal, non-executive directors will not be entitled to a severance payment.

The following table sets forth the information regarding the compensation earned by our non-executive directors during the year ended December 31, 2021:

    

Fees earned

    

    

or paid in

Option

RSU

cash

awards

awards

Name

    

($)

    

($)(1)

    

($)(2)

Total

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

 

91,662

 

392,743

 

210,120

$

694,526

David L. Lacey

 

19,712

 

392,743

 

210,120

622,576

Werner Lanthaler

 

65,051

 

392,743

 

210,120

667,914

Pamela Klein

 

50,266

 

392,743

 

210,120

653,130

J. Donald deBethizy

62,094

392,743

210,120

664,957

A.A. Rosenberg

 

56,180

 

392,743

 

210,120

659,044

James M. Daly

 

59,137

 

392,743

 

210,120

662,000

Yvonne Greenstreet

30,459

514,154

260,034

804,647

RSUs granted in 2023

Stock options granted in 2023

Name

Exercise price

Exercise price

Name

# RSUs

Key terms

Value at grant

# Stock options

in EUR

in USD

Key terms

Value at grant

Total

Peter Verhaeghe

    

350

(1)

$

134,524

1,600

355.40

$

387.35

(2)

$

431,179

$

565,703

Werner Lanthaler

(1)

(2)

Steve Krognes

525

(1)

193,440

2,400

355.40

387.35

(2)

377,772

571,212

Pamela Klein

350

(1)

134,524

1,600

355.40

387.35

(2)

280,113

414,637

J. Donald deBethizy

350

(1)

134,524

1,600

355.40

387.35

(2)

280,113

414,637

Anthony A. Rosenberg

350

(1)

134,524

1,600

355.40

387.35

(2)

280,113

414,637

James M. Daly

350

(1)

134,524

1,600

355.40

387.35

(2)

280,113

414,637

Camilla Sylvest

263

(1)

101,085

1,200

355.40

387.35

(2)

210,085

311,170

Ana Cespedes

 

175

(1)

67,262

800

355.40

387.35

(2)

140,057

207,319

(1)These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by the non-executive director. Amount shown represents the expenses with respect to the option awards grantedRSUs vest and are settled in 2021 to the non-executive directors measured using the Black Scholes formula. Forfour equal instalments of 25% over a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see note 14 "Share-based payments" to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, included elsewhere in this Annual Report.four-year period.
(2)These amounts do not reflect the actual economic value realized by the non-executive director. Amount shown represents the expenses with respect to the RSU awards granted in 2021 to the non-executive directors. For a descriptionStock options vest upon third anniversary of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, see note 14 "Share-based payments" to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, included elsewhere in this annual report.grant.

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Table of Contents

The table below shows (i) the stock options held at the start of the year ended December 31, 2021 andJanuary 1, 2023, (ii) the stock options granted to the non-executive directors which have vested during the year ended December 31, 2021,

141

Table2023, (iii) the number of Contents

as well as the stock options scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2022,2024, December 31, 20232025 and December 31, 2024 (in number of stock options),2026 and (iv) the respective exercise price of such stock options:

    

Total

    

    

Total

    

    

    

Options

    

Options

    

Options

    

Information regarding the reported financial year

options

Options

Options

options

Options

Options

to

to

to

Opening balance

During the Year

Closing balance

Name of Directors

Performance period

Award date

Vesting date

End of retention period

Exercise period

Exercise price of stock option (€)

Stock options held at the beginning of the year

Stock options awarded

Stock options exercised

Stock options vested

Stock options subject to a service condition

Stock options awarded and unvested

Stock options held at the end of the year

Stock options subject to a retention period

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

held on

granted

exercised

held on

vested

vested

vest

vest

vest

30/09/2014 - 30/09/2017

30/09/2014

(1)

31/12/2017

01/01/2018 - 30/09/2024

3.95

1,969

1,969

January 1,

in

in

December 31,

Exercise

through

in

in

in

in

30/09/2014 - 30/09/2017

30/09/2014

(1)

31/12/2017

01/01/2018 - 30/09/2024

2.44

2,885

2,885

Name

2021

2021

2021

2021

price

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Peter Verhaeghe

 

58,595

 

2,700

 

61,295

 

$

2.76

 

11,626

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

18/12/2014 - 18/12/2017

18/12/2014

(1)

31/12/2017

01/01/2018 - 18/12/2024

7.17

5,000

3,000

2,000

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

4.47

 

1,969

  

  

 

  

 

  

 

18/06/2016 - 18/06/2019

18/06/2016

(1)

31/12/2019

01/01/2020 - 18/06/2026

11.38

10,000

10,000

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

8.12

 

5,000

  

 

  

 

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

31/12/2021

01/01/2022 - 21/12/2028

86.32

10,000

10,000

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

12.89

 

10,000

 

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

31/12/2022

01/01/2023 - 20/12/2029

135.75

10,000

10,000

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

31/12/2023

01/01/2024 - 21/12/2030

247.60

10,000

3,333

10,000

$

153.75

3,333

3,334

3,333

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

31/12/2024

01/01/2025 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

01/01/2026 - 23/12/2032

359.60

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

350.20

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

01/01/2027 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,600

1,600

1,600

1,600

Total

58,595

2,700

61,295

38,595

10,000

6,667

3,333

2,700

55,254

1,600

7,854

3,333

7,000

49,000

7,000

Werner Lanthaler

Werner Lanthaler

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2019 - 21/12/2028

86.32

10,000

10,000

David L. Lacey

67,800

2,700

(5,000)

65,500

$

8.12

7,800

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

5,580

5,580

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

10,000

1,126

3,333

8,874

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

01/12/2024

24/12/2022 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

Total

28,280

16,706

3,333

11,574

Steve Krognes

Steve Krognes

03/04/2023 - 03/04/2026

03/04/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/04/2024 - 03/04/2033

340.70

2,400

2,400

2,400

2,400

Total

2400

2,400

2,400

2400

Pamela Klein

Pamela Klein

18/06/2015 - 18/06/2018

18/06/2015

(1)

n.a.

18/06/2016 - 18/06/2025

11.44

18/06/2016 - 18/06/2019

18/06/2016

(1)

n.a.

18/06/2017 - 18/06/2026

11.38

$

12.89

10,000

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2019 - 21/12/2028

86.32

10,000

8,500

1,500

$

23.98

15,000

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

10,000

10,000

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

10,000

3,333

10,000

$

153.75

3,333

3,334

3,333

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

31/12/2024

24/12/2022 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

350.20

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,600

1,600

1,600

1,600

Total

67,800

2,700

(5,000)

65,500

42,800

10,000

6,667

3,333

2,700

35,400

1,600

8,500

3,333

7,000

28,500

7,000

Werner Lanthaler

 

30,000

2,700

(4,420)

28,280

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

$

153.75

2,247

3,333

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

$

350.20

2,700

Total

30,000

2,700

(4,420)

28,280

8,914

9,999

3,334

3,333

2,700

J. Donald deBethizy

 

47,500

 

2,700

 

(7,500)

42,700

 

$

12.89

 

10,000

 

J. Donald deBethizy

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

18/06/2016 - 18/06/2019

18/06/2016

(1)

n.a.

18/06/2017 - 18/06/2026

11.38

10,000

10,000

$

153.75

3,333

3,334

3,333

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2019 - 21/12/2028

86.32

10,000

10,000

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

$

350.20

2,700

Total

47,500

2,700

(7.500)

42,700

20,000

10,000

6,667

3,333

2,700

Pamela Klein

 

50,000

 

2,700

(7,500)

45,200

 

$

12.96

 

2,500

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

$

12.89

 

10,000

 

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

10,000

10,000

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

10,000

3,333

10,000

$

153.75

3,333

3,334

3,333

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

31/12/2024

24/12/2022 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

$

350.20

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,600

1,600

1,600

1,600

Total

50,000

2,700

(7.500)

45,200

22,500

10,000

6,667

3,333

2,700

45,400

1,600

3,333

7,000

47,000

7,000

A.A. Rosenberg

 

45,000

 

2,700

 

(1,160)

46,540

 

$

16.00

 

15,000

A.A. Rosenberg

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

13/12/2016 - 13/12/2019

13/12/2016

(1)

n.a.

13/12/2017 - 13/12/2026

14.13

15,000

15,000

$

153.75

2,173

3,334

3,333

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2019 - 21/12/2028

86.32

10,000

10,000

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

8,840

8,840

$

350.20

2,700

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

5,840

2,200

3,333

3,640

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

31/12/2024

24/12/2022 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,600

1,600

1,600

1,600

Total

45,000

2,700

(1.160)

46,540

23,840

10,000

6,667

3,333

2,700

45,080

1600

2,200

3,333

7,000

44,480

7,000

James M. Daly

 

35,000

 

2,700

 

37,700

 

$

90.97

2,500

2,500

James M. Daly

$

97.77

6,667

3,333

28/06/2018 - 28/06/2021

28/06/2018

(1)

n.a.

28/06/2019 - 28/06/2028

80.82

$

153.75

3,333

3,334

3,333

21/12/2018 - 21/12/2021

21/12/2018

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2019 - 21/12/2028

86.32

$

280.43

3,333

3,334

3,333

20/12/2019 - 20/12/2022

20/12/2019

(1)

n.a.

20/12/2020 - 20/12/2029

135.75

10,000

10,000

$

350.20

2,700

21/12/2020 - 21/12/2023

21/12/2020

(1)

n.a.

21/12/2021 - 21/12/2030

247.60

10,000

3,333

10,000

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2024

24/12/2021

(2)

31/12/2024

24/12/2022 - 24/12/2031

309.20

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

2,700

2,700

2,700

2,700

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,600

1,600

1,600

1,600

Total

35,000

2,700

37,700

12,500

12,500

6,667

3,333

2,700

25,400

1,600

10,000

3,333

7,000

17,000

7,000

Camilla Sylvest

Camilla Sylvest

03/10/2022 - 03/10/2025

03/10/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

03/10/2023 - 03/10/2032

368.50

4,050

4,050

4,050

4,050

Yvonne Greenstreet

4,050

4,050

$

288.93

1350

1,350

1,350

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

1,200

1,200

1,200

1,200

Total

4,050

4,050

1,350

1,350

1,350

4,050

1,200

5,250

5,250

5,250

Ana Cespedes

Ana Cespedes

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2025

23/12/2022

(2)

31/12/2025

23/12/2023 - 23/12/2032

359.60

4,050

4,050

4,050

4,050

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2026

03/07/2023

(2)

31/12/2026

03/07/2024 - 03/07/2033

355.40

800

800

800

800

Total

4,050

800

4,850

4,850

4,850

(1) 1/3rd of the stock options vests on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the remaining 2/3rd vests in equal monthly instalments (24 in total) over the next two years, each time upon the 1st day of each next month

(1) 1/3rd of the stock options vests on the first anniversary of the date of grant and the remaining 2/3rd vests in equal monthly instalments (24 in total) over the next two years, each time upon the 1st day of each next month

(2) stock options vests upon third anniversary of the grant

(2) stock options vests upon third anniversary of the grant

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Table of Contents

The table below shows (i) the restricted stock unitsRSUs held at January 1, 2023, (ii) the start of the year ended December 31, 2021 and the restricted stock unitsRSUs granted to the non-executive directors which have vested during the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as the restricted stock units2023 and (iii) RSUs scheduled to vest in the years ending December 31, 2022,2024, December 31, 2023,2025, December 31, 20242026 and December 31, 2025:2027 (in number of RSUs):

Information regarding the reported financial year

Opening balance

During the Year

Closing balance

Name of Directors

Performance period

Award date

Vesting date

End of retention period

RSU’s held at the beginning of the year

RSUs awarded

RSUs vested

RSUs subject to a service condition

RSU’s awarded and unvested

RSU’s held at the closing of the year

RSU’s subject to a retention period

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

150

300

300

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

600

150

450

450

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

350

350

350

Total

1,050

350

300

1,100

1,100

Werner Lanthaler

24/12/2021 - 28/02/2023

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

450

Total

450

450

Steve Krognes

03/04/2023 - 03/04/2027

03/04/2023

(1)

n.a.

525

525

525

Total

0

525

0

525

525

Pamela Klein

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

150

300

300

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

600

150

450

450

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

350

350

350

Total

1,050

350

300

1,100

1,100

J. Donald deBethizy

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

150

300

300

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

600

150

450

450

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

350

350

350

Total

1,050

350

300

1,100

1,100

A.A. Rosenberg

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

150

300

300

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

600

150

450

450

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

350

350

350

Total

1,050

350

300

1,100

1,100

James M. Daly

24/12/2021 - 24/12/2025

24/12/2021

(1)

n.a.

450

150

300

300

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

600

150

450

450

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

350

350

350

Total

1,050

350

300

1,100

1,100

Camilla Sylvest

03/10/2022 - 03/10/2026

03/10/2022

(1)

n.a.

900

225

675

675

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

263

263

263

Total

900

263

225

938

938

Ana Cespedes

23/12/2022 - 23/12/2026

23/12/2022

(1)

n.a.

900

225

675

675

03/07/2023 - 03/07/2027

03/07/2023

(1)

n.a.

175

175

175

Total

900

175

225

850

850

(1) RSUs vest over a period of four years with 1/4th of the total grant vesting at each anniversary of the date of grant.

    

Total

    

    

    

Total

    

    

    

RSUs

    

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

RSUs

to

to

to

held on

granted

forfeited

exercised

held on

vested

vested

vest

vest

vest

January 1,

in

in

in

December 31,

until

in

in

in

in

Name

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Peter Verhaeghe

 

 

600

 

 

600

150

150

 

150

 

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

David L. Lacey

600

600

150

150

150

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

Werner Lanthaler

 

600

600

150

150

150

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

J. Donald deBethizy

 

 

600

 

 

600

 

150

150

150

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

Pamela Klein

 

 

600

 

600

150

150

150

 

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

A.A. Rosenberg

 

 

600

 

 

600

150

150

150

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

James M. Daly

 

 

600

 

 

600

150

150

150

150

Total

600

600

150

150

150

150

Yvonne Greenstreet

900

900

225

225

225

225

Total

900

900

225

225

225

225

Holding requirements

In 2023, the Company implemented the following holding requirements for non-executive directors: 3x annual cash retainer.

The minimum equity stake is required to be built up over a maximum of five years and continues to apply for the duration of employment and for two years thereafter.

Severance arrangements

In fiscal year 2023, no severance payments were granted to the non-executive directors.

Non-executive equity treatment on departure

In 2023, the Company has updated the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan applicable to non-executive directors, with respect to leaver rules. In particular, and following shareholder feedback on the potential negative impact of having multi-year service based vesting requirements for non-executive director equity, the Equity Incentive Plan was updated to reflect that non-executive directors will lose their unvested equity if they are dismissed at a General Meeting, but not if they resign on their own initiative or if, at the end of their term, they do not apply for re-appointment. In the proposed

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Draft 2024 Remuneration Policy, the Company is further developing this and proposed a one-year vest term combined with a three-year post-vest holding requirement for equity.

Applying the same principles as for prior board departures after full terms of service, for Mr. Lanthaler, the Company has agreed that equity granted during his eight-year term of service (there was no equity grant in 2022) is deemed vested, but that such equity is not exercisable other than after completion of the vesting terms set at grant. To address specifically the potential tax cost of vested but unexercisable equity, Mr. Lanthaler was granted the right to exercise or sell such portions of his vested equity to allow him to cover immediate tax liability resulting from the vesting of such equity.

PAY RATIOS

Overall pay ratios

The total expense for the non-equity remuneration paid to the CEO (being the only executive director on the Board of Directors) for the year ended December 31, 2023, equalled $1,285,056. The table below shows the remaining termevolution over the past five years of CEO compensation, the performance of the Company’s stock price and the median remuneration on a full-time equivalent basis (annualized for the employees who joined or left us during the year) of employees, other than the CEO:

Year ended December 31,

    

2019

    

2020

    

2021

    

2022

 

2023

Base salary of our CEO (EUR)

525,000

525,000

551,250

606,368

606,368

Base salary of our CEO (USD)

$

526,825

553,167

580,825

638,901

655,787

Non-equity remuneration of our CEO (USD) (base salary, short-term cash incentive, pension contributions and other compensation elements)

$

1,001,891

1,144,301

1,285,136

1,443,925

1,285,056

Non-equity median salary paid to our employees (USD)

$

121,603

163,062

157,349

153,193

159,500

Ratio employee/CEO

 

12%

14%

12%

11%

12%

Average compensation paid to non-executive director (USD)

$

60,372

57,925

54,484

48,587

59,230

Number of employees on December 31

188

336

650

843

1,148

Share price at end of year Euronext (EUR) on December 31

143.60

242.00

315.30

348.30

343.50

Share price at end of year Euronext (USD) on December 31

$

161.32

296.96

357.11

371.50

379.57

The increase in the remuneration ratio between the CEO and other employees between 2022 and 2023 is caused by the increase in salary of employees when base salary of the CEO has been unchanged.

The comparison of non-equity compensation above is made between the compensation paid to the CEO, the Company’s sole executive director, and the median compensation paid to employees. The Company has opted to compare non-equity salaries, because whereas the number of stock options held bygranted is linked to the non-executive directors duringoverall size of remuneration packages granted, the yearvalue of equity components depends on the evolution of the Company’s share price, volatility and the risk-free rate, which is unknown at granting and as such the forward-looking valuation methods for stock options normally do not provide an accurate representation of actual economic value granted. In the assumptions used in the fair valuation differ between Belgian beneficiary versus non-Belgian beneficiary. For a description of the assumptions used in valuing these awards, please refer to Note 13—Share-based payments in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2021.2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

    

    

Remaining term on

 

Number of

Number of

December 31, 2021

 

restricted stock

Name

    

stock options

    

(rounded up)

 

units (1)

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe

 

8,741

0,5 years

 

4,854

3 years

 

5,000

3 years

 

10,000

4,5 years

 

10,000

7 years

 

10,000

8 years

10,000

9 years

2,700

10 years

600

David L. Lacey

 

7,800

3 years

 

10,000

4,5 years

 

15,000

6 years

 

10,000

7 years

10,000

8 years

10,000

9 years

2,700

10 years

600

Werner Lanthaler

10,000

2 years

 

5,580

8 years

10,000

9 years

2,700

10 years

600

J. Donald deBethizy

 

10,000

4,5 years

 

10,000

7 years

10,000

8 years

10,000

9 years

 

2,700

10 years

600

Pamela Klein

 

2,500

3,5 years

10,000

4,5 years

10,000

7 years

10,000

8 years

10,000

9 years

 

2,700

10 years

600

A.A. Rosenberg

15,000

5 years

10,000

7 years

8,840

8 years

10,000

9 years

2,700

10 years

600

James M. Daly

5,000

6,5 years

10,000

7 years

10,000

8 years

10,000

9 years

2,700

10 years

600

Yvonne Greenstreet

4,050

10 years

900

(1)In accordance with the equity plan, RSUs, once vested, will be settled against the issuance of ordinary shares in argenx SE. Such shares have no expiry date and may be held by the participant without limitation.

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Regional pay ratios

Due to the global spread of employees over multiple continents, we deem it relevant to also include the above comparison separately to U.S. employees, EU employees and Japanese employees. Due to the overall higher compensation level in our business segment in the U.S. and Japan compared to the EU, there is a significant difference in the pay ratio when the CEO’s compensation is compared to the median compensation of all employees (the majority of which are EU citizens), as set out above, or compared to employees in the U.S. and Japan. The table below showsfollowing information is provided for reference purposes:

Ratio of non-equity compensation of the median employee compared to the CEO for fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

All employees

13%

European employees

9%

North-America Employees

21%

Japan employees

8%

Total employment costs (excluding any costs related to stock options exercised by our non-executive directors during theand RSUs) paid in fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and the exercise price of those stock options. Per exercised option, one share2023 was issued.split between regions as follows:

    

Number of

    

Exercise

Name

    

stock options

    

price

David Lacey

 

5,000

 

$

8.12

Don deBethizy

7,500

$

12.96

Tony Rosenberg

1,160

$

153.75

Pam Klein

7,500

$

12.96

Werner Lanthaler

4,420

$

153.75

Total

 

25,580

 

Total employment costs in fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

(in millions of $)

Europe

159.2

North-America

130.6

Japan

12.8

Equity Incentive PlanShare-based payment ratios

Year ended December 31,

 

    

2019

    

2020

    

2021

    

2022

 

2023

 

Stock options granted to the CEO

 

80,000

 

50,000

 

25,000

25,000

30,000

Median stock options granted to our employees

 

2,800

 

2,900

 

981

 

900

600

Ratio employee/CEO

 

4

%  

6

%  

4

%  

4

%

2%

%

Average number of stock options granted to non-executive directors

 

10,000

 

10,000

 

2,869

 

3,086

1,550

Median stock options granted to our employees

 

2,800

 

2,900

 

981

 

900

600

Ratio employee/non-executive directors

 

28

%  

29

%  

34

%  

29

%

39%

%

Our current equity incentive plan providing3.4.4OTHER DISCLOSURES

Remuneration by subsidiaries

In fiscal year 2023, no remuneration was granted and allocated by subsidiaries or other companies whose financials are consolidated, other than the regular remuneration payments made by the entities with whom members of senior management have their employment contracts.

No loans or guarantees

In fiscal year 2023, no loans were granted to members of senior management and non-executive directors and no guarantees or the like have been granted in favor of any member of senior management or Board of Directors.

Deviations

In fiscal year 2023, the Company did not deviate from the decision-making process for the granting of a mix of stock options and restricted stock units was approved by our Board of Directors on March 15, 2021 and subsequently amended on December 15, 2021 (the Equity Incentive Plan). The aimimplementation of the Equity Incentive Plan is to encourage our2021 Remuneration Policy for members of senior management and non-executive directors and key outside consultants and advisors to acquire an economic and beneficial ownership interest inno temporary deviations took place from the growth and performance2021 Remuneration Policy.

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Table of argenx, to increase their incentive to contribute to our value and to attract and retain individuals who are key to the Company.Contents

In connection with the Equity Incentive Plan, our Board of Directors has also established an equity incentive allocation scheme. The equity incentive allocation scheme contains (i) the date on which stock options and restricted stock units are granted each year, which shall be the same date each year and (ii) the number of stock options and restricted stock units granted to each person or to each group of persons, which shall be based on objective criteria only. Starting January 1, 2023, the regular annual grantKey terms of equity incentivesplan applicable to existing employees will be once a yeargrants in July for all participants of the Equity Incentive Plan.

Our Board of Directors, in each case subject to the approval of the majority of the non-executive directors, may grant stock options and restricted stock units to our senior management, directors or key outside consultants or advisors and in accordance with the equity incentive allocation scheme. Our Board of Directors may also grant stock options and restricted stock units at its discretion outside of the equity incentive allocation scheme, but only in a period when no inside information (as specified in our insider trading policy) is available. Persons to whom equity incentives are granted cannot refuse to accept such equity incentives.

The aggregate number of shares that may be available for the issuance of stock options and restricted stock units is based between the 50th and the 75th percentile of our reference group.2023

Stock options granted pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan shall vest with respect to one third of the shares upon the first anniversary of the date of grant, with the remaining two thirds vesting in twenty-four24 equal monthly instalments with the stock optionoptions fully vesting upon the third anniversary of the date of grant, subject, in each case, to the optionee’s continued status.status as a service provider. Stock options are exercisable when vested, and in any case not after the stock option expiration date included in each individual stock option grant, which is (at10 years or in the electioncase of the optionee)Belgian tax resident employees, at their election either five years or ten10 years from the date of grant.

Each stock option shall be granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value upon the date of grant and shall have a term equal to five or ten10 years from the date of grant. Optionees may prefer to elect the five yearfive-year period as this may limit their personal tax obligations in respect of the stock option in respect to the jurisdiction where stock options are taxed at grant, compared to a ten10-year stock option. Stock options granted to Belgian tax resident beneficiaries (including the CEO) are not exercisable prior to the fourth year option.following the year of the grant. Stock options granted to non-executive directors vest at once on the third anniversary of the date of grant.

Restricted stock unitsRSUs granted under the Equity Incentive Plan shall vest over a period of four years with repectrespect to one fourth of the shares upon each anniversary of the date of grant. At the time of vesting, the holder of such restricted stock unitRSUs receives argenx shares for free in the numbershare capital of the Company for free equal to the number equal of restricted stock units

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RSUs vested minus a certain number of shares required to cover employee taxes payable by argenxus on behalf of the holder of restricted stock units,RSUs, if applicable.

InUnvested equity incentives shall vest in the caseevent of a (i) sale, merger, consolidation, tender offer or similar acquisition of shares or other transaction or series of related transactions as a result of which a change in control occurs, (ii) sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of argenx'sthe Company’s assets or (iii) the Company’s dissolution and/or liquidation of argenx, then 100% of any unvested equity incentives shall vest.liquidation.

OurThe Board of Directors, upon approval of a majority of the non-executive directors, may amend or terminate the Equity Incentive Plan or may amend the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, or any outstanding stock options or restricted stock units,RSUs, provided that no amendment or termination may negatively affectthe Company will compensate any existing rights without the consentaffected individual for any direct negative impact of the affected optionees.

The table below sets forth the details of all options under the Equity Incentive Plan in force as of December 31, 2021, including the offer date, exercise price, expiry date, number of options exercised, number of options voided and number of options outstanding. Aside from the stock options set forth in the below table, there are currently no other stock options, options to purchase securities, convertible securities or other rights to subscribe for or purchase outstanding securities.

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Table of Contents

Options

Number of

Number of

Number of

Number of

options

Offer

Exercise

options

options

options

still

Exercisable

Expiry

Plan

date

price ($)

granted

exercised

voided

outstanding

from

date

SOP A

 

5/11/2010

 

4.47

 

103,370

 

102,150

1,220

 

5/11/2013

5/11/2020

SOP A

 

11/30/2010

 

4.47

 

62,460

 

62,460

 

11/30/2013

11/30/2020

SOP A

 

2/1/2011

 

4.47

 

3,800

 

3,800

 

 

2/1/2014

2/1/2021

SOP B

 

6/29/2012

 

2.76

 

590,307

 

464,968

 

125,339

 

5/23/2016

6/29/2022

Reshuffling A

 

9/30/2014

 

4.47

 

55,746

 

49,633

 

6,113

 

9/30/2017

9/30/2024

Reshuffling B1

 

9/30/2014

 

2.76

 

174,362

 

82,246

 

92,116

 

9/30/2017

9/30/2024

Reshuffling B2

9/30/2014

2.76

19,719

17,747

1,972

9/30/2017

9/30/2024

SOP 2014.12.18

12/18/2014

8.12

585,250

261,000

47,750

276,500

12/18/2017

12/18/2024

SOP 2015.06.18

 

6/18/2015

 

12.96

 

56,500

 

34,500

17,500

 

4,500

 

6/18/2018

6/18/2025

SOP 2015.09.03

 

9/3/2015

 

11.71

 

3,000

 

3,000

 

 

9/3/2018

9/3/2025

SOP 2015.12.15

 

12/15/2015

 

10.72

 

243,400

 

129,493

8,050

 

105,857

 

12/15/2018

12/15/2025

SOP 2016.05.25

5/25/2016

12.99

288,950

178,463

7,647

102,840

5/25/2019

5/25/2026

SOP 2016.06.18

 

6/18/2016

 

12.88

 

60,000

 

19,000

 

41,000

 

6/18/2019

6/18/2026

SOP 2016.12.13

 

12/13/2016

 

16.01

 

363,226

 

231,460

14,185

 

117,581

 

12/13/2019

12/13/2026

SOP 2017.06.26

6/26/2017

20.85

120,536

66,933

460

53,143

6/26/2020

6/26/2027

SOP 2017.12.14

 

12/14/2017

 

23.98

 

653,825

 

259,588

32,887

 

361,350

 

12/14/2020

12/14/2027

SOP 2018.06.28

6/28/2018

91.54

89,600

4,520

85,080

6/28/2021

6/28/2023

SOP 2018.06.28

6/28/2018

91.54

89,300

42,605

7,180

39,515

6/28/2021

6/28/2028

SOP 2018.12.21

12/21/2018

97.77

369,760

9,740

38,547

321,473

12/21/2021

12/21/2023

SOP 2018.12.21

12/21/2018

97.77

491,815

71,239

69,945

350,631

12/21/2021

12/21/2028

SOP 2019.06.28

6/28/2019

128.54

89,529

516

89,013

6/28/2022

6/28/2024

SOP 2019.06.28

6/28/2019

128.54

252,733

65,686

44,646

142,401

6/28/2022

6/28/2029

SOP 2019.06.28

6/28/2019

153.75

54,800

15,757

9,385

29,658

6/28/2022

6/28/2029

SOP 2019.06.28

6/28/2019

128.54

22,161

22,161

6/28/2019

6/28/2024

SOP 2019.06.28

6/28/2019

128.54

4,364

4,364

6/28/2019

6/28/2029

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

185,781

3,330

10,563

171,888

12/20/2022

12/20/2024

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

1,802

1,802

12/20/2023

12/20/2024

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

687,320

48,384

73,088

565,848

12/20/2022

12/20/2029

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

1,400

1,400

12/20/2023

12/20/2029

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

29,968

29,968

12/20/2019

12/20/2024

SOP 2019.12.20

12/20/2019

153.75

15,616

15,616

12/20/2019

12/20/2029

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

9,285

1,029

8,256

4/14/2023

4/14/2025

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

9,283

1,259

8,024

4/14/2024

4/14/2025

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

432

432

4/14/2020

4/14/2025

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

61,635

12,284

750

48,601

4/14/2023

4/14/2030

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

61,634

8,858

750

52,026

4/14/2024

4/14/2030

SOP 2020.04.14

4/14/2020

135.38

1,931

1,931

4/14/2020

4/14/2030

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

82,903

969

81,934

6/25/2023

6/25/2025

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

16,355

1,090

15,265

6/25/2024

6/25/2025

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

32,512

32,512

6/25/2020

6/25/2025

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

276,724

18,937

58,000

199,788

6/25/2023

6/25/2030

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

226.77

21,000

1,573

19,427

6/25/2023

6/25/2030

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

91,161

4,614

15,020

71,528

6/25/2024

6/25/2030

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

226.77

21,000

1,573

19,427

6/25/2024

6/25/2030

SOP 2020.06.25

6/25/2020

222.16

8,435

8,435

6/25/2020

6/25/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

14,376

14,376

10/1/2023

10/1/2025

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

7,887

7,887

10/1/2020

10/1/2025

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

9,837

9,837

10/1/2023

10/1/2025

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

64,266

3,235

13,130

47,902

10/1/2024

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

280.43

17,400

167

17,234

10/1/2024

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

222.16

2,900

175

2,725

10/1/2024

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

62,358

3,060

13,129

46,170

10/1/2024

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

280.43

13,800

167

13,634

10/1/2024

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.10.01

10/1/2020

226.77

3,676

3,676

10/1/2020

10/1/2030

SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

180,136

5,472

174,664

12/21/2023

12/21/2025

SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

10,386

2,359

8,027

12/21/2024

12/21/2025

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SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

20,523

20,523

12/21/2020

12/21/2025

SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

570,300

5,446

20,250

544,605

12/21/2023

12/21/2030

SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

116,375

2,825

7,450

106,101

12/21/2024

12/21/2030

SOP 2020.12.21

12/21/2020

280.43

10,642

10,642

12/21/2020

12/21/2030

SOP 2021.04.01

4/1/2021

265.48

19,240

19,240

4/1/2024

4/1/2026

SOP 2021.04.01

4/1/2021

265.48

5,126

5,126

4/1/2021

4/1/2026

SOP 2021.04.01

4/1/2021

265.48

39,839

1,185

38,654

4/1/2024

4/1/2031

SOP 2021.04.01

4/1/2021

265.48

3,628

3,628

4/1/2021

4/1/2031

SOP 2021.07.01

7/1/2021

288.93

44,703

44,703

7/1/2024

7/1/2026

SOP 2021.07.01

7/1/2021

288.93

16,802

16,802

7/1/2021

7/1/2026

SOP 2021.07.01

7/1/2021

288.93

216,073

11,370

204,703

7/1/2024

7/1/2031

SOP 2021.07.01

7/1/2021

288.93

2,761

2,761

7/1/2021

7/1/2031

SOP 2021.10.01

10/1/2021

293.91

44,311

44,311

7/1/2024

10/1/2026

SOP 2021.10.01

10/1/2021

293.91

3,827

3,827

7/1/2021

10/1/2026

SOP 2021.10.01

10/1/2021

293.91

96,417

4,230

92,187

7/1/2024

10/1/2031

SOP 2021.10.01

10/1/2021

293.91

269

269

7/1/2021

10/1/2031

SOP 2021.12.24 (1)

12/24/2021

350.20

389,588

389,588

12/24/2021

12/24/2031

Total

8,452,136

2,286,092

546,931

5,619,113

(1)On December 24, 2021, the company granted options for which the beneficiary had a 60-day period to choose between a contractual term of five or ten years.

such amendment.

C.       BOARD PRACTICES

Director Independence

As a foreign private issuer, under the listing requirements and rules of Nasdaq Listing Rules, we are not required to have a majority independent directors on our boardBoard of directors,Directors, except that our audit and compliance committee is required to consist fully of independent directors, subject to certain phase-in schedules.directors. However, our Board of Directors has determined that, taking into account any applicable committee independence standards, all of our non-executive directors, including the members of our audit and compliance committee, are “independent directors” under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, the Nasdaq Listing Rules and the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market and of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.DCGC. In making such determination, our Board of Directors considered the relationships that each non-executive director has with us and all other facts and circumstances our Board of Directors deemed relevant in determining the director’s independence, including the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by the director and his or her affiliated entities (if any).

The Dutch Corporate Governance CodeDCGC requires that the composition of the non-executive directors is such that the members are able to operate independently and critically vis-à-vis one another, the executive directors, and any particular interests involved. AtAs of the date of this Annual Report, all non-executive directors meet the independence criteria contained in the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.DCGC. Therefore, in the opinion of the non-executive directors, the composition of our non-executive directors complies with the independence requirements of best practice provisions 2.1.7 to 2.1.9 of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.DCGC. Our Board of Directors has consequently also determined that all members of our committees are independent under the applicable rules of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.DCGC.

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As of the date of this Annual Report (or in any period before), none of the members of our Board of Directors and senior management has or has had a family relationship with any other member of our Board of Directors or senior management.

Directors may be suspended or removed by the shareholders at a General Meeting at any time, with or without cause, by means of a resolution passed by a simple majority of the votes cast. Pursuant to the Dutch Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek)(DCC), executive directors may also be suspended by the board of directors. A suspension of an executive director by the board of directors may be discontinued by the shareholders at any time at a General Meeting.

Diversity

We value diversity among our colleagues as an integral component in building a sustainable growth platform and believe that a diverse workforce enhances our overall performance and success. We take pride in creating and sustaining a culture and environment where each of us can excel. We bring together people with diverse backgrounds experiences and functional expertise. By doing so, we broaden the scope of ideas and creativity essential to developing and delivering innovative therapies to patients. Acknowledging and benefiting from different perspectives promotes diversity of thought and empowers innovation. It also contributes to our commitment to improve the quality of lives of patients, wherefore we need teams with a healthy mix of contrasting perspectives and backgrounds that reflect the diverse communities we serve. We recognize that our people are our greatest strength. Fostering an inclusive work environment where everyone feels safe and encouraged to contribute leads to better work outcomes and supports high levels of employee commitment and retention. We aspire to be a consciously global company. Our success is built on, and dependent on true collaboration in cross-functional and often cross-regional teams in which open communication is encouraged and safeguarded. Everyone has a voice and is encouraged to contribute to the benefit of our common goals, irrespective of race, ethnicity, age, gender or cultural background. Good ideas as well as real concerns are taken seriously, regardless of who brings them forward.

We aim to foster an inclusive work environment in support of our strategic plan and priorities. We continue to raise the bar in this regard, and to commit to measures and goals designed to support our maturing company culture. We have set ourselves the goal of gender balance across all levels at argenx, including our Board of Directors.

In 2022, we adopted our current diversity, equity and inclusion policy, which sets out the basis for our inclusion, equity and diversity management throughout our organization in a way that we believe best supports our business objectives and our people. We monitor and annually report on relevant diversity, equity and inclusion metrics, initiatives and developments in this Annual Report and in our ESG reports, of which an updated version will be published on or around the date of this Annual Report.

Our policy is that we aim to balance our Board of Directors and senior management team in terms of gender, age, background, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, experience and nationality as much as reasonably possible while still having our Board of Directors and senior management team composed of the best possible candidates overall. It has been and will remain our priority to have the best available specialists on our Board of Directors and in our senior management team, who make a balanced panel of directors and managers able to advise and guide argenx to further growth and success for all its stakeholders. This means we require a number of specialties and character traits to be present. We will seek to further improve diversity on our Board of Directors if and when proposing new appointments to our Board of Directors, whilst recognizing and valuingthat, considering the differences between individualsspecialist nature of our business, aspects other than diversity are relevant as well for the ultimate decision to come to the most efficient and effective wayselect a board member.

Our plan of action to achieve our strategic objectives. Forgoal of gender balance includes a number of recruitment and development-related initiatives to promote balanced and diversified candidate pools as well as diversity amongst persons receiving promotion and development opportunities. We value our board of directors, this means that when making recommendations tofair, inclusive recruitment process, which is standardized across the general meeting for the (re-)appointment of directors, the board will aim fororganization and focuses on pre-identified ‘what counts’ factors. The process involves a diverse compositiongroup of colleagues from across the organization, who are provided with training to recognize existing biases. Recruitment decisions are based on a group evaluation of available candidates, to encourage different perspectives. Our onboarding program is designed to promote inclusion by building a strong social fabric across teams, functions and geographic locations. Once hired, employees are encouraged to participate in terms of such factors as gender and age, in accordance with our diversity policy as may be in force from time to time. Under Dutch law reporting rules, we will be required to address diversity of our Board of Directorsa personal development program aimed at building on their individual

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strengths to benefit the broader team and taking into account their individual career aspirations. We offer opportunities for promotion, training and career development solely based on job-related, appropriate criteria such as skills, competencies, experience, aptitude and enthusiasm and giving account to each individual’s experience, ambitions and capabilities.

We will continue to implement our diversity, equity and inclusion policy by seeking new ways to improve and support diversity, equity and inclusion at the Company. We from time to time report on specific initiatives taken with respect to our diversity, equity and inclusion policy in our Annual Report or in theannual ESG report, of the Board of Directors (bestuursverslag): (i) composition of the Board of Directors by gender; (ii) objectives of the diversity policy; (iii) description of how the diversity policy is being implemented and the results thereof and (iv) if there is no diversity policy, this should be explained.

On January 01, 2022, new legislation entered into force, requiring “large Dutch companies” to setwhich an ‘appropriate and ambitious’ target for their management board, supervisory board and senior executives (the latter as determined by the company). If a company has adopted a one-tier board structure, the appropriate and ambitious target applies to both the executive and non-executive directors. The legislation is based on a “comply or explain” principle. Accordingly, weupdated version will be required to disclose in ourpublished on or around the same date as this Annual Report.

In accordance with Dutch legislation, we report of the Board of Directors whether or not we are in compliance with the self-imposed target. In addition, within ten months of the end of the financial year, we will need to reportannually to the Social Economic Council (Sociaal-Economische Raad (SER)) whether or not we have complied with the self-imposed target.

Our policy is thatour diversity goals, and if we will balance our Board of Directors in terms of gender, age, background and nationality as much as reasonably possible while still having our board composed of the best possible candidates overall. It has been and will remain our priority to have the best available specialists on our board of directors, irrespective of age, background, nationality and gender, who make a balanced panel of directors able to advise and guide argenx to further growth and success for all its stakeholders. This means we require a number of specialties and character traits to be present. Taking into account the aforementioned and the specialist nature of our business, we will actively seek to further improve diversity on our board if and when proposing new appointments to our board of directors, whilst acknowledging that age, gender and nationality are important, but not, the only factors relevantreasons for the ultimate decision to select a board member. We have set ourselves the target to over time achieve an equal gender balance in our Board of Directors, and we will report on our progress annually in our ESG report.this.

As at December 31, 2023, our Board of Directors consisted of nine directors, including one executive director and eight non-executive directors. Of the directors who chose to disclose their gender, the Board of Directors contained five male directors and three female directors (non-executive directors), translating into a 55.55% male / 331/3% female balance for our full Board of Directors (compared to five males and three females (non-executive directors) (55.55%/331/3%) as of December 31, 2022) and a 62.5% male / 37.5% female balance for our non-executive directors (compared to 62.5% male/37.5% female as of December 31, 2022). As at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, our Company leadership team consisted of 31 persons, comprised of a mix of 19 males and 12 females, (61% / 39% respectively). Our leadership consists of all full time employees reporting directly to our CEO, as well as all (other) leaders of our largest functions and projects. Each of these positions is characterized by a high impact across the organization, leading a global and cross functional team and having a global reach. We estimate that as of December 31, 2023, 58% of our workforce were female and 42% were male (compared to 63% female and 37% male as of December 31, 2022).

Board Diversity Matrix (as of the date of this Annual Report)

1

Country of Principal Executive Offices

Netherlands

Foreign Private Issuer

Yes

Disclosure Prohibited by Dutch Law

No

Total Number of Directors

7

Female

Male

Non-Binary

Did Not Disclose Gender

Gender: Number of Directors

1*

6

Demographic Background Categories

Number of Directors in Each Demographic Category

Underrepresented individual in home country jurisdiction

1

LGTBQ+

Did not disclose demographic background

6

* We had two female members of our board of directors as of December 31, 2021. However, on March 3, 2022, Dr. Greenstreet stepped down from her position as member of our Board of Directors due to time constraints following her appointment as Chief Executive Officer at Alnylam. As a result of such departure from our board of directors, we have one female member of our board of directors as of the date of this Annual Report.

1

Country of Principal Executive Offices

The Netherlands

Foreign Private Issuer in the U.S.

Yes

Disclosure of gender identity prohibited by Dutch Law

No

Total Number of Directors

9

Female

Male

Non-Binary

Did Not Disclose Gender identity

Gender: Number of Directors

3

5

0

1

Demographic Background Categories

Number of Directors in Each Demographic Category

Underrepresented individual in home country jurisdiction

1

LGTBQ+

0

Did not disclose demographic background

8

Role of the Board in Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors is responsible for the oversight of our risk management activities and has delegated tospecifically designated the audit and compliance committee the responsibility to assist our Board of Directors in this task.task and prepare recommendations in this respect to the Board of Directors. While our Board of Directors oversees our risk management, our senior management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. Our Board of Directors expects our senior management to consider risk and risk management in each business decision, to proactively develop and monitor risk management strategies and

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processes for day-to-day activities and to effectively implement risk management strategies adopted by the boardBoard of directors.Directors. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks we face.

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Composition, Appointment and Dismissal

The Articles of Association provide that our board of directors (the Board of Directors) will consist of our executive director(s) and non-executive directors. The number of executive directors must at all times be less than the number of non-executive directors. The number of directors, as well as the number of executive directors and non-executive directors, is determined by our boardBoard of directors,Directors, provided that the Board of Directors must consist of at least three members.

Our directors are appointed by the shareholders at thea General Meeting for a period of four years.years as either executive directors or as non-executive directors. In accordance with best practice principleprovision 2.2.1 of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code,DCGC, executive directors may be re-appointedreappointed for periods of not more than four years at a time. In accordance with best practice principleprovision 2.2.2 of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code,DCGC, non-executive directors are appointedmay be reappointed once for a period of four years, and may subsequently be re-appointed for another four-year period. Theafter which the non-executive director may subsequently be reappointed again for a period of two years, which appointmentreappointment may be extended by at most two years. In the event of a reappointment after an eight-year period, reasons will be given in the report of the boardBoard of directors.Directors. The Board of Directors is required to make one or more proposals for each seat on our Board of Directors to be filled. A resolution to nominate a director by our Board of Directors (with support from the remuneration and nomination committee) may be adopted by a simple majority of the votes cast. A nomination for appointment of an executive director must state the candidate’s age and the positions he or she holds, or has held, insofar as these are relevant for the performance of the duties of an executive director. The nomination must state the reasons for the nomination of the relevant person. A nomination for appointment of a non-executive director must state the candidate’s age, his or her profession, the number of shares he or she holds and the employment positions he or she holds, or has held, insofar as these are relevant for the performance of the duties of a non-executive director. Furthermore, the names of the legal entities of which he or she is already a supervisory board member or a non-executive member of the board shall be indicated; if those include legal entities which belong to the same group, a reference to that group will be sufficient. The nomination must state the reasons for the nomination of the relevant person.

Our directors are appointed as either an executive director or as a non-executive director by the shareholders at the General Meeting. Our Board of Directors designates one executive director as Chief Executive Officer.CEO. In addition, the Board of Directors may grant other titles to executive directors. Our Board of Directors also designates a non-executive director as chairperson of the Board of Directors and a non-executive director as vice chairperson of the boardBoard of directors.Directors. The legal relationship between an executive member of the Board of Directors and argenx will not be considered as an employment agreement. Employment agreements between an executive director and a groupGroup company (other than argenx SE) are permitted. In the absence of an employment agreement, members of a Boardboard of Directorsdirectors generally do not enjoy the same protection as employees under Dutch labor law.

Directors may be suspended or removed by the shareholders at the General Meeting at any time, with or without cause, by meansFor a discussion of a resolution passed by a simple majoritydate of expiration of the votes cast. Under Dutch law (Section 2:134 paragraph 1current term of office and the period during which the person has served in that office, Item 6.A. “Directors, Senior Management and EmployeesDirectors and Senior Management”.

Except for the arrangements described in Item 7.B. “Related Party TransactionsAgreements with Our Senior Management, there are no arrangements or understanding between us and any of the Dutch Civil Code (DCC)), executive directors may also be suspendedproviding for benefits upon termination of their employment, other than as required by applicable law. In addition, the board of directors. A suspension of an executive director by the board ofcontracts between us and our non-executive directors may be discontinued by the shareholders atdo not provide for any time at the General Meeting.benefits upon termination.

On May 11, 2021, the shareholders at the General Meeting appointed Ms. Yvonne Greenstreet to our Board of Directors, and reappointed Mr. Anthony Rosenberg.

We have entered into management contracts and employment agreements with our Board members and senior management that contain certain severance provisions, see section of this Annual Report titled “Item 7.B.— Related Party Transactions—Agreements with our Senior Management.”

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Committees

In accordance with the Dutch Corporate Governance Code,DCGC, our non-executive directors can set up specialized committees to analyze specific issues and advise the non-executive directors on those issues.issues and prepare resolutions with respect thereto.

The committees are advisory bodies only, and the decision-making remains within the collegial responsibility of the non-executive directors.Board of Directors. The non-executive directors determine the terms of reference of each committee with respect to the organization, procedures, policies and activities of the committee.

Our non-executive directors have established and appointed:appointed (i) an audit and compliance committee; and (ii) a remuneration and nomination committee.

an audit and compliance committee;
a remuneration and nomination committee;

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The composition and function of all these committees complies with all applicable requirements of Euronext Brussels, the Dutch Corporate Governance Code,DCGC, the Exchange Act, the exchange on which the ordinary shares and the ADSADSs are listed and U.S. SEC rules and regulations.

Only non-executive directors qualify for membership of these committees. The audit and compliance committee and the remuneration and nomination committee may not be chaired by the chairperson of the Board of Directors or by a former executive director of the Company.

In addition to the aforementioned legally required subcommittees, our Board of Directors may also opt to incorporate informal committees consisting of non-executive directors and other internal and external persons in argenx, in order to facilitate discussions and act as a sounding board on specific projects, as well as on a more permanent basis. Our Board of Directors has incorporated a research and development committee and a commercialcommercialization committee.

Audit and Compliance Committee

Our audit and compliance committee consists of four members: Werner LanthalerSteve Krognes (chairperson), effective February 27, 2023, Peter K. M. Verhaeghe, Anthony A. Rosenberg and James M. Daly. Mr. Lanthaler was a committee member and chairperson until February 27, 2023.

Our Board of Directors haspreviously established that Werner Lanthaler qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined underMr. Verhaeghe, Mr. Rosenberg, Mr. Daly, Mr. Krognes satisfy the independence requirements set forth in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and articlethat both Mr. Lanthaler (up until his resignation effective February 27, 2023) and Mr. Krognes qualify as “audit committee financial experts” as defined by SEC rules and Article 39 paragraph 1 of Directive 2014/56/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 16, April 2014 amending Directive 2006/43/EC on statutory audits of annual accounts and consolidated accounts and has the requisite financial sophistication under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Further, our Board of Directors established that the composition of the audit and compliance committee meets the requirements under the Dutch Decree on Establishing Audit Committees.

Our audit and compliance committee assists our Board of Directors in overseeing the accuracy and integrity of our accounting and financial reporting processes and audits and reviews of our consolidated financial statements as well as non-financial statements (including ESG reporting), the implementation and effectiveness of an internal control system and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, the independent auditors’ qualifications and independence and the performance of the independent auditors. Our audit and compliance committee is also responsible for monitoring the status of, and compliance with, our global ethics and compliance program and meets with the head of our ethics and compliance function at least quarterly to discuss the status and overall effectiveness of the program as well as any issues or incidents that occurred and remedial actions needed (if applicable). The committee furthermore oversees climate-related risks and supervises the status of the Company’s cybersecurity program and regularly (at least quarterly) discusses the status thereof with our senior management team.

Our audit and compliance committee is governed by a charter that complies with Nasdaqthe listing rules of the Nasdaq Global Market (the Nasdaq Listing Rules) and the Dutch Corporate Governance Code. Our auditDCGC and compliance committeeis publicly available on our website. It is responsible for, among other things, establishing methods and procedures for supervising, and where necessary requiring improvements of, our financial reporting, risk management, ethics and compliance and organization for the purpose of making appropriate recommendations to our Board of Directors in that regard.

Our audit and compliance committee meets as often as is required for its proper functioning, but at least four times a year. year and at least once a year meets separately with our independent auditor. See Item 6.C “Board PracticesReport Audit and Compliance Committee” for an overview of the number of meetings and attendance rates.

Our audit and compliance committee meets at least oncereports regularly to our Board of Directors on the exercise of its functions. It informs our Board of Directors about all areas in which action or improvement is necessary in its opinion and produces recommendations concerning the necessary steps or resolutions that need to be taken. The audit review and the reporting on that review cover us and our subsidiaries as a year withwhole. The members of the audit and compliance committee are entitled to receive all information which they need for the performance of their function, from our independent auditor.Board of Directors

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Ourand employees. Every member of the audit and compliance committee shall exercise this right in consultation with the chairperson of the audit and compliance committee.

Report Audit and Compliance Committee

The audit and compliance committee reports regularly to our Board of Directors on the exercise of its functions. It informs our Board of Directors about all areas in which action or improvement is necessary in its opinion and produces recommendations concerning the necessary steps that need to be taken. The audit review and the reporting on that review cover usthe Company and ourits subsidiaries as a whole. The members of the audit and compliance committee are entitled to receive all information which they need for the performance of their function, from our Board of Directors and employees. Every member of the audit and compliance committee shall exercise this right in consultation with the chairperson of the audit and compliance committee.

The audit and compliance committee has deliberated six times in the course of 2021. At these meetings,In 2023, the main points of discussion were:

key findings and risk areas of the 2021 gap analysis on compliance;
key findings of the 2021 gap analysis on ESG;
review of the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and related press release;
review of the 20-F and Annual Report with respect to the year ended December 31, 2020;
review of our Independent Registered Accounting Firm’s 2020 audit report;
discusion and review of the 2021 Independent Registered Accounting Firm’s audit plan;
review of interim consolidated financial statements and related press releases;
review of our Independent Registered Accounting Firm’s report on interim financial statements; and
review of quarterly forecasts, updates on internal control activities, updates on corporate audit activities, updates on cash, cash equivalents and financial assets.

at the meetings were the 2022 consolidated financial statements and press release as well as interim consolidated financial statements and press releases, internal audit and external auditors’ reports, the, the review of quarterly forecasts, updates on tax priorities, compliance, cash management, CSRD readiness, the company’s ethics and compliance program, the company’s cyber security program and the company’s privacy program.

In 2023, five audit and compliance committee meetings were held. The meeting attendance rate for our directors in the audit and compliance committee is set out in the table below:below.

    

Number of meetings attended in

    

Name

2023 since appointment

Attendance %

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe

5

100%

Werner Lanthaler(1)

1

100%

Steve Krognes (chairperson)(1)

4

100%

Anthony A. Rosenberg

5

100%

James M. Daly

5

100%

Audit and Compliance Committee

Number of meetings attended in 2021 since appointment

Attendance %

Peter Verhaeghe

6/6

100%

Werner Lanthaler (Chairperson)

6/6

100%

Tony Rosenberg

6/6

100%

James M. Daly (1)

3/3

100%

(1)James M. Daly joined the auditWerner Lanthaler resigned effective February 27, 2023 and compliance committee in May 2021.was succeeded by Steve Krognes effective February 27, 2023.

Remuneration and Nomination Committee

We have established a remuneration and nomination committee, which serves as both the remuneration committee and selection and appointment committee as prescribed by the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.DCGC. Our remuneration and nomination committee currently consists of fourthree members: J. Donald deBethizy (chairperson), Peter K. M. Verhaeghe Werner Lanthaler and Yvonne Greenstreet.Ana Cespedes.

Our remuneration and nomination committee is responsible for, among other things:

regularly reviewing the remuneration policy and practices in light of all relevant circumstances and benchmarks, and recommending to the non-executive directors the remuneration of the individual executive directors;
advising theour Board of Directors in respect of the remuneration for the non-executive directors;
preparing the remuneration report to be included in the Company's Annual Report;our annual report;
drawing up selection criteria and appointment procedures for directors and making proposals for appointment and re-appointment of the directors;
periodically assessing the size and composition of theour Board of Directors and making a proposal for a composition profile of the non-executive directors;

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periodically assessing the diversity (including gender diversity) on our Board of Directors and leadership teams, and taking into account any gaps between our then current diversity metrics and the goals specified in our diversity, equity and inclusion policy when making recommendations to the Board of Directors;
periodically assessing the functioning of individual directors and reporting on this to the non-executive directors; and
supervising the policy of the executive directors on the selection criteria and appointment procedures for senior management.

In addition, our remuneration and nomination committee takes into account ESG when performing its duties, making sure that (i) ESG performance metrics are incorporated in the remuneration, (ii) ESG qualifications, experience, and expertise are taken into account in the director and executive nomination process, (iii) a culture of awareness and accountability for non-financial performance metrics is promoted, (iv) a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment is fostered, (v) our ESG reporting is in line with applicable regulatory requirements and industry best practices in these specific areas, and (vi) we maintain constructive dialogue with key stakeholders on ESG matters.

The remuneration and nomination committee consists of at least three members. The remuneration and nomination committee meets as often as is required for its proper functioning, but at least once per year to evaluate its functioning.

Report Remuneration and Nomination Committee

The remuneration and nomination committee has deliberated two timesassists the Board of Directors by, amongst other matters, regularly reviewing our remuneration policy, preparing remuneration proposals and periodically assessing the size and composition of the Board of Directors, as well as preparing the policy of the senior management team on the selection criteria and appointment procedures for senior management. During their deliberations in 2023, the course of 2021. The main topics of discussion were the draftsC-level long-term succession planning, the equity remuneration and holding guidelines, talent recruitment, the company’s clawback policy the outcome of the new remuneration policyour say-on-pay vote and the new equity incentive plan,interactions with proxy advisors’ and investors’, prior to and following the achievements of senior management’s 2021 targetsnegative say-on-pay vote at our annual General Meeting held on May 2, 2023 (2023 General Meeting).

In 2023, five formal remuneration and pay-out of variable pay, the proposed 2021 equity incentive grants and the proposal to move to a single annual equity grant moment for recurring equity grants.

nomination committee meetings were held. The meeting attendance rate for our directors in the remuneration and nomination committee is set out in the table below:below.

Remuneration and Nomination Committee

Number of meetings attended in 2021 since appointment

Attendance %

Peter Verhaeghe

2/2

100%

Werner Lanthaler

2/2

100%

Don deBethizy (chairperson)

2/2

100%

Yvonne Greenstreet

1/1

100%

    

Number of meetings attended in

    

Name

2023 since appointment

Attendance %

Peter K. M. Verhaeghe

5

100%

Ana Cespedes

5

100%

J. Donald deBethizy (chairperson)

5

100%

Informal subcommittees

Research and Development Committeedevelopment committee

The research and development committee consists of members of our Board of Directors and other persons, which composition may vary from time to time. Currently, the research and development committee consists of three members: David L. Lacey (chairperson),two members who are also members of our Board of Directors: J. Donald deBethizy and Pamela Klein. J. Donald deBethizyNon-board member advisors of the research and Pamela Klein are members of our Board of Directors.development committee include David L. Lacey, resigned from our Board of Directors per May 11, 2021, but continues to serve as an advisor on the ResearchHans de Haard and Development Committee.Wim Parys. Ad-hoc participants to the committee meetings furthermore include a variety of employees and/or external advisors, depending on the needs of the committee and the topics under discussion.

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The research and development committee is responsible for, among other things:

monitoring and overseeing theour research and development goals, strategies and measures of the Company;measures;
serving as a sounding board to the Company'sour research and development management, general management and the Board of Directors;
performing strategic reviews of the Company'sour key research and development programs;
reporting to theour Board of Directors on the outcome of the strategic reviews;
reviewing the Company'sour scientific publication and communications plan;
evaluating and challenging the effectiveness and competitiveness of theour research and development endeavours of the Company;endeavors;
reviewing and discussing emerging scientific trends and activities critical to the success of our research and development of the Company;development;
reviewing the Company'sour clinical and preclinical product pipeline; and
engaging in attracting, retaining and developing our senior research and development personnel of the Company.personnel.

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TableThe research and development committee also pays specific attention to ESG duties when performing its duties. Amongst others, it help ensure that we meet our commitment to ensuring animal testing is carried out only when necessary and when no alternative methods are reasonably available and that we have policies and procedures in place to support high standards of Contents

animal welfare, minimizing pain and distress to research animals. Furthermore, it ensures a transparent reporting on animal testing practices and in R&D practices and helps ensure the prioritization of safety, dignity, and rights of clinical trial participants that informed consent is obtained in a transparent and ethically sound manner.

All members of the research and development committee shall have adequate industrial, academic and/or practical experience with the research and development of biopharmaceuticals.

One purpose of our research and development committee is to engage in discussion with our research and development personnel, and the committee’s responsibilities to carry out this purpose include, among others: monitoring the research and development activities, performing strategic reviews of the key research and development programs;programs and reviewing the scientific publication plan.plan, all with the intent to support our innovation mission.

Our research and development committee meets as often as is required for its proper functioning, but typically meets at least once prior to each meeting of our Board of Directors and reports regularly to our Board of Directors on the outcome of its deliberations, including any recommendations to the strategic reviews.Board of Directors or the senior management team. The chairperson of our research and development committee reports to our Board of Directors on the research and development committee’s discussions and strategic advice after each meeting on all matters within its duties and responsibilities.

Report Research and Development Committee

The research and development committee has deliberated three times infunctions as a sounding board to our research and development management, general management and the courseBoard of 2021Directors, and monitors our research and development goals, strategies and measures. In 2023, the committee held five formal meetings, in which it focused mainly on the vision and strategy on science, at the Company.Company’s research and development pipeline including its preclinical and clinical stage product-candidates, potential future indications for its commercial stage products and developments in relation to our IIP.

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The meeting attendance rate for our directors in the research and development committee is set out in the table below:below.

    

Number of meetings attended in

    

Name

2023  since appointment

Attendance %

J. Donald deBethizy

5

100%

Pamela Klein

5

100%

David Lacey (chairperson)

5

100%

Research and Development Committee

Number of meetings attended in 2021 since appointment

Attendance %

Don deBethizy

3/3

100%

Pamela Klein

3/3

100%

David L. Lacey (chairperson) (1)

3/3

100%

(1)David L. Lacey resigned from our Board of Directors per May 11, 2021.

CommercialCommercialization committee

The commercialOur commercialization committee consists of members of our Board of Directors and other persons, which composition may vary from time to time. As of the date of this Annual Report, the commercialcommercialization committee consists of twothree permanent members: James M. Daly (chairperson), Anthony A. Rosenberg and A.A. Rosenberg.Camilla Sylvest. Keith Woods serves as a non-board member advisor of the committee.

The commercialcommercialization committee is responsible for, among other things:

serving as a sounding board to the Company's branded and unbranded strategic marketing plans, size and scope of the Company’s franchises, pre and post launch market access plan of action;
reviewing and discussingguiding the global sales and marketing strategy to ensure optimal product uptake and sustained growth and promoting innovation within commercialization efforts;
overseeing the global product launch strategy and supervising all stages of product lifecycle;
reviewing our partnerships and collaborations;
reviewing and guiding the Company’s global medical affairs strategy;
identifying and advising on potential risks associated with commercialization strategies and ensuring commercial and political trends affectingstrategies adhere to regulatory obligations;
reviewing the industry andESG reporting on the developmenttopics which are relevant to the activities of the Company;committee and providing comments thereto; and
reporting to theour Board of Directors on the outcome of the strategic reviews.

The non-executive directors shall appoint and dismiss the members of the commercialcommercialization committee. All members of the commercialcommercialization committee shall have adequate industrial, academic and/or practical experience with the commercialization of (bio)pharmaceuticals.

Our commercialcommercialization committee meets as often as is required for its proper functioning and in practice meets at least once per quarter. The commercialization committee reports regularly to our Board of Directors on the outcome of its strategic reviews.reviews and any recommendations to the Board of Directors or senior management team.

Report Commercialization Committee

The commercialization committee functions as a sounding board on branded and unbranded strategic marketing plans for the Board of Directors. In 2021,2023, the committee held onefive formal meeting,meetings, in which it focused mainly on Company’s readiness in the U.S., Japan and EMEA in lightexecution of the envisagedour launch of efgartigimod.VYVGART as well as the preparation for potential future launches, subject to obtaining further approvals.

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The meeting attendance rate for our directors in the commercial committee is set out in the table below:below.

Commercial Committee

Number of meetings attended in 2021 since appointment

Attendance %

Anthony A. Rosenberg

1/1

100%

James M. Daly (chairperson)

1/1

100%

    

Number of meetings attended in

    

Name

2023  since appointment

Attendance %

Anthony A. Rosenberg

5

100%

James M. Daly (chairperson)

5

100%

Camilla Sylvest

5

100%

Corporate Governance Practices

Our Board By-Laws, that describe, inter alia, the procedure for holding meetings of the Board of Directors, for the decision-making by the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors’ operating procedures.

In accordance with our Articles of Association, our Board of Directors will meetmeets at least once every three months to discuss the state of affairs within the companyCompany and the expected developments.

Under theour Board By-Laws, the members of our Board of Directors must endeavor, insofar as is possible, to ensure that resolutions are adopted unanimously. Where unanimity cannot be achieved and Dutch law, the Articles of Association or the Board By-Laws do not prescribe a larger majority, all resolutions of our Board of Directors must be adopted by a simple majority of the votes cast in a meeting at which at least a majority of the members of our Board of Directors then in office are present or represented. The Articles of Association and the Board By-Laws provide that in case of a tie of votes, the chairperson does not have a casting vote and as such the proposal will be rejected in case of a tie.

Under the Board By-Laws, some specific matters require approval of the majority of the non-executive directors. These matters are set out in Schedule 1 of our Board By-Laws. Our Board By-Laws are available on our website. The non-executive directors may also determine that certain other matters shall require approval of a certain majority of the non-executive directors. Such matters shall be clearly specified and notified to the executive director(s) in writing.

In exceptional cases, ifResolutions of the urgent necessity and the interests of argenx require this, resolutions of our Board of Directors may also be adopted by unanimous written approvaloutside of a meeting in writing, provided that all directors in office.office (in respect of whom no conflict of interest exists as referred to in the Articles of Association) have consented in writing to this manner of decision-making. A director may issue a proxy for a specific boardBoard of Directors meeting to another director in writing.

A director having a direct or indirect personal interest that conflicts with the interest of the Company and its affiliated enterprise has a conflict of interest. Each director shall inform all other directors of a conflict of interest without delay. A director shall not participate in the deliberations and decision-making process in relation to an item if he has a conflict of interest with respect thereto. In such case, the other directors shall resolve the item. In case because of this no resolution can be adopted by the executive directors, the non-executive directors will resolve on the matter. In case because of this no resolution can be adopted by the non-executive directors, the Board of Directors will resolve on the matter as if there were no conflict of interest.

The executive director(s) are required to be asked their vision on their own remuneration in accordance with best practice provision 3.2.2 but may not participate in the adoption of resolutions (including any deliberations in respect of such resolutions) relating to their remuneration.

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Board Evaluation

The Board of Directors evaluates its functioning and the functioning of its committees and of each individual director annually. The evaluation process is performed with the help of an external professional board evaluation consultant. In 2023, the evaluation was performed by Nasdaq Governance Solutions. The evaluation includes preparing specific questionnaires focusing on the skills and competences most relevant to us, and the most material board topics and challenges we face. The written questionnaire is then followed up by one-to-one interviews with the representative of Nasdaq Governance Solutions with each member of the Board of Directors, followed by a debrief and discussion held with the external evaluator and the entire Board of Directors both in writing (in form of a report) and in the form of a live discussion of the evaluation report aimed at distilling specific learnings and conclusions.

Based on the self-evaluation performed, the non-executive directors concluded that the Board of Directors and its committees had properly discharged their responsibilities during 2023. The Board of Directors identified certain strengths and weaknesses and adopted a plan for further board development and succession in 2024. In general non-executive directors appreciate the high effectiveness of the Board and the functioning of its committees and consider that (i) the Board is high functioning, committed, open, transparent and very engaged and (ii) the Board committees are strong and work well.

D.       EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2021,2023, we had 650 employees.1,148 employees and 309 consultants, which we refer to as “contingent workers.” At each date shown below, we had the following number of employees, broken out by department and geography:

At December 31,

At December 31,

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Function:

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Research and development

 

289

 

193

 

118

 

653

 

367

 

289

Selling, general and administrative

 

361

 

143

 

70

 

495

 

476

 

361

Total

 

650

 

336

 

188

 

1,148

 

843

 

650

Geography:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zwijnaarde, Belgium

 

296

 

213

 

145

Boston, USA

276

108

40

Tokyo, Japan

57

13

3

Breda, the Netherlands

 

 

 

Geneva, Switzerland

9

 

2

 

Issy Les Moulineaux, France

3

Munich, Germany

9

Belgium

 

355

 

363

 

296

U.S.

454

340

276

Japan

116

75

57

The Netherlands

 

22

 

 

Switzerland

28

 

15

 

9

France

40

11

3

Germany

25

11

9

Canada

16

5

UK

37

Italy

27

Spain

20

Other - remote

8

23

Total

 

650

 

336

 

188

 

1,148

 

843

 

650

Collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) can be entered into in Belgium at the national, industry, or company levels. CBAs can also be entered into in France, Germany and Italy at the industry level. These CBAs are binding on both employers and employees. We have no trade union representation or CBAs at the company level, but we are subject to the national and chemical industry level CBAs that relate to the chemical industry.CBAs. The CBAs currently applicable to us relate to employment conditions such as wages, working time, job security, innovation and supplementary pensions. We have not had, and do not anticipate having, disputes on any of these subjects. CBAs may, however, change the employment conditions of our employees in the future and hence adversely affect our employment relationships.

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E.      SHARE OWNERSHIP

For information regarding the share ownership of our directors and members of our executive committee, see “ItemItem 6.B.—Compensation”Compensation and “ItemItem 7.A.Major Shareholders.Shareholders.

F.       DISCLOSURE OF A REGISTRANT’S ACTION TO RECOVER ERRONEOUSLY AWARDED COMPENSATION

Not applicable.

ITEM 7.      MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

A.       MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS

The following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of February 28, 202220, 2024 for:

each person who is known by us to own beneficially more than 3% of our total outstanding ordinary shares;
each member of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors and our senior management; and
all members of our boardBoard of directorsDirectors and our senior management as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. TheseSEC, which may materially differ from other rules applicable to us. The SEC rules generally attribute beneficial ownership of securities to persons who possess sole or shared voting power or investment power with respect to those securities and include ordinary shares that can be acquired within 60 days of February

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28, 2022. 20, 2024. The percentage ownership information shown in the table is based upon 51,905,30859,302,232 ordinary shares outstanding as of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

Except as otherwise indicated, all of the shares reflected in the table are ordinary shares and all persons listed below have sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by them, subject to applicable community property laws. The information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose.

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In computing the number of ordinary shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we deemed outstanding ordinary shares subject to options held by that person that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The information in the table below is based on information known to us or ascertained by us from public filings made by the shareholders.

Shares beneficially owned

Name of beneficial owner

    

Number

    

Percentage

3% or Greater Shareholders:

 

  

 

  

 

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (1)

 

5,603,556

 

10.80

%

FMR LLC (2)

4,876,317

9.39

%

Artisan Investments GP LLC (3)

3,180,665

6.13

%

Blackrock, Inc. (4)

2,397,921

4.62

%

The Vanguard Group (5)

1,978,464

3.81

%

Federated Equity Management Company of Pennsylvania (6)

1,895,001

3.65

%

Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc (7)

1,766,899

3.40

%

Directors and Senior Management:

  

  

Tim Van Hauwermeiren (8)

324,444

*

Peter Verhaeghe (9)

 

50,817

 

*

 

Werner Lanthaler (10)

 

43,218

 

*

 

Donald deBethizy (11)

 

32,222

 

*

 

Pamela Klein (12)

 

34,722

 

*

 

A.A. Rosenberg (13)

 

36,062

 

*

 

James M. Daly (14)

 

27,222

 

*

 

Keith Woods (15)

 

86,111

 

*

 

Hans de Haard (16)

 

381,860

 

*

Wim Parys (17)

186,111

*

Arjen Lemmen (18)

 

81,212

 

*

 

Andria Wilk (19)

 

9,042

 

*

 

Malini Moorthy

 

-

 

-

Karl Gubitz

 

-

 

-

Yvonne Greenstreet

 

-

 

-

 

All directors and executive management as a group (15 persons)

 

1,293,043

 

2.43

%

Shares beneficially owned

Name of beneficial owner

    

Number

    

Percentage

3% or Greater Shareholders:

 

  

 

  

 

FMR LLC (1)

4,173,842

7.1

%

Blackrock, Inc. (2)

4,036,853

6.8

%

Baillie Gifford & Co (3)

6.2 (voting)

%

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (4)

 

3,673,855

6.2

%

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership (5)

3,174,477

5.4

%

The Vanguard Group (6)

1,978,464

4.2

%

Capital Research and Management Company (7)

%

3.2 (voting)

%

Janus Henderson Group plc (8)

1,784,723

3.0

%

Wellington Management Group LLP (9)

%

3.0 (voting)

%

Directors and Senior Management:

Tim Van Hauwermeiren (10)

 

*

%

Arjen Lemmen (11)

*

%

Keith Woods (12)

 

*

%

Karl Gubitz (13)

 

*

%

Peter K.M. Verhaeghe (14)

 

*

%

J. Donald deBethizy (15)

 

*

%

Anthony A. Rosenberg (16)

*

%

Luc Truyen (17)

 

*

%

Peter Ulrichts (18)

 

*

%

Malini Moorthy (19)

 

*

%

Pamela Klein (20)

 

*

%

Andria Wilk (21)

 

*

%

Karen Massey

 

*

%

Camilla Sylvest (22)

 

*

%

Ana Cespedes (23)

 

*

%

Werner Lanthaler (24)

*

%

Steve Krognes (25)

*

%

James M. Daly (26)

*

%

All executive officers and directors as a group (18 persons)

 

1.4

%

*

*Indicates beneficial ownership of less than 1% of the total outstanding ordinary shares.

(1)Based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022. Consists of 5,603,556 ADSs beneficially owned. T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (“Price Associates”) has sole voting power with respect to 1,721,055 ADSs, sole dispositive power with respect to 5,603,556 ADSs, shared voting power with respect to none of the ADSs, and shared dispositive power with respect to none of the ADSs beneficially owned. Price Associates does not serve as custodian of the assets of any of its clients; accordingly, in each instance only the client or the client's custodian or trustee bank has the right to receive dividends paid with respect to, and proceeds from the sale of, such securities. The ultimate power to direct the receipt of dividends paid with respect to, and the proceeds from the sale of, such securities, is vested in the individual and institutional clients which Price Associates serves as investment adviser. Any and all discretionary authority which has been delegated to Price Associates may be revoked in whole or in part at any time. Not more than 5% of the class of such securities is owned by any one client subject to the investment advice of Price Associates. With respect to securities owned by any one of the registered investment companies sponsored by Price Associates for which it also serves as investment adviser ("T. Rowe Price Funds"), only the custodian for each of such T. Rowe Price Funds has the right to receive dividends paid with respect to, and proceeds from the sale of, such securities. No other person is known to have such

157

right, except that the shareholders of each such Fund participate proportionately in any dividends and distributions so paid. The address for Price Associates is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
(2)

(1)

Based solely on athe most recently available Schedule 13G/A13G filed with the SEC on February 9, 2022. Consists of 4,876,317 ordinary shares beneficially owned.2024. According to its Schedule 13G, FMR LLC hasreported having sole voting power with respect to 944,1184over 4,017,222 ordinary shares and sole dispositive power with respect to allover 4,173,842 ordinary shares. The Schedule 13G contained information as of December 31, 2023 and may not reflect current holdings of the shares, and shared voting power and shared dispositive power with respect to none of the shares beneficially owned.Company’s stock. Members of the Johnson family, including Abigail P. Johnson, are the predominant owners, directly or through trusts, of Series B voting common shares of FMR LLC, representing 49% of the voting power of FMR LLC. The Johnson family group and all other Series B shareholders have entered into a shareholders'shareholders’ voting agreement under which all Series B voting common shares will be voted in accordance with the majority vote of Series B voting common shares. Accordingly, through their ownership of voting common shares and the execution of the shareholders'shareholders’ voting agreement, members of the Johnson family may be deemed, under the Investment Company Act of 1940, to form a controlling group with respect to FMR LLC. Neither FMR LLC nor Abigail P. Johnson has the sole power to vote or direct the voting of the shares owned directly by the various investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act (“Fidelity Funds”) advised by Fidelity Management & Research Company (“(FMR Co”Co.), a wholly owned subsidiary of FMR LLC, which power resides with the Fidelity Funds'Funds’ Boards of Trustees. FMR Co. LLC carries out the voting of the shares under written guidelines established by the Fidelity Funds’ Boards of Trustees. The address for FMR LLCLLC’s principal business office is located 245 Summer Street, Boston, MassachusettsMA 02210.

164

(3)

(2)

Based solely on athe most recently available Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 4, 2022.1, 2024. According to its Schedule 13G, BlackRock, Inc. reported having sole voting power over 3,767,146 ordinary shares and sole dispositive power over 4,036,853 ordinary shares. The Schedule 13G contained information as of December 31, 2023 and may not reflect current holdings of the Company’s stock. The address for BlackRock, Inc. is 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.

(3)

Based solely on the most recent transparency notification filed with the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiële Markten) (AFM) as of February 20, 2024. Consists of 3,180,6650 ordinary shares beneficially owned.and voting rights on 2,966,216 ordinary shares. Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings.

(4)

Based on the most recently available Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2024. According to its Schedule 13G, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. reported having sole voting power over 1,051,051 ADSs and sole dispositive power over 3,673,589 ADSs. The Schedule 13G contained information as of December 31, 2023 and may not reflect current holdings of the Company’s stock. The address for T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. is 100 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.

(5)

Based on the most recently available Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2024. According to its Schedule 13G, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership (“APLP”(APLP), Artisan Investments GP LLC (“(Artisan Investments”Investments), Artisan Partners Holdings LP (“(Artisan Holdings”Holdings), and Artisan Partners Asset Management Inc. (“APAM”(APAM) each have sole voting power and sole dispositive power with respect to none of the shares,reported having shared voting power with respect to 2,714,431over 2,705,482 ordinary shares and shared dispositive power with respect to all of the shares beneficially owned.over 3,174,477 ordinary shares. APLP is an investment adviser registered under section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Artisan Holdings is the sole limited partner of APLP and the sole member of Artisan Investments. Artisan Investments is the general partner of APLP. APAM is the general partner of Artisan Holdings. The Schedule 13G contained information as of December 31, 2023 and may not reflect current holdings of the Company’s stock. The address offor APLP, Artisan Investments, Artisan Holdings, and APAM is 875 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 800, Milwaukee, WI 53202. Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings.

(4)

(6)

Based solely on the most recent transparency notification filed by The Vanguard Group, Inc. with the AFM as of February 28, 2022.20, 2024. Consists of 1,718,968 ordinary1,978,464 shares and 678,953 depository receipts.(on which, according to the AFM filing, no voting rights can be exercised by this shareholder). Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings. The address of BlackRock,for The Vanguard Group, Inc. is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055.the Vanguard Group, 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355.

(5)

(7)

Based solely on the most recent transparency notification filed with the AFM as of February 28, 2022.20, 2024. Consists of 1,978,464 shares.voting rights on 119,041 ordinary shares and 1,765,665 ADSs. Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings.

(6)

(8)

Based solely on (1) the most recent transparency notification filed with the AFM as of February 28, 2022 and (2) the 13G/A filed with the SEC on December 10, 2019. Consists of 1,522,200 ordinary shares and 372,801 ADSs. Represents shares beneficially owned by registered investment companies and separate accounts advised by subsidiaries of Federated Investors, Inc. that have been delegated the power to direct investment and power to vote the securities by the registered investment companies’ board of trustees or directors and by the separate accounts’ principals. All of the voting securities of Federated Investors, Inc. are held in the Voting Shares Irrevocable Trust, the trustees of which are Thomas R. Donahue, Rhodora J Donahue, and J. Christopher Donahue. The address of Federated Investors, Inc. is Federated Investors Tower, Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3779.
(7)

Based solely on the most recent transparency notification filed with the AFM as of February 28, 2022.20, 2024. Consists of 1,766,899 shares.10,882 ordinary shares and 1,773,841 ADSs. Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings.

(8)

(9)

Based solely on the most recent transparency notification filed with the AFM as of February 20, 2024. Consists of 0 ordinary shares and voting rights on 1,520,216 ordinary shares and 257,347 ADSs. Other information regarding this shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our shares is not known to us or, to our knowledge, ascertainable from public filings.

(10)

Consists of 87,500109,986 ordinary shares (of which 71,986 ordinary shares are held by Mr. Van Hauwermeiren directly and 236,94438,000 ordinary shares are held indirectly by Mr. Van Hauwermeiren’s partner, Ms. Vissers, who holds the interest in these ordinary shares through an entity, Stichting Administratiekantoor Cinclus, which in turn holds the interest in these ordinary shares through the Belgian civil company (société civile/burgerlijke maatschap) “TVHNV”), and 240,555 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(9)

(11)

Consists of 50,8171,227 ordinary shares and 123,757 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024 (of which 12,445 stock options are subject to a mirror option contract pursuant to which the counterparty has the right to buy the shares underlying these stock options at the strike price as soon as these stock options become exercisable, subject to the specific terms of the contract).

(10)

(12)

Consists of 25,4163,307 ordinary shares and 17,80271,333 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(11)

(13)

Consists of 32,2222,959 ordinary shares (including 500 ADSs) and 31,333 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(12)

(14)

Consists of 34,722450 ordinary shares and 42,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

158

(13)

(15)

Consists of 36,062450 ordinary shares and 40,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

165

(14)

(16)

Consists of 27,222450 ordinary shares and 37,480 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(15)

(17)

Consists of 86,1111,631 ordinary shares and 27,111 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(16)

(18)

Consists of 15,910515 ordinary shares and 365,95027,208 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024 (of which 4,566 stock options are subject to a mirror option contract pursuant to which the counterparty has the right to buy the shares underlying these stock options at the strike price as soon as these stock options become exercisable, subject to the specific terms of the contract).

(17)

(19)

Consists 186,111of 8,500 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024 and 1,350 shares issuable upon the settlement of restricted stock units vesting within 60 days of February 20, 2024.

(18)

(20)

Consists of 81,212450 ordinary shares and 21,500 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024.

(19)

(21)

Consists of 9,042299 ordinary shares and 17,335 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022.20, 2024 (of which 6,083 stock options are subject to a mirror option contract pursuant to which the counterparty has the right to buy the shares underlying these stock options at the strike price as soon as these stock options become exercisable, subject to the specific terms of the contract).

(20)

(22)

Includes 1,164,217Consists of 225 ordinary shares.

(23)

Consists of 225 ordinary shares.

(24)

Consists of 600 ordinary shares and 4,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 28, 2022 held by directors20, 2024.

(25)

Consists of 131 shares issuable upon the settlement of RSUs vesting within 60 days of February 20, 2024.

(26)

Consists of 450 ordinary shares and senior management, as described in notes 8 through 19 above10,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options that are immediately exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of February 20, 2024.

Each of our shareholders is entitled to one vote per ordinary share. None of the holders of our shares have different voting rights from other holders of shares.

As of the date of this Annual Report, we are not directly or indirectly owned or controlled by any shareholder, whether individually or acting in concert. We are not aware of any arrangement that may, at a subsequent date, result in a change of control of our company.the Company.

The number of record holders in the United StatesU.S. is not representative of the number of beneficial holders nor is it representative of where such beneficial holders are resident since many of these ordinary shares were held by brokers or other nominees. As of March 16, 2021,February 20, 2024, assuming that all of our ordinary shares represented by ADSs are held by residents of the United States,U.S., we estimate that approximately 75%53.61% of our outstanding ordinary shares were held in the United StatesU.S. by approximately 188one institutional holdersholder of record.

To our knowledge, and other than changes in percentage ownership as a result of the shares issued in connection with our initial and follow-on U.S. public offerings or publicly disclosed in AFM filings and any amendments thereof, there has been no significant change in the percentage ownership held by the major shareholders listed above, except as set forth below. On January 31, 2018, we received a transparency notification from Forbion Capital Fund II Coöperatief U.A. indicating that as a result of the sale of its entire position, its shareholding has decreased below the 3% notification threshold of argenx’s voting rights. Per its transparency notification dated January 10, 2018, Bank of America reported total shareholdings of over 6% of argenx’s voting rights. On March 14, 2018, we received a transparency notification from Bank of America Corporation indicating that as a result of the sale of nearly all of its position, its shareholding has decreased below the 3% notification threshold of argenx’s voting rights. On September 21, 2018, we received a transparency notification from Shire plc indicating that as a result of the sale of its shares, its shareholding has decreased below the 3% notification threshold of argenx’s voting rights. On January 24, 2019, we received a transparency notification from Perceptive Advisors LLC indicating that as a result of the increased number of argenx’s outstanding shares, its shareholding has decreased below the 3% notification threshold of argenx’s voting rights. On February 15, 2019, we received a transparency notification from LSP IV Management B.V. indicating that as a result of the sale of its shares, its shareholding has decreased below the 3% notification threshold of argenx’s voting rights.above.

B.       RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Since January��1, 2019, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any material transaction or series of similar material transactionsAs described under Item 4.B. “Business OverviewOur Exclusive License with Halozyme for ENHANZE®,  we are party to whichthe ENHANZE License Agreement and may be required to make certain payments to Halozyme. In fiscal year 2022, we were or are a partymade $2.1 million in which any ofpayments to Halozyme pursuant to the members of our board of directors or senior management, holders of more than 10% of any class of our voting securities, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, otherENHANZE License Agreement. Our non-executive

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thandirector Mr. Daly is also a non-executive member of the compensationboard of directors of Halozyme. Mr. Daly did not participate in any discussions and shareholding arrangements we describe indecision making relating to the sections of this Annual Report titled “Item 6.B.—Compensation” and “Item 7.A.—Major Shareholders,” and the transactions we describe below.ENHANZE License Agreement.

Agreements with Our Senior ManagementManagement.

There are no arrangements or understandings in place with major shareholders, customers, suppliers or others pursuant to which any member of our Board of Directors or senior management team has been appointed.

We have entered into a management agreement with Tim Van Hauwermeiren as our Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer isCEO, our sole executive director. The key terms of his agreement are as followsfollows:

    

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

    

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

Base salary

$

651,986

$

655,787

Cash bonus

maximum 60% of base salary based

maximum 60% of base salary based on previously determined bonus targets established by the non‑executive directors

on previously determined bonus

targets established by the

non‑executive directors

Pension contributions(1)

$

26,894

$

22,821

Duration

Indefinite

Indefinite

(1)Amounts shown represent pension contributions paid during the year-ended December 31, 2021.2023.

We may terminate Mr. Van Hauwermeiren'sHauwermeiren’s services upon 18 months'months’ notice, or payment of 18 months'months’ pro-rated base compensation in lieu of notice. Mr. Van Hauwermeiren would be entitled to the same payment in lieu of notice in the event he terminates his services with us in circumstances in which it cannot reasonably be expected for him to continue providing services to us (and after our failure to remedy such conditions after being provided at least 14 days'days’ notice). Mr. Van Hauwermeiren would also be entitled to payment in lieu of notice in the event he terminated his services with us in certain cases of our failure to comply with obligations under applicable law or his agreement (and after our failure to remedy such non-compliance, if non-deliberate, after being provided at least 14 days'days’ notice). In these cases, there will be a full acceleration of the vesting of any outstanding stock options held by Mr. Van Hauwermeiren. There will be no notice period or payment in lieu of notice in certain cases of Mr. Van Hauwermeiren'sHauwermeiren’s failure to comply with obligations under applicable law or his agreement. Mr. Van Hauwermeiren may be dismissed immediately as an executive director.

Karl Gubitz, our Chief Financial Officer,CFO, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV,US Inc., for an indefinite term. His employment contract may be terminated at any time by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.

Keith Woods, our Chief Operating Officer, hasCOO, had an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx US Inc., for an indefinite term. His employment contract ended in March 2023.

Karen Massey, our COO, joined argenx in March 2023 and has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx Switzerland SA, for an indefinite term.

Peter Ulrichts, our chief scientific officer, since January 2023, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term.

Arjen Lemmen, our vice president corporate development and strategy, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term. We may be terminatedterminate his employment contract at any time, by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.

Mr. Lemmen entered into a secondment agreement with argenx BV, under which Mr. Lemmen has been seconded from argenx BV to argenx US in the U.S. from August 1, 2022 until on or about July 31, 2024 (unless otherwise extended by the parties). In connection with his secondment, Mr. Lemmen receives a housing, schooling and cost of living allowance.

Wim Parys,Andria Wilk, our Chief Medical Officer,global head of quality, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term. His employment contract may be terminated at any time by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.

Hans de Haard, our Chief Scientific Officer, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term. His employment contract may be terminated at any time by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.

Arjen Lemmen, our VP Corporate Development & Strategy, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term. His employment contract may be terminated at any time by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.

Dirk Beeusaert, our General Counsel until December 31, 2021, has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV, for an indefinite term. His employment contract may be terminated at any time by us,

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subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months. Mr. Beeusaert has retired per December 31, 2021 and has since been succeeded by Malini Moorthy, as from February 14, 2022.

Andria Wilk, our Global Head of Quality,general counsel has an employment contract with our subsidiary, argenx BV,US, for an indefinite term. HerMs. Moorthy has also entered into a secondment agreement with argenx US, under which Ms. Moorthy has been seconded from argenx US to argenx BV and is based in Belgium for the period of April 1, 2023 through December 31, 2024 (unless otherwise extended by the parties).

Luc Truyen, our head of research and development management operations and our chief medical officer, has an employment contract may be terminated at any timewith our subsidiary, argenx US, for an indefinite term. Mr. Truyen entered into a secondment agreement with argenx US, under which Mr. Truyen has been seconded from argenx US to argenx BV and is based in Belgium for the period of April 1, 2022 through November 30, 2026 (unless otherwise extended by us, subject to a notice period and a severance payment of at least 12 months.the parties).

Indemnification Agreements

In connection with our initial U.S. public offering, we entered into indemnification agreements with each of our non-executive directors and each member of our senior management. We have entered into such agreements with each new non-executive director or member of our senior management when they have joined us since our initial U.S. public offering. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to non-executive directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Transactions with Related Companies

From time to time, in the ordinary course of our business, we may contract for services from companies in which certain of the members of our senior management or directors may serve as director or advisor. The costcosts of these services isare negotiated on an at arm’s length basis and none of these arrangements are material to us.

Related Party Transactions Policy

In connection with our initial U.S. public offering, we entered into a related party transaction policy. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Code of Conduct) and our Board Rules also include specific rules of transactions with related parties.

C.       INTERESTS OF EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

Not applicable.

ITEM 8.      FINANCIAL INFORMATION

A.       CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Consolidated financial statements

Our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB, are appended at the end of this Annual Report, starting at page F-1, and incorporated herein by reference.

Legal proceedings

From time to time we may become involved in legal, governmental or arbitration proceedings or be subject to claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not presently a party to any legal, governmental or arbitration proceeding. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors. During the previous 12 months, there have not been any legal, governmental or arbitration proceedings (including any such proceedings which are pending or threatened of which we are aware) which may have, or have had in the recent past, significant effects on argenx and/or the Group’s financial position or profitability.

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Dividend Distribution Policy

WeOur Board of Directors has declared a series of interim distributions on account of the Company’s freely distributable reserves for such amounts as was required to pay up the aggregate nominal value of all such shares that were issued to holders of vested RSUs, all in accordance with our Equity Incentive Plan. In accordance with Dutch law, our Board of Directors prepared and filed an interim simplified balance sheet demonstrating that there were sufficient freely distributable reserves for such interim distributions. Such interim simplified balance sheet was filed with the Dutch trade register. The aggregate amount of these interim distributions amounted to approximately €6,600 ($7,300) in 2023.

Other than these interim distributions, we have not paid or declared any cash dividends on our ordinary shares, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. All of our outstanding shares have the same dividend rights. We intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and expansion of our business.

Even if future operations lead to significant levels of distributable profits, we currently intend that any earnings will be reinvested in our business and that cash dividends will not be paid until we have an established revenue stream to support continuing cash dividends. In addition, payment of any future dividends to shareholders would be subject to shareholder approval at oura General Meeting, upon proposal

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our Board of the board of directors,Directors, which proposal would be subject to the approval of the majority of the non-executive directors after taking into account various factors including our business prospects, cash requirements, financial performance and new product development. In addition, payment of future cash dividends may be made only if our shareholders’ equity exceeds the sum of our paid-in and called-up share capital plus the reserves required to be maintained by Dutch law or by our

Our Articles of Association.Association, as available on our website, contain the provision on the distribution of profits in Article 20 (Profits, distributions and losses).

B.      SIGNIFICANT CHANGES

Please see Note 32 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report forFor details regarding events subsequent to the reporting period.period, please see Note 32—Events after the balance sheet date in our consolidated financial statements which are appended to our Annual Report for the period ended December 31, 2023 and which are incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 9.      THE OFFER AND LISTING

A.       OFFER AND LISTING DETAILS

Our ADSs have been listedSee Item 4.A. “Information on the Nasdaq Global Select Market underCompanyHistory and Development of the symbol “ARGX” since May 18, 2017. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our ADSs. Our ordinary shares have been trading on Euronext Brussels under the symbol “ARGX” since July 2014. Prior to that date, there was no public trading market for our ADSs or our ordinary shares. Our initial U.S. public offering in May 2017 was priced at $17.00 per ADS.Company”.

B.       PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

Not applicable.

C.       MARKETS

The ADSs have been listed on NASDAQNasdaq under the symbol “ARGX” since May 18, 2017, and our ordinary shares have been listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol “ARGX” since July 2014.

D.       SELLING SHAREHOLDERS

Not applicable.

E.       DILUTION

Not applicable.

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F.        EXPENSES OF THE ISSUE

Not applicable.

ITEM 10.     ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A.      SHARE CAPITAL

Not applicable.

B.      MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

The information set forth in our Registration Statement on Form F-3ASR (File No. 333-258251)Corporate Objectives

Please see Exhibit 2.3—Corporate Objectives, automatically effective upon filing with the SEC on July 29, 2021, under the heading “Description of Share Capital” is incorporated herein by referencereference.

Directors

Conflict of Interest

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Board Members—Corporate Objectives”, incorporated herein by reference.

Remuneration

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Board Members—Remuneration”, incorporated herein by reference.

Borrowing Powers

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Board Members—Borrowing Powers”, incorporated herein by reference.

Rights, Preferences and Restrictions of Shares

Dividends and Other Distributions

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Dividends and Other Distributions”, incorporated herein by reference.

Voting Rights

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Shareholders’ Meetings and ConsentsQuorum and Voting Requirements” and “Exhibit 2.3—Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law, our Articles of Association and Board of Directors By-Laws and DGCLVoting Rights”, incorporated herein by reference.

Rights to Share in Company Profits

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Dividends and Other Distributions—Rights to Share in Company Profits”, incorporated herein by reference.

Right to Surplus In the Event of Liquidation

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Dividends and Other Distributions—Right to Surplus In the Event of Liquidation., incorporated herein by reference.

162170

Redemption Provisions

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Dividends and Other Distributions—Redemption Provisions, incorporated herein by reference.

Amendment of Articles of Association

Please see “Exhibit 2.3—Articles of Association and Dutch Law—Dividends and Other Distributions—Redemption Provisions, incorporated herein by reference.

Shareholders’ Meetings and Consents

General Meetings, Voting Rights, and Admission

General Meetings are held at the place where the Company has its official seat, in Amsterdam or at Schiphol Airport (municipality of Haarlemmermeer), the Netherlands. The Articles of Association provide that at least one annual General Meeting shall be held within six months after the close of each fiscal year. Additional extraordinary General Meetings may be held whenever our Board of Directors deems such to be necessary. Shareholders representing alone or in aggregate at least one-tenth of our issued and outstanding share capital may, pursuant to the DCC, request that a General Meeting be convened. If our Board of Directors has not taken the steps necessary to ensure that a General Meeting will be held within the relevant statutory period after the request, the requesting persons may, at his/her/their request, be authorized by a court in preliminary relief proceedings to convene a General Meeting. The court shall disallow the application if it does not appear that the applicants have previously requested our Board of Directors to convene a General Meeting and our Board of Directors has not taken the necessary steps so that a General Meeting could be held within six weeks after the request.

Within three months of it becoming apparent to our Board of Directors that our equity has decreased to an amount equal to or lower than one-half of the paid-in and called-up capital, a General Meeting would be held to discuss any requisite measures.

We will give notice of any General Meeting by publication on our website and furthermore, to the extent required, in another manner in accordance with the applicable stock exchange regulations. The notice convening any General Meeting must include, among other items, an agenda indicating the place and date of the meeting, the items for discussion and voting, the proceedings for registration including the registration date, as well as any proposals for the agenda made by the Board of Directors or shareholders holding at least 3% of the issued share capital. For an annual General Meeting, the agenda shall include, among other things, the adoption of the annual accounts, appropriation of our profits and proposals relating to the composition of our Board of Directors, including the filling of any vacancies in our Board of Directors.

Pursuant to Dutch law, shareholders holding at least 3% of our issued and outstanding share capital have a right to request our Board of Directors to include items on the agenda of any General Meeting. Our Board of Directors must agree to these requests, provided that (i) the request was made in writing and motivated, and (ii) the request was received by the Chair of our Board of Directors at least 60 days prior to the date of a General Meeting.

No resolutions shall be adopted on items other than those which have been included in the agenda. In accordance with the DCGC, a shareholder may include an item on the agenda only after consulting our Board of Directors in that respect. If one or more shareholders intends to request that an item be put on the agenda that may result in a change in the company’s strategy, our Board of Directors may invoke a response time of a maximum of 180 days until the day of a General Meeting. In addition, pursuant to the DCC, our Board of Directors may invoke a statutory

171

cooling-off period up to a maximum of 250 days (wettelijke bedenktijd). For the Company, this means that the new rules will apply in case:

shareholders requesting our Board of Directors to have a General Meeting consider a proposal for the appointment, suspension or dismissal of one or more directors, or a proposal for the amendment of one or more provisions in the Articles of association relating thereto; or
a public offering of shares in the capital of the Company is announced or made without the bidder and the Company having been reached agreement about the offering; and
only if our Board of Directors also considers the relevant situation to be substantially contrary to the interests of the Company and its affiliated enterprises.

If our Board of Directors invokes such a cooling-off period, this causes the powers of the General Meeting to appoint, suspend or dismiss directors (and to amend the Articles of Association in this respect) to be suspended.

General Meetings are presided over by the chairperson or, if he/she is absent, by the vice chairperson of the Board of Directors. If both the chairperson and the vice chairperson are absent, the non-executive directors present at the meeting shall appoint one of them to be chairperson. Board members may attend a General Meeting. In these meetings, they have an advisory vote. The chairperson of the meeting may decide at his/her discretion to admit other persons to the meeting.

The external auditor of the Company shall attend a General Meeting in which the annual accounts are discussed.

Our Board of Directors must give notice of a General Meeting, by at least such number of days prior to the day of the meeting as required by Dutch law, which is currently forty-two days.

Shareholders (as well as other persons with voting rights or meeting rights) may attend a General Meeting, to address the General Meeting and, in so far as they have such right, to exercise voting rights pro rata to its shareholding, either in person or by proxy. Shareholders may exercise these rights, if they are the holders of shares on the registration date which is currently the 28th day before the day of a General Meeting, and they or their proxy have notified our Board of Directors of their intention to attend a General Meeting in writing at the address and by the date specified in the notice of said meeting.

All shareholders, and each usufructuary and pledgee to whom the right to vote on our shares accrues, are entitled, in person or represented by a proxy authorized in writing, to attend and address a General Meeting and exercise voting rights pro rata to their shareholding. Shareholders may exercise their rights if they are the holders of our shares on the record date as required by Dutch law, which is currently the 28th day before the day of a General Meeting, and they or their proxy have notified us of their intention to attend such General Meeting in writing or by any other electronic means that can be reproduced on paper ultimately at a date set for that purpose by our Board of Directors which date may not be earlier than the seventh day prior to such General Meeting, specifying such person’s name and the number of shares for which such person may exercise the voting rights and/or meeting rights at such General Meeting. The convocation notice shall state the record date and the manner in which the persons entitled to attend a General Meeting may register and exercise their rights.

Each ordinary share confers the right on the holder to cast one vote at the General Meeting. Shareholders may vote by proxy. The voting rights attached to any shares held by us are suspended as long as they are held in treasury. Nonetheless, the holders of a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) in shares belonging to another and the holders of a right of pledge in respect of ordinary shares held by us are not excluded from any right they may have to vote on such ordinary shares, if the right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or the right of pledge was granted prior to the time such ordinary share was acquired by us. We may not cast votes in respect of a share in respect of which there is a right of usufruct (vruchtgebruik) or a right of pledge. Shares which are not entitled to voting rights pursuant to the preceding sentences

172

will not be taken into account for the purpose of determining the number of shareholders that vote and that are present or represented, or the amount of the share capital that is provided or that is represented at a General Meeting.

Decisions of the General Meeting are taken by an absolute majority of votes cast, except where Dutch law or the Articles of Association provide for a qualified majority or unanimity. In accordance with Dutch law and generally accepted business practices, our Articles of Association do not provide quorum requirements generally applicable to a General Meeting. To this extent, our practice varies from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(c), which requires an issuer to provide in its bylaws for a generally applicable quorum, and that such quorum may not be less than one-third of the outstanding voting stock.

Members of our Board of Directors may attend a General Meeting in which they have an advisory role. The voting rights attached to shares are suspended as long as such shares are held by us.

Two General Meetings were held in 2023.

On February 27, 2023, an extraordinary General Meeting was held, to appoint Steve Krognes as a non-executive director to the Board of Directors for a term ending on the 2027 annual General Meeting.

At the 2023 General Meeting, our annual report and annual accounts for the fiscal year 2022 were approved, Mr. J. Donald deBethizy was reappointed as a non-executive director to the Board of Directors for a term of two years, and the Board of Directors was authorized to issue shares and grant rights to subscribe for shares in our share capital for up to 10% of the outstanding share capital at the date of the meeting and for a period of 18 months from the meeting and to limit or exclude statutory pre-emptive rights with regard to such (rights to subscribe for) shares, and the appointment of Deloitte Accountants B.V. as the Company’s auditor for the 2023 fiscal year was approved.

Limitations on the Right to Own Securities

Please see Exhibit 2.3—Limitations on the Right to Own Securities, incorporated herein by reference.

Comparison of Dutch Corporation Law, our Articles of Association and Board By-Laws and U.S. Corporate Law

Please see Exhibit 2.3—Comparison of Dutch Corporate Law, our Articles of Association and Board of Directors By-Laws and DGCL, incorporated herein by reference.

Change in the Capital

Please see Exhibit 2.3—Change in the Capital, incorporated herein by reference.

C.      MATERIAL CONTRACTS

For additional information on our material contracts, please see the sections of this Annual Report titled “Item 4—Item 4 “Information on the Company “Item, Item 7.A.Major Shareholders, and “ItemItem 7.B.Related Party Transactions.Transactions.

D.      EXCHANGE CONTROLS

Under the Dutch law, subject to the 1977 Sanction Act (Sanctiewet 1977)(Sanctiewet 1977) or otherwise by international sanctions, there are no exchange control restrictions on investments in, or payments on, Sharesshares (except as to cash amounts). There are no special restrictions in theour Articles of Association or Dutch law that limit the right of Shareholdersshareholders who are not citizens or residents of the Netherlands to hold or vote Shares.shares.

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E.      TAXATION

This summary does not consider your particular circumstances. We urge you to consult your own independent tax advisors about the income, capital gains and/or transfer tax consequences to you in light of your particular circumstances of purchasing, holding and disposing of ordinary shares or ADSs.

Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations tofor U.S. Holders

The following discussion is a summary under present law of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership and disposition of ADSs by a U.S. holder (as defined below). This summary addresses only the U.S. federal income tax considerations for U.S. holders that hold ADSs as capital assets (generally, property held for U.S. federal income tax purposes within the meaning of Section 1221 ofinvestment) and use the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986,dollar as amended (the Code).their functional currency. This summary does not address all U.S. federal income tax matters that may be relevant to a particular U.S. holder.holder and is not a substitute for tax advice. This summary does not address tax considerations applicable to a holder of ADSs that may be subject to special tax rules including, without limitation, banks, financial institutions or insurance companies, brokers, dealers or traders in securities, currencies, commodities, or notional principal contracts, traders in securities that elect to mark-to-market, tax-exempt entities or organizations, including “individual retirement accounts” or “Roth IRAs”, real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies, persons that hold the following:

banks, financial institutions or insurance companies;
brokers, dealers or traders in securities, currencies, commodities, or notional principal contracts;
tax-exempt entities or organizations, including an “individual retirement account” or “Roth IRA” as defined in Section 408 or 408A of the Code, respectively;
real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies or grantor trusts;
persons that hold the ADSs as part of a “hedging,” “integrated” or “conversion” transaction or as a position in a “straddle” for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
partnerships (including entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entities (including S corporations), or persons that will hold the ADSs through such an entity;
certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;
persons that received the ADSs as compensation for the performance of services;
persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to the shares being taken into account in an applicable financial statement;
holders that own directly, indirectly, or through attribution 10% or more of the voting power or value of our ordinary shares and ADSs; and
holders that have a “functional currency” for U.S. federal income tax purposes other than the USD.

163

Further, thisa “hedging,” “integrated” or “conversion” transaction or as a position in a “straddle”, partnerships (including entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entities (including S-corporations), or persons that will hold the ADSs through such an entity, certain former citizens or long-term residents of the U.S., persons that received the ADSs as compensation for the performance of services, persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to the shares being taken into account in an applicable financial statement, and holders that own directly, indirectly, or through attribution 10% or more of the voting power or value of our ordinary shares and ADSs. This summary does not address U.S. federal taxes other than the income tax (such as the Medicare surtax on net investment income, the estate, gift, or alternative minimum tax considerations,tax), any election to apply Section 1400Z-2 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) to gains recognized with respect to ADSs, or any U.S. state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations of the ownership and disposition of ADSs.

This description is based on the Code; existing, proposed and temporary U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, administrative and judicial interpretations thereof; and the income tax treaties between the Netherlands and the United States, and Belgium and the United States, in each case as in effect and available on the date hereof. All the foregoing is subject to change, which change could apply retroactively, and to differing interpretations, all of which could affect the tax considerations described below. There can be no assurances that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the IRS), will not take a contrary or different position concerning the tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares or that such a position would not be sustained. Holders should consult their own tax advisors concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of owning and disposing of ADSs in their particular circumstances.

For the purposes of this summary, a “U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of ADSs that is (or is treated as), for U.S. federal income tax purposes:purposes, (i) an individual who is a U.S. citizen or resident, (ii) a corporation, or any other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S., any state thereof, or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or a trust, if a court within the U.S. is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the substantial decisions of such trust.

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation, or other entity that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;
an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or
a trust, if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of the substantial decisions of such trust or have a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

If a partnership (or any other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds ADSs, the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to an investment in those ADSs will depend in part upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Such a partner orA partnership that holds ADSs should consult its tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations for it and for its partners of owning and disposing of ADSs in its and their particular circumstances.

In general, a U.S. holder whothat owns ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner of the underlying shares represented by those ADSs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, no gain or loss will generally be recognized if a U.S. holder exchanges ADSs for the underlying shares represented by those ADSs.

As indicated below, this discussion is subject to U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to a “passive foreign investment company” (PFIC), discussed under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

Persons considering an investment in the ADSs should consult their own tax advisorstaxad visors as to the particular tax consequences applicable to them relating to the ownership and disposition of ADSs, including the applicability of U.S. federal, state and local tax laws and non-U.S. tax laws.

Distributions.

Although we do not currently plan to pay dividends, and subject to the discussion under “—Item 10.E. “Taxation —Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. HoldersPassive Foreign Investment Company Considerations”Considerations below, the gross amount of any distribution (before reduction for any amounts withheld indistributions paid with respect ofto our ordinary shares including Dutch or

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Belgian withholding tax)tax withheld therefrom, if any (other than pro rata distribution), generally will be included in a U.S. holder’s gross income as foreign source ordinary dividend income when actually or constructively received by a U.S. holder with respect to ADSs will be taxable to the U.S. holder as a dividend to the extent of the U.S. holder’s pro rata sharesuch distribution is paid out of our current and accumulated earnings and profits as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a non-taxable to the U.S. holder to the extentreturn of capital and will be applied against and reduce, the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in ADSs. DistributionsADSs (but not below zero) and distributions in

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excess of earnings and profits and sucha U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis will generally be taxable to the U.S. holder as either long-term or short-term capital gain depending upon whether the U.S. holder has held the ADSs for more than one year as of the time such distribution is received. However, since we do not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, it is expected that any distribution will be reported as a dividend, even if that distribution would otherwise be treated as a non-taxable return of capital or as capital gain undergain.

Our dividends will not be eligible for the rules described above. Non-corporatedividends-received deduction generally allowed to U.S. corporations. Dividends paid to non-corporate U.S. holders that satisfy a minimum holding period (during which they are not protected from the risk of loss) and certain other requirements may qualify for the preferential favorable tax rates of taxation with respect to dividends on ADSs applicable to long-term capital gains (i.e., gains from the sale of capital assets held for more than one year) applicable to qualified dividend income, (as discussed below) ifprovided that we are a “qualified foreign corporation” and certain other requirements (discussed below)we are met. A non-U.S. corporation (other than a corporation that is classified asnot a PFIC foras to the non-corporate U.S. holder in the taxable year in whichof the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) generallyyear. A qualified foreign corporation includes a non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaties with the U.S. A non-U.S. corporation also will be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation with respect to any dividend it pays on shares which are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States.U.S. Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq, Global Select Market, which is an established securities market in the United States,U.S., and we expect our ADSs to be readily tradable on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.Nasdaq. However, there can be no assurance that the ADSs will be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in the United StatesU.S. in any taxable year. Therefore,U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules given their particular circumstances.

If dividends are subject to the discussion under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations” below, such dividends will generally be “qualified dividend income” in the hands of non-corporate U.S. holders, provided that a holding period requirement (more than 60 days of ownership, without protection from the risk of loss, during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date) and certain other requirements are met. The dividends will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to corporate U.S. holders.

A U.S. holder generally may claim the amount of any Dutch or Belgian withholding tax, as eithera U.S. holder may be entitled, subject to generally applicable limitations, to claim a U.S. foreign tax credit for Dutch or Belgian withholding tax imposed at the appropriate rate. U.S. holders who do not elect to claim a credit for any foreign income taxes paid or accrued during the taxable year may instead claim a deduction from gross income or a credit against U.S. federal income tax liability. However,of such taxes. The rules relating to the foreign tax credit is subjectare complex and recent changes to numerous complex limitations that must be determined and applied on an individual basis. Generally, the credit cannot exceed the proportionate share of a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability that such U.S. holder’s taxable income bears to such U.S. holder’s worldwide taxable income. In applying this limitation, a U.S. holder’s various items of income and deduction must be classified, under complex rules, as either “foreign source” or “U.S. source.” In addition, this limitation is calculated separately with respect to specific categories of income. The amount of a distribution with respect to the ADSs that is treated as a “dividend” may be lower for U.S. federal income tax purposes than it is for Dutch or Belgian income tax purposes, potentially resulting in a reduced foreign tax credit for the U.S. holder. Furthermore, Dutchrules that apply to foreign taxes paid or Belgian income taxes withheldaccrued in excess of the rate applicable under the income tax treaty between the Netherlands or Belgiumtaxable years beginning after December 27, 2021 introduced additional requirements and the United States will not be eligible for credit against U.S. holders’ federal income tax liability.limitations. Each U.S. holder should consult its own tax advisors regarding the foreign tax credit rules.

In general, the amount of a distribution paid to a U.S. holder in a foreign currency will be the dollar value of the foreign currency calculated by reference to the spotapplicable exchange rate on the day the U.S. holder receives the distribution, regardless of whether the foreign currency is converted into USDs at that time. Any foreign currency gain or loss a U.S. holder realizes on a subsequent conversion of foreign currency into USDs will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss. If dividends received in a foreign currency are converted into USDs on the day they are received, a U.S. holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend.

Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of ADSs.ADSs

Subject to the discussion under Item 10.E. “Taxation—Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. HoldersPassive Foreign Investment Company Considerations A below, a U.S. holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes uponno the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of ADSs in an amount equal to the difference between the USD value of the amount realized from such sale or exchange and the U.S. holder’s taxadjusted basis for those ADSs. Subject toin the discussion under “—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations” below, this gain or loss will generally be a capital gain or loss.ADSs, each amount determined in USD. The adjusted tax basis in ADSs generally will be equal to the USD cost of such ADSs. CapitalAny such capital gain fromor loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for such ADSs exceeds one year as of the date of sale exchange or other taxable disposition of ADSs ofdisposition. Long-term capital realized by a non-corporate U.S. holder is generally eligible for a preferential rate of taxation applicable to capital gains, if the non-corporate U.S. holder’s holding period determined at the time of such sale, exchange or other taxable disposition for such ADSs exceeds one year (i.e., such gain is long-term taxable gain).reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses for U.S. federal income tax purposes is subject to certain limitations. Any such gain or loss that a U.S. holder recognizes generally will be treated as U.S. source income or loss for foreign tax credit limitation purposes.

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For a cash basis taxpayer, units of foreign currency paid or received are translated into USDs at the spot rate on the settlement date of the purchase or sale. In that case, no foreign currency exchange gain or loss will result from currency fluctuations between the trade date and the settlement date of such a purchase or sale. An accrual basis taxpayer, however, may elect the same treatment required of cash basis taxpayers with respect to purchases and sales of the ADSs that are traded on an established securities market, provided the election is applied consistently from year to year. Such election may not be changed without the consent of the IRS. For an accrual basis taxpayer that does not make such an election, units of foreign currency paid or received are translated into USDs at the spot rate on the trade date of the purchase or sale. Such an accrual basis taxpayer may recognize exchange gain or loss based on currency fluctuations between the trade date and the settlement date. Any foreign currency gain or loss a U.S. holder realizes will be U.S. source ordinary income or loss.

Net Investment Income Tax. Certain U.S. holders that are individuals, estates or trusts are subject to a 3.8% tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which may include all or a portion of their dividend income and net gains from the disposition of ADSs. Each U.S. holder that is an individual, estate or trust is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the applicability of the Net Investment Income Tax to its income and gains in respect of its investment in ADSs.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations. If we areConsiderations

In general, a non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year, a U.S. holder would be subject to special rules generally intended to reduce or eliminate any benefits from the deferral of U.S. federal income tax that a U.S. holder could derive from investing in a non-U.S. company that does not distribute all of its earnings on a current basis.

A corporation organized outside the U.S. generally will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules with respect to certain dividends, rents, interest or royalties received from its affiliates and taking into account its proportionate share of the income and assets of its 25% or more owned subsidiaries, either: (i) at least 75% of its gross income is “passive income” or (ii) at least 50% of the average quarterly value of its total gross assets which, assuming we are treated as a publicly traded company for these purposes, may be determined by valuing our assets in part by reference to the market value of our ordinary shares and ADSs, (which is subject to change), is attributable to cash in excess of working capital requirements or assets that produce “passive income” or are held for the production of “passive income.”

income”. Passive income for this purpose generally includes dividends, interest, royalties, rents, gains from commodities and securities transactions, the excess of gains over losses from the disposition of assets which produce passive income, and includes amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of cash, including the funds raised in offerings of the ADSs. If a non-U.S. corporation owns directly or indirectly at least 25% by value of the stock of another corporation, the non-U.S. corporation is treated for purposes of the PFIC tests as owning its proportionate share of the assets of the other corporation and as receiving directly its proportionate share of the other corporation’s income for purposes of the PFIC tests. Ifincome. While we are classified as a PFIC for any year with respect to which a U.S. holder owns ADSs, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. holder in all succeeding years duringpublicly traded company for these purposes, the value of our assets, including goodwill and other intangibles, will be based on their fair market value, which the U.S. holder owns ADSs, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above.

Whether we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year will depend on the market value of our ordinary shares and ADSs, which are subject to change.

Based on our historic and anticipated operations, the composition of our income and the projected composition and estimated fair market values of our assets, in eachwe do not believe that we were a PFIC for our most recent taxable year and because thisdo not expect to be classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or for the foreseeable future. However, our possible status as a PFIC is a factual determination made annually after the endclose of each taxable year and, therefore, may be subject to change. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC for any taxable year.year in which a U.S. holder holds ADSs. The market value of our assets may be determined in large part by referenceCompany does not intend to the market price of our ordinary shares and ADSs, which is likely to fluctuate after a public offering. Based on the foregoing, we do not anticipate that we will be classified as a PFIC for the 2022 taxable year based upon the expected value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the expected composition of our income and assets, however, as previously mentioned, we cannot provide any assurances regarding ourannual assessments of its PFIC status for the current or any prior or future taxable years.status.

If we arewere to be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year then unless you make one of the elections described below,during which a special tax regime will apply to both (a) any “excess distribution” by us to you (generally, your ratable portion of distributions in any year which are greater than 125% of the average annual distribution received by you

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in the shorter of the three preceding years or your holding period for ADSs) and (b) anyU.S. holder owns ADSs, gain realizedrecognized on thea sale or other disposition (including certain pledges) of ADSs. Under this regime, any excess distribution and realized gain willsuch U.S. holder’s ADSs would be treated as ordinary income and will be subject to tax as if (a) the excess distribution or gain had been realizedallocated ratably over yoursuch U.S. holder’s holding period, (b) the amount deemed realized in each year had been subject to tax in each year of that holding period at the highest marginal rate for such year (other than incomeperiod. Amounts allocated to the current periodtaxable year of the sale or disposition and to any taxable periodyear before we became a PFIC whichwould be taxed as ordinary income and the amount allocated to each other taxable year would be subject to tax at the highest rate in effect for individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that taxable year, and an interest charge will be imposed on the resulting tax liability for each such year. In addition, to the extent that distributions received by a U.S. holder on its ADSs in any taxable year exceed 125% of the average of the annual distributions on such holder’s ADSs received during the preceding three taxable years (or, if shorter, the U.S. holder’s regular ordinary income rate forholding period), such excess distributions will be subject to taxation in the current year andsame manner. Furthermore, dividends that are not excess distributions would not be subject toeligible for the interest charge discussed below), and (c) the interest charge generallypreferential tax rate applicable to underpayments of tax had been imposed on the taxes deemed to have been payable in those years. In addition,qualified dividend distributions made to you will not qualify for the lower rates of taxation applicable to long-term capital gains discussed above under “—Distributions.”

Certain elections exist that would result in an alternative treatment (such as mark-to-market treatment) of ADSs. If a U.S. holder makes the mark-to- market election, the U.S. holder generally will recognize as ordinary income any excess of the fair market value of the ADSs at the end of each taxable year over their adjusted tax basis,received by individuals and will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of any excess of the adjusted tax basis of the ADSs over their fair market value at the end of the taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously included as a result of the mark-to-market election). If a U.S. holder makes the election, the U.S. holder’s tax basis in ADSs will be adjusted to reflect these income or loss amounts. Any gain recognized on the sale orcertain other disposition of the ADSs in a year when we are classified as a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as an ordinary loss (but only to the extent of the net amount of income previously included as a result of the mark-to-market election). The mark-to-market election is available only if we are classified as a PFIC and the ADSs are “regularly traded” on a “qualified exchange.” ADSs will be treated as “regularly traded” in any calendar year in which more than a de minimis quantity of ADSs are traded on a qualified exchange on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter (subject to the rule that trades that have as one of their principal purposes the meeting of the trading requirement as disregarded). Nasdaq is a qualified exchange for this purpose and, consequently, if the ADSs are regularly traded, the mark-to-market election will generally be available to a U.S. holder.

non-corporate persons.

If we are classified asthe Company is a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder holdsyou own ADSs, we mustthe Company will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC by that U.S. holderwith respect to you for all succeeding years during which the U.S. holder holdsyou own the ADSs, unless we ceaseeven if the Company ceases to meet the threshold requirements for PFIC status. Certain elections may be available that will result in alternative treatments (such as mark-to-market treatment) of the Shares. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors concerning the Company’s possible PFIC status and the U.S. holder makes a “deemed sale” election with respectconsequences to them if the ADSs. If such election is made, the U.S. holder will be deemed to have sold the ADSs it holds at their fair market value on the last day of the last taxable year in which we qualified as a PFIC, and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the consequences applicable to sales of PFIC shares described above. After the deemed sale election, the U.S. holder’s ADSs with respect to which the deemed sale election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC unless we subsequently become classified as a PFIC.

The tax consequences that would apply if weCompany were a PFIC would also be different from those described above if a U.S. holder were able to make a valid “qualified electing fund,” or QEF, election. However, we do not currently intend to provide the information necessary for U.S. holders to make a QEF election if we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, and prospective investors should assume that a QEF election will not be available. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors to determineincluding whether any of these above elections wouldwill be available, and, if so, what the consequences of the alternative treatments wouldwill be in theiryour particular circumstances.

If we are determined to be a PFIC, the general tax treatment for U.S. holders described in this section would apply to indirect distributions and gains deemed to be realized by U.S. holders in respect of any of our subsidiaries that also may be determined to be PFICs. We have not determined whether any of our subsidiaries are or may be lower tier PFICs for the current taxable year or future taxable years, and we do not intend to do so. We also do not intend to make available the information necessary for U.S. holders to make a QEF election with respect to any lower tier PFICs and therefore you should expect that you will not be able to make a QEF election with respect to them.

If a U.S. holder owns ADSs during any taxable year in which we are a PFIC, the U.S. holder generally will be required to file an IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment

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Company or Qualified Electing Fund) with respect to the company (and with respect to any of our subsidiaries that also may be classified as a PFICs), generally with the U.S. holder’s federal income tax return for that year. If our company were classified as a PFIC for a given taxable year, then you should consult your tax advisor concerning your annual filing requirements.

The U.S. federal income tax rules relating to PFICs are complex. Prospective U.S. investors are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the ownership and disposition of ADSs, the consequences to them of an investment in a PFIC, any elections available with respect to our ordinary shares and the IRS information reporting obligations with respect to the ownership and disposition of the ADSs.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting.Reporting

U.S. holders generally will be subject to information reporting requirements with respect to dividends on ADSs and on the proceeds from the sale, exchange or disposition of the ADSs that are paid within the United StatesU.S. or through U.S.- related financial intermediaries, unless the U.S. holder is ana corporation or other “exempt recipient.” In addition, U.S. holders may be subject to backup withholding on such payments, unless the U.S. holder provides a correct taxpayer identification number and a duly executed IRS Form W-9 or otherwise establishes an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and the amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

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Foreign Asset Reporting.Reporting

Certain U.S. holders who are individuals and certain entities controlled by individuals may be required to report information relating to an interest in ADSs, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for shares held in accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions) by filing IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) with their federal income tax return. Investors who fail to report required information could become subject to substantial penalties. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding their information reporting obligations, if any, with respect to their ownership and disposition of the ADSs.

THE DISCUSSION ABOVE IS A GENERAL SUMMARY. IT DOES NOT COVER ALL TAX MATTERS THAT MAY BE OF IMPORTANCE TO A PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO IT OF AN INVESTMENT IN THE ADSs IN LIGHT OF THE INVESTOR’S OWN CIRCUMSTANCES.

Material Dutch Tax Consequences

The following summary outlines certain material Dutch tax consequences in connection with the acquisition, ownership and disposal of the ADSs. All references in this summary to the Netherlands and Dutch law are to the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its law, respectively, only. The summary does not purport to present any comprehensive or complete picture of all Dutch tax aspects that could be of relevance to the acquisition, ownership and disposal of the ADSs by a (prospective) holder of the ADSs who may be subject to special tax treatment under applicable law. The summary is based on the tax laws and practice of the Netherlands as in effect on the date of this Annual Report, which are subject to changes that could prospectively or retrospectively affect the Dutch tax consequences.

This summary does not address the Dutch tax consequences for a holder of ADSs that is considered to be affiliated (gelieerd)(gelieerd) to the company within the meaning of the Dutch Withholding Tax Act 2021 (Wet(Wet bronbelasting 2021)2021). Generally, a holder of ADSs is considered to be affiliated to the company for these purposes if (i) it has a qualifying interest in the company, (ii) the company has a qualifying interest in such party, or (iii) a third party has a qualifying interest in both the company and such party. A party is equated with any collaborating group of parties of which it forms part. A qualifying interest is an interest that allows the holder to have a decisive influence over the other party’s decisions, in such a way that it is able to determine the activities of the other party. A party is in any case considered to have a qualifying interest in another party if it (directly or indirectly) owns more than 50 per cent. of the voting rights in such other party.

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For purposes of Dutch income and corporate income tax, shares, or certain other assets, which may include depositary receipts in respect of shares, legally owned by a third party such as a trustee, foundation or similar entity or arrangement, a “Third Party”, may under certain circumstances have to be allocated to the (deemed) settlor, grantor or similar originator, the “Settlor”, or, upon the death of the Settlor, such Settlor’s beneficiaries, the “Beneficiaries”, in proportion to their entitlement to the estate of the Settlor of such trust or similar arrangement, the “Separated Private Assets”.

The summary does not address the Dutch tax consequences of a holder of the ADSs who is an individual and who has a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang)(aanmerkelijk belang) in the company. Generally, a holder of the ADSs will have a substantial interest in the company if such holder of the ADSs, whether alone or together with such holder’s spouse or partner and/or certain other close relatives, holds directly or indirectly, or as Settlor or Beneficiary of Separated Private Assets (i) (x) the ownership of, (y) certain other rights, such as usufruct, over, or (z) rights to acquire (whether or not already issued), shares (including the ADSs) representing 5% or more of the total issued and outstanding capital (or the issued and outstanding capital of any class of shares) of the company or (ii) (x) the ownership of, or (y) certain other rights, such as usufruct over, profit participating certificates (winstbewijzen)(winstbewijzen) that relate to 5% or more of the annual profit of the company or to 5% or more of the liquidation proceeds of the company.

In addition, a holder of the ADSs has a substantial interest in the company if such holder, whether alone or together with such holder’s spouse or partner and/or certain other close relatives, has the ownership of, or other rights over, shares, or depositary receipts in respect of shares, in, or profit certificates issued by, the company that represent less than 5% of the relevant aggregate that either (a) qualified as part of a substantial interest as set forth above and where shares, or depositary receipts in respect of shares, profit certificates and/or rights there over have been, or are deemed to have been, partially disposed of, or (b) have been acquired as part of a transaction that qualified for non-recognition of gain treatment.

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Furthermore, this summary does not address the Dutch tax consequences of a holder of the ADSs who:

(a)is an individual and receives income or realizes capital gains in respect of the ADSs in connection with such holder’s employment activities or in such holder’s capacity as (former) board member or (former) supervisory board member; or
(b)is a resident of any non-European part of the KingdomNetherlands; or
falls within the scope of the Netherlands.Dutch Minimum Taxation Act 2024 (Wet minimumbelasting 2024).

PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS OF THE ADSs SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN PROFESSIONAL ADVISER WITH RESPECT TO THE DUTCH TAX CONSEQUENCES OF ANY ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP OR DISPOSAL OF THE ADSs IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

Dividend Withholding Tax

General

The companyCompany is generally required to withhold dividend withholding tax imposed by the Netherlands at a rate of 15% on dividends distributed by the company in respect of our ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. The expression “dividends distributed by the company” as used herein includes, but is not limited to:

(a)

(a)

distributions in cash or in kind, deemed and constructive distributions and repayments of paid-in capital (gestort kapitaal)(gestort kapitaal) not recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes;

(b)

(b)

liquidation proceeds, proceeds of redemption of our ordinary shares or, as a rule, consideration for the repurchase of our ordinary shares by the company in excess of the average paid-in capital recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes;

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(c)

(c)

the par value of our ordinary shares issued to a holder of our ordinary shares or an increase of the par value of our ordinary shares, to the extent that it does not appear that a contribution, recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, has been made or will be made; and

(d)

(d)

partial repayment of paid-in capital, recognized for Dutch dividend withholding tax purposes, if and to the extent that there are net profits (zuivere winst)(zuivere winst), unless (i) the shareholders at thea General Meeting have resolved in advance to make such repayment and (ii) the par value of our ordinary shares concerned has been reduced by an equal amount by way of an amendment of our articles of association.

Holders of the ADSs Resident in the Netherlands

A holder of the ADSs that is an individual that is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes is generally entitled, subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, to a full credit against its income tax liability, or a full refund, of the Dutch dividend withholding tax.

A holder of the ADSs that is a legal entity that is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes is generally entitled, subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, to a full credit against its corporate income tax liability of the Dutch dividend withholding tax. If and to the extent such legal entity cannot credit the full amount of Dutch dividend withholding tax in a given year, the Dutch dividend withholding tax may be carried forward and credited against its corporate income tax liability in subsequent years (without time limitation).

A holder of the ADSs that is a legal entity that is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes that is exempt from Dutch corporate income tax but that is not qualifying exempt investment institution (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling), is generally entitled, subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, to an exemption at source (subject to the completion of necessary procedural formalities) or a full refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received.

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The same generally applies to holders of the ADSs that are neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes if the ADSs are attributable to a permanent establishment in the Netherlands of such non-resident holder.

Holders of the ADSs Resident Outside the Netherlands

A holder of the ADSs that is resident in a country for tax purposes with which the Netherlands has a tax treaty in effect, may, depending on the terms of such tax treaty and subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, be eligible for a full or partial exemption from, or full or partial refund of, Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received.

A holder of the ADSs, that is a legal entity (a) tax resident in (i) aan EU Member State, of the European Union, (ii) Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein, or (iii) a country with which the Netherlands has concluded a tax treaty that includes an article on dividends and (b) that is in its state of residence under the terms of a tax treaty concluded with a third state, not considered to be resident for tax purposes in a country with which the Netherlands has not concluded a tax treaty that includes an article on dividends (not being a(i.e., not an EU Member State, of the European Union, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein), is generally entitled, subject to the anti-abuse rules and the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, to a full exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received if it holds an interest of at least 5% (in shares or, in certain cases, in voting rights) in the company or if it holds an interest of less than 5%, in either case where, had the holder of the ADSs been a Dutch resident, it would have had the benefit of the participation exemption (this may include a situation where another related party holds an interest of 5% or more in the company).

The full exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received by a holder of the ADSs, that is a legal entity (a) tax resident in (i) aan EU Member State, of the European Union, (ii) Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein, or (iii) a country with which the Netherlands has concluded a tax treaty that includes an article on

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dividends is not granted if (x) the interest held by such holder (i) is held with the avoidance of Dutch dividend withholding tax of another person as (one of) the main purpose(s) and (ii) forms part of an artificial structure or series of structures (such as structures which are not put into place for valid business reasons reflecting economic reality), or (y) the holder of ADSs has a similar function to a qualifying investment institution (fiscale beleggingsinstelling)(fiscale beleggingsinstelling) or a qualifying exempt investment institution (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling)(vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling).

A holder of the ADSs, that is an entity tax resident in (i) aan EU Member State of the European Union, or (ii) Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein, or (iii) in a jurisdiction which has an arrangement for the exchange of tax information with the Netherlands (and such holder as described under (iii) holds the ADSs as a portfolio investment i.e.(i.e., such holding is not acquired with a view to the establishment or maintenance of lasting and direct economic links between the holder of the ADSs and the company and does not allow the holder of the ADSs to participate effectively in the management or control of the company)), which is exempt from tax in its country of residence and does not have a similar function to a qualifying investment institution (fiscale beleggingsinstelling)(fiscale beleggingsinstelling) or a qualifying exempt investment institution (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling)(vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling), and that would have been exempt from Dutch corporate income tax if it had been a resident of the Netherlands, is generally entitled, subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described below, to an exemption at source (subject to the completion of necessary procedural formalities) or a full refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received. This exemption of full refund will in general benefit certain foreign pension funds, government agencies and certain government controlled commercial entities.

According to the anti-dividend stripping rules, no exemption, reduction, credit or refund of Dutch dividend withholding tax will be granted if the recipient of the dividend paid by the company is not considered the beneficial owner (uiteindelijk gerechtigde)(uiteindelijk gerechtigde) of the dividend as defined in these rules. A recipient of a dividend is not considered the beneficial owner of the dividend if, as a consequence of a combination of transactions and tested at group level, (i) a person (other than the holder of the dividend coupon), directly or indirectly, partly or wholly benefits from the dividend, (ii) such person directly or indirectly retains or acquires a comparable interest in the ADSs, and (iii) such person is entitled to a less favorable exemption, refund or credit of dividend withholding tax than the recipient of the dividend distribution. The term “combination of transactions” includes transactions that have been entered into in the anonymity of a regulated stock market, the sole acquisition of one or more dividend coupons and the establishment of short-term rights or enjoyment on the ADSs (e.g.(e.g., usufruct). The burden of proof to demonstrate that the recipient of a dividend

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qualifies as the beneficial owner of such dividend lies with the recipient, unless the amount of the withheld dividend withholding tax in respect of such recipient in the relevant calendar is €1,000 or less.

Holders of the ADSs Resident in the United StatesU.S.

Dividends distributed by the company to U.S. resident holders of the ADSs that are eligible for benefits under the Convention between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United States of AmericaU.S. for the avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes and Income, dated December 18, 1992 as amended by the protocol of March 8, 2004 or the “U.S.(U.S. Tax Treaty”Treaty), generally will be entitled to a reduced dividend withholding tax rate of 5% in case of certain U.S. corporate shareholders owning at least 10% of the company’s total voting power. Certain U.S. pension funds and tax-exempt organizations may qualify for a complete exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax.

Under the U.S. Tax Treaty such benefits are generally available to U.S. residents if such resident is the beneficial owner of the dividends, provided that such shareholder does not have an enterprise or an interest in an enterprise that is, in whole or in part, carried on through a permanent establishment or permanent representative in the Netherlands and to which enterprise or part of an enterprise the ADSs are attributable. A person may, however, not claim the benefits of the U.S. Tax Treaty if such person’s entitlement to such benefits is limited by the provisions of Article 26 (the limitation on benefits provision) of the U.S. Tax Treaty. The reduced dividend withholding tax rate can generally be applied at source upon the distribution of the dividends, provided that the proper forms have been filed in advance of the distribution. In the case of certain tax-exempt organizations, as a general rule, the so-called refund method applies; only when certain administrative conditions have been fulfilled may such tax-exempt organization use the exemption method.

Irrespective of meeting the conditions of the relevant provisions of the U.S. Tax Treaty, dividends distributed by the company to a U.S. resident holder (i) who is a legal entity resident in the U.S. and (ii) that is in the U.S. under the terms of a tax treaty with a third state not considered to be resident for tax purposes in a country

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with which the Netherlands has not concluded a tax treaty that includes an article on dividends (not being a Member State of the European Union, Iceland, Norway or Liechtenstein), are generally, subject to the anti-dividend stripping rules described above, fully exempt from Dutch dividend withholding tax if the U.S. resident holder of ADSs holds an interest of at least 5% in the company or if it holds an interest of less than 5%, in either case where, had the holder of ADSs been a Dutch resident, it would have had the benefit of the participation exemption (this may include a situation where another related party holds an interest of 5% or more in the company). The full exemption from Dutch dividend withholding tax on dividends received by a U.S. holder of ADSs that is a legal entity is however not granted if (x) the interest held by such U.S. holder (i) is held with the avoidance of Dutch dividend withholding tax of another person as (one of) the main purpose(s) and (ii) forms part of an artificial structure or series of structures (such as structures which are not put into place for valid business reasons reflecting economic reality) or (y) the U.S. holder of ADSs has a similar function to a qualifying investment institution (fiscale beleggingsinstelling)(fiscale beleggingsinstelling) or a qualifying exempt investment institution (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling)(vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling).

Taxes on Income and Capital Gains

Holders of the ADSs Resident in the Netherlands: Individuals

A holder of the ADSs, who is an individual resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes will be subject to regular Dutch income tax on the income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs by the holder thereof, if:

(a)

(a)

such holder of the ADSs has an enterprise or an interest in an enterprise, to which enterprise the ADSs are attributable; and/or

(b)

(b)

such income or capital gain forms “a benefit from miscellaneous activities” (“resultaat(resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden”)werkzaamheden) which, for instance, would be the case if the activities with respect to the ADSs exceed “normal active asset management” (“normaal,(normaal, actief vermogensbeheer”)vermogensbeheer) or if income and gains are derived from the holding, whether directly or indirectly, of (a combination of) shares, debt claims or other rights (together, a “lucrative interest” (“lucratief belang”)(lucratief belang)) that the holder thereof has acquired under such circumstances that such income and gains are intended to be remuneration for work or services performed by such holder (or a related person), whether within or outside an employment relation, where such lucrative interest provides the holder thereof, economically speaking, with certain benefits that have a relation to the relevant work or services.

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income and gains are intended to be remuneration for work or services performed by such holder (or a related person), whether within or outside an employment relation, where such lucrative interest provides the holder thereof, economically speaking, with certain benefits that have a relation to the relevant work or services.

If either of the abovementioned conditions (a) or (b) applies, income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs will in general be subject to Dutch income tax at the progressive rates up to 49.5%.

If the abovementioned conditions (a) and (b) do not apply, a holder of the ADSs who is an individual, resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for Dutch tax purposes will not be subject to taxes on income and capital gains in the Netherlands. Instead, such individual is generally taxed at a flat rate of 31%36% on deemed income from “savings and investments” (“sparen(sparen en beleggen”)beleggen), which deemed income is determined on the basis of the amount included in the individual’s “yield basis” (“rendementsgrondslag”)(rendementsgrondslag) at the beginning of the calendar year (minus a tax-free threshold)threshold; the yield basis minus such threshold being the tax basis). For the 20222024 tax year, the deemed income derived from savings and investments will amountbe a percentage of the tax basis up to 1.818%6.04% that is determined based on the actual allocation of (i) savings, (ii) other investments, and (iii) debts/liabilities within the individual’s yield basis up to and including €50,650, 4.366% of the individual’s yield basis exceeding €50,650 up to and including €962,350 and 5.53% of the individual’s yield basis in excess of €962,350.basis. The tax-free threshold for 20222024 is €50,650.€57,000. The percentages to determine the deemed income will be reassessed every year. Based on case law and depending on a holder of the ADSs’ actual income and gains from these and other passive investments, such holder may be entitled to a reduction of this tax.

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Holders of the ADSs Resident in the Netherlands: Corporate Entities

A holder of the ADSs that is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for corporate income tax purposes, and that is:

a corporation;
another entity with a capital divided into shares;
a cooperative (association); or
another legal entity that has an enterprise or an interest in an enterprise to which the ADSs are attributable,

but which is not:

a qualifying pension fund;
a qualifying investment institution (fiscale beleggingsinstelling)(fiscale beleggingsinstelling) or a qualifying exempt investment institution (vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling)(vrijgestelde beleggingsinstelling); or
another entity exempt from corporate income tax, will in general be subject to regular Dutch corporate income tax, generally levied at a rate of 25.8% (19% over profits up to and including €200,000) over income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs, unless, and to the extent that, the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) applies.

will in general be subject to regular Dutch corporate income tax, generally levied at a rate of 25.8% (15% over profits up to and including €395,000) over income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs, unless, and to the extent that, the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) applies.

Holders of the ADSs Resident Outside the Netherlands: Individuals

A holder of the ADSs who is an individual, not resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs (other than the Dutch dividend withholding tax described above), unless:

(a)

(a)

such holder has an enterprise or an interest in an enterprise that is, in whole or in part, carried on through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting)(vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger)(vaste vertegenwoordiger) in the Netherlands and to which enterprise or part of an enterprise, as the case may be, the ADSs are attributable; or

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(b)

(b)

such income or capital gain forms a “benefit from miscellaneous activities in the Netherlands” (“resultaat(resultaat uit overige werkzaamheden in Nederland”)Nederland) which would for instance be the case if the activities in the Netherlands with respect to the ADSs exceed “normal active asset management” (“normaal,(normaal, actief vermogensbeheerver mogensbeheer) or if such income and gains are derived from the holding, whether directly or indirectly, of (a combination of) shares, debt claims or other rights (together, a “lucrative interest” (“lucratief belang)(lucratief belang)) that the holder thereof has acquired under such circumstances that such income and gains are intended to be remuneration for work or services performed by such holder (or a related person), in whole or in part, in the Netherlands, whether within or outside an employment relation, where such lucrative interest provides the holder thereof, economically speaking, with certain benefits that have a relation to the relevant work or services.

If either of the abovementioned conditions (a) or (b) applies, income or capital gains in respect of dividends distributed by the company or in respect of any gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs will in general be subject to Dutch income tax at the progressive rates up to 49.5%.

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Holders of the ADSs Resident Outside the Netherlands: Legal and Other Entities

A holder of the ADSs, that is a legal entity, another entity with a capital divided into shares, an association, a foundation or a fund or trust, not resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands for corporate income tax purposes, will not be subject to any Dutch taxes on income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs (other than the Dutch dividend withholding tax described above), unless:

(a)such holder has an enterprise or an interest in an enterprise that is, in whole or in part, carried on through a permanent establishment (vaste inrichting)(vaste inrichting) or a permanent representative (vaste vertegenwoordiger)(vaste vertegenwoordiger) in the Netherlands and to which enterprise or part of an enterprise, as the case may be, the ADSs are attributable; or
(b)such holder has a substantial interest (aanmerkelijk belang)(aanmerkelijk belang) in the company, that (i) is held with the avoidance of Dutch income tax of another person as (one of) the main purpose(s) and (ii) forms part of an artificial structure or series of structures (such as structures which are not put into place for valid business reasons reflecting economic reality)..If one of the abovementioned conditions applies, income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs will, in general, be subject to Dutch regular corporate income tax, levied at a rate of 25.8% (19% over profits up to and including €200,000), unless, and to the extent that, with respect to a holder as described under (a), the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) applies.

If one of the abovementioned conditions applies, income derived from the ADSs and the gains realized upon the acquisition, redemption and/or disposal of the ADSs will, in general, be subject to Dutch regular corporate income tax, levied at a rate of 25% (15% over profits up to and including €395,000), unless, and to the extent that, with respect to a holder as described under (a), the participation exemption (deelnemingsvrijstelling) applies.

Gift, Estate and Inheritance Taxes

Holders of the ADSs Resident in the Netherlands

Gift tax may be due in the Netherlands with respect to an acquisition of the ADSs by way of a gift by a holder of the ADSs who is resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands at the time of the gift.

Inheritance tax may be due in the Netherlands with respect to an acquisition or deemed acquisition of the ADSs by way of an inheritance or bequest on the death of a holder of the ADSs who is resident or deemed to be resident of the Netherlands, or in case of a gift by an individual who at the date of the gift was neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, such individual dies within 180 days after the date of the gift, while that individual, at the time of the individual’s death, is resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands.

For purposes of Dutch gift and inheritance tax, an individual with the Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident in the Netherlands if such individual has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the ten10 years preceding the date of the gift or such individual’s death. For purposes of Dutch gift tax, an individual not holding the Dutch nationality will be deemed to be resident of the Netherlands if such individual has been resident in the Netherlands at any time during the twelve12 months preceding the date of the gift.

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Holders of the ADSs Resident Outside the Netherlands

No gift, estate or inheritance taxes will arise in the Netherlands with respect to an acquisition of the ADSs by way of a gift by, or on the death of, a holder of the ADSs who is neither resident nor deemed to be resident of the Netherlands, unless, in the case of a gift of the ADSs by an individual who at the date of the gift was neither resident nor deemed to be resident in the Netherlands, such individual dies within 180 days after the date of the gift, while being resident or deemed to be resident in the Netherlands.

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Certain Special Situations

For purposes of Dutch gift, estate and inheritance tax, (i) a gift by a Third Partythird party will be construed as a gift by the Settlor,settlor, and (ii) upon the death of the Settlor,settlor, as a rule such Settlor’s Beneficiariessettlor’s beneficiaries will be deemed to have inherited directly from the Settlor.settlor. Subsequently, such Beneficiariesbeneficiaries will be deemed the settlor, grantor or similar originator of the Separated Private Assetsseparated private assets for purposes of the Dutch gift, estate and inheritance tax in case of subsequent gifts or inheritances.

For the purposes of the Dutch gift and inheritance tax, a gift that is made under a condition precedent is deemed to have been made at the moment such condition precedent is satisfied. If the condition precedent is fulfilled after the death of the donor, the gift is deemed to be made upon the death of the donor.

Value Added Tax

No Dutch value added tax will arise in respect of or in connection with the subscription, issue, placement, allotment or delivery of the ADSs.

Other Taxes and Duties

No Dutch registration tax, capital tax, custom duty, transfer tax, stamp duty or any other similar documentary tax or duty, other than court fees, will be payable in the Netherlands in respect of or in connection with the subscription, issue, placement, allotment or delivery of the ADSs.

Residency

A holder of the ADSs will not be treated as a resident, or a deemed resident, of the Netherlands for tax purposes by reason only of the acquisition, or the holding, of the ADSs or the performance by the company under the ADSs.

Material Belgian Tax Consequences

The paragraphs below present a summary of certain Belgian federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposal of ADSs by an investor that purchases such ADSs. The summary is based on laws, treaties and regulatory interpretations in effect in Belgium on the date of this Annual Report, all of which are subject to change, including changes that could have retroactive effect.

Investors should appreciate that, as a result of evolutions in law or practice, the eventual tax consequences may be different from what is stated below. The tax legislation of the investor’s country of residence may have an impact on the income received from the ADSs.

This summary does not purport to address all tax consequences of investments in, the ownership and disposal of ADSs, and does not take into account the specific circumstances of particular investors, some of which may be subject to special rules, or the tax laws of any country other than Belgium. This summary does not describe the tax treatment of investors that are subject to special rules, such as banks, insurance companies, collective investment undertakings, dealers in securities or currencies, persons that hold, or will hold, ADSs as a position in a straddle, share-repurchase transaction, conversion transactions, synthetic security or other integrated financial transactions. This summary does not address the tax regime applicable to ADSs held by Belgian tax residents through a fixed base or a permanent

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establishment (PE) situated outside Belgium. This summary does not address the local taxes that may be due in connection with an investment in shares, other than the local surcharges which generally vary between 0% and 9% of the investor’s income tax liability in Belgium.

In addition to the assumptions mentioned above, it is also assumed in this discussion that for purposes of the domestic Belgian tax legislation, the owners of ADSs will be treated as the owners of the ordinary shares

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represented by such ADSs. However, this assumption has not been confirmed by or verified with the Belgian Tax Authorities.

Investors should consult their own advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in the ADSs in light of their particular situation, including the effect of any state, local or other national laws, treaties and regulatory interpretations thereof.

For the purposes of this summary, a resident investor is:

an individual subject to Belgian personal income tax (personenbelasting/impôt des personnes physiques), i.e. (i) an individual having its domicile in Belgium, (ii) when not having its domicile in Belgium, an individual having its seat of wealth in Belgium, or (iii) an individual assimilated to a resident for purposes of Belgian tax law;
a company (as defined by Belgian tax law) subject to Belgian corporate income tax (vennootschapsbelasting/impôt des sociétés), i.e., a corporate entity having its principal establishment, administrative seat or effective place of management in Belgium (and that is not excluded from the scope of the Belgian corporate income tax). A company having its registered seat in Belgium shall be presumed, unless the contrary is proved, to have its principal establishment, administrative seat or effective place of management in Belgium; or
a legal entity subject to the Belgian tax on legal entities (rechtspersonenbelasting/impôt des personnes morales), i.e., a legal entity other than a company subject to Belgian corporate income tax having its principal establishment, administrative seat or effective place of management in Belgium.

A non-resident investor is any individual, company or legal entity that does not fall in any of the three previous classes.

Dividends

For Belgian income tax purposes, the gross amount of all benefits paid on or attributed to the ADSs is generally treated as a dividend distribution. By way of exception, the repayment of capital carried out in accordance with applicable Dutch company law provisions is not treated as a dividend distribution to the extent that such repayment is imputed toon fiscal capital. This fiscal capital includes, in principle, the actual paid-up statutory share capital and, subject to certain conditions, the paid-up share premiums and the cash amounts subscribed to at the time of the issue of profit sharingprofit-sharing certificates. However, a repayment of capital is not fully imputed toon fiscal capital if the company also has certain reserves. Indeed, in such case, a reimbursement of capital is proratedly imputed on, on the one hand, fiscal capital and, on the other hand, taxed reserves (whether or not incorporated in capital) and tax-exempt reserves incorporated in capital (according to a specific priority rule). The part imputed on the reserves is treated as a dividend distribution subject to applicable tax rules.

Belgian withholding tax of 30% is normally levied on dividends by any intermediary established in Belgium that is in any way involved in the processing of the payment of non-Belgian sourced dividends (e.g., a Belgian financial institution). This withholding tax rate is subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions.

The Belgian withholding tax is calculated on the dividend amount after deduction of any non-Belgian dividend withholding tax.

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In the case of a redemption of the ADSs, the redemption distribution (after deduction of the part of the fiscal capital represented by the redeemed ADSs) will be treated as a dividend subject to a Belgian withholding tax of 30%, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions. No withholding tax will be triggered if this redemption is carried out on a stock exchange and meets certain conditions.

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In the event of our liquidation, any amounts distributed in excess of the fiscal capital will in principle be subject to the 30% withholding tax, subject to such relief as may be available under applicable domestic or tax treaty provisions.

Under Belgian law, non-Belgian dividend withholding tax is not creditable against Belgian income tax and is not reimbursable to the extent that it exceeds Belgian income tax. Please refer to “ItemItem 10.E.—Taxation—DutchTaxation —Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax consequences—Dividend Withholding Tax”Considerations for U.S. HoldersPassive Foreign Investment Company Considerations for a description of withholding tax that may be imposed on dividends by the Netherlands.

Belgian Resident Individuals

For Belgian resident individuals who acquire and hold ADSs as a private investment, the Belgian dividend withholding tax fully discharges their personal income tax liability. They may nevertheless need to report the dividends in their personal income tax return if no intermediary established in Belgium was in any way involved in the processing of the payment of the non-Belgian sourced dividends. Moreover, even if an intermediary established in Belgium was involved, they can opt to report the income in their personal income tax return. If (and only if) the dividends are reported, they will normally be eligible for a tax exemption with respect to ordinary dividends in an amount of up to €800€833 (for income year 2022)2024) per year and per taxpayer (Article 21, first subsection, 14°, of the Belgian Income Tax Code (ITC)(ITC)). For the avoidance of doubt, all reported dividends (not only dividends distributed on our ADSs) are taken into account to assess whether the said maximum amount is reached. The abovementioned exempted amount is not applicable to redemption and liquidation dividends.

Where the beneficiary needs or, as applicable, opts to report them, dividends will normally be taxable at the lower of the generally applicable 30% Belgian withholding tax rate on dividends or, in case globalization is more advantageous, at the progressive personal income tax rates applicable to the taxpayer’s overall declared income. In addition, if the dividends are reported, the Belgian dividend withholding tax levied at source may be credited against the personal income tax due and is reimbursable to the extent that it exceeds the personal income tax due, provided that the dividend distribution does not result in a reduction in value of or a capital loss on our ADSs. The latter condition is not applicable if the individual can demonstrate that it has held ADSs in full legal ownership for an uninterrupted period of 12 months prior to the payment or attribution of the dividends.

For Belgian resident individual investors who acquire and hold the ADSs for professional purposes, the Belgian withholding tax does not fully discharge their Belgian income tax liability. Dividends received must be reported by the investor and will, in such a case, be taxable at the investor’s personal income tax rate increased with local surcharges. Belgian withholding tax levied may be credited against the personal income tax due and is reimbursable to the extent that it exceeds the income tax due, subject to two conditions: (i) the taxpayer must own the ADSs in full legal ownership on the dividend record date and (ii) the dividend distribution may not result in a reduction in value of or a capital loss on the ADSs. The latter condition is not applicable if the investor can demonstrate that it has held the full legal ownership of the ADSs for an uninterrupted period of 12 months prior to the payment or attribution of the dividends.

Belgian Resident Companies

Dividends received by Belgian resident companies are exempt from Belgian withholding tax provided that the investor satisfies the identification requirements in Article 117, par. 11§11 of the Royal Decree implementing the ITC.

For Belgian resident companies, the gross dividend income (after deduction of any non-Belgian withholding tax but including any Belgian withholding tax) must be declared in the corporate income tax return and will be subject to a corporate income tax rate of 25%, except that a reduced corporate income tax rate of 20% applies to small companies and medium sized enterprises (as defined by Article 1:24, §1 to §6 of the Belgian Code on Companies and Associations) on the first €100,000 of taxable profits (subject to certain conditions).

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Belgian resident companies can generally (although subject to certain limitations) deduct 100% of the gross dividend received from their taxable income or the (Dividend Received Deduction) provided that at the time of a dividend payment or attribution: (i) the Belgian resident company holds ADSs representing at least 10% of our share capital or a participation with an acquisition value of at least €2,500,000 (it being understood that only one out of the two tests must be satisfied); (ii) the shares representing our share capital have been or will be held in full ownership for an uninterrupted period of at least one year; and (iii) the conditions described in Article 203 of the ITC (relating to the taxation of the underlying distributed income and the absence of abuse), or the Article 203 of the ITC Taxation Condition, are met or together, the (Conditions for the application of the dividend deceived deduction regime.Dividend Received Deduction).

Conditions (i) and (ii) above are, in principle, not applicable for dividends received by an investment company within the meaning of art.Article 2, §1, 5°, f) ITC. The Conditions for the application of the dividend received deduction regimeDividend Received Deduction depend on a factual analysis and for this reason the availability of this regime should be verified upon each dividend distribution.

Any Belgian dividend withholding tax levied at source can be credited against the ordinary Belgian corporate income tax and is reimbursable to the extent it exceeds such corporate income tax, subject to two conditions: (i) the taxpayer must own the ADSs in full legal ownership on the dividend record date and (ii) the dividend distribution does not result in a reduction in value of or a capital loss on the ADSs. The latter condition is not applicable: (i) if the taxpayer can demonstrate that it has held the ADSs in full legal ownership for an uninterrupted period of 12 months immediately prior to the payment or attribution of the dividends or (ii) if, during that period, the ADSs never belonged to a taxpayer other than a Belgian resident company or a non-resident company that has, in an uninterrupted manner, invested the ADSs in a permanent establishment, or PE in Belgium.

Belgian residentResident Organizations for Financing Pensions

For organizations for financing pensions or (OFPs) i.e., Belgian pension funds incorporated under the form of an OFP ((organisme voor de financiering van pensioenen/organisme de financement de pensions/organisme voor de financiering van pensioenen)pensions) within the meaning of Article 8 of the Belgian Law of October 27, 2006, dividend income generally does not constitute taxable income.

Dividends distributed through the intervention of a Belgian intermediary are generally subject to Belgian dividend withholding tax. If dividends are paid or attributed without the intervention of a Belgian intermediary, the applicable Belgian withholding tax will have to be reported and paid by the OFP to the Belgian tax administration.

The Belgian dividend withholding tax can in principle be credited against the OFPs’ corporate income tax and is reimbursable to the extent it exceeds the corporate income tax due. However, such Belgian withholding cannot be credited by an OFP if the shares on which the dividends are paid have not been held uninterruptedly in full ownership for at least 60 days, unless the OFP demonstrates that the dividends are not connected to an arrangement (or a series of arrangements) that is not genuine (“kunstmatig”/“(kunstmatig/pas authentique”)authentique) and has been put in place for the main purpose or one of the main purposes of obtaining this withholding tax credit.

Other Belgian residentResident Taxable Legal Entities

For taxpayers subject to the Belgian income tax on legal entities, the Belgian dividend withholding tax in principle fully discharges their income tax liability. If the dividend is paid outside Belgium without the intervention of a Belgian paying agent and without the deduction of Belgian withholding tax, the legal entity is in principle required to declare and pay the 30% withholding tax to the Belgian tax authorities.

Belgian Non-Resident Individuals and Companies

Dividend payments on the ADSs through a professional intermediary in Belgium will, in principle, be subject to the 30% withholding tax, unless the shareholder is resident in a country with which Belgium has concluded a double taxation agreement and delivers the requested affidavit. Non-resident investors can also obtain

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an exemption of Belgian dividend withholding tax if they are the owners or usufructors of the ADSs and they deliver an affidavit confirming that they have not allocated the ADSs to business activities in Belgium and that they are non-residents, provided that the

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dividend is paid through a Belgian credit institution, stock market company or recognized clearing or settlement institution.

If the ADSs are acquired by a non-resident investor in connection with a business in Belgium, the investor must report any dividends received, which are taxable at the applicable non-resident individual or corporate income tax rate, as appropriate. Any Belgian withholding tax levied at source can be credited against the non-resident individual or corporate income tax and is reimbursable to the extent it exceeds the income tax due, subject to two conditions: (i) the taxpayer must own the ADSs in full legal ownership on the dividend record date and (ii) the dividend distribution does not result in a reduction in value of or a capital loss on the ADSs. The latter condition is not applicable if (i) the non-resident individual or the non-resident company can demonstrate that the ADSs were held in full legal ownership for an uninterrupted period of 12 months immediately prior to the payment or attribution of the dividends or (ii) with regard to non-resident companies only, if, during the said period, the ADSs have not belonged to a taxpayer other than a resident company or a non-resident company which has, in an uninterrupted manner, invested the ADSs in a Belgian PE.

Non-resident companies that have invested the ADSs in a Belgian establishment can deduct up to 100% of the gross dividends included in their taxable profits if, at the date dividends are paid or attributed, the Conditions for the application of the Dividend Received Deduction regime are satisfied. Application of the Dividend Received Deduction regime depends, however, on a factual analysis to be made upon each distribution and its availability should be verified upon each distribution.

Capital Gains and Losses on ADSs

Belgian Resident Individuals

In principle, Belgian resident individuals acquiring the ADSs as a private investment should not be subject to Belgian capital gains tax on the disposal of the ADSs; capital losses are not tax deductible.

Capital gains realized in a private (i.e.(i.e., non-professional) context on the transfer for consideration of shares by a private individual, are taxable at 33% (plus local surcharges) if the capital gain is deemed to be realized outside the scope of the normal management of the individual’s private estate. Capital losses are, however, not tax deductible in such event.

Capital gains realized in a private (i.e.(i.e., non-professional) context on the transfer for consideration of shares of a Belgian company to a foreign company with its fiscal residency outside the EEA, by a private individual, who held alone or jointly with hishis/her family, directly or indirectly, more than 25% of the shares of that Belgian company, are taxable at a flat rate of 16.5% (plus local surcharges).

Gains realized by Belgian resident individuals upon the redemption of the ADSs or upon our liquidation are generally taxable as a dividend.

Belgian resident individuals who hold the ADSs for professional purposes are taxable at the ordinary progressive personal income tax rates (plus local surcharges) on any capital gains realized upon the disposal of the ADSs, except for ADSs held for more than five years, which are taxable at a flat rate of 16.5% (plus local surcharges). Capital losses on the ADSs incurred by Belgian resident individuals who hold the ADSs for professional purposes are in principle tax deductible.

Belgian Resident Companies

Belgian resident companies are normally not subject to Belgian capital gains taxation on gains realized upon the disposal of our ADSs provided that (i) the shares represent at least 10% of our share capital or a participation with an acquisition value of at least € 2,500,000€2,500,000 (it being understood that only one out of the two tests

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must be satisfied), (ii) the Article 203 ITC Taxation Condition is satisfied and (iii) the ADSs have been held in full legal ownership for an uninterrupted period of at least one year immediately preceding the disposal.

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If one of the above conditions is not met, the capital gains realized upon the disposal of our ADSs by a Belgian resident company are taxable at the ordinary corporate income tax rate of, currently, 25%, unless the reduced corporate income tax rate of 20% on the first €100,000 of taxable profits applies (see above).

Capital losses on our ADSs incurred by resident companies are as a general rule not tax deductible.

Our ADSs held in the trading portfolios ((handelsportefeuille/portefeuille commercial/handelsportefeuille)commercial) of qualifying credit institutions, investment enterprises and management companies of collective investment undertakings which are subject to the Royal Decree of 23 September 1992 on the annual accounts of credit institutions, investment firms and management companies of collective investment undertakings (comptes annuels des etablissements(Koninklijk besluit van 23 september 1992 op de credit, des entreprises d’investissement et des societes de gestion d’organismes de placement collectif/jaarrekening van de kredietinstellingen, de beleggingsondernemingen en de beheervennootschappen van instellingen voor collectieve belegging)belegging/ arrêté royal du 23 septembre 1992 relatif aux comptes annuels des établissements de crédit, des entreprises d’investissement et des sociétés de gestion d’organismes de placement collectif) are subject to a different regime. The capital gains on such shares are taxable at the ordinary corporate income tax rate of 25%. Capital losses on such shares are tax deductible. Internal transfers to and from the trading portfolio are assimilated to a realization.

Capital gains realized by Belgian resident companies (both non-SMEs and SMEs and both ordinary Belgian resident companies and qualifying credit institutions, investment enterprises and management companies of collective investment undertakings) upon the redemption of our ADSs or upon our liquidation are, in principle, subject to the same taxation regime as dividends. See “ItemItem 10.E.Taxation Taxation—Dividends.Material Belgian Tax Consequences.

Belgian resident Organizations for Financing PensionsOFPs

OFPs are, in principle, not subject to Belgian capital gains taxation realized upon the disposal of the ADSs, and capital losses are not tax deductible.

Capital gains realized by Belgian OFPs upon the redemption of ADSs or upon our liquidation will in principle be taxed as dividends.

Other Belgian Taxable Legal Entities

Belgian resident legal entities subject to the legal entities income tax are, in principle, not subject to Belgian capital gains taxation on the disposal of ADSs.

Capital gains realized by Belgian resident legal entities upon the redemption of ADSs or upon our liquidation will in principle be taxed as dividends.

Capital losses on ADSs incurred by Belgian resident legal entities are not tax deductible.

Belgian Non-Resident Individuals and Companies

Non-resident individuals or companies are, in principle, not subject to Belgian income tax on capital gains realized upon disposal of the ADSs, unless such ADSs are held as part of a business conducted in Belgium through a Belgian establishment. In such a case, the same principles apply as described with regard to Belgian individuals (holding the shares for professional purposes) or Belgian companies.

Non-resident individuals who do not use the shares for professional purposes and who have their fiscal residence in a country with which Belgium has not concluded a tax treaty or with which Belgium has concluded a tax treaty that confers the authority to tax capital gains on the ADSs to Belgium, might be subject to tax in Belgium if the capital gains are obtained or received in Belgium and arise from transactions which are to be considered speculative or beyond the normal management of one’s private estate. See “ItemItem 10.E.Taxation —Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. HoldersCapital gains

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and losses on ADSs—Belgian resident individuals.. Such non-resident individuals might therefore be obliged to file a tax return and should consult their own tax advisor.

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Capital gains realized by non-resident individuals or non-resident companies upon the redemption of ADSs or upon our liquidation will, in principle, be subject to the same taxation regime as dividends.

Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions

Upon the issue of the ADSs (primary market), no Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions (“taks(taks op de beursverrichtingen” / “beursverrichtingen/taxe sur les opérations de bourse”)bourse) is due.

The purchase and the sale and any other acquisition or transfer for consideration of ADSs (secondary market transactions) is subject to the Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions if (i) it is executed in Belgium through a professional intermediary, or (ii) deemed to be executed in Belgium, which is the case if the order is directly or indirectly made to a professional intermediary established outside of Belgium, either by private individuals with habitual residence in Belgium, or legal entities for the account of their seat or establishment in Belgium (both, a Belgian Investor).

The Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions is levied at a rate of 0.35% of the purchase price, capped at €1,600 per transaction and per party.

A separate tax is due by each party to the transaction, and both taxes are collected by the professional intermediary. However, if the intermediary is established outside of Belgium, the tax will in principle be due by the Belgian Investor, unless that Belgian Investor can demonstrate that the tax has already been paid. Professional intermediaries established outside of Belgium can, subject to certain conditions and formalities, appoint a Belgian Stock Exchange Tax Representative, which will be liable for the Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions in respect of the transactions executed through the professional intermediary. If the Stock Exchange Tax Representative would have paid the Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions due, the Belgian Investor will, as per the above, no longer be the debtor of the Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions.

No Tax on Stock Exchange Transactions is due on transactions entered into by the following parties, provided they are acting for their own account: (i) professional intermediaries described in Article 2,9°2, 9° and 10° of the Belgian Law of August 2, 2002; (ii) insurance companies described in Article 2, §1 of the Belgian Law of July 9, 1975; (iii) professional retirement institutions referred to in Article 2,1° of the Belgian Law of October 27, 2006 concerning the supervision on institutions for occupational pension; (iv) collective investment institutions; (v) regulated real estate companies; and (vi) Belgian non-residents provided they deliver a certificate to their financial intermediary in Belgium confirming their non-resident status.

The EU Commission adopted on February 14, 2013 the Draft Directive on a Financial Transaction Tax or FTT.(FTT). The Draft Directive currently stipulates that once the FTT enters into force, the Participating Member States shall not maintain or introduce taxes on financial transactions other than the FTT (or VAT as provided in the Council Directive 2006/112/EC of November 28, 2006 on the common system of value added tax). For Belgium, the taxTax on stock exchange transactionsStock Exchange Transactions should thus be abolished once the FTT enters into force. TheDue to the lack of progress in the negotiations on the Draft Directive, regardingthe European Commission has announced that it would present a proposal for a new own resource based on the FTT is still subjectby June 2024 (with a view to negotiation between the Participating Member States and therefore may be changed at any time.its introduction by January 1, 2026).

Annual Tax on Securities Accounts

A Law of 17 February 2021 introduced a new Belgian Annual Tax on Securities Accounts, which entered into effect on February 26, February 2021. The Annual Tax on Securities Accounts is a subscription tax, levied on securities accounts and not on the holders thereof. A securities account is defined as an account on which financial instruments can be credited and debited.

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The tax applies to securities accounts held both in Belgium and abroad when the account holder is a Belgian resident or when the account forms part of the assets of a Belgian establishment of a non-Belgian resident. The tax applies to natural persons residing in Belgium, as well as to companies and legal entities (subject to the tax for legal entities) that are established in Belgium.

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The tax is also applicable to securities accounts held by non-Belgian residents (both natural persons and legal persons) if the securities account is held in Belgium. If the applicable double tax treaty however allocates the right to tax capital to the jurisdiction of residence, Belgium would be prevented from applying the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts to the Belgian securities accounts held by non-Belgian residents. As described above, the tax applies whether or not the account is held in Belgium if the account forms part of the assets of a Belgian establishment of a non-Belgian resident.

The Annual Tax on Securities Accounts is applicable to securities accounts of which the average value of the assets amounts to more than €1,000,000 during the reference period. In principle, this reference period starts on 1 October and ends on 30 September of the following year, except for the first reference period which starts on 26 February 2021 and ends on 30 September 2021.year. The aforementioned threshold is assessed on the average value of the assets in the securities account at reference points within the reference period (in principle 31 December 3131st, March 3031st, June 30th and 30 September)September 30th). The threshold is assessed per securities account and not per account holder.

The applicable tax rate is 0.15%, which is levied on the average value of the assets held in the securities account that exceeds the €1,000,000 threshold. It is however limited to 10% of the difference between the average value and the threshold of €1,000,000, in order to avoid that the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts would result in reducing the value of the securities account below the €1,000,000 threshold.

The Annual Tax is in principle withheld, reported and paid by the Belgian intermediary. If the intermediary is established outside of Belgium, the tax must in principle be reported and paid by the account holder, unless the account holder can demonstrate that the tax has already been reported and paid by an intermediary. Intermediaries established outside of Belgium can, subject to certain conditions and formalities, appoint a Belgian Annual Tax on Securities Accounts Representative, which will be liable for reporting and paying the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts in respect of securities accounts in scope of the Annual Tax that are held through such intermediaries. If the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts Representative would have paid the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts due, the account holder will, as per the above, no longer be the debtor of the Annual Tax on Securities Accounts.

The Annual Tax on Securities Accounts is however not applicable to securities accounts held by certain categories of account holders active in the financial or fund sector, as listed in the relevant legislation (e.g., credit institutions, insurance companies, investment companies, and certain collective investment undertakings). These exemptions do however not apply if a non-qualifying third party has a direct or indirect claim on the value of the securities account.

The relevant legislation provides for both a general anti-abuse provision, as well as specific anti-abuse provisions targeting (i) the splitting of a securities account in multiple securities accounts held at the same intermediary and (ii) the conversion of taxable financial instruments, included in a securities account, into registered financial instruments. These anti-abuse provisions apply to transactions effected as from 30 October 2020.

Prospective investors are strongly advised to seek their own professional advice in relation to the possible impact of the new Annual Tax on Securities Accounts on their own personal tax position.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

We are a European public company with limited liability (Societas(Societas Europaea or SE)SE) incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. The majority of our directors reside outside the United States.U.S. As a result, it may not be possible for investors to effect service of

182

process within the United StatesU.S. upon such persons or to enforce against them or us in U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States.U.S.

The United StatesU.S. and the Netherlands currently do not have a treaty providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment for payment given by a court in the United States,U.S., whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized or enforceable in the Netherlands. In order to obtain a judgment which is enforceable in the Netherlands, the party in whose favor a final and conclusive judgment of the U.S. court has been rendered will be required to file its claim with a court of competent jurisdiction in the Netherlands. Such party may submit to the Dutch court the final judgment rendered by the U.S. court. This court will have a level of discretion to attach such weight toin its assessment of the judgment rendered by the relevant U.S. court as it deems appropriate. Thecourt. On the basis of case law by the Dutch Supreme Court, Dutch courts can be expectedwill in principle have to give conclusive effect to a final and enforceable judgment of such court in respect of the contractual obligations thereunder without re-examination or re-litigation of the substantive matters adjudicated upon, provided that: (i) the U.S. court involved accepted jurisdiction on the basis of internationally recognized grounds to accept jurisdiction,

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(ii) the proceedings before such court being in compliance with principles of proper procedure (behoorlijke rechtspleging)(behoorlijke rechtspleging), (iii) such judgment not being contrary to the public policy of the Netherlands and (iv) such judgment not being incompatible with a judgment given between the same parties by a Netherlands court or with a prior judgment given between the same parties by a foreign court in a dispute concerning the same subject matter and based on the same cause of action, provided such prior judgment fulfills the conditions necessary for it to be given binding effect in the Netherlands. Dutch courts may deny the recognition and enforcement of punitive damages or other awards.awards that do not fit to the Dutch legal order. Moreover, a Dutch court may reduce the amount of damages granted by a U.S. court and recognize damages only to the extent that they are necessary to compensate actual losses or damages. Enforcement and recognition of judgments of U.S. courts in the Netherlands are solely governed by the provisions of the Dutch Civil Procedure Code.

Original actions or actions for the enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts relating to the civil liability provisions of the federal or state securities laws of the United StatesU.S. are not directly enforceable in Belgium. The United StatesU.S. and Belgium currently do not have a treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitral awards, in civil and commercial matters. Consequently, a final judgment for payment given by a court in the United States,U.S., whether or not predicated solely upon U.S. securities laws, would not automatically be recognized or enforceable in Belgium. In order for a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by U.S. courts based on civil liability to produce any effect on Belgian soil, it is accordingly required that this judgment be recognized and be declared enforceable by a Belgian court pursuant to the relevant provisions of the PIL Code. Recognition or enforcement does not imply a review of the merits of the case and is irrespective of any reciprocity requirement. A U.S. judgment will, however, not be recognized or declared enforceable in Belgium if it infringes upon one or more of the grounds for refusal which are exhaustively listed in article 25 of the PIL Code. In addition to recognition or enforcement, a judgment by a federal or state court in the United StatesU.S. against us may also serve as evidence in a similar action in a Belgian court if it meets the conditions required for the authenticity of judgments according to the law of the state where it was rendered. In addition, with regard to enforcements by legal proceedings in Belgium (including the recognition of foreign court decisions in Belgium), a registration tax at the rate of 3% of the amount of the judgment is payable by the debtor, if the sum of money which the debtor is ordered to pay by a Belgian court, or by a foreign court judgment that is either (i) automatically enforceable and registered in Belgium, or (ii) rendered enforceable by a Belgian court, exceeds €12,500. The registration tax is payable by the debtor. The debtor is liable for the payment of the registration tax, in the proportion determined by the decision ordering payment or liquidation or determining priority for creditors made or established against it. The debtor(s) are jointly and severally liable in the event that they are ordered to pay jointly and severally. A stamp duty is payable for each originalas of the second certified copy of an enforcement judgment rendered by a Belgian court, with a maximum of €1,450.

Dutch and Belgian civil procedure differsdiffer substantially from U.S. civil procedure in a number of respects. Insofar as the production of evidence is concerned, U.S. law and the laws of several other jurisdictions based on common law provide for pre-trial discovery, a process by which parties to the proceedings may prior to trial compel the production of documents by adverse or third parties and the deposition of witnesses. Evidence obtained

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in this manner may be decisive in the outcome of any proceeding. No such pre-trial discovery process exists under Dutch or Belgian law.

Subject to the foregoing and service of process in accordance with applicable treaties, investors may be able to enforce in the Netherlands or Belgium judgments in civil and commercial matters obtained from U.S. federal or state courts. However, no assurance can be given that those judgments will be enforceable. In addition, it is doubtful whether a Dutch or Belgian court would accept jurisdiction and impose civil liability in an original action commenced in the Netherlands or Belgium and predicated solely upon U.S. federal securities laws.

F.      DIVIDENDS AND PAYING AGENTS

Not applicable.

G.      STATEMENT BY EXPERTS

Not applicable.

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H.      DOCUMENTS ON DISPLAY

We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuersissuers. Accordingly, we are required to file reports and under those requirements will file reportsother information with the SEC. Those reports may be inspected without charge at the locations described below. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United StatesU.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act. Nevertheless, we will file with the SEC an Annual Report containing financial statements that have been examined and reported on, with andan opinion expressed by an independent registered public accounting firm.

We maintain a corporate website at www.argenx.com.www.argenx.com. We intend to post a link tomake available on our website, free of charge, our Annual Report and the text of our reports on Form 20-F6-K, including any amendments to these reports, as well as certain other SEC filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with the SEC on our website promptly following it being filed withor furnished to the SEC. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this Annual Report. We have included our website address in this Annual Report solely as an inactive textual reference.

The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov)(www.sec.gov) that contains reports proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, such as argenx SE, that file electronically with the SEC.

With respect to references made in this Annual Report to any contract or other document of argenx SE, such references are not necessarily complete and you should refer to the exhibits attached or included elsewhere to this Annual Report for copies of the actual contract or document.

I.       SUBSIDIARY INFORMATION

Not applicable.

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ITEM 11.     QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The Company manages itsWe manage our exposure to market risks centrally. The Company coordinates theWe coordinate our access to national and international financial markets and considersconsider and managesmanage continuously the financial risks concerning the Company’sour activities. These risks relate to the adequacy of our equity and debt capitalization, the creditworthiness of our counterparties, our short-term liquidity, the impact of changes in interest rates on itsour investments and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. The Company doesWe do not believe that other risks are material,, including interest rate risk on borrowings, which are inapplicable as the Company has no financial debt. We do not buy or trade financial instruments for speculative purposes. For additional information on risk factors applicable to the Company, itits business, financial condition and results of operations, please see the section ofItem 3.D. “Risk Factors.” See Note 26Financial risk management to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report titles “Item 3.D. – Risk Factors.”Report.

Capital risk

The Company manages its capital to ensure that it will be able to continue as a going concern. The capital structure of the Company consists of equity attributed to the holders of equity instruments of the Company, reflectedsuch as capital, reserves and accumulated losses as mentioned in the consolidated statements of changes in equity. The Company makes the necessary adjustments from time to time in the light of changes in the economic circumstances, risks associated withto the different assets and the projected cash needs of the current and projected research activities of the Company.activities. On December 31, 2021,2023, cash and cash equivalents amounted to $1,334.7$2,048.8 million, current financial assets amounted to $1,131.0 million and total capital amounted to $3,469.0$5,658.6 million. The Company believes that its current available cash situation and the anticipated cash generation and usage are the most important parameters in assessing whether it has sufficient cash to satisfy its anticipated cash needs.the capital structure. The Company’s objective is to maintain sufficient equitythe capital structure at a level to be able to finance its anticipated activities for at least twelve12 months. Cash income from existing and new partnerships is taken into account and, if needed and possible, the Company needs additional cash and conditions in the equity or debt capital markets permit, the Company maycan issue new shares or enter into financing agreements.

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Credit risk

Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the Company. The Company has adopted a policy of only dealing with creditworthy counterparties and obtaining sufficient collateral, where appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial loss from defaults. Concentrations in credit risk are determined based on an analysis of counterparties and their importance on the overall outstanding contractual obligations at year end.year-end.

The Company has a limited number of collaboration and license partners and therefore has a significant concentration of credit risk. However, it has policies in place to ensure that credit exposure is kept to a minimum and significant concentrations of credit exposure are only granted for short periods of time to high credit quality collaboration partners.

The CompaniesCompany applied the IFRS 9 simplified approach to measuring expected credit losses which uses a lifetime expected loss allowance for all receivables. To measure the expected credit losses, receivables have been grouped based on credit risk characteristics and the days past due. The provision for expected credit losses was not significant given that there have been no credit losses over the last three years and the high qualityhigh-quality nature of ourthe Company’s customers.

Cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets are invested with several highly reputable banks and financial institutions. The Company holds its cash and cash equivalents mainly with different banks which are independently rated with a minimum rating of ‘A-’. The Company also holds short term investment fundscash equivalents in the form of money market funds with a recommended investment horizon of 6 months or shorter but with a low historical volatility. These money market funds are highly liquid investments, can be readily convertible into a known amount of cash. Since they areThe company has adopted a basket ofpolicy whereby money market funds there is no individual credit risk involved. Themust have an average credit rating of the underlying instruments for the investment funds is BBB“BBB” or higher.

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Liquidity risk

The Company manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate reserves, by continuously monitoring forecast and actual cash flows, and by matching the maturity profiles of financial assets and liabilities.

The Company’s main sources of cash inflows are obtained through sale of commercial product, capital increases and collaboration agreements. This cash is invested in savings accounts, term accounts and short termshort-term investment funds in the form of money market funds. These money market funds represent the majority of the Company’s available sources of liquidity however sinceliquidity. Since all of these are immediately tradable and convertible in cash they have a limitedno impact on the liquidity risk.

Interest rate risk

The only variable interest-bearing financial instruments are cash and cash equivalents and current financial investments.assets. Changes in interest rates may cause variations in interest income and expense resulting from short-term interest-bearing assets. Management does not expect the short-term interest rates to decrease significantly in the immediate foreseeable future, which limitsInterest rate cuts may have a negative impact on the interest exposure on our cash and cash equivalents and current financial investments.income of the Company.

For the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, if applicable interest rates would increase/decrease by 25 basis points, this would have a positive/negative impact of $0.9$7.9 million (compared to $6.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019)2021).

Foreign exchange risk

The Company undertakes transactions denominated in foreign currencies; consequently,currencies, causing exposures to exchange rate fluctuations arise.fluctuations. The Company is mainly exposed to the EUR,Euro, Japanese yen, British pound and Swiss franc. To limit this risk, the Company attempts to align incoming and outgoing cash flows in currencies other than USD.

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The net exposure to exchange differences of the monetary assets (being cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets) of the Company at the end of the reporting period are as follows:

At December 31,

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

EUR

 

591,887

 

703,016

 

578,483

 

923,773

 

613,866

 

591,887

JPY

6,316

264

856

8,232

5,613

6,316

GBP

 

1,237

 

48

 

4

 

7

 

59,026

 

1,237

CHF

 

727

 

2

 

1

193

3,832

727

CAD

266

657

SEK

1

7

DKK

 

9

 

6

On December 31, 2023, if the EUR would have strengthened/weakened versus the USD by 10%, this would have had a negative/positive impact of $92.3 million, compared to $61.4 million and $53.8 million on December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. On December 31, 2023, if other currencies would have strengthen/weakened against the USD by 10%, this would have had no significant impact

ITEM 12.     DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES

A.      DEBT SECURITIES

Not applicable.

B.      WARRANTS AND RIGHTS

Not applicable.

C.      OTHER SECURITIES

Not applicable.

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D.      AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES

TheIn connection with our initial public offering on Nasdaq, the Bank of New York Mellon, as depositary, will registerregistered and deliver American Depositary Shares, also referred to asdelivered ADSs. Each ADS will representrepresents one share (or a right to receive one share) deposited with ING Bank N.V., as custodian for the depositary in Thethe Netherlands. Each ADS will also representrepresents any other securities, cash or other property which may be held by the depositary. The deposited shares together with our other securities, cash and other property held by the depositary, are referred to as the deposited securities. The depositary’s office at which the ADSs are administered is located at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. The Bank of New York Mellon’s principal executive office is located at 225 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10286.

A deposit agreement among us, the depositary, ADS holders and all other persons indirectly or beneficially holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. New York law governs the deposit agreement and the ADSs. A copy

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Fees and Charges

Persons depositing or withdrawing shares or ADS holders must pay:

    

For:

$5.00 (or less) per 100 ADSs (or portion of 100 ADSs)

 

Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of shares or rights or other property

 

Cancellation of ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal, including if the deposit agreement terminates

$.05 (or less) per ADS

 

Any cash distribution to ADS holders

A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been shares and the shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs

 

Distribution of securities distributed to holders of deposited securities (including rights) that are distributed by the depositary to ADS holders

$.05 (or less) per ADS per calendar year

 

Depositary services

Registration or transfer fees

 

Transfer and registration of shares on our share register to or from the name of the depositary or its agent when you deposit or withdraw shares

Expenses of the depositary

 

Cable, telex and facsimile transmissions (when expressly provided in the deposit agreement)

 

Converting foreign currency to USDs

Taxes and other governmental charges the depositary or the custodian has to pay on any ADSs or shares underlying ADSs, such as stock transfer taxes, stamp duty or withholding taxes

 

As necessary

Any charges incurred by the depositary or its agents for servicing the deposited securities

 

As necessary

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The depositary collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The depositary collects fees for making distributions to investors by deducting those fees from the amounts distributed or by selling a portion of distributable property to pay the fees. The depositary may collect its annual fee for depositary services by deduction from cash distributions or by directly billing investors or by charging the book-entry system accounts of participants acting for them. The depositary may collect any of its fees by deduction from any cash distribution payable (or by selling a portion of securities or other property distributable) to ADS holders that are obligated to pay those fees. The depositary may generally refuse to provide fee-attracting services until its fees for those services are paid.

From time to time, the depositary may make payments to us to reimburse us for costs and expenses generally arising out of establishment and maintenance of the ADS program, waive fees and expenses for services provided to us by the depositary or share revenue from the fees collected from ADS holders. In performing its duties under the deposit agreement, the depositary may use brokers, dealers, foreign currency dealers or other service providers that are owned by or affiliated with the depositary and that may earn or share fees, spreads or commissions.

The depositary may convert currency itself or through any of its affiliates and, in those cases, acts as principal for its own account and not as agent, advisor, broker or fiduciary on behalf of any other person and earns revenue, including, without limitation, transaction spreads, that it will retain for its own account. The revenue is based on, among other things, the difference between the exchange rate assigned to the currency conversion made under the deposit agreement and the rate that the depositary or its affiliate receives when buying or selling foreign currency for its own account. The depositary makes no representation that the exchange rate used or obtained in any currency conversion under the deposit agreement will be the most favorable rate that could be obtained at the time or that the method by which that rate will be determined will be the most favorable to ADS holders, subject to the depositary'sdepositary’s obligations under the deposit agreement. The methodology used to determine exchange rates used in currency conversions is available upon request.

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PART II

ITEM 13.     DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES

Not applicable.

ITEM 14.     MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS

In May 2017,On July 18, 2023, we sold 6,744,750 ADSs, each representing oneentered into an Underwriting Agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, BofA Securities, Inc., Cowen and Company, LLC, as representatives of the several underwriters named therein, relating to a global offering of an aggregate of 2,244,899 ordinary share, with ashares of the Company, nominal value of €0.10 per share, in our U.S. initialincluding ordinary shares represented by ADSs, comprised of (i) 1,580,981 ADSs at a public offering at a price of $17.00$490.00 per ADS includingin the exerciseU.S. and countries outside the EEA and (ii) 663,918 ordinary shares at an offering price of €436.37 per ordinary share in full bya concurrent private placement in the underwritersEEA to certain legal entities all of their option to purchase additional ADSs.which are qualified investors within the meaning of Regulation 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017, as amended. The offering closed on May 23, 2017 and was made pursuant to aour effective shelf registration statement on Form S-1F-3ASR (File No. 333-217417)333-258251) filed on April 21, 2017,July 29, 2021, as amended, in the form in which it was declared effectivesupplemented by the SEC on Maya preliminary prospectus supplement dated July 17, 2017 and a registration statement on Form S-1MEF (File No. 333-218067), which was automatically effective upon filing2023, filed with the SEC on MayJuly 17, 2017. Cowen2023, and Company, LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co. acted as managing joint book-running managers, and JMP Securities LLC and Wedbush PacGrow Inc. acted as co-managers ofa final prospectus supplement dated July 18, 2023, filed with the initial U.S. public offering. Kempen & Co. N.V. acted as our advisor inSEC on July 20, 2023. In connection with this offering, we granted the offering.

We received aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $114.6 million, or aggregateunderwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 336,734 additional ordinary shares (which may be represented by ADSs), which was exercised in full. The net offering proceeds to us from the sale of the ADSs and ordinary shares in this offering, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses of approximately $103.4 million. payable by the Company, was $1.2 billion (€1.1 billion). The offering closed on July 24, 2023.

None of the underwriting discounts and commissions or offering expenses were paid to directors, officers or general partners of ours or their associates or to persons owning 10% or more of any class of our equity securities, or to any of our affiliates.

We have not used any of the net proceeds from the offering to make payments, directly or indirectly, to any director, officer or general partner of ours or to their associates, persons owning 10% or more of any class of our equity securities, or to any of our affiliates. We have invested the net proceeds from the offering in cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets. There has been no material change in our planned use of the net proceeds from the offering as described in our final prospectus supplement filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)(5) under the Securities Act with the SEC on May 19, 2017.July 20, 2023 (File No.333-258251). The registration statement was effective on July 29, 2021.

ITEM 15.     CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

A.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive OfficerCEO and Chief Financial Officer,CFO, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b) as of December 31, 2021.2023. While there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures, our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives.

Based upon ourtheir evaluation, as of December 31, 2021,2023, our Chief Executive OfficerCEO and Chief Financial OfficerCFO have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures, in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e), are (i) effective at the level of reasonable assurance in ensuring that information required to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and (ii) are effective at the level of reasonable assurance in ensuring that information to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the management of our company, including our Chief Executive OfficerCEO and Chief Financial Officer,CFO, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

189196

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

B.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and Rule 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed, under the supervision of our Chief Executive OfficerCEO and Chief Financial Officer,CFO, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB.

Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly, reflect transactions and dispositions of assets, provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded in the manner necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB, and that receipts and expenditures are only carried out in accordance with the authorization of our management and directors, and provide reasonable assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of any unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Moreover, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control to future periods are subject to a risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions and that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management has assessed the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting based on the Internal Control—IntegratedControl-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in 2013. Based on this assessment, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 20212023 was effective.

C.Attestation Report of the Registered Public Accounting Firm

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 20212023 has been audited by Deloitte Accountants B.V., our independent registered public accounting firm. Their audit report, including their opinion on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting, is included in our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

D.Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

During the period covered by this Annual Report, we have not made any change to our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 16.     RESERVED

Not applicable.

ITEM 16A.  AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

Our board of directors has determined that Werner Lanthaler qualifies as an audit committee financial expert as defined by SEC rules and has the requisite financial sophistication under the applicable rules and regulations of the NASDAQ Stock Market. Dr. Lanthaler is independent under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act.

ITEM 16B.  CODE OF ETHICS

We adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Code of Conduct), that is applicable to all of our employees and directors. The Code of Conduct is available on our website at www.argenx.com.

During the period covered by this Annual Report, we have not made any change to our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 16.     [RESERVED]

ITEM 16A.  AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

Our Board of Directors previously established that Mr. Verhaeghe, Mr. Rosenberg, Mr. Daly, Mr. Krognes and Mr. Lanthaler satisfy the independence requirements set forth in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and that both Mr. Lanthaler (up until his resignation effective February 27, 2023) and Mr. Krognes qualify as “audit committee financial experts” as defined by SEC rules and has the requisite financial sophistication under the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

ITEM 16B.  CODE OF ETHICS

We adopted a Code of Conduct, that is applicable to all of our employees and directors. The Code of Conduct is available on our website at www.argenx.com/investors/governance/rules-codes-compliance. The audit and compliance committee of our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Code of Conduct and is required to approve any waivers of the Code of Conduct for employees and directors. We expect that any amendments to the Code of Conduct, and any waivers of its requirements, will be disclosed on our website.

197

waivers of the Code of Conduct for employees and directors. We expect that any amendments to the Code of Conduct, and any waivers of its requirements, will be disclosed on our website.

ITEM 16C.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

Deloitte Accountants B.V. has served as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2023 and 2022. Our accountants billed the following fees to us for professional services in each of those fiscal years:

Year Ended December 31,

Fees

    

2023

    

2022

in thousands of $

Audit fees (1)

 

$

1,979

 

$

1,394

Audit-related fees

 

330

 

380

Tax fees

 

 

All other fees

 

Total

 

$

2,309

 

$

1,774

190

(1)Table of Contents

ITEM 16C.  PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

Deloitte Accountants B.V. has served as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2021 and 2020. Our accountants billed the following fees to us for professional services in each of those fiscal years:

Year Ended December 31,

Fees

    

2021

    

2020

in thousands of $

Audit Fees

 

$

1,183

 

$

923

Audit‑Related Fees

 

267

 

188

Tax Fees

 

79

 

All other Fees

Total

 

$

1,529

 

$

1,111

Audit Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for the audit of our annual financial statements. This category also includes services that generally the independent accountants provide, such as consents and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC.

“Audit-Related Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit and are not reported under Audit Fees. In 2021 and 2020, “Audit-Related Fees” also include fees billed for assurance and audit-related services regarding our public offerings on Nasdaq.

“Tax Fees” are the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for permissible tax related services.

“All other Fees” are any additional amounts billed for products and services provided by the principal accountant. No other fees were billed by Deloitte Accountants B.V. for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Audit and Compliance Committee’s Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

The audit and compliance committee has responsibility for, among other things, appointing, setting compensation of and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm, or external auditor. In recognition of these responsibilities, the audit and compliance committee has adopted a policy governing the pre-approval of all audit and permitted non-audit services performed by our external auditor to ensure that the provision of such services does not impair the external auditor’s independence from us and our management. Unless a type of service to be provided by our external auditor has received general pre-approval from the audit and compliance committee, it requires specific pre-approval by the audit and compliance committee. The payment for any proposed services in excess of pre-approved cost levels requires specific pre-approval by the audit and compliance committee.

Pursuant to its pre-approval policy, the audit and compliance committee may delegate its authority to pre-approve services to the chairperson of the Audit and Compliance Committee. The decisions of the chairperson to grant pre-approvals must be presented to the full audit committee at its next scheduled meeting. The audit and compliance committee may not delegate its responsibilities to pre-approve services to the management.

The audit and compliance committee has considered the non-audit services provided by Deloitte Accountants B.V. as described above and believes that they are compatible with maintaining Deloitte Accountants B.V.’s independence as ourthe external auditor. In accordance with Regulation S-X, Rule 2-01, paragraph (c)(7)(i), no fees for services were approved pursuantauditor referred to any waiversin Section 1 of the pre-approval requirement.

ITEM 16D.  EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

Not applicable.

191

ITEM 16E.  PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 16F.  CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

Not applicable.

ITEM 16G.  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

We qualifyDutch Accounting Firms Oversight Act (Wta) as a foreign private issuer. The Listing Rules ofwell as by the Nasdaq Stock Market include certain accommodations in the corporate governance requirements that allow foreign private issuers to follow “home country” corporate governance practices in lieu of the otherwise applicable corporate governance standards of the Nasdaq Stock Market.Deloitte network

“Audit fees” are the aggregate fees billed for the audit of our annual financial statements. This category also includes services that generally the independent accountants provide, such as consents and assistance with and review of documents filed with the SEC.

“Audit-related fees” are the aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit and are not reported under Audit Fees. In 2023 and 2022, “Audit-Related Fees” also include fees billed for assurance and audit-related services regarding our public offerings on Nasdaq.

“Tax fees” are the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for permissible tax related services.

“All other Fees” are any additional amounts billed for products and services provided by the principal accountant. No other fees were billed by Deloitte Accountants B.V. for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Audit and Compliance Committee’s Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

Our audit and compliance committee has responsibility for, among other things, appointing, setting compensation of and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm, or external auditor. In recognition of these responsibilities, the audit and compliance committee has adopted a policy governing the pre-approval of all audit and permitted non-audit services performed by our external auditor to ensure that the provision of such services does not impair the external auditor’s independence from us and our management. Unless a type of service to be provided by our external auditor has received general pre-approval from the audit and compliance committee, it requires specific pre-approval by the audit and compliance committee. The payment for any proposed services in excess of pre-approved cost levels requires specific pre-approval by the audit and compliance committee.

Pursuant to its pre-approval policy, the audit and compliance committee may delegate its authority to pre-approve services to the chairperson of the audit and compliance committee. The decisions of the chairperson to grant pre-approvals must be presented to the full audit committee at its next scheduled meeting. The audit and compliance committee may not delegate its responsibilities to pre-approve services to management.

The audit and compliance committee has considered the non-audit services provided by Deloitte Accountants B.V. as described above and believes that they are compatible with maintaining Deloitte Accountants B.V.’s independence as our external auditor. In accordance with Regulation S-X, Rule 2-01, paragraph (c)(7)(i), no fees for services were approved pursuant to any waivers of the pre-approval requirement.

ITEM 16D.  EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES

Not applicable.

ITEM 16E.  PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 16F.  CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT

Not applicable.

ITEM 16G.  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

As a foreign private issuer, the Nasdaq Listing Rules include certain accommodations in the corporate governance requirements that allow foreign private issuers to follow “home country” corporate governance practices in lieu of the otherwise applicable Nasdaq corporate governance standards. We intend to rely on certain exemptions for foreign private issuers and to follow Dutch corporate governance practices in lieu of the Nasdaq corporate governance rules.

192

The following is a summary of the significant ways in which our corporate governance practices differ from those required by the Nasdaq Listing Rules with which we are not required to comply:

Quorum at Shareholder Meetings.
Quorum at Shareholder Meetings. In accordance with Dutch law and generally accepted business practices in the Netherlands, our Articles of Association do not provide quorum requirements generally applicable to general meetings of shareholders. To that extent, our practice varies from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(c), which requires an issuer to provide in its bylaws for a generally applicable quorum, and that such quorum may not be less than one-third of the outstanding voting stock.
Solicitation of Proxies. Although we must provide shareholders with an agenda and other relevant documents ahead of any General Meeting, Dutch law does not have a regulatory regime for the solicitation of proxies, and the solicitation of proxies is not a generally accepted business practice in the Netherlands. Thus, our practice varies from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(c), which requires an issuer to provide in its bylaws for a generally applicable quorum, and that such quorum may not be less than one-third of the outstanding voting stock.
Compensation and Nomination Committees. We have opted out of Nasdaq Listing Rules 5605(d)(2) and 5605(e)(1), which require separate nomination and compensation committees; however, for practical purposes, our remuneration and nomination committee performs similar tasks pursuant to Dutch law. We have also opted out of the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(d), which requires an issuer to have a compensation committee that consists entirely of independent directors, and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(e), which requires an issuer to have independent director oversight of director nominations. Although we have chosen not to comply with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(d) regarding the independence of our compensation committee, all of the current members of our remuneration and nomination committee meet the heightened independence requirements under these rules.
Executive Sessions. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(b)(2) requires companies to have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors of the company are present. There is no corresponding requirement under Dutch law. Our board regulations charter requires our non-executive directors to meet without the presence of any executive directors; however, these meetings do not exclude our other non-independent directors and, therefore, we do not believe that we satisfy the requirements of Rule 5605(b)(2).
Solicitation of Proxies. Although we must provide shareholders with an agenda and other relevant documents for the General Meeting, Dutch law does not have a regulatory regime for the solicitation of proxies, and the solicitation of proxies is not a generally accepted business practice in the Netherlands. Thus, our practice will vary from the requirement of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5620(b).

Shareholder Approval. We follow certain Dutch shareholder approval requirements for the issuance of securities in connection with certain events such as the acquisition of stock or assets of another company, the establishment of or amendments to equity-based compensation plans for employees, a change of control of us and certain private placements. To this extent, our practice varies from the requirements of Nasdaq Rule 5635, which generally requires an issuer to obtain shareholder approval for the issuance of securities in connection with such events.

199

Table of Contents

ITEM 16H.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

ITEM 16I.  DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

193
Distribution of Annual Reports. We do not follow Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250(d), which requires companies to make available copies of their annual reports containing audited financial statements to their shareholders. The distribution of our annual reports to shareholders is not required under Dutch corporate law or Dutch securities laws. Furthermore, it is generally accepted business practice for Dutch companies not to distribute annual reports. In part, this is because the Dutch system of bearer shares has made it impractical to keep a current list of holders of the bearer shares in order to distribute the annual reports. Instead, we make our Annual Report available at our corporate head office in the Netherlands (and at the offices of our Dutch listing agent as stated in the convening notice for the meeting) no later than 42 days prior to convocation of any annual General Meeting. In addition, we post a copy of our annual reports on our website prior to our annual General Meeting.

ITEM 16H.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

ITEM 16I.  DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

ITEM 16J.  INSIDER TRADING POLICIES

Not required.

ITEM 16K.  CYBERSECURITY

Information Security Risk Management and Strategy

Our approach to risk management is designed to identify, assess, prioritize and manage major risk exposures that could affect our ability to execute our corporate strategy and fulfill our business objectives. As part of our information security and privacy program, the Information Security and Management System (ISMS), we perform risk assessments in which we map and prioritize information security risks identified through the processes described below, including risks associated with our use of third-party service providers. These assessments inform our ISMS strategies and oversight processes and are included with other enterprise risks as part of our broader enterprise risk management. We view information security risks as one of the key risks categories we face. IT system vendors are subject to security review and audits. For more information regarding the cybersecurity-related risks we face, please refer to Item 3.D. “Risk FactorsRisk Factors Related to argenx’s Business and IndustryOur business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures or unauthorized or inappropriate use of or access to our systems.”

Our processes for assessing, identifying and managing information security risks and vulnerabilities are embedded across our business as part of our ISMS. Among other things, we conduct audits and tests of our information systems (including review and assessment by independent third-party advisors, who assess and report on the maturity of our security measures and help identify areas for continued focus and improvement) and review information security threat information published by government entities and other organizations in which we participate. We conduct training on data security matters for our employees to be aware and vigilant against potential data security risks and data privacy is incorporated into our overall compliance training, such as through privacy-specific training for employees and contractors. Phishing training is also implemented regularly, which includes mock phishing emails to test employee vigilance. In addition, employees are required to read and acknowledge information security policies that are relevant to their specific role. We also have implemented and maintain information security incident response plans, which include processes to triage, assess severity for, escalate, contain, investigate and remediate information security incidents, as well as to comply with potentially applicable legal obligations and mitigate brand and reputational damage.

200

Information Security Governance and Oversight

Our ISMS enables our Board of Directors to establish a mutual understanding with our senior management team of the effectiveness of our information security risk management practices and capabilities, including the division of responsibilities for reviewing our information security risk exposure and risk tolerance, tracking emerging information risks and ensuring proper escalation of certain key risks for periodic review by the Board of Directors and its committees. As part of its broader risk oversight activities, the Board of Directors oversees risks from information security threats, both directly and through the audit and compliance committee of the Board of Directors. The audit and compliance committee also oversees our internal control over financial reporting.

As an element of its cybersecurity oversight activities, the audit and compliance committee regularly reviews the results of our enterprise risk assessments, including information security risk assessments, as well as management's strategies to detect, monitor and manage such risks and related risk assessment and risk management policies. Our ISMS contains provisions regarding reporting to the Global Risk Management Committee. Additionally, the data protection officer (the DPO)provides regular updates to senior management, and the audit and compliance committee as a component of the audit and compliance committee’s compliance updates. The DPO also regularly reports to the Global Corporate Compliance Committee, the Global Risk Management Committee and the General Counsel on matters such as the status of the organizational privacy plan, data breaches and routine programs. In addition to these regularly scheduled updates from the DPO, the Global Head of Business Information Systems reports to the audit and compliance committee or the full Board of Directors, as appropriate, on how certain information security risks are being managed and progress towards agreed mitigation goals, as well as any potential material risks from cybersecurity threats that have been detected by the information security team.

Our information security team is responsible for day-to-day identification, assessment and management of the information security risks we face. Our Global Head of Business Information Systems has 32 years of experience in information management systems and the managers reporting to the Global Head of Business Information Systems have over 40 cumulative years of experience in information security. Our incident response and data breach procedures are designed for the timely detection, reporting, and investigation of all security incidents, as well as the timely notification of any reportable breaches (including any material cybersecurity incidents and personal data breaches) to the competent authorities and the timely communication to the affected individuals, where relevant. We maintain records of breaches on our quarterly corporate risk dashboard and our personal data breach register, and we monitor and regularly report our security and data breach metrics to senior management, including the audit and compliance committee of our Board of Directors, the Global Corporate Compliance Committee, and the Global Risk Management Committee. In addition to the ordinary-course Board of Directors and audit and compliance committee reporting and oversight described above, we also maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed for prompt reporting to the Board of Directors and timely public disclosure, as appropriate, of material events covered by our risk management framework, including information security risks.

201

PART III

ITEM 17.     FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 18.     FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

See pages F-1 through F-51F-48 of this Annual Report.

ITEM 19.     EXHIBITS

The Exhibitsexhibits listed in the Exhibit Index at the end of this Annual Report are filed as Exhibitsexhibits to this Annual Report.

 

 

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

    

Description

    

Schedule/
Form

    

File Number

    

Exhibit

    

File Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)

1.1

 

Articles of Association (English translation), as amended

Form 20-F

001-38097

 

1.1

03/16/2023

1.2

Rules for the Board of Directors

Form 20-F

001-38097

1.2

03/16/2023

2.1

Form of Deposit Agreement

Form F-1/A

333-217417

4.1

05/16/2017

2.2

Form of American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 2.1)

2.3#

Description of Share Capital

4.1

Leases dated April 1, 2016 between argenx BVBA and Bio-Incubator Gent 2 NV

Form F-1

333-217417

10.1

04/21/2017

4.2**

Patent License Agreement, dated February 15, 2012, between the registrant and The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, as amended

Form F-1

333-217417

10.2

04/21/2017

4.3†

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the registrant and each of its executive officers and directors

Form F-1

333-217417

10.3

04/21/2017

4.4#†

argenx Equity Incentive Plan 2023

4.5**

Collaboration License Agreement, dated December 2, 2018, between the registrant, argenx BVBA and Cilag GmbH International

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.5

03/26/2019

4.6

Investment Agreement, dated December 2, 2018, between the registrant and Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC, Inc.

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.6

03/26/2019

194202

EXHIBIT INDEX

  

 

  

Incorporated by Reference

 

Exhibit

  

Description

  

Schedule/
Form

  

File Number 

  

Exhibit 

  

File Date
(mm/dd/yyyy)

 

1.1

  

Articles of Association (English translation), as amended

  

Form F-1/A

  

333-217417 

  

3.1 

  

 05/04/2017

 

4.7**

Collaboration and License Agreement, dated January 6, 2021, between the registrant and Zai Auto Immune (Hong Kong) Limited

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.7

03/30/2021

1.2

Rules for the Board of Directors

Form F-1

333-217417

3.2 

04/21/2017

4.8

Asset Purchase Agreement, dated November 29, 2022, by and between bluebird bio, Inc. and argenx BV

Form 6-K

001-38097

1.1

11/30/2022

4.9†

Remuneration Policy

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.9

03/16/2023

2.1

Form of Deposit Agreement

Form F-1/A

333-217417

4.1 

05/16/2017

2.2

Form of American Depositary Receipt (included in Exhibit 2.1)

2.3

Description of Share Capital

Form 20-F

001-38097

2.3 

03/30/2021

4.1

Leases dated April 1, 2016 between argenx BVBA and Bio-Incubator Gent 2 NV

Form F-1

333-217417

10.1 

04/21/2017

4.2**

Patent License Agreement, dated February 15, 2012, between the registrant and The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, as amended

Form F-1

333-217417

10.2 

04/21/2017

4.3†

Form of Indemnification Agreement between the registrant and each of its executive officers and directors

Form F-1

333-217417

10.3 

04/21/2017

4.4†#

Argenx Equity Incentive Plan 2021

4.5**

Collaboration License Agreement, dated December 2, 2018, between the registrant, argenx BVBA and Cilag GmbH International

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.5 

03/26/2019

4.6

Investment Agreement, dated December 2, 2018, between the registrant and Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc.

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.6 

03/26/2019

4.7# **

Collaboration and License Agreement, dated January 6, 2021, between the registrant and Zai Auto Immune (Hong Kong) Limited

Form 20-F

001-38097

4.7

03/30/2021

8.1#

List of subsidiaries of the registrant

8.1

List of subsidiaries of the registrant

Form 20-F

001-38097

8.1

03/16/2023

12.1#

Certification by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

12.2#

13.1*

13.2*

15.1#

Consent of Deloitte Accountants B.V.

97.1#

Executive Compensation Clawback Policy, dated July 25, 2023

101.INS#

Inline XBRL Instance 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

195203

  12.2#

Certification by the Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

  13.1*

Certification by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

  13.2*

Certification by the Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

  15.1#

Consent of Deloitte Accountants B.V.

  101.INS#

XBRL Instance Document

  101.SCH#

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

  101.CAL#

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

  101.DEF#

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 and contained in Exhibit 101)

#

Filed herewith.

*

Furnished herewith.

Indicates a management contract or any compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

**

Confidential treatment status has been granted as to certain portions thereto, which portions are omitted and filed separately with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

196204

SIGNATURES

The registrant hereby certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 20-F and that it has duly caused and authorized the undersigned to sign this Annual Report on its behalf.

Date: March 21, 20222024

ARGENX SE

By:

/s/ Tim Van Hauwermeiren

Name:

Tim Van Hauwermeiren

  Title:

Chief Executive Officer

197205

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Audited consolidated Financial Statementsfinancial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 20202023, 2022 and 20192021

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID No. 1243)

F-2

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

F-6F-4

Consolidated Statements of Profit or Loss

F-8F-6

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income and Loss(Loss)

F-9F-7

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

F-10F-8

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity

F-11F-9

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

F-12F-10

F-1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTINGACCOUNTING FIRM

To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of argenx SE

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of financial position of argenx SE and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2021, 20202023, 2022 and 2019,2021, the related consolidated statements of profit or loss, comprehensive income and loss,(loss), cash flows, and changes in equity, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021,2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, 20202023, 2022 and 2019,2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021,2023, in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”).

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021,2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 21, 2022,2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit MattersMatter

The critical audit mattersmatter communicated below are mattersis a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that werewas communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relaterelates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit mattersmatter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit mattersmatter or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.it relates.

Trade and Other PayablesGross-to-net adjustments in revenue Research and development cost accruals — Refer to Note 14 & 15 to the financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The companyCompany recognizes costs of USD 163.7 million, as specified in Note 15product net sales, relating to the financial statements, incurredsale of the products VYVGART and VYVGART HYTRULO. These product net sales are accounted for clinical trial activities as research and development expenses based on evaluationin accordance with IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“IFRS 15”), whereby the sale of its vendors’ progress toward completion of specific tasks. Payment timing may differ significantly fromthese products to customers is recognized for an amount that reflects the period inconsideration to which the costsCompany expects to be entitled in exchange for these goods. The majority of the product gross sales are recognized as expense, resulting in research and development cost accruals recognized within Trade and Other Payables in the StatementUnited States of Financial Position.America, which are subject to reduction for significant components of variable

F-2

Determinationconsideration primarily composed of rebates to government agencies, distributors, health insurance companies and managed healthcare organizations. Together, these deductions are referred to as gross-to-net (“GtN”) adjustments, as specified in Note 14 and 15 to the financial statements. The GtN adjustments that are recognized by the Company represent estimates of the research progressrelated obligations that will be settled in a future period. The estimated amounts are based on contractual arrangements with healthcare authorities, government and the translation of the progress to the researchstate programs, and development cost accruals requires judgment, because such progress is not directly observable. In estimating the vendors’ progress toward completion of specific tasks, the company therefore uses data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activationsgross sales and vendor information of actual costs incurred. This data is obtained through reports from or discussions with company personnel and outside service providers as to the progress or state of completion of trials, or the completion of services. Costs are expensed over the service period the services are provided. Costs for services provided that have not yet been paid are recognized as accruals.third-party data.

We identified the research and development cost accrualsGtN adjustments for product net sales in the United States of America as a critical audit matter, because of the significant effort spent on auditing the adjustments and the judgment required to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence that supports the Company’s estimate due to the number of ongoing clinical trial activities and the subjectivity involved in estimating research and development cost accruals and as auditing the research and development cost accruals involves judgement in evaluating the progress of the research and development activities relativereporting data being subject to the costs incurred.a time lag.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the research and development cost accrualsgross-to-net adjustments included the following, among others:

We tested controls overevaluated the appropriatenesskey revenue contracts and supply chain contracts, including evaluation of the recordingaccounting treatment of the researchGtN adjustments and development accruals reflecting the progress of the clinical trials, including the quarterly review meetings between the finance department and clinical research personnel.disclosures thereof in accordance with IFRS 15.
We read selected research and collaboration agreements, as well as amendments thereto,evaluated the independent service auditor reports for the service providers used by the Company to evaluate whether the progressprocess gross-to-net adjustments on behalf of the clinical trials reflects all relevant contractual elements.Company.
We considered publicly available information (such as press releasesevaluated the appropriateness and investor presentations)consistency of the Company’s methodology and boardassumptions in developing the GtN adjustments, including testing the completeness and accuracy of directors’ materials regarding the status of clinical trial activities and evaluated this information to the judgements appliedunderlying data used by management in recording the accruals.their estimates.
For a selection of contracts, we compared the amount of accruals at the end of the prior period to current year activity and evaluated the accuracy of the company’s estimation methodology.
We performed confirmationdetailed testing procedures with vendors relatedon a selection of adjustments by reconciling them to underlying evidence.
We performed recalculation procedures on the progressdifferent components of significant projects to test the research and development cost inputmanagement’s calculations.
We evaluated the Company’s ability to estimate the GtN adjustments by evaluating the historical accuracy of estimates made selections of specific amounts recognized as research and development expense as well as those recognized as accrued expenses and performedin the following procedures:prior year in relation to the actuals incurred in this year.
oEvaluated management’s estimate of the vendor’s progress based on inquiries with company clinical operations personnel.
oReconciled any available related statement of work, purchase order, or other supporting documentation to management’s estimate (such as communications between the company and vendors).

Revenue – Determination of appropriate accounting of/s/ Deloitte Accountants B.V.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 21, 2024

We have served as the license and collaboration agreement — Refer to Note 16 to the financial statementsCompany's auditor since 2015.

Critical Audit Matter Description

The company recognized revenue of USD 178.4 million related to a license and collaboration agreement with Zai Lab Limited. Under the terms of the agreement, the company received USD 175 million in collaboration payments, consisting of an upfront payment and milestone payment. The upfront payment of USD 150 million is comprised of a USD 75 million upfront cash payment and a USD 75 million payment in the form of newly issued Zai Lab shares. The company has received an additional milestone payment of USD 25 million upon obtaining regulatory approval of efgartigimod by the FDA in the US. In addition, the company is eligible to receive tiered royalties based on annual net sales of efgartigimod in Greater China.

The company’s license and collaboration agreement has been determined as representing two distinct performance obligations, being the transfer of the license over efgartigimod and the at arms-length supply of

F-3

clinical and commercial product to Zai Lab Limited . The upfront payment and milestone payment are allocated to the performance obligation related to the transfer of the license, whereas sales-based royalties and revenue generated from supplying Zai Lab Limited with drug product are allocated to the performance obligation related to the supply of product.

The company concluded that the license has standalone value as of the effective date of the contract. Therefore, the revenue related to the transfer of the license has been recognized at a point in time upon fulfillment of the performance obligation, being the granting of the license to Zai Lab Limited. The milestone payment was considered constrained upon the effective date of the contract and was recognized at the point in time of obtaining the FDA approval of efgartigimod. Revenue from royalties and supply of drug product to Zai Lab Limited will be recognized upon fulfillment of the performance obligation related to the supply of drug product.

Given the complexity involved in determining the appropriate accounting treatment in line with IFRS and the fact that it is the first time that the efgartigimod license is considered to have standalone value for the company, we identified the initial accounting treatment of the license and collaboration agreement with Zai Lab Limited as a critical audit matter.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures for the accounting of the collaboration and license agreement included the following, among others:

Graphic

We tested the controls over the appropriateness of the accounting of the license and collaboration agreement, including the review by management of the appropriate accounting treatment.Deloitte Accountants B.V.

Wilhelminakade 1

3072 AP Rotterdam

P.O.Box 2031

3000 CA Rotterdam

Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0)88 288 2888

Fax: +31 (0)88 288 9929

www.deloitte.nl

We read the license and collaboration agreement and evaluated whether management’s accounting position considered all relevant facts and terms included in the agreement.
We further evaluated management’s accounting position paper and evaluated management’s conclusions to determine whether they had appropriately considered and applied the guidance and interpretation within IFRS 15.
We have consulted with our financial reporting experts on the accounting treatment of the license and collaboration agreement

Deloitte Accountants B.V.

March 21, 2022

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2015.

F-4

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of argenx SE

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of argenx SE and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021,2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021,2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 20212023, of the Company and our report dated March 21, 2022,2024, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

4

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Deloitte Accountants B.V.

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

March 21, 20222024

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

F-5

ARGENX SE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

As of

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2021

    

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

ASSETS

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Current assets

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Cash and cash equivalents

 

12

 

$

1,334,676

 

$

1,216,803

 

$

372,162

Research and development incentive receivables — current

 

 

 

463

 

293

Financial assets — current

 

11

 

1,002,052

 

779,649

 

1,128,499

Prepaid expenses

 

 

58,946

 

27,913

 

10,136

Trade and other receivables

10

38,221

6,978

31,585

Inventories

9

109,076

25,195

Total current assets

 

  

 

2,542,971

 

2,057,001

 

1,542,675

Noncurrent assets

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

Other non-current assets

7

54,876

7,816

3,624

Research and development incentive receivables — non-current

 

 

32,707

 

20,626

9,624

Deferred tax asset

8

32,191

15,038

Property, plant and equipment

 

6

 

15,844

 

11,582

9,175

Intangible assets

 

5

 

171,684

 

167,344

45,117

Total noncurrent assets

 

  

 

307,303

 

222,406

 

67,540

TOTAL ASSETS

 

  

 

$

2,850,274

 

$

2,279,407

 

$

1,610,215

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of financial position and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

As of

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

2023

    

2022

    

2021

ASSETS

 

  

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Noncurrent assets

 

  

  

 

 

  

Property, plant and equipment

 

4

$

22,675

 

$

16,234

 

$

15,844

Intangible assets

 

5

125,228

 

174,901

 

171,684

Deferred tax asset

24

97,211

79,222

32,191

Research and development incentive receivables

76,706

47,488

32,707

Investment in joint venture

 

27.1

9,912

 

1,323

 

Prepaid expenses

7

47,327

Other non-current assets

6

39,662

40,894

54,876

Total noncurrent assets

 

  

418,721

 

360,064

 

307,303

Current assets

 

  

  

 

  

 

  

Inventories

7

$

310,550

$

228,353

$

109,076

Prepaid expenses

 

8

134,072

 

76,022

 

58,946

Trade and other receivables

9

496,687

275,697

38,221

Research and development incentive receivables

 

2,584

 

1,578

 

Financial assets

 

10

1,131,000

 

1,391,808

 

1,002,052

Cash and cash equivalents

 

11

2,048,844

 

800,740

 

1,334,676

Total current assets

 

4,123,737

 

2,774,197

 

2,542,971

TOTAL ASSETS

 

  

$

4,542,458

 

$

3,134,261

 

$

2,850,274

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-6F-4

As of

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2021

    

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Equity

 

13

 

  

 

  

 

  

Equity attributable to owners of the parent

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Share capital

 

  

 

$

6,233

 

$

5,744

 

$

5,209

Share premium

 

  

 

3,462,775

 

2,339,033

 

1,505,641

Translation differences

131,684

134,732

(27,541)

Accumulated losses

 

  

 

(1,400,197)

 

(991,932)

 

(383,477)

Other reserves

 

 

333,729

 

186,474

 

80,577

Total equity

 

  

 

$

2,534,224

 

$

1,674,051

 

$

1,180,409

Non-current liabilities

 

  

 

 

Provisions for employee benefits

 

 

417

 

156

72

Lease liabilities — non-current

22

7,956

6,181

5,101

Deferred tax liabilities

8

6,438

1,487

Deferred revenue — non-current

16

269,039

244,937

Total non-current liabilities

  

14,811

276,863

 

250,110

  

  

Current liabilities

 

  

 

 

Lease liabilities — current

22

3,509

3,476

2,218

Trade and other payables

 

15

 

293,415

 

275,192

95,827

Tax liabilities

4,315

3,497

386

Deferred revenue — current

 

16

 

 

46,328

81,265

Total current liabilities

  

301,239

328,493

179,696

  

Total liabilities

 

  

 

$

316,050

 

$

605,356

 

$

429,806

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

 

  

 

$

2,850,274

 

$

2,279,407

 

$

1,610,215

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of financial position and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

As of

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Equity

 

12

 

  

 

  

 

  

Equity attributable to owners of the parent

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

Share capital

 

 

$

7,058

 

$

6,640

 

$

6,233

Share premium

 

 

5,651,497

 

4,309,880

 

3,462,775

Translation differences

131,543

129,280

131,684

Accumulated losses

 

 

(2,404,844)

 

(2,109,791)

 

(1,400,197)

Other reserves

 

 

712,253

 

477,691

 

333,729

Total equity

 

 

$

4,097,507

 

$

2,813,699

 

$

2,534,224

Non-current liabilities

 

 

 

 

Provisions for employee benefits

 

 

1,449

 

870

 

417

Lease liabilities

22

15,354

9,009

7,956

Deferred tax liabilities

24

5,155

8,406

6,438

Total non-current liabilities

  

21,958

18,285

14,811

  

  

  

Current liabilities

 

  

 

 

 

Lease liabilities

22

4,646

3,417

3,509

Trade and other payables

 

14

 

414,013

 

295,679

 

293,415

Tax liabilities

4,334

3,181

4,315

Total current liabilities

  

422,993

302,277

301,239

  

Total liabilities

 

  

 

$

444,951

 

$

320,562

 

$

316,050

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

 

  

 

$

4,542,458

 

$

3,134,261

 

$

2,850,274

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-7F-5

ARGENX SE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $ except for shares and EPS)

    

Note

    

2021

    

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

Revenue

    

16

    

$

497,277

    

$

41,243

    

$

78,462

Other operating income

 

17, 7

 

42,141

 

23,668

 

15,563

Total operating income

 

  

 

539,418

 

64,911

 

94,025

Research and development expenses

 

19

 

(580,520)

 

(370,885)

 

(220,771)

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

20

 

(307,644)

 

(171,643)

 

(72,146)

Total operating expenses

(888,164)

(542,528)

(292,917)

Operating loss

 

 

$

(348,746)

 

$

(477,617)

 

$

(198,892)

Financial income/(expense)

 

23

 

(944)

 

(1,501)

 

15,983

Exchange gains/(losses)

 

23

 

(50,053)

 

(126,234)

 

6,990

  

  

Loss before taxes

 

  

 

$

(399,743)

 

$

(605,352)

 

$

(175,919)

Income tax expense

 

24

 

$

(8,522)

 

$

(3,103)

 

$

(5,289)

Loss for the year

 

  

 

$

(408,265)

 

$

(608,455)

 

$

(181,208)

Loss for the year attributable to:

Owners of the parent

$

(408,265)

$

(608,455)

$

(181,208)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

 

  

 

51,075,827

 

45,410,442

 

38,619,121

Basic and diluted loss per share (in $)

 

25

 

(7.99)

 

(13.40)

 

(4.69)

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of profit and loss and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $ except for shares and EPS)

    

Note

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Product net sales

15,18

$

1,190,783

$

400,720

$

Collaboration revenue

16

35,533

10,026

497,277

Other operating income

    

17

    

42,278

    

34,520

    

42,141

Total operating income

 

  

 

1,268,594

 

445,267

 

539,418

Cost of sales

(117,835)

(29,431)

Research and development expenses

 

19

 

(859,492)

 

(663,366)

 

(580,520)

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

20

 

(711,905)

 

(472,132)

 

(307,644)

Loss from investment in joint venture

(4,411)

(677)

Total operating expenses

(1,693,643)

(1,165,607)

(888,164)

Operating loss

 

 

$

(425,049)

 

$

(720,341)

 

$

(348,746)

Financial income

 

23

 

107,386

 

27,665

 

3,633

Financial expense

23

(906)

(3,906)

(4,578)

Exchange gains/(losses)

 

23

 

14,073

 

(32,732)

 

(50,053)

  

  

  

Loss for the year before taxes

 

  

 

$

(304,496)

 

$

(729,314)

 

$

(399,743)

Income tax benefit / (expense)

 

24

 

$

9,443

 

$

19,720

 

$

(8,522)

Loss for the year

 

  

 

$

(295,053)

 

$

(709,594)

 

$

(408,265)

Loss for the year attributable to:

Owners of the parent

(295,053)

$

(709,594)

$

(408,265)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

 

  

 

57,169,253

 

54,381,371

 

51,075,827

Basic and diluted (loss) per share (in $)

 

25

 

(5.16)

 

(13.05)

 

(7.99)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-8F-6

ARGENX SE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME / LOSS(LOSS)

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $ except for shares)

    

Note

    

2021

    

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

Loss for the year

    

    

$

(408,265)

    

$

(608,455)

    

$

(181,208)

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss, net of tax

Currency translation differences, arisen from translating foreign activities

(3,048)

Translation effect

162,273

(8,587)

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss, net of tax

Fair value gain/(loss) on investments in equity instruments designated as at FVTOCI

7

(39,290)

Other comprehensive loss, net of income tax

(42,338)

162,273

(8,587)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to:

Owners of the parent

$

(450,603)

$

(446,182)

$

(189,795)

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of comprehensive income and loss and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Loss for the year

    

    

$

(295,053)

    

$

(709,594)

    

$

(408,265)

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss, net of tax

Currency translation differences, arisen from translating foreign activities

2,263

(2,404)

(3,048)

Items that will not be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss, net of tax

Fair value gain/(loss) on investments in equity instruments designated as at FVTOCI

6

(1,915)

(18,267)

(39,290)

Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of income

348

(20,671)

(42,338)

Total comprehensive loss attributable to:

Owners of the parent

$

(294,705)

$

(730,266)

$

(450,603)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-9F-7

ARGENX SE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2021

    

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

CASH FLOWS (USED IN) / FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

 

  

Operating loss

 

  

 

$

(348,746)

 

$

(477,617)

 

$

(198,892)

Adjustments for non-cash items

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Amortization of intangible assets

 

5

 

776

 

246

 

43

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

 

6

 

5,091

 

3,671

 

2,382

Provisions for employee benefits

 

 

260

 

76

 

64

Expense recognized in respect of share-based payments

 

14

 

179,366

 

96,932

 

44,236

Fair value gains on non-current financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

7

(11,152)

(2,951)

(1,214)

Non-cash revenue

16

(75,000)

 

  

 

$

(249,405)

 

$

(379,643)

 

$

(153,381)

Movements in current assets/liabilities

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables

 

10

 

(31,632)

 

21,961

 

(25,709)

(Increase)/decrease in inventories

9

(83,880)

(23,852)

(Increase)/decrease in other current assets

 

  

 

(30,990)

 

(16,189)

 

(5,788)

Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

 

15

 

134,892

 

50,537

 

53,729

Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue – current

 

16

 

(46,327)

 

(40,441)

 

69,526

Movements in non-current assets/liabilities

(Increase)/decrease in other non‑current assets

 

  

 

(13,975)

 

(10,299)

 

(6,224)

Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue – non-current

16

(269,039)

2,655

224,492

Cash flows (used in)/from operating activities

(590,356)

(395,272)

156,645

Interest paid

(684)

(401)

(139)

Income taxes paid

(15,772)

(2,791)

(4,876)

NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) / FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

  

 

$

(606,812)

 

$

(398,463)

 

$

151,630

Purchase of intangible assets

 

5

 

(117,811)

 

(4,071)

 

(44,939)

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

 

6

 

(3,623)

 

(1,068)

 

(1,796)

(Increase)/decrease in financial assets – current

 

11

 

(228,239)

 

341,869

 

(792,655)

Interest received

 

 

2,603

 

7,962

 

6,122

NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) / FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

  

 

$

(347,070)

 

$

344,692

 

$

(833,267)

Principal elements of lease payments

 

22

 

(3,855)

 

(2,550)

 

(1,515)

Proceeds from issue of new shares

 

13

 

1,091,326

 

813,186

 

755,641

Issue costs paid

13

(528)

(613)

(25,747)

Exchange gain from currency conversion on proceeds from issue of new shares

966

68

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

13

33,433

22,912

5,345

NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) / FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES

 

  

 

$

1,121,342

 

$

833,003

 

$

733,726

NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS

 

  

 

$

167,460

 

$

779,232

 

$

52,088

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

 

  

 

$

1,216,803

 

$

372,162

 

$

321,791

Exchange gains/(losses) on cash & cash equivalents

 

 

$

(49,587)

 

$

65,409

 

$

(1,717)

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

 

  

 

$

1,334,676

 

$

1,216,803

 

$

372,162

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of cash flows and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

Note

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Operating loss

 

  

 

$

(425,049)

 

$

(720,341)

 

$

(348,746)

Adjustments for non-cash items

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Amortization of intangible assets

 

5

 

105,674

 

99,766

 

776

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

 

4

 

5,633

 

4,576

 

5,091

Provisions for employee benefits

 

 

573

 

459

 

260

Expense recognized in respect of share-based payments

 

13

 

232,974

 

157,026

 

179,366

Fair value gains on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss

6

(4,256)

(11,152)

Non-cash revenue

(75,000)

Loss from investment in joint venture

27.1

4,411

677

Other non-cash expenses

2,074

 

  

 

$

(73,710)

 

$

(462,093)

 

$

(249,405)

Movements in current assets/liabilities

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables

 

9

 

(185,694)

 

(222,260)

 

(31,632)

(Increase)/decrease in inventories

7

(83,030)

(119,277)

(83,880)

(Increase)/decrease in other current assets

 

 

 

(59,024)

 

(18,294)

 

(30,990)

Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables

 

14

 

95,600

 

329

 

134,892

Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue — current

 

 

 

 

(46,327)

Movements in non-current assets/liabilities

(Increase)/decrease in other non‑current assets

 

6

 

(29,416)

 

(16,220)

 

(13,975)

(Increase)/decrease in non-current prepaid expense

7

(47,327)

Increase/(decrease) in deferred revenue — non-current

(269,039)

Net cash flows used in operating activities, before interest and taxes

(382,601)

(837,815)

(590,356)

Interest paid

(211)

(851)

(684)

Income taxes paid

(37,515)

(24,141)

(15,772)

Net cash flows used in operating activities

 

  

 

$

(420,327)

 

$

(862,807)

 

$

(606,812)

Purchase of intangible assets

 

5

 

(43,000)

 

(102,986)

 

(117,811)

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

 

4

 

(812)

 

(837)

 

(3,623)

(Increase)/decrease in current financial assets

 

10

 

 

 

(228,239)

Purchase of current financial investments

10

(1,271,730)

(1,694,046)

Sale of current financial investments

10

1,543,999

1,325,540

Interest received

92,753

13,146

2,603

Investment in joint venture

 

 

(13,000)

 

(2,000)

 

Net cash flows from / (used in) investing activities

 

  

 

$

308,210

 

$

(461,184)

 

$

(347,070)

Principal elements of lease payments

 

22

 

(3,801)

 

(4,165)

 

(3,855)

Proceeds from issue of new shares, gross amount

 

12

 

1,196,731

 

760,953

 

1,091,326

Issue costs paid

12

(821)

(781)

(528)

Exchange (losses)/gains from currency conversion on proceeds from issue of new shares

(1,507)

410

966

Payment of employee withholding taxes relating to restricted stock unit awards

(12,138)

(5,855)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

12

158,263

93,195

33,433

Net cash flows from financing activities

 

  

 

$

1,336,727

 

$

843,757

 

$

1,121,342

Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

  

 

$

1,224,610

 

$

(480,234)

 

$

167,460

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period

 

  

 

$

800,740

 

$

1,334,676

 

$

1,216,803

Exchange gains/(losses) on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

$

23,494

 

$

(53,702)

 

$

(49,587)

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

 

  

 

$

2,048,844

 

$

800,740

 

$

1,334,676

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-10F-8

ARGENX SE

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

Attributable to owners of the parent (*)

   

   

   

   

   

   

Total

  

  

equity

 

 

 

attributable

 

to owners

Share

Share

Accumulated

Translation

Other

of the

Total

(in thousands of $)

capital

premium

losses

 

differences

reserves

 

parent

equity

Balance at January 1, 2019

 

$

4,451

$

796,894

$

(202,270)

$

(18,954)

$

36,341

$

616,462

  

 

$

616,462

Loss for the year

(181,208)

(181,208)

(181,208)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

(8,587)

(8,587)

(8,587)

Total comprehensive loss of the period

 

(181,208)

 

(8,587)

 

(189,795)

  

 

(189,795)

Share-based payment

 

 

44,236

 

44,236

  

 

44,236

Issue of share capital

 

710

 

756,472

757,182

  

 

757,182

Transaction costs for equity issue

 

 

(25,476)

(25,476)

  

 

(25,476)

Accounting treatment of the share subscription agreement

(27,635)

(27,635)

(27,635)

Exercise of stock options

 

48

 

5,386

5,434

  

 

5,434

Balance year ended December 31, 2019

 

$

5,209

 

$

1,505,641

 

$

(383,477)

 

$

(27,541)

 

$

80,577

 

$

1,180,409

  

 

$

1,180,409

Loss for the year

(608,455)

(608,455)

(608,455)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

162,273

162,273

162,273

Total comprehensive loss of the period

 

(608,455)

 

162,273

 

(446,182)

  

 

(446,182)

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

 

8,965

8,965

  

 

8,965

Share-based payment

 

96,932

 

96,932

  

 

96,932

Issue of new shares

 

468

 

812,718

813,186

  

 

813,186

Transaction costs for equity issue

 

(613)

(613)

  

 

(613)

Exercise of stock options

 

67

 

21,287

21,354

  

 

21,354

Balance year ended December 31, 2020

 

$

5,744

 

$

2,339,033

 

$

(991,932)

 

$

134,732

 

$

186,474

 

$

1,674,051

  

 

$

1,674,051

Loss for the year

(408,265)

(408,265)

(408,265)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

(3,048)

(39,290)

(42,338)

(42,338)

Total comprehensive loss of the period

(408,265)

 

(3,048)

(39,290)

(450,603)

  

 

(450,603)

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

7,179

7,179

7,179

Share-based payment

 

179,366

179,366

  

 

179,366

Issue of new shares

 

430

1,090,896

1,091,326

  

 

1,091,326

Transaction costs for equity issue

 

(528)

(528)

  

 

(528)

Exercise of stock options

 

59

33,374

33,433

  

 

33,433

Balance year ended December 31, 2021

 

$

6,233

 

$

3,462,775

 

$

(1,400,197)

 

$

131,684

$

333,729

 

$

2,534,224

  

 

$

2,534,224

Attributable to owners of the parent

   

   

   

   

   

Share-based

   

Total

  

  

payment and

equity

 

 

 

income tax

Fair value movement on

attributable

 

deduction on

investment in equity

to owners

Share

Share

Accumulated

Translation

share-based

instruments designated

of the

Total

(in thousands of $)

capital

premium

losses

 

differences

payments

as at FVTOCI

 

parent

equity

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

$

5,744

 

$

2,339,033

 

$

(991,932)

 

$

134,732

 

$

186,474

$

 

$

1,674,051

  

 

$

1,674,051

Loss for the year

(408,265)

(408,265)

(408,265)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

(3,048)

(39,290)

(42,338)

(42,338)

Total comprehensive income / (loss) for the year

 

(408,265)

 

(3,048)

(39,290)

(450,603)

  

 

(450,603)

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

7,179

7,179

  

 

7,179

Share-based payment

 

179,366

179,366

  

 

179,366

Issue of share capital

 

430

1,090,896

1,091,326

  

 

1,091,326

Transaction costs for equity issue

 

(528)

(528)

  

 

(528)

Exercise of stock options

 

59

33,374

33,433

  

 

33,433

Balance year ended December 31, 2021

 

$

6,233

3,462,775

 

$

(1,400,197)

 

$

131,684

 

$

373,019

$

(39,290)

 

$

2,534,224

  

 

$

2,534,224

 

$

Loss for the year

(709,594)

(709,594)

(709,594)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

(2,404)

(18,267)

(20,671)

(20,671)

Total comprehensive income / (loss) for the year

 

(709,594)

(2,404)

(18,267)

(730,266)

(730,266)

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

 

3,946

3,946

3,946

Share-based payment

 

158,282

158,282

158,282

Issue of share capital

 

294

760,659

760,953

760,953

Transaction costs for equity issue

(781)

(781)

(781)

Exercise of stock options

113

93,082

93,195

93,195

Ordinary shares withheld for payment of employees’ withholding tax liability

 

(5,855)

(5,855)

(5,855)

Balance year ended December 31, 2022

 

$

6,640

4,309,880

(2,109,791)

129,280

535,247

(57,557)

2,813,699

2,813,699

Loss for the year

(295,053)

(295,053)

(295,053)

Other comprehensive income / (loss)

2,263

(1,915)

348

348

Total comprehensive income / (loss) for the year

(295,053)

 

2,263

(1,915)

(294,705)

  

 

(294,705)

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

2,310

2,310

2,310

Share-based payment

 

234,168

234,168

  

 

234,168

Issue of share capital

 

288

1,196,444

1,196,732

  

 

1,196,732

Transaction costs for equity issue

 

(821)

(821)

  

 

(821)

Exercise of stock options

 

130

158,133

158,263

  

 

158,263

Ordinary shares withheld for payment of employees’ withholding tax liability

(12,139)

(12,139)

(12,139)

Balance year ended December 31, 2023

 

$

7,058

 

$

5,651,497

 

$

(2,404,844)

 

$

131,543

$

771,725

$

(59,472)

 

$

4,097,507

  

 

$

4,097,507

(*) The Company has adopted a change in its presentation currency from EUR to USD at January 1, 2021, as described in note 3.4.4. Accordingly, the December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 comparative statements of changes in equity and related notes have been re-presented retrospectively based on the accounting policies as outlined in note 3.4.4.

Please refer to note 1312 for more information on the share capital and movement in number of shares. See also note 1413 for more information on the share-based payments.

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-11F-9

ARGENX SE

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.General information about the company

1.General information about the company

argenx SE is a Dutch European public company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands. The company (COC 24435214) has its official seat in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and its registered office is at Willemstraat 5, 4811 AH, Breda,Laarderhoogtweg 25, 1101 EB Amsterdam, the Netherlands. An overview of the company and its subsidiaries (the Company) are described in note 31.

argenx SE is a publicly traded company with ordinary shares listed on Euronext Brussels under the symbol “ARGX” since July 2014 and with American Depositary Shares listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “ARGX” since May 2017.

2.Impacts of COVID-19 on our business

Material accounting policy information

The current unprecedented challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak have impacted how we operate. We have been taking, and continue to take, the necessary steps in terms of safety, risk mitigation, and financial measures to best manage through these challenging times. We have currently experienced limited impact on our financial performance and financial position, although we continue to face additional risks and challenges associated with the impact of the outbreak.

3.Significant accounting policies

The significant Company’s material accounting policies are summarized below.

2.1

3.1         Statement of compliance and basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the interpretations issued by the IASB’s International Financial Reporting Interpretation Committee. The consolidated financial statements provide a general overview of the Company’s activities and the results achieved. They present fairly the entity’s financial position, its financial performance and cash flows, on a going concern basis.

The significantmaterial accounting policiespolicy information applied in the preparation of the above consolidated financial statements are set out below. All amounts are presented in thousands of dollar, unless otherwise indicated, rounded to the nearest $ ‘000.

The consolidated financial statements have been approved for issue by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) on March 18, 2022.19, 2024.

2.2

3.2       Adoption of new and revised standards

New standards and interpretations applicable for the annual period beginning on January 1, 20212023

Amendments to IAS 1 – Presentation of Financial Statements and IFRS Practice Statement 2 – Making Materiality Judgements.

NewThe amendments to IAS 1 require companies to disclose their material accounting policy information rather than their significant accounting policies. The amendments to IFRS Practice Statement 2 provide guidance on how to apply the concept of materiality to accounting policy disclosures. As result the Company revised its accounting policy disclosure in the consolidated financial statements and removed accounting policy information that the Company deemed to relate to immaterial transactions or other events or conditions.

No other standards and interpretations for the annual period beginning on January 1, 2021 did not2023 have any material impact on ourthe consolidated financial statements.

New standards and interpretations issued, but not yet applicable for the annual period beginning on January 1, 20212023

Amendments to IAS 12 - issued International Tax Reform—Pillar Two Model Rules.

F-10

On 23 May 2023, the International Accounting Standards Board (the IASB or Board) issued International Tax Reform – Pillar Two Model Rules – Amendments to IAS 12 which clarified the application of IAS 12 income taxes arising from tax law enacted or substantively enacted to implement the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Pillar Two model rules. Based on current information, management expects that the Company could become subject to the Pillar Two Directive and implementing domestic laws as early as 2025. Thus, there is no impact for argenx in 2023. The company is currently in the process of determining the impact, if any, for 2025. Based on the preliminary analysis, we do not expect the Pillar Two Rules to have a material impact on our effective tax rate.

It is unclear if the Pillar Two model rules create additional temporary differences, whether to remeasure deferred taxes for the Pillar Two model rules, and which tax rate to use to measure deferred taxes. In response to this unclarity, the amendments mentioned above introduced a mandatory temporary exception to the requirements of IAS 12 under which a company does not recognise or disclose information about deferred tax assets and liabilities related to the Pillar Two model rules. We applied the temporary exception in financial year 2023.

We have not early adopted any other standard, interpretation, or amendment that has been issued but is not yet effective. Of the standards that are not yet effective, we expect no standard to have a material impact on ourthe financial statements in the period of initial application.

2.3

F-12

3.3         Basis of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and entities controlled by the Company (its subsidiaries). Control is achieved when the Company;Company:

has power over the investee;
is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the investee; and
has the ability to use its power to affect its returns.

The Company reassesses whether or not it controls an investee if facts and circumstances indicate that there are changes to one or more of the three elements of control listed above.

The results of the subsidiaries are included in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) from the effective date of acquisition up to the date when control ceases to exist. When necessary, adjustments are made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring their accounting policies into line with those used by other members of the Group.

All inter-companyintercompany transactions and unrealized gains on transactions between group companies are eliminated. Unrealised losses are also eliminated unless the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the transferred asset.

2.4

Foreign currency transactions

3.4         Foreign currency transactions

3.4.1 2.4.1Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the consolidated financial statements of each of ourthe entities are valued using the currency of their economic environment in which the entity operates. As of January 1, 2021, theThe consolidated financial statements are presented in USD ($), which is the Company’s presentation currency.

3.4.2 2.4.2Transactions and balances

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate ruling at

F-11

the reporting date. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation are recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income.income (loss) as “Exchange gains /(losses)”. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction.

3.4.3 2.4.3Financial statements of foreign entities

For foreign entities using a different functional currency than USD:

assets and liabilities for each balance sheet presented are translated at the closing rate at the date of the balance sheet.
income and expenses for each statement presenting profit or loss and statements of statements of other comprehensive income (loss) are translated at average exchange rates (unless this average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case income and expenses are translated at the rate on the dates of the transactions).
all resulting exchange differences are recognisedrecognized in the statements of other comprehensive income.income (loss).

3.4.4 Change in functional and presentation currency as of January 1, 2021

As of January 1, 2021, the Company changed its functional and presentation currency from EUR to USD. The change in functional currency was made to reflect that USD has become the predominant currency in the Company, representing a significant part of the Company’s cash flows and financing. The change has been implemented with prospective effect.

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The change in presentation currency, effective January 1, 2021, from EUR to USD is retroactively applied on comparative figures according to IAS 8 and IAS 21, as if USD had always been the presentation currency of the consolidated financial statements. The change was made to better reflect the economic footprint of the Company’s business going forward. The Company believes that the presentation currency change will give investors and other stakeholders a clearer understanding of the Company’s performance over time.

Comparison figures in the consolidated statements of financial position, the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income, the consolidated statements of changes in equity, consolidated statements of cash flows, and all disclosures have been re-presented, unless otherwise stated, using the procedures outlined below:

2.5

Assets and liabilities are translated into USD at the closing rates applicable at the end of each reporting period.

Intangible assets

Income and expenses are translated at exchange rates at the dates of the respective transaction or average rates where these are a suitable proxy.
Differences resulting from the re-presentation have been presented as translation difference, a component within shareholders’ equity.
Share capital, share premium, and other reserves are translated at historic rates prevailing at the date of transaction.

3.5         Intangible assets

3.5.1 2.5.1Internally generated intangible assets

Expenditure on research activities is recognized as an expense in the period in which it is incurred.

An internally generated intangible asset arising from development (or from the development phase of an internal project) is recognized if, and only if, all of the following have been demonstrated:

the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that it will be available for use or sale;
the intention to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it;
the ability to use or sell the intangible asset;
how the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits;
the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible asset; and
the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.

The amount initially recognized for internally generated intangible assets is the sum of the expenditure incurred from the date when the intangible asset first meets the recognition criteria listed above. Where no internally generated intangible asset can be recognized, development expenditures are recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income in the period in which they are incurred.

Due to uncertainties inherent to the development and registration with the relevant healthcare authorities of its products, the Company estimates that the conditions for capitalization areper IAS 38 can not be met untilbefore the regulatory procedures required by such healthcare authorities have been finalized. Also once regulatory approval has been obtained, an internally generated intangible asset arising from development is capitalized if, and only if, all of the criteria under IAS 38 have been demonstrated.

3.5.2 2.5.2Acquired In-Process R&D Software and DatabasesAcquired R&D available for use

Upfront payments and Otherdevelopment milestone payments for “Acquired In-Process R&D obtained through in-licensing arrangements are capitalized as intangible assets under “Acquired In-Process R&D” upon meeting the IAS 38 capitalization criteria. These intangibles are considered as intangible assets with definite useful lives and are carried at cost less accumulated impairment losses. “Acquired In-Process R&D” is not amortized, but is evaluated for potential impairment on an annual basis or when facts and circumstances warrant. Any impairment charge is recorded in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) under “Research and development expense”. Once an asset included in “Acquired In-Process R&D” has received marketing approval from a regulatory authority, it is recorded under “Acquired R&D available foruse” category.

IntangibleRegulatory milestone payments and sales-based milestone payments for R&D obtained through in-licensing arrangements acquired are capitalized intangible assets under “Acquired R&D available for use” upon meeting the IAS 38 capitalization criteria. All intangibles classified under “Acquired R&D available for use” are considered as intangible assets with finite useful lives that are acquired separately related to in-process research and development projects, software and databases and other intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization and accumulated impairment losses. “Acquired R&D available for use” is evaluated for potential impairment when the Company identifies indications based on facts and circumstances of the asset. Any impairment charge is recorded in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) under "Cost of sales". “Acquired R&D available for use” is amortized under “Cost of sales” on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life, being the longer of the current patent protection life of the acquired R&D and patent protection life of the combined product.

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accumulated amortization and accumulated impairment losses. Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are carried at cost less accumulated impairment losses.

Payments for acquired in-process research and development projects obtained through in-licensing arrangements are capitalized as2.5.3.Other intangible assets provided that they are separately identifiable, controlled by the Company and expected to provide future economic benefits. As the probability criterion in IAS 38 is always considered to be satisfied for separately acquired research and development assets and the amount of the payments is determinable, upfront and milestone payments to third parties for pharmaceutical products or compounds for which regulatory marketing approval has not yet been obtained are recognized as intangible assets.

Other intangible assets includescould include the Priority Review Voucher (“PRV”) acquired in 2020 which the Company can use to obtain the priority review by the FDA for one of its future regulatory submissions or may sell or transfer to a third party. The PRV is initially measured at cost and annually reviewed for impairment when events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. At the time the Company commits using the PRV to accelerate the review of a drug application, the intangible asset will be amortized and derecognized upon filing of the related Biologic License Application.

3.5.3 Amortization of intangible assets

Intangible assets, which comprises of acquired in-process research and development, software and databases and other intangible assets, are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life as from the time they are available for use, or when the underlying drug candidateAny impairment charge is approved, generally on the following basis:

Acquired In-Process R&D – the longer of the patent protection life and the useful life of the combined product
Software and Databases – 3 – 5 years

The estimated useful life and amortization method are reviewed at the end of each reporting period, with the effect of any changes in estimate being accounted for on a prospective basis.

3.5.4 Derecognition of intangible assets

An intangible asset is derecognized either on disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected from its use. Gains or losses arising from derecognition of an intangible asset, measured as the difference between the net disposal proceeds, if any, and the carrying amount of the asset, are recognizedrecorded in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income when(loss) under “Research and development expenses.” Using the asset is derecognized.

3.6         Property, plant and equipment

Items of property, plant and equipment held for usePRV results in the production or supply of goods or services, or for administrative purposes, are stated in the statement of financial position at their cost, less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognized as from acquisition date onwards (unless asset is not ready for use) so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets (other than freehold land and properties under construction) less their residual values over their useful lives, using the straight-line method. The estimated useful lives, residual values and depreciation method are reviewed at the end of each reporting period, with the effect of any changes in estimate accounted for on a prospective basis.

Unless revised due to specific changes in the estimated useful life, annual depreciation rates are as follows:

Office and lab equipment: 3–5 years
IT equipment: 3 years

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An item of property, plant and equipment is derecognized upon disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected to arise from the continued use of the asset. Any gain or loss arising on the disposal or retirement of an item of property, plant and equipment is determined as the difference between the sales proceeds, if any, and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognizedamortization recorded in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income.income (loss) under “Research and development expenses” and subsequent derecognition of the intangible asset.

3.7

2.6

Research and development incentives receivables

The current and non-current research and development incentive receivables relate to refunds resulting from research and development incentives on Research and development expenses in Belgium and are credited to the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) under the line “Other operating income” when the relevant expenditure has been incurred and there is a reasonable assurance that the research and development incentives will be received.

2.7

Inventories

Inventories are carried at cost or net realisable value, whichever is lowest. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out method. Cost comprises of costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition.

If the expected sales price less completion costs to execute sales (net realizable value) is lower than the carrying amount, a write-down is recognisedrecognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds its net realisable value.value

Included in inventory are products which could, besides commercial activities, be used in preclinical and clinical programs, as well as in non-reimbursedand free-of-charge, compassionate use and pre-approval access program. These products are charged to research“Research & development expensesexpenses” or selling,“Selling, general and administrative expenses,expenses”, respectively, when dedicated to this channel.

We capitalize inventory costs associated with products prior to the regulatory approval of these products, or for inventory produced in production facilities not yet approved, when it is highly probable that the pre-approval inventories will be saleable. The determination to capitalize is based on the particular facts and circumstances relating to the expected regulatory approval of the product or production facility being considered. The assessment of whether or not the product is considered highly probable to be saleable is made on a quarterly basis and includes, but is not limited to, how far a particular product or facility has progressed along the approval process, any known safety or efficacy concern potential labelling restrictions and other impediments.

Previously capitalized costs related to pre-launch inventories could be required to be written down upon a change in such judgement or due to a denial or delay of approval by regulatory bodies, a delay in commercialization or other potential factors, which will be recorded under “Research and development expenses” in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss).

2.8

Trade and other receivables

Trade and other receivables are designated as financial assets measured at amortized cost. They are initially measured either at their invoiced amounts or at transaction price, in the absence of a significant financing component less adjustments for estimated revenue deductions such as rebates, chargebacks and returns. All receivables are subsequently measured at amortized cost, which generally corresponds to nominal value less expected credit loss provision.

Loss allowance for expected credit losses are established using a simplified approach of forward-looking expected credit loss model (ECL), which includes possible default events on the trade receivables over the entire holding

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period of the trade receivable. These provisions represent the difference between the trade receivable’s carrying amount in the consolidated statements of financial position and the estimated collectible amount. Charges for loss allowance for expected credit losses are recorded under “Selling, general and administrative expenses” in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss).

2.9

Current financial assets

Current financial assets measured at amortized costs comprise of term accounts that have an initial maturity equal or less than 12 months, but exceeding 3 months.

Current financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss comprise of money market funds.

Interests on Current financial assets is reported under Cash Flow from investment activities under “Interest received”.

2.10

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash are financial assets measured at amortized cost and comprise of cash at bank.

Cash equivalents measured at amortized cost comprise of term accounts that have an initial maturity of less than 3 months that are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in values. Those are used by the Company in the management of short-term commitments. Cash and cash equivalents exclude restricted cash, which is presented in the consolidated statements of financial position under the line “Other non-current assets”.

Cash equivalents measured at fair value through profit or loss comprise of money market funds that are readily convertible to cash and are subject to insignificant risk of changes in value. These financial assets are used by the Company in the management of the short-term commitments.

Interests on Cash equivalents is reported under Cash Flow from investment activities under “Interest received”.

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Trade and other payables

Trade and other payables are comprised of liabilities that are due less than one year from the balance sheet date and are in general not interest bearing and settled on an ongoing basis during the financial year. They also include accrued expense related to the Company’s research and development expenses.activities, gross-to-net accruals and short-term employee benefits. Trade and other payables are initially measured at their transaction price, which are subsequent to initial recognition measured at amortized cost.

Short-term employee benefits include payables and accruals for salaries and bonuses to be paid to the employees of the Company. They are recognized as expenses for the period in which employees perform the corresponding services.

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3.8

Leases

The Company assesses whether a contract is or contains a lease, at inception of the contract. The Company recognises a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability with respect to all lease arrangements in which it is the lessee, except for short-term leases (defined as leases with a lease term of 12 months or less) and leases of low value assets. For these leases, the Company recognises the lease payments as an operating expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease unless another systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leased assets are consumed.

The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the commencement date, discounted by using the rate implicit in the lease. If this rate cannot be readily determined, the lessee uses its incremental borrowing rate. The lease liability is subsequently measured by increasing the carrying

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amount to reflect interest on the lease liability (using the effective interest method) and by reducing the carrying amount to reflect the lease payments made. The lease liability is presented as a separate line in the consolidated statements of financial position.

The right-of-use assets comprise the initial measurement of the corresponding lease liability, lease payments made at or before the commencement day, less any lease incentives received and any initial direct costs. They are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Right-of-use assets are depreciated over the shorter period of lease term and useful life of the underlying asset. If a lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset or the cost of the right-of-use asset reflects that the Company expects to exercise a purchase option, the related right-of-use asset is depreciated over the useful life of the underlying asset. The right-of-use assets are presented in the consolidated statements of financial position under the caption “Property, plant and equipment”.

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Financial instruments

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3.9         Impairment of assets

3.9.1 Financial Assets

The impairment loss of a financial asset measured at amortised cost is calculated based on the expected loss model.

For trade receivables, in the absence of a significant financing component, the allowance is measured at an amount equal to lifetime expected credit losses. Those are the expected credit losses that result from possible default events over the expected life of those trade receivables.

3.9.2 Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

At the end of each reporting period, the Company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss, if any. Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the Company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives and intangible assets not yet available for use are tested for impairment at least annually, and whenever there is an indication that the asset may be impaired.

If the recoverable amount of an asset or cash-generating unit is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset or cash-generating unit is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognized immediately in the statement of profit or loss and the statement of other comprehensive income.

Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had 0 impairment loss been recognized for the asset or cash-generating unit in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognized immediately in profit or loss.

3.10         Financial instruments

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognized in the consolidated statements of financial position when the Company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. The Company does not use currency derivatives to hedge planned future cash flows, nor does it make use of forward foreign exchange contracts. Additionally, the Company does not have financial debt at December 31, 2021.

3.10.1 Financial assets

Financial assets are initially recognized either at fair value or at transaction price. All recognized financial assets areprice and subsequently measured at either amortized cost or fair value under IFRS 9 on the basis of both the Company’s model for managing the financial assets and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial asset.

A financial asset that (i) is held within a business model whose objective is to collect the contractual cash flows and (ii) has contractual cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding is measured at amortized cost (net of any write down for impairment), unless the asset is designated at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL) under the fair value option.
A financial asset that (i) is held within a business model whose objective is achieved both by collecting contractual cash flows and selling financial assets and (ii) has contractual term that give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal outstanding, is measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (FVTOCI), unless the asset is designated at FVTPL under the fair value option.
All other financial assets are measured at FVTPL.

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A financial asset is classified as current when the cash flows expected to flow from the instrument mature within one year.

The Company derecognized a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or the Company transfers the right to receive the contractual cash flows on the financial assetProfit share in a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial asset are transferred.

The Company classifies non-derivative financial assets into the following categories:

financial asset at fair value through profit or loss or OCI (non-current financial assets, current financial assets and cash equivalents)
financial assets at amortized cost (receivables and cash and cash equivalents)

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss or OCIAgomAb Therapeutics NV:

Financial assets are designated at fair value through profit or loss if the Company manages such investments and makes purchases and sales decisions based on their fair value in accordance with the Company’s investment strategy. Attributable transaction costs are recognised in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income as incurred. Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are measured at fair value, and changes therein, which take into account any dividend income, are recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income.

3.10.1.1 Non-current financial assets at fair value through profit or loss or OCI

The Company holds investments in non-current financial assets, which based on IFRS 9, are designated as financial assets at fair value through profit or loss or financial assets at fair value through OCI.loss. The fair value of listed investments is based upon the closing price of such securities at each reporting date. IfAs there is no active market for an equity instrument, the Company establishes the fair value by using valuation techniques. The changes to the fair valuation is recorded under “other operating income” in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss).

Shares of Zai Lab: Based on IFRS 9, the Company irrevocably elected to designate this specific investmentsinvestment as a financial asset at fair value through OCI as the participation is not held for trading purposes nor contingent consideration recognisedrecognized by an acquirer in a business combination.

3.10.1.2 Current The investment is recorded under “other non-current assets” in consolidated statements of financial assets atposition and changes to the fair valuation is recorded under “Fair value through profit or loss

Current financial assets include financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss and comprise of money market funds and term accounts that have an initial maturity equal or less than 12 months, but exceeding 3 months.

3.10.1.3 Cash equivalents measured at fair value through profit or loss

Cash equivalents measured at fair value through profit or loss may comprise of term accounts that have an initial maturity of equal or less than 3 months and money market funds that are readily convertible to cash and are subject to insignificant risk of changesgain/(loss) on investments in value. These financial assets are used by the Company in the management of the short-term commitments.

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Financial assets at amortized cost

3.10.1.4. Receivables

Trade and other receivables areequity instruments designated as financial assets measured at amortized cost. They are initially measured either at fair value or at transaction price,FVTOCI” in the absence of a significant financing component.

All receivables are subsequently measured at amortized cost, which generally corresponds to nominal value less expected credit loss provision.

Receivables mainly comprise trade and other receivables and current and non-current research and development incentive receivables. These research and development incentive receivables relate to refunds resulting from research and development incentives on research and development expenses in Belgium and are credited to the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income under the line “Other operating income” when the relevant expenditure has been incurred and there is a reasonable assurance that the research and development incentives are receivable.

3.10.1.5 Cash

Cash are financial assets measured at amortized cost and comprise of cash balances and savings accounts.

3.10.1.6 Cash equivalents measured at amortized costs

Cash equivalents measured at amortized cost comprise of term accounts that have an initial maturity of less than 3 months that are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in values. The financial assets are used by the Company in the management of short-term commitments.

Cash and cash equivalents exclude restricted cash, which is presented in the consolidated statements of financial position under the line “Other non-current assets”(loss).

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3.10.1.7 Current financial assets measured at amortized costs

Current financial assets include financial assets measured at amortized costs and comprise of term accounts that have an initial maturity equal or less than 12 months, but exceeding 3 months.

3.10.2 Financial Liabilities

Financial liabilities are initially measured at their transaction price. Subsequent to initial recognition, financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost.

Financial liabilities mainly comprise of trade and other liabilities.

Trade and other liabilities are comprised of liabilities that are due less than one year from the balance sheet date and are in general not interest bearing and settled on an ongoing basis during the financial year. They also include accrued expense related to the Company’s research and development costs.

3.11       Shareholder’s equity

An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of an entity after deducting all of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued by the Company are recognized at the proceeds received, net of direct issue costs.

The Company has never distributed any dividends to its shareholders. As of December 31, 2021, 02023, no profits were available for distribution.

As of January 1, 2021, the Company changed its functional and presentation currency from EUR to USD. Differences resulting from the re-presentation have been presented as translation difference, a component within shareholders’ equity. Share capital, share premium, and other reserves are translated at historic rates prevailing at the date of transaction.

2.15

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3.12       Short-term employee benefits

Short-term employee benefits include payables and accruals for salaries and bonuses to be paid to the employees of the Company. They are recognized as expenses for the period in which employees perform the corresponding services.

3.13       Share-based payments

Equity-settled share-based payments to employees and others providing similar services are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments at the acceptance date. Equity settled share based payments includes expenses related to stock options and restricted stock units granted by the Company.

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The fair value determined at the acceptance date of the equity-settled share-based payments is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the Company’s estimate of equity instruments that will eventually vest, with a corresponding increase in equity. At the end of each reporting period, the Company revises its estimate of the number of equity instruments expected to vest. The impact of the revision of the original estimates, if any, is recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) such that the cumulative expense reflects the revised estimate, with a corresponding adjustment to the equity-settled share-based payment reserve.

3.14       Deferred revenue

CurrentThe share-based payment expense is recorded under “Research and non-current deferred revenue relates to cash received from collaborationdevelopment expenses” or “Selling, general & license agreements prior to completionadministrative expenses” depending on the nature of the earnings process. These payments are recognized as revenue over the estimated duration of the Company’s involvement in the research and development programsservices provided for under the terms of the agreements.by each beneficiary.

2.16

3.15       Income taxes

Income tax in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) represents the total of the current tax and deferred tax.

The current tax is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from profit as reported in the statementconsolidated statements of profit andor loss and statementconsolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) as it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and items that are never taxable or deductible. The Company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.

Deferred tax is recognized on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and the corresponding tax basis used in the computation of taxable profit. Deferred tax assets are recognized to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which those deductible temporary differences can be utilized. The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at the end of each reporting period and reduced to the extent that it is no longernot probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset if there is a legally enforceable right to offset current tax liabilities and assets, and they relate to income taxes levied by the same tax authority on the same taxable entity, or on different taxable entities which intend either to settle current tax liabilities and assets on a net basis, or to realize the assets and settle the liabilities simultaneously.offset.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period in which the liability is settled or the asset realized, based on tax rates (and tax laws) that have been enacted or substantially enacted by the end of the reporting period.

3.16       Revenue and other operating income recognition

3.16.1 Collaborations and license agreements

Revenues to date have consisted principally of milestones, license fees, non-refundable upfront fees and research and development service fees in connection with collaboration and license agreements.

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The Company records uncertain tax positions in accordance with IAS 12 using the 2 step test whereby (1) the Company determines whether it is probable that the tax positions will be accepted by relevant taxing authorities, and (2) for those tax positions that are not probable that a tax authority will accept in full the position, the Company recognizes revenue whenuncertain tax positions using either the customer obtains controlmost likely amount or the expected value, depending on specific facts and circumstances.

2.17

Product net sales

Revenue from the sale of promised goods or services, inis recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for thosetransferring goods and services. In order to determinea customer, at the time when the customer obtains control of the goods rendered, this means when the customer has the ability to direct the use of the asset. The consideration that is committed in a contract with a customer can include fixed amounts, variable amounts, or both. The amount of the consideration may vary due to discounts, rebates, returns, chargebacks or other similar items. Contingent consideration is included in the transaction price when it is highly probable that the amount of revenue recognized is not subject to future significant reversals.

Product net sales are recognized once we satisfy the performance obligation at a point in time under the revenue recognition criteria in accordance with IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers.

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Revenue arising from the commercial sale of commercial product is presented in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) under “Product net sales”. In accordance with IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers, such revenue is recognized when the product is physically transferred, in accordance with the delivery and acceptance terms agreed with the customer. Payment of the transaction price is payable at the point the customer obtains the legal title to the goods.

The amount of revenue recognized reflects the various types of price reductions or rights of return offered by the Company to its customers. Such price reductions and rights of return qualify as variable consideration under IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers.

Products sold are covered by various Government and State programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid) under which products are sold at a discount. Rebates are granted to healthcare authorities, and under contractual arrangements with certain customers. Some wholesalers are entitled to chargeback incentives based on the selling price to the end customer, under specific contractual arrangements. Rebates, chargebacks and other incentives are recognized in the period in which the underlying sales are recognized as a reduction of product sales.

The significant components of variable consideration are as follows:

Co-payment assistance: We provide co-payment assistance to patients who have commercial insurance and meet certain eligibility requirements. We use the expected-value method for agreementsestimating co-payment assistance based on estimates of program redemption using data provided by third-party administrators. Estimates for the co-payment assistance are adjusted quarterly to reflect actual experience. We record an accrued liability for unredeemed co-payment assistance related to products for which control has been transferred to customers.

Chargebacks: Chargebacks are discounts that occur when contracted parties purchase directly from a specialty distributor. Contracted parties, which currently consist primarily of Public Health Service Institutions and federal government entities purchasing via the Federal Supply Schedule, generally purchase the product at a discounted price. The specialty distributor, in turn, charges back the difference between the price initially paid by the specialty distributor and the discounted price paid to the specialty distributor by the contracted parties to the Company. The reserves for chargeback are based on known sales to contracted parties. We establish the reserves for chargebacks in the same period that the Company determinesrelated revenue is recognized, resulting in an accrued liability and reduction of product gross sales.

Rebates: We are subject to government mandated rebates for Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit Program, and other government health care programs in the U.S. Rebate amounts are based upon contractual agreements or legal requirements with public sector benefit providers. We use the expected-value method for estimating these rebates. The expected utilization of rebates is estimated based on third-party data from the specialty pharmacies and specialty distributor. Estimates for these rebates are adjusted quarterly to reflect the most recent information. We record an accrued liability and reduction of product sales for unpaid rebates related to products for which control has been transferred to customers.

Medicare Part D Coverage Gap: The Medicare Part D coverage gap is a federal program to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S., which mandates manufacturers to fund a portion of the Medicare Part D insurance coverage gap for prescription drugs sold to eligible patients. Funding of the coverage gap is generally invoiced and paid in arrears. We estimate the impact of the Medicare Part D coverage gap using the expected-value method based on an amount expected to be incurred for the current quarter’s activity, plus an accrual balance for known prior quarters. Estimates for the impact of the Medicare Part D coverage gap are adjusted quarterly to reflect actual experience. We record an accrued liability for unpaid reserves related to the Medicare Part D coverage gap.

Distributor fees: The specialty distributor provides distribution services to the Company for a fee, based on a contractually determined fixed percentage of sales. As the services being provided by the specialty distributor are not distinct, the recurring service fees paid to specialty distributors are treated as variable consideration and a reduction to the transaction price. We estimate these distributor fees and record such estimates in the scopesame period the related revenue is recognized, resulting in a reduction of IFRS 15, following five stepsproduct gross sales. We record an accrued liability for unpaid distributor fees.

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Value-based arrangements (VBAs): VBAs are performed:arrangements with third party payers where the Company will pay the third-party payers rebates and other fees on eligible purchases of the Company’s product. In consideration for the rebates and fees paid, the third-party Payers will cover its’ patient purchases made of the Company’s products. The structure of the rebates and fees are largely structured based on volume of product purchased. The rebates and fees paid to will be treated as variable consideration and a reduction to the transaction price. We use the expected-value method for estimating the ultimate rebate and fee paid, which are based on the volume of product sold. We apply the applicable rebate rate against a payer mix factor for the relevant patient populations and to the vials sold in the effective plan year of the rebate to derive a liability recorded. Estimates for these agreements are adjusted quarterly to reflect the most recent information. We record an accrued liability for unpaid value-based agreements.

1. IdentifyThe estimated amounts described above are recognized in the contractsconsolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) within “Product net sales” as a reduction of gross sales, and within “Trade and other payables” in the consolidated statements of financial position. They are subject to regular review and adjustment as appropriate based on the most recent data available to management. Each of the above items require significant estimates, judgement and information obtained from external sources. If management’s estimates differ from actual results, we will record adjustments that would affect product sales in the period of adjustment.

2.18

Collaborations and license agreements

In its currentThe Company has currently two active collaboration and license agreements the Company is mainly licensing its intellectual property and/or providing research and development products/services, which might include a cost sharing mechanism and/or in the future, selling its products to collaborative partner entities. Revenue is generated through these arrangements via upfront payments, milestone payments based on clinical and regulatory criteria, research and development service fees and future sales based milestones and sales based royalties. In some cases,scope of IFRS 15:

Zai Lab

For the collaboration and license agreements also include an equity subscription component. If this is the case, the Company analyses if the criteria to combine contracts, as set out by IFRS 15, are met.

2. Identify performance obligations

Depending on the type of the agreement there can be one or more distinct performance obligations under IFRS 15. This is based on an assessment of whether the promises in an agreement are capable of being distinct and are distinct from the other promises to transfer goods and/or services in the context of the contract.

For our material ongoing collaboration and license agreement (i.e. thewith Zai Lab Agreement), the Company has assessed that there is more than one distinct performance obligation, being the transfer of a license and supply of clinical and commercial product.

This is because the The Company considers theconcluded that these performance obligations isare distinct in the context of the contractcontract.

Therefore, the Company assesses to allocate the transaction price to all performance obligations identified. The transaction price of these two agreements is composed of (i) a fixed part, that being an upfront payment in the form of newly issued Zai Lab shares, and a guaranteed, non-creditable, non-refundable payment and (ii) a milestone payment for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. and the consideration received in return for the supply of clinical and commercial product.

The fixed part of the transaction price, as well as the milestone for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. has been allocated to the transfer of a license performance obligation. The Company concluded that the license as of the effective date of the contract, being January 2021, has stand-alone value withoutstandalone value. As such, the Company being further involvedconcluded that the promise in the research and development collaboration and that there is no interdependence betweengranting the license to Zai Lab is to provide a right to use the entity’s intellectual property as it exists at the point in time at which the license is granted and therefore, revenue was recognized at a point in time in January 2021.

Under the collaboration agreement, the Company provides clinical and commercial supply to be provided.Zai Lab. Company concludes to recognize such sales as revenue given that the Company acts as principal in the transaction as the risk related to inventory is born by the Company until the inventory is transferred to Zai Lab. The revenue related to clinical supply is recorded under line item “Collaboration revenue”. The revenue related to commercial supply is recorded under line item “product net sales” in the Consolidated statements of other comprehensive Income (Loss). The income related to royalties is recorded under line item item “Collaboration revenue”.

AbbVie

For other materialthe collaboration and license agreements,agreement with AbbVie the Company has assesseddetermined that there is one single performance obligation in our collaboration and license agreements, being the transfer of a license combined with the performance of research and development services.activities represent one single performance obligation. The Company concluded that the license is not distinct in the context of the contract.

3. Determine theThe transaction price

Our material ongoing collaboration is composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront license fee, and license agreements include non-refundable upfront payments or license fees;a variable part, being milestone payments the receiptand cost reimbursements of which is dependent upon the achievement of certain clinical, regulatory or commercial milestones; royalties on sales and research and development service fees.

3.1 Non-refundable upfront payments or license fees

If the license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue from non-refundable upfront fees allocated to this license at the point in time the license is transferred to the customer and the customer has the right to use the license.

For all our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements, the Company considers the performance obligations related to the transfer of the license as distinct from the other promises to transfer goods and/or services. The Company utilizes judgement to assess the nature of the performance obligation to determine whether the performance obligation is satisfied over time or at a point in time. If over time, revenue is then recognized based on a pattern that best reflects the transfer of control of the service to the customer.

3.2activities delivered. Milestone payments other than sales based milestonesare

A milestone payment, being a variable consideration, is F-18

only included in the transaction price to the extent it is highly probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognition will not

F-21

occur when the uncertainty associatedassociate with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The CompanyManagement estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price upon achievement of the milestone event. Sales-based milestones and sales-based royalties are a part of the Company’s arrangements but are not yet included in its revenues.

The transaction price is thenhas been allocated to eachthe single performance obligation and revenues has been recognized over the estimated service period based on a stand-alone selling price basis, for whichan input model, being the Company recognizes revenuepercentage of completion method. The upfront license fee has been fully recognized since 2021 as or when the performance obligations underobligation has been fulfilled at that time. Milestone payments that become highly probable after the contractperformance obligation has been fulfilled are satisfied. At the end of each reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such milestones and any related constraint, and, if necessary, adjusts the estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect revenue and earningstherefore recognized at that point in the period of adjustment.time.

2.19

Cost of Sales

3.3 Research and development service fees

Our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements may include reimbursement or cost sharing for research and development services. R&D services are performed and satisfied over time given that the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by us. Such costs reimbursements received are recognized in revenues when costs are incurred and agreed by the parties.

3.4 Sales based milestone payments and royalties

Our material ongoing collaboration and license agreements include sales based royalties, including commercial milestone payments based on the levelCost of sales and the license has been deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties and commercial milestone payments relate. Related revenue is recognized as the subsequent underlying sales occur.

4. Allocate the transaction price

In principle, an entity shall allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation identified in the contract on a relative stand-alone selling price basis. As our ongoing collaboration and license agreement (i.e. the Zai Lab Agreement) contains more than one performance obligation, the Company assess to allocate the transaction price to all performance obligations identified.

5. Recognize revenue

Revenue isare recognized when the customer obtains controlassociated revenue from product net sales is recognized. Cost of the goods and/or services as provided in the collaborationsales include material, manufacturing costs and license agreements. The control can be transferred over time or at a point in time – which results in the recognition of revenue over time or at a point in time.

As our ongoing collaboration and license agreement (i.e. the Zai Lab Agreement) contains more than one performance obligation, the Company recognized revenue at point in time for transfer of license and the Company recognizes revenue over time for supply of clinical and commercial products as customer simultaneously receive the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, satisfied over time.

Other ongoing collaboration and license agreements only contain one single performance obligation which is, as the customer simultaneously receive the benefits provided by the Company’s performance, satisfied over time. As such, the Company recognizes revenue over time.

The recognition of revenue over time is based on a pattern that best reflects the satisfaction of the related performance obligation, applying the input method. The input method estimates the satisfaction of the performance obligation as the percentage of total collaborationother costs that are completed each period compared to the total estimated collaboration costs.

Research and development service fees are recognized as revenue when costs are incurred and agreed by the parties as the Company is acting as a principal in the scope of its stake of the research and development activities of its ongoing collaboration and license agreements.

3.16.2 Grants, research and development incentives, payroll tax rebates and changes in fair value on non-current financial assets

F-22

Because it carries out extensive research and development activities, the Company benefits from various grants, research and development incentives and payroll tax rebates from certain governmental agencies. These grants, research and development incentives and payroll tax rebates generally aim to partly reimburse approved expenditures incurred in research and development efforts of the Company and are credited to the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income, under the line “Other operating income”, when the relevant expenditure has been incurred and there is reasonable assurance that the grants or research and development incentives are receivable. Fair value gains resulting from the change in the fair value of non-current financial assets are credited to the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income, under the line “Other operating income”.

3.17       Segment reporting

Segment results include revenue and expenses directly attributable to a segment and the relevant portion of revenue and expenses that can be allocatedproduction, including shipping costs, as well as royalties payable on a reasonable basis to a segment. Segment assets and liabilities comprise those operating assets and liabilities that are directly attributable to the segment or can be allocated to the segment on a reasonable basis. Segment assets and liabilities do not include income tax items.

The Company manages its activities and operates as 1 business unit which is reflected in its organizational structure and internal reporting. The Company does not distinguish in its internal reporting different segments, neither business nor geographical segments. The chief operating decision-maker is the Board of Directors.sold products.

4.Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

3.

Critical accounting estimates and judgments

In the application of the Company’s accounting policies, which are described above, the Company is required to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

The following areas are areas where key assumptions concerning the future, and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the end of the reporting period, have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.

Critical estimates in applying accounting policies

ResearchGross to net adjustments

The product gross sales are subject to various deductions, which are primarily composed of rebates to government agencies, distributors, health insurance companies and development cost accruals

The Company recognizes costs of $163.7 million, as specified in note 15 to the financial statements, incurred for clinical trial activities and manufacturing of drug products, as research and development expenses based on an evaluation of its vendors’ progress toward completion of specific tasks. Timing of payment may differ significantly from the period in which the costs are recognized as expense, resulting in clinical trial accruals recognized within “Trade and other payables” in the consolidated statements of financial position.

Quantificationmanaged healthcare organizations. These deductions represent estimates of the research progress and the translation of the progress to these accruals requires estimates, because the progress is not directly observable. In estimating the vendors’ progress toward completion of specific tasks, the Company therefore uses non-financial data such as patient enrollment, clinical site activations and vendor information of actual costs incurred. This data is obtained through reports from or discussions with Company personnel and outside service providers as to the progress or state of completion of trials, or the completion of services. Costs are expensed over the service period the services are provided. Costs for services provided that have not yet been paid are recognized as accrued expenses.

F-23

5.Intangible assets

(in thousands of $)

 

Acquired In-Process R&D

Software & databases

Other Intangibles

Total

Cost

On January 1, 2019

$

$

182

$

$

182

Additions

45,000

293

45,293

Translation differences

(198)

(2)

(200)

On December 31, 2019

44,802

473

45,275

Additions

16,182

2,814

98,000

116,996

Translation differences

4,196

256

1,058

5,510

On December 31, 2020

65,180

3,543

99,058

167,781

Additions

5,000

5,000

Disposals

(190)

(190)

On December 31, 2021

$

70,180

$

3,353

$

99,058

$

172,591

Amortization and impairment

On January 1, 2019

$

$

(118)

$

$

(118)

Amortization

(43)

(43)

Translation differences

4

4

On December 31, 2019

(158)

(158)

Amortization

(246)

(246)

Translation differences

(33)

(33)

On December 31, 2020

(437)

(437)

Amortization

(470)

(470)

On December 31, 2021

$

$

(907)

$

$

(907)

Carrying Amount

On December 31, 2019

$

44,802

$

315

$

$

45,117

On December 31, 2020

65,180

3,106

99,058

167,344

On December 31, 2021

$

70,180

$

2,446

$

99,058

$

171,684

The Company performed an annual impairment review on the intangible assets not yet available for use. This review did not result in the recognition of an impairment charge.

As of December 31, 2021, there are 0 commitments to acquire additional intangible assets, except as set forth in note 29. NaN intangible assets are pledged as security for liabilities nor are there any intangible assets whose title is restricted.

F-24

6.Property, plant and equipment

    

IT, office and lab

    

Right-of-use assets

    

Right-of-use assets

    

Leasehold

    

Lease

    

(in thousands of $)

equipment

Buildings

Vehicles

improvements

equipment (1)

Total

Cost

On January 1, 2019

$

3,105

290

$

3,395

Adoption of IFRS 16

2,677

517

3,194

Additions

856

5,097

588

905

32

7,478

Translation differences

(55)

(33)

(7)

3

(5)

(97)

On December 31, 2019

3,906

7,741

1,098

908

317

13,970

Additions

733

3,335

1,074

432

5,574

Disposals

(110)

(110)

Translation differences

360

645

101

84

29

1,219

On December 31, 2020

4,889

11,721

2,273

1,424

346

20,653

Additions

3,163

4,923

802

543

9,430

Disposals

(217)

(217)

Currency translation adjustment

104

(182)

14

(64)

On December 31, 2021

$

7,938

$

16,462

$

3,075

$

1,981

$

346

$

29,802

Depreciation and impairment

On January 1, 2019

$

(2,439)

$

$

$

$

(13)

$

(2,452)

Depreciation

(515)

(1,472)

(261)

(103)

(31)

(2,382)

Translation differences

45

(5)

(1)

39

On December 31, 2019

(2,909)

(1,477)

(262)

(103)

(44)

(4,795)

Depreciation

(535)

(2,262)

(441)

(401)

(32)

(3,671)

Disposals

103

103

Translation differences

(301)

(305)

(57)

(39)

(6)

(708)

On December 31, 2020

(3,642)

(4,044)

(760)

(543)

(82)

(9,071)

Depreciation

(1,118)

(2,714)

(651)

(539)

(34)

(5,055)

Disposals

158

158

Currency translation adjustment

37

(15)

(11)

10

On December 31, 2021

$

(4,565)

$

(6,774)

$

(1,411)

$

(1,093)

$

(116)

$

(13,958)

Carrying Amount

On December 31, 2019

$

997

$

6,264

$

836

$

805

$

273

9,175

On December 31, 2020

1,247

7,677

1,513

881

264

11,582

On December 31, 2021

$

3,373

$

9,688

$

1,664

$

888

$

230

$

15,844

(1) The Company has elected not to reassess whether a contract is, or contains, a lease at the date of initial application. Instead, for contracts entered into before the transition date, the Company relied on its assessment made applying IAS 17 and IFRIC 4 Determining whether an Arrangement contains a Lease.

There are 0 commitments to acquire property, plant and equipment. Furthermore, 0 items of property, plant and equipment are pledged. See note 22 for information for leases where the Company is a lessee.

F-25

7.Other non-current assets

Other non-current assets consisted of non-current restricted cash and financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or through OCI.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Restricted Cash - non-current

 

$

1,707

 

$

1,509

 

$

708

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss

 

17,459

 

6,307

 

2,916

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through OCI

35,710

Total other non-current assets

 

$

54,876

 

$

7,816

 

$

3,624

Non-current restricted cash on December 31, 2021 was mainly composed of deposit guarantees paid under the lease agreements for the laboratory and offices of the Company.

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss is comprised of the profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV. In March 2019, the Company entered into a license agreement with AgomAb Therapeutics NV forrelated obligations, requiring the use of HGF-mimetic SIMPLE Antibodies™, developedjudgment when estimating the effect of these sales deductions on product gross sales for a reporting period. These adjustments are deducted from product gross sales to arrive at product net sales. The significant components of variable consideration under revenue recognition policy summarizes the nature of these deductions and how the deduction is estimated, see note 2.17. After recording these, product net sales represent the Company’s Immunology Innovative Program. In exchange for granting this license, the Company received a profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV.

In March 2021, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured $74 million in Series B financing by issuing 286,705 of Preferred B Shares. The Company used the post-money valuation of Series B financing round and the number of outstanding shares in determining the fair valuebest estimate of the profit-sharing instrument, which resultscash that we expect to ultimately collect. If in a change in fair value of non-current financial assets of $11.2 million recorded through profit or loss.

Fair value changes on non-current financial assets with fair value through profit or loss are recognizedfuture periods the actuals vary from prior period best estimates, this would affect revenue in the consolidated statementsperiod of profit or loss in line “Other operating income”.

As part of the license agreement for the development and commercialization for efgartigimod in Greater China (see note 16 for further information), the Company obtained, amongst others, 568,182 newly issued Zai Lab shares calculated at a price of $132 per share. The fair value of the equity instrument at reporting date is determined by reference to the closing price of such securities at each reporting date (classified as level 1 in the fair value hierarchy), resulting in a change in fair value. The Company made the irrevocable election to recognize subsequent changes in fair value through OCI in line “Fair value gain/(loss) on investments in equity instruments designated as at FVTOCI”.

The table below illustrates these non-current financials assets at fair value through profit or loss or OCI as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Cost at January 1

 

$

1,659

 

$

1,659

 

$

Additions of the year

75,000

1,659

Cost at December 31

$

76,659

$

1,659

$

1,659

Fair value adjustments at January 1

$

4,648

$

1,257

$

Fair value adjustment of the year through profit or loss

11,152

2,951

1,214

Fair value adjustment of the year through OCI

(39,290)

Translation difference

440

43

Fair value adjustment at December 31

$

(23,490)

$

4,648

$

1,257

Net book value at December 31

 

$

53,169

 

$

6,307

 

$

2,916

4.
5.

F-26

8.Deferred Taxes

The amount of deferred tax assets and liability by type of temporary difference can be detailed as follows:

At December 31, 2021

(in thousands of $)

    

Assets

Liabilities

    

Net

Deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

Accruals and allowances

$

2,858

$

$

2,858

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

26,026

26,026

Profit in inventory

3,305

3,305

Property, plant and equipment

532

(740)

(208)

Intangible assets

(2,714)

(2,714)

Non-current fixed assets

(3,725)

(3,725)

Other

210

210

Netting by taxable entity

(740)

740

Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

 

$

32,191

 

$

(6,438)

 

$

25,753

At December 31, 2020

(in thousands of $)

    

Assets

Liabilities

    

Net

Deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

Accruals and allowances

$

2,147

$

$

2,147

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

13,362

13,362

Profit in inventory

Property, plant and equipment

(167)

(167)

Intangible assets

(1,792)

(1,792)

Non-current fixed assets

Other

Netting by taxable entity

(471)

471

Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

 

$

15,038

 

$

(1,487)

 

$

13,551

The change in net deferred taxes recorded in the consolidated statements of financial position can be detailed as follows:

(in thousands of $)

    

Deferred tax assets

    

Deferred tax liabilities

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

$

15,038

 

$

(1,487)

Recognized in profit or loss

11,385

(5,082)

Recognized in equity

5,494

Effects of change in foreign exchange rate

274

131

Balance at December 31, 2021

$

32,191

$

(6,438)

adjustment.

(in thousands of $)

    

Deferred tax assets

    

Deferred tax liabilities

Balance at January 1, 2020

 

$

 

$

Recognized in profit or loss

8,351

(1,384)

Recognized in equity

6,225

Effects of change in foreign exchange rate

462

(103)

Balance at December 31, 2020

$

15,038

$

(1,487)

F-27

9.Inventories

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Raw materials and consumables

$

70,134

 

$

18,608

 

$

Inventories in process

37,705

6,587

Finished goods

1,237

Total inventories

 

$

109,076

 

$

25,195

 

$

On December 31, 2021, inventories amounted to $109.1 million related to efgartigimod. Of the total inventory, $48.8 million relates to inventory which is currently awaiting facility approval. As of December 31, 2021, 0 inventory write-downs were recorded.

Included in inventory are products which could, besides commercial activities, be used for in-house preclinical and clinical programs, non-reimbursed pre-approval programs and clinical programs carried out by Zai Lab.

10.Trade and other receivables

The trade and other receivables are composed of receivables which are detailed below:

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Trade receivable

$

28,058

$

287

$

25,367

Interest receivable

1,325

993

2,338

Other receivable

8,838

5,698

3,880

Total trade and other receivables

 

$

38,221

 

$

6,978

 

$

31,585

The carrying amounts of trade and other receivables approximate their respective fair values. On December 31, 2021, we did not have any provision for expected credit losses.

Please also refer to note 2614 for more information on the financial risk management.

11.Financial assets — current

These current financial assets relate to term accounts with an initial maturity longer than 3 months but less than 12 monthsmovement over the period and money market funds that do not qualify as cash equivalents.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Money market funds

 

$

73,052

 

$

130,290

 

$

804,099

Term accounts

929,000

649,359

 

324,400

Total current financial assets

 

$

1,002,052

 

$

779,649

 

$

1,128,499

On December 31, 2021, the current financial assets included €60.7 million held in EUR, which could generate a foreign currency exchange gain or loss in our financial results in accordance with the fluctuationsending balance of the USD/EUR exchange rate as the Company’s functional currency is USD.

Please also refer to note 26 for more information on the financial risk management.

12.Cash and cash equivalents

gross-to-net-accruals.

F-28

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Money market funds

 

$

997,092

 

$

858,291

 

$

Term accounts

95,090

61,356

255,631

Cash and bank balances

 

242,494

 

297,156

 

116,531

Total cash and cash equivalents

 

$

1,334,676

 

$

1,216,803

 

$

372,162

Cash and cash equivalents may comprise of cash and bank balances, saving accounts, term accounts with an original maturity not exceeding 3 months and money market funds that are readily convertible to cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.

Cash positions are invested with preferred financial partners, which are mostly considered to be high quality financial institutions with sound credit ratings to reduce credit risk.

On December 31, 2021, the cash and cash equivalents included €462.0 million held in EUR, which could generate a foreign currency exchange gain or loss in our financial results in accordance with the fluctuations of the USD/EUR exchange rate as the Company’s functional currency is USD.

Please also refer to note 26 for more information on the financial risk management.

13.Share capital and share premium

On December 31, 2021, the Company’s share capital was represented by 51,668,315 shares. All shares were issued, fully paid up and of the same class. The table below summarizes our capital increases, as a result of offerings and the exercise of stock options under the Company’s Employee Stock Option Plan.

Roll forward of number of shares outstanding:

Number of shares outstanding on January 1, 2019

35,975,312

Exercise of stock options

419,317

Share subscription from Johnson & Johnson Innovation Inc.

1,766,899

Global public offering on Euronext and Nasdaq on November 7, 2019

4,000,000

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on November 8, 2019

600,000

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2019

42,761,528

Exercise of stock options

602,463

Global public offering in Euronext and Nasdaq on May 28, 2020

3,658,515

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on May 29, 2020

548,777

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2020

47,571,283

Exercise of stock options

503,282

Global public offering in Euronext and Nasdaq on February 2, 2021

3,125,000

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on February 4, 2021

468,750

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2021

51,668,315

On February 2, 2021, argenx SE offered 3,125,000 of its ordinary shares through a global offering which consisted of 1,608,000 ADSs in the U.S. at a price of $320.0 per ADS, before underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses; and 1,517,000 ordinary shares in the European Economic Area at a price of €265.69 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. On February 4, 2021, the underwriters of the offering exercised their over-allotment option to purchase 468,750 additional ADSs in full. As a result, argenx SE received $1,146.7 million in gross proceeds from this offering, decreased by $56.6 million of underwriter discounts and commissions, and offering expenses, of which $56.0 million has been deducted from equity. The total net cash proceeds from the offering amounted to $1,090.1 million.

On May 11, 2021 at the annual general meeting, the shareholders of the Company approved the authorization to the Board to issue a maximum of 10% of the then-outstanding share capital for a period of 18 months.

On December 31, 2021, an amount of €410,857.7, represented by 4,108,577 shares, still remained available under the authorized capital.

F-29

14.Share-based payments

Stock Option Plans

The Company has a stock options scheme for the employees of the Company and its subsidiaries. In accordance with the terms of the plan, as approved by shareholders, employees may be granted stock options to purchase ordinary shares at an exercise price as mentioned below per ordinary share.

The stock options are granted to employees, consultants or directors of the Company and its subsidiaries. The stock options have been granted free of charge. Each employee’s stock option converts into 1 ordinary share of the Company upon exercise. The stock options carry neither rights to dividends nor voting rights. Stock options may be exercised at any time from the date of vesting to the date of their expiry. As of January 1, 2021, the Company decided to change the vesting period of its sign-on stock options from 4 years to 3 years to make the vesting consistent for all the options granted.

The stock options granted (regular and sign-on) vest, in principle, as follows:

1/3rd of the total stock options granted will vest on the first anniversary of the granting of the stock options, and
1/36th of the total grant on the first day of each month following the first anniversary of the date of grant of the stock options.

Upon leave of the employee, consultant or director, stock options must be exercised before the later of (i) 90 days after the last working day at argenx, or (ii) March 31 of the 4th year following the date of grant of those stock options, and in any case no later than the expiration date of the option.

In order to prefinance the taxes that are paid upon the grant of stock options, Belgian employees have the ability, in exchange for the taxes due upon the grant of the stock options, to transfer the economic benefits related to part of those stock options to a third party. As of December 31, 2021, the economic benefits of 190,560 stock options, for which accelerated vesting applies, were transferred to a third party.

No other conditions are attached to the stock options.

F-30

The following share-based payment arrangements were in existence during the current and prior years and which are exercisable at the end of each period presented:

Exercise price

Outstanding

per stock

stock options on

options

December 31,

Expiry date

    

(in $) (1)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

2020

 

$

4.47

 

 

 

7,210

2022

2.76

125,339

2023

 

2.76

 

 

165,693

 

211,769

2024

 

2.76

 

94,088

 

100,086

 

102,696

2024

 

4.47

 

6,113

 

6,238

 

6,238

2024

 

8.12

 

276,500

 

294,167

 

335,067

2025

 

12.96

 

4,500

 

21,500

 

39,000

2025

 

11.71

 

 

950

 

3,000

2025

 

10.73

 

105,857

 

114,232

 

185,832

2026

 

12.89

 

41,000

 

45,000

 

45,000

2026

 

12.99

 

102,840

 

127,252

 

219,791

2026

 

16.00

 

117,581

 

176,426

 

258,746

2027

20.85

53,143

102,479

108,613

2027

23.98

361,350

460,701

565,798

2023

91.54

85,080

85,077

94,100

2028

91.54

39,515

49,532

73,100

2023

97.77

321,473

325,661

366,260

2028

97.77

350,631

381,317

402,714

2024

128.54

111,174

111,174

111,690

2029

128.54

146,765

163,410

299,560

2024

153.75

203,658

195,452

204,430

2029

153.75

611,122

692,914

717,455

2025

135.38

16,712

19,000

2030

135.38

102,558

123,700

2025

222.16

129,711

131,770

2030

222.16

282,475

325,150

2025

226.77

32,100

32,100

2030

226.77

136,601

175,200

2030

280.43

692,214

728,517

2025

280.43

203,214

211,045

2026

265.48

24,366

2026

288.93

61,505

2026

293.91

48,138

2031

265.48

42,282

2031

288.93

207,464

2031

293.91

92,456

2026/2031 (2)

$

350.20

389,588

 

 

5,619,113

 

5,365,743

4,358,069

(1)Amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate as of December 31, 2021.
(2)As of December 2021, the Company granted options for which the beneficiaries had a 60-day period to choose between a contractual term of five or ten years

F-31F-19

2021

2020

2019

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

stock options

exercise price (*)

stock options

exercise price (*)

stock options

exercise price (*)

Outstanding at January 1

 

5,365,743

 

$

142.87

 

4,358,069

 

$

78.23

 

3,536,651

 

$

37.54

Granted

 

882,584

 

314.99

 

1,797,652

 

266.71

 

1,365,172

 

144.38

Exercised

 

(503,282)

 

64.72

 

(602,463)

 

38.86

 

(419,317)

 

12.75

Forfeited

 

(125,932)

 

234.98

 

(187,515)

 

170.98

 

(124,437)

 

99.89

Outstanding at December 31

 

5,619,113

 

164.33

 

5,365,743

 

142.87

 

4,358,069

 

71.62

Exercisable at December 31

 

3,613,371

 

$

106.53

 

2,833,680

 

$

65.24

 

2,203,476

 

$

25.38

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise of options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $305.9, compared to $254.54 during the year ended December 31, 2020 and $124.69 during the year ended December 31, 2019. The weighted average remaining contractual life of the stock options outstanding amounted to 6.3 years on December 31, 2021 compared to 7.08 years on December 31, 2020 and 7.27 years on December 31, 2019. The table below shows the weighted average remaining contractual life for each range of exercise price:

4.

Property, plant and equipment

    

    

Weighted average

remaining

Outstanding on

contractual life

Exercise price (in $)

    

December 31, 2021

    

(in years)

2.76 - 4.47

225,540

1.50

8.12 - 10.73

 

382,357

3.24

11.71 - 16.00

 

265,921

4.64

20.85 - 23.98

414,493

5.90

91.54 - 97.77

796,699

4.35

128.54 - 153.75

1,191,989

6.50

222.16 - 280.43

1,542,963

7.56

288.93 - 350.20

799,151

9.10

    

IT, office and lab

    

Right-of-use assets

    

Right-of-use assets

    

Leasehold

    

Lease

    

(in thousands of $)

equipment

Buildings

Vehicles

improvements

equipment

Total

Cost

On January 1, 2021

$

4,889

11,721

2,273

1,424

346

20,653

Additions

3,163

4,923

802

543

9,430

Disposals

(217)

(217)

Currency translation adjustment

104

(182)

14

(64)

On December 31, 2021

7,938

16,462

3,075

1,981

346

29,802

Additions

962

3,353

905

5,219

Disposals

(105)

(105)

Currency translation adjustment

(635)

(635)

On December 31, 2022

8,160

$

19,815

$

3,980

$

1,981

$

346

$

34,282

Additions

937

8,770

2,327

48

12,082

Disposals

(202)

(757)

(54)

(1,013)

On December 31, 2023

$

8,895

$

28,585

$

5,550

$

1,975

$

346

$

45,350

Depreciation and impairment

On January 1, 2021

$

(3,642)

(4,044)

(760)

(543)

(82)

(9,071)

Depreciation

(1,118)

(2,714)

(651)

(539)

(34)

(5,055)

Disposals

158

158

Currency translation adjustment

37

(15)

(11)

10

On December 31, 2021

(4,565)

(6,774)

(1,411)

(1,093)

(116)

(13,958)

Depreciation

(1,388)

(2,179)

(735)

(257)

(35)

(4,593)

Disposals

90

90

Currency translation adjustment

408

5

1

1

414

On December 31, 2022

(5,454)

$

(8,948)

$

(2,145)

$

(1,350)

$

(150)

$

(18,047)

Depreciation

(1,539)

(2,839)

(971)

(189)

(36)

(5,574)

Disposals

189

757

946

On December 31, 2023

$

(6,804)

$

(11,787)

$

(2,359)

$

(1,539)

$

(186)

$

(22,675)

Carrying Amount

On December 31, 2021

$

3,373

$

9,688

$

1,664

$

888

$

230

$

15,844

On December 31, 2022

2,706

10,867

1,835

631

196

16,234

On December 31, 2023

$

2,091

$

16,798

$

3,191

$

436

$

160

$

22,675

The fair market valueDepreciation is recognized as from acquisition date onwards (unless asset is not ready for use) so as to write off the cost or valuation of the stock options has been determined based on the Black and Scholes modelassets less their residual values over their useful lives, using the following unobservable assumptions:straight-line method. Unless revised due to specific changes in the estimated useful life, annual depreciation rates are as follows:

The expected volatility, determined on the basis of the implied volatility of the share price over the expected life of the option.Office and lab equipment: 3–5 years
The expected option life, calculated as the estimated duration until exercise, taking into account the specific features of the plans.IT equipment: 3 years

BelowAs of December 31, 2023, there are no material commitments to acquire property, plant and equipment. Furthermore, no items of property, plant and equipment are pledged. See note 22 for information for leases where the Company is an overview of the parameters used in relation to the determination of the fair value of the grants during 2021:

Stock options granted in

    

April 2021

    

July 2021

Oct 2021

Dec 2021 (1)

Number of options granted

 

67,833

 

280,339

144,824

389,588

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

98.96 - 154.88

 

$

131.65 - 159.13

$

101.53 - 131.80

$

145.35 - 149.09

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

248.9 - 283.67

 

$

300.78 - 340.95

$

286.52 - 304.5

$

351.73

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

275.33

 

$

303.16

$

301.02

$

349.92

Expected volatility

 

54.24 - 60.08

%  

45.58 - 47.96

%

46.01 - 48.46

%

43.57 - 43.58

%

Average Expected option life (in years)

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

6.15 - 6.50 (1)

Risk‑free interest rate

 

(0.41) - (0.08)

%  

(0.41) - (0.17)

%

(0.18) - (0.05)

%

0.03 - 0.05

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%

%

%

(1)In December 2021, the Company granted a total of 389,588 stock options. The beneficiary can choose between a contractual term of five or ten years. The expected option life ranges between 6.15 and 6.50 years. This estimate will be reassessed once the acceptance period of 60 days has passed and the beneficiaries will have made a choice between a contractual term of five or ten years. The total fair value of the grant would range from $45.0 million (100% of the stock options with a contractual term of five years) to $57.1 million (100% of the stock options with a contractual term of ten years ).

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the applicable rate prevailing at the grant date.a lessee.

F-32F-20

5.Intangible assets

Below is an overview of the parameters used in relation to the determination of the fair value of grants during 2020:

Stock options granted in

    

April 2020

    

June 2020

Oct 2020

 

Dec 2020

Number of options granted

 

142,700

 

550,090

196,500

908,362

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

76.46 - 148.03

 

$

83.46 - 129.64

$

91.10 - 156.68

$

101.23 - 229.20

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

155.23 - 252.29

 

$

224.80 - 281.25

$

256.46 - 293.52

$

273.15 - 383.10

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

146.68

 

$

240.70

$

245.69

$

303.83

Expected volatility

 

44.44 - 64.77

%  

43.46 - 52.19

%

44.17 - 52.71

%

46.80 - 59.94

%

Average Expected option life (in years)

 

4 - 6.68

 

4 - 6.68

 

4 - 6.68

4 - 6.68

Risk‑free interest rate

 

(0.32) - (0.18)

%  

(0.43) - (0.28)

%

(0.51) - (0.34)

%

(0.51) - (0.28)

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%

%

%

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

(in thousands of $)

 

Acquired R&D available for use

Acquired In-Process R&D

Software & databases

Other Intangibles

Total

Cost

On January 1, 2021

$

$

65,180

$

3,543

$

99,058

$

167,781

Additions

5,000

5,000

Translation differences

(190)

(190)

On December 31, 2021

70,180

3,353

99,058

172,591

Additions

992

102,000

102,992

Disposals

(5)

(5)

Derecognition

(99,058)

(99,058)

On December 31, 2022

70,180

4,340

102,000

176,519

Additions

56,000

56,000

Derecognition

(102,000)

(102,000)

Reclassification

52,931

(52,931)

On December 31, 2023

$

108,931

$

17,249

$

4,340

$

$

130,520

Amortization and impairment

On January 1, 2021

$

$

$

(437)

$

$

(437)

Amortization

(470)

(470)

On December 31, 2021

(907)

(907)

Amortization

(711)

(99,058)

(99,768)

Derecognition

99,058

99,058

On December 31, 2022

(1,618)

(1,618)

Amortization

(3,392)

(282)

(102,000)

(105,674)

Derecognition

102,000

102,000

On December 31, 2023

$

(3,392)

$

$

(1,900)

$

$

(5,292)

Carrying Amount

On December 31, 2021

$

$

70,180

$

2,446

$

99,058

$

171,684

On December 31, 2022

70,180

2,722

102,000

174,901

On December 31, 2023

$

105,539

$

17,249

$

2,440

$

$

125,228

BelowAcquired In-Process R&D is an overviewmainly related to the in-licensing of the parameter usedENHANZE® drug delivery technology from Halozyme. In line with its accounting policies, the Company has capitalized the upfront payment upon commencement of the in-license agreement in relation2019 and the development milestone payments when the respective milestone has been achieved. In June 2023, the Company obtained the FDA approval for VYVGART Hytrulo, which is a subcutaneous product combination of efgartigimod alfa and Halozyme’s ENHANZE® drug delivery technology. Upon this regulatory approval, the $52.9million has moved from “Acquired In-Process R&D” to “Acquired R&D available for use”.

Further, the additions to “Acquired R&D available for use” are related to regulatory and sales-based milestones triggered during 2023 related to the determinationin-licensing of the fair value of grants during 2019:

Stock options granted in

    

June 2019

    

Nov 2019

    

Dec 2019

Number of options granted

 

423,487

 

19,800

921,885

 

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

71.28

 

$

64.81

$

46.51 - 74.58

 

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

138.40

 

$

142.00

$

146.15-169.30

 

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

127.49

 

$

127.49

$

152.50

 

Expected volatility

 

45.25

%  

44.14

%  

43.80 - 44.11

%

Average expected option life (in years)

 

8.59

 

6.50

4 - 6.5

 

Risk‑free interest rate

 

0.07

%  

(0.05)

%  

(0.57) - (0.24)

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%  

%

(*) amountsENHANZE® drug delivery technology from Halozyme. In line with its accounting policies, the Company has capitalized the regulatory and sales-based milestone payments when the respective milestones have been converted to USD atachieved. The “Acquired R&D available for use” are amortized under “Cost of sales” on a straight-line basis over their useful life, being the closing ratelonger of the respective period.patent protection life of the Acquired R&D available for use and patent protection life of the combined product, which is 2036 for VYVGART Hytrulo.

F-21

The total share-based payment expenseCompany performs an annual impairment review on the intangible assets. This review did not result in the recognition of an impairment charge for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company utilized the PRV submitted with the sBLA filing for VYVGART Hytrulo for the treatment of CIDP, which resulted in amortization of $102.0 million of intangible asset which is recognized inunder “Research and development expenses” within the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income totaled $179.4(loss) and subsequent derecognition of $102.0 million forof intangibles included under “other intangibles” on the year endedconsolidated statements of financial position.

As of December 31, 2021, compared2023, there are no material commitments to $96.9 millionacquire intangible assets, except as set forth in note 29. No intangible assets are pledged as security for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $44.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.liabilities nor are there any intangible assets whose title is restricted.

6.

Other non-current assets

15.TradeOther non-current assets consisted of non-current restricted cash and other payablesfinancial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or through OCI.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Trade payables

 

$

208,850

 

$

206,325

 

$

65,639

Short‑term employee benefits

 

83,737

 

68,867

 

30,188

Other

828

Total trade and other payables

 

$

293,415

 

$

275,192

 

$

95,827

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Non-current restricted cash

 

$

2,419

 

$

1,736

 

$

1,707

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss

 

21,715

 

21,715

 

17,459

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through OCI

15,528

17,443

35,710

Total other non-current assets

 

$

39,662

 

$

40,894

 

$

54,876

Trade payables correspond primarily to clinical and manufacturing activities and include accrued expenses related to these activities.

As ofNon-current restricted cash on December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020,2023 was mainly composed of deposit guarantees paid under the trade payables include accruals amounting to $163.7 million and $64.5 million, respectively, related to accruals from clinical manufacturing organizationslease agreements for the manufacturing of drug productslaboratory and from clinical research organisations.

Short-term employee benefits include payables and accruals for salaries and bonuses to be paid to the employeesoffices of the Company.

Non-current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss is comprised of the profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV. In March 2019, the Company entered into a license agreement with AgomAb Therapeutics NV for the use of HGF-mimetic SIMPLE Antibodies™, developed under the Company’s Immunology Innovative Program. In exchange for granting this license, the Company received a profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV. Since AgomAb Therapeutics NV is a private company, the valuation of the profit share is based on level 3 assumptions.

In June 2022, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured €38.4 million as a result of the extension of Series B. The Company used the post-money valuation of this Series B financing round and the number of outstanding shares in determining the fair value of the profit-sharing instrument, which resulted in a change in fair value of non-current financial assets of $4.3 million recorded through profit or loss in 2022.

In October 2023, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured $100.0 million as a result of a Series C financing round. The Company’s profit share diluted as the number of shares held by the company stayed stable where the post-money valuation of AgomAb increased, which results in no change in fair value of the non-current asset.

Fair value changes on non-current financial assets with fair value through profit or loss are recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) under “Other operating income”.

As part of the license agreement for the development and commercialization for efgartigimod in Greater China, in 2021 the Company obtained, amongst others, 568,182 newly issued Zai Lab shares calculated at a price of $132 per share. The fair value of the equity instrument at reporting date is determined by reference to the closing price of such securities at each reporting date (classified as level 1 in the fair value hierarchy). The Company made the irrevocable

F-33F-22

election to recognize subsequent changes in fair value through OCI under “Fair value gain/(loss) on investments in equity instruments designated as at FVTOCI”.

The table below illustrates these non-current financials assets at fair value through profit or loss or OCI as of December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Cost at January 1

 

$

76,659

 

$

76,659

 

$

1,659

Additions of the year

75,000

Cost at December 31

$

76,659

$

76,659

$

76,659

Fair value adjustments at January 1

$

(37,501)

$

(23,490)

$

4,648

Fair value adjustment of the year through profit or loss

4,256

11,152

Fair value adjustment of the year through OCI

(1,915)

(18,267)

(39,290)

Fair value adjustment at December 31

$

(39,416)

$

(37,501)

$

(23,490)

Net book value at December 31

 

$

37,243

 

$

39,158

 

$

53,169

7.

Inventories

16.Revenue

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Raw materials and consumables

$

240,836

 

$

126,046

 

$

70,134

Inventories in process

47,074

65,016

37,705

Finished goods

22,640

37,291

1,237

Total inventories

 

$

310,550

 

$

228,353

 

$

109,076

The following table summarizes detailscost of revenuesinventories, which is recognized under “Cost of sales” in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss), amounted to $101.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 by collaboration agreement and by category2023 (compared to $29.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022).

On December 31, 2023, pre-launch inventory awaiting facility approval amounted to $101.3 million.

As a result of revenue: upfront payments, milestone payments and research and development service fees.the detection of a latent defect in the second quarter of 2023 in drug substance batches produced in 2022 at one of the facilities awaiting approval, the Company has decreased inventory with an amount of $47.3 million. The Company has obtained the commitment from the supplier to replace the drug substance from these batches in the coming years, which is reflected under “non-current prepaid expense” in the consolidated statement of financial position amounting to $47.3 million.

8.

Prepaid expenses (Current)

The current prepaid expenses are composed of prepayments which are details below:

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

2020

    

2019

Zai Lab

$

151,903

Janssen

 

292,279

33,759

 

22,386

AbbVie

 

121

565

 

855

Agomab

 

 

1,684

Other

38

50

Upfront payments

444,303

34,362

24,975

Zai Lab

25,634

Janssen

22,865

2,641

1,738

AbbVie

102

762

30,077

Other

1,214

19

25

Milestone payments

49,815

3,422

31,840

Janssen

2,028

3,175

21,236

Other

298

284

411

Research and development service fees

2,326

3,459

21,647

Zai Lab

833

Other revenues

833

Total revenue

$

497,277

$

41,243

$

78,462

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Prepaid inventory

22,460

11,667

10,786

Prepaid research and development expenses

71,201

44,905

39,684

Prepaid advertising expenses

19,933

13,479

2,006

Prepaid software

6,240

4,309

2,272

Other prepaid expenses

14,238

1,662

4,198

Total prepaid expenses

 

$

134,072

 

$

76,022

 

$

58,946

F-23

9.

Trade and other receivables

The trade and other receivables are composed of receivables which are detailed below:

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Trade receivable

$

417,994

$

241,228

$

28,058

Interest receivable

13,126

12,918

1,325

Tax receivables

63,605

20,526

7,974

Other receivable

1,962

1,025

864

Total trade and other receivables

 

$

496,687

 

$

275,697

 

$

38,221

For the years endedThe carrying amounts of trade and other receivables approximate their respective fair values. On December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, 2020we did not have any provision for expected credit losses.

Please also refer to Note 26 for more information on the financial risk management.

10.

Financial assets — current

These current financial assets relate to term accounts with an initial maturity longer than 3 months but less than 12 months and 2019,money market funds that do not qualify as cash equivalents.

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Money market funds

 

$

 

$

46,162

 

$

73,052

Term accounts

1,131,000

1,345,646

929,000

Total current financial assets

 

$

1,131,000

 

$

1,391,808

 

$

1,002,052

On December 31, 2023, the majoritycurrent financial assets included $221.0 million (€200.0 million) held in EUR, which could generate a foreign currency exchange gain or loss in the financial results in accordance with the fluctuations of the revenueUSD/EUR exchange rate as the Company’s functional currency is USD.

Please also refer to Note 26 for more information on the financial risk management.

11.

Cash and cash equivalents

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Money market funds

 

$

1,678,100

 

$

669,147

 

$

997,092

Term accounts

350,000

54,116

95,090

Cash and bank balances

 

20,744

 

77,477

 

242,494

Total cash and cash equivalents

 

$

2,048,844

 

$

800,740

 

$

1,334,676

Cash and cash equivalents may comprise of cash and bank balances, saving accounts, term accounts with an original maturity not exceeding 3 months and money market funds that are readily convertible to cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in value.

Cash positions are invested with preferred financial partners, which are mostly considered to be high quality financial institutions with sound credit ratings to reduce credit risk.

F-24

On December 31, 2023, the cash and cash equivalents included $702.8 million (€636.0 million) held in EUR, and $8.2 million (¥1,164.6 million) held in JPY which could generate a foreign currency exchange gain or loss in the financial results in accordance with the fluctuations of the USD/EUR and USD/JPY exchange rates as the Company’s functional currency is USD.

Please also refer to Note 26 for more information on the financial risk management.

12.

Share capital and share premium

On December 31, 2023, the Company’s share capital was generatedrepresented by 59,194,488 shares. All shares were issued, fully paid up and of the same class. The table below summarizes the share issuances as a result of offerings, exercise of stock options and the vesting of restricted stock units under the agreements with Zai Lab, JanssenCompany’s Employee Stock Option Plan.

Roll forward of number of shares outstanding:

Number of shares outstanding on January 1, 2021

47,571,283

Exercise of stock options

503,282

Global public offering in Euronext and Nasdaq on February 2, 2021

3,125,000

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on February 4, 2021

468,750

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2021

51,668,315

Exercise of stock options

1,024,626

Vesting of RSUs

19,581

Global public offering in Euronext and Nasdaq on March 23, 2022

2,333,334

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on March 29, 2022

350,000

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2022

55,395,856

Exercise of stock options

1,137,439

Vesting of RSUs

79,560

Global public offering in Nasdaq on July 18, 2023

2,244,899

Over-allotment option exercised by underwriters on July 19, 2023

336,734

Number of shares outstanding on December 31, 2023

59,194,488

On May 2, 2023, at the annual general meeting, the shareholders of the Company approved the authorization to the Board to issue up to a maximum of 10% of the then-outstanding share capital, for a period of 18 months.

On July 18, 2023, argenx SE offered 2,244,899 of its ordinary shares through a global offering which consisted of 1,580,981 ADSs in the U.S. at a price of $490.0 per ADS, before underwriting discounts and AbbVie, eachcommissions and offering expenses; and 663,918 ordinary shares in the European Economic Area at a price of €436.37 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. On July 19, 2023, the underwriters of the offering exercised their overallotment option to purchase 336,734 additional ADSs in full. As a result, argenx SE received $1.26 billion in gross proceeds from this offering, decreased by $65.9 million of underwriter discounts and commissions, and offering expenses, of which $0.8 million has been deducted from equity. The total net cash proceeds from the offering amounted to $1.2 billion.

On December 31, 2023, an amount of €202,408.2, represented by 2,024,082 shares, still remained available under the authorization to issue shares as described below.granted to the Board by the shareholders of the Company.

F-34F-25

13.

Share-based payments

The Company has an equity incentive plan for the employees, key consultants, board members, senior management and key outside advisors (“key persons”) of the Company and its subsidiaries. In accordance with the terms of the plan, as approved by shareholders, employees may be granted stock options and/or restricted stock units.

13.1

Stock Option

The stock options are granted to key persons of the Company and its subsidiaries. The stock options may be granted to purchase ordinary shares at an exercise price. The stock options have been granted free of charge. Each employee’s stock option converts into one ordinary share of the Company upon exercise. The stock options carry neither rights to dividends nor voting rights. Stock options may be exercised at any time from the date of vesting to the date of their expiry.

The stock options granted vest, in principle, as follows:

1/3rd of the total stock options granted will vest on the first anniversary of the granting of the stock options, and
1/36th of the total grant on the first day of each month following the first anniversary of the date of grant of the stock options.

Stock options granted to non-executive directors vest on the third anniversary of the date of grant.

Upon leave of the key persons stock options must be exercised before the later of (i) 90 days after the last working day at argenx, or (ii) March 31 of the 4th year following the date of grant of those stock options, and in any case no later than the expiration date of the option.

In order to prefinance the taxes that are paid upon the grant of stock options, Belgian employees have the ability, in exchange for the taxes due upon the grant of the stock options, to transfer the economic benefits related to part of those stock options to a third party. In the year ending December 31, 2023, the economic benefits of 43,336 stock options, for which accelerated vesting applies, were transferred to a third party.

No other conditions are attached to the stock options.

F-26

The following stock option arrangements were in existence during the current and prior years and which are exercisable at the end of each period presented:

Exercise price

Outstanding

per stock

stock options on

options

December 31,

Expiry date

    

(in $) (1)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

2022

$

2.70

125,339

2024

 

2.70

 

3,308

 

19,743

 

94,088

2024

 

4.36

 

532

 

5,127

 

6,113

2024

 

7.92

 

81,500

 

214,800

 

276,500

2025

 

12.64

 

1,600

 

2,000

 

4,500

2025

 

10.46

 

99,326

 

101,861

 

105,857

2026

 

12.57

 

24,400

 

30,000

 

41,000

2026

 

12.67

 

97,972

 

99,772

 

102,840

2026

 

15.62

 

111,811

 

115,211

 

117,581

2027

20.34

38,434

42,509

53,143

2027

23.39

225,852

303,867

361,350

2023

89.31

12,111

85,080

2028

89.31

13,890

19,490

39,515

2023

95.38

124,338

321,473

2028

95.38

225,457

264,392

350,631

2024

125.40

26,171

110,774

111,174

2029

125.40

71,573

110,756

146,765

2024

150.00

104,176

202,852

203,658

2029

150.00

370,566

537,110

611,122

2025

132.08

16,712

16,712

16,712

2030

132.08

50,801

71,486

102,558

2025

216.75

126,331

127,731

129,711

2030

216.75

160,677

223,812

282,475

2025

221.24

31,424

32,100

32,100

2030

221.24

78,534

117,790

136,601

2030

273.60

559,173

620,014

692,214

2025

273.60

202,205

202,475

203,214

2026

259.01

23,491

23,491

24,366

2026

281.89

59,626

60,890

61,505

2026

286.75

45,228

45,862

48,138

2031

259.01

27,201

35,214

42,282

2031

281.89

128,600

167,406

207,464

2031

286.75

62,138

81,311

92,456

2026

341.67

80,425

80,833

82,430

2031

341.67

226,520

286,353

307,158

2027

312.16

13,957

14,976

2032

312.16

58,255

79,155

2027

395.04

58,091

61,816

2032

395.04

192,291

238,532

2027

407.19

13,764

13,764

2032

407.19

73,288

85,199

2032

397.36

347,765

370,354

2027

397.36

136,459

137,778

2025

341.67

16,000

2028

376.47

15,014

2033

376.47

43,856

2028

392.72

127,490

2033

392.72

495,821

2028

508.96

2,235

2033

508.96

69,704

2028-2032 (2)

$

330.06

79,305

5,118,949

 

5,511,767

5,619,113

(1)Amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate as of December 31, 2023.
(2)In December 2023, the Company granted stock options for which the Belgian taxed beneficiaries had a 60-day period to choose between a contractual term of five or ten years

F-27

2023

2022

2021

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

    

Number of

    

Weighted average

stock options

exercise price (*)

stock options

exercise price (*)

stock options

exercise price (*)

Outstanding at January 1

 

5,511,767

 

$

205.02

 

5,619,113

 

$

164.33

 

5,365,743

 

$

142.87

Granted

 

844,011

 

395.92

 

1,021,642

 

375.58

 

882,584

 

314.99

Exercised

 

(1,137,439)

 

142.31

 

(1,025,780)

 

92.62

 

(503,282)

 

64.72

Forfeited

 

(99,390)

 

356.57

 

(103,208)

 

273.93

 

(125,932)

 

234.98

Outstanding at December 31

 

5,118,949

 

255.41

 

5,511,767

 

205.02

 

5,619,113

 

164.33

Exercisable at December 31

 

3,030,486

 

$

179.22

 

3,983,960

 

$

148.11

 

3,613,371

 

$

106.53

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

The weighted average share price at the date of exercise of options exercised during the year ended December 31, 2023 was $456.8, compared to $336.5 during the year ended December 31, 2022 and $305.9 during the year ended December 31, 2021. The weighted average remaining contractual life of the stock options outstanding amounted to 5.9 years on December 31, 2023 compared to 6.2 years on December 31, 2022 and 6.3 years on December 31, 2021. The table below summarizesshows the changesweighted average remaining contractual life for each range of exercise price:

    

    

Weighted average

remaining

Outstanding on

contractual life

Exercise price (in $)

    

December 31, 2023

    

(in years)

2.7 - 7.92

85,340

0.96

10.46 - 12.64

 

100,926

1.95

12.57 - 15.62

 

234,183

2.67

20.34 - 23.39

264,286

3.89

89.31 - 95.38

239,347

4.95

125.4 - 150

572,486

4.75

132.08 - 273.6

1,225,857

5.26

259.01 - 341.67

669,229

6.04

312.16 - 407.19

893,870

7.53

330.06 - 508.96

833,425

8.69

The fair market value of the stock options has been determined based on the Black and Scholes model using the following unobservable assumptions:

The expected volatility, determined on the basis of the implied volatility of the share price over the expected life of the option.
The expected option life, calculated as the estimated duration until exercise, taking into account the specific features of the plans.

Below is an overview of the parameters used in deferred revenue – currentrelation to the determination of the fair value of the grants during 2023:

Stock options granted in

    

April 2023

    

July 2023

October 2023

December 2023 (1)

Number of options granted

 

61,056

 

629,121

74,529

79,305

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

158.21-196.18

 

$

176.44 - 271.59

$

123.94 - 209.04

$

161.88 - 165.69

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

361.64-401.21

 

$

380.81 - 521.19

$

439.42 - 491.75

$

371.36

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

370.34

 

$

387.35

$

485.01

$

329.26

Expected volatility

 

41.00 - 42.18

%  

36.22 - 43.99

%

35.35 - 36.67

%

36.20 - 36.21

%

Average Expected option life (in years)

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

6.15 - 6.50

Risk‑free interest rate

 

2.96 - 3.14

%  

2.90 - 3.03

%

2.80 - 3.44

%

2.40

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%

%

%

(1)In December 2023, the Company granted a total of 79,305 stock options of which 8,459 stock options to Belgian taxed beneficiaries. Belgian taxed beneficiaries can choose between a contractual term of five or ten years. The expected option life ranges between 6.15 and 6.50 years. This

F-28

estimate will be reassessed once the acceptance period of 60 days has passed and the beneficiaries will have made a choice between a contractual term of five or ten years. The total fair value of the grant to Belgian taxed beneficiaries would range from $ 1.1 million (100% of the stock options of Belgian taxed beneficiaries with a contractual term of five years) to $1.4 million (100% of the stock options of Belgian taxed beneficiaries with a contractual term of ten years ).

(*)

amounts have been converted to USD at the applicable rate prevailing at the grant date.

Below is an overview of the parameters used in relation to the determination of the fair value of grants during 2022:

Stock options granted in

    

April 2022

    

July 2022

October 2022

 

December 2022 (1)

Number of options granted

 

102,081

 

311,311

100,118

508,132

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

111.27 - 140.23

 

$

153.45 - 190.53

$

136.66 - 169.96

$

127.68 - 163.94

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

320.84 - 321.06

 

$

378.11 - 397.92

$

352.97 - 376.01

$

368.69 - 377.61

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

312.22

 

$

372.69

$

359.80

$

381.97

Expected volatility

 

39.18 - 40.87

%  

41.30 - 43.10

%

39.64 - 45.97

%

39.74 - 40.26

%

Average Expected option life (in years)

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

4 - 6.50

Risk‑free interest rate

 

1.05 - 1.62

%  

1.77 - 2.28

%

2.57 - 2.80

%

3.09 - 3.29

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%

%

%

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the applicable rate prevailing at the grant date.

(1) In December 2022, the Company granted a total of 508,132 stock options. Belgian beneficiaries could choose between a contractual term of five or ten years impacting the parameters used in determination of the fair value of the grant. Once the acceptance period of 60 days has passed in which the beneficiaries made a choice between a contractual term of five or ten years, the parameters and deferred revenue – non-currentfair value used in the financial year ending December 31, 2022 has been reassessed.

Below is an overview of the parameter used in relation to the determination of the fair value of grants during 2021:

Stock options granted in

    

April 2021

    

July 2021

    

October 2021

December 2021

Number of options granted

 

67,833

 

280,339

144,824

389,588

Average Fair value of options (in $) (*)

 

$

98.96 - 154.88

 

$

131.65 - 159.13

$

101.53 - 131.80

$

75.03 - 145.34

Share price (in $) (*)

 

$

248.9 - 283.67

 

$

300.78 - 340.95

$

286.52 - 304.5

$

277.72 - 351.73

Exercise price (in $) (*)

 

$

275.33

 

$

303.16

$

301.02

$

349.92

Expected volatility

 

54.24 - 60.08

%  

45.58 - 47.96

%

46.01 - 48.46

%

43.24 - 43.64

%

Average expected option life (in years)

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

 

4 - 6.50

4 - 6.50

Risk‑free interest rate

 

(0.41) - (0.08)

%  

(0.41) - (0.17)

%

(0.18) - (0.05)

%

0.03 - 0.67

%

Expected dividends

 

%  

%

%

%

(*) amounts have been converted to USD at the closing rate of the respective period.

The total share-based payment expense related to stock options recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss totaled $164.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, 20202023, compared to $120.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2019.$171.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

13.2

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)

The RSUs are granted to key persons of the Company and its subsidiaries. The RSUs have been granted free of charge. Each employee’s RSUs converts into one ordinary share of the Company upon vesting. The RSUs carry neither rights to dividends nor voting rights. RSUs once converted into ordinary shares, may be sold at any time from the date of vesting, have no expiry date and may be held by the participant without limitation. The fair value of RSUs is based on the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the day prior to the date of issuance. RSUs vest over a period of 4 years with 1/4th of the total grant vesting at each anniversary of the date of grant.

F-29

The following restricted stock units arrangements were in existence during the current and prior years:

(in thousands of $)

Janssen

AbbVie

Other

Total

On January 1, 2019

$

$

2,342

$

133

$

2,475

Received

Upfront

328,327

328,327

Milestone

25,000

30,000

55,000

Revenue recognition

Upfront

(22,386)

(855)

(50)

(23,291)

Milestone

(1,738)

(30,077)

(25)

(31,840)

Translation difference

(4,575)

107

(2)

(4,470)

On December 31, 2019

324,629

1,517

56

326,202

Received

Milestone

Revenue recognition

Upfront

(33,759)

(565)

(38)

(34,362)

Milestone

(2,641)

(762)

(19)

(3,422)

Translation difference

26,915

33

1

26,949

On December 31, 2020

315,144

223

315,367

Received

Upfront

Milestone

Revenue recognition

Upfront

(292,279)

(121)

(292,400)

Milestone

(22,865)

(102)

(22,967)

On December 31, 2021

$

$

$

$

2023

2022

2021

    

    

Weighted average

    

    

Weighted average

    

    

Weighted average

Number of

Grant Date

Number of

Grant Date

Number of

Grant Date

RSUs

Fair Value

RSUs

Fair Value

RSUs

Fair Value

Non-vested units at January 1

 

385,280

$

387.20

213,038

$

314.25

$

Granted

 

192,237

396.22

243,010

375.81

216,522

313.84

Vested

 

(105,678)

352.61

(53,872)

Forfeited

 

(29,517)

358.49

(16,896)

307.11

(3,484)

288.92

Non-vested units at December 31

 

442,322

$

375.89

385,280

$

387.20

213,038

$

314.25

Below are summariesThe total share-based payment expense related to RSUs recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss totaled $69.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $36.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and $8.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

14.

Trade and other payables

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Trade payables

 

$

245,557

 

$

188,721

 

$

208,850

Short‑term employee benefits

 

95,104

 

84,337

 

83,737

Gross-to-net-accruals

55,788

19,478

Other

17,564

3,142

828

Total trade and other payables

 

$

414,013

 

$

295,679

 

$

293,415

The carrying amounts of trade and other payables approximate their respective fair values.

Trade payables correspond primarily to clinical and manufacturing activities and include accrued expenses related to these activities.

Short-term employee benefits include payables and accruals for salaries and bonuses to be paid to the employees of the key collaborations.Company.

F-30

The following table summerizes the movement in the gross-to-net-accruals for the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022:

(in thousands of $)

Rebates and chargebacks

Distribution fees, product returns and other

Total

Balance at January 1, 2022

$

$

$

Current estimate related to the sales made in the current year

35,426

10,740

46,166

(Credits or payments related to sales made during the year)

(20,028)

(6,661)

(26,689)

Balance at December 31, 2022

$

15,398

$

4,079

$

19,478

Current estimate related to the sales made in the current year

123,542

26,427

149,969

Adjustment for prior year sales

(4,041)

(883)

(4,924)

(Credits or payments related to sales made during the year)

(78,327)

(20,722)

(99,049)

(Credit or payments related to sales made during prior year)

(6,910)

(2,775)

(9,685)

Balance at December 31, 2023

$

49,662

$

6,126

$

55,788

15.

Product net sales

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

2023

2022

    

2021

Product gross sales

$

1,342,148

446,923

-

Gross to net adjustment

(151,365)

(46,203)

-

Product net sales

$

1,190,783

400,720

-

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the product net sales was related to sales of VYVGART and VYVGART SC. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the product net sales was related to sales of VYVGART.

Refer to note 18 for the breakdown of Product net sales by country of sale.

F-31

16.

Collaboration revenue

The following table summarizes details of collaboration revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 by collaboration agreement and by category of revenue: upfront payments, milestone payments, research and development service fees and other revenue.

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

2022

    

2021

Zai Lab

$

151,903

J&J

 

292,279

AbbVie

 

121

Upfront payments

444,303

Zai Lab

25,634

J&J

22,865

AbbVie

30,000

102

Other

5,365

1,214

Milestone payments

30,000

5,365

49,815

J&J

2,028

Other

424

298

Research and development service fees

424

2,326

Zai Lab

5,533

4,238

833

Other collaboration revenue

5,533

4,238

833

Total collaboration revenue

$

35,533

$

10,026

$

497,277

For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, the collaboration revenue was generated under the agreements with Zai Lab, J&J and AbbVie, each as described below.

Zai Lab

On January 6, 2021, argenx and Zai Lab announced the License agreement for the development and commercialization of efgartigimod in Greater China, granting Zai Lab the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize efgartigimod in Greater China.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Company received $175$175.0 million in collaboration payments, comprised of a $75 million upfront payment in the form of 568,182 newly issued Zai Lab shares calculated at a price of $132 per share, $75 million as guaranteed non-creditable, non-refundable payment, received in the first quarter of 2021, and an additional $25 million milestone payment upon regulatory approval of efgartigimod by FDA in the U.S. The Company is also eligible to receive tiered royalties (mid-teen to low twenties on a percentage basis) based on annual net sales of efgartigimod in Greater China.

With regard toAs stated in the accounting policies regarding this collaboration with Zai Lab:Lab, the Company concluded there are two performance obligations under IFRS 15, being the transfer of a license and the at arms-length supply of clinical and commercial product. The transaction price of these two agreements was composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront payment of $75 million in the form of newly issued Zai Lab shares, and a $75 million guaranteed, non-creditable, non-refundable payment and $25 million milestone for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. and the consideration received in return for the supply of clinical and commercial product. The fixed part of the transaction price, as well as the $25 million milestone for approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. has been allocated to the transfer of a license performance obligation, which has been satisfied as of the effective date of the contract, being January 2021 and therefore the revenue is recognized at that point in time.

The Company concluded there are 2 performance obligations under IFRS 15, being the transfer of a license and the at arms-length supply of clinical and commercial product. The Company concluded that these performance obligations are distinct in the context of the contract.
The Company concluded that the Subscription Shares granted by Zai Lab, as included in the Share Issuance Agreement, entered into on January 6, 2021, was obtained because of the existing obligations

Under the collaboration agreement, the Company provides clinical supply to Zai Lab. The revenue related to clinical supply is recorded under line item “Other revenues” within the collaboration revenue. The income related to

F-35F-32

under the terms of the Collaboration and License Agreement, and is therefore to be considered to be part of the overall consideration received.
The transaction price of these 2 agreements is currently composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront payment of $75 million in the form of newly issued Zai Lab shares, and a $75 million guaranteed, non-creditable, non-refundable payment and $25 million milestone upon approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. and the consideration received in return for the supply of clinical and commercial product. Milestone payments are only included in the transaction price to the extent it is highly probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognition will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the contingent consideration is subsequently resolved. We estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price upon achievement of the milestone event or the supply of clinical and commercial product. Sales-based milestones and sales-based royalties are a part of the Company’s arrangements but are not yet included in its revenue.
The fixed part of the transaction price, as well as the $25 million milestone upon approval of efgartigimod in the U.S. has been allocated to the transfer of a license performance obligation.
The Company concludes that the license as of the effective date of the contract has standalone value. As such, the Company concluded that the promise in granting the license to Zai is to provide a right to use the entity’s intellectual property as it exists at the point in time at which the license is granted and therefore, revenue accrued has been recognised at a point in time. This conclusion was reached, taking into account following aspects:
othere are no material restrictions included in the contract which would prevent Zai Lab to direct the use of, and obtain substantially all of the remaining benefits, within Greater China and considering the sales-based royalties which become due to the Company upon successful commercialization.
othe current phase of efgartigimod, successfully completed the Phase III trials.
Under the collaboration agreement, the Company provides clinical and commercial supply to Zai Lab. Company concludes to recognize such sales as revenue given that the Company acts as principal in the transaction as the risk related to inventory is born by the Company until the inventory is transferred to Zai. The revenue related to clinical and commercial supply is recorded under line item “Other revenues” within the revenue footnote.

royalties is recorded as “Other revenues” under “collaboration revenue”. During the year ending December 31, 2023 the first revenue related to commercial supply and related royalties are recognized.

Please refer to Note 2 for the material accounting policies on the remainder elements of the agreement.

AbbVie

In April 2016, the Company entered into a collaboration agreement with AbbVie S.À.R.L. (AbbVie) to develop and commercialize ARGX-115 (ABBV-151). Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, the Company was responsible for conducting and funding all ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) research and development activities up to completion of IND enabling studies.

The Company granted AbbVie an exclusive option, for a specified period following completion of IND enabling studies, to obtain a worldwide, exclusive license to the ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) program to develop and commercialize products. The Company received an upfront, non-refundable, non-creditable payment of $40 million from AbbVie for the exclusive option to license ARGX-115 (ABBV-151). The Company achieved 2 preclinical milestones, each of which triggered a $10.0 million payment.

In August 2018, AbbVie exercised its option and has assumed certain development obligations, being solely responsible for all research, development and regulatory costs relating to ARGX-115 based products. In March 2019,October 2023, the Company achieved the firstsecond development milestone upon initiation of a first-in-human clinical trial,non-pivotal Clinical Trial, triggering a $30.0 million payment.

Subject to the continuing progress of ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) by AbbVie, the Company is eligible to receive future development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments in aggregate amounts of up to $110$50 million, $190 million and $325 million, respectively, as well as tiered royalties on sales at percentages ranging from the mid-single digits to the lower teens, subject to customary reductions.

F-36

The Company has the right, on a product-by-product basis to co-promote ARGX-115 (ABBV-151) based products in the European Economic Area and Switzerland and to combine the product with the Company’s own future immuno-oncology programs. The co-promotion effort would be governed by a co-promotion agreement negotiated in good faith by the parties. AbbVie will fund further GARP related research by the Company for an initial period of two years. AbbVie will have the right to license additional therapeutic programs emerging from this research, for which the Company could receive associated milestone and royalty payments.

With regard to its collaboration with AbbVie, the Company concluded as follows:

There is one single performance obligation under IFRS 15, that being the transfer of a license combined with performance of research and development activities. The Company concluded that the license is not distinct in the context of the contract.
The transaction price of these two agreements is currently composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront license fee, and a variable part, being milestone payments and cost reimbursements of research and development activities delivered. Milestone payments are only included in the transaction price to the extent it is highly probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognition will not occur when the uncertainty associate with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. We estimate the amount to be included in the transaction price upon achievement of the milestone event. Sales-based milestones and sales-based royalties are a part of the Company’s arrangements but are not yet included in its revenues.
The transaction price has been allocated to the single performance obligation and revenues have been recognized over the estimated service period based on a pattern that reflects the transfer of the license and progress to complete satisfaction of the research and development activities. This is because we considered that there is a transformational relationship between the license and the research and development activities to be delivered.
The Company has chosen an input model to measure the satisfaction of the single performance obligation that considers percentage of costs incurred for these programs that are completed each period (percentage of completion method).
Cost reimbursements received are recognized in revenues when costs are incurred and agreed by the parties, as the Company is acting as a principal in the scope of its stake of the research and development activities of its ongoing collaboration and license agreements.

JanssenJ&J Innovative Medicines

On June 4, 2021, the Company received a termination notification from Cilag GmbH International, an affiliate of Janssen,J&J Innovative Medicines (J&J), which results in the termination of the Collaboration Agreement to jointly develop and commercialize cusatuzumab. As a result, the Company regains the worldwide rights to its anti-CD70 antibody cusatuzumab.

Under the terms of the agreement, Janssen committed to an upfront payment of $500 million consisting of a license payment of $300 million and a $200 million equity investment in the Company by subscribing to 1,766,899 new shares at a price of €100.02 per share, including an issuance premium. In December 2019, the Company achieved the first development milestone, triggering a $25.0 million payment.

With regard to this collaboration with Janssen, the Company concluded as follows:

There was 1 single performance obligation under IFRS 15, that being the transfer of a license combined with performance of research and development activities. The Company concluded that the license is not distinct in the context of the contract.
The Company concluded that the share premium that Janssen paid above the closing price on the day of entering into the investment agreement (being December 2, 2018) was paid because of the existing obligations to deliver development services under the terms of the collaboration agreement and was therefore considered to be part of the overall consideration received.

F-37

The transaction price of these 2 agreements composed of a fixed part, that being an upfront license fee, and a variable part, being milestone payments and cost reimbursements of research and development activities delivered.
The transaction price was allocated to the single performance obligation and revenue was previously recognized over the estimated service period based on a pattern that reflects the transfer of the license and progress to complete satisfaction of the research and development activities.

Following the termination, the Company concluded that it has substantially satisfied the performance obligation, and as a consequence, recorded $315.1 million for the 12 months ending December 31, 2021.

17.

17.Other operating income

Year Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Grants

 

$

4,398

 

$

1,365

 

$

2,563

 

$

2,538

 

$

2,186

 

$

4,398

Research and development incentives

 

13,970

 

10,257

 

5,373

 

27,815

 

19,502

 

13,970

Payroll tax rebates

 

12,621

 

9,095

 

6,413

 

11,925

 

8,576

 

12,621

Change in fair value on non-current financial assets

11,152

2,951

1,214

4,256

11,152

Total other operating income

 

$

42,141

 

$

23,668

 

$

15,563

 

$

42,278

 

$

34,520

 

$

42,141

17.1

17.1 Grants

The grant income is related to grants received from the Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship Agency. NaN conditions related to the above government grants were unfulfilled, nor were there any material contingencies related thereon at the date of the approval of these consolidated financial statements.

17.2 Research and development incentives

The Company has accounted for a tax receivable of $14.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $10.3 and $5.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively,incentive following a research and development tax incentive scheme in Belgium according to which the incentive will be refunded after a five year period, if not offset against the current tax payable over the period.

17.2

17.3 Payroll tax rebates

The Company accounted for $12.6 million payroll tax rebates in the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $9.1 and $6.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, as a reduction in withholding income taxes for its highly qualified personnel employed in its research and development department.

F-38F-33

18.

18.Segment reporting

The Company manages its activities and operates as one business unit which is reflected in its organizational structure and internal reporting. The Company does not distinguish in its internal reporting different segments, neither business nor geographical segments. The chief operating decision-maker is the Board of Directors.

Following table summarizes the product net sales by country of sales based on the country of the entity that recognizes product net sales:

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

United States

$

1,046,592

$

377,659

Japan

56,432

15,764

EMEA

72,852

7,297

China

14,907

Total product net sales

 

$

1,190,783

 

$

400,720

The Company operates fromsells its products through a limited number of distributors and wholesellers. Four U.S. customers represent approximately 86% of the Netherlands, Belgium,product net sales in U.S. during twelve months ended December 31, 2023 (compared to 91% for the United States of America, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and France. Revenues aresame period in 2022).

Collaboration revenue is generated by external customers with their main registered office geographically located as shown in the table below.below:

Revenue from external customers

Year ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019 (*)

    

Denmark

 

$

1,389

 

$

342

 

$

488

 

Belgium

 

 

 

1,684

 

United States

 

317,396

 

40,901

 

76,290

 

China

178,370

Other

 

123

 

 

 

Total

 

$

497,277

 

$

41,243

 

$

78,462

 

(*) In prior periods this has been presented based on the geographical location of the contracting entity.

Year ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

    

Denmark

 

$

 

$

5,365

 

$

1,389

 

United States

 

30,000

 

 

317,396

 

China

5,533

4,238

178,370

Other

 

 

424

 

123

 

Total collaboration revenue

 

$

35,533

 

$

10,026

 

$

497,277

 

The non-currentproperty plant and equipment and intangible assets of the Company with the exception of the deferred tax assets, are geographically located as shown in the table below:

Non-current assets

Non-current assets

At December 31,

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019 (*)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Netherlands

 

$

 

$

1

 

$

1

 

$

 

$

 

$

Belgium

 

268,733

 

200,125

 

63,785

 

138,252

 

186,923

 

182,118

United States

 

3,138

 

4,751

 

3,435

 

6,219

 

2,275

 

3,091

Japan

 

3,232

 

2,491

 

319

 

2,971

 

1,938

 

2,319

Switzerland

8

Germany

461

Total

 

$

275,111

 

$

207,368

 

$

67,540

 

$

147,903

 

$

191,136

 

$

187,528

Prior year amounts were updated/recast to match current year presentation

(*) In prior periods this has been presented based on the geographical location of the contracting entity.

19.Research and development expenses

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Personnel expenses

 

$

160,464

 

$

86,036

 

$

51,172

External research and development expenses

 

382,902

 

259,943

 

152,889

Materials and consumables

 

2,735

 

3,562

 

2,267

Depreciation and amortization

 

3,742

 

2,835

 

1,840

Other expenses

 

30,677

 

18,509

 

12,603

Total research and development expenses

 

$

580,520

 

$

370,885

 

$

220,771

20.Selling, general and administrative expenses

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Personnel expenses

 

$

164,646

 

$

108,507

 

$

44,774

Professional fees

 

102,674

 

48,681

 

18,181

Supervisory board

 

12,958

 

4,838

 

3,127

Other Expenses

 

27,366

 

9,617

 

6,064

Total Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

$

307,644

 

$

171,643

 

$

72,146

F-39F-34

19.

Research and development expenses

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

2021

Personnel expenses

 

$

226,344

 

$

162,010

 

$

160,464

External research and development expenses

 

483,192

 

366,955

 

382,902

Materials and consumables

 

4,057

 

2,396

 

2,735

Depreciation and amortization

 

105,546

 

102,132

 

3,742

IT expenses

19,935

12,678

7,798

Other expenses

 

20,418

 

17,194

 

22,879

Total Research and development expenses

 

$

859,492

 

$

663,366

 

$

580,520

20.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

21.

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Personnel expenses

 

$

303,033

 

$

234,740

 

$

164,646

Marketing services

 

202,146

115,950

 

59,968

Professional fees

108,820

62,620

42,707

Supervisory board

 

8,362

 

6,912

 

12,958

Depreciation and amortization

2,366

2,211

2,126

IT expenses

20,408

17,431

8,977

Other expenses

 

66,770

 

32,268

 

16,263

Total Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

$

711,905

 

$

472,132

 

$

307,644

21.

Personnel expenses

The personnel expenses mentioned in notenotes 19 and 20 above are as follows:

Year Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Short‑term employee benefits—Salaries

 

$

135,676

 

$

75,437

 

$

36,747

 

$

266,482

 

$

216,847

 

$

135,676

Short‑term employee benefits—Social Security

 

12,785

 

9,087

 

3,996

 

19,231

 

16,274

 

12,785

Post‑employment benefits

 

2,864

 

1,242

 

837

 

7,758

 

5,406

 

2,864

Termination benefits

 

818

 

1,005

 

722

 

1,089

 

401

 

818

Share‑based payment

 

167,965

 

92,558

 

41,612

 

226,830

 

151,912

 

167,965

Employer social security contributions stock options

 

5,002

 

15,214

 

12,032

 

7,987

 

5,910

 

5,002

Total personnel expenses

 

$

325,110

 

$

194,543

 

$

95,946

 

$

529,377

 

$

396,750

 

$

325,110

The post-employment benefits relate to the pension plans the Company has in place for its employees.

The average number of full-time equivalents (FTE) employees by departmentfunction is presented below:

Year Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

Average Number of FTE

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Research and development

 

349.7

 

213.0

 

121.6

 

607.3

 

474.8

 

349.7

Selling, general and administrative

 

264.4

 

119.5

 

56.3

 

681.2

 

442.4

 

264.4

 

614.1

 

332.5

 

177.9

 

1,288.5

 

917.2

 

614.1

F-35

22.Leases

The statement of financial position shows the following amounts relating to leases:

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

In thousands of $

    

2021

2020

2019

Right-of-use assets

 

Buildings

 

$

9,688

 

$

7,677

$

6,264

Vehicles

1,664

1,513

836

Equipment

230

264

273

 

$

11,583

$

9,454

$

7,373

Lease liabilities

 

Current

 

$

3,509

 

$

3,476

$

2,218

Non-current

7,956

6,181

5,101

 

$

11,465

$

9,657

$

7,319

Additions to the right-of-use assets amounted to $5.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The table below shows a maturity analysis of the lease liabilities as on December 31, 2021:

(in thousands of $)

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

3-5 years

More than 5 years

Total contractual cash flows

Carrying amount

Lease liabilities

$

3,509

 

$

6,331

$

2,164

$

$

12,004

 

$

11,465

F-40

22.

Leases

The statements of financial position shows the following amounts relating to leases:

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

December 31,

In thousands of $

    

2023

2022

2021

Right-of-use assets

 

Buildings

 

$

16,798

 

$

10,867

 

$

9,688

Vehicles

3,191

1,835

1,664

Equipment

160

196

230

 

$

20,149

$

12,897

$

11,583

Lease liabilities

 

Current

 

$

4,646

 

$

3,417

 

$

3,509

Non-current

15,354

9,009

7,956

 

$

20,000

$

12,426

$

11,465

Additions to the right-of-use assets amounted to $11.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $4.2 million and $5.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 respectively.

The table below shows a maturity analysis of the lease liabilities as on December 31, 2023:

(in thousands of $)

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

3-5 years

More than 5 years

Total contractual cash flows

Carrying amount

Lease liabilities

$

4,286

 

$

8,136

$

5,754

$

1,824

$

20,000

 

$

20,000

The consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) shows the following amounts relating to leases:

Year Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

In thousands of $

    

2021

    

2020

2019

    

2023

    

2022

2021

Depreciation charges

 

 

Buildings

 

$

2,714

 

$

2,262

$

1,472

 

$

2,839

 

$

2,179

 

$

2,714

Vehicles

651

441

261

971

735

651

Equipment

34

32

31

36

35

34

 

$

3,399

 

$

2,735

$

1,764

 

$

3,846

 

$

2,949

 

$

3,399

Interest expense (included in finance cost)

$

412

$

201

$

117

$

693

$

1,343

$

412

Expense relating to short-term leases

212

264

137

1,517

732

212

Expense relating to leases of low-value assets that are not shown above as short-term leases

7

6

6

40

21

7

The total cash outflow for leases in 2023, 2022 and 2021 and 2020 was $4.5$3.8 million, $4.2 million and $3.0$4.5 million respectively.

The Company did not enter into any lease agreement with variable lease payments or residual value guarantees. The Company has leases that include extension options. These options provide flexibility in managing the leased assets and align with the Company’s business needs. The Company exercises judgement in deciding whether it is reasonably certain that the extension options will be exercised.

F-36

23.

23.Financial result and exchange gains/(losses)

Year Ended

Year Ended

December 31,

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Interest income

 

$

3,489

 

$

5,119

 

$

8,805

 

$

92,962

 

$

24,741

 

$

3,489

Net gain on current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and cash equivalents

 

144

 

1,340

 

7,317

Net gain on cash equivalents & current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and cash equivalents

 

14,424

 

2,924

 

144

Financial income

 

$

3,633

 

$

6,459

 

$

16,122

 

$

107,386

 

$

27,665

 

$

3,633

Net loss on current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and cash equivalents

$

(3,482)

$

(7,559)

$

Net loss on cash equivalents & current financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss and cash equivalents

$

(2)

$

(1,713)

$

(3,482)

Other financial expense

(1,096)

(401)

(139)

(904)

(2,193)

(1,096)

Financial expense

$

(4,578)

$

(7,960)

$

(139)

$

(906)

$

(3,906)

$

(4,578)

Realized exchange gains/(losses)

 

$

15

 

$

(443)

 

$

(385)

 

$

29

 

$

(3,743)

 

$

15

Unrealized exchange gains/(losses)

(50,068)

(125,791)

7,375

14,044

(28,989)

(50,068)

Exchange gains/(losses)

 

$

(50,053)

 

$

(126,234)

 

$

6,990

 

$

14,073

 

$

(32,732)

 

$

(50,053)

The exchange lossesgains of $50.1$14.1 million for the year ended December 31, 20212023 were primarily attributable to unrealized exchange rate lossesgains on ourthe cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets position in EUR due to the unfavorable fluctuation of the EUREUR/USD exchange rate over the period.

24.

Income taxes

Income taxes recognized in the income statements can be detailed as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Current year

 

$

(9,592)

 

$

(27,162)

 

$

(15,224)

Income tax prior years

 

(2,080)

 

(12)

 

398

Current tax (expense) / benefit

 

(11,672)

 

(27,174)

 

(14,826)

Originating and reversal of temporary differences

21,115

46,894

6,304

Deferred tax (expense) / benefit

 

21,115

 

46,894

 

6,304

Total tax (expense) / benefit

$

9,443

$

19,720

$

(8,522)

F-41F-37

24.Income tax expense

The income tax expense for the year can be reconciled to the accounting loss as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Loss before taxes

 

$

399,743

 

$

605,352

 

$

175,919

Income tax calculated at 25%

 

99,936

 

151,338

 

43,980

Effect of expenses and gains that are not deductible in determining taxable results

 

(34,366)

 

(12,813)

 

(8,625)

Effect of stock issue expenses that are not deductible in determining taxable results

 

14,119

 

14,139

 

6,363

Effect of concessions

 

13,413

 

7,900

 

635

Effect of tax losses carried forward not recognized

(44,232)

(116,711)

(12,952)

Effect of different tax rates in jurisdictions in which the company operates

 

(2,084)

 

(195)

 

(58)

Deferred tax asset other than loss carryforwards not recognized

 

(50,389)

 

(45,601)

 

(30,336)

Withholding tax paid

(5,076)

(Underprovided)/overprovided in prior years

398

(1,014)

(4,310)

Other

(241)

(146)

15

Income tax expense recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss

 

$

(8,522)

 

$

(3,103)

 

$

(5,289)

The tax rate used for the 2021, 2020 and 2019 reconciliations above is the corporate income tax rate of 25% payable by corporate entities in the Netherlands.

The unrecognized deferred tax asset on unused tax losses amounts to $203.8 million on December 31, 2021, compared to $174.2 million on December 31, 2020. Deferred tax have been measured using the effective rate that will apply in Belgium and the Netherlands (25%). The Company has unused tax losses carried forward for an amount of $815.3 million on December 31, 2021, compared to $696.7 million on December 31, 2020. This, combined with other temporary differences, resulted in a net deferred tax asset position. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Company’s ability to realize taxable profits in the future, the Company did not recognize any deferred tax assets, with the exception of those further detailed in note 8.

As a company active in research and development in Belgium, we expect to benefit from the innovation income deduction, or IID, in Belgium. The innovation income deduction regime allows net profits attributable to revenue from among others patented products to be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than other revenues. At the end of 2021 and 2020, we had $161.5 million and $52.1 million of carry-forward IID in Belgium.

Income taxes were directly recognized in the income statement can be detailed as follows:

Year Ended

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

Current year

 

$

15,224

 

$

7,847

$

5,289

Income tax prior years

 

(398)

 

1,732

Current tax expense

 

14,826

 

9,579

5,289

Originating and reversal of temporary differences

(6,304)

(6,476)

Deferred tax expense / (income)

 

(6,304)

 

(6,476)

Total tax expense

$

8,522

$

3,103

$

5,289

F-42

25.Loss per shareThe difference between the provision for income taxes and the amount that would result from applying the Dutch statutory tax rate to income before provision for income taxes is as follows:

Year Ended

Year Ended December 31,

December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Loss of the year

 

$

(408,265)

 

$

(608,455)

 

$

(181,208)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

 

51,075,827

 

45,410,442

 

38,619,121

Basic and diluted loss per share (in $)

 

$

(7.99)

 

$

(13.40)

 

$

(4.69)

Loss before taxes

 

$

304,496

 

$

729,314

 

$

399,743

Income tax (expense)/benefit calculated at the Dutch statutory federal income tax rates for applicable tax years (1)

 

78,560

 

188,163

 

99,936

Effect of intercompany asset deal / transaction

396

(112,200)

Effect of expenses not deductible in determining taxable results

 

(2,674)

 

(1,570)

 

(4,441)

Effect of share based payment expenses that are not deductible in determining taxable results

(43,040)

(27,043)

(29,925)

Effect of stock issue expenses that are not taxable in determining taxable results

 

18,620

 

11,412

 

14,119

Effect of concessions

 

87,123

 

18,263

 

13,413

Effect of change of (de)recognition of deferred tax assets on tax losses

(2,282)

(194)

(44,232)

Effect of different tax rates in jurisdictions in which the company operates

 

(3,509)

 

(5,566)

 

(2,084)

Effect of change of (de)recognition of deferred tax assets

 

(124,457)

 

(51,320)

 

(50,389)

Withholding tax paid

(68)

(5,076)

(Underprovided)/overprovided in prior years

(2,080)

(12)

398

Other

2,854

(213)

(241)

Income tax (expense)/benefit recognized in the consolidated statements of profit or loss

 

$

9,443

 

$

19,720

 

$

(8,522)

(1)Applicable tax rates are 25.8% for 2022 and 2023, and 25.0% for 2021

Earnings/losses per ordinary share are calculated by dividingDuring 2022, argenx Benelux BV transferred certain pipeline activities to argenx BV through a transfer of assets, (hereafter referred to as “asset deal”), for a total amount of $449.0 million. As a result of the loss forasset deal, argenx Benelux BV realised a capital gain on this intellectual property, which results in the period by the weighted average numberrate reconciling item categorized as “effect of ordinary shares during the year.

As the Company reported a net loss in 2021, 2020 and 2019, stock options have an anti-dilutive effect rather than a dilutive effect. As such, there is no difference between basic and diluted earnings/losses per ordinary share.

26.Financial risk managementintercompany asset deal / transaction”.

The financial risksavailable deferred tax assets relates to argenx US Inc., argenx UK Ltd and argenx Japan KK which are managed centrally. The Company coordinates the access to national and international financial markets and considers and manages continuously the financial risks concerning the Company’s activities. These relateprofitable due to the financial markets risk, credit risk, liquidity riskglobal transfer pricing model of argenx, and currency risk. Therethe deferred tax liabilities are no other important risks, such as interest rate risk on borrowings, as the Company has no financial debt.related to argenx BV. The Company does not buy or trade financial instruments for speculative purposes.

Categoriesamount of financialdeferred tax assets and liabilities:liability by type of temporary difference can be detailed as follow:

Measurement category

Carrying amount

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

    

2021

2020 (*)

    

2019 (*)

Financial assets — non-current

 

FVTPL

 

$

17,459

$

6,307

 

$

2,916

Financial assets — non-current

FVTOCI

35,710

Research and development incentive receivables — non-current

 

Amortised cost

32,707

20,626

 

9,624

Restricted cash — non-current

 

Amortised cost

1,707

1,509

 

708

Trade and other receivables

Amortised cost

38,221

6,978

 

31,585

Financial assets—current

FVTPL

73,052

130,290

804,099

Financial assets—current

Amortised cost

929,000

649,359

324,400

Research and development incentive receivables — current

Amortised cost

463

293

Cash and bank balances

 

Amortised cost

242,494

297,156

 

116,531

Cash equivalents

FVTPL

997,092

858,291

Cash equivalents

Amortised cost

95,090

61,356

255,631

Trade and other payables

Amortised cost

293,415

275,192

 

95,827

(*) The historical consolidated financial information for 2020 and 2019 presented in this disclosure note has been adjusted to present the breakdown of current financial assets that are measured at FVTPL and amortized cost.

At December 31, 2023

(in thousands of $)

    

Assets

Liabilities

    

Net

Deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

Accruals and allowances

$

13,189

$

$

13,189

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

23,310

23,310

Profit in inventory

52,026

52,026

Other tax carryforwards

6,339

6,339

Property, plant and equipment

2,136

(1,550)

586

Non-current fixed assets

(5,155)

(5,155)

Other

1,760

1,760

Netting by taxable entity

(1,549)

1,550

1

Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

 

$

97,211

 

$

(5,155)

 

$

92,056

The carrying amounts of trade and other payables are considered to be the same as their fair values, due to their short-term nature.

Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or OCI

Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or OCI consisted of equity instruments of listed and non-listed companies and money market funds.

F-43F-38

At December 31, 2022

(in thousands of $)

    

Assets

Liabilities

    

Net

Deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

Accruals and allowances

$

8,884

$

$

8,884

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

26,887

26,887

Profit in inventory

29,711

29,711

R&D capitalized expense

11,316

11,316

Property, plant and equipment

856

(549)

307

Intangible assets

(3,430)

(3,430)

Non-current fixed assets

(4,975)

(4,975)

Other

2,117

2,117

Netting by taxable entity

(549)

549

Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

 

$

79,222

 

$

(8,406)

 

$

70,817

At December 31, 2021

(in thousands of $)

    

Assets

Liabilities

    

Net

Deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

Accruals and allowances

$

2,858

$

$

2,858

Income tax benefit from excess tax deductions related to share-based payments

26,026

26,026

Profit in inventory

3,305

3,305

Property, plant and equipment

532

(740)

(208)

Intangible assets

(2,714)

(2,714)

Non-current fixed assets

(3,725)

(3,725)

Other

210

210

Netting by taxable entity

(740)

740

Net deferred tax assets / (liabilities)

 

$

32,191

 

$

(6,438)

 

$

25,753

The change in net deferred taxes recorded in the consolidated statements of financial position can be detailed as follows:

(in thousands of $)

    

Deferred tax assets

    

Deferred tax liabilities

Balance at January 1, 2023

 

$

79,222

 

$

(8,406)

Recognized in profit or loss

17,685

3,430

Recognized in equity

381

Effects of change in foreign exchange rate

(77)

(179)

Balance at December 31, 2023

$

97,211

$

(5,155)

(in thousands of $)

    

Deferred tax assets

    

Deferred tax liabilities

Balance at January 1, 2022

 

$

32,191

 

$

(6,438)

Recognized in profit or loss

49,075

(2,180)

Recognized in equity

(1,960)

Effects of change in foreign exchange rate

(84)

212

Balance at December 31, 2022

$

79,222

$

(8,406)

F-39

(in thousands of $)

    

Deferred tax assets

    

Deferred tax liabilities

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

$

15,038

 

$

(1,487)

Recognized in profit or loss

11,385

(5,082)

Recognized in equity

5,494

Effects of change in foreign exchange rate

274

131

Balance at December 31, 2021

$

32,191

$

(6,438)

The unrecognized deferred tax asset on unused tax losses amounts to $196.1 million on December 31, 2023, compared to $189.3 million on December 31, 2022 and $203.8 million on December 31, 2021. The Company has unused tax losses carried forward for an amount of $783.3 million on December 31, 2023, compared to $756.1 million on December 31, 2022, and $789.6 million on December 31, 2021. All available tax losses carried forward are in Belgium ($750.1 million on December 31, 2023 versus $720.7 million on December 31, 2022 and $764.7 million on December 31, 2021) and the Netherlands ($33.2, million on December 31, 2023 versus $35.4 million on December 31, 2022 and $24.9 million on December 31, 2021), and do not have an expiration date based upon the applicable enacted tax legislation.

As a company active in research and development in Belgium, we expect to benefit from the innovation income deduction, or IID, in Belgium. The innovation income deduction regime allows net profits attributable to revenue from among others patented products to be taxed at a lower effective tax rate than other revenues. At the end of 2023, 2022 and 2021, we had $654.9 million, $428.8 million and $213.6 million of cumulative carry-forward IID in Belgium (argenx BV). The unrecognized deferred tax asset on IID amounts to $163.7 million on December 31, 2023, compared to $107.2 million on December 31, 2022, and $53.4 million on December 31, 2021.

Also, the unrecognized deferred tax asset on the excess depreciations on R&D costs in Belgium amounts to $278.2 million on December 31, 2023 compared to $204.7 million on December 31, 2022 and $166.3 million on December 31, 2021 (argenx BV).

Additionally, argenx BV has unrecognized deferred tax asset amounting to $106.3 million on December 31, 2023 compared to $112.2 million on December 31, 2022 on the future amortizations on IP assets.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had an estimated $127.9 million of undistributed earnings attributable to foreign subsidiaries for which no provision for deferred tax liabilities have been recognized because the Company has control over the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences and there are no plans of distributions in the foreseeable future.

25.

Loss per share

Year Ended December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Loss for the year

 

$

(295,053)

 

$

(709,594)

 

$

(408,265)

Weighted average number of shares outstanding

 

57,169,253

 

54,381,371

 

51,075,827

Basic and diluted (loss) per share (in $)

 

$

(5.16)

 

$

(13.05)

 

$

(7.99)

Earnings/losses per ordinary share are calculated by dividing the loss for the period by the weighted average number of ordinary shares during the year.

As the Company reported a net loss in 2023, 2022 and 2021, stock options and RSUs have an anti-dilutive effect rather than a dilutive effect. As such, there is no difference between basic and diluted loss per ordinary share.

26.

Financial risk management

The financial risks are managed centrally. The Company coordinates the access to national and international financial markets and considers and manages continuously the financial risks concerning the Company’s activities. These relate to the financial markets risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and currency risk. There are no other important risks,

F-40

such as interest rate risk on borrowings, as the Company has no financial debt. The Company does not buy or trade financial instruments for speculative purposes.

Categories of financial assets and liabilities:

Measurement category

Carrying amount

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

    

2023

2022

    

2021

Financial assets — non-current

 

FVTPL

 

$

21,715

$

21,715

 

$

17,459

Financial assets — non-current

FVTOCI

15,528

17,443

35,710

Research and development incentive receivables — non-current

 

Amortised cost

76,706

47,488

 

32,707

Restricted cash — non-current

 

Amortised cost

2,419

1,736

 

1,707

Trade and other receivables

Amortised cost

496,687

275,697

 

38,221

Financial assets—current

FVTPL

46,162

73,052

Financial assets—current

Amortised cost

1,131,000

1,345,646

929,000

Research and development incentive receivables — current

Amortised cost

2,584

1,578

Cash and bank balances

 

Amortised cost

20,744

77,477

 

242,494

Cash equivalents

FVTPL

1,678,100

669,147

997,092

Cash equivalents

Amortised cost

350,000

54,116

95,090

Trade and other payables

Amortised cost

414,013

295,679

 

293,415

The carrying amounts of trade and other payables and trade and other receivables are considered to be the same as their fair values, due to their short-term nature.

Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or OCI

Financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or OCI consisted of equity instruments of listed and non-listed companies and money market funds.

The Company has no restrictions on the sale of these equity instruments and the assets are not pledged under any of its liabilities. These instruments are classified as financial assets held at fair value through profit or loss or OCI which qualify for:

Level 1 fair value measurement with respect to current financial assets and cash equivalents based upon the closing price (net asset value) of such securities at each reporting date.
Level 3 fair value measurement with respect to non-current financial assets.

The market price of these financial instruments might face fluctuations and might be affected by a variety of factors, such as the global economic situation. Current financial assets and cash equivalents include collective investment funds nominated in € and $ of which the underlying investments include bonds and other international debt securities. Based on the weighted average maturity of the underlying instruments, amongst others, these investments are either classified as current financial assets or cash equivalents.

The maximum exposure to credit risk is the carrying amount at reporting date.

F-41

The Company carried the following assets at fair value on December 31, 2021, 20202023, 2022 and 20192021 respectively:

At December 31, 2021

At December 31, 2023

(in thousands of $)

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

Non-current financial assets

 

$

35,710

 

$

 

$

17,459

 

$

15,528

 

$

 

$

21,715

Current financial assets

 

73,052

 

 

Cash Equivalents

997,092

Cash and cash equivalents

1,678,100

Assets carried at fair value

 

$

1,105,854

 

$

 

$

17,459

 

$

1,693,628

 

$

 

$

21,715

At December 31, 2020 (*)

(in thousands of $)

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

Non-current financial assets

 

$

 

$

 

$

6,307

Current financial assets

 

130,290

 

 

Cash Equivalents

858,291

Assets carried at fair value

 

$

988,581

 

$

 

$

6,307

(*) The historical consolidated financial information for 2020 presented in this disclosure note has been adjusted to correct for the amounts of current financial assets that are measured at fair value.

At December 31, 2022

(in thousands of $)

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

Non-current financial assets

 

$

17,443

 

$

 

$

21,715

Current financial assets

 

46,162

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

669,147

Assets carried at fair value

 

$

732,752

 

$

 

$

21,715

At December 31, 2019 (*)

(in thousands of $)

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

Non-current financial assets

 

$

 

$

 

$

2,916

Current financial assets

 

804,099

 

 

Assets carried at fair value

 

$

804,099

 

$

 

$

2,916

(*) The historical consolidated financial information for 2019 presented in this disclosure note has been adjusted to correct for the amounts of current financial assets that are measured at fair value.

At December 31, 2021

(in thousands of $)

    

Level 1

    

Level 2

    

Level 3

Non-current financial assets

 

$

35,710

 

$

 

$

17,459

Current financial assets

 

73,052

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

997,092

Assets carried at fair value

 

$

1,105,854

 

$

 

$

17,459

During the disclosed calendar year, 0 no transfersoccurredbetweentheapplicablecategories. categories.

Non-current financial assets – Level 3

In March 2019, the Company entered into a license agreement with AgomAb Therapeutics NV for the use of HGF-mimetic SIMPLE Antibodies™, developed under the Company’s Immunology Innovative Program. In exchange for granting this license, the Company received a profit share in AgomAb Therapeutics NV.

In March 2021, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured $74$74.0 million in Series B financing by issuing 286,705 of Preferred B Shares. The Company used the post-money valuation of Series B financing round and the number of outstanding shares in determining the fair value of the profit-sharing instrument, which results in a change in fair value of non-current financial assets of $11.2 million recorded through profit or loss. Since AgomAb Therapeutics NV is a private company, the valuation of the profit share is based on level 3 assumptions.

F-44

TableIn June 2022, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured €38.4 million as a result of Contentsthe extension of Series B. The Company used the post-money valuation of this Series B financing round and the number of outstanding shares in determining the fair value of the profit-sharing instrument, which results in a change in fair value of non-current financial assets of $4.3 million recorded through profit or loss.

In October 2023, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secured $100.0 million as a result of a Series C financing round. The Company’s profit share diluted as the number of shares held by the company stayed stable where the post-money valuation of AgomAb increased, which results in unchanged fair value of the non-current asset.

Non-current financial assets – Level 1

AsIn January 2021, as part of the license agreement for the development and commercialization for efgartigimod in Greater China (see note 16 for further information), the Company obtained, amongst others, 568,182 newly issued Zai Lab shares calculated at a price of $132 per share. The fair value of the equity instrument at period-end is determined by reference to the closing price of such securities at each reporting date (classified as level 1 in the fair value hierarchy), resulting in a change in fair value. The Company made the irrevocable election to recognize subsequent changes in fair value through OCI.

F-42

Capital risk

The Company manages its capital to ensure that it will be able to continue as a going concern. The capital structure of the Company consists of equity attributed to the holders of equity instruments of the Company, such as capital, reserves and accumulated losses as mentioned in the consolidated statements of changes in equity. The Company makes the necessary adjustments in the light of changes in the economic circumstances, risks associated to the different assets and the projected cash needs of the current and projected research activities. On December 31, 2021,2023, cash and cash equivalents amounted to $1,334.7$2,048.8 million, current financial assets amounted to $1,131.0 million and total capital amounted to $3,469$5,658.6 million. The current cash situation and the anticipated cash generation and usage are the most important parameters in assessing the capital structure. The Company’s objective is to maintain the capital structure at a level to be able to finance its activities for at least twelve months. Cash income from existing and new partnerships is taken into account and, if needed and possible, the Company can issue new shares or enter into financing agreements.

Credit risk

Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the Company. The Company has adopted a policy of only dealing with creditworthy counterparties and obtaining sufficient collateral, where appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial loss from defaults. Concentrations in credit risk are determined based on an analysis of counterparties and their importance on the overall outstanding contractual obligations at year-end.

The Company has a limited number of collaboration and license partners and therefore has a significant concentration of credit risk. However, it has policies in place to ensure that credit exposure is kept to a minimum and significant concentrations of credit exposure are only granted for short periods of time to high credit quality collaboration partners.

The Company applied the IFRS 9 simplified approach to measuring expected credit losses which uses a lifetime expected loss allowance for all receivables. To measure the expected credit losses, receivables have been grouped based on credit risk characteristics and the days past due. The provision for expected credit losses was not significant given that there have been no credit losses over the last three years and the high quality nature of ourthe Company’s customers.

Cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets are invested with several highly reputable banks and financial institutions. The Company holds its cash and cash equivalents mainly with different banks which are independently rated with a minimum rating of ‘A-’. The Company also holds short term investment fundscash equivalents in the form of money market funds with a recommended investment horizon of 6 months or shorter but with a low historical volatility. These money market funds are highly liquid investments, can be readily convertible into a known amount of cash. Since they are a basket of funds there is no individual credit risk involved. The company has adopted a policy whereby money market funds must have an average rating of “BBB-““BBB” or higher.

Liquidity risk

The Company manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate reserves, by continuously monitoring forecast and actual cash flows, and by matching the maturity profiles of financial assets and liabilities.

The Company’s main sources of cash inflows are obtained through sale of commercial product, capital increases and collaboration agreements. This cash is invested in savings accounts, term accounts and short term investment funds in the form of money market funds. These money market funds represent the majority of the Company’s available sources of

F-45

liquidity however since liquidity. Since all of these are immediately tradable and convertible in cash they have a limitedno impact on the liquidity risk.

Interest rate risk

The only variable interest-bearing financial instruments are cash and cash equivalents and current financial investments.assets. Changes in interest rates may cause variations in interest income and expense resulting from short-term interest-bearing assts. Management does not expect the short-term interest rates to decrease significantly in the immediate foreseeable future, which limitsassets. Interest rate cuts may have a negative impact on the interest exposure on our cash and cash equivalents and current financial assets.income of the Company.

F-43

For the year ended December 31, 2021,2023, if applicable interest rates would increase/decrease by 25 basis points, this would have a positive/negative impact of $0.9$7.9 million (compared to $1.7$6.2 million for the year ended December 31, 20202022 and $2.2$0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019)2021).

Foreign exchange risk

The Company undertakes transactions denominated in foreign currencies; consequently,currencies, causing exposures to exchange rate fluctuations arise.fluctuations. The Company is mainly exposed to the Euro, Japanese yen, British pound and Swiss franc. To limit this risk, the Company attempts to align incoming and outgoing cash flows in currencies other than USD.

The net exposure to exchange differences of the monetary assets (being cash, cash equivalents and current financial assets) of the Company at the end of the reporting period are as follows:

At December 31,

At December 31,

(in thousands of $)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

EUR

 

591,887

 

703,016

 

578,483

 

923,773

 

613,866

 

591,887

JPY

6,316

264

856

8,232

5,613

6,316

GBP

 

1,237

 

48

 

4

 

7

 

59,026

 

1,237

CHF

 

727

 

2

 

1

193

3,832

727

CAD

266

657

SEK

1

7

DKK

 

9

 

6

On December 31, 2021,2023, if the EUR/USD exchange rateEUR would have increased/decreasedstrengthened/weakened versus the USD by 10%, this would have had a negative/positive impact of $53.81$92.3 million, compared to $63.91$61.4 million and $52.6$53.8 million on December 31, 20202022 and December 31, 20192021, respectively. On December 31, 2021,2023, if the exchange rate for other currencies would have increased/decreasedstrengthen/weakened against the USD by 10%, this would have had 0no significant impact.

27.

27.Related party transactions

27.1

Relationship and transactions with joint venture entity

In July 2022, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and UCHealth and created a separate legal entity, OncoVerity, Inc., which is focused on optimizing and advancing the development of cusatuzumab, a novel anti-CD70 antibody, in AML. The Company contributed $2 million in 2022 and $13 million in 2023. The investment has been accounted under IAS 28 Investment in associates and joint ventures using the equity method of accounting and has been designated as “investment in joint venture” in the consolidated statements of financial position. The share of net loss resulting from investment in joint ventures is presented in consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income (loss) in line “Loss from investment in joint ventures”. The cash contributions made by the Company to the Joint Venture is reported under Cash flow from investing activities under “Investment in joint venture”.

27.2

27.1 Relationship and transactions with subsidiaries

See note 31 for an overview of the consolidated companies of the group, which are all wholly-owned subsidiaries of argenx SE.

Balances and transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries, which are related parties of the Company, have been eliminated on consolidation and are not disclosed in this note.

27.3

27.2 Relationship and transactions with key personnel

The Company’s key management personnel consists of the members of the management team and the members of the board of directors.

Remuneration of key management personnel

On December 31, 2021, the senior management consisted of 8 members: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, General Counsel, Chief Medical Officer, Vice President Corporate Development and Strategy and Global Head of Quality Assurance. They provide their services on a full-time basis.

F-46F-44

Remuneration of key management personnel

On December 31, 2021,2023, the senior management consisted of 8 members: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, General Counsel, Chief Medical Officer, Vice President Corporate Development and Strategy and Global Head of Quality Assurance. They provide their services on a full-time basis.

On December 31, 2023, the board of directors consisted of 89 members: Peter Verhaeghe, Don deBethizy, Pamela M. Klein, Werner Lanthaler, A.A. Rosenberg, James M. Daly, Yvonne GreenstreetCamilla Sylvest, Ana Cespedes, Steve Krognes and Tim Van Hauwermeiren.

Only the Chief Executive Officer is a member of both the senior management team and the board of directors. The Chief Executive Officer does not receive any remuneration for his board membership, as this is part of his total remuneration package in his capacity as member of the senior management team.

The remuneration package of the members of key management personnel comprises:

    

Year Ended December 31,

    

Year Ended December 31,

(in thousands of $, except for the number of stock options & RSUs)

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

Remuneration of key management personnel

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short-term benefits for senior management members as a group

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross salary

$

3,465

$

3,246

$

2,829

$

4,161

$

4,199

$

3,465

Variable pay

2,020

1,510

1,091

2,816

3,077

2,020

Employer social security

789

753

910

807

1,015

789

Other short term benefits

274

156

137

545

372

274

Termination Benefits

382

385

526

382

Post-employment benefits for senior management members as a group

150

161

161

167

104

150

Cost of stock options granted in the year for senior management members as a group

15,060

42,824

24,457

27,983

18,393

15,060

Cost of restricted stock units granted in the year for senior management members as a group

8,025

11,694

9,594

8,025

Employer social security cost related to stock options

4,172

11,206

10,255

(494)

1,101

4,172

Total benefits for key management personnel

34,337

60,241

40,366

47,679

37,855

34,337

Numbers of stock options granted in the year

Senior Management as a group

101,446

334,900

405,000

132,100

117,600

101,446

Numbers of restricted stock units granted in the year

Senior Management as a group

22,888

30,425

26,500

22,888

Remuneration of non-executive directors

Board fees and other short-term benefits for non-executive directors

435

405

423

533

437

435

Cost of stock options granted in the year for non-executive directors

3,263

9,576

4,847

2,280

3,643

3,263

Cost of restricted stock units granted in the year for non-executive directors

1,731

1,034

1,850

1,731

Total benefits for non-executive board members

$

5,429

$

9,981

$

5,270

$

3,847

$

5,929

$

5,429

Numbers of stock options granted in the year

Non-executive directors

22,950

70,000

70,000

12,400

21,600

22,950

Numbers of restricted stock units granted in the year

Non-executive directors

5,100

2,713

4,800

5,100

F-45

Other

No loans, quasi-loans or other guarantees were given by the Company or any of its subsidiaries to members of the board of directors or the executive team.senior management. We have not entered into transactions with ourthe Company’s key management personnel, other than as described above with respect to remuneration arrangements relating to the exercise of their mandates as members of the executive teamsenior management and the board of directors.

28.

28.Contingencies

The Company is currently not facing any outstanding claims or litigations that may have a significant adverse impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position.

F-47

29.

29.Commitments

At balance sheet date, there were 0no commitments signed for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment. In January 2021, the Company entered into a binding lease commitment related to the envisioned relocation to a newly built office in Zwijnaarde, Belgium. Included in the binding lease commitment is a rent free period for 6 months following the completion of the building. The total future cash outflows related to this lease are as follows:

���

(in thousands of $)

Less than 1 year

1-3 years

3-5 years

More than 5 years

Total contractual cash flows

Lease commitments not commenced

$

 

$

$

1,437

$

17,718

$

19,155

In February 2019, and as amended in September 2020, the Company entered into a global collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company will pay up to $124.0 million to achievement of specific regulatory and sales-based milestones related to VYVGART SC. This amount represents the maximum amount that would be paid if all milestones would be achieved but excludes variable royalty payments based on unit sales. Further, the Company will pay $12.5 million per target for future target nominations and potential future payments of up to $160.0 million per selected target subject to achievement of specified development, regulatory and sales-based milestones and up to $40.0 million subject to the achievement of additional, specified sales-based milestones. This amount represents the maximum amount that would be paid if all milestones would be achieved but excludes variable royalty payments based on unit sales. In 2019, the Company exercised the option to nominate an additional target (triggering a $10.0 million development milestone payment) and initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial using Halozyme's proprietary ENHANZE® drug delivery technology (triggering a $5.0 million development milestone payment). In 2020, the Company initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial using Halozyme’s proprietary ENHANZE® drug delivery technology (triggering a $15.0 million development milestone payment). In 2021, the Company initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial using Halozyme’s proprietary ENHANZE® drug delivery technology (triggering a $5.0 million development milestone payment).

The Company’s manufacturing commitments with Lonza, its drug substance manufacturing contractor, relate to the ongoing execution of the biologic license application (BLA) services for efgartigimod and its manufacturing activities related to the potential future commercialisation. In December 2018, the Company signed its first commercial supply agreement with Lonza related to the reservation of commercial drug substance supply capacity for efgartigimod. In the aggregate, the Company has outstanding commitments for efgartigimod under the firstcommercial supply agreements of $361.8 million.

During 2022, Company signed an agreement with Fujifilm, for activities relating to the large-scale manufacturing of efgartigimod drug substance. In the aggregate, the Company has outstanding commitments for efgartigimod under the commercial supply agreement of $312.4$13.3 million.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company had a line of credit totalling to $7.2 million (€6.5 million) with the banks.

30.

30.Audit fees

The following auditors’ fees were expensed in the consolidated statements of profit or loss and the consolidated statements of other comprehensive income statement:(loss):

Year Ended December 31,

Year Ended December 31,

Fees

    

2021

    

2020

    

2019

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

in thousands of $

Audit Fees (1)

 

$

1,183

 

$

923

 

$

817

Audit-related Fees

 

267

 

188

 

178

Tax Fees (2)

 

79

 

 

All other Fees

in thousands of $

Audit fees (1)

 

$

1,979

 

$

1,394

 

$

1,183

Audit-related fees

 

330

 

380

 

267

Tax fees (2)

 

 

 

79

Total

 

$

1,529

 

$

1,111

 

$

995

 

$

2,309

 

$

1,774

 

$

1,529

(1)AuditAuditor services performed by Deloitte Accountants B.V. as the external auditor referred to in Section 1 of the Dutch Accounting Firms Oversight Act (Wta) as well as by the Deloitte network.
(2)Tax services performed by the Deloitte network.

F-48F-46

31.

31.Overview of consolidation scope

The parent company argenx SE is domiciled in the Netherlands. The Company, argenx SE, has 2two subsidiaries, argenx BV and argenx IIPBenelux BV, based in Belgium. argenx BV has 5 subsidiary, argenx US, Inc., based in the United States of America, argenx Japan KK, based in Japan, argenx Switzerland SA, based in Switzerland, argenx France SAS based in France and argenx Germany GmbH based in Germany.ten subsidiaries. Details of the Company’s consolidated entities at the end of the reporting period are as follows:

Name

    

Registration number

    

Country

    

Participation

    

Main activity

argenx SE

COC 24435214

The Netherlands

100.00

%  

Holding company

argenx BV

 

0818292196

 

Belgium

 

100.00

%  

Biotechnical research on drugs and pharma processes

argenx IIP BV

0751809485

Belgium

100.00

%  

Biotechnical research on drugs and pharma processes

argenx US, Inc.

 

36-4880497

 

USA

 

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Switzerland, SA

CH-660.3.799.020-7

Switzerland

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Japan KK

 

0104-01-145183

 

Japan

 

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx France SAS

90065093800013

France

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

argenx Germany GmbH

HRB 268437

Germany

100.00

%  

Pharmaceuticals and pharmacy supplies merchant wholesalers

Name

Country

Participation

argenx SE

The Netherlands

100.00

%  

argenx BV

Belgium

100.00

%  

argenx Benelux BV

Belgium

100.00

%  

argenx US, Inc.

USA

100.00

%  

argenx Switzerland, SA

Switzerland

100.00

%  

argenx Japan KK

Japan

100.00

%  

argenx France SAS

France

100.00

%  

argenx Germany GmbH

Germany

100.00

%  

argenx Canada Inc.

Canada

100.00

%  

argenx UK Ltd.

United Kingdom

100.00

%  

argenx Netherlands Services B.V.

The Netherlands

100.00

%  

argenx Italy S.r.l.

Italy

100.00

%  

argenx Spain S.L.

Spain

100.00

%  

32.

32.

Events after the balance sheet date

No events have occurred after the Balance Sheetbalance sheet date that could have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

F-49F-47

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