TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Washington, D.C. 20549


SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No.  )


Filed by the Registrantx
Filed by a Party other than the Registranto

Filed by the Registrant   ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant    ☐
Check the appropriate box:

xPreliminary Proxy Statement
oConfidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
oDefinitive Proxy Statement
oDefinitive Additional Materials
oSoliciting Material under Rule 14a-12


Preliminary Proxy Statement

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

Definitive Proxy Statement

Definitive Additional Materials

Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Itsin its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other thanOther Than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

xNo fee required.
oFee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
1)Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

2)Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

3)Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):

4)Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

5)Total fee paid:

oFee paid previously with preliminary materials.
oCheck box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing:
1)Amount previously paid:

2)Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

3)Filing party:

4)Date Filed:



No fee required.


Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1)
Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)
Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3)
Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
(4)
Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5)
Total fee paid:

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
(1)
Amount Previously Paid:
(2)
Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3)
Filing Party:
(4)
Date Filed:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[GRAPHIC MISSING]

June

[MISSING IMAGE: lg_intercept-new.jpg]
April   , 2016

2020​

To Our Stockholders:

We are pleased to invite you to attend the 20162020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which will be held on Tuesday, July 19, 2016,Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 9:10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at(Eastern Time). In light of the public health concerns relating to the coronavirus outbreak, government-recommended limits on public gatherings and to assist in protecting the health and well-being of Intercept’s corporate headquarters, located at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011.

stockholders and employees, the Annual Meeting will be held virtually. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, ask questions and vote your shares by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/​ICPT2020. Please note that to participate you will need the 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card.

Details regarding the meeting,Annual Meeting, the business to be conducted at the meeting and information about Intercept that you should consider when you vote your shares are described in thisthe proxy statement.

The boardBoard of directorsDirectors recommends the approval of each of Proposals 1,1A through 1J, 2, 3 and 4 as set forth in the proxy statement.

We hope you will be able to attend the annual meeting.

Whether or not you plan to attend, the annual meeting or not, it is important that you cast your vote either in person or by proxy.shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. You mayare able to vote over the internetInternet as well as by mail. After you have finished reading the proxy statement, we urge you to vote in accordance with the instructions set forth in this proxy statement.therein. We encourage you to vote by proxy so that your shares will be represented and voted at the meeting,Annual Meeting, whether or not you can attend.

Thank you for your continued support of Intercept. We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting.

Annual Meeting.

Sincerely,
[GRAPHIC MISSING]

[MISSING IMAGE: sg_mark-pruzanski.jpg]
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
450 West 1510 Hudson Yards, 37th Street, Suite 505 Floor
New York, NY 10011

June   , 2016

10001

NOTICE OF 2016 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TIME: 9:00 a. m. Eastern Time

DATE: Tuesday, July 19, 2016

PLACE: Intercept’s Corporate Headquarters, 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011

PURPOSES:

1.To elect nine directors, to serve one-year terms, expiring at the next annual meeting of stockholders in 2017;
2.To amend Intercept’s certificate of incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 35,000,000 shares to 45,000,000 shares;
3.To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers;
4.To ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as Intercept’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016; and
5.To transact such other business that is properly presented at the annual meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.

WHO
TO BE HELD ON MAY VOTE:

28, 2020

Dear Stockholder:
You may vote if you wereare cordially invited to attend the record holder2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). The Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). In light of the public health concerns relating to the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak, government-recommended limits on public gatherings and to assist in protecting the health and well-being of the Company’s stockholders and employees, the Annual Meeting will be held virtually. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, ask questions and vote your shares by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/​ICPT2020. Please note that to participate you will need the 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card.
The purposes of the Annual Meeting are:
1.
To elect, by separate resolutions, the following ten nominees to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified:
1A.
Paolo Fundarò;
1B.
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.;
1C.
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.;
1D.
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.;
1E.
Daniel Bradbury;
1F.
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.;
1G.
Nancy Miller-Rich;
1H.
Gino Santini;
1I.
Glenn Sblendorio; and
1J.
Daniel Welch.
2.
To approve an amendment to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock atfrom 45,000,000 to 90,000,000.
3.
To approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers.
4.
To ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2020.
5.
To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof.
The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
The close of business on April 6, 2020 is the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Only holders of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “shares”), as of the record date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof.
By Order of the Board of Directors
/s/ Ryan T. Sullivan
Ryan T. Sullivan
General Counsel and Secretary
New York, New York
April   , 2020
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to be held on May 23, 2016.28, 2020. The Company’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 are available at www.proxyvote.com.
Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, it is important that your shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. Holders of record may submit a proxy via the Internet or by completing, signing and dating the enclosed proxy card and returning it as promptly as possible in the enclosed

TABLE OF CONTENTS
envelope. Holders of record must vote in accordance with the instructions listed on the proxy card. Beneficial holders whose shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee must vote in accordance with the voting instructions provided to them by their bank, broker or other nominee. Such holders may be eligible to submit a proxy electronically.
The Company’s proxy statement is dated April   , 2020, and is first being mailed to stockholders on or about April   , 2020.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
1
1
7
9
9
13
14
15
16
17
18
18
19
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
20
21
21
21
22
22
22
23
24
24
25
27

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
28
30
33
33
50
51
52
54
55
56
56
59
61
62
62
62
63
64
64
64
65
65
65
66
66
66

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT DATED APRIL 15, 2020
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON MAY 28, 2020

ANNUAL MEETING MATTERS
These proxy materials are provided in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) for the Company’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). In light of the public health concerns relating to the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak, government-recommended limits on public gatherings and to assist in protecting the health and well-being of the Company’s stockholders and employees, the Annual Meeting will be held virtually. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting, ask questions and vote your shares by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/​ICPT2020. Please note that to participate you will need the 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card.
Unless otherwise noted or the context otherwise requires, references in this proxy statement to “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
General Information About the Annual Meeting and Voting
General
This proxy statement contains information about the Annual Meeting and was prepared by our management for the Board. This proxy statement and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 (the “Annual Report”) are first being mailed to stockholders on or about April   , 2020. This proxy statement and the Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com.
Purpose of the Annual Meeting
The specific proposals to be considered and acted upon at the Annual Meeting are summarized in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Each proposal is described in more detail in this proxy statement.
Who can vote?
The close of business on April 6, 2020 is the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Only holders of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “shares”), as of the record date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting or any adjournments thereof. Each such holder is entitled to one (1) vote for each share that such holder held as of the record date.
On April 6, 2020, there were 32,943,079 of the Company’s shares outstanding.
How do I vote?
Holders of Record
If on the record date, your shares were registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, then you may vote your shares in one of the following ways:

by voting over the Internet as instructed on the enclosed proxy card;

by mailing your completed, signed and dated proxy card as instructed on the card; or

by attending the Annual Meeting online and voting during the meeting.
1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Beneficial Holders
If on the record date, your shares were held in street name through a bank, broker or other nominee, then you must vote in accordance with the voting instructions provided to you by your bank, broker or other nominee. If your shares are held in street name, you still may be eligible to submit a proxy electronically. Beneficial holders whose shares are held in street name and who plan to vote during the Annual Meeting must obtain a legal proxy, executed in their favor by or on behalf of their bank, broker or other nominee, to be able to vote during the Annual Meeting, and should contact such bank, broker or other nominee for instructions on how to obtain a legal proxy and control number.
What am I being asked to vote on?
There are four matters scheduled to be voted on at the Annual Meeting:
1.
To elect, by separate resolutions, the following ten nominees to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified:
a)
Paolo Fundarò (Proposal No. 1A);
b)
Mark Pruzanski, M.D. (Proposal No. 1B);
c)
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1C);
d)
Luca Benatti, Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1D);
e)
Daniel Bradbury (Proposal No. 1E);
f)
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. (Proposal No. 1F);
g)
Nancy Miller-Rich (Proposal No. 1G);
h)
Gino Santini (Proposal No. 1H);
i)
Glenn Sblendorio (Proposal No. 1I); and
j)
Daniel Welch (Proposal No. 1J);
2.
To approve an amendment to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 45,000,000 to 90,000,000 (Proposal No. 2);
3.
To approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal No. 3); and
4.
To ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2020 (Proposal No. 4).
Will any other matters be voted on at the Annual Meeting?
As of the date of this proxy statement, the Company’s management knows of no other matter that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting other than those matters discussed in this proxy statement. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting and call for a vote of stockholders, proxies properly submitted prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the proxy holders.
How does the Board recommend that I vote on the proposals?
The Board recommends that you vote your shares as follows:
1.
FOR the election, by separate resolutions, of each of the following ten nominees to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified:
a)
Paolo Fundarò (Proposal No. 1A);
b)
Mark Pruzanski, M.D. (Proposal No. 1B);
2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
c)
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1C);
d)
Luca Benatti, Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1D);
e)
Daniel Bradbury (Proposal No. 1E);
f)
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. (Proposal No. 1F);
g)
Nancy Miller-Rich (Proposal No. 1G);
h)
Gino Santini (Proposal No. 1H);
i)
Glenn Sblendorio (Proposal No. 1I); and
j)
Daniel Welch (Proposal No. 1J);
2.
FOR the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 45,000,000 to 90,000,000 (Proposal No. 2);
3.
FOR the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal No.3); and
4.
FOR the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2020 (Proposal No. 4).
How can I vote on each proposal?
For Proposal Nos. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I and 1J you may vote FOR or WITHHOLD your vote. For Proposal Nos. 2, 3 and 4, you may vote FOR or AGAINST or ABSTAIN.
How do I attend the Annual Meeting?
Attendance at the Annual Meeting is limited to our stockholders as of the record date. To attend the virtual Annual Meeting, log in at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/​ICPT2020. You will need your unique 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card. The Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). Online check-in will begin at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time), and you should allow ample time for the online check-in procedures. In the event that you do not have a control number, please contact your broker, bank or other nominee as soon as possible and no later than May 18, 2020, so that you can be provided with a control number and gain access to the Annual Meeting. Beneficial holders whose shares are held in street name and who plan to vote during the Annual Meeting must also obtain a legal proxy, executed in their favor by or on behalf of their bank, broker or other nominee, to be able to vote during the Annual Meeting, and should contact such bank, broker or other nominee for instructions on how to obtain a legal proxy and control number.
It is important that your shares be represented and voted at the Annual Meeting and, whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to submit a proxy over the Internet or by completing and returning the proxy card. You do not need to attend the Annual Meeting in order to vote.
How can I submit a question during the Annual Meeting?
You may submit questions online in writing during the Annual Meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/​ICPT2020. You will need your unique 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card.
We intend to answer questions submitted online in writing during the Award Meeting that are relevant to the Annual Meeting and pertinent to matters properly before the Annual Meeting, as time permits. Questions and answers will be grouped by topic and substantially similar questions will be answered once.
What if I need technical assistance?
Beginning 30 minutes prior to the start of and during the virtual Annual Meeting, we will have a support team ready to assist you with any technical difficulties you may have accessing or hearing the Annual Meeting. If you encounter any difficulties accessing or hearing the Annual Meeting during this time, you should call the technical support telephone number that will be posted on the virtual Annual Meeting log-in page.
3

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Can I vote during the Annual Meeting?
Yes. To log in and cast your vote electronically during the Annual Meeting, you will need your unique 16-digit control number included in your proxy materials or on your proxy card. In the event that you do not have a control number, please contact your broker, bank or other nominee as soon as possible and no later than May 18, 2020, so that you can be provided with a control number and cast your vote electronically during the Annual Meeting.
Will a replay of the Annual Meeting be available?
A replay of the Annual Meeting will be made publicly available 24 hours after the meeting at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ ICPT2020 and for two weeks thereafter.
Will a list of stockholders be made available?
Yes. A list of stockholders of record will be available electronically during the Annual Meeting at the annual meetingwww.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ICPT2020 and, during the ten days prior to the annual meeting,Annual Meeting, at our principal executive offices located at 450 West 1510 Hudson Yards, 37th Street, Suite 505, Floor, New York, NY 10011.

All stockholders10001.

What vote is required to approve each proposal?
1.
Approval of record onProposal Nos. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I and 1J each requires a plurality of the record date are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting.Whether you plan to attend the annual meeting or not, we urge you to vote and submit your proxy via the internetvotes cast in person or by mail in order to ensure that your shares are represented and votedproxy at the annual meeting.You may change or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted atAnnual Meeting.
2.
Approval of Proposal No. 2 requires the meeting.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
[GRAPHIC MISSING]
Bryan Yoon
Corporate Secretary


TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

i


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
450 West 15th Street, Suite 505
New York, NY 10011

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
2016 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JULY 19, 2016

This proxy statement, along with the accompanying notice of 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, contains information about the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., including any adjournments or postponementsaffirmative vote of the annual meeting. We are holding the annual meeting at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on Tuesday, July 19, 2016, at our corporate headquarters located at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011.

In this proxy statement, we refer to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as “Intercept,” “the Company,” “we” and “us.”

This proxy statement relates to the solicitationholders of proxies by our boarda majority of directors for use at the annual meeting.

On or about June   , 2016, we began sending this proxy statement, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the enclosed proxy card to all stockholders entitled to vote at the annual meeting.

Although not part of this proxy statement, we are also sending, along with this proxy statement, our 2015 annual report on Form 10-K, which includes our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, along with the amendment to our annual report on Form 10-K/A.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE
SHAREHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JULY 19, 2016

This proxy statement and our 2015 annual report on Form 10-K, together with the amendment to our 2015 annual report on Form 10-K/A, are available for viewing, printing and downloading athttp://www.interceptpharma.com/proxy.html. On this website, record holders can also elect to receive future distributions of our proxy statements and annual reports to stockholders by electronic delivery.

Additionally, you can find a copy of our annual report on Form 10-K, which includes our financial statements, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, along with the amendment to our annual report on Form 10-K/A, on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, atwww.sec.gov, or in the “Financial Information” section of the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com. You may also obtain a printed copy of our annual report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements, along with the amendment to our annual report on Form 10-K/A, free of charge, from us by sending a written request to: Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011, Attn: Corporate Secretary. Exhibits will be provided upon written request and payment of an appropriate processing fee.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

Why is the Company Soliciting My Proxy?

The board of directors of Intercept is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders to be held at our corporate headquarters, located at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011, on Tuesday, July 19, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and any adjournments of the meeting, which we refer to as the annual meeting. The proxy statement along with the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders summarizes the purposes of the meeting and the information you need to know to vote at the annual meeting.

We have made available to you on the internet or have sent you this proxy statement, the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the proxy card and a copy of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, along with a copy of the amendment to our annual report on Form 10-K/A, because you owned shares of Intercept common stock on the record date. The Company intends to commence distribution of the proxy materials to stockholders on or about June   , 2016.

Who Can Vote?

Only stockholders who owned our common stock at the close of business on May 23, 2016 are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. On this record date, there were 24,600,161 shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

3.
Approval of Proposal No. 3 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.
4.
Approval of Proposal No. 4 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.
Abstentions may be specified for Proposal Nos. 2, 3 and 4. For Proposal No. 2, abstentions, if any, have the same effect as a negative vote. Our common stockFor Proposal Nos. 3 and 4, abstentions, if any, have no effect on the results of the relevant vote.
For Proposal No. 2, broker non-votes, if any, have the same effect as a negative vote. For Proposal Nos. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, 1J, 3 and 4, broker non-votes have no effect on the results of the relevant vote.
What is our only classthe quorum requirement?
A “quorum” must be present for the Annual Meeting to be held. A quorum will be present if the holders of a majority of the voting stock.

How Many Votes Do I Have?

Each sharepower of our common stockall of the shares entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting are present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Shares present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting, including broker non-votes and shares that you own entitles youabstain or do not vote with respect to one vote.

How Do I Vote?

Whether you plan to attendor more of the annual meeting or not, we urge you to vote by proxy. All shares represented by valid proxies that we receive through this solicitation, and that are not revoked,matters presented for stockholder approval, will be voted in accordance with your instructions oncounted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present. If there is no quorum, the proxy card or as instructed viaAnnual Meeting may be adjourned, from time to time, by the internet. If you properly submit a proxy without giving specific voting instructions, yourchairman of the Annual Meeting.

Will my shares will be voted in accordance with the board’s recommendations as noted below. Voting by proxy willif I do not affect your right to attend the annual meeting. For instructions on how to change or revoke your proxy, see “May I Change or Revoke My Proxy?” below. provide a proxy?
If your shares are registered directly in your name throughwith our stock transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, orthey will not be counted if you have stock certificates registered in your name, you may vote by any of the following methods:

By internet.  Go tohttp://www.interceptpharma.com/proxy.html. Follow the instructions included in the proxy card to vote by internet.
By mail.  You can vote by mail by completing, signing, dating and returning the proxy card as instructed on the card. If you sign the proxy card but do not specify how you want your shares voted, they will be voted in accordance with the board’s recommendationsvote as noted below.described above under “How do I vote?”
In person at the meeting.  If you attend the meeting, you may deliver a completed proxy card in person or you may vote by completing a ballot, which will be available at the meeting.

Internet voting facilities for stockholders of record will be available 24 hours a day and will close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on July 18, 2016.

If your shares are held in “street name” (held instreet name, your shares may be voted even if you do not provide the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record),nominee through which the shares are held with voting instructions. These entities have the authority, under applicable regulatory rules, to vote shares for which their customers do not provide voting instructions on certain “routine” matters. Proposal No. 4 is considered a “routine” matter for which these entities may vote unvoted shares.

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proposal Nos. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I, 1J, 2 and 3 are not considered “routine” matters for which these entities may vote unvoted shares. Accordingly, if you will receive instructions from the holder of record. You must follow the instructions of the holder of record in order forhold your shares to be voted. Internet voting also will be offered to stockholders owning sharesin street name, the bank, broker or other nominee through certain banks and brokers. If yourwhich the shares are held is not registered in your own name and you planpermitted to vote your shares in person atwith respect to the annual meeting,election of directors, the approval of an amendment to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation or the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers if you should contacthave not provided instructions. This is called a “broker non-vote.” We strongly encourage you to submit your broker or agentproxy and exercise your right to obtainvote as a legal proxy or broker’sstockholder.
What if I return a proxy card or otherwise submit a proxy but do not make specific choices?
If you return a signed and bring it todated proxy card or otherwise submit a proxy without voting on a proposal, your shares will be voted on such proposal in the annual meeting in order to vote.

manner set forth below:
1.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How DoesFOR the election, by separate resolutions, of each of the following ten nominees to serve on the Board of Directors Recommend That I Vote onuntil the Proposals?

The board2021 Annual Meeting of directors recommends that you vote as follows:

Stockholders or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified:
a)
Paolo Fundarò (Proposal No. 1A);
b)
Mark Pruzanski, M.D. (Proposal No. 1B);
c)
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1C);
d)
Luca Benatti, Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1D);
e)
Daniel Bradbury (Proposal No. 1E);
f)
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. (Proposal No. 1F);
g)
Nancy Miller-Rich (Proposal No. 1G);
h)
Gino Santini (Proposal No. 1H);
i)
Glenn Sblendorio (Proposal No. 1I); and
j)
Daniel Welch (Proposal No. 1J);
2.
FOR the electionapproval of the listed nominees for directors;
FOR” thean amendment to ourthe Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of common stock from 35,000,00045,000,000 to 45,000,000;90,000,000 (Proposal No. 2);
3.
FOR the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the executive compensation of our Named Executive Officers as described in this proxy statement; andthe Company’s named executive officers (Proposal No. 3);
FOR” the ratification of the selection of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.

If any other matter is presented at the annual meeting, your proxy provides that your shares will be voted by the proxy holder listed in the proxy in accordance with his or her best judgment.

May I Change or Revoke My Proxy?

If you give us your proxy, you may change or revoke it at any time before the annual meeting. You may change or revoke your proxy in any one of the following ways:

if you received a proxy card, by signing a new proxy card with a date later than your previously delivered proxy and submitting it as instructed above;
by re-voting by internet as instructed above;4.
by notifying Intercept’s Corporate Secretary in writing before the annual meeting that you have revoked your proxy; or
by attending the annual meeting in person and voting in person. Attending the annual meeting in person will not in and of itself revoke a previously submitted proxy. You must specifically request at the annual meeting that it be revoked.

Your most current vote, whether by internet or proxy card is the one that will be counted.

What if I Receive More Than One Proxy Card?

You may receive more than one proxy card if you hold shares of our common stock in more than one account, which may be in registered form or held in street name. Please vote in the manner described above under “How Do I Vote?” for each account to ensure that all of your shares are voted.

Will My Shares be Voted if I Do Not Vote?

If your shares are registered in your name or if you have stock certificates, they will not be counted if you do not vote as described above under “How Do I Vote?”

Generally, broker non-votes occur when shares held by a broker in “street name” for a beneficial owner are not voted with respect to a particular proposal because (1) the broker has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner and (2) the broker lacks discretionary voting power to vote those shares. Under applicable stock exchange rules, if you do not give instructions to your brokerage firm subject to these rules, it will still be able to vote your shares with respect to certain “discretionary” items, but will not be allowed to vote your shares with respect to certain “non-discretionary” items. A broker is entitled to vote shares held for a beneficial owner on “routine” matters, such as the adoption of an amendment to the certificate of incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock (Proposal 2) andFOR the ratification of the appointment of independent auditors (Proposal 4), without instructions from the beneficial owner of those shares. On the other hand, a broker may not be entitled to vote shares held for a beneficial owner on certain non-routine items, suchKPMG LLP as the electionindependent registered public accounting firm of directors, absent instructions from the beneficial owner of such shares. Broker non-votes countCompany for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists but do not count as entitled to vote with respect to individual proposals.

the year ending December 31, 2020 (Proposal No. 4); and
5.
In the manner that the proxy holders deem appropriate for any other proposal to be considered at the Annual Meeting.

5

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The election

May I revoke my proxy?
If you are a holder of directors (Proposal 1)record, you may revoke your proxy before it is voted at the Annual Meeting by:

submitting another properly completed proxy card with a later date and returning it as instructed on the non-binding advisory votecard so that it is received by the Company at least one hour prior to the commencement of the Annual Meeting;

submitting a new proxy via the Internet prior to the deadline listed on executive compensation,the proxy card;

providing written notice received by the Secretary of the Company at least one hour prior to the commencement of the Annual Meeting; or “say-on-pay” vote (Proposal 3),

attending the Annual Meeting and voting in accordance with the requirements described in this proxy statement.
If you are both “non-discretionary” items, meaning that if you do not instruct your brokerage firm on how to vote with respect to any of these proposals, your brokerage firm will not vote with respect to that proposal and your shares will be counted as “broker non-votes.” If youra beneficial holder whose shares are held in street name, and you do not providemay submit new voting instructions toby contacting the bank, broker or other nominee that holdsthrough which you hold your shares as described above,shares. You may also vote at the Annual Meeting if you obtain a legal proxy, executed in your favor by or on behalf of your bank, broker or other nominee, that holdsand control number, as described elsewhere in this proxy statement.
Who is making and paying for this proxy solicitation?
This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board. The Company will pay the cost of distributing this proxy statement and related materials. Upon request, the Company will reimburse banks, brokers and other nominees for reasonable expenses they incur in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners of the Company’s shares. The Company has retained Innisfree M&A Incorporated to assist in the solicitation of proxies for a fee of approximately $17,500, plus out-of-pocket expenses. Certain of the Company’s directors, officers and employees may participate in the solicitation of proxies, including electronically or by mail or telephone, without additional compensation.
What does it mean if I receive more than one set of proxy materials?
If you receive more than one set of proxy materials, your shares has the authority to votemay be registered in more than one name or in different accounts. Please submit proxies for all of your unvoted sharesshares.
I share an address with another stockholder and we received only on the ratificationone Annual Report and one proxy statement. How may I obtain an additional copy of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 3) without receivingAnnual Report and proxy statement?
We have adopted a procedure called “householding” under which only one Annual Report and one proxy statement will be mailed to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless the Company receives contrary instructions from you, because this is considered a “discretionary” item.

For any proposals requiring the affirmative vote of those shares present and entitled to vote, broker non-votes will not affect the outcomeone or more of the vote. Becausestockholders sharing an address. If your household has received only one Annual Report and one proxy statement and you wish to receive separate copies of these documents, please follow the approvalinstructions set forth under “Householding.”

How can I find out the results of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of all outstanding shares, broker non-votes have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” that proposal.

Therefore, we encourage you to provide voting instructions to your bank, broker or other designee. This ensures your shares will be voted at the annual meeting and in the manner you desire.

What Vote is Required to Approve Each Proposal and How are Votes Counted?

Proposal 1:  Elect DirectorsThe nominees for director who receive the most votes (also known as a “plurality” of the votes cast) will be elected. You may vote FOR all of the nominees, to WITHHOLD your vote from all of the nominees or to WITHHOLD your vote from any one or more of the nominees. Votes that are withheld will not be included in the vote tally for the election of the directors.
Proposal 2:  Amend Restated Certificate of Incorporation to Increase Authorized SharesThe affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the annual meeting is required to approve the amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 35,000,000 to 45,000,000. Abstentions will have the same effect as an “against” vote. Brokerage firms have authority to vote customers’ non-voted shares held by the firms in street name on this proposal. If a broker does not exercise this authority, such broker non-votes will have the same effect as an “against” vote.
Proposal 3:  Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation, or “Say-on-Pay”The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively for this proposal is required to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement. Abstentions will have no effect on the results of this vote. Although the advisory vote is non-binding, the compensation committee and the board of directors will review the voting results and take them into consideration when making future decisions regarding executive compensation.
Annual Meeting?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Proposal 4:  Ratify Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmThe affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively for this proposal is required to ratify the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm. Abstentions will have no effect on the results of this vote. Brokerage firms have authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by the firms in street name on this proposal. If a broker does not exercise this authority, such broker non-votes will have no effect on the results of this vote. We are not required to obtain the approval of our stockholders to select our independent registered public accounting firm. However, if our stockholders do not ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2016, our audit committee of our board of directors will reconsider its appointment.

Is Voting Confidential?

We will keep all the proxies, ballots and voting tabulations private. We only let our Inspector of Election, VStock Transfer, LLC, examine these documents. Management will not know how you voted on a specific proposal unless it is necessary to meet legal requirements. We will, however, forward to management any written comments you provide on the proxy card or through other means.

Where can I findpublish the voting results of the Annual Meeting?

The preliminary voting results will be announced at the annual meeting, and we will publish preliminary, or final results if available,Meeting in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days after the Annual Meeting.

6

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This proxy statement contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the progress, timing and results of our clinical trials, including our clinical trials for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (“NASH”), the safety and efficacy of our approved product, Ocaliva (obeticholic acid or “OCA”) for primary biliary cholangitis (“PBC”), and our product candidates, including OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, the timing and acceptance of our regulatory filings and the potential approval of OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH or any other indications in addition to PBC, the timing and potential commercial success of OCA and any other product candidates we may develop and our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, financial guidance, prospects, plans and objectives.
These statements constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the annual meeting. If final resultsSecurities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “possible,” “continue” and similar expressions are unavailable atintended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the timedate of this proxy statement, and we file the Form 8-K, then we will file an amended reportundertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law. These forward-looking statements are based on Form 8-Kestimates and assumptions by our management that, although believed to disclose the final voting results within four business days after the final voting resultsbe reasonable, are known.

What Are the Costsinherently uncertain and subject to a number of Soliciting these Proxies?

We will payrisks. The following represent some, but not necessarily all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated or predicted by our forward-looking statements: the impact of COVID-19, including any impact on our net sales, non-GAAP adjusted operating expenses or financial position, related quarantines and government actions, delays relating to our regulatory applications, disruptions relating to our ongoing clinical trials or involving our contract research organizations, study sites or other clinical partners, disruptions relating to our supply chain or involving our third-party manufacturers, distributors or other distribution partners, facility closures or other restrictions, and the extent and duration thereof; our ability to successfully commercialize Ocaliva for PBC; our ability to maintain our regulatory approval of Ocaliva for PBC in the United States, Europe, Canada, Israel, Australia and other jurisdictions in which we have or may receive marketing authorization; the initiation, timing, cost, conduct, progress and results of our research and development activities, preclinical studies and clinical trials, including any issues, delays or failures in identifying patients, enrolling patients, treating patients, retaining patients, meeting specific endpoints in the jurisdictions in which we intend to seek approval or completing and timely reporting the results of our NASH or PBC clinical trials; our ability to timely and cost-effectively file for and obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates, including the regulatory approval of our New Drug Application for liver fibrosis due to NASH; any advisory committee recommendation that our product candidates, including OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, should not be approved or approved only under certain conditions; any determination that the regulatory applications and subsequent information we submit for our product candidates, including OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, do not contain adequate clinical or other data or meet applicable regulatory requirements for approval; conditions that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on our marketing approvals for our products and product candidates, including OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, such as the need for clinical outcomes data (and not just results based on achievement of a surrogate endpoint), any risk mitigation programs such as a REMS, and any related restrictions, limitations and/or warnings contained in the label of any of our products or product candidates; any potential side effects associated with Ocaliva for PBC, OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH or our other product candidates that could delay or prevent approval, require that an approved product be taken off the market, require the inclusion of safety warnings or precautions or otherwise limit the sale of such product or product candidate; our ability to establish and maintain relationships with, and the performance of, third-party manufacturers, contract research organizations and other vendors upon whom we are substantially dependent for, among other things, the manufacture and supply of our products, including Ocaliva for PBC and, if approved, OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, and our clinical trial activities; our ability to identify, develop and successfully commercialize our products and product candidates, including our ability to timely and successfully launch OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, if approved; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property

7

TABLE OF CONTENTS
protection for our products and product candidates, including our ability to cost-effectively file, prosecute, defend and enforce any patent claims or other intellectual property rights; the size and growth of the markets for our products and product candidates and our ability to serve those markets; the degree of market acceptance of Ocaliva for PBC and, if approved, OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH or our other product candidates among physicians, patients and healthcare payors; the availability of adequate coverage and reimbursement from governmental and private healthcare payors for our products, including Ocaliva for PBC and, if approved, OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, and our ability to obtain adequate pricing for such products; our ability to establish and maintain effective sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, either directly or through collaborations with third parties; competition from existing drugs or new drugs that become available; our ability to prevent system failures, data breaches or violations of data protection laws; costs and outcomes relating to any disputes, governmental inquiries or investigations, legal proceedings or litigation, including any securities, intellectual property, employment, product liability or other litigation; our collaborators’ election to pursue research, development and commercialization activities; our ability to establish and maintain relationships with collaborators with development, regulatory and commercialization expertise; our need for and ability to generate or obtain additional financing; our estimates regarding future expenses, revenues and capital requirements and the accuracy thereof; our use of soliciting these proxies.cash and short-term investments; our ability to acquire, license and invest in businesses, technologies, product candidates and products; our ability to attract and retain key personnel to manage our business effectively; our ability to manage the growth of our operations, infrastructure, personnel, systems and controls; our ability to obtain and maintain adequate insurance coverage; the impact of general U.S. and foreign economic, industry, market, regulatory or political conditions, including the potential impact of Brexit; and the other risks and uncertainties identified in our periodic filings filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report.
8

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROPOSALS UNDER VOTE

PROPOSAL NOS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, 1H, 1I AND 1J:

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Board currently consists of ten directors, each of whom is standing for election at the Annual Meeting. Our directors are elected annually to serve one-year terms.
The following table sets forth the names, ages, tenures and employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, fax or email. We will pay these employeescommittee memberships of our directors as of April   , 2020.
DirectorAgeDirector
Since
Paolo Fundarò(1)
462006
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.522002
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.(2)
522012
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.(2)(3)
592014
Daniel Bradbury(3)(4)
592016
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.(2)
662016
Nancy Miller-Rich(5)
612018
Gino Santini(4)(5)(6)
632015
Glenn Sblendorio(4)
642014
Daniel Welch(3)(5)
622015
(1)
Chairman of the Board.
(2)
Member of the Research and Development Committee.
(3)
Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
(4)
Member of the Audit Committee.
(5)
Member of the Compensation Committee.
(6)
Lead Independent Director.
The Board has nominated Paolo Fundarò, Mark Pruzanski, M.D., Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D., Luca Benatti, Ph.D., Daniel Bradbury, Keith Gottesdiener, M.D., Nancy Miller-Rich, Gino Santini, Glenn Sblendorio and Daniel Welch for election as directors no additional compensation for these services. We will ask banks, brokers and other institutions, nominees and fiduciaries to forward these proxy materials to their principals and to obtain authority to execute proxies. We will then reimburse them for their expenses.

What Constitutes a Quorum forat the Annual Meeting?

Meeting. The presence,election of each of the nominees recommended for election as directors requires a plurality of the votes cast in person or by proxy of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote at the annual meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum at the annual meeting. Votes of stockholders of record who are present at the annual meeting in person or by proxy, abstentions, and broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists.

Attending the Annual Meeting

The annual meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at our corporate headquarters, located at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011. You need not attend the annual meeting in order to vote.

Householding of Annual Disclosure Documents

SEC rules concerning the delivery of annual disclosure documents allow us or your broker to send a single set of our proxy materials to any household at which two or more of our stockholders reside, if we or your broker believe that the stockholders are members of the same family. This practice, referred to as “householding,” benefits both you and us. It reduces the volume of duplicate information received at your household and helps to reduce our expenses. The rule applies to our annual reports, proxy statements and information statements. Once you receive notice from your broker or from us that communications to your address will be “householded,” the practice will continue until you are otherwise notified or until you revoke your consent to the practice. Stockholders who participate in householding will continue to have access to and utilize separate proxy voting instructions.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Meeting. If your household received a single set of proxy materials this year, but you would prefer to receive your own copy, please contact our transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, by calling their toll free number, 1-855-9VSTOCK.

If you do not wish to participate in “householding” and would like to receive your own set of Intercept’s proxy materials in future years, follow the instructions described below. Conversely, if you share an address with another Intercept stockholder and together both of you would like to receive only a single set of proxy materials, follow these instructions:

If your Intercept shares are registered in your own name, please contact our transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, and inform them of your request by calling them at 1-855-9VSTOCK or writing them at 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, New York 11598.
If a broker or other nominee holds your Intercept shares, please contact the broker or other nominee directly and inform them of your request. Be sure to include your name, the name of your brokerage firm and your account number.

Electronic Delivery of Company Stockholder Communications

Most stockholders can elect to view or receive copies of future proxy materials over the internet instead of receiving paper copies in the mail.

You can choose this option and save us the cost of producing and mailing these documents by going tohttp://www.interceptpharma.com/proxy.html and following the instructions relating to the electronic delivery of proxy materials.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of May 23, 2016, by:

our executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table;
elected, each of our directorsMessrs. Fundarò, Bradbury, Santini, Sblendorio and director nominees;
all of our current directorsWelch, Drs. Pruzanski, Akkaraju, Benatti and executive officers as a group;Gottesdiener and
each stockholder known by us to own beneficially more than five percent of our common stock.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Ms. Miller-Rich will serve on the rules of the SEC and includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Shares of common stock that may be acquired by an individual or group within 60 days of May 23, 2016, pursuant to derivative securities, such as options, warrants or restricted stock units, are deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such individual or group, but are not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person shown in the table. Percentage of ownership is based on an aggregate of 24,600,161 shares of common stock outstanding as of May 23, 2016.

Except as indicated in footnotes to this table, we believe that the stockholders named in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown to be beneficially owned by them, based on information provided to us by such stockholders. Unless otherwise indicated, the address for each director, director nominee and executive officer is: c/o Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011.

  
Beneficial Owner Number of Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned Percentage of Common Stock Beneficially Owned
Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers
          
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.(1)  844,383   3.4
David Shapiro, M.D.(2)  87,647   
Barbara Duncan(3)  97,471   
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.(4)  22,930   
Lisa Bright(5)  30,910   
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.(6)  18,546   
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.(7)  4,059   
Paolo Fundaro(8)  19,625   
Gino Santini(9)  2,467   
Glenn Sblendorio(10)  3,219   
Jonathan Silverstein(11)  1,136,910   4.6
Klaus Veitinger, M.D., Ph.D.(12)  12,793   
Daniel Welch(13)  2,467   
All current executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group (13 persons)(14)  2,283,427   9.2
Daniel Bradbury      
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.      
Five Percent Stockholders
          
Genextra S.p.A.(15)  6,454,953   26.2
FMR LLC(16)  3,649,728   14.8
Carmignac Gestion(17)  1,319,887   5.4
Capital World Investors(18)  1,567,537   6.4
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.(19)  2,863,068   11.6

*Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1% of the shares of common stock.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

(1)Consists of 546,804 shares of common stock (including 35,737 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 297,579 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(2)Consists of 47,984 shares of common stock (including 11,999 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 39,663 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(3)Consists of 30,386 shares of common stock (including 9,642 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 67,085 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(4)Consists of 14,087 shares of common stock (including 11,945 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 8,843 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(5)Consists of 19,106 shares of common stock (including 17,141 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 11,804 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(6)Consists of 12,042 shares of common stock (including 650 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 6,504 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(7)Consists of 1,942 shares of common stock (including 951 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 2,117 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(8)Consists of 8,871 shares of common stock (including 650 shares underlying restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 10,754 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(9)Consists of 1,300 shares of common stock (including 1,300 shares underlying restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 1,167 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(10)Consists of 1,102 shares of common stock (including 951 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 2,117 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(11)Consists of (a) 1,120,324 shares of common stock owned by OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP and (b) 1,259 shares of common stock (including 650 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 15,327 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016 that are held directly by Mr. Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned by OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, if any. OrbiMed Capital GP IV LLC is the general partner of OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP and OrbiMed Advisors LLC is the managing member of OrbiMed Capital GP IV LLC. Samuel D. Isaly is the managing member of and owner of a controlling interest in OrbiMed Advisors LLC and may be deemed to have voting and investment power over the shares held by OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP noted above. Each of OrbiMed Capital GP IV LLC, OrbiMed Advisors LLC and Mr. Isaly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares, except to the extent of its or his pecuniary interest therein, if any. Mr. Silverstein is a member of OrbiMed Advisors LLC and is obligated to transfer any shares issued under any equity grants made to him to OrbiMed Advisors LLC and certain of its related entities. The address for OrbiMed Private Investments IV, LP is c/o OrbiMed Advisors LLC, 601 Lexington Avenue, 54th Floor, New York, NY 10022.
(12)Consists of 2,816 shares of common stock (including 650 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 9,977 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(13)Consists of 1,300 shares of common stock (including 1,300 shares underlying restricted stock awards with voting rights) and options to purchase 1,167 shares of common stock that are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(14)Consists of (a) 1,809,323 shares of common stock beneficially owned by our officers, directors and director nominees as of, or will vest within 60 days of, May 23, 2016 (including 93,566 shares underlying unvested restricted stock awards with voting rights) and (b) options to purchase

TABLE OF CONTENTS

474,104 shares of common stock beneficially owned by our officers, directors and director nominees which are exercisable within 60 days of May 23, 2016.
(15)Represents shares of common stock owned by Genextra S.p.A. Francesco Micheli is the executive director of Genextra S.p.A. and, in such capacity, Mr. Micheli exercises voting control over the shares of common stock owned by Genextra S.p.A. and investment control over such shares as authorized by the board of directors of Genextra S.p.A. Mr. Micheli disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to any such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, if any. The address of each of Genextra S.p.A. and its affiliates is Via G. De Grassi, 11, 20123 Milan, Italy. Information relating to Mr. Micheli is based on Amendment No. 2 to Schedule 13G/A of Genextra S.p.A. filed with the SEC on February 17, 2015.
(16)Based on information supplied by FMR LLC on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016. Abigail P. Johnson is a Director, the Vice Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer and the President of FMR LLC. 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’ 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’ 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”), a wholly owned subsidiary of FMR LLC, which power resides with the Fidelity Funds’ Boards of Trustees. Fidelity Management & Research Company carries out the voting of the shares under written guidelines established by the Fidelity Funds’ Boards of Trustees. The address of FMR LLC and its affiliates is 245 Summer Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210.
(17)Carmignac Gestion is an investment adviser organized under the laws of France with its address at 24 Place Vendome, Paris, France 75001. Information relating to Carmignac Gestion is based on its Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 9, 2016.
(18)Based on information supplied by Capital World Investors on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2016. Capital World Investors is a division of Capital Research and Management Company (CRMC). Capital World Investors is deemed to be the beneficial owner of 1,567,537 shares of common stock as a result of CRMC acting as an investment advisor to various investment companies under Section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The address of Capital World Investors is 333 South Hope St., Los Angeles, CA 90071.
(19)Based on information supplied by Ameriprise Financial, Inc. on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 8, 2016. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (“AFI”), is the parent holding company of Columbia Management Investment Advisors, LLC (“CMIA”), an investment advisor in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E) of the SEC. CMIA is the investment advisor to Columbia Select Large Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”), an investment company in accordance with Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(D) of the SEC. CMIA and AFI do not directly own the shares of common stock. As the investment advisor to the Fund and various other unregistered and registered investment companies and other managed accounts, CMIA may be deemed to beneficially own the shares reported by the Fund. Accordingly, the shares reported by CMIA include those shares separately reported by the Fund. As the parent holding company of CMIA, AFI may be deemed to beneficially own the shares reported by CMIA. Accordingly, the shares reported by AFI include those shares separately reported by CMIA. The address of AFI is 145 Ameriprise Financial Center, Minneapolis MN 55474.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MANAGEMENT AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Board of Directors

Each of our directors are elected annually and hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified or until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal. Our board of directors currently consists of nine members, all of whom were elected as directors at our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Jonathan Silverstein and Klaus Veitinger will not stand for re-election to our board of directors. The board of directors, upon the recommendation of the nominating and governance committee, has nominated Daniel Bradbury and Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. to be newly elected as a members of our board at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Our restated certificate of incorporation and our restated bylaws provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Our restated bylaws also provide that our directors may be removed with or without cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes that all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in an annual election of directors, and our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our board, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.

Each of the nominees listed below has been nominated by the board, upon the recommendation of the nominating and governance committee, for election or re-election as a director until the2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in 2017 and until their respective successors are elected, or until their earlier death, resignationhis or removal.her respective successor is duly elected and qualified. If any of Messrs. Fundarò, Bradbury, Santini, Sblendorio or Welch, Drs. Pruzanski, Akkaraju, Benatti or Gottesdiener or Ms. Miller-Rich should become unable to accept election, the persons named as proxies may vote for a substitute nominee selected by the Board or the named proxies. Each of Messrs. Fundarò, Bradbury, Santini, Sblendorio and Welch, Drs. Pruzanski, Akkaraju, Benatti and Gottesdiener and Ms. Miller-Rich has agreed to serve if elected, and the Company’s management has no reason to believe that any nominee will be unable to serve.

The name, principal occupation and other information concerning the nominees other than Daniel Bradbury and Keith Gottesdiener, presently serves on the board.

Set forth below are the names of the persons nominatedrecommended for election as directors their ages, their offices inat the Company, if any, their principal occupations or employment for at least the past five years, the length of their tenure as directors and the names of other public companies in which such persons hold or have held directorships during the past five years. Additionally, information aboutAnnual Meeting, including the specific experience, qualifications, attributes orand skills that led the Board to our board of directors’ conclusion atdetermine that the time of filing of this proxy statement that each person listed belownominees should serve as a director isdirectors, are set forth below:

below. There are no family relationships between or among any of our directors or executive officers. For more information regarding the independence of our directors, please see “Board of Directors and Governance—Independence.”
NameAgePosition(s) with the Company
Paolo Fundaro42Chairman of the Board
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.48President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.(2)(4)48Director
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.(3)(4)55Director
Daniel Bradbury55Director Nominee
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.62Director Nominee
Gino Santini(1)(2)59Director
Glenn Sblendorio(1)60Director
Daniel Welch(2)(3)58Director

(1)Member of our audit committee
(2)Member of our compensation committee
(3)Member of our nominating and governance committee
(4)Member of our research and development committee

Paolo FundaroFundarò has served as our Chairman since October 2015 and as a member of our board of directorsBoard since 2006 and has acted as our chairman since October 2015.2006. Mr. FundaroFundarò has been Genextra’s chief financial officerthe Chief Executive Officer of Genextra S.p.A., an investment firm focused on the life sciences industry, since July 2019 and previously served as the Chief Financial Officer of Genextra

9

TABLE OF CONTENTS
S.p.A. from its inception in 2004.2004 until 2019. Mr. Fundarò also has served as Managing Director of certain of Genextra’s portfolio companies, including Congenia S.r.l. since 2004, Dac S.r.l. from 2004 until December 2016 and Tethis S.p.A. from 2004 until July 2016. Before joining Genextra, Mr. FundaroFundarò was directorDirector of financeFinance and strategic planningStrategic Planning for the Fastweb Group from 2000 to 2004. Previously, heEarlier in his career, Mr. Fundarò worked for investment banks including Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup) and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (now Credit Suisse). Mr. Fundaro hasFundarò serves on the board of directors of a number of private companies, including Genextra S.p.A. Mr. Fundarò received a degree in Business Management from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

We believe that Mr. Fundaro possesses specific attributes that qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors, including hisFundarò’s significant experience in corporate finance and strategic planning, as well as his experienceexpertise in building, investing in and growing companies in diverse industries, including the biopharmaceutical industry.

industry, contributed to the Board’s determination that Mr. Fundarò should be nominated to serve an additional term as a director of the Company.

Mark Pruzanski, M.D. is a co-founderone of our companyco-founders and has served as our chief executive officerPresident and president,Chief Executive Officer, and has beenas a member of our board of directors,Board, since our inception in 2002. HeDr. Pruzanski has over 1520 years of experience in life sciences company management, venture capital and strategic consulting. Prior to co-founding the Company, Dr. Pruzanski was previously a venture partner at Apple Tree Partners, an early stage life sciences venture capital firm that he co-founded, in 1999. Prior to that, he wasand an entrepreneur-in-residence at Oak Investment Partners.Partners, a venture capital firm. Dr. Pruzanski is a co-author of a number of scientific publications and is named as an inventor on several of our patents. Dr. Pruzanski has been a director of Equillium, Inc. since September 2018. Dr. Pruzanski also currently serves on the boards of the Emerging Companies Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), a biotechnology-focused trade association, and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-profit policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. Dr. Pruzanski received his M.D. from McMaster University in Ontario,Hamilton, Canada, a M.A. degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy and Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He currently also serves on the boardsCanada.
Dr. Pruzanski’s comprehensive knowledge of the Emerging Company Section of the Biotechnology Industry Association (BIO) and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a think tank in Washington, D.C. Dr. Pruzanski is a co-author of a number of scientific publicationsits approved product, development pipeline, management team, strategy and an inventor of several patents relating to our product candidates and scientific discoveries.

We believe that Dr. Pruzanski’s perspective and the experience he bringspartners, as our chief executive officer and president andwell as one of our company’s founders, together with his historic knowledge of our company and our product candidates, operational expertise and continuity to our board of directors, and his experience in managing, advising and investing in companies within the life sciences industry, qualify himcompanies, contributed to the Board’s determination that Dr. Pruzanski should be nominated to serve an additional term as a memberdirector of our board of directors.

the Company.

Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directorsBoard since October 2012. Since February 2016,March 2017, Dr. Akkaraju has been the Managing General Partner of Samsara BioCapital, a senior advisor to Sofinnova Ventures.venture capital firm that he founded. From April 2013 to February 2016,March 2017, Dr. Akkaraju served aswas a general partnerGeneral Partner and then a Senior Advisor of Sofinnova Ventures.Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on the life sciences industry. From January 2009 until April 2013, Dr. Akkaraju was a managing directorManaging Director of New Leaf Venture Partners, L.L.C.an investment firm focused on the healthcare technology sector. From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Akkaraju served as a managing director atManaging Director of Panorama Capital, LLC, a private equityventure capital firm founded bythat he co-founded along with other members of the former venture capital investment team of J.P. Morgan Partners, LLC, a private equity division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Prior to co-founding Panorama Capital, heDr. Akkaraju was with J.P. Morgan Partners, which he joined in 2001 and of which he became a partner in 2005. From 1998 to 2001, he wasDr. Akkaraju worked in business and corporate development at Genentech, Inc. (a wholly owned(now a member of the Roche Group), a biotechnology company, most recentlycompany. Dr. Akkaraju has been a director of Seattle Genetics, Inc. since 2003, Aravive, Inc. (formerly Versartis, Inc.) since July 2013 and Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since June 2017. Dr. Akkaraju also serves on the board of directors of a number of private companies. During the prior five years, Dr. Akkaraju previously served as senior manager.a director of aTyr Pharma, Inc., Principia Biopharma Inc. and ZS Pharma, Inc. Dr. Akkaraju received his M.D. and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Stanford University. He received his undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and Computer Science from Rice University.
Dr. Akkaraju’s extensive experience in venture capital, in-depth knowledge of life sciences companies and financial expertise, as well as his scientific background and public company board experience, contributed to the Board’s determination that Dr. Akkaraju serves and has served on the boards of directors and board committees of numerous public and private companies. Dr. Akkaraju servesshould be nominated to serve an additional term as a director of Seattle Genetics, Inc., Versartis Inc. and aTyr Pharma, Inc. Previously, Dr. Akkaraju served as a director on the boards of Barrier Therapeutics, Inc., Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Synageva Biopharma Corp. and ZS Pharma, Inc., all publicly traded biotechnology companies, and Amarin Corporation plc, a foreign publicly traded biotechnology company.

We believe that Dr. Akkaraju’s scientific background, coupled with experience in private equity and venture capital investing, qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors.

Company.

10

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Luca Benatti, Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directorsBoard since July 2014. Dr. Benatti has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industrypharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Since June 2012, Dr. Benatti has been servingserved as the chief executive officerChief Executive Officer and a director of EryDel S.p.A., a drug deliveryprivate biotechnology company focused on rare diseases, since June 2012.diseases. From 19991998 until May 2012, Dr. Benatti was the founder and chief executive officerChief Executive Officer of Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company listed on the Swiss Exchange.that Dr. Benatti co-founded. Under his guidance,Dr. Benatti’s leadership, Newron developed a pipeline of potential therapies, with its most advanced compound, Xadago, recently approved in Europe and under regulatory review in the United States for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. He also was instrumentaldisease in finalizing multimillion licensing deals with Merck Serono, Meiji Seikavarious jurisdictions, and Zambon Pharma S.p.A., and in the acquisition of Hunter Fleming, a U.K.-based biotechnology company.undertook significant business development activities. From 1985 to 1998, heDr. Benatti held various R&Dresearch and development positions at Farmitalia, Pharmacia and Pharmacia & Upjohn.Upjohn and its predecessor companies. Dr. Benatti has authored several scientific publications and holds a number of patents. Dr. Benatti currently serves as a director of Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. Dr. Benatti also serves as chairman of Italian Angels for Biotech, a member of the Advisory Board of the Sofinnova Telethon Fund, a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of Zambon, a member of the Board of Assobiotec, the Italian Biotech Association, and a member of the jury of Open Accelerator and of the European Biotechnica Award. Dr. Benatti graduated from and performed his post-doctoral training at the Milano Genetics Institute. He serves
Dr. Benatti’s significant experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, business development, financial and strategic leadership expertise and thorough understanding of pharmaceutical drug discovery and development contributed to the Board’s determination that Dr. Benatti should be nominated to serve an additional term as a director on the board of Newron (SIX: NWRN), as chairman of the scientific advisory board of Zambon, as chairman of the Italian

Company.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Angels for Biotech association,Daniel Bradbury has served as a member of the board of Assobiotec, the Italian Biotech Association, and member of the jury of the European Biotechnica Award. He has authored several scientific publications and holds a number of patents.

We believe that Dr. Benatti’s scientific background, together with his significant experience in drug development, financing, business development and regulatory matters at other biopharmaceutical companies, qualify him to serve on our board of directors.

Daniel Bradbury has been nominated for election to our board of directors at our 2016 annual meeting.Board since July 2016. Mr. Bradbury has over 3035 years of experience leading global, fast-growing life sciences companies. Since 2012,Mr. Bradbury has served as Executive Chairman of Equillium, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that Mr. Bradbury co-founded, since January 2020 and served as Chairman of Equillium, Inc. from March 2018 through December 2019. Mr. Bradbury also previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Equillium, Inc., from June 2018 through December 2019 and as President of Equillium, Inc. from March 2017 until June 2018. In addition, Mr. Bradbury has been a managing memberManaging Member of BioBrit, LLC, a life sciences consulting and investment firm.firm, since 2012. Previously, Mr. Bradbury served as the presidentheld several senior positions at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on diabetes and chief executive officermetabolic disorders, including President and Chief Executive Officer from March 2007 until its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in August 2012, President and Chief Operating Officer from 2006 to 2007, Chief Operating Officer from 2003 to 2006, Executive Vice President from 2000 to 2003 and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Bradbury also served as a director of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, focused on metabolic diseases, from March 2007 until it was acquired by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company inJune 2006 to August 2012. Prior to being named president and chief executive officer, Mr. Bradbury held positions of increasing responsibility atjoining Amylin sincein 1994, including president (2006 – 2007), chief operating officer (2003 – 2006) and executive vice president (2000 – 2003). Before joining Amylin, Mr. Bradbury worked in marketingat SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals and sales rolesits predecessor companies for ten years at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.in various sales and marketing positions. Mr. Bradbury currentlyhas been a director of Castle Biosciences, Inc. since September 2012 and serves on the board of directors of a number of private companies and philanthropic organizations. During the prior five years, Mr. Bradbury previously served as a director of Geron Corporation, Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated, Illumina, Inc., Geron Corporation and Illumina,BioMed Realty Trust, Inc., all of which are NASDAQ-listed biopharmaceutical companies, and Biocon Limited, a biopharmaceutical company traded In addition, Mr. Bradbury serves on the National Stock ExchangeKeck Graduate Institute’s Board of India. He is an advisory board member of Investor Growth Capital,Trustees and is a member of the advisory committee of BioMed Ventures. Mr. Bradbury also serves on the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management’sManagement Dean’s Advisory Council and the Keck Graduate Institute’s Board of Trustees.Council. Mr. Bradbury received a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Nottingham University and a Diploma in Management Studies from Harrow and Ealing Colleges of Higher Education in the United Kingdom.

We believe

Mr. Bradbury has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, has demonstrated leadership and operational skills and possesses significant research, development and commercialization expertise, as well as public company board experience. These factors, and Mr. Bradbury’s transition in January 2020 from Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Equillium, Inc. to a more limited advisory role as Executive Chairman of Equillium, Inc., contributed to the Board’s determination that Mr. Bradbury’s significant experience in leading biopharmaceutical companies that have brought innovative therapies to market and his deep understanding of strategic and operational understanding of rapidly growing, global life science companies qualifies himBradbury should be nominated to serve on our boardan additional term as a director of directors.

the Company.

Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. has been nominated for election to our board of directors at our 2016 annual meeting. Dr. Keith Gottesdiener has been the chief executive officer andserved as a member of the board of directors at Rhythm Holding Co., LLCour Board since July 2016. From October 2011 a holding company with two subsidiaries, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and Motus Therapeutics.until March 2020, Dr. Gottesdiener has also served as the chief executive officerChief Executive Officer and a board memberdirector of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, and Motus Therapeutics since October 2011. HeInc., a biopharmaceutical company. Dr. Gottesdiener joined Rhythm after 16 years at Merck Research Laboratories. Dr. Gottesdiener joined Merck early clinical development in 1995, helping to transition compounds from the bench to the bedside and through to proof of concept. HeLaboratories, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, eventuallyincluding serving as a leader of Merck’s late clinical development organization from 2006 to 2011 and leading Merck’s early clinical development across all therapeutic areas from 2001 through early 2006. From 2006 to 2011, he was a leader of Merck’s late clinical development organization, first overseeingIn such roles,
11

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dr. Gottesdiener oversaw the development of Merck’s infectious diseases and vaccine products through pivotal trials, registration, and life cycle management, including GardasilTM (HPV Vaccine), RotateqTM (rotavirus vaccine), ZostavaxTM (zoster vaccine) and IsentressTM (HIV integrase inhibitor), among others. In 2008, Dr. Gottesdiener was appointed Late Stage Therapeutic Group Leader, and in that role led Merck’s late-stage clinical development efforts (from Phase 2 through patent expiry) across all therapeutic areas. After Merck’s merger with Schering PloughSchering-Plough Corporation in 2009, he continued as Co-Head of Late Development. From 2009 through 2011, he served as Merck’s Vice President, Clinical Sciences and Therapeutic Area Group Leader.

Dr. Gottesdiener received his B.A. from Harvard College and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency and fellowship at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Beth Israel Medical Center-Dana Farber Cancer Institute Children’s Hospital programs. After his fellowship, Dr. Gottesdiener did postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Jack Strominger at Dana Farber Cancer Institute working on the molecular immunology of the T-cell receptor. In 1986, he joined the faculty as an assistant professor at Columbia University, started an independent research laboratory with NIH RO-1 funding, focusing on gene transcription, and was Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the time he left to join Merck in 1995.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

We believeDr. Gottesdiener’s extensive experience as a senior executive in the pharmaceutical industry, drug development and regulatory affairs expertise and research work for both medical and academic institutions, as well as his public company experience, contributed to the Board’s determination that Dr. Gottesdiener’s scientific background and significant experience in leading the development of numerous therapies to market, together with his leadership experience at global biopharmaceutical companies, qualify himGottesdiener should be nominated to serve on our boardan additional term as a director of directors.

Gino Santinithe Company.

Nancy Miller-Rich has served as a member of our Board since April 2018. Ms. Miller-Rich has 35 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with significant expertise in business development and commercial strategy. Since September 2017, Ms. Miller-Rich has served as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Ms. Miller-Rich served in a number of leadership roles at Merck & Co., Inc. and, prior to the merger of the two companies, at Schering-Plough Corporation, including most recently as Senior Vice President, Global Human Health Business Development & Licensing, Strategy and Commercial Support from November 2013 to September 2017 and as Group Vice President, Consumer Care Global New Ventures and Strategic Commercial Development from January 2007 to November 2013. Prior to joining Schering-Plough in 1990, Ms. Miller-Rich served in a variety of commercial and marketing roles at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and Sterling Drug, Inc. She is currently a director of Aldeyra Therapeutics, Inc., as well as a board member of directorsa number of private and not-for-profit entities. During the prior five years, Ms. Miller-Rich previously served as a director of UDG Healthcare plc. She received her B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.
Ms. Miller-Rich’s significant experience in the healthcare industry, as well as her business development and commercial strategy expertise, contributed to the Board’s determination that Ms. Miller-Rich should be nominated to serve an additional term as a director of the Company.
Gino Santini has served as our Lead Independent Director since February 2018 and as a member of our Board since November 2015. From 1983 to December 2010, Mr. Santini held a variety of commercial, operational and operationalleadership roles of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly and Company, a public global pharmaceutical company, serving most recently from April 2007 to December 2010 asincluding Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development where he led corporate strategy and long-range planning, mergers and acquisitions, new product licensing and the expansion of Lilly Ventures in the United States and China. During his tenure at Eli Lilly, Mr. Santini held various leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including manager of various international regions andfrom 2007 to 2010, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Policy from 2004 to 2007.2007, President of U.S. Operations from 1999 to 2004 and President of the Women’s Health Franchise from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Santini serves on the boardshas been a director of directors of the following public biopharmaceutical companies: AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., since 2012; CollegiumFebruary 2012, Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., since 2012;February 2012 (but will not be standing for re-election as a director of Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, as disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020), Horizon Pharma plc (and its predecessor company), since 2012;March 2012 and Vitae Pharmaceuticals,Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., since 2014. Mr. Santini was previously a director of Sorin, S.p.A., a global public medical device company, until its acquisition in October 2015.July 2012. Mr. Santini also serves as a director for a number of private biopharmaceutical companies such as Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Artax Biopharma Inc. Mr. Santini is a past chairman of the board of the National Pharmaceutical Council and of Noble of Indiana, a non-profit agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities. He also served on the board of directors for United Way andof a number of private companies. During the executive committee and the boardprior five years, Mr. Santini previously served as a director of directors of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. HeVitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Santini holds an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bologna and an M.B.A. from the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester.

We believe that

Mr. Santini’sSantini has extensive experience in a variety ofthe pharmaceutical industry, has demonstrated leadership and operational skills and leadership roles at Eli Lilly, including hispossesses significant domestic and international commercial, corporate strategy, business development and transactiontransactional experience, qualify himas well as public company board experience. These factors, and Mr . Santini’s decision not to stand for re-election as a director of Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, contributed to the Board’s determination that Mr. Santini should be nominated to serve an additional term as a memberdirector of our board of directors.

the Company.

12

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Glenn Sblendorio has served as a member of our boardBoard since February 2014. Mr. Sblendorio has over 30 years of directorsexperience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Mr. Sblendorio has been Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of IVERIC bio, Inc. (formerly Ophthotech Corporation) since 2014. InJuly 2017, January 2017 and May 2017, respectively. Mr. Sblendorio also previously served at IVERIC bio, Inc. as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from April 2016 Mr. Sblendorio joined Ophthotech Corporation as its executive vice president, chief operating officerto January 2017, Chief Financial Officer and chief financial officer.Treasurer from April 2016 until April 2017 and a director from July 2013 through March 2016. Prior to joining IVERIC bio, Inc., Mr. Sblendorio served as the presidentPresident and chief financial officerChief Financial Officer of The Medicines Company from February 2012 throughMarch 2006 until December 2015. From March 2006 to February 2012, he served as chief financial officer and executive vice president of The Medicines Company. From November 2005 until he joined The Medicines Company, Mr. Sblendorio served as a consultant to a company in the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, Mr. Sblendorio was executive vice presidentExecutive Vice President and chief financial officerChief Financial Officer of Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from February 2002 until it was acquired by OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in November 2005. From July 2000 to February 2002, Mr. Sblendorio also held the positionserved as Senior Vice President of chief executive officer andBusiness Development at The Medicines Company. Prior to joining The Medicines Company in 2000, Mr. Sblendorio served as a managing director ofat MPM Capital Advisors. His other pharmaceutical experience also includes 12 years at Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, inAdvisors, LLC and held a variety of senior financial positions including vice president, finance ofat Hoffman-La Roche, Molecular Systems and head of finance-controller for Amgen/Roche Europe.Inc. Mr. Sblendorio currently serves ashas been a director of Amicus Therapeutics, Inc., a public biopharmaceutical company. since June 2006. During the prior five years, Mr. Sblendorio was previously served as a board memberdirector of Ophthotech Corporation though March 2016 and The Medicines Company through December 2015.Company. Mr. Sblendorio received hisa B.B.A. from Pace University and hisan M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, Advanced Management Program.

We believe that University.

Mr. Sblendorio’s extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, leadership skills, operational and strategic expertise and financial expertise, his experience as a member of the leadership of numerous life sciences companies, together with his experience as chief financial officer and board member with numerous companies, qualifyknowledge, which enables him to serve as a memberfinancial expert on our Audit Committee, as well as his public company board experience, strong record of availability and dedication to service on our board of directors. In addition,Board, contributed to the Board’s determination that Mr. Sblendorio brings expertiseshould be nominated to our company inserve an additional term as a director of the areas of business operations and strategy, financial analysis and reporting, internal auditing and controls and risk management oversight.

Company.

Daniel Welch has served as a member of our board of directorsBoard since November 2015. From January 2015 to February 2018, Mr. Welch has beenserved as an Executive Partner atof Sofinnova Ventures, since 2015.a venture capital firm. From September 2003 until Octoberits acquisition by Roche Holdings in September 2014, Mr. Welch was the Chairman,served as Chief Executive Officer and President of InterMune, Inc., which was listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market until the acquisition of the company by Roche. During his tenure, InterMune secured registration of Esbriet, the first medicine approved for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Europe and the


TABLE OF CONTENTS

United States.a biotechnology company. Mr. Welch built thealso served as Chairman of InterMune development and commercial teams that delivered the successful approval and launches of Esbriet in Europe and the United States.from May 2008 to September 2014. From August 2002 to January 2003, Mr. Welch served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company whichthat was acquired by Gilead Sciences. From October 2000 to June 2002, heMr. Welch served as presidentPresident of the pharmaceutical division ofBiopharmaceuticals at Elan Corporation, PLC (later acquired by Perrigo Company plc).Corporation. From September 1987 to August 2000, Mr. Welch served in various senior management roles at Sanofi-Synthelabo, (nownow Sanofi, S.A.) and its predecessor companies, Sanofi and Sterling Winthrop. During his time at Sanofi, he led the worldwide launches of Plavix®, Eloxatin® and Avapro® asincluding Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and served as Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. business. From November 1980 to September 1987, Mr. Welch was with American Critical Care, a division of American Hospital Supply. He currentlyMr. Welch has been a director of Seattle Genetics, Inc. since June 2007 and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. since April 2015. During the prior five years, Mr. Welch previously served as a director of AveXis, Inc. and Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Welch also serves on the board of directors of Avexis, Inc., (where he serves as the chairmana number of the board), Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc., (where he serves as the chairman of the board) and Seattle Genetics, Inc.private companies. Mr. Welch holds a B.S. from the University of Miami and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina.

We believe that

Mr. Welch’s knowledge andextensive experience in leading companies from clinical stage drug development through to large-scale commercialization,the biotechnology industry, leadership skills and commercial, operational and strategic expertise, as well as his track record of building operations and international businesses, qualify himpublic company board experience, contributed to the Board’s determination that Mr. Welch should be nominated to serve an additional term as a memberdirector of our board of directors.

There are no family relationships between or among any of our directors, executive officers or director nominees. the Company.

Vote Required for Approval
The principal occupation and employment during the past five yearselection, by separate resolutions, of each of our directors and nominees was carried on, in each case except as specifically identified above, with a corporation or organization that is not a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of us. There is no arrangement or understanding between any of our directors or nominees and any other person or persons pursuant to which he or she is to be selected as a director or nominee.

There are no legal proceedings to which any of our directors is a party adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or in which any such person has a material interest adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries.

Director Nominations

No material changes have been made to the procedures by which stockholders may recommendfollowing ten nominees to our board of directors.

Board Determination of Director Independence

Our board of directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors and the director nominees has with Intercept, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our board has determined that Mr. Bradbury and Dr. Gottesdiener, our director nominees, and all of our directors other than Dr. Pruzanski, our chief executive officer and president, are “independent directors” as defined by NASDAQ. Our board of directors also determined that Messrs. Welch and Silverstein and Dr. Benatti, who comprise our nominating and governance committee, all satisfy the independence standards for such committees established by the SEC and the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, as applicable. With respect to our audit committee, our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Sblendorio, Santini and Silverstein satisfy the independence standards for such committee established by Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the SEC and the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, as applicable. With respect to our compensation committee, our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Santini and Welch and Drs. Akkaraju and Veitinger satisfy the independence standards for such committee established by Rule 10C-1 under the Exchange Act, the SEC and the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, as applicable.

In making such determinations, the board of directors considered the relationships that each such non-employee director or director nominee has with our company and all other facts and circumstances the board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director. In considering the independence of our directors and director nominees, our board of directors considered the association of each such non-employee director and director nominee has with us and all other facts and circumstances our board of directors deemed relevant in determining independence.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Committees ofserve on the Board of Directors and Meetings

Meeting Attendance.  Duringuntil the fiscal year ended 2015 there were nine meetings of our board of directors, and the various committees of the board met a total of 16 times. No director attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings of the board and of committees of the board on which he or she served during fiscal 2015. The board has adopted a policy under which each member of the board is strongly encouraged but not required to attend each annual meeting of our stockholders either in person or via teleconference. Six of our directors, including five of our independent directors, attended our 20152021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders eitheror until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified requires a plurality of the votes cast in person or by teleconference, including our chairman of the boardproxy at the time, Mr. Silverstein.

Our board of directors intends to make new committee designations after our directors commence their new terms in office upon the completion of our annual meeting of stockholders.

Audit Committee.  Our audit committee met six times during fiscal 2015. This committee currently has three members: Messrs.Annual Meeting: Paolo Fundarò (Proposal No. 1A); Mark Pruzanski, M.D. (Proposal No. 1B); Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1C); Luca Benatti, Ph.D. (Proposal No. 1D); Daniel Bradbury (Proposal No. 1E); Keith Gottesdiener, M.D. (Proposal No. 1F); Nancy Miller-Rich (Proposal No. 1G); Gino Santini (Proposal No. 1H); Glenn Sblendorio (Chairman), Santini(Proposal No. 1I); and Silverstein. Our board of directors determined that Mr. Sblendorio is an audit committee financial expert, as defined by the rules of the SEC, and satisfies the financial sophistication requirements of applicable NASDAQ rules. Our board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Sblendorio, Silverstein and Santini is an independent director under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act.

Mr. Silverstein, who will not stand for re-election, will also cease to be a member of our audit committee after our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Our board of directors intends to designate a third member to our audit committee upon the completion of our annual meeting.

Our audit committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the audit committee’s written charter and include the authority to retain and terminate the services of our independent registered public accounting firm. In addition, the audit committee reviews our annual and quarterly financial statements, considers matters relating to accounting policy and internal controls and reviews the scope of annual audits.

Our audit committee is authorized to:

approve and retain the independent auditors to conduct the annual audit of our financial statements;Daniel Welch (Proposal No. 1J).
review the proposed scope and results of the audit;THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR”
THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE NOMINEES SET FORTH ABOVE.
review and pre-approve audit and non-audit fees and services;
13

review accounting and financial controls with the independent auditors and our financial and accounting staff;
review and approve transactions between us and our directors, officers and affiliates;
recognize and prevent prohibited non-audit services;
establish procedures for complaints received by us regarding accounting matters;
oversee internal audit functions, if any; and
prepare the report of the audit committee that the rules of the SEC require to be included in our annual meeting proxy statement.

Please also see the report of the audit committee set forth elsewhere in this proxy statement.

A copy of the audit committee’s written charter is publicly available in the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com.

Compensation Committee.  Our compensation committee met five times during fiscal 2015. This committee currently has four members: Messrs. Santini (Chairman) and Welch and Drs. Akkaraju and Veitinger. All members of the compensation committee qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by The NASDAQ Stock Market and Rule 10C-1 of the Exchange Act.

Dr. Vettinger, who will not stand for re-election, will also cease to be a member of our compensation committee after our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Our compensation committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the compensation committee’s written charter and include:

reviewing and recommending the compensation arrangements for management, including the compensation for our president and chief executive officer;
establishing and reviewing general compensation policies with the objective to attract and retain superior talent, to reward individual performance and to achieve our financial goals;
PROPOSAL NO. 2:

AMENDMENT TO THE COMPANY’S RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
FROM 45,000,000 TO 90,000,000
administering our equity incentive plans; and
preparing the report of the compensation committee that the rules of the SEC require to be included in our annual meeting proxy statement.

In respect of the determination of the compensation of our president and chief executive officer, the compensation committee conducts its decision making process without the president and chief executive officer present.

Our compensation committee makes all compensation decisions regarding our executive officers, after which it makes a recommendation to our full board of directors. Our board of directors then approves the compensation for our executive officers.

During the first calendar quarter of each year, we evaluate each executive’s performance for the prior year. In connection with each annual review cycle, Dr. Pruzanski, our president and chief executive officer, meets with our executive officers to discuss our accomplishments during the year and the individual’s performance and contributions over the prior year. Based on these discussions, Dr. Pruzanski, with respect to each executive other than himself, prepares an evaluation of the executive’s performance. Dr. Pruzanski also prepares his own self-assessment as well as a detailed review of company performance against stated corporate goals. This process leads to a recommendation by Dr. Pruzanski to the compensation committee with respect to each executive officer, including himself, as to:

the achievement of stated corporate and individual performance goals;
the level of contributions made to the general management and guidance of our company;
the need for salary increases;
the amount of bonuses to be paid; and
whether or not stock option and/or other equity awards should be made.

These recommendations are reviewed and taken into account by the compensation committee. The compensation committee makes a recommendation regarding executive compensation to the full board of directors, which then approves the compensation of our executive officers.

In designing our executive compensation program, our compensation committee considers publicly available compensation data for U.S. companies in the biopharmaceutical industry to help guide its executive compensation decisions at the time of hiring and for subsequent adjustments in compensation. Our compensation committee also retained the services of Radford, an independent compensation consultant and a division of Aon Hewitt, which is a subsidiary of Aon plc, to provide it with additional comparative data on executive compensation practices in our industry and to advise it on our executive compensation program generally. For 2015, Radford provided advice and data to the compensation committee on executive and director compensation matters, including the selection of our peer group, comparative market pay levels, equity dilution and annual share utilization practices, incentive plan design and emerging market trends. Pearl Meyer & Partners, or PM&P, an independent compensation consultant, also advised the compensation committee in its evaluation and determination of the cash salary and bonus targets for 2015. Although the compensation committee considers the advice and recommendations of the compensation consultants about our executive compensation program, the compensation committee ultimately makes its own decisions about these matters.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

The compensation committee regularly reviews the services provided by its outside consultants and performs an annual assessment on the independence of its compensation consultants to determine whether the compensation consultant is independent. The compensation committee conducted a specific review of its relationship with each of Radford and PM&P in 2015, and determined that each such advisor is independent in providing Intercept with executive and director compensation consulting services and that each such advisor’s work for the compensation committee did not raise any conflicts of interest, consistent with SEC rules and NASDAQ listing standards.

Our compensation committee will also review and discuss annually with management our “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” disclosure to the extent such disclosure is required by SEC rules.

A copy of the compensation committee’s written charter is publicly available in the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com.

Nominating and Governance Committee.  Our nominating and governance committee met five times during fiscal 2015. This committee currently has three members: Daniel Welch (Chairman), Mr. Silverstein and Dr. Benatti. All members of the nominating and governance committee qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by The NASDAQ Stock Market.

Mr. Silverstein, who will not stand for re-election, will also cease to be a member of our nominating and governance committee after our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Our board of directors intends to designate a third member to our nominating and governance committee upon the completion of our annual meeting.

The nominating and governance committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in the nominating and governance committee’s written charter and include:

evaluating and making recommendations to the full board as to the size and composition of the board and its committees;
identifying and nominating members of the board of directors;
developing and recommending to the board of directors a set of corporate governance principles applicable to our company; and
overseeing the evaluation of our board of directors.

Our nominating and governance committee recommended to the board of directors that Mr. Bradbury and Dr. Gottesdiener join the board and upon such endorsement, the board recommended that Mr. Bradbury and Dr. Gottesdiener be nominated as directors at our 2016 Annual Stockholder Meeting.

If a stockholder wishes to nominate a candidate for director who is not to be included in our proxy statement, it must follow the procedures described in our restated by-laws and in “Stockholder Proposals and Nominations for Director” at the end of this proxy statement.

Under our current corporate governance policies, the nominating and governance committee may consider candidates recommended by stockholders as well as from other sources such as other directors or officers, third party search firms or other appropriate sources. The process followed by our nominating and governance committee to identify and evaluate director candidates includes requests to board members and others for recommendations, meetings from time to time to evaluate biographical information and background material relating to potential candidates and interviews of selected candidates by members of the committee and our board. For all potential candidates, the nominating and governance committee may consider all factors it deems relevant, such as a candidate’s personal integrity and sound judgment, business and professional skills and experience, independence, knowledge of the industry in which we operate, possible conflicts of interest, diversity, the extent to which the candidate would fill a present need on the board, and concern for the long-term interests of the stockholders. In general, persons recommended by stockholders will be considered on the same basis as candidates from other sources. If a stockholder wishes to propose a candidate for consideration as a nominee by the nominating and governance committee under our corporate governance policies, it should submit such recommendation in writing c/o Corporate Secretary, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

A copy of the nominating and governance committee’s written charter is publicly available in the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com.

Research and Development Committee.  Our research and development committee met once during fiscal 2015. This committee currently has three members: Dr. Luca Benatti (Chairman) and Drs. Akkaraju and Veitinger. This committee assists the board of directors in its oversight of our strategic direction and investment in research and development, technology and manufacturing activities. The research and development committee is also responsible for identifying and discussing significant emerging trends and issues in science and technology and considering their potential impact on our company.

Dr. Veitinger, who will not stand for re-election, will also cease to be a member of our research and development committee after our 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Our board of directors intends to designate a third member to our research and development committee upon the completion of our annual meeting of stockholders.

A copy of the research and development committee’s written charter is publicly available in the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com.

Board Diversity

Our nominating and governance committee is responsible for reviewing with the board of directors, on an annual basis, the appropriate characteristics, skills and experience required for the board of directors as a whole and its individual members. In evaluating the suitability of individual candidates (both new candidates and current members), the nominating and corporate governance committee, in recommending candidates for election, and the board of directors, in approving (and, in the case of vacancies, appointing) such candidates, will take into account many factors, including the following:

diversity of personal and professional background, perspective, experience, age, gender, ethnicity and country of citizenship;
personal and professional integrity and ethical values;
experience in one or more fields of business, professional, governmental, scientific or educational endeavors, and a general appreciation of major issues facing public companies similar in scope and size to us;
experience relevant to our industry or with relevant social policy concerns;
relevant academic expertise or other proficiency in an area of our operations;
objective and mature business judgment and expertise; and
any other relevant qualifications, attributes or skills.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of our compensation committee during fiscal 2015 has at any time been an officer or employee of ours. None of our executive officers serves as a member of another entity’s board of directors or compensation committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or compensation committee.

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

The positions of chairman of the board and chief executive officer are presently separated at our company. We believe that separating these positions allows our chief executive officer to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing our chairman of the board to lead the board of directors in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independent oversight of, management. Our board of directors recognizes the time, effort and energy that the chief executive officer is required to devote to his position in the current business environment, as well as the commitment required to serve as our chairman, particularly as the board of directors’ oversight responsibilities continue to grow. Our board of directors also believes that this structure ensures a greater role for the independent directors in the oversight of our company and active participation of the independent directors in setting agendas and establishing priorities and procedures for the


TABLE OF CONTENTS

work of our board of directors. Our board of directors believes its administration of its risk oversight function has not affected its leadership structure.

While our restated by-laws and corporate governance guidelines do not require that our chairman and chief executive officer positions be separate, our board of directors believes that having separate positions is the appropriate leadership structure for us at this time and demonstrates our commitment to good corporate governance.

Risk is inherent with every business, and how well a business manages risk can ultimately determine its success. We face a number of risks, including risks relating to the regulatory approval and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, product candidate development, technological and competitive uncertainty, dependence on collaborative partners and other third parties, uncertainty regarding patents and proprietary rights, comprehensive government regulations and dependence on key personnel, as more fully discussed under Item 1.A. “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K as may be periodically updated in our filings under the Exchange Act. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks we face, while our board of directors, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In its risk oversight role, our board of directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed.

Our board of directors is actively involved in oversight of risks that could affect us. This oversight is conducted primarily through the audit committee of our board of directors, but the full board of directors has retained responsibility for general oversight of risks. Our board of directors satisfies this responsibility through full reports by each committee chair regarding the committee’s considerations and actions, as well as through regular reports directly from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks within our company as our board of directors believes that full and open communication between management and the board of directors is essential for effective risk management and oversight.

Stockholder Communications to the Board

Generally, stockholders who have questions or concerns should contact our Investor Relations department at 646-747-1000. However, any stockholders who wish to address questions regarding our business directly with the board of directors, or any individual director, should direct his or her questions in writing to the chairman of the board or any individual director ATTN: SECURITY HOLDER COMMUNICATION, Board of Directors Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011 or via e-mail at secretary@interceptpharma.com. Communications willis requesting stockholder approval of an amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of our shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, from 45,000,000 to 90,000,000.

The additional shares of common stock that would be distributedauthorized upon approval of the proposed amendment would have rights identical to our currently outstanding shares of common stock. The approval of the proposed amendment and any future issuance of common stock would not affect the rights of the holders of our currently outstanding common stock, except for effects incidental to the board, or to any individual director or directors as appropriate, depending on the facts and circumstances outlinedincrease in the communications. Items that are unrelated to the duties and responsibilities of the board may be excluded, such as:

junk mail and mass mailings;
resumes and other forms of job inquiries;
surveys; or
solicitations or advertisements.

In addition, any material that is unduly hostile, threatening, or illegal in nature may be excluded, provided that any communication that is filtered out will be made available to any outside director upon request.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Officers

The following table sets forth certain information regarding our executive officers who are not also directors.

NameAgePosition(s)
Lisa Bright48Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer
Barbara Duncan51Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.43Chief Business and Strategy Officer
David Shapiro, M.D.61Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Development

Lisa Bright has served as our chief commercial and corporate affairs officer since February 2015. She has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Ms. Bright joined Intercept in November 2014 as senior vice president and head of Europe. Prior to joining Intercept, Ms. Bright worked at Gilead Sciences Ltd. starting in 2008, where she held positions of increasing responsibility, including: general manager United Kingdom & Ireland; vice president, Northern Europe; vice president, head of Sovaldi launch planning for Europe, Asia, Middle East and Australasia; and vice president, government affairs Europe, Middle East and Australasia. Prior to holding these positions, Ms. Bright held a range of senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc, including vice president and managing director of New Zealand and vice president — sales for the United Kingdom. Ms. Bright has a B.Sc. in pharmacology from University College London.

Barbara Duncan has served as our chief financial officer since May 2009 and as our treasurer since 2010. She has over 15 years of experience in the life sciences industry. From 2001 through April 2009, Ms. Duncan served as chief financial officer and then chief executive officer at DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc., or DOV, a biopharmaceutical company focused on central nervous system disorders, which was sold to Euthymics Bioscience, Inc. in 2010. Prior to joining DOV, Ms. Duncan served as a vice president of Lehman Brothers Inc. in its corporate finance division from August 1998 to August 2001, where she provided financial advisory services primarily to companies in the life sciences and general industrial industries. From September 1994 to August 1998, Ms. Duncan was an associate and director at SBC Warburg Dillon Read, Inc. in its corporate finance group, where she focused primarily on structuring mergers, divestitures and financings for companies in the life sciences and general industrial sectors. She also worked for PepsiCo, Inc. from 1989 to 1992 in its international audit division, and was a certified public accountant in the audit division of Deloitte & Touche LLP from 1986 to 1989. Ms. Duncan received her B.S. from Louisiana State University in 1985 and her M.B.A. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, in 1994. She previously served as a director of DOV and currently serves on the board of directors of Edgemont Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company with a primary focus in the field of neuroscience, Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held cancer immunotherapy company, Medgenics, Inc., a public, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases, and Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc, a public, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused cancer immunotherapy products based on its T-cell platform.

Rachel McMinn, Ph.D. has served as our chief business and strategy officer since March 2015. Dr. McMinn joined Intercept as chief strategy officer in 2014. Since 2009 until joining Intercept, she was a managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, working as the lead research analyst covering the biotechnology industry. Previously, Dr. McMinn worked at Cowen and Company as a lead biotechnology analyst and started her career as a biotechnology analyst at Piper Jaffray & Co. She graduatedmagna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from Cornell University, earned a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology and chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute, and was awarded a post-doctoral Miller fellowship at the University of California, at Berkeley.

David Shapiro, M.D. has served as our chief medical officer and executive vice president, development since 2008. He has over 25 years of clinical development experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Shapiro founded a consulting company, Integrated Quality Resources, that focused on development stage biopharmaceutical companies and was active in this role from 2005 to 2008. From 2000 to 2005, Dr. Shapiro was executive vice president, medical affairs and chief medical officer of Idun Pharmaceuticals, Inc., prior to its acquisition by Pfizer. From 1995 to 1998, he was president of the Scripps Medical Research Center at Scripps Clinic. He also served as vice president, clinical research at Gensia and as director and group leader,


TABLE OF CONTENTS

hypertension clinical research at Merck Research Laboratories from 1985 to 1990. Dr. Shapiro has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and organized and chaired several conferences aimed at improving product development. He received his medical degree from Dundee University & Medical School, and undertook his postgraduate medical training in the university affiliated hospitals in Oxford, United Kingdom and the University of Vermont. Dr. Shapiro served on the board of directors of Altair Therapeutics and served for two terms on the Executive Committee of the Board of the American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians. He is an elected Fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians of London and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Physicians of the United Kingdom.

There are no family relationships between or among any of our executive officers. The principal occupation and employment during the past five years of each of our executive officers was carried on, in each case except as specifically identified above, with a corporation or organization that is not a parent, subsidiary or other affiliate of us. There is no arrangement or understanding between any of our executive officers and any other person or persons pursuant to which he was or is to be selected as an executive officer.

There are no legal proceedings to which any of our executive officers is a party adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or in which any such person has a material interest adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Executive Summary

Overview

This section discusses the principles underlying our policies and decisions with respect to the compensation of our executive officers and the most important factors relevant to an analysis of these policies and decisions. This section also describes the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to each of our named executive officers for 2015. In addition, this section provides qualitative information regarding the manner and context in which compensation is awarded to and earned by our executive officers and is intended to place in perspective the data presented in the tables and narrative that follow. Our “named executive officers” for the year ended December 31, 2015 were as follows:

NameTitle
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.Chief Executive Officer and President
David Shapiro, M.D.Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Development
Barbara DuncanChief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.Chief Business and Strategy Officer
Lisa BrightChief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer(1)
Daniel ReganChief Commercial Officer(2)

(1)Ms. Bright joined us in November 2014 as our Head of Europe and was named our Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer in February 2015.
(2)Mr. Regan ceased to be employed with us in March 2015.

2015 Performance Highlights

In 2015, we successfully achieved multiple important corporate and product development milestones that we believe contributed to enhancing stockholder value. Success in achieving these milestones enabled us to continue to develop obeticholic acid, or OCA, for both primary biliary cirrhosis, recently renamed primary biliary cholangitis, or PBC, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH, and, subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals, prepare for the planned commercial launch of OCA for PBC. In particular:

OcalivaTM (OCA) Program in PBC:  We completed the submission of our applications in the United States and Europe for marketing approval of Ocaliva for patients with PBC inadequately treated by, or intolerant of, standard first-line treatment ursodiol.
ºUnited States:  In June 2015, we completed our filings for marketing approval of Ocaliva for PBC in the United States under the FDA’s accelerated approval pathway. In August 2015, the FDA accepted for review our New Drug Application, or NDA, and granted Priority Review for Ocaliva for the treatment of PBC. On April 7, 2016, the FDA’s Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously (17 to 0) to recommend accelerated approval of Ocaliva for the treatment of patients with PBC. On May 27, 2016, the FDA granted accelerated approval of Ocaliva for PBC in combination with ursodiol, in adults with an inadequate response to UDCA or as monotherapy in adults unable to tolerate ursodiol. Ocaliva is expected to be available to PBC patients in the United States within 7 to 10 days from approval and will be distributed through a specialty pharmacy network.
ºEurope:  In June 2015, we also received notice of the acceptance of the Marketing Authorization Application, or MAA, for review by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for use of Ocaliva for PBC. The EMA review process is ongoing. If we are successful in the EMA review process, we anticipate receiving marketing approval in late 2016, with planned commercial launches in certain European countries in 2017. The brand name Ocaliva has been provisionally approved by the EMA for OCA in PBC, but Ocaliva has not been granted marketing authorization or approval by the EMA.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OCA Program in NASH:  We initiated our Phase 3 clinical trial, known as REGENERATE, in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis. We also initiated a phase 2 clinical trial, known as the CONTROL trial, which will evaluate the effects of OCA in combination with statin therapy on lipid metabolism in patients with NASH.
Other OCA Programs:  We initiated a phase 2 clinical trial, known as the AESOP trial, to evaluate the effects of varying doses of OCA in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, or PSC. We also initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial, referred to as the CARE trial, in pediatric patients with biliary atresia.
Pipeline Development:  In November 2015, we initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of our second product candidate to enter clinical development, called INT-767, a dual FXR and TGR5 agonist, in healthy volunteers.
Structure for Success:  We substantially completed the build out of our U.S. commercial infrastructure with the hiring of a number of senior leaders in the U.S. commercial organization throughout 2015, along with the hiring of the U.S. territory business managers and other field personnel in October 2015. We also significantly expanded our commercial and other infrastructure internationally in 2015. Furthermore, we have devoted significant resources to building a global medical affairs team over the course of 2015 to support appropriate disease state, medical and scientific interactions with the healthcare and scientific community. We plan on making additional investments over 2016 should key regulatory milestones be achieved on a timely basis. We also believe that we have procured sufficient quantities of bulk commercial supply to initiate our commercial launch for Ocaliva for PBC, starting with the United States in 2016. We ended fiscal 2015 with a strong financial position to support our planned commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC and our development programs with approximately $628.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investment securities.

Executive Compensation Philosophy

The primary objective of our executive compensation policy is to attract, retain and motivate the key executives necessary for our short-term and long-term success. We seek to tie short-term and long-term compensation to employee performance, including the achievement of measurable corporate objectives, and to align executives’ incentives with stockholder value. The compensation committee approves compensation based on certain compensation philosophies, including the following:

Pay-for-performance.  Executive compensation should reward achievement of corporate objectives and provide strong alignment with increasing value for shareholders. Our incentive plans deliver greater rewards when corporate and individual performance exceeds objectives, while providing lower compensation levels if performance expectations are not met.
Attract, retain and motivate.  The executive compensation program should be a differentiator that helps Intercept attract, retain and motivate highly-talented individuals with the necessary skills and demonstrated abilities to deliver superior execution of our short- and long-term strategic plans and drive our continued success.
Competitive with peer group.  Executive compensation should be competitive with compensation paid by market peers who compete with us for talent.
Balanced combination of compensation elements.  The executive compensation program should include a balance of cash and equity incentives that reward short- and long-term performance. Our cash compensation provides alignment with the achievement of critical annual objectives, while equity-based compensation aligns the interests of our executive officers more closely with our stockholders.
Aligned with our corporate culture.  The compensation principles for our executive leadership team should be aligned with those for all employees to help create a company-wide performance culture.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Components of Our Executive Compensation Program

The primary elements of our executive compensation program are:

base salary;
annual target-based cash bonuses;
equity incentive awards; and
broad-based health and welfare benefits.

The compensation committee believes that a significant amount of executive compensation should be in the form of “at risk” incentives and that the pay mix should be strongly weighted toward equity incentive awards in order to provide alignment with long-term shareholder value. However, we do not have a formal or informal policy for a pre-set allocation between long-term and short-term compensation, between cash and non-cash compensation or among different forms of non-cash compensation. Instead, our compensation committee, after reviewing information provided by our compensation consultant and other relevant data, determines what it believes to be the appropriate level and mix of the various compensation components. We generally strive to provide our named executive officers with a balance of short-term and long-term incentives to encourage consistently strong performance. Ultimately, the objective in allocating between long-term and currently paid compensation is to ensure adequate base compensation to attract and retain personnel, while providing incentives to maximize long-term value for Intercept and our stockholders. Therefore, we provide base salaries that meet competitive salary norms and recognize individual performance on an annual basis. We provide an opportunity to earn annual target-based cash bonuses to incentivize and reward superior short-term performance. To further focus our executives on longer-term performance and the creation of stockholder value, we rely upon equity-based awards that vest over a meaningful period of time. In addition, we provide our executives with benefits that are generally available to our salaried employees.

Base salary

We use base salaries to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge and responsibilities of our employees, including our executive officers. Base salaries for our named executive officers typically are established through an arm’s-length negotiation at the time the executive is hired, taking into account the position for which the executive is being considered and the executive’s qualifications, prior experience and prior salary. None of our executive officers is currently party to an employment agreement that provides for automatic or scheduled increases in base salary. However, on an annual basis, our compensation committee reviews and evaluates, with input from our chief executive officer, the need for adjustment of the base salaries of our executives based on changes and expected changes in the scope of an executive’s responsibilities. The compensation committee also considers promotions, the individual contributions made by and performance of the executive during the prior fiscal year, the executive’s performance over a period of years, overall economic and labor market conditions, the relative ease or difficulty of replacing the executive with a well-qualified person, our overall growth and development as a company, general salary trends in our industry and among our peer group and where the executive’s salary falls in the salary range presented by that data. For more information regarding our peer group, see “Our Compensation Process — Market Benchmarking and Peer Group.” In making decisions regarding salary increases, we may also draw upon the experience of members of our board of directors with other companies. We do not provide for any formulaic base salary increases for our named executive officers.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

For 2015, the compensation committee recommended annual base salaries for each of our named executive officers based on their overall individual performance in 2014, their increased level of experience and to ensure that their salaries remained competitive with those of similarly-situated executives in our peer group. For 2015, the annual base salary for each of our named executive officers was increased from his or her 2014 annual base salary as follows:

   
Executive 2014
Salary
 2015
Salary
 %
Increase
Dr. Mark Pruzanski $550,000  $600,000   9.09
Dr. David Shapiro $420,000  $460,000   9.52
Barbara Duncan $385,000  $415,000   7.79
Dr. Rachel McMinn $355,000  $390,000   9.86
Lisa Bright    $396,000    
Daniel Regan $360,000  $360,000    

The change to the base salary of each named executive officer was effective as of January 1, 2015. Mr. Regan left the service of our company in March 2015. His prorated salary for 2015 was $80,539 through his last day of employment. In 2015, Mr. Regan also received other compensation in connection with his separation in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement. Mr. Regan’s employment agreement is described in “— Other Named Executive Officers” under the discussion of “Employment Agreements.” Ms. Bright’s 2014 salary and percentage increase are not listed in the table above because she did not become an executive officer until February 2015.

Please refer to “— Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2016” for a listing of the annual base salaries of each of our named executive officers for 2016.

Annual target-based cash bonuses

As part of our pay-for-performance philosophy, our annual target-based cash bonus program is designed to reward our named executive officers for the achievement of specified annual corporate objectives. At the beginning of each year, the bonus opportunity for each executive officer is established as a target percentage of his or her base salary. The actual annual cash bonus amounts payable to our executive officers are determined after year end based on the compensation committee’s evaluation of performance against the corporate objectives and, in the case of our named executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski, individual performance levels. Individual performance of the executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski is determined by the compensation committee after considering the overall performance of the individual executive and taking into account the recommendations of the chief executive officer. The overall assessment by our compensation committee is based on the evaluation of objective metrics, such as the successful achievement of the applicable goal and the weightings ascribed to such goal, which is then adjusted to reflect other factors that may be pertinent to the performance of the company and the individual executive officer.

The annual corporate objectives include achievement of specific clinical, regulatory, commercial and precommercial, operational and/or financial milestones, with a focus on regulatory achievements, commercial and precommercial preparedness, the advancement of our product candidates in clinical development, the pursuit of various internal initiatives and ensuring adequate funding for our growth. The corporate objectives are proposed by senior management each year and reviewed and approved by our compensation committee and board of directors in the beginning of our fiscal year, with such modifications as the compensation committee and board of directors deem appropriate. The corporate objectives are designed to require significant effort and operational success on the part of our executives and Intercept, but also to be achievable with hard work and dedication.

Our compensation committee believes that a bonus program based on the evaluation of multiple corporate objectives and individual performance is best-suited for a biopharmaceutical company at our stage of development due to the uncertainties inherent in development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new drug treatments. Our compensation committee also considers the practices of our peer group and overall industry practices as part of its review of our bonus program. In order to better align bonus payouts with performance, the compensation committee may take additional significant corporate achievements into account for the current year’s bonus calculation that were not contemplated at the time the current year corporate


TABLE OF CONTENTS

objectives were determined. Our compensation committee also has the authority to shift corporate objectives to subsequent fiscal years and to eliminate them for the current year’s bonus calculation if it determines that underachievement of a goal was primarily caused by circumstances that were beyond the executive’s control or if it determines that the business priorities for the year had shifted.

Each of our compensation committee and our board of directors has authority, in its sole discretion, to review and approve management’s evaluation of how our company performed against its corporate objectives and the recommended bonus payout levels. This authority includes the ability to rate the accomplishment of particular objectives at greater than 100% of target based on exceptional company performance. In any year, our executives can achieve up to 125% of target after factoring all potential performance achievements deemed by our compensation committee and our board of directors as exceeding applicable objectives and goals.

The target annual cash bonus for each executive officer is set by the compensation committee as a percentage of each executive officer’s base salary. The target percentages approved by our compensation committee were based on an evaluation of peer group data, as well as consideration of the level of qualification and experience of each executive at Intercept as well as internal pay comparisons.

2015 Bonuses

For 2015, our annual corporate objectives were as follows:

Preparing for the Commercialization of Ocaliva for PBC:
Acceptance of the NDA in the United States and the MAA in Europe;
Preparation of a company-wide plan for the commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC upon the receipt of marketing authorization in the United States and Europe; and
Obtain sufficient commercial supply of our product for the commercial launches of Ocaliva for PBC.
Advance NASH Program:
Obtain breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA;
Reach a consensus on NASH registration program resulting in the initiation of our Phase 3 REGENERATE trial in non-cirrhotic NASH patients with liver fibrosis; and
Certain clinical development milestones for our NASH program.
Advance Product Pipeline:
Initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial for INT-767;
Certain clinical development milestones for our programs for OCA in indications other than PBC and NASH; and
Prepare a comprehensive development plan to advance our product pipeline.
Build Corporate Infrastructure:
Secure and retain key talent in light of our planned commercial and development activities in the United States and internationally; and
Maintain a strong financial position to support our commercial launch of Ocaliva for PBC and our development programs.

In January 2016, our compensation committee considered the performance of our company in light of the above goals, together with other information available to it, and determined that we achieved our 2015 corporate objectives at a level of 100%.

Our compensation committee did not set any specific individual performance targets for the payment of cash bonuses to our named executive officers in 2015. Instead, the compensation committee reviewed our company performance against our 2015 corporate objectives and also evaluated the individual performance of each named executive officer. Dr. Pruzanski’s bonus is determined solely based on the achievement of corporate goals, whereas the bonus for our other named executive officers is based on both our corporate goals and individual performance.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

The 2015 target and actual bonuses for each named executive officer were:

  
Executive Target Bonus
as % of
Base Salary
 Actual Bonus
as % of
Target
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.  70  100
David Shapiro, M.D.  40  100
Barbara Duncan  40  100
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.  40  100
Lisa Bright  40  100
Daniel Regan*      

*Mr. Regan left the service of our Company in March 2015 and therefore did not receive a 2015 bonus.

Equity incentive awards

Our equity award program is the primary vehicle for offering long-term incentives to our executives. We believe that equity awards provide our executives with a strong link to our long-term performance, create an ownership culture and help to align the long-term interests of our executives and our stockholders. In addition, we believe that equity awards with a time-based or performance-based vesting feature promote executive retention because this feature incentivizes our executive officers to remain in our employment during the vesting period.

To date, we have used equity awards both to compensate our executive officers in the form of new hire grants at their commencement of employment, and to provide ongoing long-term incentives to our named executive officers as our business has developed. We also generally plan to grant equity awards on at least an annual basis to all of our executive officers. Typically, stock options and shares of restricted stock granted to our executive officers vest over a period of four years, subject to continued employment. Subject to the terms of each executive officer’s employment agreement as described below, vesting ceases upon termination of employment, and stock option exercise rights cease shortly after termination of employment. The exercise price for any Intercept stock option is set at no less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant as determined by reference to the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant.

Annual equity awards

In determining the size of the annual equity awards granted to our named executive officers, our compensation committee considers recommendations developed by our compensation consultant, including information regarding comparative stock ownership of, and equity awards received by, the executives in our peer group and our industry. In addition, our compensation committee considers each executive’s individual performance, the extent to which such executive has vested previous equity awards, as well as our overall corporate performance and the potential for enhancing the long-term creation of value for our stockholders.

Equity awards to our named executive officers are typically granted annually in conjunction with the review of their individual performance and Intercept’s overall performance for the previous year. This review typically occurs at meetings of the compensation committee held during the first quarter of each year, though the equity awards in 2015 were granted in October 2015. This allows the compensation committee to receive audited financial statements of the previous year before making award determinations.

In making annual equity awards for 2015, our compensation committee considered, among other things, the value of the annual equity awards received by executives in our peer group and our industry, the value of the annual equity awards as a percentage of company value and the size of the annual equity awards as a percentage of our company’s outstanding stock, dilution to existing stockholders and the retention value in the outstanding equity program based on the value of outstanding unvested awards, all of which were considered in light of individual and company performance for the previous year, 2014. Based on the recommendation of our chief executive officer, and in consideration of our company’s performance and the market performance of our common stock, our compensation committee determined that it would be appropriate to grant equity awards targeting the 50th percentile range of our peer group and industry, in contrast to a target between the 50th and 75th percentile used for grants made in 2014. To promote our


TABLE OF CONTENTS

pay-for-performance philosophy, individual equity awards were positioned higher or lower within the peer group range based on the individual performance of each named executive officer.

We believe that a mix of compensation components incentivizes consistently strong performance. In 2015, the compensation committee granted equity incentives in a mix of stock options and restricted stock. Our approach reflects what we believe is an appropriate equity mix, providing executives with exposure to downside stock-price risk through stock options while addressing the historically high volatility of our common stock through the restricted stock award component. This approach also helps manage overall dilution levels and the remaining equity pool available under our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, or 2012 Plan, in light of our significant recent growth and continued expansion in company-wide headcount. We expect these two types of equity incentives to be part of the compensation mix on an annual basis.

2015 Equity Awards

In October 2015, as part of our annual grant process, our compensation committee approved the grant of certain time-based options to purchase shares of our common stock and shares of restricted stock to our named executive officers. Eachoutstanding, such as dilution of the time-based stock option awards and shares of restricted stock vested with respect to 25% of the shares on January 1, 2016, and vest with respect to the remaining shares in approximately equal monthly installments for the stock options and quarterly installments for the restricted stock through January 1, 2019. The time-based stock option awards have an exercise price of $161.16 per share operating results and the last reported sale pricevoting rights of current holders of our common stock onstock. If the NASDAQ Global Select Market onamendment is approved, it will become effective upon the datefiling of grant.

  
Name Time-Based Awards
(# of Shares)
 Options Restricted
Stock
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.  32,550   15,100 
David Shapiro, M.D.  13,100   5,150 
Barbara Duncan  10,600   4,050 
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.  10,600   4,050 
Lisa Bright  13,450   5,200 

New hire equity awards

We grantan amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation (in the form of a new hire equity award in connectionCertificate of Amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation) with the commencementSecretary of an executive’s employment as appropriate and necessary to recruit talent, consistent with industry practice. The size of each new hire award is established through arm’s-length negotiation at the time the executive is hired, taking into account the position for which the executive is being considered and the executive’s qualifications, prior experience and compensation including forfeited equity awards, as well as external factors such as competitive market demand. Typically, the time-based stock options and restricted stock we grant to our newly-hired executive officers vest over a period of four years. In each case, subject to the terms of each executive officer’s employment agreement as described below, vesting ceases upon termination of employment, and stock option exercise rights cease shortly after termination of employment.

Benefits and other compensation

We believe that establishing competitive benefit packages for our employees is an important factor in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel. We maintain broad-based benefits that are provided to all employees, including medical, dental, group life insurance and long- and short-term disability insurance. For our U.S.-based executives, we also provide a 401(k) plan. Under our 401(k) plan, we are permitted to make discretionary contributions and matching contributions, subject to established limits and a vesting schedule. Since 2015, we have matched an employee’s contributions to the 401(k) plan up to the first five percentState of the employee’s salary. We provide pension, insurance and other benefits to executives located outside the United States in line with those provided to similar executives in their respective countries. AllState of our executives are eligible to participate in allDelaware.

As of our employee benefit plans available in their respective countries, in each case on the same basis as other employees. The compensation committee in its discretion may revise, amend or add to the named executive officer’s benefits and perquisites if it deems it advisable.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

In particular circumstances,April 6, 2020, we may agree to reimburse an executive officer for certain expenses, such as commuting or travel expenses, as an additional incentive to join Intercept in a position where there is high market demand. Whether such expenses are covered and the amount of the reimbursement is determined on a case-by-case basis under the specific hiring circumstances. In 2015, we reimbursed Ms. Bright for her commuting costs, which reimbursement is capped at a maximum of £1,080 per month (approximately $1,579), plus gross ups on the applicable tax amounts. Ms. Bright and Dr. Shapiro also received a car allowance in 2015. See “— Summary Compensation Table.”

Severance and change in control benefits

Pursuant to employment agreements or arrangements we have entered into with our executive officers, our executive officers are entitled to specified benefits in the event of the termination of their employment under specified circumstances, including termination following a change in control of Intercept. Please refer to “— Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table” for a more detailed discussion of these benefits. We have provided estimates of the value of the severance payments and other benefits that would have been made or provided to executive officers under various termination circumstances under the caption “— Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

We believe that providing these benefits helps us compete for executive talent. After reviewing the practices of companies represented our peer group, we believe that our severance and change in control benefits are generally in line with severance packages offered to executives of the companies in our peer group.

We have structured our change in control benefits as “double trigger” benefits. In other words, the change in control does not itself trigger benefits. Rather, benefits are paid only if the employment of the executive officer is terminated during a specified period after the change in control. We believe that a “double trigger” benefit is protective of stockholder value because it prevents an unintended windfall to executive officers in the event of a friendly change in control, while still providing them appropriate incentives to cooperate in negotiating any change in control in which they believe they may lose their jobs.

Our Compensation Process

The Role of the Compensation Committee

Our compensation committee oversees our policies governing the compensation of our executive officers. In this role, the compensation committee reviews and approves and recommends for approval to our full board of directors (other than our chief executive officer) all compensation decisions relating to our named executive officers. Our compensation committee consists of four members of our board of directors, each of whom has extensive experience in our industry and is an independent director under applicable NASDAQ and SEC rules. The compensation committee uses its judgment and experience to develop and make executive compensation recommendations to our full board of directors for approval, including its recommendation regarding our chief executive officer’s compensation package. In doing so, the compensation committee meets with our independent compensation consultant, in executive session, without our chief executive officer or any other member of management present. The board of directors has full discretion to approve or modify the recommendations of the compensation committee. The compensation committee periodically evaluates the need for revisions to our executive compensation program to ensure our program is competitive with the companies with which we compete for executive talent.

Management’s Involvement in the Executive Compensation Process

A small number of executives, including our chief executive officer, our senior vice president of human resources and our senior vice president of legal affairs, participate in general sessions of our compensation committee. Management does not participate in executive sessions of our compensation committee. At the request of the compensation committee, our chief executive officer provides input and recommendations to the compensation committee on salary adjustments, annual target-based cash bonus amounts and appropriate equity incentive compensation levels. In formulating these recommendations, our chief executive officer may consider data obtained from third-party sources, including data provided by a compensation consultant other than the compensation consultant retained by the compensation committee. Any data provided by separate compensation consultants used by management is either not customized specifically for Intercept or is


TABLE OF CONTENTS

customized based on parameters that are not developed by such compensation consultant and about which such compensation consultant does not provide advice.

Use of Independent Compensation Consultants by the Compensation Committee

In designing our executive compensation program, our compensation committee considers publicly available compensation data for U.S. companies in the biopharmaceutical industry to help guide its executive compensation decisions at the time of hiring and for subsequent adjustments in compensation. Our compensation committee also retained the services of Radford, an independent compensation consultant and a division of Aon Hewitt, which is a subsidiary of Aon plc, to provide it with additional comparative data on executive compensation practices in our industry and to advise it on our executive compensation program generally. For 2015, Radford provided advice and data to the compensation committee on executive and director compensation matters, including the selection of our peer group, comparative market pay levels, equity dilution and annual share utilization practices, incentive plan design and emerging market trends. Pearl Meyer & Partners, or PM&P, an independent compensation consultant, also advised the compensation committee in its evaluation and determination of the cash salary and bonus targets for 2015. Although the compensation committee considers the advice and recommendations of the compensation consultants about our executive compensation program, the compensation committee ultimately makes its own decisions about these matters.

The compensation committee regularly reviews the services provided by its outside consultants and performs an annual assessment on the independence of its compensation consultants to determine whether the compensation consultant is independent. The compensation committee conducted a specific review of its relationship with each of Radford and PM&P in 2015, and determined that each such advisor is independent in providing Intercept with executive and director compensation consulting services and that each such advisor’s work for the compensation committee did not raise any conflicts of interest, consistent with SEC rules and NASDAQ listing standards.

Market Benchmarking and Peer Group

Our compensation committee references a peer group of publicly traded companies in the biopharmaceutical industry for purposes of gathering data to compare with our existing executive compensation levels and practices and as context for future compensation decisions. The compensation committee periodically reviews and updates the compensation peer group, as appropriate, to include companies that the compensation committee believes are competitors for executive talent and that are similar to us in stage of development, market capitalization and number of employees. The compensation committee may consider peer group and other industry compensation data and the recommendations of our compensation consultant when making decisions related to executive compensation, ultimately giving consideration to the competitiveness of our compensation program, internal perceptions of equity and individual performance. The compensation committee also considered peer companies identified by proxy advisory firms in the prior year’s proxy cycle.

The companies included in our peer group for 2015 were: ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Clovis Oncology, Inc., Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ophthotech Corporation, Pharmacyclics, Inc., PTC Therapeutics, Inc., Puma Biotechnology, Inc., Receptos, Inc., Relypsa, Inc., Seattle Genetics Inc., Synageva BioPharma Corp. and Tesaro, Inc.

Annual Compensation Review Process

At the end of each calendar year, the compensation committee considers each executive’s performance for the completed year. This process includes the review of recommendations by our chief executive officer to the compensation committee with respect to each executive officer (other than himself) as to:

the achievement of stated corporate performance objectives;
the level of contributions made to the general management and guidance of Intercept; and
the amount of any salary increases, cash bonus payouts and new equity awards.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The compensation committee takes into consideration these recommendations and other relevant performance and competitive market factors when it makes its determination on executive compensation matters.

Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2016

In February 2016, in order to provide each of our named executive officers with base salaries that are competitive with our publicly traded peer companies, the annual base salaries of our named executive officers were increased as follows, effective January 1, 2016: for Dr. Pruzanski, to $620,000; for Dr. Shapiro, to $475,000; for Ms. Duncan, to $430,000; for Ms. Bright to $430,000 and for Dr. McMinn, to $420,000. In addition, in February 2016, our board of directors approved bonus targets for our named executive officers for 2016 as follows: for Dr. Pruzanski, 70%; for Dr. Shapiro, 50%; for Ms. Duncan, 50%; for Ms. Bright, 50%; and for Ms. McMinn, 50%.

In February 2016, upon the recommendation of the compensation committee of the board of directors, equity grants were made to our named executive officers as follows: for Dr. Pruzanski, stock options to purchase 30,500had 32,943,079 shares of common stock outstanding and 23,300 sharesour Board of restricted stock; for Dr. Shapiro, stock options to purchase 10,200Directors had reserved 3,388,031 shares of common stock and 7,800 shares of restricted stock; for Ms. Duncan, stock options to purchase 8,100 shares of common stock and 6,200 shares of restricted stock; for Ms. Bright, stock options to purchase 10,200 shares of common stock and 7,800 shares of restricted stock; and for Dr. McMinn, stock options to purchase 8,800 shares of common stock and 6,700 shares of restricted stock. The exercise price for the options awarded to our executive officers is $95.74 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on the date of the grant.

Compensation Committee Report

The compensation committee of the board of directors of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with Intercept’s management. Based on such review and discussions, the compensation committee recommended to the board of directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.

By the compensation committee of the board of directors of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Gino Santini
Srini Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.
Klaus Veitinger, M.D., Ph.D.
Daniel Welch

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to our named executive officers during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

        
        
Name and Principal Position Year Salary
($)
 Bonus(1)
($)
 Stock
Awards(2)
($)
 Option
Awards(3)(4)
($)
 Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
 All Other
Compensation
($)
 Total
($)
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer and President
  2015   600,000   420,000   2,308,606   2,867,210      4,627(5)   6,200,443 
  2014   537,500   327,250   1,249,981   1,108,935      4,444(5)   3,228,110 
  2013   459,000   475,000(6)   245,630   2,073,500      4,200(5)   3,257,330 
David Shapiro, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Development
  2015   460,000   184,000   787,371   1,153,900      29,877(7)   2,615,148 
  2014   409,250   165,900   400,079   354,945      15,052(7)   1,345,226 
  2013   377,000   249,500(10)   95,700   717,750      14,874(7)   1,454,824 
                                        
Barbara Duncan
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
  2015   415,000   166,000   619,196   933,680      21,168(8)   2,155,044 
  2014   372,500   148,125   400,079   354,945      8,527(8)   1,284,176 
  2013   331,000   225,875(11)   95,700   717,750      8,013(8)   1,378,338 
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D.
Chief Strategy and Business Officer
  2015   390,000   156,000(12)   619,196   933,713      16,508(9)   2,115,417 
  2014   236,667   130,169(12)   1,300,263(13)   1,166,901      2,560(9)   2,836,560 
                                        
Lisa Bright(14)
Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer
  2015   396,000(14)   158,400   795,016   1,184,830      140,421(15)   2,674,667 
                                        
Daniel Regan(16)
Former Chief Commercial Officer
  2015   350,538(17)               41,962(18)   392,500 
  2014   372,500   129,600   375,074   332,701      21,720(19)   1,231,595 
  2013   277,083   167,708(20)      3,980,227      36,147(19)   4,461,165 

(1)For 2015 and 2014, our named executive officers were granted a target-based bonus. For 2013, Drs. Pruzanski and Shapiro and Ms. Duncan were granted both a target-based bonus and a special bonus for performance. The target-based bonuses were based on a target percentage of each named executive officer’s base salary for the fiscal year and then adjusted based on pre-determined corporate goals as well as on a subjective evaluation of individual performance, except for our chief executive officer whose annual bonus was determined solely based on attainment of our company objectives. In 2015, the target-based bonus was based on the achievement of 100% of corporate goals, in the case of Dr. Pruzanski, and 100% of corporate goals and individual performance, in the case of our other named executive officers. In 2014, the target-based bonus was based on the achievement of 90% of corporate goals, in the case of Dr. Pruzanski, 90% of corporate goals and individual performance, in the case of Mr. Regan, and 98.75% of corporate goals and individual performance, in the case of our other named executive officers (prorated for Dr. McMinn). In 2013, the target-based bonus was based on the achievement of 150% of corporate goals, in the case of Dr. Pruzanski, and 150% of corporate goals and individual performance, in the case of Dr. Shapiro, Ms. Duncan and Mr. Regan (prorated for Mr. Regan).
(2)The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of restricted stock units or restricted stock awards granted to the named executive officer computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 12 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2016 for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that will be recognized by the named executive officers.
(3)The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of stock options granted to the named executive officer in the applicable fiscal year computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 12 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2016 for a discussion of the assumptions used in determining the grant date fair values of equity awards. These amounts do not correspond to the actual value that will be recognized by the named executive officers.
(4)In 2014, our executive officers were granted performance vesting options to purchase our common stock. The value of the awards on the date of grant assuming the achievement of the highest level of

TABLE OF CONTENTS

performance conditions were as follows: Mark Pruzanski ($5,046,700); David Shapiro ($1,816,777); Barbara Duncan ($1,463,545); Daniel Regan ($1,413,146); and Rachel McMinn ($1,412,806). The value of these options is determined as described in footnote 3 above.
(5)Amounts reflect payments made for health insurance coverage of Dr. Pruzanski and his family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees.
(6)For fiscal 2013, Dr. Pruzanski was awarded a target-based bonus of $375,000 and a special bonus of $100,000.
(7)Amounts reflect a monthly car allowance of $1,000 paid to Dr. Shapiro under the terms of his employment agreement, described below, and the payments of $4,627, $3,051 and $2,874 made in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, for health insurance coverage of Dr. Shapiro and his family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees. Also reflects a payment of $13,250 in 2015 for employer matched 401(k) contributions.
(8)Amounts reflect payments of $7,918, $8,527 and $8,013 made in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, for health insurance coverage of Ms. Duncan and her family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees. Also reflects a payment of $13,250 in 2015 for employer matched 401(k) contributions.
(9)Amounts reflect payments of $3,258 and $2,560 made in 2015 and 2014, respectively, for health insurance coverage of Dr. McMinn and her family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees. Also reflects a payment of $13,250 in 2015 for employer matched 401(k) contributions.
(10)For fiscal 2013, Dr. Shapiro was awarded a target-based bonus of $199,500 and a special bonus of $50,000.
(11)For fiscal 2013, Ms. Duncan was awarded a target-based bonus of $175,875 and a special bonus of $50,000.
(12)Dr. McMinn commenced her employment with us in April 2014. Dr. McMinn was awarded a signing bonus of $50,000, of which $25,000 was paid in May 2014 and the remainder was paid in May 2015.
(13)Dr. McMinn’s equity grants for 2014 reflect the larger amounts awarded for initial new-hire grants.
(14)Ms. Bright joined Intercept on November 2014 as the head of Europe. She became an executive officer of our company when she was promoted to the position of Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer in February 2015. Ms. Bright’s compensation for 2014 is not provided in the table because she was not an executive officer for the 2014 period. Ms. Bright’s cash compensation is paid in the British Pound equivalent of the approved U.S. Dollar amount.
(15)Amounts reflect the following payments: monthly car allowance of $1,725 paid to Ms. Bright under the terms of her employment agreement; employer paid pension compensation of $73,556; supplemental health coverage of $27,217; and monthly commuting costs of $1,579. See “— Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table” for more information relating to additional compensation made to Ms. Bright.
(16)Mr. Regan departed from the service of our company in March 2015.
(17)Mr. Regan’s prorated annual base salary for 2015 was $80,539 through his last day of employment. Mr. Regan also received other compensation of $269,999 in connection with his separation in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement as described below. See “— Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table.”
(18)Reflects reimbursement of $9,000 made in 2015 for Mr. Regan’s apartment rent; $7,918 for health insurance coverage of Mr. Regan and his family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees; $14,538 for accrued paid time off and $10,507 in 2015 for employer matched 401(k) contributions.
(19)Reflects payments of $13,194 and $29,427 made in 2014 and 2013, respectively, for Mr. Regan’s commuting costs. Also reflects the payments of $8,526 and $6,720 made in 2014 and 2013, respectively, for health insurance coverage of Mr. Regan and his family members, above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of our employees.
(20)For fiscal 2013, Mr. Regan was awarded a target-based bonus of $167,708, after giving effect to the proration applied to reflect the commencement of his employment with us in March 2013. Mr. Regan was not awarded a special bonus for 2013.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table

Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers

Mark Pruzanski, M.D. Dr. Pruzanski’s employment agreement provides for an initial term of one year with automatic renewal each year thereafter unless terminated by either us or Dr. Pruzanski. Dr. Pruzanski’s base salary, effective as of January 1, 2016, was set at $620,000 per year, subject to annual review and increase (but not decrease), as determined by our board of directors or the compensation committee. Dr. Pruzanski is also eligible to receive an annual bonus payment of up to 70% of his annual base salary, based on achievement of certain performance milestones identified by our board of directors in consultation with Dr. Pruzanski. During 2015 and 2014, Dr. Pruzanski’s base salaries were $600,000 and $550,000, respectively. Dr. Pruzanski’s 2015 salary was effective on January 1, 2015 and his 2014 salary was effective on April 1, 2014.

Dr. Pruzanski is also eligible to participate in our group benefits programs, including but not limited to medical, disability and life insurance, vacation and retirement plans, and a 401(k) plan sponsored by us. We initiated a 401(k) matching program for all of our employees in the United States, including our named executive officers, in 2015. We have agreed to pay 100% of the health insurance premiums of Dr. Pruzanski and his spouse and other dependents and an annual life insurance premium of $10,000. During 2015, 2014 and 2013, although we paid the premium for Dr. Pruzanski’s participation in our group life insurance policy, which is available generally to all employees, we did not purchase or pay premiums for any individual life insurance policy for Dr. Pruzanski. We are also required to purchase short-term and long-term disability policies insuring at least 60% of Dr. Pruzanski’s base salary.

If Dr. Pruzanski terminates his employment with us or we terminate his employment for any reason, in addition to payment of accrued compensation and benefits, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to an amount equal to his target bonus for the prior year, if unpaid, and the prorated portion of his target bonus for the year in which his termination occurs. In the event that Dr. Pruzanski does not renew his employment at the end of the employment term, is terminated for cause, is terminated due to death or disability, or he terminates his employment without good reason, Dr. Pruzanski will not be entitled to any severance benefits except as otherwise described below or otherwise required by law.

In the event we do not renew Dr. Pruzanski’s employment at the end of the employment term, Dr. Pruzanski is terminated by us without cause, as defined in the employment agreement, or he resigns with good reason, as defined in the employment agreement, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to receive (i) 12 months of his base salary payable according to our company’s payroll, (ii) a lump sum payment equal to the mean bonus earned by him during the prior three years (such payment shall be in lieu of the prorated bonus payment for the year in which the termination occurs described above) and (iii) continuation of participation in our group health and/or dental plan and the payment of his premiums for 12 months from the date of termination (or the cost of COBRA coverage for such period) for Dr. Pruzanski, his spouse and any dependents covered under our group health and/or dental plan prior to termination.

If Dr. Pruzanski is terminated due to disability, he is entitled to (i) 12 months of base salary payable according to our company’s payroll, so long as he is not eligible to participate in a company-sponsored short-term and long-term disability plans that provide for benefits of at least 60% of base salary, and (ii) continued participation in our group health and/or dental plan and the payment of his premiums for 12 months following the date of termination (or the cost of COBRA coverage for such period) for Dr. Pruzanski, his spouse and any dependents covered under our group health and/or dental plan prior to termination.

If we do not renew Dr. Pruzanski’s employment at the end of the employment term, Dr. Pruzanski is terminated by us without cause, he resigns with good reason or Dr. Pruzanski is terminated due to his death or disability, all of Dr. Pruzanski’s stock options and equity awards will vestissuance upon the effectiveness of a release of claims in our favor and his stock options will be exercisable for up to three years from the effective date of termination unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination. In the event that Dr. Pruzanski does not renew his employment at the end of the employment term, Dr. Pruzanski is terminated for cause or he terminates his employment without good reason, all of his unvested equity awards and stock options will immediately be forfeited upon the effective date of such termination and all of his


TABLE OF CONTENTS

vested stock options will be exercisable for up to three years from the effective date of termination unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination.

In the event of the termination of Dr. Pruzanski’s employment in anticipation of, and/or within three months before or 12 months following, a change in control, as defined in the employment agreement, (i) by us because we do not renew Dr. Pruzanski’s employment at the end of the employment term, (ii) by us for any reason other than for cause or (iii) by Dr. Pruzanski for good reason, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to receive (a) an amount equal to 24 months’ of his then-current monthly base salary payable as a single lump sum, (b) a lump sum payment equal to two times the mean bonus earned during the prior three years (such payment shall be in lieu of the prorated bonus payment for the year in which the termination occurs described above) and (c) continuation of participation in our group health and/or dental plan and the payment of his premiums for up to 24 (but not less than 18) months from the date of termination (or the cost of COBRA coverage for such period) for Dr. Pruzanski, his spouse and any dependents covered under our group health and/or dental plan prior to termination.

Receipt of the severance benefits described above is conditioned upon Dr. Pruzanski entering into a release of claims with us and the release becoming effective and irrevocable within 60 days after termination. Dr. Pruzanski has acknowledged and agreed that the timing of payments may be modified by us to comply with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code.

To the extent that we are required to implement a clawback policy for the incentive compensation paid to Dr. Pruzanski based on erroneous data contained in an accounting statement pursuant to Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Dr. Pruzanski’s employment agreement contemplates that the terms of such policy will be incorporated into his employment agreement, provided that such policy applies to the other executive officers of our company.

Under Dr. Pruzanski’s employment agreement, “cause” for termination shall be deemed to exist upon (a) a good faith finding by a majority of the members of the board (excluding Dr. Pruzanski) that (i) Dr. Pruzanski has engaged in material dishonesty, willful misconduct or gross negligence, or (ii) Dr. Pruzanski has materially breached the employment agreement, and has failed to cure such conduct or breach within 30 days after his receipt of written notice from us, or (b) Dr. Pruzanski’s conviction or entry of nolo contendere to any crime involving moral turpitude, fraud or embezzlement, or any felony. Under Dr. Pruzanski’s employment agreement, “good reason” is defined as a material change in duties, position, responsibilities or reporting requirements, relocation of Dr. Pruzanski’s place of employment by more than 50 miles from his principal residence or place of employment prior to such change or our material breach of the employment agreement.

Other Named Executive Officers.

The base salary of our named executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski whom we refer to as the non-CEO named executive officers, is subject to annual review and increase (but not decrease), as determined by our board of directors and the compensation committee. Each of our non-CEO named executive officers is also eligible to receive an annual bonus based on a target percentage set by our board of directors and the compensation committee in consultation with our chief executive officer. During 2015 and 2014, Dr. Shapiro’s base salaries were $460,000 and $420,000, respectively. Dr. Shapiro’s 2015 salary was effective on January 1, 2015 and his 2014 salary was effective on April 1, 2014. During 2015 and 2014, Ms. Duncan’s base salaries were $415,000 and $385,000, respectively. Ms. Duncan’s 2015 salary was effective on January 1, 2015 and her 2014 salary was effective on April 1, 2014.

The following table sets forth the base salary and bonus target percentages for 2016 for each of our non-CEO named executive officers, other than Mr. Regan who ceased to be employed with us in March 2015:

  
Name 2016
Base Salary
 2016
Bonus Target
David Shapiro, M.D. $475,000   50
Barbara Duncan $430,000   50
Lisa Bright $430,000   50
Rachel McMinn, Ph.D. $420,000   50

TABLE OF CONTENTS

We maintain broad-based benefits that are provided to all employees, including our executive officers, such as medical, dental, group life insurance and long- and short-term disability insurance. For our U.S.-based employees, including our U.S.-based executives, we also provide a 401(k) plan. Under our 401(k) plan, we are permitted to make discretionary contributions and matching contributions, subject to established limits and a vesting schedule. Starting in 2015, we generally match an employee’s contributions to the 401(k) plan up to the first five percent of the employee’s salary. We provide pension, insurance and other benefits to employees and executives located outside the United States in line with those provided in their respective countries to personnel of similar level and experience. All of our executives are eligible to participate in all of our employee benefit plans available in their respective countries, in each case on the same basis as other employees. We have agreed to pay 100% of the health insurance premiums of our named executive officers and their respective spouses and other dependents. For Dr. Shapiro, we provide a monthly car allowance of $1,000. For Ms. Bright, we provide a monthly car allowance of £1,180 (approximately $1,725) and we reimburse her £1,080 (approximately $1,579) per month for commuting costs plus gross ups on the applicable tax amounts for commuting. The compensation committee in its discretion may revise, amend or add to the named executive officer’s benefits and perquisites if it deems it advisable.

David Shapiro & Rachel McMinn

The employment agreements of Dr. Shapiro and Dr. McMinn provide for an initial term of one year with automatic renewal each year thereafter unless terminated by either us or them. In the event we do not renew Dr. Shapiro’s or Dr. McMinn’s employment at the end of his or her employment term, such named executive officer is terminated by us without cause, as defined in the employment agreement, or he or she resigns with good reason, as defined in the employment agreement, such named executive officer will be entitled to receive (i) 12 months of his or her base salary (paid in a single lump sum in the case of Dr. Shapiro and in accordance with regular payroll for Dr. McMinn) and (ii) continuation of participation in our group health and/or dental plan and the payment of his or her premiums for 12 months (or the cost of COBRA coverage for such period) for such named executive officer and his or her dependents covered under our group health and/or dental plan prior to termination. In the event that Dr. Shapiro or Dr. McMinn does not renew his or her employment at the end of the employment term, is terminated for cause, is terminated due to death or disability, or terminates his or her employment without good reason, such named executive officer will not be entitled to severance payments unless mutually agreed upon in writing.

If we do not renew the employment of Dr. Shapiro or Dr. McMinn at the end of their respective employment terms, such named executive officer is terminated by us without cause or he or she resigns with good reason, all of such named executive officer’s equity awards and stock options that would have vested within one year of the termination date will vest upon effectiveness of a release of claims in our favor and all vested stock options will be exercisable for up to one year from the effective date of termination unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination.

In the event of the termination of Dr. Shapiro’s or Dr. McMinn’s employment, in anticipation of, and/or within 12 months following, a change in control (i) by us because we do not renew such named executive officer’s employment at the end of the employment term, (ii) by us without cause or (iii) by such named executive officer for good reason, such named executive officer will be entitled to receive (a) an amount equal to 12 months of his or her then-current monthly base salary payable as a single lump sum and (b) continuation of participation in our group health and/or dental plan and the payment of his or her premiums for 12 months (or the cost of COBRA coverage for such period) for such named executive officer, his or her spouse and any dependents covered under our group health and/or dental plan prior to termination. In such instances of termination, all of such named executive officer’s unvested equity awards and stock options will, upon effectiveness of a release of claims in our favor, become fully vested and all of his or her vested stock options will be exercisable for a period of one year following the effective date of termination unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination.

In the event that either Dr. Shapiro or Dr. McMinn is terminated for cause or such named executive officer terminates his or her employment without good reason, all unvested equity awards and stock options granted will immediately be forfeited and all vested options will be exercisable for up to 90 days following termination unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Receipt of the severance benefits described above is conditioned upon the Dr. Shapiro or Dr. McMinn, as the case may be, entering into a release of claims with us and the release becoming effective and irrevocable within 60 days after termination. Each of Dr. Shapiro or Dr. McMinn has acknowledged and agreed that the timing of payments may be modified by us to comply with Section 409A of the Code.

To the extent that we are required to implement a clawback policy for the incentive compensation paid to executive officers based on erroneous data contained in an accounting statement pursuant to Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, each of Dr. Shapiro and Dr. McMinn’s employment agreements contemplate that the terms of such policy will be incorporated into his or her employment agreement, provided that such policy applies to the other executive officers of our company.

Under the employment agreements of Dr. Shapiro and Dr. McMinn, “cause” for termination shall be deemed to exist upon (a) a good faith finding by us that (i) the named executive officer has engaged in material dishonesty, willful misconduct or gross negligence, (ii) the named executive officer has materially breached the employment agreement, or (iii) the named executive officer has breached or threatened to breach his or her invention, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreement, and has failed to cure such conduct or breach within 30 days after his or her receipt of written notice from us, or (b) the named executive officer’s conviction or entry of nolo contendere to any crime involving moral turpitude, fraud or embezzlement, or any felony. Under the employment agreements, “good reason” is defined as a material change in duties, position, responsibilities or reporting requirements, a relocation of the named executive officer’s place of employment by more than 50 miles from his or her principal residence or place of employment immediately prior to such change or our material breach of the employment agreement.

Lisa Bright

Ms. Bright’s employment agreement, which was effective in November 2014, will continue until it is either terminated by Ms. Bright by giving us six months’ written notice, or terminated by us by giving Ms. Bright six months’ written notice. In the event that Ms. Bright is terminated for equity cause, is terminated due to death or disability, or terminates her employment without equity good reason, she will not be entitled to severance payments unless mutually agreed upon in writing.

If Ms. Bright terminates her employment for equity good reason or if she is terminated by us without equity cause, all unvested stock options and other equity awards that would have otherwise vested within one year of Ms. Bright’s termination, shall vest on the date that a settlement agreement between us and Ms. Bright becomes effective, and Ms. Bright shall have until the earlier of the expiration date of the option or one year from her date of termination to exercise all vested options unless the stock plan pursuant to which the option is granted requires earlier termination. In the event that Ms. Bright is terminated for equity cause or she terminates her employment without equity good reason, or if she is terminated by reason of disability, all unvested equity awards and stock options will immediately be forfeited.

In the event of the termination of Ms. Bright’s employment in anticipation of, and/or within 12 months following, a change in control, provided Ms. Bright executes a settlement agreement and the settlement agreement becomes effective and irrevocable within sixty days of termination, all of Ms. Bright’s unvested equity awards and stock options will immediately become fully vested and all of her vested stock options will be exercisable for a period of one year following the effective date of termination, unless the provisions contained in our equity incentive plan require earlier termination in connection with a liquidation or sale of our company.

Under Ms. Bright’s employment agreement, “equity cause” for termination shall be deemed to exist upon (a) a good faith finding by us that (i) Ms. Bright has engaged in material dishonesty, willful misconduct or gross negligence, (ii) Ms. Bright has breached or threatened to breach an agreement between herself and us related to intellectual property, non-disclosure or non-solicitation of our employees or customers, (iii) Ms. Bright has materially breached the employment agreement and failed to cure such breach within thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice of such breach of written notice from us, or (iv) Ms. Bright’s conviction or entry of nolo contendere to any crime involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement or any other criminal offense. Under the employment agreement, “equity good reason” is defined as a material change in duties, position, responsibilities or reporting requirements, a relocation of Ms. Bright’s place of employment


TABLE OF CONTENTS

by more than 50 miles from his or her principal residence or place of employment immediately prior to such change or our material breach of the employment agreement.

Barbara Duncan

The terms of Ms. Duncan’s employment agreement are substantially similar to those of the employment agreements of Dr. Shapiro and Dr. McMinn described above. In January 2016, as previously disclosed, Ms. Duncan announced her planned departure from her role as our chief financial officer and treasurer. In accordance with such planned departure, in February 2016, we entered into a transition agreement and release with Ms. Duncan. Pursuant to the terms of the transition agreement, Ms. Duncan will continue to serve as our chief financial officer until June 30, 2016 or such earlier date determined by our chief executive officer and mutually agreed upon by Ms. Duncan. We refer to the date of her separation as the separation date and the period of her employment as the employment period. The parties may also agree to delay the separation date if no successor chief financial officer is in the office by June 30, 2016. During the employment period, Ms. Duncan will continue to receive her annual base salary and participate in our benefit plans and programs. Ms. Duncan is also eligible for a pro-rated bonus for 2016 equal to 40% of her pro-rated 2016 salary. Additionally, from the separation date through July 1, 2017 or a date that is one year following the separation date beyond June 30, 3016, which one year period we refer to as the consulting period, Ms. Duncan has agreed to provide consulting services to us on an as-requested basis. Compensation for the consulting period will be paid to Ms. Duncan at a rate of $500 per hour (to a maximum of $40,000 per month even if working in excess of 80 hours in such month) upon presentation of invoices in a form reasonably acceptable to us. We plan to enter into a separate consulting agreement with Ms. Duncan on or before the separation date.

In consideration of Ms. Duncan’s release of any claims against us, Ms. Duncan will be entitled to the following severance and other benefits following the end of her employment period: (i) annual base salary paid monthly for 12 months, which payments will be delayed six months in compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code; (ii) a lump sum payment of 40% of such base salary; and (iii) reimbursement for the employer portion of the premiums for COBRA coverage for Ms. Duncan and her dependents under our company’s subsidized health benefits for a period of 12 months following the separation date or earlier if Ms. Duncan ceases to be eligible for COBRA, or chooses not to elect such coverage. Ms. Duncan will also be entitled to the following in relation to her equity awards: (a) continued vesting of options until the end of her consulting period, or initial vesting date, and accelerated vesting for all unvested time-based options that were scheduled, by their terms, to vest on or before one year following the end of her consulting period, or the extended vesting date; (b) all unvested performance based options shall be extended through the initial vesting date but will only become vested to the extent that performance targets are satisfied during that time; and (c) restricted stock and restricted stock units will continue to vest through the initial vesting date, and all unvested restricted stock and restricted stock units that were scheduled, by their terms, to vest on or before the extended vesting date, will be accelerated; and (d) if there is a change in control as defined in the respective award agreements, before the end of her consulting period such that the change in control is effective within three months following the conclusion of her consulting period, any unvested options, shares of restricted stock and restricted stock units will be accelerated.

Daniel Regan

Mr. Regan left the service of our company in March 2015. Pursuant to the terms of Mr. Regan’s employment agreement, he received (i) an aggregate cash payment of $360,000 corresponding to his salary for 12 months in accordance with our regular payroll, (ii) reimbursement of $9,000 for his apartment rent, (iii) the premiums for the health and dental insurance for himself and his spouse and dependents, and (iv) the acceleration of 32,500 shares underlying the options granted in 2013, 430 shares underlying the time-vesting options granted in 2014 and 352 shares underlying the restricted stock awards granted in 2014.

Non-Competition, Confidential Information and Assignment of Inventions Agreements

Dr. Pruzanski is a party to a non-competition and non-solicitation agreement with us, which prevents him from competing with us or soliciting our employees or independent contractors during his employment and for a one-year period thereafter. In addition, each of our named executive officers has also entered into an agreement that contains provisions relating to confidential information, non-solicitation and assignment of inventions. Among other things, these provisions obligate each named executive officer to refrain from


TABLE OF CONTENTS

disclosing any of our proprietary information received during the course of employment and soliciting our employees and to assign to us any inventions conceived or developed during the course of employment.

2015 Fiscal Year Grants of Plan-Based Awards

The following table sets forth information regarding grants of plan-based awards to our named executive officers during 2015. All equity awards in 2015 were issued under our 2012 Plan.

     
Name Grant
Date
 All Other
Stock Awards:
Number of
Shares of
Stock or Units
(#)
 All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)
 Exercise or
Base Price
of Option
Awards
($/share)(1)
 Grant Date
Fair Value of
Stock and
Option
Awards(2)
Mark Pruzanski  10/01/2015   15,100          $2,255,185 
    10/01/2015        32,550  $161.16  $2,841,753 
David Shapiro  10/01/2015   5,150        $769,153 
    10/01/2015        13,100  $161.16  $1,143,686 
Barbara Duncan  10/01/2015   4,050          $604,868 
    10/01/2015        10,600  $161.16  $925,424 
Rachel McMinn  10/01/2015   4,050        $604,868 
    10/01/2015        10,600  $161.16  $925,424 
Lisa Bright  10/01/2015   5,200        $776,620 
    10/01/2015        13,450  $161.16  $1,174,242 

(1)Equal to the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant.
(2)The amounts in the “Grant Date Fair Value of Option Awards” column reflect the grant date fair value of option and restricted stock awards granted in 2015 calculated in accordance with ASC 718.

2015 Option Exercises and Stock Vested

The following table shows information regarding exercises of options to purchase our common stock and vesting of stock awards held by each of our named executive officer during the year ended December 31, 2015.

    
 Option Awards Stock Awards
Name Number
of Shares
Acquired on
Exercise
(#)
 Value
Realized on
Exercise
($)
 Number
of Shares
Acquired on
Vesting
(#)
 Value Realized
on Vesting
($)
Mark Pruzanski  6,561      23,452   4,825,666 
David Shapiro  22,014      7,898   1,625,911 
Barbara Duncan        6,600   1,356,326 
Rachel McMinn        1,846   439,999 
Lisa Bright        2,097   385,051 
Daniel Regan  5,306      705   156,624 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Outstanding Equity Awards at 2015 Fiscal Year-End

The following table shows grants of restricted stock units or awards, stock options and grants of unvested stock awards outstanding on the last day of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 to each of our named executive officers.

      
 Option Awards Stock Awards
   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
 Option
Exercise
Price
($/share)
 Option
Expiration
Date
 Number of
Stock Units
That Have
Not Vested
(#)(1)
 Market Value
of Stock Units
That Have
Not Vested
($)(2)
Name Exercisable Un-exercisable    
(a) (b) (c) (e) (f) (g) (h)
Mark Pruzanski  12,500      9.83   7/18/2016           
    8,411      9.83   9/18/2018           
    116,628      8.67   8/16/2020           
    34,404      8.67   10/13/2021           
    46,158   1,082(3)   21.50   11/16/2022           
    47,396   13,845(4)   31.90   5/7/2023           
    2,747   2,654(7)   266.01   4/11/2024           
       22,931(11)   266.01   4/11/2024           
       32,550(12)   161.16   10/01/2025           
                4,868(5)   727,036 
                2,406(6)   359,336 
                2,643(8)   394,732 
                15,100(13)   2,255,185 
David Shapiro  2,235      8.67   10/13/2021           
    9,475   361(3)   21.50   11/16/2022           
    16,187   6,094(4)   31.90   5/7/2023           
    879   956(7)   266.01   4/11/2024           
       8,255(11)   266.01   4/11/2024           
       13,100(12)   161.16   10/01/2025           
                1,623(5)   242,395 
                937(6)   139,941 
                846(8)   126,350 
                5,100(13)   769,153 
Barbara Duncan  19,520      9.82   5/18/2019           
    6,940      8.67   8/16/2020           
    13,413      8.67   10/13/2021           
    8,077   288(3)   21.50   11/16/2022           
    8,781   6,094(4)   31.90   5/7/2023           
    879   956(7)   266.01   4/11/2024           
       6,650(11)   266.01   4/11/2024 ��         
       10,600(12)   161.16   10/01/2025           
                1,298(5)   193,856 
                937(6)   139,941 
                846(8)   126,350 
                4,050(13)   604,868 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

      
 Option Awards Stock Awards
   Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
 Option
Exercise
Price
($/share)
 Option
Expiration
Date
 Number of
Stock Units
That Have
Not Vested
(#)(1)
 Market Value
of Stock Units
That Have
Not Vested
($)(2)
Name Exercisable Un-exercisable    
(a) (b) (c) (e) (f) (g) (h)
Rachel McMinn  2,502   3,502(9)   264.12   4/30/2024           
       6,467(11)   264.12   4/30/2024           
       10,600(12)   161.16   10/01/2025           
                3,077(10)   459,550 
                4,050(13)   604,868 
Lisa Bright  2,771   7,461(14)   155.00   11/24/2024           
       10,839(11)   155.00   11/24/2024           
       13,450(12)   161.16   10/01/2025           
                6,290(15)   939,412 
                5,200(13)   776,620 
Daniel Regan  37,969      37.69   5/7/2023           
    932      266.01   4/11/2025           

(1)Represents either restricted stock awards or restricted stock units, or RSUs. Each RSU represents the contingent right to receive one share of common stock upon vesting of the unit. All restricted stock awards and RSUs were granted under the 2012 Plan.
(2)Computed in accordance with SEC rules as the number of unvested restricted stock awards or RSUs multiplied by the closing market price of our common stock at the end of the 2015 fiscal year, which was $149.35 on December 31, 2015 (the last business day of the 2015 fiscal year). This amount does not represent our accounting expense for these awards during the year and does not correspond to the actual cash value that may be recognized. The actual value (if any) to be realized by the officer depends on whether the restricted stock awards or RSUs vest and the future performance of our common stock.
(3)Shares underlying these options vested fully on January 1, 2016.
(4)Shares underlying the options vest pro rata on a monthly basis through January 1, 2017, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(5)The remainder of the shares underlying the RSUs were fully vested on January 1, 2016.
(6)The remainder of the shares underlying the RSUs vest pro rata on a quarterly basis through January 1, 2017, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(7)The remainder of the shares underlying this option vest pro rata on a monthly basis through January 1, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(8)The remainder of the shares underlying the restricted stock awards vest pro rata on every subsequent three-month anniversary of the initial vesting date through January 1, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(9)The remainder of the shares underlying this option vest pro rata on a monthly basis through April 30, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(10)25% of the shares underlying these restricted stock awards vested on April 30, 2015, and the remainder of the shares underlying the restricted stock awards vest pro rata on each three-month anniversary thereof through April 30, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(11)The shares underlying this option to purchase common stock vest upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones related to OCA at future dates.
(12)25% of the shares underlying this option vested on January 1, 2016, and the remainder of the shares underlying this option vest pro rata on a monthly basis through January 1, 2019, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(13)25% of the shares underlying these restricted stock awards vested on January 1, 2016, and the remainder

TABLE OF CONTENTS

of the shares underlying the restricted stock awards vest pro rata on each three-month anniversary thereof through January 1, 2019, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(14)25% of the shares underlying this option vested on November 24, 2015, and the remainder of the shares underlying this option vest pro rata on a monthly basis through November 24, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.
(15)25% of the shares underlying these restricted stock awards vested on November 24, 2015, and the remainder of the shares underlying the restricted stock awards vest pro rata on every subsequent three-month anniversary of the initial vesting date through November 24, 2018, subject to the terms and conditions of the award and the 2012 Plan.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

The following tables set forth information regarding potential payments that each named executive officer who was serving as an executive officer as of December 31, 2015 would have received if the named executive officer’s employment had terminated as of December 31, 2015 under the circumstances set forth below. See “Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table” for a narrative description of the compensation to which any of our named executive officers would be entitled to upon termination.

The value of stock options with accelerated vesting represents the value of unvested stock options, calculated by multiplying the number of shares subject to the accelerated portion of the option by the amount (if any) by which $149.35, the closing market price of our common stock on December 31, 2015, exceeds the exercise price of such option. The value of RSUs and restricted stock grants is calculated by multiplying the number of shares subject to acceleration by $149.35, the closing price of our common stock on December 31, 2015.

Non-Renewal by Company or Termination Without Cause or For Good Reason Without Change in Control

   
Name Cash
Payment
 Value of
Equity
Accelerated
 Other
Benefits
Mark Pruzanski  1,104,617   5,942,213   4,627 
David Shapiro  531,583   1,453,859   4,627 
Barbara Duncan  450,083   1,324,150   7,918 
Rachel McMinn  413,190   448,498   3,258 
Lisa Bright  201,718   652,958    

Termination Due to Disability Without Change in Control

   
Name Cash
Payment
 Value of
Equity
Accelerated
 Other
Benefits
Mark Pruzanski  697,200   5,942,213   4,627 
David Shapiro  71,583       
Barbara Duncan  35,083       
Rachel McMinn  23,190       
Lisa Bright  201,718       

Termination Due to Death Without Change in Control

   
Name Cash
Payment
 Value of
Equity
Accelerated
 Other
Benefits
Mark Pruzanski  97,200   5,942,213    
David Shapiro  71,583       
Barbara Duncan  35,083       
Rachel McMinn  23,190       
Lisa Bright  3,718       

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Non-Renewal by Company or Termination Without Cause or For Good Reason Upon Change in Control

   
Name Cash
Payment
 Value of
Equity
Accelerated
 Other
Benefits
Mark Pruzanski  2,112,034   5,942,213   9,254 
David Shapiro  531,583   2,039,733   4,627 
Barbara Duncan  450,083   1,762,492   7,918 
Rachel McMinn  413,190   1,064,417   3,258 
Lisa Bright  201,718   1,716,032    

Director Compensation

The following table sets forth the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors during 2015.

    
Name(1) Fees Earned
or Paid in
Cash(2)
 Stock
Awards(3)(4)
 Option
Awards(3)(5)
 Total
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.(6)(8) $52,473  $116,525  $172,347  $341,345 
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.(6)(8)  47,240   116,525   172,347   336,112 
Paolo Fundaro(6)(8)  53,140   116,525   172,347   342,012 
Sanj K. Patel(8)  40,531         40,531 
Gino Santini(7)(8)  5,555   227,599   349,360   582,514 
Glenn Sblendorio(6)(8)  48,193   116,525   172,347   337,065 
Jonathan T. Silverstein(6)(8)  66,749   116,525   172,347   355,621 
Klaus Veitinger, M.D.(6)(8)  47,860   116,525   172,347   336,732 
Daniel Welch(7)(8)  5,118   227,599   349,360   582,077 
Nicole S. Williams(8)  49,538         49,538 

(1)Dr. Pruzanski has been omitted from this table because he received no compensation for serving on our board of directors. Dr. Pruzanski’s compensation as President and Chief Executive Officer for 2015 is detailed in “— Summary Compensation Table” above. Messrs. Santini and Welch joined our board of directors in November 2015. Mr. Patel and Ms. Williams left the service of our board of directors in November 2015 upon the completion of our 2015 annual meeting of stockholders.
(2)Includes the annual retainer paid to each director.
(3)The amounts in these columns represent the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards and option awards granted to the director during 2015 computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 12 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 29, 2016 for a discussion of assumptions made by us in determining the grant date fair value of our equity awards.
(4)During the year ended December 31, 2015, the above-listed directors received restricted stock awards for the following number of shares of our common stock: Dr. Akkaraju (650); Dr. Benatti (650); Mr. Fundaro (650); Mr. Santini (1,300); Mr. Sblendorio (650); Mr. Silverstein (650); Dr. Veitinger (650); and Mr. Welch (1,300). The restricted stock grants in 2015 to our outside directors were made under the 2012 Plan.
(5)During the year ended December 31, 2015, we granted to our non-employee directors options to purchase common stock at an exercise price of $183.62 per share in the following amounts: Dr. Akkaraju (1,750); Dr. Benatti (1,750); Mr. Fundaro (1,750); Mr. Santini (3,500); Mr. Sblendorio (1,750); Mr. Silverstein (1,750); Dr. Veitinger (1,750); and Mr. Welch (3,500). The options grants in 2015 to our outside directors were made under the 2012 Plan.
(6)All of the shares of common stock underlying the options and restricted stock awards will vest in July 2016, subject to the terms and conditions of the 2012 Plan; provided, however, that if the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders is held prior to the one year anniversary date from the grant, the equity grants will vest as of the close of business on the day immediately preceding such annual meeting date. The grants will vest in full immediately prior to a change in control of our company.
(7)All of the shares of common stock underlying the options and restricted stock awards will vest annually over three years on the anniversary date the director was first elected or appointed to our board of directors, subject to the terms and conditions of the 2012 Plan and our non-employee director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

compensation policy; provided, however, if the next subsequent annual stockholder meeting date (starting from the annual stockholder meeting date in the year after the initial equity grants are made) is held prior to the anniversary in that year, the annual vesting for such year will occur on the day immediately preceding the date of the annual stockholder meeting date in such year, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service on our board. The grants will vest in full immediately prior to a change in control of our company.
(8)As of December 31, 2015, our directors and former directors had outstanding options to purchase common stock and outstanding restricted stock units or awards as set forth below:

  
Name Stock
Options
 Restricted
Stock
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.  8,004   650 
Luca Benatti  2,301   951 
Paolo Fundaro  10,754   650 
Sanj K. Patel  184    
Gino Santini  3,500   1,300 
Glenn Sblendorio  2,301   951 
Jonathan Silverstein  15,327   650 
Klaus Veitinger, M.D., Ph.D.  9,977   650 
Daniel Welch  3,500   1,300 
Nicole Williams  20,070    

All directors are eligible to receive reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at meetings of our board of directors, and our non-employee directors are also eligible to receive reimbursement, upon approval of the board of directors or a committee thereof, for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at various conferences or meetings with our management.

In February 2016, our board of directors adopted a revised non-employee director compensation policy. Pursuant to the revised policy, our non-employee directors will receive the following cash compensation for service on our board of directors and our board committees effective as of the date of adoption:

  
Board of Directors or Committee of Board of Directors Annual
Retainer
Amount for
Chair
 Annual
Retainer
Amount for
Other
Members
Board of Directors $75,000  $50,000 
Audit Committee $20,000  $10,000 
Compensation Committee $15,000  $7,500 
Nominating and Governance Committee $10,000  $5,000 
R&D Committee $10,000  $5,000 

In addition, our non-employee directors who have served on our board of directors for at least six months prior to an annual meeting of stockholders will receive options to purchase common stock and shares of restricted stock based on the following valuations:

  
 Stock Options Restricted Stock
    $232,045   $174,787 

The equity grants will vest on the one-year anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service on our board of directors;provided, however, that if the next subsequent annual meeting of stockholders is held prior to the one year anniversary date from the grant, the equity grants shall vest as of the close of business on the day immediately preceding such annual meeting date, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service on our board. The grants will vest in full immediately prior to a change in control of our company.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Newly appointed non-employee directors will be granted a non-qualified stock option under the 2012 Plan to purchase shares of our common stock equivalent to $464,090 in value and shares of restricted stock equivalent to $349,575 in value. The grant will be made automatically and without any action on the part of our board of directors on the first annual meeting of stockholders immediately following the appointment of the new non-employee director;provided, however, that if the new non-employee director is initially elected at an annual meeting, the date of grant will be the annual meeting date upon which the non-employee director was initially elected to our board of directors. The equity grants will vest annually over three years on the anniversary of the date the non-employee director was first elected or appointed to our board of directors, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service on our board of directors;provided, however, if the next subsequent annual meeting date (starting from the annual meeting date in the year after the initial equity grants are made) is held prior to the anniversary date in that year, the annual vesting for such year will occur on the day immediately preceding the date of the annual meeting in such year, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service on our board of directors. The grants will vest in full immediately prior to a change in control of our company.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides certain aggregate information with respect to all of the Company’s equity compensation plans in effect as of December 31, 2015.

   
Plan Category Number of Securities to
be Issued Upon Exercise
of Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
 Weighted-average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
 Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance Under
Equity Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities Reflected in the
Second Column)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  1,541,164(1)  $108.49   1,223,693(2) 
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders         
Total  1,541,164   108.49   1,223,693 

(1)Consists of options to purchase 257,837 shares of common stock under our 2003 Stock Incentive Plan, or 2003 Plan, and options to purchase 1,104,747 shares of common stock and RSUs and restricted stock awards for 178,580 shares of common stock under our 2012 Plan.
(2)Consists of shares available under our 2012 Plan, as no shares are available under our 2003 Plan. Our 2012 Plan contains an “evergreen” provision, which allows for an annual increase in the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under the plan on the first day of each fiscal year. The annual increase in the number of shares shall be equal to the lowest of: (i) 1,211,533 shares of our common stock; (ii) 4% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of such date; and (iii) an amount determined by our board of directors or compensation committee. On January 1, 2016, pursuant to the evergreen provision, the number of available shares under the 2012 Plan was increased by 976,101 shares.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

Until Mr. Patel’s departure from our board of directors in November 2015 after our annual meeting, our compensation committee was composed of Drs. Akkaraju and Veitinger and Messrs. Fundaro and Patel. Since December 2015, our compensation committee has been composed of Drs. Akkaraju and Veitinger and Messrs. Santini and Welch. No member of our compensation committee during fiscal 2015 has at any time been an officer or employee of ours. None of our executive officers serves as a member of another entity’s board of directors or compensation committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or compensation committee.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Risk Considerations in Our Compensation Program

Our compensation committee has reviewed and evaluated the philosophy and standards on which our compensation plans have been developed and implemented across our company. It is our belief that our compensation programs do not encourage inappropriate actions or risk taking by our executive officers. We do not believe that any risks arising from our employee compensation policies and practices are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our company. In addition, we do not believe that the mix and design of the components of our executive compensation program encourage management to assume excessive risks.

Tax Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code generally restricts deductibility for federal income tax purposes of annual individual compensation in excess of $1 million paid to each of the chief executive officer and the three other most highly compensated executive officers (other than the chief financial officer) if certain conditions are not satisfied. Qualified “performance-based compensation” is not subject to the deduction limitation if specified requirements are met. The compensation committee is informed about the tax deductibility and accounting treatment of compensation when making its compensation determinations. The compensation committee’s general policy is to develop and maintain compensation programs that effectively attract, motivate and retain exceptional executives in a highly competitive environment, which may include payments that might not be deductible if the compensation committee believes they are in the best interests of our company and our stockholders.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT OF AUDIT COMMITTEE

The audit committee of the board of directors has furnished the following report:

The audit committee assists the board in overseeing and monitoring the integrity of our financial reporting process, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the quality of internal and external audit processes. This committee’s role and responsibilities are set forth in our charter adopted by the board, which is available in the “Investors” section of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com. This committee reviews and reassesses our charter annually and recommends any changes to the board for approval. The audit committee is responsible for overseeing our overall financial reporting process, and for the appointment, compensation, retention, and oversight of the work of KPMG LLP. In fulfilling its responsibilities for the financial statements for fiscal year 2015, the audit committee took the following actions:

Reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 with management and KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm;
Discussed with KPMG LLP the matters required to be discussed in accordance with Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended, (AICPA, Professional Standards, Vol 1. AU Section 380) as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T; and
Received written disclosures and the letter from KPMG LLP regarding its independence as required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding KPMG LLP communications with the audit committee and the audit committee further discussed with KPMG LLP their independence.

The audit committee also considered the status of pending litigation, taxation matters and other areas of oversight relating to the financial reporting and audit process that the committee determined appropriate.

Based on the audit committee’s review of the audited financial statements and discussions with management and KPMG LLP, the audit committee recommended to the board that the audited financial statements be included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 for filing with the SEC.

In 2015, the audit committee reviewed KPMG LLP’s work relating to our annual and quarterly financial statements, along with KPMG LLP’s work relating to our public offerings completed in 2015. Based on KPMG LLP’s performance, the audit committee recommends that our stockholders ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our auditors for fiscal 2016.

Members of the Audit Committee

Glenn Sblendorio, Chairperson
Jonathan Silverstein
Gino Santini


TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the reports furnished to us and written representations that no other reports were required, during the fiscal year 2015, all reports which were required to be filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act were filed on a timely basis, except for the following Forms 4 which were inadvertently filed late: Form 4 of Srinivas Akkaraju filed on May 22, 2015 reporting the exercise of stock options and the salevesting of other equity awards outstanding under our equity plans. In addition, the Board of Directors had reserved up to 5,823,784 shares of common stock on May 19, 2015; Forms 4for issuance upon conversion of Luciano Adorini, Barbara Duncan, Mark Pruzanskiour 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023 and David Shapiro filed on July 7, 2015 reporting the vestingour 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026. As a result, as of restricted stock units and the issuance ofApril 6, 2020, we had only 2,845,106 shares of common stock on July 1, 2015 with respect thereto; and Form 4available for issuance for other purposes. If the proposed amendment to our Restated Certificate of Rachel McMinn filed on July 17, 2015 reportingIncorporation to increase the mandatory saleauthorized number of our shares of common stock to cover the withholding tax amounts upon the vestingis not approved, we may not have sufficient shares of restrictedcommon stock awards on May 1, 2015.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

In addition to the director and executive officer compensation arrangements discussed above in “Executive and Director Compensation,” since January 1, 2015, we have engaged in the following transactions in which the amount involved exceeded $120,000 and in which any director, executive officer or holder of more than 5% of our voting securities, whom we refer to as our principal stockholders, or affiliates or immediate family members of our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, had or will have a material interest. We believe that all of these transactions were on terms as favorable as could have been obtained from unrelated third parties.

Some of our directors are affiliated with our principal stockholders as indicated in the table below:

DirectorAffiliation with Principal Stockholder
Paolo FundaroMr. Fundaro is the chief financial officer of Genextra S.p.A., which is one of our principal stockholders.
Jonathan SilversteinMr. Silverstein is a member of OrbiMed Advisors LLC, whose affiliated fund is one of our principal stockholders.

Indemnification Agreements

We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers. The indemnification agreements and our restated certificate of incorporation and restated by-laws require us to indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

Policyavailable for Approval of Related Person Transactions

Pursuant to the written charter of our audit committee, the audit committee is responsibleissuance for reviewing and approving, prior to our entry into any such transaction, all transactions in which we are a participant and in which any parties related to us, including our executive officers, our directors, beneficial owners of more than 5% of our securities, immediate family members of the foregoing persons and any other persons whom our board of directors determines may be considered related parties under Item 404 of Regulation S-K, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

In reviewing and approving such transactions, the audit committee shall obtain, or shall direct our management to obtain on its behalf, all information that the committee believes to be relevant and important to a review of the transaction prior to its approval. Following receipt of the necessary information, a discussion shall be held of the relevant factors ifpurposes deemed to be necessary by the committee prior to approval. If a discussion is not deemed to be necessary, approval may be given by written consent of the committee. This approval authority may also be delegated to the chair of the audit committee in some circumstances. No related party transaction shall be entered into prior to the completion of these procedures.

The audit committee or its chair, as the case may be, shall approve only those related party transactions that are determined to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of us and our stockholders, taking into account all available facts and circumstances as the committee or the chair determines in good faith to be necessary in accordance with principles of Delaware law generally applicable to directors of a Delaware corporation. These facts and circumstances will typically include, but not be limited to, the benefits of the transaction to us; the impact on a director’s independence in the event the related party is a director, an


TABLE OF CONTENTS

immediate family member of a director or an entity in which a director is a partner, stockholder or executive officer; the availability of other sources for comparable products or services; the terms of the transaction; and the terms of comparable transactions that would be available to unrelated third parties or to employees generally. No member of the audit committee shall participate in any review, consideration or approval of any related party transaction with respect to which the member or any of his or her immediate family members has an interest.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

(Proposal 1)

Upon recommendation of the nominating and governance committee, the board of directors has nominated Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D., Luca Benatti, Ph.D., Daniel Bradbury, Paolo Fundaro, Keith Gottesdiener, M.D., Mark Pruzanski, M.D., Gino Santini, Glenn Sblendorio and Daniel Welch for election at the annual meeting. If they are elected, they will serve on our board of directors until the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors have been elected and qualified, or until their earlier death, resignation or removal.

Unless authority to vote for any of these nominees is withheld, the shares represented by the enclosed proxy will be voted FOR the election as directors of the nominees listed above. If any nominee should be unable or unwilling to serve on our board of directors, the shares represented by the enclosed proxy will be voted for the election of such other person as the board of directors may recommend in that nominee’s place. We have no reason to believe that any nominee will be unable or unwilling to serve as a director.

A plurality of the shares voted FOR each nominee at the meeting is required to elect each nominee as a director.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF SRINIVAS AKKARAJU, M.D., PH.D., LUCA BENATTI, PH.D., DANIEL BRADBURY, PAOLO FUNDARO, KEITH GOTTESDIENER, M.D., MARK PRUZANSKI, M.D., GINO SANTINI, GLENN SBLENDORIO, AND DANIEL WELCH AS DIRECTORS, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR THEREOF UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER HAS INDICATED OTHERWISE ON THE PROXY.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

AMENDMENT OF RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

(Proposal 2)

Introduction

Our board of directors has unanimously determined that it is in the best interests of Interceptthe Company by our Board of Directors.

Although at present the Board of Directors has no plans to issue the additional shares of common stock, the Board of Directors believes it would be prudent and its stockholdersadvisable to amendhave those shares available for issuance to provide additional flexibility for future business and financial purposes. If the proposed amendment to our Restated Certificate of Incorporation is approved, additional shares may be issued for various purposes without further stockholder approval. These purposes may include: raising capital; granting equity incentive awards to employees, officers or directors; strategic partnerships; acquisitions, licensing arrangements or other transactions; and other business purposes approved by our Board of Directors.
Although the proposed amendment is not intended as amended (the “Charter”), to increasean anti-takeover provision, the number of authorized shares of our common stock from 35,000,000 shares to 45,000,000 shares, which will result in an increase of the total number of authorized shares of our capital stock from 40,000,000 shares to 50,000,000 shares.

Currently, our Charter authorizes an aggregate of 40,000,000 shares of capital stock, consisting of 35,000,000 shares of authorized common stock and 5,000,000 shares of authorized preferred stock. No shares of preferred stock are issued and outstanding and we are not proposing to increase the number of authorized preferred stock. As of May 23, 2016, we had 24,600,161additional shares of common stock issued and outstanding and 1,913,481 shares subjectultimately could be used to outstanding stock options and restricted stock units. As of May 23, 2016, we had 661,251 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan,oppose a hostile takeover attempt or 2012 Plan. Accordingly, approximately 77.6% of our authorized shares of common stock has been issuedto delay or reserved for issuance.

No otherprevent changes to the Charter have been approvedin control or are being proposed by our board of directors. To effectuate the increasemanagement of the number of authorized shares of our common stock,Company.

If the proposed amendment is approved and becomes effective, Article FOURTH, Paragraph A of the Charter is proposed toour Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which sets forth our currently authorized capital stock, will be amended as set forth belowto read in its entirety:

entirety as follows:

“The total number of shares of all classes of stock whichthat the Corporation shall have the authority to issue is 50,000,00095,000,000 shares, consisting of 45,000,00090,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”).

The number of authorized shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote thereon, without a vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to the terms of any Preferred Stock designation.”

A copy of the

14

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vote Required for Approval
The amendment to the Charter proposed by us is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A. For a description of our common stock, please see our Registration Statement on Form 8-A dated as filed with the SEC on September 27, 2012.

Reasons for the Proposed Amendment

Given the small number of authorized shares currently available under ourCompany’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation we believe that an increase in the number of authorized shares of our common stock is critical to ensure that a sufficient number of shares is available for future issuances if and when our board of directors deems it to be in our and our stockholders’ best interests. While we have no current plans to issue any shares that will be authorized if the increase is approved, we may use any of the increased shares at the time and in the manner approved by our board of directors, which may include raising capital through equity financing, executing potential strategic transactions or establishing collaborative relationships, acquiring businesses or assets, issuing equity awards to employees or stock dividends to stockholders, effecting stock splits, or engaging in other general corporate transactions. Historically we have relied significantly on equity financing to fund our business operations and plan to do so in the future. Therefore, the increase of our authorized shares will provide us with the ability and flexibility to access equity capital when needed and available. We believe that if we do not obtain stockholder approval to increase the authorized number of authorized shares of our common stock, our planned operations will be materially and adversely impacted.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Effects of Stockholder Approval of Increased Authorized Shares

If the proposed amendment is approved and adopted, the additional authorized shares of common stock may be issued from time45,000,000 to time by actions of our board of directors without further stockholder approval, except as required by law, regulatory authorities or NASDAQ corporate governance listing rules. The increase in authorized shares of common stock will not alter our current number of issued shares of common stock. The relative rights and limitations of90,000,000 (Proposal No. 2) requires the shares of common stock will remain unchanged under this amendment. The additional shares of common stock to be authorized by stockholder approval under this Proposal No. 2 would have the rights identical to the currently outstanding shares of our common stock. Our stockholders will not realize any dilution in their percentage of ownership of us or their voting rights as a result of the increase. However, issuances of additional shares of common stock in the future may, among other things, dilute the earnings per share of the our common stock and the equity and voting rights of those holding our common stock at the time the additional shares are issued. Under our Charter, stockholders do not have preemptive rights to purchase additional securities that may be issued by us. This means that current stockholders do not have a prior right to purchase any new issuances of shares in order to maintain their proportionate ownership interests in Intercept.

The additional shares of common stock that would become available for issuance may also be used to oppose a hostile takeover attempt or to delay or prevent changes in control of the company. For example, without further stockholder approval, our board of directors could strategically sell shares of common stock in a private transaction to purchasers who would oppose a takeover or favor the current board of directors. However, this proposal to increase authorized shares is prompted by business and financial considerations and not by the threat of any hostile takeover attempt, and we are not aware of any such attempts directed at us.

Votes Required

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the annual meeting is required to approve the amendment to our Charter to effect the proposed increase in our authorized common stock. The amendment to the Charter will be effective immediately upon acceptance of filing by the Secretary of State of Delaware following stockholder approval of this proposal.

Recommendation of the Board of Directors

Annual Meeting.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT THE STOCKHOLDERSA VOTE FOR“FOR”
THE APPROVAL OF THEAN AMENDMENT TO OUR THE COMPANY’S
RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE
NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF OUR COMMON STOCK
FROM 35,000,000 SHARES45,000,000 TO 45,000,000 SHARES, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR THEREOF, UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER HAS INDICATED OTHERWISE ON THE PROXY.

90,000,000.

15

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROPOSAL NO. 3:

NON-BINDING, ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVEON THE COMPENSATION OF
THE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION, OR “SAY-ON-PAY”

(Proposal 3)

OFFICERS

We are providinghave adopted a performance-based compensation philosophy that is intended to attract, retain, reward and incentivize our executive officers to achieve our near-term corporate goals, as well as our long-term strategic objectives. In particular, our philosophy is designed to achieve the following objectives:

reward the achievement of measurable corporate objectives and align executive officers’ incentives with increasing stockholder value;

attract, retain and motivate highly-talented individuals with the skills and demonstrated abilities necessary to deliver superior execution of our short- and long-term strategic plans and drive our continued success;

provide executive compensation that is competitive with that paid by our peers in the competitive and dynamic biopharmaceutical industry;

appropriately balance cash compensation designed to encourage the achievement of critical annual goals with equity incentives designed to inspire the achievement of long-term objectives and align the interests of our executive officers more closely with those of our stockholders; and

align the compensation principles for our executive officers with those for all employees to help create a company-wide performance culture.
We urge our stockholders to read the opportunity“Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement, which describes our executive compensation philosophy and how we implemented it through our 2019 compensation program for our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers serving at the end of 2019 (the “named executive officers”).
Pursuant to Section 14A of the Exchange Act, our stockholders are entitled to vote to approve, on ana non-binding, advisory non-binding basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with the SEC’s rules.statement. This proposal, whichnon-binding, advisory vote is commonly referred to as “say-on-pay,” is required bya “say-on-pay” vote.
At our 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we asked our stockholders to indicate if we should hold a “say-on-pay” vote every year, every two years or every three years. Our stockholders indicated a strong preference for holding such a vote every year and, after taking this result into consideration, our Board determined to hold such a vote every year. Accordingly, we are submitting the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Actfollowing resolution for stockholder approval at the Annual Meeting:
“RESOLVED, that the stockholders of 2010, which added Section 14A to the Exchange Act. Section 14A of the Exchange Act also requires that stockholders have the opportunity to castIntercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. approve, on a non-binding, advisory vote with respect to whether future executivebasis, the compensation advisory votes will be held every one, two or three years, which is commonly referred to as “say-on-frequency”. The stockholders voted “every year” at our 2015 annual meeting of stockholders, which was ratified by our board of directors. As such, the next required advisory (non-binding) vote regarding say on pay frequency will be at our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders.

Our executive compensation programs are designed to attract, motivate and retain our executive officers, who are critical to our success. Under these programs, ourCompany’s named executive officers are rewardedas disclosed in the proxy statement for the achievement2020 Annual Meeting of our short-term and longer-term financial and strategic goals and for driving corporate financial performance and stability. The programs contain elements of cash and equity-based compensation and are designed to align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders.

The “Executive Officer and Director Compensation” section of this proxy statement, including “Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” describes in detail our executive compensation programs and the decisions made by the compensation committee and our board of directors with respect to the year ended December 31, 2015. As we describe in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, our executive compensation program embodies a pay-for-performance philosophy that supports our business strategy and aligns the interests of our executives with our stockholders. Our board believes this link between compensation and the achievement of our short- and long-term business goals has helped drive our performance over time. At the same time, we believe our program does not encourage excessive risk-taking by management.

Our board is asking stockholders to approve a non-binding advisory vote on the following resolution:

RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the named executive officers of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission,Stockholders, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the compensation tables and other narrative compensation disclosures.”

This vote is not intended to address any related material disclosedspecific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of the Company’s named executive officers and the philosophy, programs and practices described in this proxy statement,statement. As this is hereby approved.

As ana non-binding, advisory vote, this proposal isthe result will not binding. The outcome of this advisory vote does not overrule any decision by usbe binding on the Company, our Board or our board of directors (or any committee thereof), create or imply any change to the fiduciary duties of us orCompensation Committee, although our board of directors (or any committee thereof), or create or imply any additional fiduciary duties for us or our board of directors (or any committee thereof). However, our compensation committee and our board of directors value the opinions expressed by our stockholders in their vote on this proposal andCompensation Committee will consider the outcome of the vote when making futureevaluating the Company’s compensation decisionsphilosophy, programs and practices.

16

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Vote Required for Approval
The approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers.

OURofficers (Proposal No. 3) requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOUA VOTE “FOR”
THE APPROVAL, ON A NON-BINDING, ADVISORY BASIS,
OF THE COMPENSATION OF OURTHE COMPANY’S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.


17

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RATIFY

PROPOSAL NO. 4:

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

(Proposal 4)

The audit committeeAudit Committee is responsible for the appointment, retention, compensation, evaluation and oversight of our board of directorsthe Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has appointed KPMG LLP as ourthe Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. Although2020.
KPMG LLP has audited the Company’s financial statements since 2008. Representatives of KPMG LLP will be present virtually at the Annual Meeting, with the opportunity to make a statement should they choose to do so, and are expected to be available to respond to questions submitted electronically, as appropriate.
While stockholder approvalratification is not required by the Company’s Restated Bylaws or otherwise, the Board is submitting the appointment of KPMG LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance practices. If the Company’s stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee may, but is not required to, reconsider whether to retain KPMG LLP. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders.
Vote Required for Approval
Ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2020 (Proposal No. 4) requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting.
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR”
THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP
AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM.
18

TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND GOVERNANCE
Composition of the Board
The Board is currently comprised of ten directors. Our directors are elected annually to serve one-year terms.
Role and Meetings of the Board
The Board meets regularly to review significant developments affecting the Company and to act on matters requiring the approval of the Board. The Board held seven board meetings during the year ended December 31, 2019. During the year ended December 31, 2019, each of our incumbent directors attended at least 75%, in the aggregate, of  (i) the meetings of the Board held during the period that such director served and (ii) the meetings held by the committees of the Board on which such director served during the period that such director served.
Corporate Governance
We maintain a corporate governance page on our website that includes key information about our Global Code of Business Conduct, Corporate Governance Guidelines and charters for each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Research and Development Committee of the Board. The corporate governance page can be found on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.”
Board Leadership Structure
Mr. Fundarò has served as our Chairman since October 2015 and Dr. Pruzanski has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of the Board, since our inception in 2002. In February 2018, we appointed Mr. Santini to serve as the Board’s Lead Independent Director.
We believe that separating the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer recognizes the time, effort and energy that our Chief Executive Officer is required to devote to his position and allows him to focus on our day-to-day business, while allowing our Chairman to lead the Board in its fundamental role of providing advice to, and independent oversight of, management. The Board also recognizes the commitment required to serve as our Chairman, particularly as the Board’s oversight responsibilities continue to grow, and as a result, we believe that the appointment of Mr. Santini as our Lead Independent Director contributes to the overall effectiveness of the Board. We also believe that Mr. Santini’s appointment enhances the governance structure of the Board by reinforcing the independence of the Board in its oversight of the business and affairs of the Company. However, no single leadership model is right for all companies and at all times, and the Board may review its leadership structure in the future.
The Board has delegated certain responsibilities to the committees of the Board. The Board has created four standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating and Governance Committee and a Research and Development Committee. In addition, special ad hoc committees of the Board may be created from time to time to oversee special projects, financings and other matters. Each standing committee is chaired by an independent director who reports to the full Board on the activities and findings of his or her respective committee. The Board believes that this delegation of responsibilities facilitates efficient decision-making and communication among the directors and management.
Board Oversight of Risk
The Board has responsibility for the oversight of risk management, while the Company’s management has the day-to-day responsibility for the identification and control of risk at the Company. The Board, either as a whole or through its committees, regularly discusses with management the Company’s major risk exposures, their potential impact on the Company and the appropriate steps that should be taken in order to monitor and control such exposures. The committees assist the Board in fulfilling its risk oversight responsibilities within their respective areas of responsibility. For example, pursuant to its written charter, the Audit Committee oversees the Company’s processes and procedures with respect to financial and
19

TABLE OF CONTENTS
enterprise risk, including overseeing the Company’s enterprise risk management program. The Compensation Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to the management of risks arising from the Company’s compensation policies and practices. The Nominating and Governance Committee focuses on the management of risks associated with the composition, organization and governance of the Board and its committees, as well as the corporate governance structure of the Company. The Research and Development Committee reviews risks associated with the Company’s research and development programs. Each committee of the Board meets and reports its findings to the Board on a regular basis.
Independence
The Board is currently comprised of ten directors. The Board uses the standards of independence established by the SEC and Nasdaq in determining whether its members are independent. The Board has affirmatively determined that each of the Company’s current directors (other than Dr. Pruzanski) is independent under the director independence criteria established by Nasdaq. Dr. Pruzanski is not an independent director by virtue of his employment with the Company.
In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee meets any additional “independence” criteria established by Nasdaq or the SEC required for service on such committees.
Executive Sessions and Meetings of Independent Directors
The Board generally holds executive sessions of the independent directors following each regularly scheduled meeting of the Board. Executive sessions do not include any employee directors or other members of management of the Company.
Board Attendance at Annual Meetings of Stockholders
In accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines, members of the Board are strongly encouraged to attend the Company’s Annual Meetings of Stockholders. Eight of the ten directors comprising the Board at the time were in attendance at the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 20, 2019.
Communication with the Board
The Board has adopted a process by which stockholders may communicate with the Board. Stockholders who wish to communicate with the Board may do so by sending written communications to the following address:
Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
c/o Company Secretary
10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Any such communication must state the number of shares owned by the stockholder making the communication. In any such communication, an interested person may also designate a particular director, or a committee of the Board, such as the Audit Committee, to which such communication should be directed. Our legal department will forward all correspondence to the Board or the particularly designated audience, except for spam, junk mail, mass mailings, job inquiries, surveys, business solicitations or advertisements or patently offensive or otherwise inappropriate or frivolous material. Our legal department may forward certain correspondence, such as product-related inquiries, elsewhere within the Company for review and possible response.
Global Code of Business Conduct
We have adopted a Global Code of Business Conduct as our “code of ethics,” as defined by regulations promulgated under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, which applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer
20

TABLE OF CONTENTS
or controller, or persons performing similar functions. Our Global Code of Business Conduct is available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.” We intend to satisfy the disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding any future amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our Global Code of Business Conduct that applies to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions by posting such information on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.”
Corporate Governance Guidelines
As part of the Board’s commitment to building long-term stockholder value with an emphasis on corporate governance, the Board has adopted a set of Corporate Governance Guidelines to assist it in exercising its responsibilities. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines cover, among other topics, Board composition, structure and functioning, Board membership criteria, the submission of Board nominee recommendations by stockholders, Board self-evaluations, Board access to management and advisors, leadership development and succession planning. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.”
Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policy
The Company restricts its directors, officers and employees from (i) engaging in any transactions involving options, straddles, collars or other similar risk reduction or hedging devices, (ii) using the Company’s securities to secure a margin or other loan, (iii) effecting “short sales” of the Company’s securities and (iv) trading in the Company’s securities on a short-term basis.
Policies and Procedures Dealing with the Review and Approval of Related Person Transactions
Pursuant to its written charter, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving, prior to the Company’s entry into such transactions, all transactions in which the Company is or will be a participant that would be required to be disclosed by the Company pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as a result of any executive officer, director, director nominee, beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s securities or immediate family member of any of the foregoing persons, or any other person whom the Board determines may be considered to be a related person under Item 404 of Regulation S-K, having or being expected to have a direct or indirect material interest therein. For the above purposes, “immediate family member” means any child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling, mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household with the executive officer, director, director nominee or greater than 5% beneficial owner.
In reviewing and approving such transactions, the Audit Committee shall obtain, or shall direct management to obtain on its behalf, all information that the Audit Committee believes to be relevant and important to a review of the transaction prior to its approval. Following receipt of the necessary information, a discussion shall be held of the relevant factors if deemed to be necessary by the Audit Committee prior to approval. If a discussion is not deemed to be necessary, approval may be given by written consent of the committee.
The Audit Committee shall approve only those related person transactions that are determined to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the Company and its stockholders, taking into account all available facts and circumstances as the Audit Committee determines in good faith to be necessary in accordance with principles of Delaware law generally applicable to directors of a Delaware corporation. These facts and circumstances will typically include, but not be limited to, the commercial reasonableness of the terms, the benefit and perceived benefit, or lack thereof, to the Company, opportunity costs of alternate transactions, the materiality and character of the related person’s direct or indirect interest and the actual or apparent conflict of interest of the related person. No member of the Audit Committee shall participate in any review, consideration or approval of any related person transaction with respect to which such member or any of his or her immediate family members has an interest.
No related person transaction shall be entered into or continued prior to the completion of the foregoing procedures. In the event management becomes aware of a related person transaction that has not
21

TABLE OF CONTENTS
been previously approved, it shall be submitted to the Audit Committee promptly, and the Audit Committee shall review such related person transaction in accordance with the foregoing procedures, taking into account all of the relevant facts and circumstances available to the Audit Committee. Based on the conclusions reached, the Audit Committee shall evaluate all options, including, without limitation, approval, ratification, amendment or termination of the related person transaction.
Committees of the Board
The Board has created four standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating and Governance Committee and a Research and Development Committee. In addition, special ad hoc committees of the Board may be created from time to time to oversee special projects, financings and other matters.
Audit Committee
The Board has established an Audit Committee currently consisting of Messrs. Sblendorio, Bradbury and Santini. Mr. Sblendorio, who the Board has determined is an “audit committee financial expert” (as that term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K), serves as the chairperson of the Audit Committee. Each member of the Audit Committee is independent under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and the applicable rules of Nasdaq.
The Audit Committee’s primary purpose is to act on behalf of the Board in fulfilling the Board’s oversight responsibilities with respect to the Company’s accounting and financial reporting practices, systems of internal control over financial reporting and audit process, as well as the quality and integrity of the Company’s financial reports, the qualifications, independence and performance of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and the Company’s processes for monitoring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the Company’s Global Code of Business Conduct. The Audit Committee’s report is set forth under “Audit Committee Report.”
The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, a current copy of which is available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.” The Audit Committee met six times during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Compensation Committee
The Board has established a Compensation Committee currently consisting of Messrs. Santini and Welch and Ms. Miller-Rich, all of whom are independent under applicable Nasdaq rules, “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and “outside directors” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) (which is only relevant to the extent deemed necessary to qualify for transition relief under Section 162(m)). Mr. Santini serves as the chairperson of the Compensation Committee.
The Compensation Committee’s primary purpose is to act on behalf of the Board in fulfilling the Board’s responsibilities to oversee the Company’s compensation programs, policies and practices, to review and determine the compensation to be paid to the Company’s executive officers, to review, discuss with management and approve the Company’s “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” disclosures and to review and approve the committee’s report included in the Company’s annual proxy statement in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the SEC in effect from time to time. The Compensation Committee’s report is set forth under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Committee Report.” For a discussion of the role of management and the use of compensation consultants in determining executive compensation, see “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”
The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, a current copy of which is available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.” Under its charter, the Compensation Committee may form and delegate its authority to subcommittees of the committee when it deems it appropriate and in the best interests of the Company. The Compensation Committee met seven times during the year ended December 31, 2019.
22

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Nominating and Governance Committee
The Board has established a Nominating and Governance Committee currently consisting of Messrs. Welch and Bradbury and Dr. Benatti, all of whom are independent under applicable Nasdaq rules. Mr. Welch serves as the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
The Nominating and Governance Committee’s primary purpose is to: (i) evaluate and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the current size, composition, organization and governance of the Board and its committees; (ii) identify, review and evaluate candidates qualified to serve as directors and on committees of the Board and make recommendations concerning the leadership structure of the Board; (iii) recommend to the Board nominees for election to the Board at the Company’s Annual Meetings of Stockholders and appointment to the Board to fill interim vacancies, if any; (iv) administer the annual performance evaluation process for the Board and its committees; (v) oversee the executive officer succession planning process; and (vi) oversee and make recommendations to the Board with respect to corporate governance matters.
When the Board determines to seek a new member, whether to fill a vacancy or otherwise, the Nominating and Governance Committee may utilize third-party search firms and will consider recommendations from directors, management and others, including the Company’s stockholders. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines include a policy regarding the qualifications of directors, which sets forth threshold requirements for individuals nominated to serve as directors of the Company. In general, the Nominating and Governance Committee looks for new members possessing relevant expertise to offer advice and guidance to management, having demonstrated excellence in his or her field, having the ability to exercise sound business judgment, having the commitment to promote and enhance the long-term value of the Company for its stockholders and possessing the highest personal and professional standards of integrity and ethical values.
The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that all members of the Board must have sufficient time and devote sufficient attention to board duties and to otherwise fulfill the responsibilities required of directors. In identifying and considering nominees for director and directors for service on Board committees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers whether such nominees and directors have sufficient time and attention to devote to board duties, including whether, among other things, such nominees and directors may be “overboarded,” which refers to the situation where a director serves on an excessive number of boards. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that before accepting an invitation to serve on another board, our directors must first provide notice to the Chairman of the Board and the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee. In addition, our Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that, unless approved in advance by the Board, (i) no director may serve on more than five U.S. public company boards (including service on the Board), and (ii) no director who serves as a chief executive officer of a U.S. public company may serve on more than three U.S. public company boards (including service on the Board). Accordingly, prior to recommending a candidate as a nominee for director or a director for service on a Board committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee reviews the number of boards that the candidate or director serves on and considers whether such outside commitments may limit his or her ability to devote sufficient time and attention to the affairs of the Company. In recommending to the Board that Daniel Bradbury be nominated to serve on the Board until the 2021 Annual Meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, the Nominating and Governance Committee considered, among other things, that Mr. Bradbury transitioned in January 2020 from Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Equillium, Inc. to a more limited advisory role as Executive Chairman of Equillium, Inc. In recommending to the Board that Gino Santini be nominated to serve on the Board until the 2021 Annual Meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, the Nominating and Governance Committee considered, among other things, that Mr. Santini will not be standing for re-election as a director of Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, as disclosed in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2020. In recommending that you vote for the election of Glenn Sblendorio to serve on the Board until the 2021 Annual Meeting or until his successor is duly elected and qualified, the Nominating and Governance Committee considered, among other things, his role as Chief Executive Officer of IVERIC bio, Inc. and other commitments, on the one hand, and his more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and
23

TABLE OF CONTENTS
biotechnology industries, his leadership, financial, operational and strategic expertise, his knowledge of the Company and the insight he brings into the boardroom, as well as his strong record of availability and dedication to service on the Board, on the other hand.
The Nominating and Governance Committee does not have a formal policy with respect to diversity; however, pursuant to the policy regarding the qualifications of directors included in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers the diversity of the Board and its committees when identifying and considering nominees for director and directors for service on Board committees, and shall strive where appropriate to achieve a diverse balance of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, ages, genders and ethnicities on the Board and its committees.
Candidates for director nominees are reviewed in the context of the foregoing standards and considerations, as well as the expected contributions of each candidate to the collective functioning of the Board based upon the totality of his or her credentials, experience and expertise, the composition of the Board at the time and other relevant circumstances, including the operating requirements of the Company and the long-term interests of stockholders. With respect to the nomination of continuing directors for re-election, the individual’s past performance as a director is also considered. The Nominating and Governance Committee periodically reviews the composition of the Board, including whether the directors, both individually and collectively, can and do provide the experience, qualifications, attributes and skills appropriate for the Company.
Our Corporate Governance Guidelines include policies with respect to the consideration of candidates recommended by stockholders for nomination for election to the Board and the procedures for stockholders to follow in submitting such recommendations. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider bona fide candidates recommended by stockholders in accordance with such policies. Any such recommendation must be submitted in writing to the Nominating and Governance Committee, care of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor, New York, NY 10001, Attention: Company Secretary, within the time frames set forth in such policies and contain the information and undertakings required by lawsuch policies. Nominees for director who are recommended by stockholders to the Nominating and Governance Committee will be evaluated in the same manner as any other nominee for director. Nominations by stockholders may also be made in the manner set forth under “Stockholders’ Proposals.”
The Nominating and Governance Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board. A current copy of such charter, as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which include the above-referenced policies regarding the qualifications of directors, the consideration of candidates recommended by stockholders for nomination for election to the Board and the procedures for stockholders to follow in submitting such recommendations, are available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.” The Nominating and Governance Committee met four times during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Research and Development Committee
The Board has established a Research and Development Committee currently consisting of Drs. Benatti, Akkaraju and Gottesdiener, all of whom are independent under applicable Nasdaq rules. Dr. Benatti serves as the chairperson of the Research and Development Committee.
The Research and Development Committee’s primary purpose is to assist the Board in its oversight of the Company’s strategic direction and investment in research and development, technology and manufacturing and to identify and discuss significant emerging trends and issues in science and technology and consider their potential impact on the Company.
The Research and Development Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, a copy of which is available on our website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.” The Research and Development Committee met twice during the year ended December 31, 2019.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
No member of the Compensation Committee is or NASDAQhas formerly been an officer or employee of the Company. In 2019, none of our executive officers (i) served on the compensation committee of another
24

TABLE OF CONTENTS
entity that had one or more of its executive officers serving on the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Company or (ii) served on the board of directors of another entity that had one or more of its executive officers serving on the Compensation Committee of the Company.
Director Compensation
On an annual basis, the Compensation Committee conducts an evaluation of the design of the Company’s independent director compensation program in light of best practices and competitive market data for the Company’s compensation peer group. In 2019, the Compensation Committee also retained the services of the Rewards Solution practice at Aon plc, specifically members of their Radford advisory team (“Radford”), an independent compensation consultant, to provide it with additional comparative data on director compensation practices in the Company’s industry and to advise it on the Company’s independent director compensation program generally. In May 2019, based on the input and analysis provided by Radford and the recommendation of our Compensation Committee, the Board determined that no adjustments were needed to the independent director compensation levels previously adopted by the Board in June 2018, which had been adopted with reference to the 50th percentile of the competitive market based on our compensation peer group. As a result, (i) all annual cash retainers were maintained at their pre-existing levels, (ii) the aggregate equity value of the Annual Grant (as defined below) was maintained at $264,500 and (iii) the aggregate equity value of any New Director Grant (as defined below) was maintained at $396,750. Only directors who are “independent” in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules our audit committee believes(the “Independent Directors”) receive compensation for their service as directors. Each of the Company’s current directors, other than Dr. Pruzanski, qualifies as an Independent Director.
For 2019, the annual cash retainers for the Independent Directors were as follows (payable quarterly in equal installments):
MembershipChairpersonOther Members
Board of Directors.$80,000$50,000
Audit Committee$20,000$10,000
Compensation Committee$15,000$7,500
Nominating and Governance Committee$10,000$5,000
Research and Development Committee$10,000$5,000
Pursuant to the independent director compensation levels adopted by the Board, (i) each Independent Director who had served on the Board for six months or longer as of the date of the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders was eligible to receive an annual equity grant (each, an “Annual Grant”) comprised of stock options with an equity value of  $132,250 and restricted stock units with an equity value of  $132,250 and (ii) each new Independent Director first appointed or elected to the Board in 2019 was eligible to receive an equity grant (each, a “New Director Grant”) comprised of stock options with an equity value of  $198,375 and restricted stock units with an equity value of  $198,375. No new Independent Directors were appointed or elected to the Board in 2019 and, accordingly, no New Director Grants were made in 2019.
The number of  (i) stock options granted in connection with each Annual Grant and New Director Grant is determined by dividing the equity value to be represented thereby by the value per-option derived from a Black-Scholes model with reference to the average of the per-share closing prices of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market during the 30 trading days preceding the grant date and (ii) restricted stock units granted in connection with each Annual Grant and New Director Grant is determined by dividing the equity value to be represented thereby by the average of the per-share closing prices of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market during the 30 trading days preceding the grant date. Because the number of stock options and restricted stock units granted in connection with each Annual Grant and New Director Grant is determined using a 30-day average closing stock price, the grant date fair values of such stock options and restricted stock units, as computed in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC 718”), differ from the amounts set forth above.
Subject to the Independent Director’s continued service on the Board, the stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted in connection with (i) each Annual Grant vest in full on the earlier of  (A) the
25

TABLE OF CONTENTS
one-year anniversary of the date of grant and (B) the day immediately preceding the date of the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and (ii) each New Director Grant vest in a series of three equal annual installments, with 1/3 of the shares subject to the award vesting on each anniversary of the date that itthe Independent Director was first elected or appointed to the Board (or, if earlier in any given year, the day immediately preceding the date of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in such year). In addition, all unvested Annual Grants and New Director Grants shall immediately vest in connection with a change of control of the Company. The exercise price for stock options granted in connection with each Annual Grant and New Director Grant is advisable and has decided to give our stockholders the opportunity to ratify this appointment. KPMG LLP audited our financial statementsper-share closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant.
The Company also reimburses reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board meetings.
The following table sets forth, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015,2019, the total compensation paid to the Independent Directors serving on the Board during 2019.
Director Compensation for 2019
NameFees Earned
or Paid in
Cash
($)
Stock
Awards
($)(10)
Option
Awards
($)(10)
Total
($)
Paolo Fundarò80,000(1)129,133132,223341,356
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.55,000(2)129,133132,223316,356
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.65,000(3)129,133132,223326,356
Daniel Bradbury65,000(4)129,133132,223326,356
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.55,000(5)129,133132,223316,356
Nancy Miller-Rich57,500(6)129,133132,223318,856
Gino Santini75,000(7)129,133132,223336,356
Glenn Sblendorio70,000(8)129,133132,223331,356
Daniel Welch67,500(9)129,133132,223328,856
(1)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Mr. Fundarò’s service as Chairman of the Board.
(2)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Dr. Akkaraju’s service as a director and as a member of the Research and Development Committee.
(3)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Dr. Benatti’s service as a director, as Chairperson of the Research and Development Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
(4)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Mr. Bradbury’s service as a director, as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.
(5)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Dr. Gottesdiener’s service as a director and as a member of the Research and Development Committee.
(6)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Ms. Miller-Rich’s service as a director and as a member of the Compensation Committee.
(7)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Mr. Santini’s service as a director, as Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.
(8)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Mr. Sblendorio’s service as a director and as Chairperson of the Audit Committee.
(9)
Represents an annual cash retainer for Mr. Welch’s service as a director, as a member of the Compensation Committee and as Chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
(10)
Amounts shown represent the aggregate grant date fair value, computed in accordance with ASC 718, in respect of restricted stock unit and stock option awards. These amounts do not reflect compensation actually received by the Independent Directors. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in “Note 13” to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in our Annual Report. Each Independent Director received an Annual Grant in 2019 comprised of 1,570 restricted stock units and 2,174 stock options. As of December 31,
26

TABLE OF CONTENTS
2019, the aggregate number of unvested restricted stock units and shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) held by each Independent Director serving on the Board during 2019 was as follows: 1,570 restricted stock units and 12,561 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Mr. Fundarò; 1,570 restricted stock units and 11,560 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Dr. Akkaraju; 1,570 restricted stock units and 10,857 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Dr. Benatti; 1,570 restricted stock units and 10,154 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Mr. Bradbury; 1,570 restricted stock units and 10,154 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Dr. Gottesdiener; 1,570 restricted stock units and 9,858 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Ms. Miller-Rich; 1,570 restricted stock units and 12,056 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Mr. Santini; 1,570 restricted stock units and 10,857 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Mr. Sblendorio; and 1,570 restricted stock units and 12,056 shares subject to stock options (including unvested stock option awards) for Mr. Welch.
Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors
The Company has adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines for the Board, which require, within a five-year period, the Independent Directors to hold Company equity equal to at least 3x their annual cash retainer. Until the ownership guidelines are satisfied, the Independent Directors are required to maintain a minimum retention ratio of at least 50% of their annual equity awards, net of shares sold or withheld solely to pay applicable exercise fees and/or withholding taxes. Any Independent Directors failing to meet the guidelines within the allotted compliance period will be required to maintain a minimum retention ratio of 100% of net shares after the applicable exercise fees and/or withholding taxes.
27

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table and accompanying footnotes show information as of April 6, 2020 regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company’s shares by:

each person who was known by the Company to own beneficially more than 5% of its shares;

each member of the Board and each of the Company’s named executive officers; and

all members of the Board and the Company’s executive officers as a group.
For purposes of the table below, we deem shares subject to options that are exercisable or exercisable within sixty days of April 6, 2020 and restricted stock units vesting within sixty days of April 6, 2020 to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by the person holding the options or restricted stock units, as applicable, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of that person, but we do not treat them as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise noted, the persons or entities in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of the shares beneficially owned by them. On April 6, 2020, there were 32,943,079 shares outstanding. Unless otherwise specified, the address of each director and executive officer is c/o Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor, New York, NY 10001.
Shares Beneficially Owned(9)
Name and AddressNumber of
Shares
Percentage of
Common
Stock
5% Stockholders:
Genextra S.p.A.(1)
6,095,57818.5%
FMR LLC(2)
4,919,11614.9 %
BlackRock, Inc.(3)
2,314,4687.0 %
The Vanguard Group(4)
2,296,4387.0 %
Directors and Executive Officers:
Paolo Fundarò(5)
6,129,14218.6%
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.(6)
787,8552.4%
Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.(7)
438,3441.3%
Luca Benatti, Ph.D.21,553*
Daniel Bradbury(8)
26,723*
Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.20,082*
Nancy Miller-Rich14,809*
Gino Santini20,910*
Glenn Sblendorio19,513*
Daniel Welch20,091*
Jerome Durso.50,857*
Sandip Kapadia54,264*
Richard Kim32,751*
Ryan Sullivan30,456*
All directors and executive officers as group (19 persons)7,812,41423.7%
*
Less than 1%.
(1)
In a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on July 31, 2019 by Genextra S.p.A. (“Genextra”); Genextra, Francesco Micheli and Paolo Fundarò each reported shared voting power and shared dispositive power over 6,095,578 shares and Mr. Fundarò reported sole voting power and sole dispositive power over 28,250 shares. Mr. Micheli is the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Genextra and, in such capacity, Mr. Micheli exercises voting control over the shares owned by Genextra. Mr. Micheli
28

TABLE OF CONTENTS
disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to any such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, if any. Mr. Fundarò is the Chief Executive Officer of Genextra and, in such capacity, Mr. Fundarò exercises voting control over the shares owned by Genextra. Mr. Fundarò disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to any such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, if any. Genextra’s address is Via Privata Giovannino De Grassi, 11, 20123 Milan, Italy. Genextra has informed the Company that it has pledged shares that it holds to an affiliate of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC as collateral in connection with a margin loan.
(2)
Based solely on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 7, 2020 by FMR LLC (“FMR”). In the FMR Schedule 13G, FMR reported sole voting power over 383,500 shares and sole dispositive power over 4,919,116 shares. FMR’s address is 245 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210.
(3)
Based solely on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 10, 2020 by BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”). In the BlackRock Schedule 13G, BlackRock reported sole voting power over 2,241,855 shares and sole dispositive power over 2,314,468 shares. BlackRock’s address is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055.
(4)
Based solely on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020 by The Vanguard Group (“Vanguard”). In the Vanguard Schedule 13G, Vanguard reported sole voting power over 53,450 shares, shared voting power over 5,293 shares, sole dispositive power over 2,241,208 shares and shared dispositive power over 55,230 shares. Vanguard’s address is 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355.
(5)
Includes 6,095,578 shares held by Genextra. Mr. Fundarò is the Chief Executive Officer of Genextra. Mr. Fundarò disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to such shares, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein, if any.
(6)
Includes 100,000 shares held in a grantor retained annuity trust.
(7)
Includes 403,688 shares held by Samsara BioCapital, L.P. Dr. Akkaraju is a managing member of Samsara BioCapital GP, LLC, the general partner of Samsara BioCapital, L.P. Dr. Akkaraju disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.
(8)
Includes 7,812 shares held by BioBrit, LLC. Mr. Bradbury and his spouse are the trustees and beneficiaries of a trust that is the sole member of BioBrit, LLC.
(9)
Includes the following shares issuable upon the exercise of options that are exercisable or exercisable within sixty days of April 6, 2020 or the vesting of restricted stock units vesting within sixty days of April 6, 2020: for Mr. Fundarò, 14,131 shares; for Dr. Pruzanski, 227,969 shares; for Dr. Akkaraju, 13,130 shares; for Dr. Benatti, 12,427 shares; for Mr. Bradbury, 11,724 shares; for Dr. Gottesdiener, 11,724 shares; for Ms. Miller-Rich, 10,324 shares; for Mr. Santini, 13,626 shares; for Mr. Sblendorio, 12,427 shares; for Mr. Welch, 13,626 shares; for Mr. Durso, 34,138 shares; for Mr. Kapadia, 36,426 shares; for Mr. Kim, 22,414 shares; for Mr. Sullivan, 14,819 shares; and for all directors and executive officers as a group, 551,216 shares.
29

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The executive officers of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as of April __, 2020, their positions and their ages are as listed below.
NameAgePosition
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.52President and Chief Executive Officer
Jerome Durso52Chief Operating Officer
Lisa Bright52President, International
Jason Campagna, M.D., Ph.D.50Chief Medical Officer
Gail Cawkwell, M.D., Ph.D.58SVP, Medical Affairs, Safety & Pharmacovigilance
David Ford51Chief Human Resources Officer
Sandip Kapadia50Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Richard Kim51President, U.S. Commercial & Strategic Marketing
Ryan Sullivan44General Counsel and Secretary
Christian Weyer, M.D., M.A.S.51EVP, Research & Development
Mark Pruzanski, M.D. is one of our co-founders and has served as our auditorsPresident and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of our Board, since 2008. our inception in 2002. Dr. Pruzanski has over 20 years of experience in life sciences company management, venture capital and strategic consulting. Prior to co-founding the Company, Dr. Pruzanski was a venture partner at Apple Tree Partners, an early stage life sciences venture capital firm that he co-founded, and an entrepreneur-in-residence at Oak Investment Partners, a venture capital firm. Dr. Pruzanski is a co-author of a number of scientific publications and is named as an inventor on several of our patents. Dr. Pruzanski has been a director of Equillium, Inc. since September 2018. Dr. Pruzanski also currently serves on the boards of the Emerging Companies Section of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), a biotechnology-focused trade association, and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-profit policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. Dr. Pruzanski received his M.D. from McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, a M.A. degree in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna, Italy and Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Jerome Durso has served as our Chief Operating Officer since February 2017. Mr. Durso has over 25 years of experience in building and leading commercial and business operations at life sciences companies both in the United States and abroad. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Durso served as a consultant to the biopharmaceutical industry from September 2015 to February 2017. Mr. Durso has spent the majority of his career at Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical company, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer of the Global Diabetes Division from June 2011 to April 2015. From 2010 to 2011, Mr. Durso was Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer of Sanofi’s U.S. pharmaceuticals business. Prior to that, he served in a number of commercial leadership roles of increasing responsibility in business unit and brand management, marketing and sales since he first joined Sanofi in 1993. Mr. Durso earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Notre Dame.
Lisa Bright has served as our President, International since July 2016. Ms. Bright has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Ms. Bright joined the Company in November 2014 as Senior Vice President and Head of Europe and then served as Chief Commercial and Corporate Affairs Officer from February 2015 to July 2016. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Bright worked at Gilead Sciences Ltd. starting in 2008, where she held positions of increasing responsibility, including: General Manager United Kingdom & Ireland; Vice President, Northern Europe; Vice President, Head of Sovaldi Launch Planning for Europe, Asia, Middle East and Australasia; and Vice President, Government Affairs Europe, Middle East and Australasia. Prior to holding these positions, Ms. Bright held a range of senior positions at GlaxoSmithKline plc, including Vice President and Managing Director of New Zealand and Vice President—Sales for the United Kingdom. Ms. Bright has been a director of Ascendis Pharma A/S since April 2017 and Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC since February 2019. Ms. Bright has a B.Sc. in pharmacology from University College London.
30

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Jason Campagna, M.D., Ph.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since December 2019, having previously served as Senior Vice President and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis Program Leader since 2016. Prior to joining Intercept, Dr. Campagna held a number of roles of increasing responsibility at The Medicines Company from 2010 to 2016, including most recently as Senior Vice President and Health Science Lead of Surgery and Perioperative Care. Earlier in his career, Dr. Campagna served as the Chief Medical Quality Officer at Cottage Health System and, prior to this, held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Campagna also served as Managing Director of Profibrix B.V. following its acquisition by The Medicines Company in 2013, and as a Director of Annovation Biopharma, Inc. prior to its acquisition by The Medicines Company in 2015. Presently, Dr. Campagna serves on the Steering Committee of the Wallace H. Coulter Center for Translational Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Campagna received his M.D. and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, as well as his bachelor’s degree, from the University of Miami. Dr. Campagna completed his post-graduate training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Gail Cawkwell, M.D., Ph.D. has served as our SVP, Medical Affairs, Safety & Pharmacovigilance since September 2018, having previously served as SVP, Medical Affairs since February 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Cawkwell worked for Purdue Pharma L.P., where she served as Special Advisor to the Board of Directors from September 2017 to February 2018, Chief Medical Officer from January 2015 to September 2017 and VP, Medical Affairs from November 2014 to January 2015. From 2000 to November 2014, Dr. Cawkwell served in a number of roles of increasing responsibility at Pfizer Inc., including most recently as Vice President Medicine Team Lead for Pfizer’s tofacitinib franchise. Dr. Cawkwell also served as a Clinical Instructor of Pediatrics at Columbia Presbyterian Health Center from 2002 to 2015 and previously held several other clinical and academic posts. Dr. Cawkwell received her Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati, her M.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and her bachelor’s degree from Duke University.
David Ford has served as our Chief Human Resources Officer since May 2017. He brings over 25 years of experience in a variety of human resources roles across the United States, Europe, Latin America and New Zealand. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Ford spent nearly 15 years at Sanofi, where he most recently served as Vice President Human Resources for the Sanofi Genzyme global business unit from January 2016 to May 2017. Prior to that role, from November 2011 through December 2015, Mr. Ford served as Vice President Human Resources for the Sanofi North American businesses. Mr. Ford joined the pharmaceutical industry in 2002 as the HR Director—United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland for Sanofi-Synthelabo. Mr. Ford holds a master’s degree in business administration from INSEAD, Fontainebleau (France).
Sandip Kapadia has served as our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since July 2016. Mr. Kapadia has over 20 years of experience in building and leading finance and administration teams at life sciences companies both in the United States and abroad. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kapadia held finance leadership positions over 19 years at Novartis and Novartis affiliates in the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, including most recently Chief Financial Officer of North America at Novartis’s generic division, Sandoz. Mr. Kapadia has been a director of Passage Bio since January 2020 and previously was a director of Therachon AG from January 2019 to June 2019. Mr. Kapadia earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and accounting from Montclair State University, an M.B.A from Rutgers Graduate School of Management and is a certified public accountant.
Richard Kim has served as our President, U.S. Commercial & Strategic Marketing since February 2018, having previously served as Senior Vice President, Commercial U.S. since July 2015. He has over 20 years of commercial, marketing and managerial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry in the United States and abroad. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kim worked at Bristol-Myers Squibb starting in 2004, where he most recently served as General Manager, Hepatitis C Worldwide Commercialization. Prior to that, Mr. Kim held a number of roles of increasing responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb, including Vice President, SPRYCEL Brand Lead, Oncology Global Marketing; Vice President, U.S. In-Line Oncology and Global Marketing for Necitumumab; and Vice President, East Area Sales, Cardiovascular and Metabolics. Prior to holding these positions, Mr. Kim held a range of senior positions in the United States, Canada and Australia at Schering-Plough, which was acquired by Merck & Co., Inc. Mr. Kim earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Alberta.
31

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ryan Sullivan has served as our General Counsel and Secretary since February 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Sullivan worked at Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Pfizer Inc. At Anacor, Mr. Sullivan served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from February 2016 until June 2016 and as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from April 2014 until February 2016. Before joining Anacor, Mr. Sullivan worked as an attorney in the legal group of Warner Chilcott plc prior to its acquisition by Actavis plc (now Allergan plc). During his tenure at Warner Chilcott from July 2007 until December 2013, Mr. Sullivan served in a number of positions of increasing responsibility, including most recently as General Counsel and Secretary. Before joining Warner Chilcott, Mr. Sullivan practiced in the New York corporate law group of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP. Mr. Sullivan earned his bachelor’s of science degree from Cornell University and his juris doctor degree from Cornell Law School.
Christian Weyer, M.D., M.A.S. has served as our EVP, Research & Development since November of 2017. Dr. Weyer’s career in metabolic drug development spans more than 20 years, involving clinical studies and regulatory submissions at all stages of product development and across the continuum of diabetes, obesity and NAFLD/NASH. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Weyer was President and Chief Development Officer at ProSciento, Inc., a leading clinical R&D service provider focused on diabetes, NAFLD/NASH and obesity, from December 2015 to November 2017. Dr. Weyer has served as a senior executive in several companies, including as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Fate Therapeutics, Inc. from October 2012 to November 2015, where he steered the company’s transition into a publicly traded cellular therapeutics company, and as Senior Vice President of R&D at Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he contributed to the development and approval of several first-in-class medicines for diabetes and lipodystrophy. Before joining Amylin, Dr. Weyer worked at the National Institutes of Health, NIDDK, conducting clinical research on the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Weyer received his M.D. and clinical training at the Department of Metabolic Disorders, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Diabetes Treatment and Prevention, at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany and holds a postdoctoral master’s degree in advanced clinical research from the University of California, San Diego.
32

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes our executive compensation philosophy and how we implemented it through our 2019 compensation program for our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers serving at the end of 2019 (the “named executive officers”):
NameTitle
Mark Pruzanski, M.D.President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)
Sandip KapadiaChief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Jerome DursoChief Operating Officer
Ryan SullivanGeneral Counsel and Secretary
Richard KimPresident, U.S. Commercial & Strategic Marketing
Executive Summary
In 2019, we made considerable progress executing against our key strategic priorities relating to our nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (“NASH”) development program, our primary biliary cholangitis (“PBC”) commercial efforts and our pipeline in non-viral liver diseases, and further refined and strengthened our executive compensation program and corporate governance practices. Key financial and operational highlights are described below.
2019 STOCK PRICE PERFORMANCE AND RELATED AWARDS
[MISSING IMAGE: tm2014047d1-line_perf.jpg]

Solid Stock Price Appreciation.   Our stock price increased by 23% over the course of 2019.

TSR-Based Performance Stock Unit Awards.   In 2019, we again granted as part of our annual equity award program for our executive officers performance stock unit awards (“TSR PSUs”) that vest, if at all, based on the Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) of our common stock relative to that of the companies comprising the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index (“TSR Peer Group”) over a 3-year period, subject to a vesting cap equal to 100% of target in the event that our relative TSR exceeds target but our absolute TSR is negative.
33

TABLE OF CONTENTS
KEY BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENTS
Achieved Positive Topline Results in Pivotal Phase 3 REGENERATE trial.   In February 2019, we announced positive topline results from the planned 18-month interim analysis of our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of obeticholic acid (“OCA”) in patients with liver fibrosis due to NASH, known as the REGENERATE trial. In the primary efficacy analysis, once-daily OCA 25 mg met the primary endpoint agreed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) of fibrosis improvement by at least one state with no worsening of NASH at the planned 18-month interim analysis and adverse events were generally mild to moderate in severity and the most common were consistent with the known profile of OCA. In November 2019, the results of the 18-month interim analysis from the REGENERATE trial were published in The Lancet.
Submitted First NDA to the FDA and First MAA to the EMA in Liver Fibrosis due to NASH.   In September 2019, we submitted the first New Drug Application (“NDA”) to the FDA seeking accelerated approval of OCA in liver fibrosis due to NASH. In November 2019, the FDA accepted our NDA for filing and granted priority review. In December 2019, we submitted the first Marketing Authorization Application (“MAA”) to the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) seeking conditional approval of OCA for liver fibrosis due to NASH, which was validated by the EMA in January 2020 thereby confirming that our MAA was sufficiently complete to begin the formal review.
Achieved Significant Worldwide Ocaliva Net Sales.   We recognized $249.6 million in net sales of Ocaliva® (obeticholic acid) in 2019, as compared to $177.8 million in 2018. Ocaliva net sales in 2019 were comprised of U.S. net sales of $187.5 million and ex-U.S. net sales of  $62.1 million, as compared to U.S. net sales of  $140.8 million and ex-U.S. net sales of  $37.0 million in 2018.
Executed $470 million Financing Significantly Strengthening our Financial Position.   In May 2019, we issued and sold $230.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 and received net proceeds of approximately $223.4 million therefrom. In addition, we issued and sold 2,760,000 shares of common stock for $83.50 per share in a registered public offering and 119,760 shares of common stock for $83.50 per share in a concurrent private placement and received net proceeds of approximately $227.3 million.
Advanced Leading NASH Development Program and Pipeline.   In 2019, we continued to advance our leading NASH development program, including our Phase 3 trial in NASH patients with compensated cirrhosis, known as REVERSE, which is now fully enrolled with over 900 patients randomized. In addition, we began evaluating in a Phase 2 study the efficacy, safety and tolerability of bezafibrate, a pan-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (“PPAR”) agonist, in combination with OCA in patients with PBC following our acquisition of the U.S. rights to bezafibrate from Aralez Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.
34

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CEO COMPENSATION HIGHLIGHTS
Our CEOBreak-Down of 2019 CEO Compensation
Dr. Mark Pruzanski co-founded our Company and has served as our CEO since our inception in 2002. Dr. Pruzanski has been critical in driving many of our achievements over the course of our history, including those described above.
[MISSING IMAGE: tm2014047d1-pc_breakdown4c.jpg]
Market-Based CEO Compensation.   For 2019, we determined total CEO compensation (including annual equity awards) with reference to the 50th percentile of the competitive market based on our compensation peer group. In 2020, we continued this approach and again determined total CEO compensation (including annual equity awards) with reference to this percentile.
Significant Performance Elements.   We incorporated significant performance elements, including TSR PSUs, into our CEO’s annual and long-term incentive compensation arrangements for 2019. Approximately 87% of our CEO’s 2019 total compensation consisted of variable compensation elements dependent on our achievement of corporate performance goals and our stock price performance.
TSR PSU Grants.   As part of our annual equity award program, we grant our executive officers TSR PSUs. In each of 2019 and 2020, the proportion of our CEO’s annual equity grant attributable to TSR PSUs was approximately 60% of the total grant date fair value.
Executive Leadership.   Our CEO leads a highly-experienced executive team that spearheaded our business successes described above.
STOCKHOLDER OUTREACH
Overview.   We are committed to establishing and maintaining an open and transparent dialogue with our stockholders with respect to executive compensation and important governance matters. Each year, we engage with our stockholders to request feedback regarding our executive compensation program and other governance matters of importance to our stockholders. Stockholder feedback is then reported to our Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and the full Board for consideration.
Stockholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation.   Each year, our stockholders are provided the opportunity to cast an advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers (a “say-on-pay” vote), and our Compensation Committee considers the outcome of the prior year’s say-on-pay vote when making decisions relating to the compensation of our named executive officers and our executive compensation program. Our 2019 advisory say-on-pay proposal was approved by approximately 98% of the votes cast on the proposal. Though we were encouraged by this feedback, we plan to continue to work to understand our stockholders’ perspective concerning our executive compensation program and remain committed to our stockholder engagement activities. In 2019, we reached out to stockholders representing over 70% of our outstanding shares, including each of our largest stockholders. Participants at our meetings with such stockholders included members of our executive management team and the Chairperson of our Compensation Committee and Lead Independent Director.
Stockholder Feedback.   We believe that our outreach was well received, and many of the stockholders we contacted in 2019 informed us that they were generally pleased with our approach to executive compensation and did not feel the need to meet to discuss such matters in detail. Generally, the stockholders that we did meet with have a long-term outlook and understand that we regularly review
35

TABLE OF CONTENTS
and refine our compensation programs as we continue to transition from a development-stage company to a more mature commercial-stage company in a competitive and dynamic industry. In these interactions, among other matters, we discussed our performance-based compensation philosophy, including our practice of granting TSR PSUs to our executive officers. We consistently heard from these stockholders that they appreciated our efforts to engage with them on our compensation philosophy and practices, and they encouraged us to continue our outreach on a regular basis.
Commitment to Future Outreach.   We believe that stockholder engagement is important and our Compensation Committee will continue to consider stockholder feedback, future say-on-pay votes and relevant market developments in order to determine whether any subsequent changes to our executive compensation program are warranted. We expect to continue our outreach efforts with respect to executive compensation and important governance matters in future years in order to ensure that we collect stockholder feedback for the consideration of our Compensation Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and the full Board.
COMPENSATION AND GOVERNANCE BEST PRACTICES
What We Do
Independent Chairman and All Board Members other than our CEO are Independent.   Paolo Fundarò serves as our Board’s Chairman, and all of the members of our Board (except Dr. Pruzanski) are independent directors.
Additional Independent Board Leadership and Diversity.   Gino Santini serves as our Board’s Lead Independent Director, which we believe enhances our Board governance structure and contributes to the overall effectiveness of our Board. In addition, in April 2018, we appointed Nancy Miller-Rich as an independent director to our Board, which increased the gender diversity of our Board. We continue to strive where appropriate to achieve a diverse balance of backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, ages, genders and ethnicities on our Board and its committees.
Independent Compensation Committee.   Our Compensation Committee, which is composed entirely of independent directors, provides independent oversight of our compensation programs.
Independent Compensation Consultant.   Our Compensation Committee uses an independent executive compensation consulting firm that reports directly to the committee.
Annual Compensation Review and Analysis.   Our Compensation Committee conducts an annual assessment of executive compensation to ensure that we provide competitive compensation packages to attract, retain, reward and incentivize our executive management team to achieve success for us and our stockholders.
Multiple Performance Elements.   In accordance with our performance-based compensation philosophy, our executive compensation program incorporates multiple performance elements, including target-based cash incentive bonuses payable upon the achievement of corporate goals and individual performance, and long-term equity incentive compensation, a substantial portion of which consists of stock options and TSR PSUs.
Market Benchmarking and Use of Reference Peer Group.   Our Compensation Committee, with the assistance of its independent compensation consultant, annually analyzes similar life science companies to identify a relevant group of peer companies for purposes of ensuring the reasonableness and competitiveness of our executive compensation program.
Stock Ownership Requirements.   We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines for our Board, CEO and other executive officers, including our named executive officers, which require, within specified periods of time, our non-employee directors to hold Company equity with a value equal to at least 3x their annual cash retainer and our CEO and other executive officers to hold Company equity with a value equal to at least 3x and 1x, respectively, their annual base salary.
36

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Clawback Policy.   We have adopted a clawback policy that permits the Company to recover from any current or former executive officer, including any named executive officer, whose fraud or intentional misconduct contributes to the circumstances requiring the Company to prepare an accounting restatement due to material non-compliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under U.S. federal securities laws, up to 100% of any incentive-based compensation received by such officer from the Company during the one-year period preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare such accounting restatement.
Corporate Governance Guidelines.   In 2019, we adopted corporate governance guidelines reflecting our Board’s commitment to building long-term stockholder value with an emphasis on corporate governance. The Nominating and Governance Committee periodically reviews the adequacy and effectiveness of our corporate governance guidelines and recommends any proposed changes to the Board for approval.
What We Don’t Do
No excise tax gross-ups.   We have not provided or committed to provide excise tax gross-ups to any of our named executive officers.
No change in control “windfalls”.   The change in control protections for our named executive officers are limited to “double-trigger” arrangements, which require both a change in control and a qualifying termination of employment, or in the case of TSR PSUs, vesting, if at all, based on our TSR performance relative to that of our TSR Peer Group through the month preceding the month in which the change in control occurs.
Limited perquisites.   Our named executive officers generally receive the same benefits as are available to all of our salaried employees, with limited recurring exceptions primarily consisting of fully-paid health insurance premiums.
No automatic or guaranteed annual salary increases.   We do not provide for any formulaic or guaranteed base salary increases for our named executive officers.
No guaranteed bonuses or annual equity grants.   We do not provide guaranteed bonuses or annual equity grants to our named executive officers. In addition, our Compensation Committee determined to maintain the 2019 annual cash incentive bonus target percentages for our named executive officers at their 2018 levels.
No hedging or pledging of Company stock.   Our named executive officers and other employees are restricted from engaging in speculative trading activities, including hedging or pledging their company securities as collateral.
37

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Compensation Philosophy
We expecthave adopted a performance-based compensation philosophy that representativesis intended to attract, retain, reward and incentivize our executive officers to achieve our near-term corporate goals, as well as our long-term strategic objectives. In particular, our philosophy is designed to achieve the following objectives:

reward the achievement of measurable corporate objectives and align executive officers’ incentives with increasing stockholder value;

attract, retain and motivate highly talented individuals with the skills and demonstrated abilities necessary to deliver superior execution of our short- and long-term strategic plans and drive our continued success;

provide executive compensation that is competitive with that paid by our peers in the competitive and dynamic biopharmaceutical industry;

appropriately balance cash compensation designed to encourage the achievement of critical annual goals with equity incentives designed to inspire the achievement of long-term objectives and align the interests of our executive officers more closely with those of our stockholders; and

align the compensation principles for our executive officers with those for all employees to help create a company-wide performance culture.
Our Executive Compensation Process
The Role of the Compensation Committee
Our Compensation Committee is responsible for the evaluation and oversight of our executive compensation program, policies and practices. Accordingly, our Compensation Committee reviews and approves all compensation provided to our named executive officers, including adjustments to base salaries, annual target-based cash incentive bonuses, equity incentive awards, severance arrangements and benefit programs. Our Compensation Committee consists of three members of our Board, each of whom has extensive experience in our industry and is an independent director under applicable Nasdaq and SEC rules. Our Compensation Committee uses its judgment and experience to develop and approve our executive compensation program, including our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation package. In doing so, our Compensation Committee periodically meets with an independent compensation consultant in executive session without our Chief Executive Officer or any other member of management present. Our Compensation Committee also periodically evaluates the need for revisions to our executive compensation program to ensure our program is competitive with the companies with which we compete for executive talent.
Management’s Involvement in the Executive Compensation Process
A small number of executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer, participate in general sessions of our Compensation Committee. Management does not participate in executive sessions of our Compensation Committee. At the request of our Compensation Committee, our Chief Executive Officer provides input and recommendations to the committee on salary adjustments, annual target-based cash incentive bonus amounts and appropriate equity incentive compensation levels in relation to our executive officers other than himself. In formulating these recommendations, our Chief Executive Officer may consider data obtained from third-party sources, including data provided by compensation consultants other than the independent compensation consultant retained by our Compensation Committee.
Use of Independent Compensation Consultant by the Compensation Committee
In designing our executive compensation program, our Compensation Committee considers as a reference point publicly available compensation data for other companies in the biopharmaceutical industry to help guide its executive compensation decisions at the time of hiring and for subsequent adjustments in compensation. In 2019, our Compensation Committee also retained the services of the Rewards Solution practice of Aon plc, specifically members of their Radford advisory team (“Radford”), an independent compensation consultant, to provide it with additional comparative data on executive compensation
38

TABLE OF CONTENTS
practices in our industry and to advise it on our executive compensation program generally. For 2019, Radford provided advice and data to our Compensation Committee on executive and director compensation matters, including the selection of our compensation peer group, comparative market pay levels, equity dilution and annual share utilization practices, incentive plan design and emerging market trends. Although our Compensation Committee considers the advice and recommendations of its compensation consultant about our executive compensation program, the committee ultimately makes its own decisions about these matters. Our Compensation Committee determined that the work of Radford did not raise any conflicts of interest in 2019. In making this assessment, our Compensation Committee considered the independence factors enumerated in Rule 10C-1(b) under the Exchange Act and the applicable Nasdaq rules.
Peer Group
Our Compensation Committee references a peer group of publicly traded companies in the biopharmaceutical industry for purposes of gathering data to compare with our existing executive compensation levels and practices and as context for future compensation decisions. Our Compensation Committee, with the assistance of its independent compensation consultant, periodically reviews and, if appropriate, updates the compensation peer group, as appropriate, to include companies that the Compensation Committee believes are competitors for executive talent and are similar to us based on a number of criteria, including sector, market capitalization, revenue, stage of development and head count. Our Compensation Committee may consider peer group and other industry compensation data and the recommendations of its independent compensation consultant when making decisions related to executive compensation. Our Compensation Committee also considers data with respect to peer companies identified by proxy advisory firms in the prior year’s proxy cycle. Our Compensation Committee, with input from its independent compensation consultant, reviewed the composition of our 2018 compensation peer group and determined that no modifications were required for 2019. The companies included in our compensation peer group for 2019 were as follows:
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.Radius Health, Inc.
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Seattle Genetics Inc.
Alkermes plcLexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Tesaro, Inc.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.The Medicines Company
bluebird bio, Inc.Omeros CorporationUltragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Exelixis, Inc.Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.United Therapeutics Corporation
FibroGen, Inc.Puma Biotechnology, Inc.
Market Benchmarking
At the beginning of 2019, based on the input and analysis provided by Radford and the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer (except with respect to his own compensation), our Compensation Committee determined that 2019 target total direct compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and other named executive officers employed by the Company would be determined with reference to the 50th percentile of compensation for executives holding similar positions at the companies in our compensation peer group. In determining each named executive officer’s equity incentive award, our Compensation Committee examined peer group compensation data provided by Radford and other related compensation data.
39

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annual Compensation Review Process
On an annual basis, our Compensation Committee meets to review the performance of our Chief Executive Officer and our other named executive officers. At these meetings, our Compensation Committee typically invites our Chief Executive Officer to participate in the discussion (excluding discussions pertaining to his own compensation) in order to seek our Chief Executive Officer’s input and recommendations with respect to each named executive officer (other than himself) as to:

the achievement of stated corporate performance objectives;

the level of contributions made to the general management and guidance of the Company; and

the amount of any salary increases, cash incentive bonus payouts and new equity awards.
Our Compensation Committee takes into consideration these recommendations and other relevant performance and competitive market factors when it makes its determination on executive compensation matters. Our Compensation Committee also meets to monitor, review and decide compensation matters periodically throughout the year.
Compensation Risk Assessment
We periodically evaluate our compensation programs to understand which elements, if any, may pose risk to the Company and from time to time adopt additional compensation policies and practices designed to discourage excessive or unnecessary risk-taking on the part of program participants. The Company, with the assistance of an independent compensation consultant, Radford, has reviewed Company compensation policies and practices, both for executive and non-executive employees, and determined that those policies and practices do not create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. In conducting this review, we considered various features of our compensation policies and practices that discourage excessive or unnecessary risk-taking, including, but not limited to, the following:

oversight of our compensation policies and practices by our Compensation Committee, including with respect to performance goal setting and the evaluation of achievement thereunder;

an effective balance between fixed and variable compensation, and short-term and long-term incentive opportunities;

diversity in long-term incentive vehicles;

the adoption of performance measures that support the achievement of key goals and the Company’s business strategy;

the incorporation of risk-mitigating features (such as the clawback policy) into the Company’s compensation programs; and

reasonable severance and change of control arrangements.
Components of Our Executive Compensation Program
The primary elements of our executive compensation program are:

base salary;

annual target-based cash incentive bonuses;

equity incentive awards;

broad-based health and welfare benefits; and

balanced severance arrangements.
Our Compensation Committee believes that a significant amount of executive compensation should be in the form of  “at risk” incentives and that the pay mix should be strongly weighted toward equity incentive awards in order to provide alignment with long-term stockholder value. However, we do not have a formal or informal policy for a pre-set allocation between long-term and short-term compensation, between cash and non-cash compensation or among different forms of non-cash compensation. Instead, our
40

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Compensation Committee, after reviewing information provided by its independent compensation consultant and other relevant data, determines what it believes to be the appropriate level and mix of the various compensation components. We generally strive to provide our named executive officers with a balance of short-term and long-term incentives to encourage consistently strong performance. Ultimately, the objective in allocating between long-term and currently paid compensation is to ensure adequate base compensation to attract and retain personnel, while providing incentives to maximize long-term value for the Company and its stockholders. Therefore, we provide base salaries that meet competitive salary norms and recognize individual performance on an annual basis. We provide an opportunity to earn annual target-based cash incentive bonuses to incentivize and reward superior short-term performance. To further focus our named executive officers on longer-term performance and the creation of stockholder value, we rely upon equity-based awards that vest over a meaningful period of time and the value of which is dependent on stock price performance.
Base Salary
We use base salaries to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge and responsibilities of our employees, including our named executive officers. Base salaries for newly-hired named executive officers typically are established through an arm’s-length negotiation at the time the individual is hired, taking into account factors such as the position for which the individual is being considered, the individual’s qualifications, prior experience and prior base salary (to the extent available) and competitive market demand. None of our named executive officers is currently party to an employment agreement that provides for automatic or scheduled increases in base salary. On an annual basis, our Compensation Committee reviews and evaluates, with input from our Chief Executive Officer (other than with respect to his own base salary), the need for adjustment of the base salaries of our named executive officers based on changes and expected changes in the scope of their responsibilities. Our Compensation Committee also considers promotions, the contributions made by and performance of the named executive officer during the prior fiscal year, the individual’s performance over a period of years, overall economic and labor market conditions, the relative ease or difficulty of replacing the individual with a well-qualified person, our overall growth and development as a company, general salary trends in our industry and among our compensation peer group and where the individual’s salary falls in the salary range presented by that data. Compensation trends and cost of living increases in the New York City metropolitan area, where our headquarters is located, may also factor into such evaluation. For more information regarding our compensation peer group, see “—Our Executive Compensation Process—Peer Group” above. In addition, our Compensation Committee may draw upon the experience of members of our Board with other companies in making decisions regarding salary increases.
For 2019, our Compensation Committee determined annual base salaries for each of our named executive officers based on their overall individual performance in 2018, their increased level of experience and to ensure that their salaries remained competitive with those of similarly situated executives in our compensation peer group. For 2019 and 2018, the annual base salaries for each of our named executive officers were as follows:
Named Executive Officer2019 Salary2018 SalaryChange
from 2018
Dr. Mark Pruzanski$734,292​$702,000​4.6%
Sandip Kapadia$464,100​$442,000​5.0%
Jerome Durso$573,250​$540,800​6.0%
Ryan Sullivan$445,520​$424,300​5.0%
Richard Kim$442,900​$430,000​3.0%
The change to the annual base salary of each named executive officer, as applicable, was effective as of January 1, 2019. Please refer to “—Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2020” below for a listing of the annual base salaries of each of our named executive officers for 2020.
41

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annual Target-Based Cash Incentive Bonuses
As part of our performance-based compensation philosophy, our annual target-based cash incentive bonus program is designed to reward our named executive officers for the achievement of specified, measurable annual corporate goals and (with respect to our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer) individual goals and contributions. At the beginning of each year, the cash incentive bonus opportunity for each named executive officer is established as a target percentage of such officer’s base salary. The actual annual cash incentive bonus amounts payable to our named executive officers are determined after year end based on our Compensation Committee’s evaluation of performance against the corporate goals and, in the case of our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer, individual performance. Individual performance of the named executive officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer) is assessed by our Compensation Committee after considering the performance of each officer based on specific goals, individual contributions and the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer. Consistent with past practice, our Compensation Committee determined that the 2019 cash incentive bonus opportunity for Dr. Pruzanski would be based entirely on the achievement of corporate goals.
Our Compensation Committee believes that a cash incentive bonus program based on the evaluation of multiple corporate goals and individual performance (with respect to our named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer) is best-suited for a biopharmaceutical company at our stage of development due to the uncertainties inherent in the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of new drug treatments. Our Compensation Committee also considers the practices of our compensation peer group and overall industry practices as part of its review of our cash incentive bonus program. In order to better align cash incentive bonus payouts with performance, our Compensation Committee may take additional significant corporate achievements into account for the current year’s cash incentive bonus calculation that were not contemplated at the time the current year corporate goals were determined. Our Compensation Committee also has the authority to shift corporate goals to subsequent fiscal years and to eliminate them for the current year’s cash incentive bonus calculation if it determines that underachievement of a goal was primarily caused by circumstances that were beyond the named executive officer’s control or if it determines that the business priorities for the year had shifted. Each of our Compensation Committee and Board has authority, in its sole discretion, to review and approve management’s evaluation of how we performed against our corporate goals and the recommended cash incentive bonus payout levels. This authority includes the ability to rate the accomplishment of particular goals at below, equal to or greater than 100% of target based on the Company’s performance. Our Compensation Committee’s assessment of the individual performance of our named executive officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer) may result in such officers receiving cash incentive bonuses that are higher or lower than the amounts that they would otherwise receive if such bonuses were based on the achievement of corporate goals alone.
The target annual cash incentive bonus for each named executive officer is set by our Compensation Committee as a percentage of such officer’s base salary. The target percentages approved by our Compensation Committee are typically based on an evaluation of compensation peer group data, as well as consideration of the level of qualification and experience of each named executive officer as well as internal pay comparisons. Based on this evaluation, our Compensation Committee determined to maintain the 2019 annual cash incentive bonus target percentages for our named executive officers at their 2018 levels.
Our annual corporate goals have historically included the achievement of specific clinical, regulatory, operational and/or financial milestones, with a focus on the advancement of our product candidates in clinical development, the pursuit of various internal initiatives and ensuring adequate funding for our growth. As we continue to transition from a development-stage company to a commercial-stage company, we have begun to introduce precommercial and commercial-related milestones into our annual corporate goals, with added focus on precommercial and commercial preparedness, commercial sales targets and regulatory achievements. The corporate goals are proposed by senior management at the beginning of each fiscal year and are approved by our Compensation Committee and Board with such modifications as our Compensation Committee and Board deem appropriate. In connection with such approval, our Compensation Committee and Board conduct a rigorous review designed to ensure that such goals reflect the corporate performance measures that we believe are most important to the success of the Company and
42

TABLE OF CONTENTS
will drive stockholder value. In addition, the corporate goals are generally set at challenging “stretch” levels so as to require our named executive officers to expend substantial effort and commitment leveraging their individual and collective skills and competencies to attain such goals.
Our 2019 corporate goals, their relative weightings and the achievement levels assessed by our Compensation Committee are summarized below:
2019 Corporate Goal SummaryRelative
Weighting
Assessed
Achievement
NASH Program
60%59%
Includes specified activities and milestones related to:

the delivery of topline results from the planned 18-month interim analysis of our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of OCA in patients with liver fibrosis due to NASH, known as the REGENERATE trial, and the timing thereof

the acceptance of our NDA in NASH in the United States and the timing thereof

the timely completion of launch preparation and organization ramp-up activities to support a launch of OCA in liver fibrosis due to NASH in the United States, if approved, including the establishment of marketing and medical plans and the creation and appropriate staffing of the launch organization
PBC Commercial Program30%41%
Includes specified commercial milestones such as:

the achievement of  $230 million in worldwide annual net sales of Ocaliva

the achievement of commercial contribution targets in PBC
Pipeline and New Products10%9%
Includes specified activities and milestones related to:

the initiation of a Phase 2 study of OCA/bezafibrate combination in PBC

the development and implementation of a pipeline expansion strategy
          
Total100%109%
In January 2020, our Compensation Committee considered our performance in light of the above goals, together with other information available to it, and determined that our 2019 corporate goals were achieved in the aggregate at 109% of target.
As noted above, our Chief Executive Officer’s cash incentive bonus is determined solely based on the achievement of corporate goals, whereas the cash incentive bonus for our other named executive officers is based on both our corporate goals and individual performance. Key 2019 individual goals for, and achievements of, our named executive officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer) were as follows.

Mr. Kapadia: Mr. Kapadia was responsible for the oversight of all aspects of the Company’s financial management as well as the investor relations, facilities and information technology functions. In addition to the effective execution of his core duties, Mr. Kapadia led the preparation for, and execution of, the May 2019 financing transactions which significantly strengthened the Company’s balance sheet, and also directed the initiation of a global Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) project to support the Company’s growing data management and forecasting capabilities. In the facilities area, under Mr. Kapadia’s guidance, the Company identified, selected and signed a lease on a new facility in San Diego.

Mr. Durso: Mr. Durso was responsible for the oversight of the global commercial performance of the Ocaliva business in PBC, which exceeded the Company’s original revenue expectations and was
43

TABLE OF CONTENTS
effectively managed from a cost and investment perspective. He also was integrally involved in the direction of the preparations to launch OCA in liver fibrosis due to NASH, if approved, and led the development of the Company’s strategic long-range operating plan. Beyond his responsibilities in the commercial area, Mr. Durso led a number of other functional areas within the Company, including corporate communications, business development, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and quality assurance. In 2019, he was responsible for assessing the Company’s evolving needs in such areas and significantly expanded the Company’s internal capabilities.

Mr. Sullivan: Mr. Sullivan was responsible for managing all aspects of the Company’s legal, intellectual property, healthcare compliance and corporate governance functions. He was integrally involved in the Company’s financing activities, including the structuring of the May 2019 convertible debt offering, public equity offering and concurrent private placement, and also was instrumental in the successful resolution of certain legal matters. Beyond these specific achievements, he provided wide-ranging legal input on a range of strategic topics across the full spectrum of the Company’s business.

Mr. Kim: Mr. Kim was responsible for the performance of the Ocaliva business in PBC in the United States and was directly accountable for the oversight of the Company’s launch preparations for OCA in liver fibrosis due to NASH, if approved, as part of his global strategic marketing responsibilities. The performance of the United States PBC business exceeded the Company’s original revenue expectations and was effectively managed from a cost and investment perspective. Mr. Kim’s launch preparation responsibilities for OCA in liver fibrosis due to NASH, if approved, involved projects in a number of critical areas, including opportunity assessment, investment planning and brand planning. Mr. Kim was also responsible for the oversight of the design, recruitment and successful build-out of the Company’s United States NASH launch organization.
For 2019, our Compensation Committee reviewed our performance against our corporate goals (as described above) and assessed the individual performance of each named executive officer (other than our Chief Executive Officer) after considering such officer’s performance in light of his goals, individual contributions and the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer. The following table sets forth the 2019 cash incentive bonus targets, achievement levels and payments for our named executive officers.
2019 Cash Incentive Bonus
Named Executive OfficerTarget
(as % of
Base Salary)
Corporate
Goal
Achievement
Level
Individual
Goal
Achievement
Level
Aggregate
Achievement
(as % of
Base Salary)
Payment
Dr. Mark Pruzanski70%109%76%$560,265
Sandip Kapadia50%109%100%55%$252,935
Jerome Durso50%109%115%63%$359,284
Ryan Sullivan50%109%110%60%$267,089
Richard Kim50%109%110%60%$265,519
Please refer to “—Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2020” below for a listing of the target annual cash incentive bonuses for each of our named executive officers for 2020.
Equity Incentive Awards
Our equity incentive program is the vehicle used for providing long-term incentives to our executive officers, including our named executive officers. We believe that equity awards provide our named executive officers with a strong link to our long-term performance, create an ownership culture and help to align the long-term interests of such officers and our stockholders. In addition, we believe that equity awards with a time- or performance-based vesting feature promote retention because these features incentivize our named executive officers to remain in our employment during the vesting period.
We typically grant an initial equity award to new named executive officers at the commencement of their employment and grant annual equity awards as part of our ongoing executive compensation program. In addition, we may grant other special equity awards if determined to be in the best interest of the
44

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Company, including at the time of significant promotions. In 2019, equity awards made to our named executive officers included, as applicable, stock option awards, restricted stock unit awards and TSR PSUs. Stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted to our named executive officers generally vest over a period of four years. The exercise price for any Company stock option is set at no less than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant, as determined by reference to the closing market price of our common stock on such date. TSR PSUs vest, if at all, based on our TSR relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over a 3-year period, subject to a vesting cap equal to 100% of target in the event that our relative TSR exceeds target but our absolute TSR is negative. The vesting of each type of award is subject to continued employment through the applicable vesting dates, except in the case of certain qualifying terminations of employment.
Annual Equity Awards
In determining the size of the annual equity awards granted to our named executive officers, our Compensation Committee considers recommendations developed by its independent compensation consultant, including information regarding comparative stock ownership of, and equity awards received by, the executives in our compensation peer group and our industry. In addition, our Compensation Committee considers each named executive officer’s individual performance and the extent to which such officer has vested in previous equity awards, as well as our overall corporate performance and the potential for enhancing the long-term creation of value for our stockholders.
Annual equity awards to our named executive officers are typically granted each year in conjunction with the review of their individual performance and our overall corporate performance for the previous year. This review typically occurs at meetings of our Compensation Committee held during the first quarter of each year. This allows our Compensation Committee to review various metrics related to our performance in the previous year before making award determinations.
In determining the annual equity awards to be granted to our named executive officers in 2019, our Compensation Committee considered, among other things, the value of the annual equity awards received by executives in our compensation peer group and our industry and the size of the annual equity awards as a percentage of our outstanding stock, dilution to existing stockholders and the retention value in the outstanding equity program based on the value of outstanding unvested awards, all of which were considered in light of individual and corporate performance in 2018. To promote our performance-based compensation philosophy, individual equity awards were positioned higher or lower within the compensation peer group range based on the individual performance of each named executive officer.
We believe that a mix of compensation components incentivizes consistently strong performance. In 2019, we retained the use of stock option, restricted stock unit awards and TSR PSUs. Our approach reflects what we believe is an appropriate equity allocation, providing our named executive officers with incentives to drive value creation through performance-based TSR PSUs and stock options, the value of which depends on our TSR relative to the TSR of our peers or an increase in our stock price, respectively, while addressing the historically high volatility of our common stock through the restricted stock unit award component, which maintains some value through any volatility. This approach also helps manage overall dilution levels and the remaining equity pool available under our 2012 Equity Incentive Plan (“2012 Plan”) in light of our significant growth to date and expected continued future expansion of Company headcount. Approximately sixty percent of the grant date fair value of Dr. Pruzanski’s 2019 annual equity grant was comprised of performance-based TSR PSUs and the remaining approximately forty percent was comprised of equal proportions of stock options and restricted stock units. Approximately one third of the grant date fair value of the 2019 annual equity grants made to our other named executive officers was allocated to each of performance-based TSR PSUs, stock options and restricted stock units. Please refer to “—Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2019” below for a listing of grants made to each of our named executive officers in connection with our 2019 annual equity award program.
In January 2019, as part of our annual grant process, our Compensation Committee approved the grant of stock options, restricted stock units and TSR PSUs to our named executive officers. The stock option awards granted in connection with our 2019 annual grant have (i) a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting in an initial installment on the date preceding the one-year anniversary of the relevant vesting commencement date and 1/48th of the shares subject to the award
45

TABLE OF CONTENTS
vesting each month thereafter and (ii) an exercise price of  $110.80 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant. The restricted stock unit awards granted in connection with our 2019 annual grant have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting on the date preceding each anniversary of the vesting commencement date. The TSR PSUs granted in connection with our 2019 annual grant vest, if at all, based on our TSR relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over a 3-year period measured from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2021. The percentage of such TSR PSUs that may vest following such period ranges from 0% to 150% as follows:
Relative TSRVesting
Percentage
Below 25th Percentile
0%
25th Percentile
50%
50th Percentile
100%
75th Percentile and Above
150%
The percentage of such TSR PSUs that will vest in the event that our relative TSR falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles will be based on linear interpolation. In addition, in the event that our relative TSR exceeds the 50th percentile but our absolute TSR over such period is negative, the percentage of such TSR PSUs that will vest will be capped at 100%.
The vesting of each type of award is subject to continued employment through the applicable vesting dates, except in the case of certain qualifying terminations of employment.
The grants made to each of our named executive officers in connection with our 2019 annual equity award program are set forth in the following table.
Named Executive OfficerTSR PSUsStock
Options
Restricted
Stock Units
Dr. Mark Pruzanski23,30013,7008,500
Sandip Kapadia3,6007,2004,500
Jerome Durso7,50015,2009,400
Ryan Sullivan5,30010,7006,600
Richard Kim3,2006,4004,000
Benefits and Other Compensation
We believe that establishing competitive benefit packages for our employees is an important factor in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel. We maintain broad-based benefits that are provided to all employees, including medical, dental, vision, group life insurance and long- and short-term disability insurance. For our U.S.-based employees, we also provide a 401(k) plan. Under our 401(k) plan, we are permitted to make discretionary contributions and matching contributions, subject to established limits and a vesting schedule. Since 2015, we have matched an employee’s contributions to the 401(k) plan up to the first five percent of the employee’s salary, subject to such limits. We provide pension, insurance and other benefits to employees located outside the United States in line with those provided to similar employees in their respective countries. Our named executive officers generally receive the same benefits as are available to all of our salaried employees, with limited recurring exceptions primarily consisting of fully-paid health insurance premiums. In addition, certain employees in our United States commercial organization, including Mr. Kim, receive a car allowance or the use of a leased vehicle and payment of certain ancillary expenses. We also reimburse Mr. Kim for the taxes associated with such benefit. The amounts paid in 2019 by the Company to the named executive officers in respect of matching 401(k) plan contributions and incremental health insurance premiums, and the amount paid to Mr. Kim for his car allowance and related benefits, are included in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table below. Our Compensation Committee in its discretion may revise, amend or add to a named executive officer’s benefits and perquisites if it deems it advisable.
46

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pursuant to an employee retention program adopted in 2017 to secure the services of a limited number of key employees during a critical period for the Company, we granted cash retention awards to certain employees. In December 2017, in connection with this program, Mr. Kim was granted a retention award in the amount of  $202,800 that was paid in the first quarter of 2019, following the expiration of the retention period in December 2018.
Severance and Change in Control Benefits
Pursuant to employment agreements or arrangements that we have entered into with our named executive officers, such officers are entitled to specified benefits in the event of the termination of their employment under specified circumstances, including termination in connection with a change in control of the Company. We believe that providing such benefits is consistent with industry practices and helps us to compete for executive talent, as well as to retain and motivate our named executive officers and minimize management distraction created by uncertain job security, particularly in the event of a potential transaction that would be beneficial to our stockholders.
We have structured our change in control benefits so as to prevent unintended “windfalls” in the event of a change in control. Accordingly, change in control protections for our named executive officers are limited to “double-trigger” arrangements, which require both a change in control and a qualifying termination of the employment of the named executive officer in connection with the change in control, or in the case of TSR PSUs, vesting, if at all, based on our TSR performance relative to that of our TSR Peer Group through the month preceding the month in which the change in control occurs. We believe that structuring our change in control benefits in this manner is protective of stockholder value, while still incentivizing named executive officers to pursue change in control transactions determined by our Board to be in the best interest of our stockholders.
Please refer to “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers” below for a more detailed discussion of these benefits. We have provided estimates of the value of the severance payments and other benefits that would have been made or provided to our named executive officers under various termination and change in control scenarios under the caption “—Potential Payments and Benefits Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control” below.
Compensation Decisions Relating to Fiscal Year 2020
In early 2020, the annual base salaries of our named executive officers were set by our Compensation Committee as follows, effective February 1, 2020:
Named Executive Officer2020 Salary2019 SalaryChange
from 2020
Dr. Mark Pruzanski$759,992​$734,292​3.50%​
Sandip Kapadia$478,023​$464,100​3.00%​
Jerome Durso$601,913​$573,250​5.00%​
Ryan Sullivan$461,113​$445,520​3.50%​
Richard Kim$457,294​$442,900​3.25%​
In addition, in early 2020, our Compensation Committee determined to maintain the 2020 annual cash incentive bonus target percentages for our named executive officers at their 2019 levels, and approved cash incentive bonus targets for our named executive officers for 2020 as follows:
Named Executive OfficerTarget Cash
Incentive Bonus
(as % of
Base Salary)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski70%
Sandip Kapadia50%
Jerome Durso50%
Ryan Sullivan50%
Richard Kim50%
47

TABLE OF CONTENTS
In early 2020, our Compensation Committee approved the following equity grants to our named executive officers:
Named Executive OfficerTSR PSUsStock
Options
Restricted
Stock Units
Dr. Mark Pruzanski25,80017,70010,800
Sandip Kapadia4,5009,2005,600
Jerome Durso8,50017,40010,600
Ryan Sullivan4,5009,2005,600
Richard Kim4,3008,8005,400
The stock option awards granted in connection with our 2020 annual grant have (i) a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting in an initial installment on the date preceding the one-year anniversary of the relevant vesting commencement date and 1/48th of the shares subject to the award vesting each month thereafter and (ii) an exercise price of  $99.66 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the date of grant. The restricted stock unit awards granted in connection with our 2020 annual grant have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting on the date preceding each anniversary of the vesting commencement date. The TSR PSUs granted in connection with our 2020 annual grant vest, if at all, based on our TSR relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over a 3-year period measured from January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The percentage of such TSR PSUs that may vest following such period ranges from 0% to 150% as follows:
Relative TSRVesting
Percentage
Below 25th Percentile
0%
25th Percentile
50%
50th Percentile
100%
75th Percentile and Above
150%
The percentage of such TSR PSUs that will vest in the event that our relative TSR falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles will be based on linear interpolation. In addition, in the event that our relative TSR exceeds the 50th percentile but our absolute TSR over such period is negative, the percentage of such TSR PSUs that will vest will be capped at 100%.
The vesting of each type of award is subject to continued employment through the applicable vesting dates, except in the case of certain qualifying terminations of employment.
Material Tax and Accounting Considerations
Section 162(m) of the Code generally restricts deductibility for federal income tax purposes of annual individual compensation in excess of  $1 million paid to certain executive officers. Prior to the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “TCJA”), Section 162(m) provided an exemption from this limitation for “qualified performance-based compensation.” The TCJA repealed the “qualified performance-based compensation” exemption, effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, but provides transition relief for certain contractual arrangements in place as of November 2, 2017 and not modified thereafter. We account for stock-based compensation, including annual and new hire equity awards, in accordance with the requirements of ASC 718.
Our Compensation Committee is informed about the tax deductibility and accounting treatment of compensation when making its compensation determinations. Our Compensation Committee’s general policy is to develop and maintain compensation programs that effectively attract, retain, reward and incentivize exceptional executives in a highly competitive environment, which may include payments that might not be deductible if our Compensation Committee believes they are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.
48

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Clawback Policy
We have adopted a clawback policy that permits the Company to recover from any current or former executive officer, including any named executive officer, whose fraud or intentional misconduct contributes to the circumstances requiring the Company to prepare an accounting restatement due to material non-compliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under U.S. federal securities laws, up to 100% of any incentive-based compensation received by such officer from the Company during the one-year period preceding the date on which the Company is required to prepare such accounting restatement.
Stock Ownership Guidelines
We have adopted minimum stock ownership guidelines for our Board, Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers, including our named executive officers, which require, within a five-year period, our non-employee directors to hold Company equity with a value equal to at least 3x their annual cash retainer and our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers to hold Company equity with a value equal to at least 3x and 1x, respectively, their annual base salary. Until the ownership guidelines are satisfied, our non-employee directors and executive officers are required to maintain a minimum retention ratio of at least 50% of their annual equity awards, net of shares sold or withheld solely to pay applicable exercise fees and/or withholding taxes. Any non-employee director or executive officer failing to meet the guidelines within the allotted compliance period will be required to maintain a minimum retention ratio of 100% of net shares after the applicable exercise fees and/or withholding taxes.
Anti-Hedging and Anti-Pledging Policies
Our named executive officers and other employees are restricted from engaging in speculative trading activities, including hedging or pledging their company securities as collateral.
49

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Compensation Committee Report
The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,” “filed” with the SEC or incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with the Company’s management. Based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and incorporated by reference in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
By the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Gino Santini, Chairperson
Nancy Miller-Rich
Daniel Welch
50

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes the compensation that was earned by our named executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2019 and, as applicable, the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.
Name and Principal Position
Year(1)
Salary
($)(2)
Bonus
($)(3)
Stock
Awards
($)(4)
Option
Awards
($)(4)
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)(5)
All Other
Compensation
($)(6)
Total
($)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski
President and
Chief Executive Officer
2019734,2924,197,7421,116,118560,2657,3686,615,785
2018702,0001,667,7181,705,358442,2608,6234,525,960
2017675,0002,486,5762,583,556401,6257,9306,154,687
Sandip Kapadia
Chief Financial Officer
and Treasurer
2019464,1001,001,664586,573252,93521,3682,326,640
2018442,000790,164393,544228,73522,4031,876,846
2017425,000750,260749,231188,59423,9302,137,016
Jerome Durso
Chief Operating Officer
2019573,2502,089,5701,238,321359,28421,3684,281,793
2018540,8001,554,326775,844292,03222,4033,185,406
2017441,3331,738,9501,395,217260,00026,7653,862,266
Ryan Sullivan
General Counsel and
Secretary
2019445,5201,471,902871,713267,08921,3683,077,592
2018376,1581,239,1121,190,351229,122173,4373,208,180
Richard Kim
President, U.S. Commercial &
Strategic Marketing
2019442,900202,800890,368521,398265,51976,3432,399,328
(1)
Mr. Sullivan joined the Company in February 2018. Mr. Kim first became a named executive officer in 2019.
(2)
Reflects (i) prorated 2017 salary for Mr. Durso, who was hired during 2017 and (ii) prorated 2018 salary for Mr. Sullivan, who was hired during 2018.
(3)
Reflects for Mr. Kim in 2019 a cash retention award in the amount of $202,800 paid in the first quarter 2019.
(4)
Amounts shown represent the aggregate grant date fair value for the fiscal years presented, computed in accordance with ASC 718, in respect of TSR PSU, restricted stock unit (or restricted stock) and option awards, as applicable. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in “Note 13” to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in our Annual Report. Amounts shown do not reflect the compensation actually received by the named executive officers. For Mr. Durso in 2017 and Mr. Sullivan in 2018, such amounts reflect such individuals’ new-hire equity awards.
(5)
Amounts shown reflect target-based cash incentive bonuses earned with respect to the fiscal years presented based on our Compensation Committee’s evaluation of our performance against corporate goals and, in the case of named executive officers other than our Chief Executive Officer, the relevant named executive officer’s individual performance. See “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program—Annual Target-Based Cash Incentive Bonuses” above for a discussion of the target and actual cash incentive bonuses for each of the named executive officers with respect to 2019.
(6)
The following table sets forth the component amounts presented in the “All Other Compensation” column above for the year ended December 31, 2019:
Name
Contributions
Under 401(k) Plan
($)(i)
Health
Insurance
($)(ii)
Miscellaneous
($)(iii)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski7,368
Sandip Kapadia14,0007,368
Jerome Durso14,0007,368
Ryan Sullivan14,0007,368
Richard Kim14,0007,36854,975
(i)
Represents the annual contribution of the Company under the terms of its 401(k) Plan.
(ii)
Represents the amount paid by the Company for health insurance premiums above the amounts generally paid for the coverage of its employees.
(iii)
Represents the amount of $30,000 paid by the Company for an annual car allowance, the amount of  $15,434 for the taxes associated with such benefit and an amount paid by the Company for an immediate family member to attend a Company business trip with Mr. Kim.
51

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table
The following table sets forth information concerning the named executive officers’ 2019 annual cash incentive bonus award opportunities and 2019 grants of TSR PSUs, restricted stock units and stock options under our 2012 Plan. All stock options granted to our named executive officers were incentive stock options, to the extent permissible under the Code.
NameGrant
Date
Estimated
Future
Payout
Under
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards
Target
($)(2)
Estimated Future Payouts
Under Equity Incentive Plan
Awards(3)
All
Other
Stock
Awards:
Number
of
Shares
of Stock
(#)(5)
All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Options
(#)(6)
Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)(7)
Grant
Date
Fair
Value of
Stock
and
Option
Awards
($)(8)
Threshold
(#)(4)
Target
(#)
Maximum
(#)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski514,004
01/16/19(1)11,65023,30034,9503,255,942
01/16/19(1)8,50013,700110.80941,800
01/16/19(1)1,116,118
Sandip Kapadia232,050
01/16/19(1)1,8003,6005,400503,064
01/16/19(1)4,500498,600
01/16/19(1)7,200110.80586,573
Jerome Durso286,625
01/16/19(1)3,7507,50011,2501,048,050
01/16/19(1)9,4001,041,520
01/16/19(1)15,200110.801,238,321
Ryan Sullivan222,760
01/16/19(1)2,6505,3007,950740,622
01/16/19(1)6,60010,700110.80731,280
01/16/19(1)871,713
Richard Kim221,450
01/16/19(1)1,6003,2004,800447,168
01/16/19(1)4,000443,200
01/16/19(1)6,400110.80521,398
(1)
Represents annual equity grants made to Dr. Pruzanski, Mr. Kapadia, Mr. Durso, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Kim in 2019, as more fully described under “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program—Equity Incentive Awards—Annual Equity Awards” above. Such awards have a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2019.
(2)
Represents the potential 2019 cash incentive bonus payouts assuming target achievement of corporate goals and, as applicable, individual performance, based upon the named executive officer’s cash incentive bonus target and base salary in effect on December 31, 2019. No minimum threshold amount or maximum amount beyond the target amount was established. See the column entitled “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” in the Summary Compensation Table for the cash incentive bonuses earned by the named executive officers in 2019 and paid in 2020.
(3)
Represents grants of TSR PSUs made to the named executive officers in 2019. Such awards vest, if at all, based on our TSR relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over a 3-year period, subject to continued employment. The percentage of such TSR PSUs that may vest following such period ranges from 0% to 150%, as more fully described under “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program—Equity Incentive Awards—Annual Equity Awards” above.
(4)
Represents TSR PSUs that are eligible to vest based on the Company’s achievement of the minimum applicable relative TSR percentile.
(5)
Represents grants of restricted stock units made to the named executive officers in 2019. Such awards have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting on the date preceding each anniversary of the vesting commencement date.
52

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(6)
Represents grants of stock options made to the named executive officers in 2019. Such awards have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting in an initial installment on the date preceding the one-year anniversary of the relevant vesting commencement date and 1/48th of the shares subject to the award vesting each month thereafter, subject to continued employment.
(7)
Represents the closing market price of the shares on the date of the grant.
(8)
Amounts shown represent the aggregate grant date fair value, computed in accordance with ASC 718, in respect of restricted stock unit and option awards, as applicable, granted in 2019. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts are included in “Note 13” to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in our Annual Report.
53

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table
The following table sets forth information concerning unexercised stock options, unvested restricted stock units (or restricted stock) and unvested TSR PSUs for each of the named executive officers outstanding as of December 31, 2019. The closing market price of the shares on December 31, 2019 was $123.92.
Option AwardsStock Awards
NameNumber of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable(13)
Option
Exercise
Price
($)
Option
Expiration
Date
Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
That
Have Not
Vested
(#)(14)
Market
Value of
Shares
or Units
of Stock
That
Have
Not
Vested
($)
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number
of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights
That
Have
Not
Vested
(#)(22)
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market or
Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights
That
Have Not
Vested
($)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski30,084(1)21.5011/16/221,456(15)180,42835,100(23)4,349,592
62,595(2)31.9005/07/237,250(16)898,42034,950(24)4,331,004
5,733(3)266.0104/11/246,375(17)789,990
5,733(3)266.0104/11/24
32,550(4)161.1610/01/25
29,865(5)635(5)94.2902/11/26
29,167(6)10,833(6)107.1802/01/27
21,801(7)23,699(7)58.7402/05/28
3,425(8)10,275(8)110.8001/16/29
Sandip Kapadia15,375(9)2,625(9)146.3607/01/262,812(18)348,4638,100(23)1,003,752
8,458(6)3,142(6)107.1802/01/272,187(16)271,0135,400(24)669,168
5,030(7)5,470(7)58.7402/05/283,882(19)481,057
1,800(8)5,400(8)10.8001/16/293,375(17)418,230
Jerome Durso14,167(10)5,833(10)115.9302/23/274,687(20)580,81315,900(23)1,970,328
9,918(7)10,782(7)58.7402/05/287,650(19)947,98811,250(24)1,394,100
3,800(8)11,400(8)110.8001/16/297,050(17)873,636
Ryan Sullivan7,353(11)19,122(11)53.4102/13/2813,050(21)1,617,1567,950(24)985,164
2,675(8)8,025(8)110.8001/16/294,950(17)613,404
Richard Kim4,395(12)277.6107/18/25127(15)15,7386,750(23)836,460
4,015(5)85(5)94.2902/11/261,469(16)182,0384,800(24)594,816
5,363(6)2,437(6)107.1802/01/273,263(19)404,350
4,216(7)4,584(7)58.7402/05/283,000(17)371,760
1,600(8)4,800(8)110.8001/16/29
(1)
These options were granted on November 16, 2012.
(2)
These options were granted on May 7, 2013.
(3)
These options were granted on April 11, 2014, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2014. Such options vest upon the achievement of certain regulatory milestones related to OCA. The unexercisable options were cancelled in February 2020 in accordance with the award agreement.
(4)
These options were granted on October 1, 2015.
(5)
These options were granted on February 11, 2016, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2016.
(6)
These options were granted on February 1, 2017, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2017.
(7)
These options were granted on February 5, 2018, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2018.
54

TABLE OF CONTENTS
(8)
These options were granted on January 16, 2019, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2019.
(9)
These options were granted on July 1, 2016, with a vesting commencement date of July 1, 2016.
(10)
These options were granted on February 23, 2017, with a vesting commencement date of February 23, 2017.
(11)
These options were granted on February 13, 2018, with a vesting commencement date of February 13, 2018.
(12)
These options were granted on July 18, 2015.
(13)
Unless otherwise noted, unexercisable stock option awards are subject to a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting in an initial annual installment following the relevant vesting commencement date and 1/​48th of the shares subject to the award vesting each month thereafter, subject to continued employment.
(14)
Unvested restricted stock unit (or restricted stock) awards granted prior to 2019 have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting in an initial annual installment following the relevant vesting commencement date and 1/16th of the shares subject to the award vesting each quarter thereafter, subject to continued employment. Unvested restricted stock unit awards granted in 2019 have a four-year vesting period, with 25% of the shares subject to the award vesting on the date preceding each anniversary of the vesting commencement date, subject to continued employment.
(15)
This restricted stock was granted on February 11, 2016, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2016.
(16)
This restricted stock was granted on February 1, 2017, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2017.
(17)
This restricted stock was granted on January 16, 2019, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2019.
(18)
This restricted stock was granted on July 1, 2016, with a vesting commencement date of July 1, 2016.
(19)
This restricted stock was granted on February 5, 2018, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2018.
(20)
This restricted stock was granted on February 23, 2017, with a vesting commencement date of February 23, 2017.
(21)
This restricted stock was granted on February 13, 2018, with a vesting commencement date of February 13, 2018.
(22)
TSR PSU awards vest, if at all, based on our TSR relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over a 3-year period, subject to continued employment. The percentage of such TSR PSUs that may vest following such period ranges from 0% to 150%, as more fully described under “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program—Equity Incentive Awards—Annual Equity Awards” above. Amounts shown assume that such TSR PSUs will vest at the maximum level of 150% of target in light of our TSR performance relative to that of our TSR Peer Group.
(23)
These TSR PSUs were granted on February 5, 2018, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2018.
(24)
These TSR PSUs were granted on January 16, 2019, with a vesting commencement date of January 1, 2019.
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
The following table sets forth the number of shares and value realized by the named executive officers during 2019 on the exercise of stock options and the vesting of restricted stock units (or restricted stock).
Option AwardsStock Awards
NameNumber of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise
(#)
Value Realized
on Exercise
($)(1)
Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Vesting
(#)
Value Realized
on Vesting
($)(2)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski50,5174,420,52714,6941,396,956
Sandip Kapadia9,643915,168
Jerome Durso12,0501,160,076
Ryan Sullivan8,825278,78211,8001,183,334
Richard Kim5,896575,258
(1)
The value realized on the exercise of options was calculated by multiplying the number of options exercised on the applicable exercise date by the difference between the closing market price of the shares on such date and the exercise price of the options.
(2)
The value realized on the vesting of restricted stock units (or restricted stock) was calculated by multiplying the number of shares issued upon the vesting of restricted stock units (or shares vesting, in the case of restricted stock) on the applicable vesting date by the closing market price of the shares on such date.
55

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides information as of December 31, 2019 with respect to shares that may be issued under our equity compensation plans.
Plan CategoryNumber of Securities
to be Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance
Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders(1)
2,690,460(2)$99.87(3)2,784,100(4)
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by
Security Holders
(1)
All of our equity compensation plans have been approved by security holders. Our equity compensation plans are described in “Note 13” to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, included in our Annual Report.
(2)
Consists of 1,981,150 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under the 2012 Plan or our 2003 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2003 Plan”), as well as 153,591 shares of restricted stock (including performance restricted shares) and 555,719 restricted stock units (including performance restricted stock units) outstanding under the 2012 Plan.
(3)
Does not take into account outstanding shares of restricted stock (including performance restricted shares) or restricted stock units (including performance restricted stock units), which do not require the payment of any exercise price in connection with the vesting thereof.
(4)
As of December 31, 2019, there were 2,784,100 shares available for future grants under the 2012 Plan. No shares are available for future grants under the 2003 Plan. Shares underlying awards outstanding under the 2003 Plan that expire or are forfeited or cancelled become available for issuance under the 2012 Plan. The number of shares available for future grants under the 2012 Plan automatically increases on January 1st of each year until (and including) January 1, 2022 by an amount equal to the lesser of  (i) 1,211,533 shares, (ii) 4% of the total number of shares outstanding on such date and (iii) an amount determined by our Board or Compensation Committee. Accordingly, on January 1, 2020, the number of shares available for future grants increased by 1,211,533 shares.
Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers
We have entered into individual agreements with our named executive officers. In addition, the agreements governing equity awards granted to our employees, including our named executive officers, contain provisions relating to the treatment of such awards in the event of certain terminations. The material terms of these agreements are summarized below. See “—Definitions” below for the meanings of certain terms used in this section.
Basic Terms
The employment agreements with each of our named executive officers provide for (i) an annual base salary, which is subject to annual review and increase (but not decrease) or, in the case of Mr. Kim, subject to adjustment, as determined by our Board or Compensation Committee, (ii) eligibility for an annual target-based cash incentive bonus equal to a percentage of such officer’s base salary and (iii) eligibility to participate in the Company’s benefit plans and arrangements, in each case, as described in greater detail under “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program” above. The employment agreements with each of our named executive officers have initial terms of one year with automatic renewal each year thereafter unless either party elects not to renew or earlier terminates the agreement.
Termination-Related Provisions
Termination for Any Reason
Upon any termination of employment, each named executive officer is entitled to receive accrued but unpaid salary (including payment of accrued but unused vacation days), such officer’s vested equity awards
56

TABLE OF CONTENTS
and any other accrued benefits under the Company’s benefit plans or such officer’s employment agreement. In addition, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to receive an amount equal to his cash incentive bonus for the year preceding the year in which termination occurs, to the extent unpaid, and a prorated cash incentive bonus for the year in which termination occurs, payable in a lump sum. Except as described under “Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason,” “Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason in Connection with a Change in Control” and “Termination in the Event of Death or Disability” below, all unvested equity awards held by the named executive officer would be forfeited and such officer would have, in the case of  (i) Dr. Pruzanski, three years and (ii) the named executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski, 90 days (or, in each case, the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options.
Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason
In the event that the Company elects not to renew the employment agreement of a named executive officer, such officer is terminated by the Company without cause or such officer resigns with good reason, such officer will be entitled to receive (i) cash severance in an amount equal to 12 months of such officer’s base salary in effect at the time of termination, payable over 12 months, (ii) continued health benefits for up to 12 months following termination and (iii) the same benefits as described under “Termination for Any Reason” above, except that, in the case of  (A) Dr. Pruzanski, all unvested equity awards held by Dr. Pruzanski will vest, Dr. Pruzanski will have three years (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options and, in lieu of the prorated cash incentive bonus for the year in which termination occurs, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to an amount equal to the mean bonus earned by him during the prior three years, payable in a lump sum, (B) Mr. Kim, such officer will have one year (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options and (C) Messrs. Kapadia, Durso and Sullivan, the number of unvested equity awards held by each such officer that would otherwise have vested during the period from the date of termination to the first anniversary thereof will vest and each such officer will have one year (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options. Furthermore, with respect to each named executive officer other than Dr. Pruzanski, in the event that the Company elects not to renew the employment agreement of such officer, such officer is terminated without cause or such officer resigns for good reason following the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date of restricted stock units that were granted in 2019 or thereafter, such restricted stock units shall become vested as follows: (x) if the termination date is three months or less before the restricted stock unit’s next scheduled vesting date, seventy-five percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on such next vesting date shall become vested, (y) if the termination date is more than three months but no more than six months before the next scheduled vesting date, fifty percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on that vesting date shall become vested and (z) if the termination date is more than six months but no more than nine months before the next scheduled vesting date, twenty-five percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on that vesting date shall become vested.
Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason in Connection with a Change in Control
In the event that the Company elects not to renew the employment agreement of a named executive officer, such officer is terminated by the Company without cause or such officer resigns with good reason, in each case, in anticipation of, within three months before (in the case of Dr. Pruzanski) or within 12 months following a change in control, such officer will be entitled to receive the same benefits as described under “Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason” above, except that, in the case of  (i) Dr. Pruzanski, the cash severance will be in an amount equal to 24 months of Dr. Pruzanski’s base salary in effect at the time of termination and payable in a lump sum, the health benefits will continue for up to 24 months following termination and, in lieu of the mean bonus earned by him during the prior three years, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to an amount equal to two times the mean bonus earned by him during the prior three years and (ii) the named executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski, the cash severance amount will be payable in a lump sum, all unvested equity awards held by such officer will vest and such officer will have one year (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options.
57

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Termination in the Event of Death or Disability
In the event of termination by reason of a named executive officer’s death or disability, such officer will be entitled to receive the same benefits as described under “Termination for Any Reason” above, except that, in the case of  (i) Dr. Pruzanski, all unvested equity awards held by Dr. Pruzanski will vest, Dr. Pruzanski (or his estate or legal representative, as applicable) will have three years (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options and, in the case of a termination due to disability, Dr. Pruzanski will be entitled to (A) continued health benefits for up to 12 months following termination and (B) solely to the extent that Dr. Pruzanski is not eligible to participate in Company-sponsored short- and long-term disability plans that provide for benefits of at least 60% of base salary, cash severance in an amount equal to 12 months of his base salary in effect at the time of termination, payable over 12 months, and (ii) the named executive officers other than Dr. Pruzanski, (A) a prorated portion (based on the number of days accrued in the current vesting period prior to the date of termination) of the unvested options held by such officer that would otherwise have vested on the next vesting date will vest and such officer (or such officer’s estate or legal representative, as applicable) will have one year (or the remaining term of the options if shorter) following termination to exercise any vested options, (B) a prorated portion (based on the portion of the performance period that has elapsed as of the date of termination) of the target award amount of unvested TSR PSUs held by such officer will vest and (C) except as described in the next sentence, all remaining unvested equity awards held by such officer would be forfeited. In the event of a termination of a named executive officer other than Dr. Pruzanski due to death or disability that occurs following the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date of restricted stock units that were granted in 2019 or thereafter, such restricted stock units shall become vested as follows: (x) if the termination date is three months or less before the restricted stock unit’s next scheduled vesting date, seventy-five percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on such next vesting date shall become vested, (y) if the termination date is more than three months but no more than six months before the next scheduled vesting date, fifty percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on that vesting date shall become vested and (z) if the termination date is more than six months but no more than nine months before the next scheduled vesting date, twenty-five percent of the restricted stock units that were scheduled to vest on that vesting date shall become vested.
Release of Claims
Eligibility for the severance payments and benefits described above is conditioned upon the execution by the named executive officer (or such officer’s legal representative, as applicable) and effectiveness, within a specified period of time following termination, of a general release of claims in favor of the Company.
Certain Code-Related Provisions
If any amounts owed to a named executive officer as a result of a termination in connection with a change in control of the Company would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, then such amounts will be payable either (i) in full or (ii) solely to the extent that the after-tax value of such amounts to such officer would be greater as a result of such reduction, as to such reduced amount that would maximize the after-tax value of such amounts to such officer.
In addition, the timing of payments may be modified by us to comply with Section 409A of the Code.
Treatment of TSR PSUs in the Event of a Change in Control
With respect to TSR PSUs, in the event of a change in control, the performance period shall end and such TSR PSUs shall vest, if at all, based on our TSR performance relative to that of our TSR Peer Group through the month preceding the month in which the change in control occurs. The percentage of such TSR PSUs that may vest in ranges from 0% to 150%, as more fully described under “—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Components of Our Executive Compensation Program—Equity Incentive Awards—Annual Equity Awards” above.
58

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Definitions
Under the employment agreements with our named executive officers:

“cause” generally means (i) that the officer has engaged in material dishonesty, willful misconduct or gross negligence or has materially breached the employment agreement, and has failed to cure such conduct or breach within 30 days after receipt of written notice from us or (ii) the officer’s conviction or entry of nolo contendere to any crime involving moral turpitude, fraud or embezzlement or any felony;

“change in control” generally means (i) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, (ii) any consolidation or merger of the Company where the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to the consolidation or merger, would not, immediately after the consolidation or merger, beneficially own, directly or indirectly, shares representing in the aggregate more than 50% of the combined voting power of all the outstanding securities of the corporation issuing cash or securities in the consolidation or merger (or of its ultimate parent corporation, if any) or (iii) a third person (other than the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or investors purchasing equity securities of the Company pursuant to a financing or a series of financings approved by our Board) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of securities representing 25% or more of the total number of votes that may be cast for the election of the directors of the Company; and

“good reason” generally means a material (i) change in the officer’s duties, position, responsibilities or reporting requirements, (ii) relocation or (iii) breach of the employment agreement by us, in each case without the officer’s consent and subject to the officer giving us sufficient notice and time to cure the event giving rise to such good reason.
Confidential Information and Assignment of Inventions Agreements
Each of our named executive officers has entered into an agreement with us with respect to proprietary information and inventions. Among other things, these agreements obligate each named executive officer to refrain from disclosing any of our proprietary information received during the course of employment or soliciting our employees and to assign to us any inventions conceived or developed during the course of employment.
Potential Payments and Benefits Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control
As described under “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers” above, we have entered into individual agreements with our named executive officers providing for severance payments and benefits in the event of certain terminations of employment, including in connection with a change of control. In addition, the agreements governing equity awards granted to our employees, including our named executive officers, contain provisions relating to the treatment of such awards in the event of certain terminations or a change in control. The following table sets forth estimates of the payments and benefits each named executive officer would have been entitled to receive from the Company upon a termination of employment under the circumstances described in the table effective December 31, 2019. In the case of Dr. Pruzanski, such payments and benefits are inclusive or in lieu of a cash payment in the amount of $514,004 that he would have been entitled to upon a termination of employment for any reason effective December 31, 2019. The amounts included in respect of TSR PSUs following a change in control (i) would be payable whether or not the named executive officer’s employment was terminated and (ii) assume that such TSR PSUs vest at the maximum level of 150% of target in light of our TSR performance relative to that of our TSR Peer Group over 2019.
In accordance with SEC rules, the potential payments were determined under the terms of the Company’s contracts, agreements, plans and arrangements as in effect on December 31, 2019. The tables do not include any previously vested equity awards or accrued benefits. Because the payments to be made to a named executive officer depend on several factors, the actual amounts to be paid out upon a triggering event can only be determined at the time of the triggering event.
59

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name
Termination
Due to Death
($)(4)
Termination
Due to
Disability
($)(5)
Termination
Without Cause or
Resignation for
Good Reason
($)(6)
Termination Without
Cause or Resignation
for Good Reason In
Connection with a
Change of Control
($)(7)
Dr. Mark Pruzanski
Cash Payments(1)
514,004​1,248,296​1,131,254​2,262,507​
Value of Accelerated Vesting(2)
12.429,102​12,429,102​12,429,102​12,429,102​
Health Insurance Benefits(3)
—​34,283​34,283​34,283​
   Total12,943,106​13,711,681​13,594,639​14,725,892​
Sandip Kapadia
Cash Payments(1)
—​—​464,100​464,100​
Value of Accelerated Vesting(2)
594,816​594,816​1,161,755​3,671,663​
Health Insurance Benefits(3)
—​—​34,283​34,283​
   Total594,816​594,816​1,660,138​4,170,046​
Jerome Durso
Cash Payments(1)
—​—​573,250​573,250​
Value of Accelerated Vesting(2)
1,185,501​1,185,501​1,604,353​6,665,809​
Health Insurance Benefits(3)
—​—​34,283​34,283​
   Total1,185,501​1,185,501​2,211,886​7,273,342​
Ryan Sullivan
Cash Payments(1)
—​—​445,520​445,520​
Value of Accelerated Vesting(2)
218,925​218,925​1,580,551​4,669,304​
Health Insurance Benefits(3)
—​—​34,283​34,283​
   Total218,925​218,925​2,060,354​5,149,107​
Richard Kim
Cash Payments(1)
—​—​442,900​442,900​
Value of Accelerated Vesting(2)
503,941​503,941​—​2,810,238​
Health Insurance Benefits(3)
—​—​34,283​34,283​
   Total503,941​503,941​477,183​3,287,421​
(1)
Includes cash severance payments calculated based on base salary in effect on December 31, 2019.
(2)
The value realized upon the accelerated vesting of  (i) stock options is calculated by multiplying the number of “in-the-money” options subject to accelerated vesting by the difference between the closing market price of the shares on December 31, 2019 and the weighted-average exercise price of such options, (ii) restricted stock is calculated by multiplying the number of shares of restricted stock subject to accelerated vesting by the closing market price of the shares on December 31, 2019 and (iii) restricted stock units and TSR PSUs is calculated by multiplying the number of restricted stock units and TSR PSUs subject to accelerated vesting by the closing market price of the shares on December 31, 2019. The closing market price of the shares on December 31, 2019 was $123.92.
(3)
Represents the estimated cost to the Company of continuing health insurance benefits for the named executive officers.
(4)
See “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers—Termination-Related Provisions—Termination in the Event of Death or Disability” above for a description of the circumstances that would trigger the payment of amounts set forth in this column.
(5)
See “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers—Termination-Related Provisions—Termination in the Event of Death or Disability” above for a description of the circumstances that would trigger the payment of amounts set forth in this column. Reflects an amount Dr. Pruzanski would be entitled to pursuant to his employment agreement.
(6)
See “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers—Termination-Related Provisions—Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason” above for a description of the circumstances that would trigger the payment of amounts set forth in this column.
(7)
See “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers—Termination-Related Provisions—Termination Without Cause or Resignation for Good Reason in Connection with a Change in Control” and “—Employment Arrangements with Our Named Executive Officers—Treatment of TSR PSUs in the Event of a Change in Control” above for a description of the circumstances that would trigger the payment of amounts set forth in this column.
60

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pay Ratio Disclosure
In accordance with the requirements of Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K (collectively, the “Pay Ratio Rule”), we are providing the following estimated information for 2019:

the median of the annual total compensation of all of our employees (excluding our Chief Executive Officer) was $239,066;

the annual total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer was $6,615,785; and

the ratio of these two amounts was approximately 28 to 1. We believe that this ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Pay Ratio Rule.
SEC rules for identifying the ��median employee” and calculating annual total compensation allow companies to apply various methodologies and make various assumptions and, as result, the pay ratio reported by us may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported by other companies.
Methodology for Identifying Our Median Employee
Employee Population
To identify the median of the annual total compensation of all of our employees (other than our Chief Executive Officer), we first identified our total domestic and foreign employee population. We selected December 31, 2019 as the date upon which we would identify our “median employee”. We determined that, as of December 31, 2019, we had 583 employees. We did not make any adjustments to our employee population.
Determining our Median Employee
We identified our “median employee” from our total employee population for 2019 by applying the same methodology used for 2018. Accordingly, we compared each employee’s aggregate 2019 base salary (annualized in the case of newly hired employees), cash incentive target and equity award grant date fair value, in each case, converted into U.S. dollars as necessary. We identified our median employee using this compensation measure, which was consistently applied to all our employees included in the calculation.
61

TABLE OF CONTENTS
RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS
Public Offering and Concurrent Private Placement
In May 2019, we issued and sold (i) 2,760,000 shares of common stock in a registered public offering, at a price to the public of  $83.50 per share (the “Public Offering”) and (ii) 119,760 shares (the “Private Placement Shares”) in a private placement exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act (the “Concurrent Private Placement”), at a purchase price per share equivalent to the price to the public set in the Public Offering and pursuant to a securities purchase agreement (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) that we entered into with Samsara BioCapital, L.P. (“Samsara”).
Dr. Benatti purchased 1,200 shares in the Public Offering and Samsara purchased 119,760 shares in the Concurrent Private Placement. Dr. Akkaraju is a managing member of Samsara BioCapital GP, LLC, the general partner of Samsara.
Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we granted to Samsara certain registration rights requiring us, upon request delivered by Samsara (and/or certain affiliate transferees thereof) on or after July 9, 2019 and subject to certain terms and conditions, to register the resale by Samsara (and/or such affiliates) of the Private Placement Shares. Such registration rights have since expired.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification Matters
Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Restated Bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers, and may indemnify our employees and other agents, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Under our Restated Certificate of Incorporation and/or Restated Bylaws, we are also empowered to purchase insurance on behalf of our directors, officers, employees and other agents and to enter into indemnification agreements with our directors, officers, employees and other agents. We have entered into indemnification agreements with directors and officers, which provide for indemnification for all reasonable expenses and liabilities incurred in connection with any action or proceeding brought against them in connection with their services. We believe that these arrangements are necessary to attract and retain qualified directors and officers and to allow them to exercise their judgment in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. We have also obtained director and officer liability insurance as a risk management measure.
62

TABLE OF CONTENTS
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,” “filed” with the SEC or incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
The Audit Committee’s primary purpose is to act on behalf of the Board in fulfilling the Board’s oversight responsibilities with respect to the Company’s accounting and financial reporting practices, systems of internal control over financial reporting and audit process, as well as the quality and integrity of the Company’s financial reports, the qualifications, independence and performance of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and the Company’s processes for monitoring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the Company’s Global Code of Business Conduct. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, a current copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.interceptpharma.com in the Investors & Media section under “Corporate Governance.”
The Audit Committee has:

reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 with the Company’s management;

discussed with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP, the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) and the SEC; and

received the written disclosures and the letter from KPMG LLP required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding KPMG LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with KPMG LLP such firm’s independence.
Based on the foregoing review and discussions, the Audit Committee has recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.
The Audit Committee is responsible for the appointment, retention, compensation, evaluation and oversight of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. After reviewing the past services provided by, and performance of, KPMG LLP, will be presentthe Audit Committee appointed KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020. The Audit Committee recommends that the Company’s stockholders ratify such appointment at the annual meeting, will be ableAnnual Meeting.
By the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
Glenn Sblendorio, Chairperson
Daniel Bradbury
Gino Santini
63

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit Committee has appointed KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2020. KPMG LLP has audited the Company’s financial statements since 2008.
Fees Paid to make a statement if they so desire, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

KPMG LLP

The following table presentssets forth the aggregate fees for professional audit services rendered by KPMG LLP forbilled to the audit of our annual financial statementsCompany for the years ended December 31, 20152019 and December 31, 2014, and fees billed for other services rendered2018 by KPMG LLP during those periods.

LLP.
Year Ended December 31,
20192018
(in thousands)
Audit Fees$1,777$1,491
Audit-Related Fees
Tax Fees14694
All Other Fees22
Total Fees$1,925$1,587
  
(in thousands) 2015 2014
Audit fees $688  $394 
Audit related fees      
Tax fees  25   48 
All other fees  141    
Total $854  $442 

Audit fees include fees associated with the annual integrated audit review of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q,financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, reviews of our interim financial information, the issuance of consents related toin connection with filings with the SEC, statutory audits and KPMG LLP’s work in connection with our financing activities.activities, including the issuance of comfort letters. Tax fees include fees associated with tax compliance services, preparation of statefederal and federalstate income tax returns, and preparation of sales tax returns.

Auditor Independence

returns and certain other tax consulting services. All other fees in 2019 consist of fees related to a subscription to KPMG LLP’s Accounting Research Online tool.

We did not incur any audit-related fees in 2019 or 2018. All fees described above were approved by the Audit Committee.
The audit committeeAudit Committee has determined that the provision of services rendered above is compatible with maintaining KPMG LLP’s independence. All
Pre-Approval Policy and Procedures
The Audit Committee has adopted a policy and procedures for the pre-approval of audit related, tax and othernon-audit services are required to be pre-approvedrendered by the audit committee.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-audit Services of Independent Public Accountant

Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the audit committee has responsibility for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of our independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the audit committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm.

Prior to engagement of anCompany’s independent registered public accounting firm, for the following year’s audit,KPMG LLP. On an annual basis, management submits an aggregate ofto the Audit Committee for pre-approval specified services expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of services toby the audit committee for approval.

1.Audit services include audit work performed in the preparation of financial statements, as well as work that generally only anCompany’s independent registered public accounting firm can reasonably be expected to provide, including comfort letters, statutory audits, and attest services and consultation regarding financial accounting and/or reporting standards.

2.Audit-Related services are for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed by an independent registered public accounting firm, including due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit plan audits, and special procedures required to meet certain regulatory requirements.

3.Tax services include all services performed by an independent registered public accounting firm’s tax personnel except those services specifically related to the audit of the financial statements, and includes fees in the areasdefined categories of audit, audit-related, tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

4.Other Fees are those associated withother services not captured in the other categories. We generally do not request such services from our independent registered public accounting firm.

up to specified amounts. Prior to engagement, the audit committeeAudit Committee pre-approves these services by category of service. The fees are budgeted andIn the audit committee requires our independent registered public accounting firm and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year by category of service. During the year,event that circumstances may arise whenwhere it may become necessary to engage ourthe Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances,pre-approval, pre-approval may also be given on an individual, case-by-case basis before the audit committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging ourCompany’s independent registered public accounting firm.

firm is engaged to provide such services. The audit committeeAudit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The member or members to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational purposes only, any pre-approval decisions to the audit committeefull Audit Committee at its meetings.

In the event the stockholders do not ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm, the audit committee will reconsider its appointment.

The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares cast affirmatively or negatively at the annual meeting is required to ratify the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm.

The audit committee regularly evaluates the performance of KPMG LLP. In 2015, our audit committee reviewed KPMG LLP’s work relating to our annual and quarterly financial statements, along with KPMG LLP’s work relating to our public offerings completed in 2015. Based on KPMG LLP’s performance relating to our annual and quarterly financial review and their performance relating to our financing activities in 2015, our audit committee recommends that our stockholders ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as our auditors for fiscal 2016.

We expect a representative of KPMG LLP to attend the Annual Meeting either in person or via teleconference. The representative will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires and also will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF KPMG LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF SUCH RATIFICATION UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER INDICATES OTHERWISE ON THE PROXY.

next scheduled meeting.

64

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS

We have adopted a global code of business conduct that applies to all of our employees, including our chief executive officer and chief financial and accounting officer. The text of the global code of business conduct is posted

STOCKHOLDERS’ PROPOSALS
Stockholder Proposals in the “Investors” sectionProxy Statement
Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act addresses when a company must include a stockholder’s proposal in its proxy statement and identify the proposal in its form of our website atwww.interceptpharma.com. Disclosure regarding any amendmentsproxy card when the company holds an annual or special meeting of stockholders. Under Rule 14a-8, in order for your proposals to or waivers from, provisions of our global code of business conduct that apply to our directors, principal executive officer and principal financial officer will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the date of such amendment or waiver, unless posting on our website or the issuance of a press release of such amendments or waivers is then permitted by the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market.

OTHER MATTERS

The board of directors knows of no other business which will be presented to the annual meeting. If any other business is properly brought before the annual meeting, proxies will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the persons named therein.

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTOR

To be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and proxy card relating to the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2021 Annual Meeting”), your proposals must be sent to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor, New York, NY 10001, Attention: Company Secretary, not less than 120 days prior to the anniversary of the date on which the Company’s proxy statement was released to stockholders in connection with the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2019 Annual Meeting”). Therefore, the deadline is expected to be December 30, 2020 for the 2021 Annual Meeting. However, if the date of the 2021 Annual Meeting changes by more than 30 days from the anniversary of the 2020 Annual Meeting, the deadline is a reasonable time before we begin to print and mail our 2017 annual meetingproxy materials. We will notify you of stockholders, weany change in this deadline in a quarterly report on Form 10-Q or in another communication to you. Stockholder proposals must receive stockholder proposals (other thanalso be otherwise eligible for director nominations) no later than, 2017.inclusion.

Stockholder Proposals and Nominations for Directors to Be Presented at Meetings
If you desire to bring a matter before an Annual Meeting of Stockholders outside the process of Rule 14a-8, you may do so by following the procedures set forth in the Company’s Restated Bylaws. To be considered for presentation at the 2017 annual meeting, although not included in the proxy statement, proposals (including director nominations that are not requested to be included in our proxy statement)timely, written notice must be received no earlierdelivered to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor, New York, NY 10001, Attention: Company Secretary not less than March 21, 2017 and no later90 days nor more than April 20, 2017;120 days prior to the first anniversary of the 2020 Annual Meeting; provided, however, that ifin the 2017 annual meetingevent that the date of the 2021 Annual Meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 30 days after such anniversary date, then such notice to be timely must be delivered to the Company Secretary not more than 120 days prior to the 2021 Annual Meeting and not less than the later of  (i) 90 days prior to such annual meeting or (ii) 10 days following the date of the first public announcement of the scheduled date of the 2021 Annual Meeting. As a result, in the event the 2021 Annual Meeting is not held more than 30 days before nor more than 30 days after the first anniversary of the 2016 annual meeting date,2020 Annual Meeting, notice of nominations or other business submitted pursuant to the Company’s Restated Bylaws must be delivered by the stockholder not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the 2017 annual meeting and notreceived no later than the close of business on the later of (i) the 90th day priorFebruary 27, 2021 and no earlier than January 28, 2021. Any such notice to the 2017 annual meetingCompany Secretary must include all of the information specified in the Company’s Restated Bylaws.
65

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXPENSES AND SOLICITATION
The cost of solicitation will be borne by the Company, and (ii)in addition to directly soliciting stockholders by mail, the closeCompany may request brokers, dealers, banks, trustees or other nominees to solicit their customers who have shares of business on the tenth dayCompany registered in the name of the nominee and, if so, will reimburse such brokers, dealers, banks, trustees or other nominees for their reasonable out-of-pocket costs. Solicitation by officers and employees of the Company may also be made of some stockholders in person or by mail, email or telephone following the day on which public announcementoriginal solicitation. The Company has retained Innisfree M&A Incorporated to assist in the solicitation of proxies for a fee of approximately $17,500, plus out-of-pocket expenses.
HOUSEHOLDING
Our Annual Report, including our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, is being mailed to you along with this proxy statement. In order to reduce printing and postage costs, only one Annual Report and one proxy statement will be mailed to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless the Company receives contrary instructions from one or more of the datestockholders sharing an address. If your household has received only one Annual Report and one proxy statement and you wish to receive separate copies of these documents, we will deliver promptly a separate copy of such documents to any requesting stockholder who contacts our transfer agent, VStock Transfer, LLC, by telephone at 1-855-9 VSTOCK or in writing to VStock Transfer, LLC, 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, NY 11598. If your household is receiving multiple copies of the 2017Company’s annual meetingreports or proxy statements and you wish to request delivery of a single copy, you may send a written request to our transfer agent at VStock Transfer, LLC, 18 Lafayette Place, Woodmere, NY 11598.
OTHER BUSINESS
Management does not know of any other matters to be brought before the Annual Meeting except those set forth in the notice thereof. If other business is first made by us. Proposalsproperly presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting, it is intended that are not received in a timely mannerthe proxies will not be voted by the persons named therein in accordance with their judgment on at the 2017 annual meeting. Ifsuch matters.
We will mail without charge, upon written request, a proposal is receivedcopy of our Annual Report on time, the proxies that management solicitsForm 10-K for the meeting may still exercise discretionary voting authority onfiscal year ended December 31, 2019, including the proposal under circumstances consistent with the proxy rulesconsolidated financial statements, schedules and list of the SEC. All stockholder proposalsexhibits, and any particular exhibit specifically requested. Requests should be marked for the attention of Corporate Secretary,sent to: Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 450 West 15th Street, Suite 505,10 Hudson Yards, 37th Floor, New York, NY 10011.

10001, Attention: Company Secretary.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
/s/ Ryan T. Sullivan
Ryan T. Sullivan
General Counsel and Secretary
New York, NYNew York
JuneApril   , 2016

2020

66

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Appendix A

CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
TO
RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Pursuant

Preliminary Copy
[MISSING IMAGE: tm2014047d1_pc1.jpg]
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) DateTO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDSTHIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLYD12905-P394141a. Paolo Fundarò1b. Mark Pruzanski, M.D.1c. Srinivas Akkaraju, M.D., Ph.D.Nominees:1d. Luca Benatti, Ph.D.2. FOR the approval of an amendment to Section 242the Company’s RestatedCertificate of Incorporation to increase the
General Corporation Law number of authorizedshares of common stock from 45,000,000 to 90,000,000;3. FOR the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of thecompensation of the State of Delaware)

Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a corporation organized and existing underCompany’s named executive officers; and4. FOR the lawsratification of the Stateappointment of Delaware, hereby certifiesKPMG LLP as follows:

1. The nametheindependent registered public accounting firm of the corporation is Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Corporation”). The CertificateCompanyfor the year ending December 31, 2020.NOTE: Such other business as may properly come before the meeting orany adjournment thereof.1g. Nancy Miller-Rich1i. Glenn Sblendorio1j. Daniel Welch1e. Daniel Bradbury1f. Keith Gottesdiener, M.D.1h. Gino Santini1. FOR the election, by separate resolutions, of Incorporationeach of the Corporation was filed with the Secretary of the State of Delawarefollowingten nominees to serve on September 4, 2002 under the name TSM Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation filed on September 4, 2002 was amended on October 11, 2002 to change the name of the Corporation to Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. A Restated Certificate of Incorporation was last filed on October 16, 2012. An Amendment to the Restated Certificate of Incorporation was filed on July 17, 2014.

2. This Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended, was duly adopted by the Board of Directors until the 2021Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their respective successorsare duly elected and qualified:For Against Abstain! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! !! ! !! ! !! !INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.The Board recommends that you vote these shares as follows:INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.10 HUDSON YARDS 37TH FLOORNEW YORK, NY 10001! !! !For Withhold! !Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator,or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders mustsign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.VOTE BY INTERNETBefore The Meeting - Go to www.proxyvote.comUse the Corporation pursuantInternet to a resolution setting forthtransmit your voting instructions and for electronic deliveryof information up until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the proposed amendment ofday before the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,cut-off dateor meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web siteand follow the instructions to obtain your records and declaring said amendment to be advisable.

3. Article FOURTH, Paragraph A. ofcreate an electronicvoting instruction form.During The Meeting - Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ICPT2020You may attend the Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Havethe information that is hereby deletedprinted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

A.Designation and Number of Shares.

The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have the authority to issue is 50,000,000 shares, consisting of 45,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”).

The number of authorized shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding)box marked by the affirmative vote ofarrow available andfollow the holders of a majority ofinstructions.VOTE BY MAILMark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitledpostage-paidenvelope we have provided or return it to vote thereon, without a vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to the terms of any Preferred Stock designation.

4. The aforesaid amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.

[Remainder of this page intentionally left blank.]

Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge,51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, to be signed by its duly authorized President and Chief Executive Officer this      day of           , 2016.

INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

By:

Mark Pruzanski, M.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer

[MISSING IMAGE: tm2014047d1_pc2.jpg]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

JULY 19, 2016

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders To Be Held on July 19, 2016

TheMay 28, 2020The Proxy Statement and 2019 Annual Report for 2015 are available at
http://www.interceptpharma.com/proxy.html

INTERCEPT www.proxyvote.com.INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
THISINC.Annual Meeting of StockholdersMay 28, 2020D12906-P39414INTERCEPT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TheDIRECTORSThe undersigned, revoking all prior proxies, hereby appoints Mark Pruzanski, M.D., Sandip Kapadia and Bryan Yoon,Ryan T. Sullivan, or eitherany of them, with fullthe power of substitution, as proxy to represent and vote allthe shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”),the undersigned, with all the powers which the undersigned will be entitled to vote if personally presentwould possess, at the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of the CompanyIntercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to be held on July 19, 2016, May 28, 2020,at 9:10:00 a.m. ET(EDT) by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/ICPT2020 or at the Company’s corporate headquarters, located at 450 W. 15th Street, Suite 505, New York, NY 10011, upon matters set forth in the Notice of 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement dated June   , 2016, a copy of which has been received by the undersigned. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote. The proxies are further authorized to vote, in their discretion, upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting.

Thisany postponement or adjournment thereof.This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted as directed. If no direction is made, the proxy shall be votedFORthe election of the nominees listed nomineesin Proposals 1a through 1j as directors,FOR the approval of an amendment to the Company’s restated certificateRestated Certificate of incorporation,FORIncorporation to increase the holdingnumber of authorized shares of common stock from 45,000,000 to 90,000,000, FOR the approval, on a non-binding, advisory vote onbasis, of the compensation of the Company’s named executive compensation,officers, andFOR the ratification of the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent auditorsregistered public accounting firm of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 and, in2020. In their discretion, the case ofProxies are authorized to vote upon such other matters that legallybusiness as may properly come before the meeting as said proxy(s) may deem advisable.

Please check here if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders on July 19, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. (ET).o

or any postponement or adjournment thereof.(Continued and to be signed on Reverse Side)


TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOTE ON INTERNET
Go tohttp://www.interceptpharma.com/proxy.html and
log-on using the below control number.

CONTROL #

VOTE BY MAIL
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it
in the envelope we have provided.

VOTE IN PERSON
If you would like to vote in person, please attend the
Annual Meeting to be held on July 19, 2016 at
9:00 a.m. ET.

Please Vote, Sign, Date and Return Promptly in the Enclosed Envelope.

Annual Meeting Proxy Card — Common Stock

DETACH PROXY CARD HERE TO VOTE BY MAIL

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR each director nominee:

(1)Election of Directors:

[  ] FOR ALL NOMINEES LISTED BELOW
    (except as marked to the contrary below)
[  ] WITHHOLD AUTHORITY TO VOTE
    FOR ALL NOMINEES LISTED BELOW

INSTRUCTION:  TO WITHHOLD AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR ONE OR MORE INDIVIDUAL NOMINEES STRIKE A LINE THROUGH THE NOMINEES’ NAMES BELOW:

01 Srinivas Akkaraju02 Luca Benatti03 Daniel Bradbury
04 Paolo Fundaro05 Keith Gottesdiener06 Mark Pruzanski
07 Gino Santini08 Glenn Sblendorio09 Daniel Welch

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal:

(2)To amend the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase authorized shares of common stock:

[  ] VOTE FOR[  ] VOTE AGAINST[  ] ABSTAIN

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal:

(3)To approve, on an advisory basis, our executive compensation:

[  ] VOTE FOR[  ] VOTE AGAINST[  ] ABSTAIN

The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal:

(4)To approve a proposal to ratify the Board’s appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016:

[  ] VOTE FOR[  ] VOTE AGAINST[  ] ABSTAIN

DateSignatureSignature, if held jointly






Note: This proxy must be signed exactly as the name appears hereon. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by a duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by an authorized person.

To change the address on your account, please check the box      o
At right and indicate your new address.